Baby Update

We went to the doctor again today and I'm maybe 1/2 a centimeter dilated. We also did a quick ultrasound to check on the baby's position. It is still head down and is hanging out on my left side. *Hurray!* He also saw that I have "good pockets of amniotic fluid" around the baby. I am really enjoying being "medically boring". All my numbers have been good and I only gained 2 pounds this week; without really trying I haven't really gained that much weight overall. The hard part will be to loose the non-baby weight that has accumulated over the past 4 years.

I was walking around WalMart yesterday and I'm pretty sure I felt a few contractions, perhaps that's where my 1/2 cm came from. :) I went walking again today and felt that I was walking fast, but in reality I have really slowed down my walking pace. I kept saying to the ladies behind me that they were allowed to pass me if I was walking too slow.

I've found recently that, with the exception of a few pairs of pants, skirts are more comfortable for me to wear. I think that for the most part it's because pants are either too high and give me a wedgie or are too low and fold over underneath my belly. Skirts on the other hand typically stay where I put them. I like the knee length skirts better than the long skirts because they are less restricting.

I also got my hair cut again, but this time it was more like a trim, I had a duck tail getting larger and larger at the back of my head and it just had to go. I have a girlfriend, that lives on the street perpendicular to mine, who just so happens to cut hair out of her home. So I walked over, she cut my hair, and then I walked home. It was awesome! Plus my hair looks really cute. :)

This is me today at 37 weeks and 2 days w/the new hair.

I Am Officially Nothing...

Andrew and I went to our first weekly doctor's appointment yesterday; it's the one where they tell you what to do if you go into labor and check to see where you are with preparing for labor. I am officially not dilated, not effaced and the baby hasn't dropped into the birth canal yet. Fortunately the baby is hanging out head down. Who knows if it will stay that way, but it's been head down for the past two weeks if not more. So the odds are good that baby will stay that way. *I hope*I hope*I hope*

I've been really good about walking 3 miles twice a week. Once is on Thursday with the Stroller Brigade and I've been lucky enough to have a willing walking partner in Lauren. Today I took Andrew walking with me on the Stroller Brigade's route. It was nice but I think we started out a little too late in the morning; we were too hot by the end of the walk. "They" say that walking is a good way to help prepare baby for labor. I don't know if "they" are right but I'm willing to give it a try. I'm going to take Andrew on another walk tomorrow to see how I handle walking 2 days in a row, and then I will try to walk more than just 2 days a week.

I like walking for the "health" of it. :)

Hurray for Walking Groups!!!

Every Thursday morning a group of ladies from my church meet at the park near my house and go walking. They have been doing this for longer than I have lived here. Today I finally motivated myself to get up and go walking with them; they meet at 8am and I currently have the privilege to sleep in later than that if I want to (I usually do). Anyway, I walked to the park and saw a gang of ladies with strollers, everyone was pushing a stroller but me. :) They have an established route that takes them in a nice loop; it's about 3 miles long. I had a really good time I started out walking with the ladies in front and slowed down and walked with the ladies in the middle and by the end I was walking with the ladies in back. While we were walking I was feeling fine just maintaining my slow pregnant pace and talking with the ladies. When we got back to the park I felt the need to sit down, so I did (the kids got out of their strollers and played on the playground after we were done walking). I sat and talked with the "newborn" moms, one has a 3 month old and the other has an almost 1 month old. It was a really great way to get to know women in similar situations to me. When it was time to walk home I stood up and felt like my pelvis was going to fall apart. Holy Cow! I've had a some pain there before but not as bad as today. All day since the walk I felt like I'm going to die! Well, not really but it's not a pleasant feeling. I'm really glad I went and I'm planning on going next week; I just hope that the more I walk the less pain I will have. This has really motivated me to do the exercises that my birth class recommends. I even blew up my exercise ball. Everyone needs to do their Kegels!!!! :)