40 Weeks!

Today is our due date!  Obviously since I am posting this update though, you can deduce that it means Baby has not felt the need to start making an appearance......

Size of baby: still anywhere from 6-8 pounds
Movement: still moves just as much as s/he ever has
Food cravings: still loving my English muffins with peanut butter and honey.... I've also really been into orange juice
What I miss: now that the weather is turning really nice here, I miss running more than ever!
Sleep: this past week has seriously been the BEST week of sleep, with each night being better than the last
Symptoms: honestly, I have been feeling GREAT this week, like myself, just with a basketball attached to me
Best moment this week: it was a good week, nothing in particular stands out... though yesterday when we were walking Bailie, a lady in the neighborhood said I looked "radiant" when I said my due date was the next day, that was pretty nice to hear, especially since I didn't even have makeup on.... and oh yeah, it was nice that our millionaires in Congress decided to keep the government in business
What I am looking forward to: having a baby!!!  Chris and I are both so ready to know which we have, a son or a daughter

Well...... I can't believe I'm 40 weeks today!  It does not seem like it has been EXACTLY 36 weeks since I was waking Chris up at 4:30am to ask him if he saw the same 2 pink lines that I saw.  I also would never have guessed that at 40 weeks pregnant I would be feeling this good (though let me go 2 more weeks and I might have a different answer!).  Sleep has been amazing this week.  I've taken Bailie on 2-3 walks per day each day, which has been really enjoyable since the weather has been so nice.  We were finally able to turn off our heat today and switch it to air.  Its nasty outside for now (rain), but with most of the snow gone, we'll take it!

This was my first week officially not driving.  Chris and I talked about it, and he really feels more comfortable being the one with the car at all times now, so I agreed to being car-less.  I was still out and about quite a bit with my friend Amber, which was really nice.  She kept me busy up through Thursday, which was great.  Then Friday we went to our weekly OB appointment, which was routine as usual.  Given that my weekly checks of blood pressure, weight, and urine are always great, there is nothing to worry with being in a hurry to induce or anything like that.  So while we are starting to await our baby a bit IMpatiently, we still have time to just wait things out naturally.  I trust my doctor, so I am fine with going with her thoughts right now.  So, we will see her again at the end of the week, assuming Olive doesn't show any signs of appearing before then.  While I am dying to meet this baby, I am incredibly thankful for the uneventful pregnancy I have had and the fact that I haven't even started swelling or retaining water at this point - all healthy indications that we can afford to wait a little while longer before forcefully evicting the baby.

Other than just wondering when Baby's going to get here, we've really been enjoying a nice lazy weekend.  Other than walking Bailie a few times yesterday, we mostly spent the day on the couch.  Poor Bailie's really not been herself today though.  We feel like she must REALLY know more than ever that a big change is coming.  The other day, I took her out for 3 walks (so 3 miles total), and she still didn't want to eat one bite until Chris came home that afternoon.  She didn't even come to beg for my food throughout the day.  Usually she'll eat after her morning walk, but not that day, and not today.  We've been trying to make sure and give her lots of extra attention, but she still has her off times.  We even let her lay in the bed for a while yesterday with us.

I can't think of much else to report for the week..... we were slightly stressed with the ridiculous threat of the government shutdown, and thankful that it didn't happen.  It was really looking like Chris would be out of work for at least a few days, with no promise of back-pay.  Every office under the Embassy had made plans that employees would come in for no more than a few hours on Monday to close things up in anticipation.  Oh well, at least it will be business as usual come Monday morning.... still could have done without the possibility though.  It made me extra thankful that Chris spent his years before me (and still now) being VERY good with money, meaning we would have been fine for a few months, even with the baby coming, but still.... our friends who are military may not have been quite so fortunate.

I know everyone is anxiously awaiting news of the baby, but no one more so than us!  It would be nice if a "due date" actually carried more than an estimate.  We would have been happy for Grandpa Jim's prediction of 4-7-11 to be accurate.  We would have been happy with Grandma Laura's general prediction of the baby coming "some time" in the past week, and we'd take Grandma Cindy's prediction of 4-11-11 (honestly, I would need to start having some labor signs NOW for that to be statistically likely, and I am telling you now I haven't had so much as a backache or a cramp as of right now)..... only God knows when this baby is going to be here, so here we wait, mostly with good patience because there's no point in getting worked up about it.  The body does not truly progress under stress, so I am trying to be as relaxed as possible (which really hasn't been hard given how great I have been feeling).  My best friend assured me that it will "be soon" because of how fantastic I have been feeling.... we're hoping so.

We're just ready to meet this baby who we already love so much :-)