Full-term!

As of Monday I am now 37 weeks along! I have a feeling Blake may not hang around until his due date though (with some pretty intense Braxton Hicks contractions for the past three weeks), but that may be wishful thinking on my part :-)

Overall, this pregnancy has been fairly smooth and much like my pregnancy with Jameston. However, there have been some differences that I want to document, and I thought I would do so in a similar format to some of the blogs I read:

• HOW FAR ALONG: 37 weeks, full-term!
• MOVEMENTS: This boy has had a serious case of the hiccups for going on two months now. I mean, every day! Some days are more than others, but it is the strangest (and cutest) feeling in the world. I've heard that if they hiccup a lot in utero, they can continue to have hiccups a lot in their first weeks. Also, I thought Jameston moved quite a bit, but Blake seems to be giving him a run for his money in this department! And I believe, based on the pattern of movements I've had over the last several weeks, Blake will be up around 5 every morning :-)
• WEIGHT GAIN: Although my extra LB's are about the same this time around (blah---and I won't be revealing the total amount :-) I put on the weight quicker this time (and had to start wearing maternity clothes around 12 weeks; I recall being able to wear normal clothes up until the halfway mark with JW) and I also put more on in the hips/thighs area---AWESOME, just in time for swimsuit season!
• CRAVINGS: I have not been as hungry this time (I would wake up in the middle of the night and want to eat when pregnant with Jameston), but my food aversions and cravings are somewhat similar. Similarities: do NOT want hamburgers of any kind (it has lasted all three trimesters this time). I have craved Italian and cheese all over again, anything tart (pink lemonade to be exact), and, of course, lots 'o sweets (which did not help me in the weight gain department over the holidays!). Differences: New craving this time around: soft-baked pretzels. Like in, Auntie Anne's. YUM! Also, I did not want to eat Pei Wei at all last time; this time I can't handle the thought of any baked items with cream cheese. Strange!
• SLEEP: Despite more frequent bathroom breaks and having to wear nasal strips (thanks to worsening allergies again) in this last trimester, I am surprisingly sleeping quite fine (on the other hand, Brett may not be...). Just this past week (being full-term and all) I seem to have a more difficult time falling asleep with all the of the "to-do's" running through my head. But once I'm asleep, I'm snoozing quite well! Trying to get in all the extra zzz's while I can :-) Really hoping that Blake is a better sleeper than Jameston was!
• OTHER SYMPTOMS: Overall, it would be sufficient to say that I feel just a little more wiped out by the end of the day with this pregnancy. I knew it wouldn't be any easier (taking care of a toddler and all on top of the normal pregnancy fatigue), but coupling it with Brett's busy schedule at work...I have been pretty worthless at night after I put Jameston down to bed!! No longer are the days when I try to get stuff done around the house after he goes down for the night. I'm usually in bed myself by 9:30 or 10! I am very ready for an energy boost that comes along with sleep deprivation in the newborn days, right?
• I go in tomorrow for a sonogram to see how big he is measuring. Due to the battle wound I suffered from Jameston's birth, my old and new OB's have given me the option to have an elective C-section. I have gone back and forth on what to do, but we should have more of a game plan by tomorrow :-)

I am so thankful and feel so lucky that I have experienced another uncomplicated pregnancy. I pray Blake's delivery is uncomplicated as well. I am officially in full-on nesting mode, so I put the finishing touches in the nursery this week. There will be pictures to come on Blake's transportation-themed room and Jamseton's "big boy" cowboy/horses-themed room (finally!)