38 week appointment

Thank you all so much for all of your encouragement after my post about last week's appointment. I'm very happy to report that this one went much better. Though I hadn't made any more progress (still 3, 50%, -1),  I didn't leave sad this time. Part of it has got to be accepting that contractions, even good ones, for me don't mean labor is imminent, and another part is feeling a little better after taking my midwife's suggestions and therefore having some relief from the swelling (and therefore crazy weight gain). Getting to see all of our families in Nashville (on a quick 24-hour visit) and NOT birthing on the side of the road in the snow helped too. :) Regardless, it was just very nice to leave the appointment knowing, after all the ups and downs of this pregnancy, this little guy is so happy, healthy, and peaceful in there, and I need to take a page out of his book and just relax and wait and enjoy the time until he's ready to arrive.

My doctor was great in reminding us that a due date isn't an expiration date, and that by definition half of women should deliver before that date, and the other half after. That said, he did predict that the baby will come the first week of January. We'll see!

In the meantime, Luke and I are going to enjoy his fantastic FMLA that he's worked very hard to save up for. We are going to use our Christmas money to see a matinee a day until the baby gets here or the money runs out. :) We'll keep you updated!