9 MONTHS...and 1 month left

Belly at 36 weeks- 9 months

This week marks 36 weeks...9 MONTHS! I can hardly believe it! I was walking Kaya on Satursay afternoon, and it hit me that it was exactly one month left til my due date...wow!

I'd say we're definitely ready for the most part. We have a few things left to do over the next month such as get both car seats installed in the cars, put the bassinet in our bedroom (where she'll be sleeping the first few weeks), and maybe buy some more newborn diapers. Both our bags (for us and her) are pretty much packed...and what's left to pack are things that will be last minute things like our phone chargers, water bottles, and things like that. I've picked out three outfits for her to wear at the hospital, and they are so cute!! I'm keeping my wardrobe pretty simple: loose pajama pants, a nursing tank, and a lightweight robe to wear.

I e-mailed a bunch of my girlfriends who have had kids within the last year or so, asking them advice on what to bring to the hospital for myself and her. The response was great, and I feel like I have a much better idea of what to pack in preparation!

September has been childbirth class month! We have two newborn care classes, five childbirth classes, and a hospital tour throughout the month of September. Everyone is pretty much correct: they're pretty boring! But my outlook is that I'd never enter a marathon without training, or give a speech without some sort of preparation, and childbirth should be no different! Even if I learn one thing- it's worth my time!

I start going to the doctor every week now for weekly checks! They'll be listening to the baby's heartbeat, which they've been doing since week 16, and checking to see if I'm dilated. I'm preparing myself for no dilation at this point, but it would be awesome if there was a little something going on! Anything that will speed up us meeting Avery would be great :)

This is what BabyCenter.com has to say about her development...

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.