40 Weeks!!!

HAPPY DUE DATE, LIAM!!

It's pretty apparent that you are super comfy in there and do not intend to come out for a little longer, and that's ok. Mommy and Daddy are trying so hard to be patient-- we're just so excited to meet you! Come out when you're ready, but remember, if you haven't decided to introduce yourself by next Tuesday, we're coming to meet you!

This week, baby is the size of a... BABY!!!

And looks like this (HEAD DOWN!!!):

Baking Baby Blakely

"Congrats! That bun in your oven is fully baked! That's the good news. The possibly not so stellar news: Actually giving birth on your due date is hard to do—even for overachievers. In fact, many first-time moms go up to 2 weeks past their due date (sorry!). Hopefully now that baby is cooked to perfection, he'll come bouncing out any day now.

Other last-minute progress:

Because some of your hormones are passed into your baby's system, your baby's genitals (scrotum in boys and labia in girls), and even his or her breasts, may appear enlarged at birth. It can be alarming, but rest assured it's perfectly normal.

At birth your baby has a total of 300 bones. Some of the bones will fuse together later, which is why an adult has only 206 bones. Fascinating, no?

Babies vary in size at this point, but the average full-term baby weighs around 7 to 8 pounds and hovers around 19 or 20 inches. That's about the size of a ... BABY! Of course, tell that to the mother who just delivered a 9-pound baby vaginally!"

40 Week Due Date Belly Pic

We're squeezing in as much fun stuff as we can this week-- football and chinese food with friends, trivia night, dinners with my parents, the Signature Chef's Fundraiser for the March of Dimes, etc. Every time we plan something, we know that we may not actually be able to make it there, but it's no fun sitting at home, waiting on a baby that is taking his time to show up. So, we'll keep making plans, until a certain someone interrupts us.

Rob is on paternity leave from work, and it's been great to have some time to let him decompress and relax (both alone and with me) before life gets really crazy. He's been staying up late and sleeping late and this new non-work schedule may actually be a good for us for the first few weeks-- Sure, I'll still have to wake up to feed Liam, but if he can take care of him in between feedings to let me get a few hours of sleep in a row at night, then I can handle the mornings by myself while he sleeps. We'll see how things go.

I feel really good, especially now that I know I'm in the home stretch. I've been pregnant for 40 weeks, but every day leading up to 41 weeks feels like an eternity! I can feel my body getting ready-- my back aches, the pelvic pressure is really uncomfortable and I'm waddling pretty slow-- but still, I'm really enjoying these last few days, taking advantage of how much everyone loves a pregnant lady-- People smile at me when I walk by and go out of their way to talk to me and help me out. Might as well enjoy it while I can!

So, we're in the final countdown, knowing that it won't be more than seven days, but always thinking, "Will today be THE day?" We'll let you know when there's any news!