37 weeks

We're now officially "full term"! Although, I'm still not ready for you to make your debut just yet. And, despite being "full term", you could still stand to have a little more time in the oven so you're sure to come out just perfect.

It does, however, smack home for me how close we really are to meeting you. I mean, really, it could be any day now, although I have a feeling you won't be coming for at least a couple more weeks. Maybe around your due date... I think my gut is telling me probably a few days after your due date. But, we'll see! I'd love to have at least a few days of maternity leave to relax and also to wrap up a few projects and things, before you arrive. But, even if you did arrive earlier, I think we're prepared enough.

Last weekend was extremely hot -- it got up to 105 degrees in Dublin on Saturday. It made it hard to get a lot of stuff done, because at times all I wanted to do was hang out in front of the fan. Sunday was Father's Day, and it was a little bit cooler (but still pretty hot). We went over to your Grandpa Rick's and Grandma Joan's for a BBQ with them and Uncle Jason and Aunty Yen.

On Monday, I started not feeling well in the morning, and wound up with nausea and vomiting, just like a couple of weeks ago. This time, it lasted through Tuesday, and I spent most of Tuesday night hanging out in the bathroom, rocking back and forth to ease the stomach pain, and hoping I'd just vomit. Finally, I did, and it made me feel better enough that I was able to get to sleep. I felt much better the next morning, and the nausea/vomiting/indigestion/stomach pain hasn't returned since. Hopefully this won't be a recurring theme in the last few weeks!

Outside of stuff like that, and the low platelets and other relatively minor things, I think I've been pretty blessed with this pregnancy. I never had my belly button pop out, like so many women do (it's just a very shallow innie). I did start getting some stretch marks a month or so ago, and now I have two decent patches on the bottom side of my belly. But, I tell Daddy that they're my "tiger stripes". Honestly, I don't see them as that big of a deal. I first got stretch marks in high school. They faded eventually, and if you look closely you can see them on my thighs and breasts and a few other parts. But I've never really felt self-conscious about them (maybe a little in high school... but not very much that I can recall)  So, I know that these ones aren't worth worrying over anyway. In fact, they're like a little badge of honor that I carried you. And if someone wants to judge me for having them, then quite frankly they're the loser with low self-esteem. I've also noticed recently that I've been getting tiny skin tags on my neck, which is apparently not uncommon. I don't notice them when I look in the mirror -- only when I stroke my neck with my hand. What else have I experienced...? Some nights my feet swell up a bit, but it's never been too bad. I can still squeeze into most of my shoes (and haven't really had to go up a size yet). And I think I've gained a bit of weight in my butt, hips and thighs (I've noticed a couple of small stretch marks on my upper thighs recently). Other than that, I can't think of too much!