I was looking back at my "dear baby" posts that I started doing and never finished and I am a little sad that I didn't continue to document. I wish I had more documentation on how this pregnancy has progressed and how I was feeling during each week. I think I stopped because I felt awkward doing them but now I wish I would have kept going.

I am now 37 weeks 1 day and I have 20 days until my due date. I could go anytime and the baby is considered to be full term - and I could go all the way up to 34 days if they let me go the full 42 weeks (lets hope that doesn't happen).

-The baby is head down (as of last appointment)
-I have gained more than I wanted to and am up 35 lbs. If I remain this way - I reached the top limit of my "recommended" 25 - 35 lb weight gain.
-I have comfortable days and uncomfortable days. Most of the uncomfortable comes from over-exertion. I am not particularly good at "slowing down" and tend to way over-do it.
-I am not sleeping through the night at all anymore. I go to bed around 9pm, wake up at 12:30am to pee, go back to sleep, wake up at 3am to pee, go back to sleep, wake up at 5:30 or so with Nick to pee, and maybe get lucky enough to go back to sleep.
-The first few steps when I get up from bed are PAINFUL! My lower abdomen and pelvis end up with shooting pains and this lasts for the first several steps. Otherwise, no pain or soreness for the most part.
-As of Thursday, I was dilated 1cm and effaced 75% - next appointment is on Wednesday.
-As of today, I am still TERRIFIED of childbirth. I have never been a wuss and the idea of giving birth never bothered me - but let me tell ya, I am FREAKED OUT.
-I am equally freaked out about my qualifications to be someones mom. This little bullet point may take a while. Ever think that people aught to be interviewed before they are allowed into the parents club? I wonder if there were an interview process if I would pass. Lets review my qualifications. Hm. Held several babies in my lifetime, not many but some. Fed 3 babies in my lifetime from a bottle. Gotten said bottle ready for baby 1 time. Changed a grand total of 3 diapers in my lifetime - only 1 that actually had "solids." Been fully responsible for a toddler or under a grand total of 2 times in my life. Uh, I am sounding more and more like I am completely lacking in the "prior experience" part of this interview. Have I been around babies and kids a lot in my life? Yes. But their parents were always around. So really, it doesn't count. How often do you feed a baby? How do you know when a breast is "empty?" How do you know how long to burp them? How frequently do you give them a bath? How do you put clothes on them when the arm and head holes are so small? How do you clip a fingernail? How do you put a teeny tiny in a carseat? Yikes! Do I sound like I am qualified for this job yet? And how is it that "instincts"just take over and you suddenly know how to do all the mommy things? I am a little skeptical about this whole, instincts will kick in thing. Oh, and how is it that you don't think about these things before you become pregnant? It's like, "lets have a baby!" and then you are like 20 days from due date and suddenly it dawns on you - WOA! This is REAL! And I am going to be the mom, I can't just hand the baby back when he poops, gets fussy, needs a feeding, needs to go to sleep, etc.
-I am anxious not to be pregnant anymore.
-I feel like eating a tuna melt and we are out of bread (yes, that has nothing to do with the baby)