Eden's Nursery

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know that I've been promising to post pictures of Eden's nursery for the past several weeks.  Well, we weren't able to get the blinds & curtains hung until after she was born but it is finally done (with the exception of one shelf that still needs to be hung).  So, here are pictures and a little bit of discussion behind some of my decorating choices...

I bought this glider off the Fort Lee classifieds back in December.  My mom graciously re-covered the cushions for me so that it would match my nursery decor.  The blanket hanging on the chair was crocheted by my friend and co-worker, Erin.  I LOVE it!  I bought the little table at Wal-Mart and painted it pink.  The lamp is also from Wal-Mart.  The rug is from Target. 

This is Eden's little reading nook.  I bought a wooden crate from Michael's and painted it grey (the same color as two of the walls of the nursery).  I placed all of her books inside.  The little stool to the left was a gift from my sister's mother-in-law.  I know it's kind of hard to see but it is absolutely adorable!  Lastly, I placed all of Eden's stuffed animals on top of and inside the crate.  My Mom made the curtains. 

Here it's a little easier to see the detail on the accent fabric on the curtains.

This is my changing table and all the other necessities that come along with that. 

We bough this dresser off Craigslist and painted it pink. I purchased the new hardware from Lowe's.

The crib, shelf and wall decor.I bought the crib bumper and skirt off Amazon.  I got the little accent blanket from "The Screaming Owl."  The fitted sheet is from Target or Babies R Us (I can't remember which one).  The shelf was hanging in my bedroom when I was about 12 and my Mom gave it back to me when I started planning the nursery. 

The prints I bought off Etsy.  They were custom-made for me.

The switchplate cover that I covered with scrapbook paper and mod podged.  This is another blog post entirely but I wanted you to see it here first!

This is the focal board I used while in labor.  It has song lyrics, bible verses and mantras.  I didn't spend much time actually looking at it but I remembered most of the ones that really meant something to me from putting it together just a few days prior.

So, there you have it...short & sweet...Eden's nursery!

The Birth of Eden Amelia

Alright, it's February 27th at 10:17pm and I am sitting down to write my birth story...let's see how long this takes!

*DISCLAIMER:  I want to record all the details of my labor and delivery without feeling like I have to leave out yucky details so if you don't want to hear about that kind of stuff, don't continue reading!

**Also, this is really long so if you don't have several minutes, you might want to wait and read this later!  

It pretty much all started Friday night (technically Saturday morning) around 1 am when Jeff & I were getting ready to head to bed.  I went pee for what I was hoping was the last time before sleeping for a few hours and when I wiped, it was pink-tinged.  I literally gasped and since Jeff was standing right there, I showed it to him.  His response was something like, "But it's not time!"  I laughed and asked him if he wasn't ready from a work standpoint (I knew he still had some things he needed to get squared away to be able to take paternity leave at work) or a life standpoint.  His response:  "Both."  I laughed and told him that ready or not, this girl was coming sometime in the next couple of days!  I tried not to be too excited since I still wasn't having contractions and I knew I should sleep as much as possible if I was going to be going into labor sometime soon.  A few hours later that morning, I woke up with some cramping (?contractions or just abdominal cramping?) and started having a lot of diarrhea.  I got up every half hour or so to go to the bathroom for a total of 5 or 6 times.  I also had some fairly regular contractions but they were still 15-20 minutes apart and I was able to sleep between them.  I got up around 11am and waited to see what would happen.  I did call my Mom at this point and let her know what was going on because she was out of town having a girl's weekend and had to have plenty of notice if she was going to leave and come to my birth.  After I got up, the contractions pretty much all but stopped.  I had a few (about 1 an hour or so) for the next few hours but they weren't very painful and just felt like mild menstrual cramps.  I was supposed to go to a baby shower for one of my co-workers in Charlottesville but I decided that driving that far away by myself (in the opposite direction of my birth center) when I wasn't sure what my contractions would do was not the best idea.  So, I hung out at my house and tried to get things done that I wanted all prepared for my labor and birth.  My Mom arrived that evening around 6pm and we went to dinner with Jeff's family as previously planned.  My contractions really picked up while I was out and started to get slightly more uncomfortable.  After dinner, I continued to work on a few things to get ready (baked oatmeal cookies, worked on my focal board).  I can't remember exactly what time I headed to bed but it was sometime around midnight, give or take. 

I think I was able to sleep without too many contractions for a few hours.  I started timing my contractions with an app on my phone around 3:30am.  They were very sporadic, anywhere from 7-11 minutes apart and lasting anywhere from 20 seconds to 40 seconds.  They got progressively longer and closer together as the hours passed.  I got in the bathtub at one point (5am?) and they slowed down for a little while and it helped relieve some of the discomfort but I couldn't stay in there very long because it was too cold (and my tub is too small to stay submerged).  I was starting to get concerned at this time that I wouldn't know when to head to the birth center.  I knew I wanted to go sooner rather than later so I could get in the tub as soon as possible.  My contractions were really starting to get rather uncomfortable and I was having a hard time coping without support.  I was trying to let Jeff and my Mom sleep as much as possible cuz I knew they would have a long day, too!  I had a horrible and super long contraction around 6:30am, though, and Jeff woke up from my cries of pain.  I told him he needed to get up and get ready because I wanted to head to the birth center soon.  My Mom also woke up around this time.  I called my doula and midwife to let them know how I was doing (I had texted both of them the night before to let them know I was having early labor signs).  Both of them had concerns about me getting in the tub too early as it could stall my labor but they gave me the option of going to the birth center whenever I wanted.  I just couldn't imagine riding in the car for an hour and a half even then so I knew that when my contractions were closer together and more intense, I might not be able to handle it. 

So, by the time all was decided and everything was packed, we left our house around 9am to drive to the birth center.  Praise God my contractions slowed down considerably while we were in the car and I was able to cope with them very well.  I had three heat pads on my back, belly and thighs and we listened to music that helped me (Meredith Andrews and Kari Jobe).  I would actually sing through the contractions which helped me keep my jaw relaxed (which is supposed to have a direct correlation to your cervix).  We arrived around 10:30am and my contractions picked back up immediately upon getting out of the car.  When my midwife checked my cervix, I was almost 6cm dilated, yay!  I was so worried that she would check me and I would only be at 2 or 3 cm which would have been very discouraging.  My contractions were not super unbearable or closer together at this point so I just continued to move around as much as possible.  I ate a snack and my doula suggested that we go for a walk.  It was in the 60's and so very nice outside.  We took a nice walk and I was able to do well with contractions throughout the entire thing.  After a few more contractions back at the birth center, I went ahead and got in the tub.  It helped a bunch.  I remember at this point that it was around 12:30pm.  Jeff and my Mom went and grabbed some lunch and my doula helped me through every contraction. 

The Birth Center

Taking a walk (obviously not having a contraction here.)

Having a contraction.

Headed back to the birth center.

Last shot of the belly!

At this point, the story will probably get a lot less detailed (try not to let out too loud of a sigh of relief) because 1.  This is getting to be a little ridiculously long, & 2.  I can't remember all of them! 

I remember that my doula had me change positions a lot and my labor did not slow from getting in the tub.  After being in there for a little while, she wanted me to get out and try to rest for a bit.  I knew this was unlikely to happen but I was willing to try.  I got out and lied down in the bed.  I was only there for 2 contractions or so before I needed to move around.  I think this is when I threw up.  I had been feeling some nausea with contractions and I figured it was inevitable that I would throw up as it doesn't take much for me to do that.  I was excited that this might mean I was nearing transition. 

Don't be fooled...we were not actually asleep.

I think I got back in the tub around this time.  Jeff got in with me.  It was so helpful to have him in the tub with me.  Once again, the timeline gets a little hazy on me but I know that I got out of the tub to go to the bathroom around 3:30pm and my water broke while I was sitting on the toilet.  We really thought things would get going at this point.  I got back in the tub and worked through contractions by changing positions and with the encouragement of my wonderful birth team.  At this point, I honestly don't know what time anything happened...I know that we were just waiting for me to have the urge to push and it took much longer than I wanted it to!  I never really got a super strong urge to push but I think we documented that I started to push around 5:30pm.  When she finally started crowning, I was mostly in a semi-upright position leaning back against Jeff holding my own legs.  I was too weak to squat and I felt way too much pressure when I was in any other position.  I have to be honest and admit that I really did not enjoy the pushing phase.  I am thankful that my contractions were not super close together and I was able to rest a little between them. 

My midwife, Karen.

My Mom feeding Jeff M&M's.

I was seriously so exhausted at this point!

So happy she's finally out!

When she finally crowned, we were shocked to find that she had hair!  Jeff and I were both quite bald when we were born so we just assumed our baby would be, too!  Other than the horrible heartburn I had while I was pregnant, we were completely amazed at all that hair!  I honestly have no idea how many times I pushed but after what seemed like an eternity, she was finally born at 6:49pm.  The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck once and she was a little limp and blue at first but with some stimulation, she came around pretty quickly.  I honestly wasn't worried at all because my midwife and doula did not seem concerned and I trusted them completely.  We immediately laid her on my chest and we got acquainted with one another.  After about 6 or 7 minutes, we clamped the cord and Jeff cut it.  I went ahead & handed her to Jeff so I could get out of the tub and try to deliver the placenta.  It didn't come readily so I laid down in the bed and tried to nurse Eden.  She did latch on for a brief period and we just bonded for about an hour.  At this point, I handed her over to be weighed and assessed and I got up and delivered the placenta.  I went to the bathroom and then my midwife assessed for tears.  I required two stitches which she did at that time.  For the next couple of hours, I just laid in bed and ate (supreme pizza from Pizza Hut), rested and bonded with Eden.  We took lots of pictures and made sure our families heard the news.  We were able to leave the birth center 4 hours after her birth and so we headed home around 11pm.  We were exhausted but it was definitely so great to be in our own house so soon after the birth of our precious baby girl. 

Proud Daddy

So much hair!

Proud Nanny

One of the birth assistants, Abigail, listening to Eden's heart.

Sleeping on Mommy's chest.

My midwife, Karen, and doula, Barbie.

Midwife and her two assistants.  It was a wonderful team!

Sweet sleeping baby.

AppleSeed's Birthday

I am thrilled to announce the long-awaited arrival of our AppleSeed!  

 

Eden Amelia

February 23, 2014

6:49pm

7 pounds 12 ounces

19 inches

I am sincerely hoping to type out my birth story and share it here very soon.  The nursery is almost completely done, as well, since my Mom is here to hang the curtains.  I'm super excited to share both of these with you.  If I can find time between every 2 hour feeds, trying to sleep, and taking care of myself, I will share soon!

39 Weeks - She's Almost Here!!!

I know I've been saying this for the past few weeks but can you believe she's almost here?  I cannot believe that even if I go way over my due date, she'll definitely be here in three weeks or less!  Or she could come tomorrow, haha!  I can totally understand now how nerve racking this is for some people.  I am generally one of "those people" but I have really tried my entire pregnancy not to rush things or be a control freak.  Because, when it comes down to it, I have no control over much of it!  God (and Jeff) have really helped me with that and I am beyond thankful because it's really a horrible way to live.  So, for now, I'm taking it one day at a time and hoping that she comes before the 42 week cut-off when I would have to be induced.  Most of you are aware that I am not a fan of induction unless absolutely necessary and therefore, I would not choose induction unless my midwife gave me no other option.  I have started doing a few things to help kick start things and I will begin doing more as of today. 

I guess I will expound more upon the care model I have chosen, my birth plan, etc., for those of you who are curious.  I'm really not certain when I decided this but sometime ago (10 years or so), I became very intrigued about natural childbirth (i.e., epidural-free).  I did some research but not as much as I would do as I got closer and closer to having to make those decisions for myself.  I am happy that I had a bit of an influence over my sister having two of her children naturally.  I was able to be present for one of them and the more and more I'm exposed to it, the more obvious it is to me that it's definitely the best way to go (for everyone, in my opinion, but I won't judge you if you decide to get an epidural, etc.).  What changed the most over that time was that I went from seeing that epidurals are not the only intervention that can be harmful to a laboring woman and her baby.  With all of this, I decided that I did not feel totally comfortable and safe giving birth in a hospital.  I didn't think I wanted a home birth and I was discouraged that we don't have any birth centers in our area.  When I got pregnant, I was hoping I could have a hospital birth and still have all my desires carried out.  I planned to hire a doula and employ the midwives at one of the local prenatal offices.  Unfortunately, it became very evident right away that this was still not the ideal situation for me.  When I met with the doula for the first time and we discussed my wishes for a natural, intervention-free birth, she introduced me to a birth center in Rocky Mount, VA.  The only drawback of this was that it was located about an hour and a half from my house.  I had heard of people traveling an hour to a birth center, but never an hour and a half.  I decided to contact the midwife and arrange a visit anyways.  I really liked it and it seemed like a really good fit.  By this point, I was also considering home birth as a viable option for us and I emailed the homebirth midwives that work out of Lynchburg.  The major difference between these two is that the midwife at the birth center is a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) and may administer medications in case of emergency and the homebirth midwives are CPMs (Certified Professional Midwives) and the state of VA does not allow them to carry or administer medications.  Being a nurse myself, and living about 20-30 minutes from the hospital, I did not like the idea of being stuck without emergency medications in case of an emergency.  So, we decided to go with the birth center.  I really think I have made the right decision.  I am very happy with my midwife, my doula and my entire birth team, plan and setting. 

If you're concerned about me not being in a hospital for my birth, please check out this article that I just found on Facebook.  It articulates my feelings about the whole thing succinctly and very well.

As far as how I'm feeling, I'll list my symptoms below in my stats section but overall, I can't really complain.  I have started having more contractions since last week's post but still nothing "painful" or regular.  Otherwise, I'm not showing any real symptoms of imminent labor.  When I had my prenatal appointment on Monday, the midwife checked my cervix and I was barely dilated and about 75% effaced.  Everything else continues to look good, baby is head down (usually in a lopsided position with her butt sticking out on the left upper side of my abdomen), my vitals were good, baby's heartbeat was strong and regular with good variability, etc.  Here is my growing belly and below are my stats:

How far along?  39 weeks

Baby is the size of a: small watermelon

Symptoms: Fatigue alternating with "nesting" energy, low-back pain, numbness in my hand(s) (mostly the right), mild swelling of ankles and hands (worse in my ankles), frequent urination, more frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions, heartburn, inability to eat a full meal, shortness of breath with exertion, difficulty sleeping, pelvic pressure/discomfort, ...

Sleep: Definitely becoming less enjoyable, haha.  Last night, I had to get up to pee every 2 hours (at least) and it's more and more difficult for me to fall asleep in the first place.

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  As I just mentioned, it's pretty darn frequent these days (which is a little crazy since she hasn't dropped, as far as I can tell).

Best moment this week:  Nothing too crazy happened this week so I'm going to go with my prenatal appointment and hearing her heartbeat again.

Miss anything?  Being able to put my socks and shoes on with ease.

Food cravings:  Pretty much just sweets at this point...and french fries, maybe, but nothing new!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  No.

Movement:  Yes!  They say it slows down at this point but she's still pretty active in there.  And like I mentioned above, she likes to sit in some pretty weird positions sometimes.  Jeff and I thoroughly enjoy trying to figure out what in the world she's doing in there!

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Belly button - in or out?  Fairly flat (almost non-existent) most of the time and poking out on top sometimes (depending on baby's position).

Wedding rings - on or off?  On still; they have started to feel a bit snug over the past week but I've still been able to wear them fairly comfortably.

Mood:  Pretty good overall! 

Looking forward to:  Meeting this little girl!

Baby preparations:  I know you're all anxiously waiting for the grand nursery reveal.  I still have to hang the blinds & curtains and then, it will be all done!  I hope to do this in the next few days!

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com:  Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, about the size of a mini-watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

38 Weeks

I'm 38 weeks pregnant today!  How insane is that?  I could have this baby anytime (but I hope she waits until some of this snow melts).  I seriously doubt she'll be making her grand debut anytime before my due date but especially not two weeks before it...I haven't been having any contractions and I'm not showing any other signs of impending labor.  I am getting slightly more anxious to have her but I still haven't even switched gears over to that ridiculously uncomfortable, "get her out of me right now," stage. 

We, like much of the east coast, are having a snow day today.  All of our snow days up until now have pretty much been a joke.  Not this time! 

Always love the snow on the evergreen trees!

This is my attempt to show you how the snow comes all the way up to the bottom of the window on the sliding glass door...it doesn't convey in a picture very well!

Our beautiful trees in the front yard.

Our kitties have been providing us with quite a bit of entertainment.  You see, they are indoor cats but they often beg to go outside and we sometimes let them just out on the side or back deck.  Well, today, for some odd reason, they have been begging incessantly to go outside so we opened the back door and not surprisingly, they weren't too keen on going out once they realized that there was about 10 in. of snow on the deck.  Funniest part is that they keep begging to go outside anyways...like the snow has all magically melted since they begged to go out two hours ago!  Haha.

So desperate!  It doesn't help that little birds have been frequenting our back deck.

I wasn't able to capture him looking wistfully outside.

Last night, I took advantage of the fact that we finally had enough snow to make snow cream...

Can you spot my bowl?

Oh, and I made puppy chow with dark chocolate chips and coconut oil!

So, there you have my snow activities.  Other than this, I baked some banana-coconut muffins yesterday and I am bummed because I got a little distracted and over-baked them a bit.  My main motivation for making them was to freeze a few to have to eat while I'm in labor (or after I have the baby, or to share with my midwife/doula/etc.).  I'm so bummed that they didn't come out perfectly that I just might bake another batch sometime soon!  I also have been doing some organizing around the house.  I am making a small dent & hoping I have time to finish everything before going into labor.  There is just a major lack of time, energy & endurance to get it all done!

Here is my belly as of today.  Sorry I look like a bum...but there is no way I'm putting on makeup just to take my belly pic!  Oh yeah, I almost forgot...Happy Valentine's Day! 

And here are my stats:

How far along?  38 weeks

Baby is the size of a: leek (length, not size...see disclaimer below)

Symptoms:  Backache, pelvic pressure, loose joints, intermittent ankle swelling (it was super exciting when I woke up this morning & had ankles!), indigestion/heartburn, fatigue, fetal movement, occasional hand numbness/tingling, clumsiness, forgetfulness, etc., etc...

Sleep:  Not so great.  I started this new thing this week of not being able to fall asleep right away.  Guess I shouldn't complain if pregnancy insomnia is just starting in my 38th week of pregnancy!

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  Once again, it's more like, "How often I get up to pee each night:" and the answer is every 2-3 hours.

Best moment this week:  Is it sad that I can't really think of anything?  I haven't been able to get much done so I don't feel very accomplished and nothing particularly exciting has happened...

Miss anything?  Sleep (back-pain free sleep), pretty much anything to do with back pain...being able to go from lying/sitting to standing without back pain.

Food cravings:  I just told Jeff that I want some pizza (he suggested it earlier and it infiltrated my brain), ice cream and pretty much anything sweet/chocolate, last night I couldn't put a finger on exactly what I was craving but I knew it was something fried (mozzarella sticks?), this morning I wanted bacon with my pancakes (we never buy bacon) and Taco Bell!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Salad still does not sound appealing to me but I haven't actually tried it recently to know whether it would make me queasy or not.

Movement:  Yeah, every once in a while I get worried that she's not moving as much as she should so I poke her incessantly until she moves (haha) but overall, she's quite active.  I love that I can see actual body parts moving around in there.  I don't so much like it when she pokes me in sensitive places or tries to scrunch up in a corner of my womb.

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Belly button - in or out?  It pokes out a little but I'd still say it's mostly flat.  It definitely looks hilarious though since my pre-pregnancy belly button was a deep cavernous hole!

Wedding rings - on or off?  Still on!  A tiny bit tight at times but no real noticeable hand swelling.

Mood:  Not excellent but I guess it could be worse.  Just a few moments of breaking down crying like a toddler every now and then.  Jeff & I have had a few more arguments than usual lately...I guess that might be par for the course here for a little while, huh?!?

Looking forward to:  Checking stuff off my to-do list and having this little munchkin!

Baby preparations:  Still doing a few small things here & there but mostly I'm trying to get some organizing/cleaning done around the house that is not absolutely essential but will make for a much more pleasant post-partum period! 

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com: 
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she is over 19 1/2 inches long (about the size of a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Babycenter's disclaimer about using a leek for this week's vegetable comparison:   Editors' note: We know what you're thinking – "There's no way my baby is the size of a leek. I feel ginormous!" Well, as much time as we spent at the farmer's market and on the USDA site, it wasn't easy to find the perfect produce for every week of development. The leek is just an approximation.

37 Weeks - "Full Term"

I don't really know where to start...

This week has been quite busy and to be really honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed with my to-do list.  I've had something to do every day and I've had much less down time (or time to knock out things on my to-do list) than I would like.  The activities keeping me busy are enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but I just wish there were more hours in the day and that I had more energy to act upon these nesting instincts that are taking over my mind and body! 

With that lack of time, I will have to keep this post pretty short.  I will tell you about the prenatal appointment I had today.  All went very well and overall, I really can't complain about how I'm feeling.  Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely starting to feel more uncomfortable but I can't say that it's so distressing that I'm really ready for her to come out yet.  This fact, along with the lack of contractions and any other signs of impending labor, leads me to believe that we still have a few more weeks before AppleSeed makes her grand entrance into the world.  Back to my appointment...  My weight was the same (I've gained about 30 pounds for anyone who cares), my BP was OK, my urine was all negative, my fundal height was at 36cm which is right on target, and everything else checked out great!  My midwife and I had a good chat about many things concerning pregnancy, labor and delivery and I'm really glad I've chosen to have this baby at that particular birth center with my midwife.  I also had my last two childbirth classes this week and although they were very helpful, I am relieved to cross that off my list.  Dinner (at Five Guys, yum!) beckons so I'll leave you with my belly pic and weekly stats...

How far along?  37 weeks

Baby is the size of a:  bunch of Swiss chard (don't ask me, that's what the website says...)

Maternity clothes:  My wardrobe is dwindling quickly.  I only have a handful of shirts that cover my huge belly at this point so it's pretty challenging to figure out what to wear these days.

Symptoms:  Pelvic and low back pain, forgetfulness and clumsiness (at an all-time high), itchy abdomen, fatigue with bursts of "nesting" energy, heartburn/indigestion, occasional ankle swelling, shortness of breath (with light activity), and f r e q u e n t urination.

Sleep:  Definitely not quite as good as a couple weeks ago...

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  Every 2-4 hours so depending on how long I get to sleep, 2-4 times a night!

Best moment this week:  Nothing crazy special happened this week...hearing her heartbeat today was good as always!

Miss anything?  Not especially.  I guess if I had to choose, I'd say being able to sleep all night without getting up to pee (and sleeping well).

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular...ice cream and perhaps a few other random things but they have usually been fleeting.

Anything making you queasy or sick?  No.

Movement:  Yes, she's still quite active.  I love trying to figure out which body part is where.  I probably poke at her to get her to move way too much.  I'm sure she's sick of it!

Stretch marks?  Nope!  Hoping I can safely say I won't get any at this point!

Belly button - in or out?  It's poking out at the top but still mostly flat.

Wedding rings - on or off?  On, yay!

Mood:  Getting a little more cranky and irritable this week.  I attribute it to feeling more uncomfortable physically and also getting anxious about having so much to do with so little time and energy to do it!

Looking forward to:  Knocking things off my to-do list!

Baby preparations:  I said I would be sure to have certain things done by the end of this week (like having my bag packed, having the car seat base installed, etc.) but I still haven't finished them!  Like I mentioned before, I just haven't had much time to get things done.  The nursery is almost completely finished except for hanging blinds, curtains and a couple more things on the walls.  Otherwise, I just have a lot of cleaning/organization I would really love to get done around the house.  It's not the end of the world if it doesn't get done, I guess!

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com: 
Your due date is very close now, but doctors don't consider your baby "full term" until 39 weeks. Spending the next two weeks in the womb allows your baby's brain and lungs to fully mature. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (about the size of a bunch of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.