Thirty-Seven.

How Far Along: 37 weeks.  Well friends, this may be my last post while pregnant.  Samantha will be here by the end of next week.  Happy Birthday to me.  Boom.

Total Weight Gain: I gained 0 pounds this week - holding steady at 37. Let's see if I can keep it at zero for  the next 10 days and just transfer some saddlebag fat from my thighs to Samantha to chunk her up a bit.

Maternity Clothes: I know I'm going to be in stretchy pants for the next several weeks even after this baby is no longer in my belly, but the thought of having even a remotely flat stomach again has me jumping for joy.  Let's hope I can make my way-too-tight work pants work for the next 4 days of work without ripping them down the butt seam.

Sleep: I'm going to share a secret from this momma-to-be.  if you are 9 months pregnant the night before your birthday, and if you think it would be great to get a good night's sleep for the first time in 9 months, take two Benadryl.  You will sleep like a baby (wait...I thought babies don't sleep very well?).  Well, anyway, take two Benadryl.  I slept all night last night with only one potty break and limited tossing and turning for the first time in as long as I can remember. THANK YOU JESUS.

Sam's Things: Sam's nursery is finally totally complete.  Pottery Barn Kids sent our bedding (thanks to Maw Maw and Paw Paw Pubber) after having it on backorder for what seemed like ages.  Here is the finished product:

She will need some more books eventually to fill out the bookcase.
Right now, this is the entrance to her room.

The finished changing table with diapers and wipes galore.
I caved and decided to use a diaper pail.
Fingers crossed the Ubbi helps the poop smell stay away.

The finished crib with the adorable bedding.
I bought that huge dog on the floor from FAO Schwartz when I was approximately 12.
Who knew it would fit in perfectly in my first kid's nursery?

This is my favorite corner of her room.
The curtains and rocker are so fetch.  

And just because it's fun and a little bit creepy,
here's a panorama of her room from my iPhone.

Best Moment this Week: Hands down, without question, no holds barred, today's doctor's appointment was the best moment this week.  Doc is back from surgery (doing great by the way).  We thought maybe we would actually get to schedule my C-section this week since she's been breech for about 5 or 6 weeks now, but during my exam the doc thought maybe she had flipped.  While I strongly disagree (I can feel her moving her head around up by my ribs just like she has been for as long as I can remember feeling her move), he wanted to make sure that she hadn't flipped before we schedule anything.  The good news is this: no matter what, Sam is coming by the end of next week.  Because of my low fluid levels and her less than stellar growth (he said my stomach actually measured smaller than last Wednesday), there is no reason to keep her in my dysfunctional uterus up until 39 weeks.  You will not see this miserable pregnant lady arguing with you anytime soon, Doc!  If she's still breech during my ultrasound tomorrow, then he will call me on Wednesday when he's back in the office to schedule my C-section for the 26th, 27th, or 28th.  If she has somehow miraculously flipped and her butt is what's movin and shakin up by ribcage now, he will call me on Wednesday to schedule my induction for next week.  Yay for a 2012 tax deduction and one insurance deductible.  Hallelujah!

Movement: She has been quite active this past week.  We've finally seen a lot of rolls and kicks on my belly.  Several times now my belly has been completely misshapen because she moves her whole self to the right side of my uterus so it sticks out and looks like some kind of freaky alien.  As much as I love knowing she's okay, I will never get used to the feeling of an actual human being moving around inside of me.  It is miraculous, and totally weird.

Food Cravings: If you've never seen a pregnant lady on a mission to enjoy every last second of her pregnancy while she continues to stuff her face with every unhealthy item that she fears she will never eat again, please come hang out with me for the next 10 days.  I will a) make you feel great about your eating habits, b) entertain the hell out of you, and c) show you how to do holiday treats up right.  There's not a Christmas treat I haven't indulged in. All I have to say is: sorry for partying.

Symptoms: I limped around all day today on my birthday like an 85 year old woman in need of a wheelchair.  Sciatica SUCKS and I pray that no other pregnant woman ever has to deal with it.  I look like a beached whale trying to get up off the couch or out of bed in the morning.  I continue to grunt every time I move.  I will be so happy to not be pregnant anymore.  I can't even begin to describe my excitement.

What I Miss: Not being pregnant.  Is there anything else to say at this point?  I'm OVER IT.

What I am Looking Forward to: Because the blatantly obvious answer at this point in time would be "meeting my child next week", I'm going to go with the less obvious one.  My sweet, adorable, loving husband turns 30 on Saturday.  I think he's less than excited to not be in his twenties anymore, but I am excited to celebrate a pretty momentous occasion with him.  I hope his big day is super special even though I'm tired and boring and grunt all the time.

Exercise: I'm going to soak up these last 10 or 11 days of gluttony and laziness while I can.  There's no doubt in my mind I'll get back on the wagon a few weeks after Sam gets here, but right now I am so uncomfortable all I want to do is lay in my bed.

Noteworthy Items:

-Our friends from church had a couples shower for us on Sunday and the men's softball team all chipped in and bought us 3 months worth of diapers.  I cannot say how thrilled I am to not have to worry about purchasing any diapers until I go back to work.  Thank you thank you thank you for that wonderful gift!!  We got our first pack of our Honest diapers in the mail today and they are adorable.  I hope they live up to their hype.  (We recently learned that the cloth diaper service in Cincinnati was raising their rates by about $20/month, enough that I could no longer justify paying more for the cloth diapers.  A friend of mine told me about Honest diapers that are biodegradable, chemical free, and are delivered to your door every month, so we are going to try them out and see how they do!)

-My work also threw a shower for me on Tuesday and they got us our high chair along with some more really cute outfits for our little diva.  I have been so overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of support we have received from everyone in our lives, it's been incredible.  I feel blessed to work with such great people.

-Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap but good newborn photographer in the Cincinnati area?  I can't decide if I want to do them or not but if I hear about some sort of great, and ahem, cheap, deal with a photographer with a great studio and lots of newborn experience, then that might help me make up my mind.

-The crazy baby dreams have finally begun.  I had two dreams last week about nothing more than poopy diapers.  So now I guess I'll dream about them and change them all day.  Great.

-I can't wait to meet this little monkey.  I am still terrified out of my mind that I'm going to royally screw up as a parent, but I do think that Jake and I will be pretty good role models for her (toot toot my own horn).  If nothing else, I know we'll love her more than anything we've ever loved before.  I guess if you don't know what else you're doing, that's the best thing you can do.