38 Weeks

Hey friends!
Here is a version of my torpedo belly at 38 weeks. And it stretches out further as the day goes on. As you can see, my shirt doesn't quite fully cover me anymore. By the end of the day it covers even less! My NST went well yesterday. She's moving around less, but her heartbeat is nice and reactive still. I'll get checked on Thursday to see if I've made any progress in terms of further engagement or dilation. I'm getting very excited! As of today there is 13 days left until my due date. I'm still keeping busy during the day...still distracted so the time is going by pretty quickly. One majorly important task I must complete: get to Friendly's to have the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. It's my favorite and I haven't had one in a few years. Not that I can't have one after Little P gets here...but I need to have it UNINTERRUPTED you see.
Everything is ready for her arrival...all is washed and put away and organized (as it never will be again). I've been giving her encouraging pep talks about coming out to meet us and how we aren't really all that bad. She seems content though, and that's fine by me I SUPPOSE. :)
End of pregnancy milestone:
I've been waking up about every two hours or so each night to use the ladies room. Sometimes it's every hour. I wouldn't mind so much if it were my non-pregnant body, but since I'm big in the middle and have no stomach muscles it takes an act of God, a crane, several helper-monkeys, and the momentum of gravity to help me untangle from the bedding, lean over, swing my legs over the side of the bed, and sit up. Then, I need to catch my breath for a while and let my hips settle into position before hoisting myself up onto my feet and waddling/stumbling/shuffling to the bathroom (grimacing at the electric shocks of my hip tendonitis and praying I don't fall). So, this happens all night long. I've heard lots of "well, this will prepare you for getting up all night with a child." Yeah, yeah. I just want to get out of the damned bed like a normal person and not wish for a Vicodin every time while praying I don't pee on myself en route to the facility. Having it difficult to move is one thing, but add in the severe pain of tendonitis and the fact that your pelvic bones are SEPARATING and crackling...OUCH! And when I get frustrated with how difficult and painful something as simple as getting out of bed is, I remind myself that I'm very lucky to have this issue and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I also remind myself of all the people out there with challenges that are very severe and they suffer and triumph over them every day of their lives. Mine has an end-date. It's nice to stop and try to gain perspective when small things seem to grow abnormally large. It's important to me to remember to always feel grateful and thankful even when I least feel like it. Because that's when you need it most.