Week 38...

Update for week 38… I know I said before that we are full term but I don’t think Michael cares much! Of course I would love to have him in my arms now there is no rushing him out. Nothing Joe and I do or say will get him to start the birth process. Like I said before we are on Michael’s time. I had high hopes of him coming the first week in April but I think he will be in there for a little while longer. Technically we have 2 more weeks till his ‘due date’ so I will be patient. In the meantime I will work on getting some of this stuff done around here. Besides, I am not to the point yet where I need him out. Sure I would love to get ride of this monster belly that keeps me up at night and makes it hard to move… But someone once told me that in order to go through the labor and pain, I have to be really really done with being pregnant and I am not quite there! I have been savoring every movement he makes because I know very soon I wont feel him inside me anymore.

This week has been eventful… we have made lots of progress in the bathroom. We have a level floor… tile… and drywall so now we have a few more days of drying/sanding mud on the drywall and then Joe can paint. I say Joe because when I say “Joe and I” I get a lot of grief from people saying I shouldn’t be doing all this stuff. So it will just depend how I feel on Sunday when we are ready to paint! I am hoping to have Jim our plumber in on Mon or Tues to install the toilet, vanity/sink and shower head. I thought for sure Michael would want to join in on the party and come this week because we had so much scheduled. I guess he is not going to have much interest in home remodeling! That’s fine… He didn’t show up for any March Madness games but how can I blame him… OSU got knocked out so after that who cares to watch! I do hope he shows up for the NFL draft at least! That way I have a shot at a man in this house watching football with me :) Lucky for me I have my dad on my side… he will help me introduce and teach sports to Mikey :)

Tomorrow Joe and I are heading to Savannah for another appointment with the Midwife. I have been feeling a few infrequent contractions but nothing consistent. So I doubt the appointment is going to say much other than “He is awfully comfortable in there… See you next week!”  So when we go tomorrow… should we bring our birth bag and stuff just in case. Knowing my luck… we wont bring it and then when we get there they are going to say… hey you are in labor! And then Joe will have to come back here to grab everything but I am going to want to come with him cause he might miss some stuff… and then I will be in labor in the car for 2 hours… and my mind just goes these places haha!  While in Savannah Joe and I will probably get some lunch and run to Target. Why not right… we are there so we might as well go. With gas prices so high when we make the trip out of Beaufort we better take advantage and go to the stores we need to go to that aren’t near us!

Julie came over this week for more photos… how lucky we are! She took some photos of Joe and I in the nursery; Joe goofed off most of the time. He was trying to talk to his son… and he was using the path of least resistance if you know what I mean! What a GEEP! I have put my favorite photo on the blog but here is the link to a few more! https://picasaweb.google.com/julie.gayler/AmandaNursery?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKS7pym1O2ffQ&pli=1&gsessionid=mphGFt2JYCSjlYuadDQUmg#

OK here is the update with Michael… nothing too interesting since he is fully developed but here it is nonetheless!

The final details are being rounded off before your rocket-baby's big launch into the world.

For one, your adorable poop-factory's meconium stockpile is growing (are you ready for that historical first tarry black poo?) as their baby fat stores continue to increase.

Most importantly, your wee genius' rapidly developing super-brain is abuzz with new brain cells that'll be growing for years to come.

Woohoo!

Whether you give birth tomorrow (yes!) or next week (aw), your fantastic baby is pretty much 100% ready to face the world outside of your womb.

And by "ready", we mean weak, helpless and unable to do anything other than cry, pee, poop, and eat.

Below is a helpful view into your baby's first year and why they're so radically different from the rest of we walking, talking, thinking humans.

And just some more food for thought:

Understanding Your Infant's World

Between your infant's poor vision and inability to speak or comprehend language, as well as their newness to the entire life-on-Earth gig, they'll understand virtually nothing of the world they're born into.

One critical thing your newborn does understand is this:

Mama's warm arms = the happiest safest place in the world.

Abstract concepts such as time, language and object permanence remain far beyond your infant's grasp.

The many ordinary objects and items that surround you will be almost totally incomprehensible to your infant for the first months of their life. Not until they gain the ability to grasp and manipulate objects with their hands, will these things start to become slightly more understandable.

An infant's lack of object permanence causes them to become anxious whenever you disappear from their sight because they're unable to understand that you're going to return.

In your infant's perception, you'll have simply and irrevocably vanished and will cause a clear and obvious distress cry that can be translated as: "Where did mama go?! Come back now!!! I'm afraid to be alone because this world is confusing and overwhelming without you."

As your infant develops, they'll become more comfortable when you disappear from their line of sight, and become slowly aware of the fact you're going to come back again.

Explicit knowledge of your permanence in their life won't be possible until nearer the one year mark, although the more you're there for them, the sooner they'll learn that and the more secure they'll feel.

The best way to ensure your newborn is feeling safe and happy, is simply to keep them near your body as much as you possibly can.

Before you worry about your arms breaking off from all that baby-carrying, you can keep baby snuggled near your body AND have use of your arms by wearing a wrap or baby carrier that supports their newborn bobble-head.