Week 36

The Bump: Baby is still the size of a honeydew, but growing daily! Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

Babycenter: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Soon we will be full term! How did time fly by this fast? However, how is it still going this slow?

Today, my friend Kyra is taking some maternity pics for us and tonight we are going to our community group Christmas party. Wednesday we go to the doctor for an ultrasound to see how Ruthie is progressing. Finally, Christmas eve and Christmas day will be here along with Matt's Christmas vacation from work. We are excited about having a week together without work or school to think about. Matt's family will be here the day after Christmas and my family will come when Ruthie arrives so on Christmas eve and Christmas day we are celebrating with our friends. There should be lots of fun, food, and pictures to follow after those 2 days! And then before we know it we will be at 37 weeks...