Pregnancy Update, 38 weeks

I fully intended to have a picture with this update, but as of yesterday I'm sick, and I am somewhat disinclined to post a photo of myself in maternity yoga pants and a t-shirt for all the world to see. I'll do another update next week (maybe the last one with Baby Boy on the inside!) and hopefully have a picture to go along with that one!

So, today I am 38 weeks and two days pregnant, putting me just 12 short days away from my due date! I can hardly believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by, and am getting quite anxious to meet this sweet little man who's been my constant companion for the past (almost) 9 months.

Besides being sick since yesterday, I have been feeling surprisingly good for being as far along in pregnancy as I am. I'm not sleeping as well as usual, due to frequent bathroom trips and the need to switch which side I'm sleeping on to keep my poor hips from aching. As a result, I have been a little more tired than usual and have slowed my pace down a little bit--which is probably needful at 9 months pregnant regardless of how well you're sleeping!

I had a check-up with my midwife yesterday and everything's looking pretty good. I've gained 19 pounds so far, and measured 38cms. Thankfully, my blood pressure is still completely fine (at 38 weeks with Katie, it was 130/90 at my check-up), and I am getting more and more hopeful that this baby can actually be born at home! The other good news we got was that my Group-B Strep screen came back negative--I was positive  when I was pregnant with Katie and had IV antibiotics during my labor, so I'm pretty excited about the negative results this time. She checked my hemoglobin and glucose as well, and both were good.

This past Friday, I had contractions for a couple hours and we got a little bit excited about the possibility of meeting our boy, but they stopped and I haven't had any since. Thankfully, it was a reminder that I needed to finish gathering all the supplies we need to have here at home for when he actually does decide to make his appearance. So, I now have all the supplies I need in a box in our room--complete with granola bars and some other healthy snacks. Labor's hard work, you know!

It's almost surreal that within a few weeks, I'll get to meet my sweet baby boy and hold him in my arms for the first time. My mom is coming up the 17th and will stay with us for a couple weeks, which will be so nice. It's hard to wrap my mind around what it will be like to be home with TWO little ones during the day, and I'm sure having Mom here to help with the transition will make it a lot easier--especially since I've been told I'll need to go two weeks without lifting Katie!

How are all you other pregnant mamas doing? Has anyone had their babies since the last pregnancy update? I'd love to hear!

And now, I'll go back to resting, drinking tea, and taking vitamin c, echinacea, raw garlic, and Juice Plus in hopes of getting better quickly and regaining my strength for the big day! My mother-in-law is going to bring some of her delicious soup over for dinner tonight--isn't that so sweet?!