Believe it or not this is actually the better of two takes. haha I didn't realize until I was mid-video that one of the dresser drawers got left open a smidge after I did the first take.... totally bugs me. Oh, well! LAMP! <--- Watch the video to get that joke. ;-)
If you'd like to take a closer look, here are a few still photos of his room (not sure why the walls all look like different colors-- the straight-on photo of the crib is the most true to life for wall color):
As you can see it's not exactly a traditional nursery, but we feel like it fits in with the rest of the house and it will hopefully last him a while. Ideally we'll just have to take out the diapering stuff and crib and add a twin bed when he's a little older, and not have to completely re-do his room.
Speaking of Max being a little older, we were watching the Olympics and realized that Max will be in preschool the next time the summer Olympics occur! That blows my mind. Also, all those "Thanks, Mom" commercials by P&G make me cry almost every time. Maybe my sweet baby will be an Olympian some day! haha Poor Ben feels left out, though, and we've decided they should do a "Thanks, Dad" ad campaign, too. :-)
I had a midwife appointment this week and everything continues to look great. Last week I mentioned that I wasn't having Braxton Hicks contractions yet, but apparently I am according to the midwife. I had read that Braxton Hicks contractions just feel like your belly gets tight and hard all over and that they are not painful. I haven't had any sensations like that, but apparently some other minor cramps and aches I've had are just another version of Braxton Hicks contractions. I just assumed it was from over doing things or moving around too quickly. They are harmless and it's fine that they're happening even though I'm still several weeks from the due date. It's essentially my body's way of "practicing" for real labor. If you're interested in learning more about Braxton Hicks, click here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_braxton-hicks-contractions_156.bc From now on I will be going to see the midwife every week!
It seems I am reaching the "ready to be done" point of pregnancy. While it's cool to feel Max move around, it's getting pretty uncomfortable because now he pushes hard on my ribs and pelvis because he's so big. I can barely reach the floor if I'm sitting down and trying to bend over (this makes putting on socks and shoes difficult). More and more of my maternity clothes are too small. My belly bumps in to things all the time and I have to scoot my chair back from my desk or the table more than normal to allow it to fit without getting squished. Blah, blah, blah... okay.... Ms. Complain-y Pants is done. :-) The good news is that we just have a few weeks to go and we get to snuggle our baby boy! We are both so excited.
Lastly, here is Max's weekly update:
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.)
