Full Term!!

I am officially full term now, which means the baby can come at anytime in the next four weeks and he should be happy and healthy! I have a feeling myself that he'll be coming early- at my appointment yesterday he was already measuring close to 7lbs (this is number is usually about 90% accurate.) He's also dropped, which means he's dropped his little self into the "go" position. He's REALLY low, and it's now a constant pressure for me anytime I stand up! Makes my waddle even more waddle-y! Here's the only pic they gave us from the ultrasound- just a little outline of his cute little head.

I'm also having contractions pretty frequently- mostly Braxton-Hicks, which are sort of "getting ready" contractions that don't hurt, but just feel like a tightening of my abdomen and a bit of pressure. They are very common, especially in the third trimester, and the nurse in my labor class said that having Braxton-Hicks contractions can actually prepare your body better for a shorter labor. I hope she's right! Unfortunately, I am also having a few activity-induced contractions as well, which feel much different from the Braxton-Hicks. These actually hurt- the tightening and pressure are the same but are accompanied by pain that travels around my abdomen and into my lower back. They also tend to make my breathing pretty shallow. The pain isn't too intense though, and although I may have four or five of these in a row in the course of a short period of time, they seem to gradually get less and less painful instead of the other way around before going away. Although I am definitely ready to be done being pregnant, I don't want him to come before HE'S ready. So I'd rather not induce him with too much strenuous activity.  Sadly, this is coming to mean doing more than one normal activity in a day. Even walking for too long makes me have to sit or lie down to help calm the contractions. I've only got a few performances of Simon Boccanegra left before my maternity leave starts, and although I would normally considerate it a very easy and low-stress show for the chorus, there is one scene where I have consistently come off stage having a contraction! Agh! Let me tell you, this makes singing awfully difficult! So I'm taking these shows one at a time, and playing it by ear with what I can handle and what I can't. I'd really like to do the last two performances this week though, and I'm going to do my best to make sure I take it nice and easy all day long beforehand so I have as much stamina as possible to get through!

Here's a pic of me in my costume- the pregnancy makes me look an awful lot like the Virgin Mary on her way to Bethlehem! Ha! This is from a few weeks ago- I'm even bigger now and I can definitely see how he's much higher up in this pic.

So I guess now it's only a matter of time, and playing that lovely waiting game! Any guesses on when he might decide to arrive? My doctor thinks he could come anytime from tomorrow until December!

I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HIM!!!