38 weeks

*The baby is now ... 7 pounds, 20 inches long. Give or take.

*How I'm feeling: Impatient. It's probably not good to be impatient yet, cuz I still have nearly 2 weeks until my due date. But I can't help it. I want to meet the little guy! I've decided that I've been pregnant long enough.

Physically, I feel ok, considering I'm 38 weeks pregnant. The joints in my fingers and feet hurt more and more each day, but it's more of an annoyance than anything else. I've remained remarkably un-swollen, so I'm counting my blessings on that and continuing to elevate my feet every possible second. I'm still having a lot of crampy, painful Braxton Hicks contractions and I've also started feeling the kind that most people get -- where I can feel my stomach tighten up and get hard. It's super weird and sort of amusing, actually.

I just canNOT get comfortable at all, especially at night. I do pretty well for most of the day, but at about 8 p.m. every night, I hit a wall where every position is uncomfortable and every movement is a chore that takes too much effort. And the peeing... my god. If I'm not peeing, I have to pee. It can make you kind of crazy, as Mike can probably attest after I had a minor breakdown last night about how a person simply cannot spend that much time on such a mundane task! There are too many other things to do! I know it's mostly because I'm 9 months pregnant and the little guy thinks my bladder is a squeeze toy, but it's also because I drink SO MUCH water. But I know all the water is probably helping to keep the swelling down and is keeping me feeling pretty good, so cutting back isn't really an option.

*Physical differences from last week: Not much different. Maybe a tad bigger, but nothing really noticeable.

*What's been on my mind: I've been wondering what he's going to be like. Will he have lots of hair or be totally bald? Will he be calm and laid back or colicky? What kind of personality and interests will he have? Will he love football or be way into science? I can't wait to find out! No matter who he is, I just know I'm gonna love every little bit of him.

*What I'm looking forward to: Becoming a family of three. Introducing him to all the stuff we love doing a couple (going out to dinner on a weeknight "just cuz," weekend trips to Flagstaff, getting ice cream in mini baseball helmets at spring training games, Saturday morning hikes), and discovering all kinds of new, fun things through his eyes.

*Other random thoughts: Pushing down on my belly does not make him pop out. Caffeine does not get him so "hopped up" that he decides it's time to come out and party. Bribes of toys don't work. Stern lectures don't work.

I refuse to resort to drinking castor oil, so I guess he's just gonna come out when he darn well feels like it.