Week 36 - Drop it like it's hot!!

The Babe:
Babe CONTINUES to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help regulate body temperature after leaving the climate-controlled womb. In fact, the babe will be 15 percent fat at birth (and myself... well that's another story). Other highlights this week:the gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though the actual pearly whites won't start breaking through until between three months and a year old. The babe has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening the eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. The babe will become alert and turn its head toward light and sound just as a newborn would. Babe is now around 18½ inches long and nearly 6 pounds!

The Parents:
Just waiting for the babe to "drop it like it's hot!!" This process, called lightening (we learned this in out birthing class this week), will make it easier to breathe, but with babe's head resting directly on my bladder, I'll be breathing all the way to the bathroom. But when that babe finally does drop, I know that the pregnancy journey will be over within the next few weeks (but I am shooting for DAYS). In our birthing class this week we learned ALL the signs and symptoms of labor, but I am wondering today if the loss of feeling in the finger tips of my right hand happens to be a sign!! One of my students explained to me that it is a sign of a STROKE!! I said, that it that was good enough...pretty sure they would take the babe out of me for that!! I mean my arms have been randomly falling asleep for a while now but today I have have yet to regain feeling in my right hand finger tips...which makes typing an interesting task!!
You will have to ask Ben about his personal thoughts on the birthing class but all I know is that I found out that he has major "sympathy pains" (found that out during THE video), he wants Connie the teacher to be in the hospital room, and he is still undecided about whether he feels more or less prepared after the class. I think that about sums him up. On the other hand, my feelings of DONENESS far out weigh my feelings of nervousness at this point. This being needs to on the outside!!