Musings at 9 Months

Today marks another milestone: I am officially 36 weeks - that's right, 9 months - pregnant.  WOW. 

There are some definite physical signs that I am this far along - the heartburn, the smaller appetite, the swollen feet, the exhaustion, the aching lower back, the constant need to pee, the fact that I literally have almost no clothes that fit anymore, feeling that the little one has perhaps dropped a little bit into my pelvis so I can feel more pressure between my legs when I'm walking down the street.  And then there's the "pregnancy brain."  I've been forgetting things constantly - my wallet, phone, umbrella, shoes - all things about which I'm typically meticulous have slipped my mind several times during the past few weeks. 

And yet, it's still hard to believe there are only possibly 3-6 weeks left of this experience.  My view hasn't changed much.  When I look down at my belly, it still looks about the same size as it has for weeks.  It's only when I happen to catch a glimpse of my profile in the mirror that I realize my belly is in fact very, very large.  I'm still (thankfully!) sleeping pretty well and without a need for any strangely shaped, oversized support pillows.  In spite of the awful head cold I've had for the past five days, I mostly feel like myself energetically and emotionally.  The third trimester hasn't been so bad so far. 

My 36 week visit to the OB today revealed that the little one is a healthy 5 pounds, 13 ounces, still in the 50th percentile for weight and length.  Which apparently is very good news.  The doctor emphasized that given my petite stature, she really doesn't want me to have a large baby.  And in even better news, we learned that the baby is in vertex position.  Head down, turned to the side, unlikely to flip.  I was thrilled, and it was exciting to confirm that the body parts I've been feeling moving near my ribcage are, in fact, our baby's little feet.

As the days pass I am growing more excited and less stressed about meeting our baby.  Last night I had a dream in which I could see our little one sleeping next to me on the co-sleeper we recently bought from a neighbor.  I couldn't quite see baby's the face, but I could see a dark head of hair and beautiful brown skin, all wrapped up in a tight white swaddle.  I could see myself watching the baby for a while, and I saw myself reaching out to nurse.  It is the first time I can really recall having any sort of concrete vision or feeling of what my life might be like after pregnancy.  In the dream, just watching our baby breathe, my heart felt really really full.