Week 38

41" waist (in case you were wondering!)

We only have two more weeks to go! And, actually, we're keeping our fingers tightly crossed in hopes of the baby making his appearance a couple of weeks early. There will be a full moon on Tuesday, August 24, and I've heard and read that full moons may have a tendency to kick start labor (something to do with the lunar pull and water breakage). My mom delivered me 3 and 1/2 weeks early after her water broke on a full moon, and my sister 2 weeks late on a full moon. C'mon baby! We're ready for you!

Unfortunately, my last two doctors appointments haven't yielded any promising news in terms of his coming early, but I'm still hoping. I haven't started to dilate (the term for the opening of the cervix) or efface (term for the thinning of the cervix) at all yet, and the majority of babies (especially those of first-time moms) are born after their due date. Ugh. Labor Day weekend might just end up being an especially appropriately named weekend for us this year.

We've finally started to narrow down names, but we still haven't agreed on one yet. After trying to get the majority vote on our list from our brothers and sisters, Ben/Benjamin, Cale/Calen, Cam/Cameron, and Ethan are the most popular. We've decided that if the baby looks like Mike, I get to pick the name, and if the baby looks more like me, Mike gets to pick. We'd love input!

Now that I'm deep in the waiting game, I've finally started "nesting." We've been getting lots and lots of baby gear from friends and family lately, and organizing and cleaning have become particularly important in our small, one-bedroom apartment. Our living room has been totally taken over by baby stuff, and I've transformed our computer cove into a baby-changing station. Mike and I have assembled the pack 'n play (we went with the Chicco Lullaby per advice from our friends, Missy and Caitlin) and stroller (we went with the BOB Revolution 12" AW per extensive internet research) and couldn't be happier with either--and the baby's not even here yet! We're especially obsessed with our BOB stroller; it was a pretty pricey one, but according to all the reviews, it's amazing, totally worth it, perfect for jogging on any terrain, and has awesome maneuverability in city situations (we're hoping we'll end up in or near NYC or Boston for a couple of years when Mike returns from deployment and finishes his Army commitment; we should find out by March).

Actually, Mike had two weeks of block leave (pre-deployment vacation) a couple of weeks ago, and we used it to visit several MBA programs in the northeast. In addition to its great schools, Mike's family lives there (brothers and mom in NYC, dad and step-mom near Boston). We would be so lucky to have their support while Mike attended school, so he's been studying vigorously for the GMAT every chance he gets. I really don't know how he manages to stay so focused; he has drive and work ethic I've never seen in anybody before. I'm so so proud of him! No matter what path our life takes, I know we'll be one happy family.