9 Months

Yay I made it to Month 9 (month 8 was long and slow), now I am finally feeling like we can countdown and get ready for this new little princess to join our family.

Doctor update:

After getting baby's heart beat taken (perfectly healthy and strong), I got measured (right on schedule), and then asked to get checked (I had to have the Group B Strep Test done anyway). Doctor was totally accommodating and didn't mind at all about doing it early, considering they usually don't check till 38 weeks. But I am just impatient and curious. Since Bella was early and my family is coming in at the end of the week I wanted to be prepared and know where I was in the process (so I am not worrying about labor while they are here).
So the results were, 2 cm and 50% effaced!
Doctor and I were a tad surprised but as much as that could mean baby could come tomorrow it is just as likely baby will sit and wait till she is due. My biggest relief was having the doctor say that baby has definitely dropped and is in head down position. I was glad to hear this considering I have been extremely uncomfortable as of late and guessed baby had dropped. So it is nice knowing that I probably can't get much more uncomfortable than I am already. And all in all I am still keeping up with kiddos and running errands with a few breathers in between, so that is good news.

Doctor says baby will be early (and as much as I love my doctor -he is the same one I have had every pregnancy- from experience I know he has NO idea). I would prefer baby to wait till right after Easter at least :) I did talk to the doctor about an early arrival though. I had been worried about delivering at the hospital I prefer, Mountain View, which is a smaller hospital. There were rumors that they don't have a NICU for preemie babies. My doctor assured me that at this point we are in the clear because although they don't have an extensive NICU unit they are fit to take babies as early as 35 weeks and on. Fortunately, I probably wont have to worry about a NICU at all for baby considering I am nearing 37 weeks (Monday). And at that point the chances baby will end up in the NICU for respiratory issues is slim to none.  

Baby update:

Baby is the size of a honeydew melon.

"Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft (they'll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey at delivery. At 36 weeks pregnant, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.
Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he or she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.
By now, many of your baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms —  and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him or her from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that? Inside his or her little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system — though developed — hasn't been operational. So your baby will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed." (whattoexpect.com)

Way back when?

Pregnant with Connor at 36 weeks (left),

and now pregnant with Sydney at 36 weeks (right).