Week 36 and 37

She's almost here! 3 weeks left. I am seeing my doctor on a weekly basis now. Last visit I mentioned that the baby has moved and I was feeling her hiccups on the side now, which for me was an indication that she was no longer head down. After the doctor felt around, she wanted to make sure with a quick ultrasound and the baby did move back head down so I think she only stayed in the breech position for less than a day or two which is good. Also even though I am measuring small, she assured us that they don't really let patients go too much over their due date, may be just a few days, so I am willing to bet that she'll be here before the 20th of December.

Week 36 Development

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Week 37 Development

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully 

mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Our friend Abtin and Erin came over during Thanksgiving break and he snapped this photo of us.