Pregnancy: 39 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain: 16.9kgs (37.25lbs)
Baby size (approx head to foot): 50.7cm (19.96in)
Baby weight (approx): 3.3kg (7.27lbs)

The count is in the single digits and less then a week away!!! Of course that is assuming Mushi decides to arrive on or before my due date. It's CRAZY to think that at ANY TIME I could go in to labour!! We are very much ready for it though, we just want to meet little Mushi (and I just want to get him out of my pelvis!)!! The Jess thinks that Mushi will be born on the 1st of July, and has thought so since the beginning. That is her dad's birthday and babies in the family tend to come on other family members birthdays (Aaron and his Grandma share the same birthday, as to a cousin and aunt or something along those lines). Or, maybe the 12th of July as that is Aaron's Mum's birthday (as well as Jennifer, my cousin's, birthday). I'd much rather it be on the 1st, I don't want to have to waddle around being very uncomfortable until the 12th. I, on the other hand, think Mushi will come on the 4th. It's Independence day in the U.S. plus The Jess has a ball that day, and I think it would be funny if she had to turn up to the hospital in her ball gown while a bit tipsy. Would make for some interesting photos. Aaron thinks it will be the 5th.

When I went to the hospital for last weeks appointment, I was told I was "fully engaged," meaning Mushi's little head is right down in my pelvis and ready to be born. That doesn't necessarily mean that he will be born asap, as first babies can descend a few weeks or more before being born. It does mean that he is in position and ready and could come at any time. The hospital appointments are generally uneventful. They take my blood pressure, measure my fundal height (which is inaccurate at this stage since they can't measure the bottom of my uterus as it's sitting in my pelvis), feel the baby's position (laying on his side, head down, on the right side of my uterus. Good position to be in), listen to his heart rate, ask me how I've been feeling. At the appointment before the last one I had to take a lower vajayjay swab to check if I have strep B (or something similar sounding, but I think that is what it was checking), a bacteria that naturally lives down there and is not harmful usually, but can cause strife to the baby while it's being born. Happy to report I'm negative on that front (which means I don't have to have an antibiotic drip while giving birth. Phew. Don't like needles!!).

I've been getting heaps of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, but they still don't hurt at all. I don't even feel them all. Sometimes if I'm paying close attention, I can feel them start (my uterus becomes hard), but usually I just notice when I touch my belly and find that it's quite hard, then softens after a bit. Maybe I will be one of the lucky ones who doesn't even realise they are in labour until the endish of the first stage because the contractions don't hurt. Apparently that is how some people end up having to race to the hospital and give birth very soon after they get there. Usually you know you are in labour for quite a while before hand. Even though I know that most labours don't begin with the water breaking (despite what the movies might have you think), I have this irrational fear that mine will break in an embarrassing public place (i.e. on the bus, at the store, at church, etc.). Let's think about this: say I'm grocery shopping, I have a trolley full of groceries, but am not quite done yet. My water breaks. Do I finish my shopping, go to the checkout, then call the hospital? Do I ditch the groceries, and immediately leave? Of course I don't drive by myself (Aaron is teaching me to drive the manual car, and I'm not quite confident enough to drive by myself yet. I'm a wussbag), so that would add another element to the equation. Do I then get a cab home, call someone who lives close by to come pick me up, get on the bus, wait for Aaron to come and get me?? Be good water, don't break in public!

It is getting quite uncomfortable for me to do anything. Every time I stand up, there is a head on my bladder and I always feel like I have to pee (which maybe could be mistaken for a bladder infection except that it goes away when I sit down and take some of the pressure off). Again, due to a head being in my pelvis, there is a lot of pressure on my tailbone, and in the general butt area which can also get quite uncomfortable. Hard chairs certainly don't help this either. When I eat, my belly prevents me from getting too close to the table. I end up getting lots of my dinner all over my shirt. Why don't I just lean forward over my plate you ask? Mushi doesn't like it when I lean forward, it must squish him. He immediately lets me know with a swift knee in the top of my uterus. Not like the kind he does when playing poke my limbs, but a sort of "knock that off mommy, I don't like to be folded" kind of way. I've started keeping a towel next to me so when I eat I can drape it on myself.

A few people have asked me if I'm going to have photos of my labour. I do want photos, but only of the waist up. I don't mind having photos of me making hideous "oh my goodness, this really hurts" faces, but I don't need to see photos of the baby coming out or anything. I don't need to see that place anyway, I certainly don't need to see it with a head sticking out, and no one else should be seeing that part of me either (except Aaron and the doctors of course). I've heard that some people have those photos in an album at home, and actually show people. To me that is like saying "hello, here is my vagina." So no, no photos South of the border thank you very much.

I finally took my citizenship test on Tuesday. It took me about 3 minutes (which was going through it twice to make sure I didn't accidentally choose the wrong answer for any of them), and I got 19/20. I couldn't remember who Australia's first prime minister was. If you have read the citizenship textbook, the test is quite easy (well, except the one question...), but if you haven't read it, you probably would fail miserably. I was going to eat lunch with Aaron later that day, since I was already in the city anyway, but I finished so quickly, I had 2 and a half hours before our lunch. Even though I've always been embarrassed by this prospect, I went to the movies by myself. I didn't particularly want to walk (I mean waddle) around for 2 hours as my feet would end up the size of fully inflated balloons. The only movie that finished in time to meet Aaron for lunch was in Gold Class, so I thought what the heck, I just passed my test, I'll treat myself. I was still quite embarrassed to be going to a movie alone (no offence Dad, I know you do that a lot), but then the only other person in the gold class cinema was a random guy who was also by himself (several rows in front of me, luckily not nearby as that would have been very awkward). Oh, did I mention I was watching a total chick flick, The Proposal? I didn't feel so embarrassed after that. Although expensive, Gold class is very comfortable. They have big overstuffed recliners that you sit in. Perfect for a very pregnant woman who needs to put her feet up.

Thursday, I had someone from Baby BeeHinds come over and do a nappy (um...diaper) demonstration. As I said in the blog months ago, we are going cloth. Cloth nappies are not like the used to be. Now they are fitted, have inserts to catch more pee, have snaps to make them bigger or smaller depending on your baby's size, etc. They are very good. The ones I got are "one size fits most," so I won't need to buy anymore nappies, they are good from newborn to something ridiculous like 3 or 4 years old (I hope Mushi is potty trained before 3...). Sure I spent $533 on them, but if I were to use disposables, I'd be looking at at least $2000 (and that is a conservative estimate) for the time Mushi is in diapers. Plus, we can use these for our next baby. They will take about 10 days to get here, so hopefully we will already have a baby by then....

I know this post is long, but what the hay, I'm going to keep going. No one is forcing you to read this. Saturday, The Jess and I decided to go to Pancakes on the Rocks (for those U.S.Aliens reading this, Pancakes on the Rocks is a Pancakes restaurant at the Rocks in Sydney. No ordinary pancake place though, this one serves chocolate pancakes with chocolate syrup, and chocolate ice cream. That is one of their concoctions anyway). I wrote down the driving directions, and we set off. Things got hairy only a few minutes into our trip when we accidentally took the harbour tunnel instead of the bridge. The directions tell you to take the Bradfield Highway (not actual name, but I can't remember it's actual name at this time), but then the road signs use no such highway name and just give you highway numbers (like 1). So, I ask you, how are we to know which lane to be in?? We chose a lane that takes you over the bridge, as we knew we needed the bridge (we knew that much at least), but at the last minute the silly lane forked, one to the bridge, one to the tunnel, and we ended up in the tunnel. We did then find some of the roads listed later in the instructions, but didn't realise we were now coming at them from the other direction, so turned left when it should have been right, and ended up having to pretty much tour the whole city. An hour later, we found the road that Pancakes is on. Or so we thought.... After we parked, closer inspection of the street sign revealed that some hooligan had turned the sign so it was pointing at the road we were on, but should have been pointing to the road next to it. No big deal, we'll just walk. That's all fine and dandy usually, but it turned out to be quite a long walk, and I really really had to pee. We had to stop at a very posh hotel on a pier and ask for directions, as well as to use the bathroom. Luckily they humoured us (probably because a young guy was on the desk, and guys always take quite a shining to The Jess). Finally, an hour and a half after leaving the house, we got to Pancakes (this should normally take under half an hour). By that time, I wanted a real meal and not just something sweet (what is wrong with me?!?!), so after all that, I ordered a savory crepe, and The Jess got the nice black forest pancake (but I stole some of it). After sitting at the table for a while, another waitress came and insisted we move to a booth as it would be more comfortable, and then had a go at the other waitress for putting a heavily pregnant woman at the table with the hard chairs. I have to say, I did appreciate the booth. I like booths anyway, but at the moment, they are even better!

Ok, last paragraph, I promise. I read that babies tear ducts work in the womb, but can't yet function outside the womb. I think that is probably a good thing. Seeing your tiny little bundle crying will be hard enough, but imagine if it also had all those tiny little tears coming out as well. It will be a shock to see tears for the first time though. I just can't wait for Mushi to come out!! Come on Mushi, we want to meet you. Hopefully by next weeks blog we will have a little Mushi to write about (although then it won't be Mushi anymore, it will have a boys or girls name...).