Rebelious or Realistic? : Week 37

Cotton is officially considered full term!!! 

We landed a pediatrician this week where we'll be spending many a day in the next few years getting shots (seriously, that shot schedule is SCARY). Daddy Patrick kick started this new tradition by getting the Tdap vaccine during our prenatal visit, managing to get his dress shirt nice and blood stained for his return to work (I imagine he did this on purpose so he could look like he was out doing something really rough and tough during his lunch break.....but instead, when he got back, one of his coworkers notified him he had some BBQ sauce on his shirt. Epic fail.).  I didn't even have to distract him from post shot soreness the next day, since he fell down the stairs, mildly injuring the majority of his body.

Although checked by Dr. B last week (to get a baseline, since he was already in the area), he kept his findings a secret, and I'll continue remain in complete oblivion to the station/dilation/effacement of my cervix until 40 weeks.......as will he (against his will), because I'm refusing checks! Why risk infection or the possible accidental rupture of my membranes only to be tortured with the idea of "Oh, I'm 'this', so I could go any day now!".....and instead end up walking around like that for weeks, or the opposite "Ahh man! I'm only that?!?".....and feel unnecessarily disappointment. Neither result can predict when a woman will actually go into labor, they just offer quick satisfaction to our overly curious natures. Apparently I am the ONLY patient he's ever had request not to be checked. EVER. He says it's a true testament to my laid back approach and calls me his "rebel" patient.

I don't know about all that. What I do know is I'd prefer to stay away from those dreaded dinity stripping stirrups as much as possible. I'd need an army to help me get in those things these days, anyway, with as bad as my pubic symphysis soreness is at times! On some days I can't even effectively lift one leg at a time to get pants on, and you don't even want to see how ridiculous I look trying to get out of bed.
I've been having a ton of contractions, and used to wonder what exactly the term "lightening crotch" meant until I started experiencing it first hand.........trust me when I say, it's one of those sensations that is pretty self-explanitory.
I realize finding out I'm GBS positive really isn't the worst thing in the world, but I'm a little disappointed I'll be having to check into the hospital a lot sooner than originally planned, in order to receive IV antibiotics.

In the mean time, things are about stretched to the max around here. You may not be able to tell from this picture, but my belly button is now inside out, my wedding rings are bound to hanging around my neck until my fingers return back to normal size, and the skin in my abdominal region and lower legs is very shiny and taught. Even my normally long boney toes feel like little stuffed sausages.

The ol' wardrobe is getting pretty skimpy and it shows on laundry day. The girls laughed at me for 12 hours when I came to work in a modified pre-late-third-trimester white shirt. Sometimes staying within dress code is hard work!!!