Pregnancy Update: 37 weeks, 4 days Edition

Oh my. 37 weeks and 4 days down. 17 days to go.

And I am rocking the baby bump like never before.

Tonight I'm going to visit the various areas of my pregnancy to give you the full effect. Kind of like a Magic School Bus/Ms. Frizzle kind of thing except without any graphic details like venturing inside the small intestine or something.

The belly: Whoa. So big. So itchy. So tight. So achy when I try to get out of bed. Sometimes the Hubs gives me a good kick in the rump to catapult me out of bed. Not kidding. It's just hard work moving this baby bump around. Still don't think he's dropped all the way, but it does look like he's slowly drifting south. Woohoo!

The baby: So cute. You know, for a little squirmy guy in my belly. He smooshes everything around in there at least three times a day. I seriously think he may be in the business of relocating several of my organs. It just feels like he's moving things around as though he was rearranging furniture. It's time to get that boy outta there! His movements are so big now that my belly looks like it's doing the rumba on occasion. I think he's going to be a mover and a shaker, folks.

The clothes: Good night. Nothing fits. Nothing but a few maternity t-shirts my mama surprised me with for spring. So sweatpants it is. Which is fine with me til times like tonight when sweatpants don't cut it, and I have to plaster on some jeans to hit up the grocery store. Let's just say, the pregnant waddle was in full swing as I browsed through the breakfast food aisle tonight. Slow moving, folks. Sloooow moving. And Crocs are officially the only thing that I can wear on my tootsies. I tried pulling off a pair of flats for church on Sunday and had to swap them out for my neon pink Crocs as soon as we made it back to the car after service. It was a doozie.

The nesting: It's in full throttle. Even my iPod is organized. Tomorrow I'm washing windows and wrapping up a few thank you notes. Hopefully putting the finishing touches on my hospital bag as well. It's amazing what a new mama can find to do when there's a baby on the way.

The crazy: Reaching heights never reached before. First of all, I'm going nuts. I can't remember anything, I repeat things, and I make up things the Hubs says. Por ejemplo, tonight at the store the Hubs asked me "do you want a fish?" Weird, I thought. I don't think I want a fish... Except what he really asked me was "do you want me to push?" As in push the cart. Not as in, "would you like me to buy you a goldfish tonight while we're out grocery shopping?" Oops. This has happened on several occasions. Another thing I keep doing is telling him to stop being in such a bad mood. Except I'm the one that's in a bad mood because I'm tired and cranky after cleaning all day and lugging a watermelon around in my belly. Like I said, the crazy is attaining heights never reached before. Which is saying a lot. Because I've got a pretty good stash of crazy even when I'm not pregnant. Praise the Lord for a patient and incredibly sweet husband who puts up with me all day and still manages to kiss me goodnight before we go to bed.

The nursery: Vacuumed as of today and ready to roll. I have given up on the closet, convincing myself Newbie won't care that it is stuffed full of a plethora diapers, fine china, suitcases, and my prom dress. We are a family that shares. And I think he'll be OK with that.

The dreams: Hokey pete. I keep dreaming of having this boy each night, and each night I'm always amazed that he comes out all round and sweet and chubby. It's so funny to think the little bitzy raspberry of a baby we prayed for 8 months ago is now a rounded out roly poly little baby. My mom and my great aunt had a dream I had him a couple nights ago too. I hope these visions come to be soon! My mom said she dreamed he came so fast and painless that I didn't even call her to come up to the hospital, but showed up at her door with him only half an hour after he was born. Sounds pretty good to me. Sign me up for that plan!

The heart: Oh so ready to cuddle my little baby boy. I can't believe we're two weeks away. The time has gone by so quickly, and I can only imagine how fast it will fly by once he gets here. My plan is to snuggle and hold and rock him as much as I can and just absorb every second of every moment I have with him as my sweet little bundle. Mmm....I can't wait to smell that newborn head. I love newborn heads. And baby lotion. Oh, it smells so good when the two are mixed together. Can't wait to smother my little man in delicious baby lotion. Is that weird? Yes? I told you the crazy is full blown these days.

The family: Some are e-mailing me numbers where they can be reached throughout the day in case I go into labor. Some are hoping he waits until my in-laws are back from Costa Rica next week. I don't want them to miss it, but I sure am ready to meet this boy! Some are talking about how Easter lunch will be at my mom's on Sunday unless we're all up at the hospital. I just can't believe we're this close already. It's fun to hear everyone gearing up for D-day. We are all so excited. This little guy is going to have quite the welcoming committee!

Well, me and this belly better find a spot on the couch- 24 starts in 6 minutes, and my grandmother just informed me this may in fact be Jack's last season. Oh, Bauer, how I will miss you when you are gone and I am stuck watching mediocre television while I slam down a bowl of Lucky Charms. I'm going to go enjoy it while I can. Bauer power to you and yours.