Week 39 Belly Pic

Here we are, just one week away from my due date ... although probably more than a week away from the baby's arrival:

I was hoping to report that the belly itching had gone away, because it did actually go away for a few days, but yesterday it came back with a vengeance and I was almost going insane while trying to watch the Final Four games.  On the way home from Mass this morning, we stopped and purchased some calamine lotion which is now slathered on my belly and seems to be helping.

(Word to the wise: calamine lotion is actually not "lotion."  It's a thin liquid.  And despite my painstaking attempts to apply it carefully with a paper towel, it dripped all over the bathroom counter, my jeans, and the floor.  So be warned!)

Things are going well on the homefront.  The nursery is almost done, all the baby gear is set up and ready, and I made a list of things to get done between now and when I go into labor.  I'm planning on doing the most important things on the list first, so it won't matter if I don't finish before the birth.  We started yesterday by giving Rory a bath and washing all her dog beds.  So that's one big chore I won't have to do for a while after the birth!

MJ also decided that we should be more organized about our labor and delivery plan.  So we made a list of what we need to do when I go into labor, and it's very specific in case I am, for some reason, completely out of commission and MJ has to do it all himself:

- Determine whether labor has officially started (by number of contractions and level of pain)
- Call my OB's office to report labor and get instructions on whether to go to the hospital yet
- Pack anything that we weren't able to pack in advance (toiletries, camera, etc)
- Put the carseat in my car (MJ got a lesson on how to use it yesterday, so he's ready)
- Eat something (because they won't let me eat once I get to the hospital)
... etc.

Now it's just a waiting game!