37 Week Update and Caleb's Room

My weekly doctors appointment was this morning, and I was 50% effaced and about 1/2 centimeter dilated.  Still a long way to go, but I feel indefinitely more prepared after all the hard work this weekend. We got all of Caleb's clothes, blankets, burp cloths, etc. washed and put away, everything hung in his room, the car seats installed, laundry room organized, and house in a generally presentable condition.  I am finally to the point where I think we are "ready" as we can be for his arrival.

Here are some pictures of the room and a few of the craft projects I have been working on:

This is Caleb's wreath that will be going on the hospital door.  It is made of monogrammed burp cloths that me, my Aunt Donna, mom, and Kayla worked on two weekends ago when I was in Opp.  I think it turned out great!  We will also be hanging it on our front door once we come home from the hospital.

 Here is a picture of the changing table.  This is the wall to the left as you walk in.  I know the window frame looks awkward now, but as soon as I get his newborn pictures in, then some will be going behind the frame.

 Here is Caleb's crib and dresser.  Aunt Donna, mom, and Kayla also helped me make the block letters when I was in Opp, and there is a close-up of them below.

 I'm pretty sure God was testing my patience and ability to be a mother while hanging these letters.  Do you know how hard it is to nail letters straight and in line that aren't the same height across the board, and hangers aren't necessarily in the same place on the back of the boards that are the same size?  Virtually impossible.  After working for a few hours Saturday night on it, and only getting three letters up, none of which were straight or correctly spaced apart, my dad had the brilliant idea of double sided tape.  So Sunday morning, we used the curtain rod box as a straight edge, a level for spacing, and voila - straight letters equally spaced apart.  Only problem is we need more double sided tape on the back, its not holding up the larger letters very well - put I would gladly cover the entire back in double sided tape before I tried to hang them with hangers and nails again.

 Here is a close-up of the dresser.  Sarah made the burlap initials, my Aunt Donna made the nightlight that is in front of the scrapbook my mom put together.

 Here is another view of the wall as you walk in, and you can also see the glider better in this picture.

 Here is the back wall, and no - we aren't having twins, one of those contraptions on the floor is a swing and the other is a bouncer!

 After getting everything settled in the room, we worked on packing mine and Caleb's bag.  Here is Caleb's bag packed and ready to go ...

Speaking of "ready to go", I am now full-term.  Here is the update on Caleb from parentsconnect:

Your baby is officially baked this week! That means you could literally give birth at any given moment. A terrifying, exciting and overwhelming concept, all rolled into one. Your partner is undoubtedly having the same emotional roller-coaster ride, so be sure to share your feelings and enjoy these last weeks (days?! hours?!) together.

Your Baby

Huge news this week: You're carrying a full-term baby! If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven. Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he's born. More great news for your birth canal.

So if he's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can't practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he's hungry—but he'll do plenty of that in a few weeks.

At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds. About the size of an average largemouth bass caught in Minnesota by your cousin Earl.