35 Weeks

I had my first internal exam yesterday. Already 1 cm dilated. Yay! Between the baby's constant movement and her growing weight, I'm getting that "she might just fall out" feeling that other second-time and beyond moms have reported. The midwife also thought she could feel the baby's head through my cervix (isn't that weird? i can't believe it's ok to just poke around in there) and palpations of my abdomen seem to confirm that feet are up, head is down. I could have told her that, since I am getting kicked in the right rib almost all the time and am periodically feeling hiccups ricochet off my cervix.

I'm betting on another due-date baby.

We also had our home visit with our doula, which went well. The plan is to stay at home until about 7 cm, then head over to the hospital a few blocks away. We are supposed to get a nearby friend as a contingency plan for watching Nutmeg in case there is a snowstorm and my parents can't get here from Wisconsin on time. Otherwise our to-do list is pretty short.

Last night we did some Filbertine shopping for the first time. It was a fun night. Usually taking Nutmeg shopping to multiple stores is a nightmare, but she was an angel. First we hit Babies R Us to check out a sit-and-stand stroller I want to get. On the way to the stroller Nutmeg saw a couple of items she wanted to buy for the baby. Normally I avoid buying things in stores just because she asks me to, but this time, we thought, Hey, why not let Nutmeg be an active part of this preparation. She selected a watering can for the bathtub and a vinyl bib for the baby, and her mood was so sunny all night. I think being included really jazzed her. I genuinely needed her help to try out the sit-n-stand stroller (the Joovy), which she also loved. I don't know who was more disappointed, her or I, that it was out of stock. Oh well, maybe I'll find a better deal on it online anyway.

We also picked up some glass bottles for storing breast milk, a Snuggle Nest (a tiny little bed that goes in the parents bed to protect the baby from pillows or overly soft mattresses) and a package of infant diapers. Then we went to Noodles & Co. for dinner, where Nutmeg ate pad thai like a dog without the use of fork or even her hands, but otherwise behaved very nicely. Then Comp USA, where she found a huge LCD computer screen showing a virtual fish tank. She decided she wanted to live right there in Comp USA forever and ever. In fact I was able to keep her occupied during our subsequent visit to Office Max by pretending to look for that stores fish tank. Bwahaha, devious, I know.

Anyway, we had this rare feeling that having Nutmeg along for the excursion actually enhanced the experience. We were having a good time hanging out with Nutmeg. This is not unusual at a Christmas party or at home or at Grammy's house, but yeah, at a shopping center? That's new. And awesome. Hope it happens more in the future.