melted smoosh

b ump watch: we're measuring at 40 weeks again this week! baby thankfully remains head down, and she was right occiput transverse at my appointment yesterday (meaning the back of her head is facing my right side and her arms and legs are pointing towards my left. this position is more favourable for her to turn into the optimal occiput anterior position (back of her head facing out), as opposed to Greta who was occiput posterior (also known as sunny-side-up). little peanut:  is the size of a winter melon ... i'm really quite amazed at how many varieties of melon there apparently are. the midwife estimated that she'd be about eight pounds at delivery, which is exactly what they said about Greta (who was 7 pounds 5 ounces at 41 weeks and 3 days!), so we'll see! her lungs are fully matured, and her vocal cords are ready to start making some noise! image credit from  W hat to Expect When You're Expecting best moment:  by far, the high

bump watch:  i measured 40 weeks at my appointment this morning ... which the midwife assured me is due to the fact that baby girl is still sitting up so high, not that i'm gestating a giant! regardless, the belly is still growing, and i'm starting to bump into things more often (and i keep stumbling over random toys or shoes on the floor because i don't see them by my feet, which is embarrassing. thankfully i'm always able to recover my balance, though not always my dignity!). little peanut: is considered "early term" now, although she won't hit true full term status until 39 weeks according to the updated guidelines. this week, her fingers are developing more dexterity. from an immunological standpoint, my antibodies are transferring to her, which is especially helpful given that flu season is rapidly approaching. image credit from  W hat to Expect When You're Expecting best moment: confirming via ultrasound as well as

b ump watch:  i think the most notable thing this week is the shape of the bump, rather than the size! i've had three chiropractic adjustments over the past week, and as she has more room to move, my belly is shifting around a lot. fun to watch, and although she often settles in an oblique position rather than completely vertical, her head is back down -- wahoo! little peanut: weighs an estimated 6 pounds, the size of a large cantaloupe. from here on out until delivery, her lungs are continuing to develop and mature, and her brain and neurologic function are maturing. image credit from  W hat to Expect When You're Expecting best moment: totally unprompted, Greta started hugging my belly and singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to her baby sister. so sweet! she's been practicing her big sister skills this week, as we got to meet two babies -- our neighbor's eight-week-old, and Amelia's gorgeous three-month-old! it's so fan

bump watch: the bump is definitely growing! i measured 36 weeks at my appointment this week, although i was almost surprised it wasn't more. some of my maternity dress shirts are already getting perilously short ... and we have a ways to go! little peanut:  she's continuing to chub up and grow that grey matter! she weighs an estimated 5.5 pounds and has reached her birth length. apparently this corresponds to a canary melon, which Google tells me is a little smaller than a watermelon. and the little stinker decided to flip breech this week, which is not cause for alarm yet, but we do want to coax her back to a vertex presentation by 37 weeks. if she's still breech at 37 weeks, we would try an external cephalic version to turn her, which has a success rate of about 60% but also carries a very small risk of inducing active labor or causing fetal distress that would necessitate emergent delivery (so, that's a far cry from my assumption that i'll go to at least