37 weeks = Full Term

That is one big baby.

How Far Along 37 weeks
How Big is Baby 19" long, 6.33 lbs is average for 37 weeks.
Total Weight Gain It was 37 lbs. at my appointment last Friday, but I'll be weighed again tomorrow.
Stretch Marks no change
Sleep is getting worse and worse and worse. The past few nights, I've been waking up with my hands hurting - I think my fingers are swelling in my sleep.
Best Moment this Week Getting the last of our essentials for Nate (a second car seat base and a thermometer)
Movement Lots. He kicked for the med student who was checking his heartrate last week. :)
Food Cravings I've been drinking more (water and milk), since I noticed the swelling. And it seems like the more I drink, the more I want to drink.
Labor Signs I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions. They're only painful if I'm sitting up straight and my tightened muscles crush my bottom few ribs. I'm fairly sure I've had at least one every day for the past week, but they are too irregular to really track.
Belly Button Outtie. Sometimes I can't even see it; if Nate's up really high, my belly button ends up pointing downwards, on the bottom side of my belly.
What I Miss Getting in and out of the car without grunting. I don't mean to grunt, but somehow it helps me maneuver.
What I'm Looking Forward To Becoming unpregnant soon! And also, my nephew being born tonight or tomorrow!!

Weekly Wisdom the 9th month is kind of like reverse Batman. Let me explain: when Batman's driving, and he wants to look out the side window of the Batmobile, he has to turn his torso because he can't just turn his head/neck while in costume. Big ol' pregnant belly gets to the point where the torso will no longer turn, so you have to check your blindspot and merge with traffic and all that just by turning your head/neck. Or, at least, I do.

Milestones 37 weeks is considered full term. Most babies born after 37 weeks thrive. He has been practicing breathing, which we know from the hiccups I've been feeling. But in just the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that, when he's in a certain position, I can feel the rise and fall of his breaths with my hand on my belly. It is very amazing.

Rodgers' graduation

Check my picasa for pictures of Rodgers' graduation!

The Kahindis' 2009 Christmas Letter

It’s been a busy year for us!

After getting engaged last November, we spent a leisurely 4 months planning our wedding. It was a very small, intimate ceremony on March 14, in Brenham, TX, at the home of Pam Franke. We got married in the backyard, in spite of the rain which drizzled on us throughout the ceremony. We honeymooned in Washington County, at a bed and breakfast, called M’s Hideaway, and the Birch Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park.

Six weeks later, we had a big surprise! We’re expecting a third member to join our family. Nathanael is due on January 7, 2010. We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment to make room for him, and we’re enjoying setting up the nursery and dreaming of what our son will be like.

Rodgers has been diligently attending to his studies, despite having a pregnant wife to distract him. He took a full load of classes over the summer and is on track to graduate December 11 of this year. In April, we filed all the necessary forms and fees for him to become a permanent resident of the United States. In the beginning, they projected having his case fully processed and approved or denied by mid-October, at the earliest. However, Rodgers’ application was approved and his status adjusted to lawful permanent resident on September 10!

Rachel was hired as a webmaster for the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) at Fort Hood last December. For someone who has never before been a part of the military, working for the Army is a cross-cultural experience. She is gradually becoming acclimated and learning the lingo. After plenty of morning (a.k.a. 24 hours per day) sickness in the first trimester, she is enjoying a healthy pregnancy and growing larger every day.

We’ve been more and more involved at Memorial Baptist Church in Temple. We became instant friends with the people in the young married Sunday School class. (Young means “ranging in age from 26 to over 40.”) Besides them, there was really nothing particularly appealing about the church, not much for us to get out of it. But, we found that we have a lot to give to this church. We have initiated a partnership between Memorial and Revival Baptist Church in Mombasa, Kenya. Pen pals have been assigned and both groups are getting to know each other via snail mail and the internet. Our first project was to raise funds to build a restroom for Revival, as they currently have to use a latrine down the street. We exceeded our fundraising goal on November 29! Now, the pastor is encouraging the church to continue giving so that we can eventually send some people from our church to go to Mombasa and meet with Revival face to face. There is a lot of interest on both sides for some Memorial members to join in, hands-on, Revival’s ministry in Kenya.

We’ve experienced lots of major, life-changing events in the past 12 months. God has continued
to bless us beyond our wildest dreams this year. We’re looking forward to an even better 2010!

We love you!

my own personal collection of symptoms

I found a list of some of the more common pregnancy complaints. Some are from early pregnancy, but most are things that develop later. I thought it would be fun to see how many I have enjoyed.

 

_x_ moodiness [Lately, I've been more prone to tears. The weekend we found out about the pregnancy, before I took the test, Rodgers will tell you he could do nothing right. I didn't intend to be so mean to him, but I guess I was...]

_x_ swollen feet/cankles [the feet, no cankles]

_x_ outgrowing wedding rings [I had to move my wedding band to my pinky a long time ago; this week, the engagement ring may make the move as well]

_x_ outgrowing maternity clothes [I'm ok with it if my belly gets too big for them, but when I can't fit my early maternity pants over my hips anymore, that's a little disturbing]

_x_ crazy weight gain

_x_ morning sickness [I still gag most mornings while brushing my teeth, but nothing like the first trimester when I had to be medicated for it.]

___ melasma

_x_ acne [This has gotten a lot better, but still more acne than prepregnancy. Also, Rodgers developed more acne after I got pregnant. :) ]

_x_ heartburn/indigestion/acid reflux [eating dinner without Zantac = disaster]

___ Hemmorhoids

_x_ gas that could clear a room

_x_ going to the bathroom every 10 minutes [10 minutes is an exaggeration, but really, I could go all the time.]

_x_ peeing yourself

_x_ fatigue

_x_ insomnia [ironic, huh?]

_x_ shortness of breath

_x_ general aches and pains (ribs, back, etc) [I have a heat wrap on the ribs right now.]

_x_ waddling [I'm not sure if it's an official waddle, but I do walk funny. It hurts to try to walk normal.]

_x_ restless leg syndrome

___ sciatica

_x_ Braxton Hicks

_x_ itchy skin

_x_ stretch marks

___ varicose veins

___ gestational diabetes

___ high blood pressure

___ Preeclampsia

___ PUPP

more changes

My hair falls out when I wash it. Before I was pregnant, A LOT of my hair fell out every time I washed it. Now, it's only a little bit. But, I got into the habit of gathering up my fallen out hairs in my hands to throw away, rather than letting them go down the drain, so that I don't have to use so much 10-minute Hair Clog Remover.

 

The last time I washed my hair, after throwing away the mass of fallen out hairs, there was still one stuck to my hand. As I unstuck it from me, it caught the light, and I noticed that it was much more brilliant-silvery-white than my usual blonde-almost-invisible strands. I thought it couldn't possibly be, so I stuck it to the mirror and ran my fingers through my hair until a real blonde one fell out. When I compared the two, it was unmistakable. The first was definitely a white hair.

 

Being blonde, there's no telling how many more white hairs are mixed in there. I never would have known if this one hadn't fallen out. How long have I had white hairs? That one was at least 6" long. Dang.

 

When we started dating, Rodgers told me he had 1 white hair. After a quick look, I could tell that he actually had 3, he just couldn't see 2 of them. Now, he's got about 7. The contrast between them and his other hairs and skin color is so great that you can find them easily. But they get no more than a quarter of an inch long. It's possible I could have more than him, but we may never know...