36 weeks = 9 months = lots of waiting left

So my mom, sister and I were discussing the foolishness of the general perception that people are pregnant for 9 months. If "full term" is 37 to 42 weeks and the average month is about 4 weeks that in all reality you are really pregnant for closer to 10 months than 9 (let's not even discuss the physiology of when pregnancy really begins because that screws up all kinds of stuff in months and weeks and such- we are just talking about the typical I am ...weeks story here). And even if 37 weeks is essentially 9 months and full term, shouldn't we all think we are going to be pregnant for 10 months and then if you are done early- woo hoo pleasant surprise? I mean I am still a pretty happy pregnant lady (though I am getting more and more anxious to meet my dear son) but I have got to admit that knowing I am 9 months pregnant and still have a month or more can be a bit disheartening at times- because once again for 30 years of my life I thought pregnancy was 9 months. Lies all lies- but nothing I can do about it now (other than hopefully help some poor pregnant folks understand the truth :)

Not much to say so far about 36 weeks, I am definitely able to do a bit less than I was a couple of weeks ago. I find that if I push myself too hard (now keep in mind I don't really know what too hard is until I do it because it seems my limits are changing weekly now) I get some really fancy contractions and my hips are very sore. The little man has been a bit less active since last Friday, which I intellectually know is typical since he has less room to maneuver- but still freaks me out a little at times. He did put on a bit of a show for my mom and sister- bumping around so they could see him (though once again he refused to dance when Tev wanted to feel him.)

I move to weekly appointments from here on out and have them scheduled through the first week in October. This week I get tested for Group B strep- which it would be really nice not to have because I really hate IVs and am hoping a lot to avoid one during labor. I realize IVs are no big deal but for some reason I really hate them and they irrationally kind of freak me out.

According to Babycenter "Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)