1 cm dilated!!

Woohoo! My body is prepping. As of Monday 1/23, I am 1 cm dilated. Now, I know this doesn't mean much; I (she) can still easily go to 40 weeks or even longer. Lots of people are dilated for weeks with no progress. Yet, it's still very fun to hear the doctor tell me that I'm dilated, and know that it's a tiny step ahead. 
Updates:
-For a couple of weeks now, I've had faint menstrual cramps. They're not constant, but they're definitely daily, here and there. 
-She's still nice and active, moving around just about as much as usual. She always has her foot in this one spot below my left rib (further down, almost parallel to my belly button). That one foot is so active, I'm worried that leg of hers will be twice the size of the other!
-My energy is good, I'm still working and don't feel like I want/need to fall asleep at my desk! I come home from work and am able to do some cleaning and cooking. But when I crash, I crash hard. For example, I'm proud of myself tonight. After work, I got a pedicure (xmas gift from my boss) It felt amazing and now I at least know that I'll have pretty feet during labor & delivery, even if the rest of me looks crazy! ;) I was home by 6:30, and got started on laundry. I'm waiting for the second load to dry now; both loads were hers. I've been folding from tonight and last night's loads, and organizing all her stuff in her dresser (blankets, towels, clothes, socks, hats, etc). I made myself dinner & will hopefully get to the dishes. I'm blogging which is always a good sign. It's 9pm, though, and I feel like I could fall asleep as I'm typing. So I need to find a balance; tonight I may have gotten ahead of myself but I find that as long as I keep moving and don't sit down(!) I'm ok. But of course I can only move for so long
-The gal who did my pedi tonight couldn't believe I'm having a girl, based on how I'm carrying. Ugh. I hadn't heard that in awhile and I hate hearing that!!! People, stop guessing the gender because it freaks me out!
-We picked our pediatrician! I am excited and relieved. We went to 'interview' yesterday but luckily she just started talking, giving us the info she thought we should know. She's a fast-talker, but we learned a lot (how often we see her in the first year, what they check for in the first check-up, how to get ahold of her after-hours, etc) and the space was nice; the waiting room has three designated areas: one for 'well' babies, one for 'sick' babies, and one for newborns/nursing moms. Plus, it's right across the street from our hospital, so about five minutes from home. She (our pediatrician) is probably in her late 40's, has two daughters of her own, plays sports, and is the 'mother-figure' type, by which I mean it seems like she'll be honest and cut to the chase; supporting us while guiding us along in her own right. Which I feel we'll need. 
-We became Costco members. Diapers were the main incentive. 
-I think we're ready. We still need to install the carseat(!) And finish packing our hospital bag which will take five minutes. Lastly, I do still want to treat myself to hiring a professional cleaning service to come in and whip this place into shape. 
-My belly button never popped!
Ok, time to fluff that last load and go to bed. 

photos as of late

Here are some recent photos, some from tonight:
a. Belly, week 37 (I don't know what that curved line is on my belly; it was definitely a shadow)
b. Cousin, Aunt, Mom, Me, Sister at my shower. Love this photo. Loved that day. 
c. Cleo watching me saute zucchini (tonight)
d. The dresser, tonight. Folded clean clothes & blankets. Changing pad, will leave it wrapped until we need it. Washed the cover. Need to hang the clock, need to buy a dim bulb for the lamp. 
e. Her library shelves, tonight.
f. The ladder that was in our room when we were growing up, now the shelves for her stuff animals, tonight (*we-being my sis & I)
g. Tiny clothes, all in a row

things i like today

all via the lovely you are my fave

3 weeks from today!!

3 weeks from today is our daughter's due date. THREE WEEKS!! And that's give or take a few days. Meaning, in less than three weeks, or say, four max, I will be a mom. I will know what this baby looks like and she will know what it feels like to be kissed 10 million times a day. I can't believe it. I wish I had more energy to write more, and post more photos. I just ate a big dinner and am watching hgtv so my plan to do anything more creative with this post is out the door. But let me see if I can think of updates:
Doctor appt yesterday: short but sweet. Listened to the heartbeat. Perhaps next week she'll check my cervix(?) I told her I've had faint, sporadic cramping (feels like menstrual cramps) and she said that's a good sign. Based on how I looked in a recent photo, and how low I have to wear my pj pants, I have a feeling she's slowly starting to drop. Hooray! Call me crazy but I want her to come early. Not too early, but perhaps by 5 days or so. 
We took the hospital tour. Did I already write about that? I think I'll save that for another post. 
I'm really prepping at work, just because I can't guarantee that I'll be back the next day. My doctor signed off on my 'disability' note for HR, and then I'll submit the paperwork to the state once she's born. Greg put in his request for three weeks off. 
We have our list for the few things we still need post baby shower. Really, it's not much at all! We are so blessed. Tomorrow is the trip to Target to return just a couple duplicates, and get those last few things. 
I think I'm slowly feeling that angst, that everyone describes towards the end, of being ready to no longer be pregnant anymore. I don't feel cute or comfortable in anything in my wardrobe anymore. Getting up from sitting or laying down is not easy. I miss being able to be quick and light on my feet. And my legs continue to bother me all night long. Every hour or two I'm up walking around. And going pee. 
That said, my excitement for the near future is only growing. The nesting phase is kicking in and I can't wait to be home with my baby for 3 months, even if I don't have time for a shower.

manhattan beach, 36 weeks

on sunday my sister spent the night. she had flown into town to surprise me for my baby shower. it was amazing! sadly, she had to fly back to houston on monday. we had a yummy brunch at 'home' in silverlake with greg, and then he & i dropped her off at LAX around noon. it was such a gorgeous day, and our doctor's appointment wasn't until 4pm, so upon his suggestion, the two of us drove over to manhattan beach. we window shopped and then headed down to the sand, took our shoes off, and walked around and took a bunch of photos. it was the best! such a good feeling to run your toes through the sand. it's wild that we live 30(ish) minutes from the ocean and we hardly ever go. so long as we take some big ol' umbrellas, i definitely want to take our daughter to the beach often.

this little lady is sooo spoiled already

check out these photos from the day after the shower!! sara & tri came over to help us unwrap and organize everything, and tally up all the outfits according to size. it is so true that people looove to buy little outfits for little girls ;)

the nursery, post-baby shower

baby is headed downtown!!

at our doctor's appointment on Monday 1/9, we finally got our ultrasound. we were so excited & had so much anticipation to make sure everything was ok, and to see what we could see. 
she was on her side so we got to see her little face. it looks like she has chubby cheeks!
her head measured a good size, yet her torso measured a bit slim. based on measurements, the doctor could calculate that she's roughly 5 lbs, 4 oz. That's the size of a 34 week old baby, yet she's 36 weeks, so she's a bit petite, but our doctor wasn't concern. hopefully i'll go full-term, and by then she could technically make it to 7 lbs, though our doctor estimated somewhere in the high-6 range. 
lastly, we were able to confirm that she is head-down! woohoo, no breech baby. that was my main concern, as i had heard that if she were breech at this point, the chances of her turning are not that great. so hopefully, no c-section will be needed.

updates

We're really getting down the the wire here! My due date is in less than one month and I'm still feeling like there's plenty to do! Of course, if not every little thing gets done, we will survive, but here's my list of 'must get done' in order to give birth and bring home a happy, healthy baby!
-Take the hospital tour (this Weds evening)
-Fill out maternity leave paperwork (yuck)
-Pack our bag for the hospital (#1 necessity in my mind: Burt's Bees! And thanks to my mom, I have 4 new tubes of the chapstick)
-Install the car seat, and have it inspected at our local sheriff dept
-Wash bedding, some clothes & blankies, buy some bottles & formula just in case (DEFINITELY plan on breastfeeding though) and buy a changing pad for the top of our dresser~though of course we could always use the bed or couch so I guess that one is not super important. 
-Select our pediatrician. We met with one that we liked, and that Greg's family uses, but we have an 'interview' (so awkward!) lined up with one more, a woman (the other was a man) a bit closer to our home. I really think she sounds great, but we're not slated to meet with her until 1/25!

So as you can see, I have a lot on my mind. Overall, I'm maintaining optimism and confidence. I think what's keeping me going is the light at the end of the tunnel~I absolutely can't wait to meet her! There is no way to describe how strange it feels to know that there is a baby attached to me, inside my belly, who could be born today and survive, yet she's not a physical part of my world yet. I'm so ready for her to be! I'm sure that my nerves will get the best of me soon enough. For now, I'm trying to relax yet be productive & enjoy every moment, and every moment of sleep, too!!
Next doctor's appointment is tomorrow! At 4pm. We get our ultrasound!!
(photo of the view from our bedroom; our camellias rock my world)

hi Megan,
you're 35 weeks pregnant!

Baby's now the size of a honeydew! From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department -- though he won't get much longer, he'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. (He's about 15 percent right now and will be about 30 percent by full-term.) His hearing is totally developed (tip: baby responds best to higher pitches), and if he really is a "he," his testes have probably completed their descent

at home

photos from around our home lately. 

(New glasses, Auggie cat, Cleo cat, hubby & I on NYE, and me in my pjs the night of my baby shower (when I went to bed at 9:30! My favorite day ever, but so tiring). Oh, I'm between 35 & 36 weeks in this pj photo

a baby shower

Yesterday, 1/7 (one month before my due date!!) my mom, sister, and dear friends threw me the sweetest baby shower. I literally walked in the door saying I didn't want the event to start, because I never wanted it to end. Everything was perfect. The venue, the decor, the food & beverage, the activities, allll the gifts, and certainly allll the love. There is NO better feeling than having a baby in your belly, and knowing that a room full of almost 40 ladies loves that baby as much as you do. Below are the photos that were taken before the event began. I'll post more of people as I get them. I did not take one photo the whole day, so my gratitude is to the gals who did. 
(I literally had a hard time sleeping last night because every time I woke up I kept recalling the shower and all our new gifts and I felt like a kid remembering Christmas. I'm like, giddy!)
Thanks, Anna, for the venue & these photos!