Birthday Fun and 37 Weeks

No, I have not had the baby yet, but I had a great birthday weekend! My mom was able to come in town to visit (and I realized that we didn't take any pictures of us together :( ), and we even though it was very laid back and relaxed, we had a wonderful time. This was exactly the kind of weekend that I needed. Mom came in around lunch, and we had Arby's, then began the birthday festivities with one of my new favorite places in Keller:

After our cupcakes, Mom treated me to a pedicure (all I wanted for my birthday, because I can't reach my toes to take care of them) and a mini shopping trip. Then, Neal, Mom, and I went to dinner with some friends at a great Mexican restaurant in downtown Fort Worth. After dinner, we went to a place called Sweet Sammies - a new wonderful addition to our city. You can get your choice of two cookies and a flavor of Blue Bell ice cream that they use to make into an ice cream sandwich - all for only $2.25! Absolutely delicious and a great way to end the evening!

About to enjoy our "sweet sammies" - my mom was official photographer this weekend! Maybe that's why I don't have a picture of the two of us!

On Sunday, we introduced my mom to Chicken Express (we don't have those in Houston), and spent the afternoon relaxing. Before Mom left to go back to Houston, she snapped this picture of me in front of our house - I always make a point to walk through the skinny part of our porch, just to remind myself that I'm not as big as I sometimes feel like I am. My mom thought this was hilarious, so she had to have a picture to prove it. I can even fit through this area with my giant purse - bonus!

On Monday, I enjoyed a prenatal massage from a family friend (sponsored by my mother-in-law) as another birthday present. The masseuse happens to be married to the minister who married Neal and I, and I always feel so uplifted after speaking with her and her husband. To top it off, my body felt completely relaxed after that wonderful and much needed massage. I am so glad I was able to get pampered this weekend! I really feel ready to have this baby - especially now that my toes look good, and the toxins have been rubbed out!

Neal and I also went to Target and Babies 'R Us to get the last few things we need before Camden arrives. The funny thing is that we thought of one or two more things that we should have picked up after we had finished our trips. Oh well, we do still have plenty of gift cards, so we will be able to get what we need for him. I am confident that if he came today, Neal and I would be able to take care of him!

Last night, Neal hosted the guys from our small group for his Fantasy Football draft party (they had lots of fun "being dudes"), and I went out with a few girls from small group for burritos at Freebirds and watching Going the Distance at the movie theater. It was nice to have some girl time, and I'm pretty sure that is one of the last few times that I will get to see a movie in the theater.

Here is my official 37 week picture:

Today was our 37 week check-up where we found out that not much has changed. I am dilated up to two centimeters now, still 50 percent effaced, my uterus measures 37 centimeters, and Camden's heartbeat is still about 130 beats per minute. The baby was actually shifted up towards my chest, so our doctor had a hard time reaching my cervix - I never knew that if the baby moves up a little, he can also shift the cervix up with him! She also said that she would not be surprised if all of the rain from this tropical storm that is travelling up through Texas happens to cause me to go into labor the during the next few days! We'll see, but so far I am still pregnant, although I am ready for him to arrive! We did have a day last week where I started to feel cramps and was convinced that I was going to go into labor that night. I was only feeling Braxton-Hicks, though. :( At the moment, I am extremely tired all of the time, and I often feel like my insides could fall out at any time - especially when I need to visit the restroom. Needless to say, this is definitely the least comfortable time of the pregnancy. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer, though! We will definitely keep you updated!