38 Weeks

So very close, yet don't know how far left to go. We went to the doctor yesterday for our weekly appointment. I have been having contractions since last Friday, but they aren't consistent. Instead, they progress throughout the day until I am very uncomfortable at night, slowly picking up speed. But then they stop or begin slowing again sometime around 11 at night. Tuesday night I drove home from visiting a retired professor and I seriously thought I might be going into labor that night with how frequent they were. But no such luck. We are making progress though. At the OB they did the exam and said I am now 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. She has also dropped to -1 station. They did a quick ultrasound to check that she was still head down, which luckily she is, so no breech baby for me.
They also said we could discuss induction at the next appointment. Part of me thinks that would be easier than having to wait and see when she gets here, but the other part of me doesn't want to push things too fast. We will ask them to schedule us for the Monday after she is due so that my parents will definetely get to see her when they come to visit. It will be nice to have a firm date to look forward to if nothing else.
The baby sure did not like them pushing, prodding, and whatnot during the exam. We had lunch with some friends after wards, and she did not stop wiggling for several hours. In fact, she has been pretty wiggly since then. We keep telling her that if she is so uncomfortable in there, she can always come out.
I am ready to be done with pregnancy though. I keep gaining weight, and have reached the limit they suggest gaining, but I don't know that it will stop over the next two weeks. I am extremely swollen in my face, hands, feet and ankles. It gets so bad at night, I can barely make a fist and my ankles no longer have bones showing. I know I have done a good job of keeping the weight in control, but I tend to forget that when I look into the mirror and see my chubby face starring back at me. Hopefully after delivery the water weight will quickly disappear and the belly will start to shrink and I can get my mind back into the right mindset. But it has all been worth it.