No red lights on this Kaplan Journey...

Update: I have since visited the ENT doctor, and he found where he believes to be the source of my nosebleeds, so we had that puppy cauterized. It was very simple, quick, and painless, less a little burning. Hopefully, the nosebleed issue is now one of those things we can just file away under "pregnancy crap".

I had another OB appointment today. Belly is measuring to the centimeter for 36 weeks along. For those of you reading this who are fascinated with the intricacies of pregnancy, that means my belly should measure one centimeter for every week of gestation. 36 weeks = you guessed it, 36 centimeters (count dracula voice): "36! That is 36 centimeters! ahh. ahh. ahh." He continues to be active enough for the OB nurse to still comment at each appointment. As if I needed her confirmation - the little bugger pushes up into my ribcage whenever the spirit moves him. Also, he responds to his name whenever I call it out in the same, high-pitched intonation and cadence that I have been since at about 5 months . . . . but before you shake your head in amazement at the wonder of prenatal bonding, you must know he also kicks when I ask Josh if he DVR'd House. Or when I think of food. Or get the mail. Or breathe.

Anywho, Josh and I are totally ready for our little booger to get here. The OB gave me a sheet today, detailing signs of labor, when to call the office, and when to ditch the phone and just get our tushies to labor and delivery. My first thought upon her handing me the sheet was, "Ok. They only give this paper to women who are going to give birth in the next few weeks. So . . . after deducing my own length of gestation, considering the derivative of Pi and the current direction of the wind . . . .THAT'S LIKE, ME."
What I actually said was, "Oh wow! We're getting really close, then! HAHAHAHA!"

Adrenaline turns me into a sideshow.

Aside from all that, life in the Kaplan household continues to be filled with excitement and amazing quality time with my hubby. Josh is adjusting to his promotion at DexCom beautifully and is already doing a great job in his new role as District Business Manager. I like to think I'll have the same title here at home after Baby arrives :)

On the hormone front, I've maintained a pretty decent balance between zen centeredness and sweaty meltdown. If I want to avoid the latter, I need nothing more than to avoid the preview for Disney's Winnie the Pooh movie (in theatres July 15th). Every time this preview comes on TV and I see the gang parade through the Hundred Acre Wood, I go from sane watcher of prime time to  a sniveling, sobbing ball of "ugly cry", rubbing my belly as I rock back and forth and bumble through tears about how "my baby boy is growing up TOO FAST!" Josh bites back a smile, a result of the amusement that only comes from the looniness of an expectant mother.

As the title of this post states, there are no red lights on the journey of pregnancy and impending parenthood. Time ticks away, I get bigger, our little bundle grows, plans are made, the sun rises again and things just keep truckin' along. But despite the fact that our Kaplan Journey has been "full speed ahead" since the day we first saw his little heart thump, I have taken great care to plant my own "Yield" signs along the road. Opportunities to slow down, take in our surroundings and the blessings we've been given; really look, listen, and breathe in each phase of this pregnancy, so as to bottle it up in our hearts forever.

35 weeks, 5 days, horizontal stripes, baby.