38 weeks baby 2.0

so my due date is in exactly 2 weeks. i can't believe we are so close! z arrived 5 days past his due date, i'm hoping that baby girl comes soon! everything is ready for her, bags are packed, bottles are sterilized, her clothes are washed and diapers are stocked. i have been trying to prepare myself mentally and spiritually for labor and her arrival. and i've also been reading about how other mommas juggle a newborn and toddler at the same time. i found some good ideas like putting together a basket of activities for the toddler to keep busy with just for when mama is nursing the baby, came across all kinds of fun things for z to do during the days to keep occupied while it's just the three of us, stuff like that. i purchased a few small gifts for z's big brother present, i haven't decided if it will be a gift from the baby or just a gift celebrating that he is a big brother. i have been doing my best to prepare z for what is in store, explaining that mama will be busy with the baby a lot but will still spend some time with him and that he is still so loved, that babies cry a lot to tell us when they need something, that i will be feeding baby with mama's milk like when he was a baby. i've been explaining that when baby sister is going to come, mama and baba will go to the hospital and he will stay with Grama, that he will come and see us in the hospital when baby sister is here and then we will come home. it's hard to know what he understands about this all. i've also been reading a big brother book to him. one of his favorite shows is Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, so we watched the episodes where Daniel Tiger's baby sister is born. i'm sure z will be a wonderful big brother, he is so gentle with babies, although i am sure there will be a lot of adjusting required and am preparing for some acting out for attention on his part. if anyone has any tips please let me know! anyway, this past week has been challenging because z hasn't been feeling well. i'm not sure what's wrong, either he is getting sick or teething or something, but he has been so cranky and uncomfortable and has not been sleeping and eating well.  and he has been really clingy.  so it's been a little rough.  and i'm getting a cold AGAIN.  so annoying.  i'm just hoping that i am not sick while i go into labor, i need all the energy for that!  i went to the midwife today, baby's heartbeat is great, my blood pressure is great, i'm managing my blood sugar well.  i was talking to the midwife about my anxieties and fears about labor this time around, and she was very comforting and trying to pump me up.  she said labor will be shorter, pushing will be quicker, that i basically have primed my body the first time around so this time around should be quicker and easier.  she was reassuring and positive, and i really needed to hear it.  i told her that i had been having braxton hicks contractions still but yesterday and the last two nights when i have been having them, i have also been feeling it in my lower back.  she smiled and said those are probably real contractions, and it sounds like my body is getting closer, so that's exciting.  although the contractions are still very irregular, so we're not quite there yet.  anyway, i've also been preparing by nesting like crazy.  i have been cleaning out and organizing closets, i spent a good 3 days cleaning and organizing the kitchen, including the fridge, oven, stove, microwave.  they are spotless and shiny.  i cleaned out and re-organized the cabinets and drawers, finally figured out a solution for the super annoying spice cabinet chaos we had going on and basically just went through and moved things around so that it makes more sense, thing i have been wanting to do in the kitchen for awhile.  i am overly excited about it.  i keep opening the fridge just to check out how clean and organized it is, haha.  i'm weird.  hopefully i can get to the laundry room, i'd love to go through and re-organize the stuff in that room.  it feels oddly satisfying to tackle these projects, both because the end result is awesome, and it's keeping me busy and active.  and i'm really being diligent about taking frequent breaks and going slow.  i keep thinking, if i push myself too much so that i'm really physically tired, and then go into labor that night, that would not be ideal, so i'm trying to balance being active and not over-doing it.  anyway, i think i'm at that point at the end of pregnancy where the mama gets a burst of energy before labor and i have been feeling pretty good for the most part except for getting a cold again.  at least during the days.  once dinner is done, i'm feeling pretty heavy and uncomfortable.  but we're in the last stretch!  i have been envisioning baby girl, what she may look like and i can't wait to meet her!

How far along: 38 weeks

Size of baby: around 19-22 inches and 6.5 ish lbs, the length of swiss chard or a leek, baby's organs are mature and she's pretty much ready for life outside of the womb, although her lungs and brain are still benefiting from more time in the womb right now
Total weight gain:  as of today i'm up 38 lbs, which i think is a few lbs less than the first pregnancy, and i only gained 1 lb per week over the last few weeks, instead of the 2 lbs per week i was packing on haha 
Gender: girl
Movement: it seems like the frequency of her active periods had decreased a little bit, even though she is still moving at least 10 times per 2 hours during her active period.  but i emailed the midwife a few days ago because i was concerned that the baby seemed to be moving around less in general and her movements are different, just like her shifting around rather than big movements.  the midwife reassured me that as long as she is moving at least 10 times in 2 hours during active periods everyday that it's normal for the movement to be different since the baby is running out of room
Sleep: eh, it's alright.  sometimes i sleep well and other times i don't.  mostly because of braxton hicks, back and sciatic pain and heartburn
What I miss: not experiencing some sort of pain 
Cravings: still craving carbs, have been dreaming of eating pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup
Symptoms:  the whole list--braxton hicks, heartburn, fatigue, shortness of breath, emotional, swelling, itching, back pain, sciatica, and a few more unfavorable symptoms that i won't mention here, but the most annoying one is the sciatic pain
Best moment this week: going trick or treating with my boy, my nieces and nephews and wonderful friends, also the arrival of my mother in law

cutest little trick or treaters