36 Weeks

This week the baby is the size of a papaya or a bunch of kale.  Somehow those seems smaller than a pineapple, but I guess not...  He or she is likely 18.5-19 inches and 5.5-6 pounds.  These last few weeks are mostly for gaining weight, so that will keep increasing as we near the end of this pregnancy (36 weeks is considered 9 months pregnant)!

At this point, Chocolate Chip's liver and kidneys are in working order and the circulatory and immune systems are fully developed.  The baby's lungs are getting closer to being funtional on their own.  The digestive system continues to develop for the first 1-2 years of the baby's life, though!

We have been working on finalizing our baby prep at home.  The nursery is ready to go, with the exception of a crib.  Suite Dreams estimated it could be here in 2-3 weeks, which would make me 38.5 weeks pregnant.  So we're praying that happens and that Chocolate Chip stays put until then.  I'm really hoping to make it to 38 weeks so that I can attend parent-teacher conferences and I don't have to return for any days at the end of the school year. If I make it to 39 weeks, we will be on spring break and it would be a nice, clean break.  But I know Chocolate Chip has his or her own timeline and we won't get to know what it is ahead of time.