Baby Cox Weeks 35 and 36

This is a photo Emily took of me at my pregnancy photo shoot! This is probably closer to 32 or 33 weeks and baby has really grown this week. My belly is probably double that size now! He's really getting big and so he should! These last few weeks here's how things have been developing inside.

Baby is still putting on the pounds — about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that covered and protected his skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. Baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, which will stay in his bowels until birth.

At the end of this week, baby will be considered full-term. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 is post-term.)

He's been in the head down position now for about a month and looks like he's staying that way. He has definately started to drop and everyone who see's me on a daily basis has noticed. I've carried pretty high my whole pregnancy (probably because of my tilted uterus) but now it's getting lower and lower. Sometimes I think he might just fall out! I wish it were that easy!

His head is resting nicely in my pelvis area, which I hope isn't as uncomfortable for him as it is for me. It's pretty painful all the time, but I just hope he's ok. I am beginning to wonder if he get's as frustrated with his cramped quarters and all my bones and organs in the way as I do with the discomfort of having a person inside me. I think we'll both forget in a few short weeks and it will all be worth it!

I have several showers coming up and I'm looking forward to that. This Saturday is the Call/Cox family, then on Wednesday I have one for work, then next Saturday one for church. I hope people come and have a good time as we celebrate the soon to be arrival of Baby Ty Brian Cox (name subject to change upon arrival).