I never intended on writing out a birth plan. I know some women go all-out and prepare pages-long documents full of their wishes, desires, and "what-if" scenarios regarding the birth of their children (one doctor friend even told me about a birth plan that filled an entire binder, complete with a table of contents), but I know that ANYTHING can happen during birth. And by my meticulously writing out a birth plan — keeping my type-A personality in mind — I will most likely become upset if everything doesn't go as I intended. As such, I have been reading and researching and have a very loose, general idea of what I would PREFER, but I do not have anything set...

I think this is the first time in MONTHS that I've actually posted a weekly pregnancy update on time. Aren't you proud of me? I may have cursed myself when I wrote about my belly remaining small. Because as soon as I compared this week's picture to last week's, and noticed how much larger I look, I whipped our the measuring tape and found my stomach a full 1" wider. Maybe it's because I had an extra-large brunch today? I'm not sure — all I know is that my belly has seemed to have gained a full inch in just a week. (Yes, I know I am wearing a Baltimore Ravens jersey in this picture and I am well aware that...

Four days ago, I hit 37 weeks and reached a new milestone: I am now considered full-term! Aside from the episode of false labor yesterday, the baby seems content on staying inside my belly for the time being. I am still experiencing contractions, but they remain irregular and completely manageable. I feel as huge as ever, but whenever I tell people how far along I am they're almost always shocked. "You look like you're only 6 or 7 months along!" they exclaim. I think that the fact that I am a first-time mom has to do a lot with my belly (seemingly) looking relatively small. I've read that women are more likely to "pop" a lot sooner and their bellies more likely...