34 weeks and bed-rest free!

Yep! At my appointment today we learned that Bambino moved out of birthing position and is no longer "engaged". In medical (and somewhat graphic terms, sorry), my cervix is closed and long, the baby has flipped back over "sunny side up" and is not lodged in my pelvis. Now we hope he/she stays this way for at least the next 2-3 weeks. Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. My week at home resting was difficult emotionally at times, but I was able to rest, think and read a lot more. It also gave me some ample planning time. Yesterday I made and froze three full meals for us for after Bambino arrives, Jason deep cleaned out apartment and we "got our nursery together". Which really means that we moved around a book shelf in our bedroom, found and cleaned a chair from storage and moved in the pack-n-play. Oh, and I had a little bit of fun with stickers :). I also packed the baby's hospital bag, early I know, but I truthfully don't think this baby is going to wait until the middle of December. We'll see, though, but I definitely feel better when I'm prepared :) Here's a brief description of the changes Bambino is facing this week, as copied from one of my many weekly pregnancy emails:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

And now a couple of updated pictures. My belly shot is really for my mom, sorry for everyone else who really doesn't care what an almost 9 month pregnant stomach looks like :) And the last one is taken in our bedroom, right by the Bambino's nook. Enjoy!