Here I am...37 weeks pregnant. I'm now on the once a week appointments which is kinda scary because that means I'm ever closer to the horror of labor. Yesterday was my first appointment where I was checked for dilation and such. The doctor said I'm about 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. Oh yeah, and she's "really high up there"...which seems to mean she's 'up there' about half the length of the doctor's arm. I know you're thinking this is a bit of an exaggeration...well it's not. I still have "quite a bit" of dilation to go...along with waiting for her to drop out of my damn ribs. I was hoping he would induce me so I wouldn't be in the hospital for Christmas...and also more importantly so I can sleep on my back again. No such luck on that front. Doctor says it's not a good idea for a first time mom to be induced if it's not a necessary situation...and he doesn't seem to think that my desire to sleep for longer than an hour at a time is an emergency...go figure! Baby Long's heartbeat is as strong as ever and she's head down, so things on that front are going just fine. The only sorta bad thing he told me was that I need to spend more time "on my side" because I'm retaining fluid from being up and on my feet too much. Well no problem, Doc. I certainly don't have anything to do...I'll just stay in bed all day. The hardest thing is that when I rest for more than an hour at a time I feel so unproductive...like I have a million things to do and I'm squandering my time. I checked out a book (The Baby Whisperer) and a DVD (Diary of Anne Frank) from the library to encourage me to rest. Of course I'm going to listen to him...not only because he's the doctor...but also because he told me that getting the fluid off of my ankles can cause up to a five pound weight loss in a week...that man sure knows how to make a pregnant woman listen to him!