(Pictured: August 31, 2009 and February 10. 2010)

“Take a picture guys, because this is it! Now we’re just waiting to have a birthday party,” my OB said to us at our 37-week appointment on Monday.

At 37 weeks, pregnant women are classified “full term” (also known as “ready to pop”, “could go any second”, or “any day now”), which means that developmentally, the baby should be prepared for arrival, even three weeks before the estimated due date.

I’m just not sure how we got here so fast.  I feel like I was standing in Aisle 6A yesterday, and that the experience of the anatomy ultrasound was just a moment ago.  I can recall family and friends’ reactions to the news as if we just hung up the phone with them.  And though I’ve come such a long way emotionally and mentally, I can still vividly feel the honesty in my response to the test on July 2, 2009.

Now things are pretty quiet, save for the crinkling of overindulgent packaging and bubble wrap that Babies R Us insists on for shipping even foam toys through the mail.  Work deadlines have been met.  I squeezed in one last trip to New York City for a conference last Saturday.  Topher finished crown molding, painting, shelf-hanging, gear assembling and furniture moving, culminating in a nursery that cheerfully whispers “welcome home”.

I’m so excited to meet this little person, but no part of me is wishing for the end to come quickly.  A guy at the gym yesterday asked if I had about two months left. He hasn’t seen the way Topher has to pull me out of bed in the morning so I don’t have to get a rolling start by myself.  When I corrected him with “two weeks,” I felt the disbelief, and maybe a little desperation in my own voice.  I could still use the predicted remaining time and I am certain that I’ll miss the expectation when pregnancy is over.

It goes so fast.

I have a feeling that’s just the first of many years of saying the same thing about plenty of what’s to come.

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