Week 39 and more

Here in this 39th week there's not too much new to report. I could go on for awhile about my current lack if comfort — between cramps and pressure, frequent trips to the bathroom, the impossibility of getting comfortable to sleep at night and the anxiety of waiting for Friday. But I'll spare you all too much griping. I like to save most of that for Brian anyway :)
This is the update from experts for this week:
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

I've also been thinking about how different this pregnancy has been than my first. The most noticeable is my size. I've actually gained about the same amount of weight in each pregnancy, but since I started smaller this pregnancy I'm finishing out smaller. It's amazing the difference that's made in being able to do things, like tying my shoes! And, in general, I've carried the baby lower in this pregnancy than in my first. That's caused additional bladder pressure throughout, but I did avoid a lot of the lung crowding (feet in my ribs and other shortness of breath issues) that I had during the first pregnancy.

Emotionally and mentally this pregnancy has been a lot different. I know more this time around, which has been of some comfort. I didn't freak out at every small symptom or over analyze (too much) when my monthly stats for the pregnancy didn't match the standards. Every pregnancy is different. This pregnancy I've experienced much more of the "nesting" instinct. In the past few weeks I've filled our freezer to capacity with meals and snacks. It's a little ridiculous, to be honest, but I'm sure we'll appreciate the ready-made meals in the coming weeks. I'm not sure why I am more frantic this time about being prepared before baby No. 2 comes, but at least the cooking and baking makes me feel better.
I am getting increasingly nervous as labor draws near because I know more this time about how hard it can be. I didn't expect it to be easy last time... but there's still no way to prepare yourself fully from reading books or hearing stories from others. It's such an intense experience, and while I'm ecstatic to be within days of the payoff... I'm worried about getting from here to there.
But nerves are normal. Brian is doing a great job in trying to keep me calm. And, dare I say, we're feeling somewhere close to "ready" for this whole adventure to start for the second time!