"Your baby now weighs about 5 pounds and is approximately 19.5 inches long. Your baby should already be getting ready for delivery by turning upside-down — his head should be pointing down. Your doctor or midwife will be paying careful attention to your baby's position in the coming weeks — some babies do decide to turn back around.
Your baby's skull is still quite pliable and not completely joined, in part so he can ease out of the relatively narrow birth canal. But the bones in the rest of his body are hardening. Your baby's skin is also gradually becoming less red and wrinkled.
If you're a first-time mother, your child's head may move into the pelvis this week and press firmly against your cervix. (This happens for about half of all first-time mothers.) If you're a second-time mom, you can expect this to happen a week before labor — and for some this won't happen until the advanced stages of labor.
You may notice that your feet and ankles are quite swollen toward the end of the day. Water retention, also known as edema, is often worse in warm weather and late in the day. Surprisingly, keeping hydrated helps reduce water retention. Your body — particularly your kidneys — and your baby need plenty of fluids, so drink up. If you suddenly feel swollen or puffy in your hands or face, however, call your doctor — it may be a sign of preeclampsia."

Peanut has spent the last few days hanging upside down like a bat. I can feel his feet hooked under my ribs. The heartburn is a nightly battle, nothing seems to dictate how bad it will be. Last night I spent from 5 to 5:30 am propped up trying to lessen the pressure.
Cool stuff from childbirth class:
The strength of a contraction can be felt by pressing on the uterus from the outside. A mild contraction will feel like when you push your finger against your chin. A medium will feel like pushing against your nose. And a strong one will feel like pushing against your forehead. Gives you an idea of how hard you uterine muscles work.
I brought some info into the class on aromatherapy during childbirth. I just started doing research but found some cool stuff on essential oils and blends to help with different aspects. I have always been very susceptible to smells so I am hoping it will be effective for me. And because I am a freak I have started a spreadsheet to compare costs from various suppliers.
Can I tell you I love my belly? Every morning I look at it and know that Peanut is snuggled up inside. And I feel beautiful. All the corny, fertile, womanly, ripe with child stuff just gushing out. Totally beautiful.