The Rookie persuades swing state voters

Hi everyone! As I changed the subject line of this email from "Your pregnancy: 36 weeks", I had a moment of "omigosh, 36 is only 4 less than 40. Besides my important role in informing you of basic math, I think that's a sign that it's still shocking this pregnancy adventure is coming to an end soon, and the next big adventure begins...! We are officially less than a month away, and a week away from what's considered full-term. For us on a practical level, after next week we can deliver the Rookie at the Birth Center but before that we'd have to be at a hospital setting instead. I have no intention of giving birth in the next week (or, really, next three at least) but it's a good marker of where things are. And, the Rookie is less and less likely to have major health complications the further along we go. He's in a great position these days, and we hope he stays that way! Specifically, he's head down and his head is fairly far down into my pelvis-- which explains why I haven't had the shortness of breath and heartburn that is typical of many women at this stage despite his height. This also means I have to go to the bathroom often, and feel pressure as I continue my walks around town (I'm walking about 4 miles most days of the week). As of our appointment last Thursday, he's also facing backwards, another good sign since that means his head, and specifically the bones in his head, will mold better during his journey. And, this means I have a shot of avoiding the painful, and often longer, "back labor". I've been fairly deliberate about good positioning and exercise whenever possible and it's nice to feel like that may be making a difference.
I actually went back to the Birth Center again today (Tuesday)... had some spotting and my midwife wanted to make sure it wasn't a sign of early labor. Luckily, it's not-- but had me realize all we still have to do to get ready (and probably even more to "feel ready"... but we may not have the decade *that* could take!). Maybe it's the nutrition gods expressing their disapproval for what passed as my "dinner" last night: a big peanut butter cup sundae from Baskin Robbins, along with guacamole and chips. Overall, I've been a good and healthy eater but just needed ice cream yesterday!
On Sunday, the Rookie accompanied me (I didn't ask him since he didn't really have a choice) to go talk with voters in a neighborhood in Manassas, VA, about the election. Since his arrival will rule out a lot of right-before-the-election volunteer work, I figured I should get it in while I can! It was a beautiful day and an enjoyable way to spend it, and hopefully it will make a small difference in November. I'm still walking about 4 miles most days and feel good moving around-- I even still walk up both escalators at Woodley Park which is no small feat-- though I huff on the 2nd one more now for sure. But, I did have the good sense to sit out and just cheer on Saturday as the Floppy Discs played their 3rd ultimate frisbee game of the season and won. One can maybe argue that my being on the sideline rather than on the field was directly linked to the victory... who knows?
Well, that's the news here-- in short: busy with normal stuff with a brief "scare" today that was a false alarm, and a reminder to make sure we are ready in the near future. We promise to keep you updated, of course!
Lots of love,the Rookie vessel
PS: I've set up a Picasa account and started posting a few pics... we are stealing this good idea from our friend Lea and it will be the place you can see pics of the Rookie on a regular basis down the road: http://picasaweb.google.com/merriedodson/. Enjoy!