39 Weeks, and my original due date has passed.

I'm finally in the "last week"of pregnancy, and I've reached the very last photo of my pregnancy ticker.  Of course, somehow it doesn't feel as exciting as I originally thought it would.  Knowing that the end isn't really necessarily the end, affects that milestone a bit.  This week my original due date, September 5th, also came and went.  I'm still looking ahead to the revised due date of September 14th, which supposedly marks the end of the waiting game.  Really, though, that date means nothing.  The only thing I really know is that if I were to reach the 42 week point, then they would induce labor.  For now, though, it is just a waiting game, which wouldn't be so bad if I had a new goal date (other than the 42 week point) to look forward to.  It would also be easier if I knew exactly when things were going to be starting.
So, yes, I have been told to watch for the normal signs of labor, and it all sounded very obvious and simple to me at the time.  On the other hand, I've been getting more intense and more regular contractions, well, more regularly lately.  The false alarms are a bit frustrating.  Over the last week or so, they have gotten to the point that sometimes it is uncomfortable to walk, talk, and breathe.  Even when I'm not having the contractions, I have been having a crampy, menstrual-like feeling. (tmi?)  So, although I have been trying to get some last minute things ready for the baby, and have also been helping out with the fixing up of the basement and shed as much as possible mostly to be able to spend some time with Mauri, I haven't been able to get as much done as I would like.
It has been nice, though, not having to worry about anything else,  and not having to go to any more classes or appointments.  I actually hope that Eric decides to be born before my next appointment on the 14th so that I can avoid the appointments that will start at that point on.

We still have a bit of work to do on the nursery too, but I did finally find the fish themed mobile that I had wanted (new in the box from the UK on ebay), despite it being discontinued.  So, I set that up this week.  It has an option to project moving shapes, mostly fish and bubbles, on the ceiling and has an optional light that faces downward towards the baby.  It also comes with a remote control to turn it on and off from the doorway.  As you can see in the first picture, I also found a fish bathroom rug, and I figured it was perfect for the nursery so I bought it.  You can see that the crib is filled with parts from the stroller because the room is tiny, and I don't really have anywhere else to put them for now.  Although we are planning on fixing a few more things in the room like putting in a ceiling fan/light, we aren't too concerned about getting the nursery perfect before Eric is born because he will most likely be sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed the first couple of months anyways.
I don't really have too much else to tell.  I've been pretty tired lately, and have taken many naps during the day because my sleep quality during the night isn't always the best.  I'm just glad that I haven't had to work lately, and that I have been able to take it easy.  So, again, while I am finally starting to get a little impatient now (Especially since I'm starting to hear about babies with later due dates being born already), I don't have any big complaints.
One thing I have found is that most people are surprised to hear that I haven't had any appointments with a doctor since several months ago at my last hospital ultrasound at the beginning of the third trimester (and even then, all he did was the ultrasound).  Most places, and I think even in the past here, they usually have you come in several times during the last few weeks of pregnancy for an exam or to at least hook you up to fetal monitors and to make sure everything is fine.  I found another girl from the UK complaining in a US forum with the same issue.  In the US forums, the girls are all comparing how far dilated and effaced they are during these last weeks, but, of course, we have no idea because nobody bothers to check us out at all.  I guess that's another one of the differences of being in a government run health care system.  I do feel like the corners have been cut quite a bit a times, and that to save money, they do the bare minimum when it comes to check-ups, etc.  On the other hand, like I said earlier, I'm actually happy to be free from appointments lately.  I also know that being dilated or effaced doesn't really necessarily mean anything either, and that the exams can be unnecessarily uncomfortable.  I have been a bit frustrated, though, that I haven't been assigned any sort of doctor at any point during the pregnancy.  It would be nice to have someone to go to with questions and concerns, especially now with all of the swelling and contractions.  In my case, especially now that my midwife is on vacation and I haven't been assigned anyone else, my only option is to head to the ER, something that doesn't appeal to me unless actually necessary.   
With that, I'll leave you with the info from my 39 week update email:

How your baby's growing:

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.

(Maybe that's why all I want to eat is watermelon lately!) :)

How your life's changing: (ahem, like I was saying...)

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

(What now weekly visits?!?!?!?!   What caregiver?!?!??!)