From week-to-week, the size of my tummy doesn’t seem to vary much in the photos — but if you saw me in real life, my stomach would be the first to greet you and you’d immediately notice how it has begun to pop out in the past few weeks.

I really regret not having done tummy shots from the beginning, but it took me a while to get over the modesty issue. Somehow the larger I get, the less shy I am about baring my belly all over the place. I think it’s because when you’re pregnant, you’re allowed — and encouraged — to have a plump paunch, so there’s absolutely no pressure to be packing perfect abs of steel.

I’m wearing my favorite Sharka t-shirt from Crazy Shirts in the photo above. As you can see, it’s pretty ill-fitting right now, but there was something in the back of my mind that made me think that I was still skinny enough to wear it when I pulled it out of my drawer.

People ask me how I’m feeling and all I can say is “great!” Thankfully, I really have no complaints. I still feel very mobile and comfortable considering I am one week away from my due date. I had visions of waddling around, holding my lower back, grunting and groaning all the way. The only problem I have is getting up out of chairs that sag (like the canvas folding chairs that we take to bon dances) and getting up from a lying position if I am flat on my back (such as when I’m at the doctor’s office). I am grateful that I’ve been able to avoid most of the the typical discomforts that plague some women late in pregnancy. Someone at work told me that it’s probably because I suffered with morning sickness for so long in the beginning (5 months), that I’m having an easier time in the tail end of the pregnancy. Hopefully that will carry over into my labor and delivery. One can hope, right?

So, the question is… will there be a week 40 photo?