This whole 'full term' thing

I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the idea of being 'full term' (don't worry, not there yet). I noticed over the weekend when I kept messing up how far along I am. Sometimes it's wishful thinking and I'm also 37 weeks, sometimes I'm back at the beginning of the third trimester. It's so weird to think that as of the weekend after Thanksgiving I will be 'full term' and I should be resting for labor and prepared at any moment to have a baby. And yet, I might still have 5 weeks to go (and that with an induction at 41 weeks, rather than waiting until 42 weeks). And even though I know the chance of a my NST's uncovering an emergency which would lead to an immediate delivery are very slim, it's a bit terrifying to be in the hospital on the same floor as L and D every week at 9 am ...

The childbirth class instructor spent a lot of time reminding us to rest and not go into labor exhausted. But I've never in my life tried to spend 4-5 weeks relaxing and taking it easy. How do you find a balance? And deal with the persistent questions (luckily mostly from family, but really how many times can my mother ask if I'd had any signs of labor? And this from a woman who claims she never had a braxton hicks contraction ...).

And just to totally play with my composure, yesterday I accidentally put on a non-maternity shirt and wore it out and about all day. My belly seems to be shrinking even as the baby continues to grow apace.