Weekly appointment

I had my now weekly doctor appointment today. I’m down one pound from last week to 172 and the baby’s heart rate was up to the 140’s again today. I made a comment that it was up from before but the doctor said it was fine. My cervix is in the posterior position, has softened, and I’m 1 centimeter dilated. I’m not sure if “softened” and “effaced” are the same thing. I didn’t ask and he didn’t give an effaced percentage. Kurt had asked if it’s plus or minus two weeks from the due date and he told us that he won’t let me go out that far so anyone that guessed past October 4th on my baby pool have already lost the game.