Dilating and thinned

I am 38w1d. I have been having contractions for about a month but not painful, just terribly uncomfortable like bad menstrual cramps and have been fully thinned and soft with baby's head all the way down the birth canal against the cervix. I get checked every week and today I am finally 1cm dilated! Wooo!! Anyone else go through the same and how soon did you go into labor? I know each person and each pregnancy is sooo different, but I'm just curious to read other people's stories!!