Here we sit...

No baby yet. Membrane stripping obviously didn't work as well as it should have. I have to keep reminding myself (and Dan too) that her due date isn't until Thursday. That's 3 more days until she was even *supposed* to be here. So I'm trying to keep it in perspective. And all along, Dan and I have both said we thought she'd be here on Dec 2, so Sophie still has a chance to help her mom and dad appear psychic:)

But Thursday night and Saturday night I thought were "it." Contractions were strenghtening, Sat morning they were down right painful....but still no dice. We have a dr appt today to discuss what's next. I imagine, unless I've made so much progress that she decides to keep me today, that we'll go with Plan B of scheduling the induction for Friday.

I did have a crazy experience last night, in the midst of my tossing and turning. Sophie tends to be VERY active at night, and last night was no exception. I woke up to a feeling like she was riding a bike in there. Without actually feeling her with my hand, I could feel her feet (or hands maybe) poking out of my side, as in I could feel my skin stretching. So, I took my finger (not whole hand I was too chicken for that), and started poking back, very gingerly, at the spot she was poking. And I felt her foot, sticking out of my side. OMG! I freaked out. I actually ran my finger up and down the bottom of her foot. How CRAZY is that! I could only do it once, b/c I'm such a weenie. That's one of the craziest things I've ever felt.

We got our maternity pics back this weekend from my friend Stephanie. ANy STLers who need pics, I highly recommend her, stephaniecordle.com.

Here are a few that I really like:)

Un-plugged

Those easily grossed out need not read further.

One of the goals of the membrane stripping came to fruition this morning. My mucous plug has left the building. I've always wondered if I'd know what it was, even before I got pregnant I wondered. The answer is yes, I knew what it was:) This pre-labor stuff continues to be super sexy, huh???

So we're one step closer! Thanksgiving plans will continue to go as planned, as long as I am feeling ok. I'm dreading the ride to/from my parents house, which is almost 1 hour each way, but we'll eat quickly and then get back home. I'll be much happier once we are closer to home/hospital.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

stripping

My membranes have been stripped. Sounds sexy, huh? We went for our 38w5d OB yesterday and she gave us 3 options.
1) Stripping cervical membranes which, if it works *should* start labor in 48-72 hours.
2) Letting things continue to happen naturally. This wasn't such a great option for us, b/c we want Dr. S to deliver Sophie and she'll be out of town 3 days next week.
3) #2, plus scheduling an induction for NEXT Friday should she not cooperate.

I immediately started shaking, I guess b/c everything seemed to really be happening. Or, at least the planning for everything to really happen was happening, if that makes any sense. I REALLY didn't want Option #3, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for #1. Dan's choice was to "get things started" so as soon as I heard that it sealed the deal.

The actual stripping was painful b/c of the pressure. No knife stabbing pain, but MAJOR pressure and cramping. Dan held one hand and I had the other dug into the exam table. It didn't take long, but things certainly felt different after she was done. The goal was to 1) loosen the mucus plug (again, SO sexy) and 2) detach the bag of water from the uterus.

Leaving the dr office was very surreal for me. It was like ok, we'll meet her soon. It was exciting and scary all at the same time.

This happened about 3 pm yesterday, so we're at about 27 hours so far. I've had cramps, and some back pain, and my girlie parts are really sore but not much else.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I've been told to stay close to home if my contrax are 1) fairly close together or 2) fairly painful. I don't think she'll actually arrive until at least Friday, if not Sat or Sun. I know this sound selfish, but I don't really want her to be born on Thanksgiving anyway. To be selfish for her, I don't want her to have to share her b-day with a turkey, although I realize that it wouldn't happen every year. However, what better day of the year to be born, after the struggle we went through to have her.

Passing the time...

Still here. Nothing to report really. The knife stabbing feeling in my cervical area was pretty strong last night, but still nothing but a bunch of contractions that didn't do a darn thing. So here we sit.

I thought I'd pass the time taking/posting a few nursery pics so here we go! I love how it turned out. Girly but not too girly/feminine; you definately wouldn't mistake it for a boy room (I hope). There was a lot more I planned to do, but really just got too tired. The walls are still bare for the most part, but that's on purpose. I'm hoping to have some pictures to hang, and wanted to give those priority over shelving and other decorations.

We had some maternity pics taken a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping at least one of those will go in there. Plus, we're scheduled to take Sophia for a newborn professional photo session in her first 2 weeks--hoping I like those and will be able to use at least one in the nursery.

THe walls are a caramel-y/cafe au lait color. Furniture is Bonavita Peyton. The crib converts to toddler and then full size bed.

I was hoping this would show the dust ruffle more, but not so much. I made it, and it matches the curtains.

Changing table that will hold a hutch if we want to buy it down the road. Yes, I got a wipe warmer...against my better judgement. Seems silly to me, but I needed things for my registry and I got it. It certainly can't hurt. The nursery is the draftiest room we have, so at least Sophie's bum will be nice and warm this winter:)

Chest of drawers with the beginnings of stuffed animal/book collection:) Oh and scissors...yes I'll move those. I took the tags of the stuffed animals right before I took the picture. Yes, I'm still de-tagging.

A not so great pic of the curtains I made. I really should have taken these earlier in the day-the light is really crappy. And my lampshade project was a big FAIL so the lamp is compliments of Target.

Framed initials I made on the farwall. I wanted to take that project further, but ran out of patience.

Rug compliments of Target. I really struggled to find one I liked and just happened upon this one a few weeks ago.

Last but not least, our rocker/glider from Best Chairs. It's from the Story Book collection, but I honestly have no idea which one. My one regret is that I didn't flip the upholstery and get the chair in chocolate brown and piping in the sand color. Oh well. I LOVE this chair and it hasn't even been used yet!

So there it is. All that furniture in a tiny little room where Sophie will reside and play for the next few years.

No news from uterusville yet

Just thought I'd post about NO news, in case I don't get a chance to post with NEWS. I have to admit, I really thought last night was "it." I was contracting alot all evening, but then when I went to bed they all stopped. I also had this CRAZY shock-like pain in my cervical area (I can only assume). Dr. S said when I feel something like that it's typically her dropping even more, or increased dilation. Until last night, this pain has only come with walking, and is enough to stop me in my tracks. It's very similar to the sciatic feeling, only in my cervix. I was laying in bed, talking to Dan when it happened and I must have gotten a crazed look on my face, which caused him to have a crazed look. I just told him that I might be waking him up, so not to sleep too soundly:)

However, after that it was uneventful. My sleep continues to go downhill though. I took a Tylenol PM at 9:30 and slept from 10-1:15. I was then wide awake until about 5:30, and then alarm went off at 6. Lovely. The funny thing is, I'm not kept awake by anxiety or any ruminating thoughts. I just lay there. Completely.wide.awake. Thinking about nothing really. So annoying.

After work today I'm off to Target to stock up on some last minute things like nursing tanks and other "fun" items I'll need post-delivery. Dan's home today taking care of some last minute things on our to-do list, and we have new living room furniture being delivered today:)

So for now...I'm just going along minding my own business. I have noticed a major decrease in her movement today. Is she finally out of room???

OB appt and progress!

I had my 37w5d OB appt yesterday. I wasn't expecting much in the way of progress, since I haven't really felt any different over the last week than I have over the previous.

WRONG-O.

2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. She didn't tell me station but did say that her head is extremely low. So low that it's rare that she sees this unless the woman is in active labor. HOLY CRAP! So, it really could happen any time. Dr. S is out of town this weekend and told me (jokingly of course) to try to keep her in until she gets back. She is predicting before Thanksgiving, but if for some reason Sophie hasn't made an appearance we'll discuss induction, now that I'm making progress. That would be sometime during the 39th week, just to make sure she doesn't get too big.

So bag is packed and in the car (although of course throughout the day today I am remember MANY things that I forgot), but it's a start.

On my morning walk with Sierra this morning I had a very focused cramp (not like the period-like cramps I've had so far) on my right side, stomach area. That was a very new feeling for me, so hopefully she's working overtime in there so she can come meet us sooner rather than later.

People keep asking if I'm scared and the answer is no. I'm not scared at all of L and D or anything that goes with it. I am freaked out in anticipation of what will happen prior to getting to the hospital (i.e. will water break, if water doesn't break how long will it take contractions to get to where they need to be to even GO to the hospital, etc). I'm also freaked out about AFTER delivery and all the fun (NOT) things that come with that. But actually having her doesn't scare me at all...it's only exciting!

Stay tuned!

Hospital tour with a WATERMELON!

Once again, I neglected to make a Thursday post. Here's the 37 week update...



Baby's now the size of a watermelon!You' re full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).


Thankfully I have recovered from my parking lot spill, although I still have one heck of a bruise on my leg. No worries about Sophia. She was in over-drive all weekend. Enough overdrive that I was getting paranoid about the cord getting wrapped around her neck. Yes, I know...but it's me, I have to worry about something. She's been moving more than ever, and her movements are MUCH stronger than in the past. I assume poor little chunker is running out of room. I can see my stomach moving as I type. I've definately gotten used to it, but then she'll throw me for a curve and give me a really hard kick that catches me off guard. She also seems to like to bounce on my cervix as I walk. This sensation does NOT feel good, and in fact can stop me in my tracks.


My sleep continues to go down hill. If I sleep on my left side, my left shoulder just ACHES. If I sleep on my right side, my right hand falls asleep. I'm only good on my back for about 10 minutes at a time. I woke up at 3 am last night and fell asleep not quite 3 hours later, as my alarm was getting ready to go off. I actually just contemplating getting up and being productive, b/c I was certainly not tired.


I am starting to look for signs of labor...but so far nothing. I continue to get Brax-Hicks, but no more so than before. I am not necessarily tired of being pregnant, but at this point we are just so anxious to meet her. We've both given her the talk that she needs to come out so we can meet her and celebrate her b-day:)


Yesterday was the hospital tour. In hindsight, it's really not imperative to take, but we're glad we know where to go, and what to expect. We'll be using Hospital M, but really wanted to use Hospital B. Everyone I know that has used Hospital M has raved about it and compared it to a nice hotel. Um...not so much. It's really a hospital room with one bed instead of two. Based on amenities, I'd still rather go to Hospital B, but Dr S pretty much made the decision. So Hospital M it will be.


We did have a "woah this is really happening" moment as we walked into the lobby yesterday. A new daddy was walking in with his camcorder, and mom and baby (and nurse) were waiting for him inside. Yes, I got teary, thinking that will be us in a few short weeks. Yikes.

Here's the 37 week picture! I finally scanned in u/s pics from last Tuesday but they are on a different computer. Will post those soon!

I fell...

last night.

This was supposed to be a post about how great our u/s was yesterday. Nope, not so much. Last night, walking through a gravel covered parking lot, I fell. I don't know how, I guess my balance is off, but I totally wiped out. Before I knew what was happening I was on the ground with my purse several feet away. Dan was about two steps in front of me so didn't see it happen.

He helped me up, grabbed my purse and we assessed the damage. My lower right leg took the brunt of the fall I think. I'm pretty scraped up from knee to mid-calf. I of course, couldn't care less about my bloody leg. It was quite a struggle to stay as rational as I did, but I tried...and succeeded, mostly.

Of course my first thought was going to the hospital, after all we were going to drive right past one. But, I fought off that urge. I just wanted to go home. No, that's not true. I REALLY wanted to go to the hospital. But I thought of all the stories I've heard about falls during pregnancy, and things are almost always fine, blah, blah. So I went home to monitor.

I did have a few contractions, which I expected, and then she REALLY started moving. Of course, neurotic me thought this was a bad sign, b/c she was moving more than normal for that time of night. But I just let it go and went to bed. I woke up once to movement and then right back to sleep. I felt like crap when I woke up, just really banged up. And apparently the fall jarred my pelvic pain (which had let up ALOT) back into action. So not only am I limping b/c my leg is so sore, I'm back to waddling too.

This morning, I loaded up on a huge bowl of sugary cereal, topped off with some cookies, just to give her a kick start. It seemed to work and she was very active by the time I got to work. I did call the nurse, who said it sounded like the worst was over, so long as I didn't start bleeding, my water didn't break, the contrax didn't start again. I did have a dream last night about my water breaking.

So, the GOOD part of yesterday was indeed the u/s. We got a few pics which I will post later. They aren't great at this stage. She's just too squished up in there. They measured her head, belly and femur and I suppose all looked normal. Right after measuring the femur, the tech said "7 pounds 10 oz." I yelled "holy crap." She said that was in the 88% percentile...awww we have a little over-achiever;)

The measurement is really partly a guess, and can be 1 pound different, on either side. Dr. S is guessing she is currently 7-7.5 pounds, and is estimating 8-9 pounds if she stays put until 40 weeks, which she is also guessing will happen. She actually thinks she may stay put closer to 41 weeks. So, looks like Thanksgiving will go off without a hitch, but then who knows really. She also tried to check for dilation but cervix was so high she couldn't reach it. We assume there hasn't been any, since I haven't had any out of the ordinary contrax.

So...the day started off well, and then went downhill. But she is moving as I type so that's a good thing.

*****And please, if you know my mother, the fact that I fell is not for her eyes/ears. I'm stressing out enough without having to deal with the knowledge that she is stressing out for me!******

(Slightly) updated pics...

Just for you Fran!

I totally forgot to upload from the previous 2 weeks. Dan took a 36w1d pic last night, and now the damn camera is dead AGAIN so I can't download it. I swear, I have the worst luck with batteries. I just need to by a new rechargable pack and be done with it.

34 weeks...

35 weeks...starting to look VERY worn down...and those jeans I seems to be wearing in every pic? Well, they don't fit anymore. I mean, they fit, but they constantly fall down, just a hassle.

And just so Dan gets in on some of the picture action, here's us and our very good friend Scott who moved to Hawaii this week:( We got one last pic before he left. I was chugging the water that night, while they were chugging the Guiness and and I was very jealous...and please don't judge me b/c my headband and sweater don't match...it had been a long day. THis is sometime b/t 34 and 35 weeks.

And finally...must give some love to Sierra. I took this several months ago, after nursery furniture had been delivered. Note that our condo is NOT big, maayyybbeee 1100 sq feet, on a good day. There aren't many places she can hide; but on this particular day we could NOT find her. She was chilling in the nursery:) And yes, sneak peak of nursery from quite awhile ago. I hope to have better pics by the end of the weekend.

a lopsided honeydew

Yep, still a honeydew this week.

She's doing some interesting gymnastics in there. Last night, lying on the couch I felt this very odd sensation. I lifted up my shirt and the left side of my stomach was easily an inch higher than the right side, and hard as a rock. That's been the first real alien-esque movement I have noticed. Dan wasn't really on the level to see the lopsided-ness, but did feel the hard ball of....something...who knows what. Crazy.

She continues to move ALOT. I thought it was supposed to slow down but maybe not this early?? I've also noticed that she is very active between about 4-6 am. Is this a harbinger of things to come?

My heartburn is getting worse. I also thought THAT was supposed to stop soon-it needs to-it hurts again, even with Zantac. The peeing is more managable. Despite the fact that I still go alot, at least I can *go* and get some relief!

I am also wearing down quickly. This is probably exacerbated by my work schedule the past few days, so I am definitely looking forward to the weekend.

Hope to get nursery done this weekend. We'll see how my energy level feels about that. Dan and I are also trying to get out and do things that we probably won't be able to do for awhile (i.e. movies, dinner, sporting events, etc). Hopefully we can get something in this weekend.

It's obvious that Sierra knows there is a new reason to be protective. We both believe she knew I was pregnant before we did, but it's clear now that she knows something is up. She always sleeps next to me, that isn't different. But what IS different is that she'll wake me up in the middle of the night as she is getting cozy trying to cover my belly. She'll just scoot up as close as possible, sometimes ending up lying ON my stomach. She definately knows there is something in there, and feels very protective of it. She's also started to get between me and Dan at times. I guess she senses some potential danger. It is very sweet though, even if she does wake me up:)

Getting closer...

Today was my 35w5d OB appt. I was such a whine bag about this pelvic pain, but Dr. S was happy about it, and said that it meant my body is doing what it is supposed to do. Ok fine, I'll continue to deal with it.

Drumroll please...I gained 4 pounds in the last two weeks. I know my stomach has gotten bigger, so it wasn't a surprise to have gained, but 4 in 2 weeks seems crazy. I think she'll be gaining about a pound a week from here on out, so I guess I can expect more gain in the next 4 weeks.

Surprise to me, but I had to actually undress today. She had to do a Group B Strep test, which apparently is running pretty rampant right now. Since she was down there she also did my first internal exam. She could feel McBaby's head very low, but no dilation yet.

I'm also measuring about 34 weeks now, which she said is normal since head is so low (and I guess takes up the most of that very unscientific measurement). Heartrate was in the 130-140 range, which she said was fine.

Good news! I DO get one final u/s, to check fetal growth. That happens next Tues-I'm so freaking excited to see her again. I can only hope it's on the "good" u/s machine and not the cheap-o one where nothing is identifiable.

She also wrote me a note for 3.5 day work weeks from here on out. I doubt I use the 3.5 days each week, but it's nice to have the option. As long as I have plenty of sick days for maternity leave, I figure why not use the sick time to relax, sleep late and just get ready (mentally and physically).

Nursery is closer to being done! I just need to hang some shelves, recover a lamp shade and do a few other things. Interestingly, I realized this weekend that I have not taken the tag off of ONE thing. And thinking back, I freaked out a little when Dan put the stroller together and threw away the box. All the furniture, rug, stuffed animals, etc all still have the tags on. Now, what would Freud say about that? Too much disappointment in the past to really believe this is real? A lack of connection to this baby? Who knows. The crazy thing is that the furniture isn't returnable anyway so why keep the tags on, right?! So, I need to start de-tagging things...a few at a time maybe so I don't hyperventilate.