Alas, I Am Awake

Well, as if I needed to say it. . I couldn't sleep much last night. Not only did I go to sleep saying "tomorrow I will have a baby," (it was after midnight), but I also woke up at exactly 5:30 AM thinking that at this time tomorrow morning, I will be at the hospital!! This is the last day Patrick and I will be just us two! What a shocking thought. I hope that I can sleep today taking a couple naps, because I know that I will have a hard time going to bed tonight. My little boy is coming! I am so excited I can't stand it! (I sound just like my mother there! tee hee!)

They have wifi at the hospital, so I will be able to download pictures and post them ASAP. I know how anxious I was to have my nieces' pictures, so I will try to be as thoughtful to you guys, too.

Many people ask me why I chose to have an elective induction. The simple answer is that I couldn't stand waiting any longer. He is getting heavier by the minute and I am more and more uncomfortable. Supposedly, if he follows the rules, he should be about 8+ pounds. If I were to wait until my due date or longer--should he be like his parents and be stubborn, he could get to 9+ pounds. I don't want my little baby that big. Plus, the doctor is okay with it. I like knowing that there is somewhat of a plan in place. I don't do well when things are so uncertain.

Look for the blog tomorrow so you can see updates and/or pictures of the little guy!

T minus 6 and waiting

My doctor visit today went well. I am not quite 3 cm, everything else is the same. She said that it is my choice to induce early or wait until nature takes its course. I opted for induction. I have to be 39 weeks and that will be Monday. So Monday it is!! I will go in at 5:30 AM to have my water broken and then a baby will be soon!

Monday!!!! I love knowing he won't be getting too much bigger. He should be about 8 pounds this Friday. Who knows how big he would be if I waited until the 8th--or later! I am so excited. He is getting heavy and waiting is not something I do well. Six more days!!

I am going to be a Mommy this time next week. How exciting is that?!

Dr. update

I had another appointment today. I am 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced. She said his head is much lower than last week, too. Other than that, not much to report. I am ready and waiting. Please keep praying for my patience. I know that God's timing is best.

The Waiting Game

Only two days into my time off, and I am already thinking I may run out of things to do. I am finishing up on my thank you cards, getting the house spotless, and washing all those new baby clothes and blankets. Patrick and I put the car seat in the back of my car just in case and adjusted the baby mirror. We bought and tested the video baby monitor which is pretty cool--it has night vision! I also bought the breast pump and read up on using that-not quite yet ready to test it. There are new curtains hung in the nursery and front bedroom and the old puke stains from Candy are almost completely gone from the carpet. Roman is getting a short walk to and from the mailbox every day which he has not done in quite a while since he has been lame on his back hips.

What am I going to do if Alex waits for June!!! I will be bored. Well--At least I don't have to worry about going to work and having my water break in front of the kids. My feet aren't swollen any more because I can put them up whenever they start to puff. My back still hurts a bit, but hey I have a 7 pound baby in my tummy! That back pain is inevitable.

I know that God's timing is perfect and that nothing I do will alter His plan, but I still pray that I can see Alex's little face and hold his hands within the week. Pray for my patience and Alex's good health.

Cut Ties

My cerclage is out!! Yeah, it hurt, but it is now gone. Dr. Berry said that I was already dialated to 1 cm and 60-70% effaced. That should make my labor a little shorter, hopefully.

Thursday was my last day of school for the year. I couldn't handle the swollen feet and emotional instability. The kids weren't getting the teacher they deserved-they had a Dr. Jekyl. I could turn in an instant into someone not so nice or fun to be around. On my Thursday visit to the regular ob, my blood pressure was a bit elevated beyond my normal, though still within a good level. The stress was getting to me and neither Patrick nor I could stand the thought that Alex was having to go through all of it with me. He is too little to be dealing with adult-level stress. I didn't tell my boss until Thursday morning because I had fought it so hard. I thought I could make it through the year in order to save up my leave days. Mary was, thankfully, supportive of my decision.

I am really glad that I did that because after getting that stitch out, I am in super-hyper nesting mode. I am organizing the nursery, making lists of things still needed and trying to get all the new clothes and blankets washed and ready to use at a moments notice. I even took the plastic off the crib mattress and put the sheets on it!!! We packed Patrick's baby bag and I am catching up on some preparation reading and much needed rest.

All I ask is that Alex gives me one more week to make sure everything is ready to go before he decides to let me see his beautiful face. (Which, by the way, I got a great picture of on the ultrasound. I will try to get it on here soon.)

Shower

My wonderful friend, Anita, and my sweet cousin, Julie got together and threw me an amazing baby shower yesterday. I got lots of great stuff and ate lots of yummy food. I had a wonderful time, as I hope everyone else did, too.

One of the games was for everyone to try to guess the size of my belly by using streamer tape as a measure. My mother, who thinks that I am absolutely huge apparently, cut a piece so long it was taller than me!! That was really funny. Aunt Lisa got right on the nose! Kudos to her.

Thank you to everyone who came and for those who couldn't, thank you for thinking of me.

This is my first semi-mother's day as well. Only a few more weeks and I will truly be a mom. What a scary and exciting thought that is.

I have two new neices!!!

The girls were born this morning!!! Elizabeth and Cosette Ludlow. Both perfectly healthy. Let's all say a prayer for them and send many blessings their way.

Growing fast

Last weekend, I measured my waistline at 44 inches. Two days ago, it was already 45 inches! Dang!!

He pushed his little foot against my belly and I could feel the outline of it. My little boy's feet are moving and kicking me so much now. I can feel his arms and head and especially his little bottom kicking out near my belly button as he tries to stretch out his legs.

Only 6 more weeks (if that.) My life will then end, and a new one as Mom will begin. That is quite a jolt. I can't wait.

Baby update

Since I am at school, I cant download the pictures, but can say that he is now head down!! Shocked me. I kept feeling him kick me low and assumed that was because his feet were there. Well, I was right, but his head is there too. He is in the pike position-head, arms and feet all huddled together with his little bottom up under my ribcage. He should be 4 pounds 9 ounces if the measurements are accurate. What a big boy.

Belly and Bugs

Belly photo at 31 weeks.

After only 1 1/2 years, my baby quilt is finally finished. Notice the satin ribbon added to the border-it is from our wedding!

He's growing fast.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to remeasure my ever-expanding waistline. I am up to 42 1/2 inches!!! That is two and a half inches bigger in the last month. I can't imaging what it is going to be in 8 weeks!

My Big Boy

Check out the foot by the forehead in the last two pictures! What a strange place for a foot.

My blooming garden

I am sending pix of my beautiful garden because I can't get the camera to cooperate with me right now for the baby pix. Look for new baby pix soon.

Big Kick!

Apparently, Alex does NOT like sonograms. When the nurse tried to listen to his heartbeat today, he kicked the wand-thing with all his might! It was so funny. He did it twice! The first one hit right on the wand, the second just beside it.

Well, as I supposed. . . I gained too much weight this month. I put on 8.2 pounds in four weeks!! That is twice what I am supposed to. I am now going on a pregnancy "diet" to limit the extra junk food I have been eating and replace it with healthier options. Please help me avoid the goodies if you see me. And yes, this is prescribed by the doctor. (Although she wasn't going to say anything except that I brought it up--so it isn't too terrible.) She (regular OB) also wants me to start going every two weeks now. At least her main office is moving closer to I35 on Slaughter and Brodie. It will save a little time and gas. Three more months!!!!

Robeez

For those of you who have not heard of Robeez before, they are highly rated soft shoes for infants. Apparently, for kids who just start walking, barefoot is best, but these shoes are made of soft leather kind of like slippers to help them grip the floor. Some mommies from my church told me how to get a free pair by signing up at USA Baby. I got a pair for 6-12 mos with a soccer ball on the front. The others had aliens, lions or other weird things that I thought looked tacky. Anyway I got my pair yesterday and was very excited that I found a diaper bag there too. Very exciting.

Update on belly size

Last week, I measured my waist at school. It was 40 inches!!! Dang! (As you can see, my butt has been trying to keep up.) Now my belly is even bigger and moves. I can sit and watch as he kicks and squirms inside me. Kinda weird, but really cool. I already love him and he isn't even going to show for about 3-4 months.

Keep on growing, keep on growing

Alex is now about 2 1/2 times bigger than Emily. The ultrasound girl guessed 1 pound 9 ounces. Patrick asked how big he might be at delivery and she said he might be around 8-8 1/2 pounds if he makes it to 40 weeks. It is hard for me to imagine him bigger than Emily, though I can feel the difference. He is strong, and apparently is getting a bit squished now.

I will enter my third trimester in two more weeks! Breathe a sigh of relief.

He's Grown!

New picture and update

This photo was taken last weekend, so it is not perfectly acurate. I think he has stretched me out some more since then.

This past weekend Patrick and I worked on the yard. I had so much fun. Patrick did most of the work, though. I really wanted to shovel, uproot trees, and everything, but knew better. I let him do that. He removed the two dead trees from the front yard and filled in the holes. We also went back to the Natural Gardener and bought more soil and two trees. Patrick shoveled the dirt while I fit the bags around the bottomless bucket and tied them up. We now have the garden all filled and I planted peas, lettuce, spinach and carrots. I can't wait until they germinate! Fresh veggies! And it has only taken a year to get it going.

Food

Recently, my appetite has gone into overdrive. I want to eat everything I see. I even ate a shrimp yesterday at my mother-in-law's house! Today I wanted a candy bar, a McDonald's sausage biscuit with grape jelly and a Chick-Fil-A sandwich with extra pickles. I got a bite size Baby Ruth instead. Ice cream sounds yummy. Peach cobbler sounds yummy. I want to eat it all, but my tummy is not holding what it used to. I feel extremely full after one large glass of milk-without even eating anything! That means I am eating all day long--which means I am thinking about food all day long. I am afraid that my my will grow bigger than my belly if I indulge myself of my whims.

Sunday at church, everyone noticed that I was pregnant. People who I thought already figured it out all of a sudden start asking me about it. It was weird. I know how big my belly is now, but I forget every once in a while and get surprised when I look down. I wonder if my weight gain is going there instead of my hips-that would be okay with me.

I am going to the doctor (the regular one) this Friday and then to the specialist on the 13th. I can't wait to see the new pictures! He will be close to 24 weeks by then and so much bigger. I can feel him everyday now and he is getting strong. He must like to stand up because I always feel him kicking towards my bladder. I wonder if it is a game for him. You know, he may take after his father in that regard, always making jokes.

I imagine him in my arms and want to sing a song of praise every day. God has heard my prayers and is faithfully carrying them out.