An Invitation to Our Gummybear

Dear Baby, So we are 38 1/2 weeks into you cooking away! This last week has been starting to get a little agonizing playing the waiting game and wishing you would just get here already. It's not because I am uncomfortable, I can deal with that no problem. It is because both Dad and I are so excited to meet you and know that you are healthy and ok. You see, Dad and I are two very impatient people. Although I think he is dealing with this better than I am. We have been trying to get you to come out this past week, and it doesn't seem like anything is working. We have done lots of walking, spicy foods, bumpy roads, stairs and we even went to our favorite club last night and I tried to dance you out! I know that the truth is that you won't make any move until you are good and ready, and I don't even know if what we have been trying is even making a difference. For all I know, it's making you want to stay in there longer. With that being said, I am extending a formal invitation to you, that it is ok for you to make your debut. You have mine and Dad's full permission to officially become a part of our family, and that you will be just fine, happy and so incredibly loved by so many people. There are actually a lot more people besides just Dad and me waiting to meet you! My doctor even says that it is just fine for you to make your appearance as well. If that isn't official permission, then I don't know what is! I have tried to make a good home for you these last 38 1/2 weeks, and really hope that it has been good enough for you to be able to have developed well with all working parts. But the home you will be coming to when you are out here? Wow! See, there's Dad... He is an incredibly goofy and fun guy. He drives a BIG truck for his job that you will just love! That is, if you are like any typical little boy and love anything that has to do with cars and trucks. I'm sure he'll let you sit in it and even honk the horn! He also does these really funny voices that make me love him even more, and make kids either laugh like crazy, or wonder what the heck is wrong with him. He loves cartoons, and is a great jungle gym. He's got these arms that are so warm and inviting, they can put any child at ease, so you will for sure be very comfortable in them. You also have a brother... He doesn't live with us, but you should still see him a whole bunch. He is a fun guy and I know he will just love you. He has another little brother that I hear he has a ball with and is a really cool big brother already. He really likes cars, trucks and motorcycles right now, and will for sure share with you. There is Grandma... She lives downstairs. Isn't that cool? You will be one lucky kid to be able to see her everyday. She is an awesome grandma too. She will actually get down on the ground and play with you. She'll even let you make a huge mess of her house and spray crazy string on her! There is also your big sister, Chloe... She's not like normal big sisters though. She's all covered in white hair, has two brown spots on the top of her head, a tail, floppy ears and walks on all fours (kind of like how you will for a little while before you figure out walking on just two feet is more fun). She's a few years older than you, but you will be bigger than her very soon. She is a lot of fun to play with and won't mind if you pull her hair, ears or tail. Then there's me... I'm the one you will call Mom, Mommy, Ma ma or whatever works best for you. I am just hoping I can live up to whatever name you decide to call me. I guess I'm pretty cool too. I don't mind getting dirt under my nails and I like to play with bugs, watch and play sports, go camping and dink around with cars. I make awesome cookies that were your Grandma Cannon's (my mom's) recipe. Trust me, they are good. We are all so excited to meet you. We are pretty fun people. I'm sure you will like it here. So come on out!! xoxo mom

38 Week Dr. Appointment

I had another Dr. appointment today. The stress test went well. He says it's looking like a happy healthy baby! Which is great, but I was kinda hoping he was going to tell me to get to the hospital. Just to get this over with! I am incredibly happy that he is still doing so well in there, just wish he would put me out of my misery already. I'm dilated to 1 1/2 cm, which is a tiny bit more than last week. The baby is sitting really low (ouch), and still head down. I also gained 3 flippin' pounds since my appointment last week! He says it's water weight and that it's normal with how close I am. Some pretty good news though, is he says that my "cervix is favorable," which he says means I can go into labor at any time now. YAY! He said that he wants to see me again next week if I don't have him within that time, which he has never said before. I am hoping this will happen soon like he is expecting, and he's not just saying that to be nice. lol But ya, that's all I've got right now. Sorry not very interesting!

Just a Short One...

Remember me saying that I haven't been that uncomfortable in my last post? Pfft! That's a thing of the past. I'm getting pretty uncomfortable over the past few days. I guess during that time that I was doing pretty good was just the calm before the storm. My hips and pubic bone still aren't too tender, but there are times when they act up.

I have also been having one Hell of a time trying to sleep at night. I've gotten to the point were I can't even sleep in bed anymore, and I just stay out on the couch all night. I'm hating it, since I get even less time with Kollin and can't snuggle with him. I think last night was the first night I actually got some decent sleep in the past couple of weeks.

One fun thing is yesterday I had my maternity photo shoot with my friend Barb. She is an awesome photographer and have always loved her work. I can't wait to get the pictures!!

Well that's it for now! Toldja it'd be a short one. I'm off to take a warm bath to try to feel a little better. mmmm....

37 weeks ~ belly update.

37 weeks! Full term! I'm done! Wait...

Maybe not. I had another Dr. appointment today, and there has not been any progress in dilation or effacement. Still the same as last week. Oh well.

Just some other stats... I gained 1lb since last week, but my belly is still measuring the same as last week (34cm). So where did that pound go to?? He also says the baby is weighing about 6lbs, head still down and feeling fine. The Dr. also said that my placenta is starting to calcify, which can be normal. But he is wanting me to do stress tests every week from now on just to make sure the baby isn't stressing out because of it. The test today went just fine. The baby sounds great and not stressing. Whew! It is at least good to know that I am officially full term, and he can come any day and be perfectly fine. Of course, the longer he is in there (but not too long), the better. But I want him out! Hurry up kiddo!

So Unexciting... Well Maybe a Little Exciting.

I've been trying to think of something to write about, but have had absolutely no luck. I have been so unmotivated the last couple weeks, so I am feeling pretty useless. But I want to try to stay caught up on these final weeks of pregnancy, so I'm sorry if this is a boring post. I am waiting to hit another nesting period so I can attack the house and the baby's room before he gets here. There is so much I want to do in there and organize, but I am just too tired lately. Apparently I've been having a bunch of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, and didn't even know it! My Dr. told me to be expecting them if I haven't had any yet at one of my appointments a few weeks ago. Last Friday, Kollin and I went to Area to hang out with some friends that we hadn't seen for far too long. One of them has just recently had a baby and could not get enough of my belly. It was so cute! She kept asking if it was ok to rub my belly, and that she didn't want to annoy me. But I really didn't mind, and I was just plain getting a kick out of her excitement. Anyway, back to the Braxton Hicks... As she was playing around with my belly, all the sudden she ripped her hands away and started to apologize. I didn't know what she was freaking out about and asked her what was wrong? She told me that I was having a contraction! "I am?" You can't feel that?? "A little, but I just thought that was the baby rolling over or something..." Nope, that's a contraction. And she showed me how when my belly feels all hard the way it did, that it was indeed a contraction. Who knew!?!? Apparently not me. At least it's good to know that I barely notice them, and they don't bother me at all. Although I know that real contractions and labor will be completely different, so I might as well enjoy the Braxton Hicks while they last. lol The other night I actually went to bed at the same time Kollin did (which never happens). I was so tired and ready to just fall asleep. But of course, once I was in bed I couldn't get comfortable and couldn't fall asleep. So I got up to go watch some TV and hopefully be able to fall asleep on the couch, which for some reason I am getting pretty good at. As I left the bedroom and started to head down the dark hallway, I had completely forgotten about the baby gate that was still set up in the hallway from when we had Jaedyn. The baby gate has a door that opens in the middle of it that we just keep open. But... it is a little bit raised off the ground to avoid the floor board, and there is still part of the gate that juts out from the walls even with the door open. With this being said, being the clumsy pregnant lady that I have been for the past few months, I SLAMMED my belly right into the corner of where the door was open, and SMASHED the top of my foot underneath the bottom of it! I hit with such force, that I dropped my cell phone on the hardwood floor and made a huge commotion. I was so afraid that I woke up Kollin, I ran back into the bedroom and told him I was ok and not to worry about that big crashing sound he just heard. Apparently he didn't hear the CRASH, but got startled awake when I started talking to him. Woops! The top of my foot has been a little swollen since then, but is finally feeling better today. My belly, on the other hand, is still really sore where I hit and a bruise has finally appeared. It was strange, for the first couple days there was no trace of where I hit other than it was really sore when I would touch it. But now (4 days later) a bruise has finally popped up. Weird. I haven't been too worried about the baby after all of this for a few reasons. 1) The side of my belly where I hit is the opposite side of my belly where he has been laying. 2) I know how protected they are in there, and that other mothers have been through much worse and their kids were perfectly fine. 3) Since I already had an ultrasound scheduled, I had the ultrasound tech double check for me just for kicks. I can deal with me being bruised, limping and in pain as long as I have the peace of mind that the gummybear is ok. I had another couple Dr. appointments earlier this week. One was another ultrasound to check on the size of the baby's head again. (I got pictures, but have been too lazy to scan them) Everything looks fine, and that he just has a big head. The calculations showed that his head is measuring at 37 weeks, and his body at 34. I feel better about it this time, since I'm 36 weeks and his head is only a week ahead. My last ultrasound was when I was 32 weeks. His head was measuring 35 weeks and his body 32. That kinda freaked me out. But it is good to know that everything looks fine on the inside and outside of his head, and that it is not too big. My other appointment, I had my Group B Strep test which I will get the results for in a couple days. Even if I have it (30% of women do), it's not a big deal. Just means I will have antibiotics pumped into me during labor through an IV to protect the baby when he comes out. No biggie. My Dr. also checked my cervix to see how I was measuring. He was telling me how he wasn't expecting much, if anything with me being 36 weeks, and that we shouldn't be expecting me to go into labor for another 2 to 3 weeks.... Until he was actually checking me. Apparently right now I am a loose 1cm (which he says is almost 1 1/2cm) dilated, and 75% effaced! He was a little surprised by that, and said that I will most likely go into labor earlier than he thought. Probably around 2 weeks! I figure as long as I can keep him in there for 1 more week and get to 37 weeks, I will be full term and can pop him out at any time as far as I am concerned. I am done and want to meet my gummybear! I can't wait to see what he looks like, that he is healthy and finally be able to start this new phase of my life. Surprisingly enough, I haven't been that uncomfortable lately. My hips and pubic bone haven't even been as tender as they were. I still get sore and uncomfortable every now an then, especially when I am trying to sleep, but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I was expecting. I am wondering if I have been thinking way too into it, and expecting so much more pain, that all the hype I have expecting isn't really as bad in reality. Or maybe I'm just getting used to all of the aches and pains, and just zoning it out at this point? I dunno, but I'm not complaining! Well that is everything that has been on my mind and going on lately! Hopefully I can get another post or 2 in before the gummybear makes his debut, since I have no idea when I will post again afterward. Guess we'll find out!

Happy New Year!!