Still nothing...but at least I'm crafty! :)

Update: Still nothing! :( Boo!!!

The induction is officially scheduled for Monday, August 2nd at 9:30 a.m. I'm supposed to call the Labor and Delivery unit about an hour beforehand to make sure there is a bed available for us to actually go in at that time. If not, they'll push back the induction time.

In the meantime, I've had a mini burst in energy. To get some of that energy out, I made Emma a hair bow holder last night. Here are a few pictures:





Now let's just hope she comes out with some hair!!! Ha ha ha!

Induction

Well, Princess Emma is still comfy and cozy in Mommy's belly, so an induction will be set for Monday, August 2nd.

I was SO hoping for a "ruby baby," but I might have to settle for a "peridot baby." ::Sigh:: As long as she's healthy we'll be happy.

I'm just waiting on the doctor's office to call me to schedule a time for Monday. If she comes before then, that'd be wonderful (especially if it'd be Thursday--- it's my grandmother's birthday)... but if not, that's ok, too!

Dr. Smith felt that I'd have a better chance of going into labor on my own if we just pushed it out a little further--- I tried for Thursday or Friday of this week, but he wouldn't budge.

Either way, we'll have a baby within a week! Woo hoo!!!

Fashionably Late-- 40 weeks today

Well, today is officially Emma's due date, but the little princess has apparently decided to be fashionably late. In the past few days we've tried EVERYTHING to get the baby to make an appearance: spicy food (Thai food TWICE, as hot as I could stand it), jalapenos, eggplant, pineapple, a bumpy boat ride, etc. Still, NO BABY!

Oh well, I guess she'll come when she's good and ready! Tonight is a full moon, so I'm hoping that'll stir something up! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

I've got an appointment with the OB tomorrow (Monday) at 2:15 pm, and that's when we'll talk about setting up an induction. I'm thinking it will be set for sometime at the end of the week, likely Thursday or Friday (as I don't think they will induce over the weekend).

We will call family members and those on our to-be-called list as soon as anything happens. Brian and I waiting on pins and needles-- getting more anxious by the day. We just can't wait to meet our little girl!!!

Here are pictures of the 39 week belly and the 40 week (ugh) belly. Does it look different to you?

39 weeks:


40 weeks:


How far along am I? 40 weeks! Emma's Due Date!
Total weight gain: 30 lbs
Sleep: Waking up occasionally with some mild cramping, contractions.
Movement: Still going strong!
Labor Signs: 2-3 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -2 station (as of Tuesday's appt).
Belly Button in or out? Waaaaay OUT there!
What I miss: Being able to get up off of the couch easily.
What I am looking forward to: Emma's arrival and a big glass of wine!
Weekly Wisdom: "Do lots of walking." I walk all day at my job...hasn't really done anything. I'll keep trying, though!
Other stuff? Got a new HD camcorder to be able to record Emma's first moments!
To Do List: OB appt on Monday to discuss induction.

STILL pregnant...

Yep. STILL pregnant. We're at 39 weeks exactly today and I'm thinking Emma's pretty comfy in there. Don't think she'll be making an appearance any time soon!

I'm hanging in there, but now I'm really starting to understand when women say that they're done with being pregnant. Boy, do I get it now!!!

Over the past two weeks or so Emma has started to feel really heavy-- whether it's getting up off of the couch (Brian now has to pull me up. What?? That's sexy right?!), bending down to pick something up (not the most graceful thing you've ever seen), or just getting in and out of the car (I look just like my Omi and Nana used to getting out of the car!), I feel awkward and heavy. I'm used to just being able to spring into action at any given moment...not so much these days.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the comments. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Oh my God, you look like you're about to pop!" Gee, thanks. I already feel huge, thanks for pointing it out.

"Well, your face is only NOW getting puffy, so that's good." Again, thanks so much. I get it, swelling comes with the territory, but I'd rather you not remind me that my face is puffing up like a balloon.

"Hurry up and have that baby, I want to meet her!" Um... yeah, so do Brian and I...you know, her PARENTS!

"Oh, the first one's always late." Not necessarily true. I've had lots of friends lately who've had their babies 2 and 3 weeks early. If she comes late, so be it, but don't put a damper on my hopes of her arriving early!

Random person looks at your belly for about 5 seconds and says: "It's definitely a boy." Um... I'm sorry, were you there for our ultrasounds that told us it's a girl? We've already been through the what-if-it's-not-a-girl paranoia, let's not revisit that!

Ok, that mini-rant was probably a little hormone-fueled, but really, people say the most awful things to pregnant women. :P

(I'm trying to post an updated picture of the belly, but for some reason Blogger is being weird and won't let me. Might have to wait til later! Sorry!!!)

38 week appointment update

Well, we had a little more progress this week. We're up to 2-3 cm dilated and 70% effaced! Still head down, but in -2 station (not "dropped").

I saw Dr. Harden this time who said that if he were a betting man, he'd bet on the baby arriving "a day or two early," then promptly followed that up with, "Of course, I've been horribly wrong before!" Ha! Oh well, guess she'll just come on out when she's good and ready!

Dr. Harden estimates that Emma's current weight is about 6.0-6.5 lbs and he's guessing that she'll be in the "high 6's, low 7's" at birth. He also said, "She's a good size for your body, not too big, not too small." Ok-- weird compliment, but I'll take it...?

Emma's been moving like crazy for the past few nights for a good 2-3 hours straight-- I don't know what's gotten into her, but from about 8:00-10:00 pm she is constantly moving. She especially likes to do a fancy stretching move where I can literally feel her little hands pushing down and her feet pushing up. It's not the most pleasant feeling in the world, but it's worth it to know that she's healthy and moving around. I've been playing music for her at night while I fall asleep in bed (putting the headphones on my belly and playing lullaby renditions of the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc), and she seems to calm down with that.

Ok, that's the update for now! We'll keep you all posted on any action! Send some early labor dust this way!

T-Minus 2 weeks...not that we're counting down or anything

We're officially 2 weeks away from Emma's July 25th due date. I have a feeling she'll show up around the 19th or 20th, but I could be completely wrong and just having some wishful thinking that she'll come early!

Here's a pic of the 38 week belly:



Brian had last week off between jobs (finished at NC State on June 30th and will start at VSH tomorrow) and was very productive around the house-- cleaning up, putting LOTS of our stuff into storage, tying up loose ends, etc. I think he's feeling pretty ready to jump back into the world of veterinary surgery. It'll be a great new challenge for him, and he seems to be really looking forward to it.

I'm hanging in there at work. Still there full time. Slowing down more and more, but the swelling in my ankles has gotten better--so that's a plus. Unfortunately, I'm having more pain in my knuckles over the last few days, which kind of stinks. It could definitely be worse, though. I could be one of those poor girls who has morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy or something-- so I'm thankful that a few sore knuckles is all I have to deal with!

This weekend was productive for us, getting lots of last minute errands done. We're feeling the pressure of "losing our freedom" as Emma's due date looms, so we're trying to get all our ducks in a row. I even made a bunch of stuff to stick in the freezer for the first few days/weeks when our lives are turned upside down and I won't feel like cooking. I made a batch of my mother-in-law's tomato sauce with meatballs, a batch of her Pasta Fagioli soup (yum!), and a batch of bolognese sauce. This stuff will be easy to thaw/re-heat for quickie dinners in the first few weeks. I'd like to make some more stuff that can be frozen next weekend (pending Emma doesn't arrive early)-- maybe some chicken cacciatore, brisket...who knows. We've also been holding onto any restaurant giftcards that anyone has given us so we can just get carryout in the first few days/weeks.

Ok, onto the weekly check in...

How far along am I? 38 weeks, exactly.
Total weight gain: 30 lbs
Sleep: Pretty good, can't really complain.
Movement: Yep-- especially between 9:00-10:00 pm.
Labor Signs: 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, -2 station. No change from the 36 week appointment. I have another appointment on Tuesday, keep your fingers crossed for more progress!
Belly Button in or out? Outie.
What I miss: Not having heartburn! Yuck!
What I am looking forward to: Emma's arrival, of course :)
Weekly Wisdom: Meh, nothing much.
Other stuff? Brian starts his new job on Monday!
To Do List: Ongoing weekly appointments, ongoing book reading.

Dear Emma

Dear Emma,

You're welcome to join us at any time now! Your Daddy has had his week off, your room is all ready for you, and Mommy is getting just a *little* tired of being pregnant.

Don't get us wrong, we want you to be "well-done" when you show up, but what do you say to joining us a bit earlier than your July 25 due date? Yes, no, maybe?

Well, if you're anything like your Mommy, you'll be stubborn and show up late!

We just can't wait to meet you!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Emma's Room

Here's a mini tour of Emma's Room!

21 days and counting...

The 37 week belly!



I can't believe we're only about 3 weeks from meeting our little girl! We're so excited!

The nursery is officially finished now that we have Emma's artwork hung up (pictures to come). All clothes are washed, all diapers are organized, the diaper bag is packed, and we're ready to go! I've got my hospital bag all set and this week Brian is going to pack his "Daddy Bag" so we'll be ready to just throw things in the car and go!

My friend, Laurie, has graciously agreed to be "on call" for dog babysitting over the next few weeks. She'll come over and feed them/take them out while we're busy at the hospital. Thank you so much, Laurie!!! :)

I'm still working on the image problem, so if there are some pictures missing from previous posts, I apologize--I have NO idea what's going on with those!

How far along am I? 37 weeks, exactly.
Total weight gain: 28 lbs (Not bad, considering "normal" is 25-35 lbs.)
Sleep: Decent.
Movement: Oh, yes.
Labor Signs: 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, -2 station. I have an appointment on Tuesday, maybe they'll be some updated info after that. I haven't been feeling like "myself" for a few days-- semi-nauseaus kind of constantly and occasional contractions that seem to disappear after an hour or so. I have no idea if that even means anything in terms of progression, but it feels strange.
Belly Button in or out? Outie.
What I miss: Not having to pee every 5 minutes.
What I am looking forward to: I'm looking forward to NOT being pregnant anymore! I'm getting anxious to meet Emma and carrying this extra weight around in the 100 degree weather is not helping!
Weekly Wisdom: I've got nothin'. :)
Other stuff? Brian has this week off in between his old job and new job. He'll be taking care of some things around the house that need to be finished before the baby comes.
To Do List: Ongoing weekly appointments, ongoing book reading.

Images not always working...

Don't know why, but some images are displaying on the blog and some aren't. I'm trying to figure out what's going on with this, sorry!

I'll post updated pictures of the finished nursery and the 37 week belly as soon as I can get this picture thing figured out.

Any ideas???