Focus on the Positive

I wanted to title this post "What's Wrong With People?" because I think I've said that about 15 times today. But I'm also 9 months pregnant, 3 days away from my due date, and incredibly uncomfortable. So I think that I might be just a teensy bit grumpy! Instead of dwelling on what the heck is wrong with the dealership general manager who'd rather back out on a sale than give us an extra key for the car, or the kids that ride skateboards in the middle of the road without getting out of the way of cars, or the people who don't take care of their houses, I'm going to focus on the positives of today.

1. It rained. A lot! Our crepe myrtles in the backyard are starting to get tiny green leaves on them and everything around here is greening up. Plus the bluebonnets are coming out and I'm excited to try to get some shots of Will in them!

2. Things are a-happenin'. That's all I'm going to say about that, because just because I think things are happening the way they SHOULD be happening doesn't mean anything. But I feel significantly different today than I did yesterday (oh, the pressure!) and even though I'm more uncomfortable, it's gotta be a sign that it's getting closer!

3. I had the car today, so I got to do some shopping. I spent some cash at Target and got a couple books at Barnes and Noble. It was SO good to get out of the house!

4. A cold front is coming in tonight. Whether it's statistical or not, there's a wives tale that says that more babies are born when there is a low barometric pressure. Add #2 on top of that one, and I'm crossing my fingers for a 3/28 baby! Although I'd take a 3/29 baby, or even a 3/30 baby. But I'm really, really hoping for the 3/28 baby.

5. Today was Friday. That means in one way or another, Will will be here or be on his way out by next Friday. I can make it seven more days. I might be a little more grumpy and a lot more uncomfortable, but I can make it 7 more days.

6. Will has been moving around a ton lately. I think he's trying to let me get my fix in before he comes. I enjoy it, unless he's trying to break free through my ribs. I do not enjoy that one single bit.

I think that's all the positive I have in me right now. I didn't sleep well at all last night which makes the 9 month pregnant, 3 days from her due date, incredibly uncomfortable pregnant lady even more grumpy. I'm definitely taking the Benadryl tonight!

Update

I had my doctor's appointment today. Despite having contractions for the past two days, I haven't made one ounce of progress. Still 1cm dilated, 50% effaced. I asked about an induction because I am that desperate to get some sleep and relief from the contractions...she said that she's not comfortable doing one until I'm at least 2-3cm and 70-80% effaced. Oye! The reason is that Pitocin (the drug they give you to get your uterus to contract) is only effective in helping you along if you're already dilated so much. Without being as far along as she recommends, the Pitocin would only make me have painful contractions and wouldn't be very helpful in dilating...which is what needs to happen! The chances of me having a failed induction and ending up with a c-section go way up if that happens.

She did say that she'll see me at my 40week appointment and if nothing is happening still, we could schedule an induction for next Friday (the 3rd). She will be on call and would therefore be the one to deliver the baby, which is a good thing! At least I know there is an end in sight :)

She did tell me I could take some Benadryl tonight to help me sleep. I'm going to try it and hope it helps at least a little bit! After my appointment I had pretty steady contractions (5-6 minutes apart) for about an hour to an hour and a half. After dinner, they slowly tapered off to where they have been for the past few days...about 15ish minutes apart and not super strong, but annoying.

Since we sold our truck and I'm on "bed rest" at home, I've found myself feeling incredibly bored! (I'm not actually on bed rest, but my doctor wants me to take it easy and keep my feet up. She thinks I'm doing too much and doesn't want to put any unnecessary stress on me or the baby). The entire house is clean, I've done every bit of laundry, and I've even started organizing the office...which is a huge, huge task! Any ideas of what else I could do to keep myself busy at home for however long it is before he comes?

Say a prayer and send some thoughts my way that this won't go until next Friday!

Eviction Notice

Dear William,

Please consider this your final eviction notice. Your lease is up on Monday, however there have been some questionable practices going on in your dwelling place since Sunday night. These include (but are not limited to), painful contractions that don't end up in labor and attempted rib-breaking. You have 24 hours to vacate the premises or your landlord may have to forcefully remove you.

Thank you for your cooperation,
Mommy

-------

I'm 39 weeks today. I know that I'm not to my due date yet, but the past few days have been somewhat close to torture. I've been having fairly regular contractions since Monday morning at 3am. They get further apart during the day (and sometimes allow me a little break and disappear completely), but they strike again in the middle of the night. I'm operating on about 8 hours of sleep for the past 48 hours and it's not pretty! In the past few hours, they've intensified slightly (though they're still irregular and not close together), and I'm also having what I'd consider back labor. My lower back hurts terribly with each contraction. Definitely not a fun feeling! My OB said that this could possibly go on for a week. After two days of it, I'm about to beg for an induction at my appointment tomorrow...I'm SO tired, physically and emotionally...completely drained. I'm not sure how I'm expected to go through labor and then care for a newborn when I haven't been sleeping. I'm going to take some Benadryl tonight and see if that helps any. I'm not too optimistic!

In more positive news, I got one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts on Sunday. It's from my Aunt Gena, my cousins, my grandma, and my mom. Way back in October, my mom flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the balloon festival. She stayed with my Aunt. My grandma came down at the same time. Apparently, an idea was concocted then to create a quilt for Baby Will...although we didn't know that Will was a "he" at the time! Each girl created a square for the quilt that had to have a heart and a character on it. After everyone finished their square, my Aunt Gena quilted the whole thing and then my grandma hand-sewed the binding. They sent it to my mom and I picked it up on Sunday. I LOVE IT!! It's seriously the perfect gift :) And the funny thing is, I was able to tell, just by looking at the squares who created them. I'm so excited to have such a meaningful thing for Will to use through his entire life. And I know that thing is going to get lots and lots of love.

Top (Left) - Emily's square, Grandma's square; Middle - Mom's square, Hannah's square; Bottom (Left) - Ruthie's square, Gena's square

I'll update after my appointment tomorrow, although I'm really, REALLY praying that this baby decides to arrive before then. If that's the case, I may not update for a few days :)

The view from here...

This is my view now-a-days. The swollen feet and belly really complete the picture, don't ya think? Oh, and notice the left side of the belly poking out more than the right side. No, the picture wasn't taken at an odd angle. That's really how the little boy is hanging out most of the time. I have yet to figure out exactly what it is that makes it stick out so much further. The picture is another painful reminder that this baby still has not arrived. Spring break is now over and I'll return to school on Monday, unless he decides to let us meet him tonight or tomorrow...but somehow I kind of doubt that happening! I think he's awfully comfy in there and has absolutely no desire to become an outside baby anytime soon.

Note that the left side of the belly still sticks out more than the right side...Crazy kid!


I've had an incredibly productive spring break and the dogs have really enjoyed me being home! I cleaned the whole house, did every single bit of laundry, got all the last little baby things that we'll be needing once we get home with Will, gone grocery shopping, baked cookies, and started cooking/freezing meals for us to have once Will comes home. The only thing I haven't done? Write lesson plans. The only thing that really NEEDED to be done? The lesson plans. So guess what I'll be doing tonight and tomorrow? Yup. Writing lesson plans. I'm not sure why I'm putting it off so much - it's really not that bad. And maybe once I write them, Will will realize that his mommy is fully prepared for him to come and he'll decide to arrive on his own...we'll see! Here are a few pictures of the cute cookies I made...they were lots of fun and are quickly disappearing!

Last night Will certainly decided to tease us. I took the dogs for a walk before Greg and I went to see Watchmen (very different movie, by the way). I started having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. By the time we finished dinner, they were 6 minutes apart. Then they moved to 10 minutes apart, then 30 minutes apart, and then they stopped about 3/4 of the way through the movie. I was just a tad disappointed! I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to actually believe I'm in labor whenever I actually go into labor. SO many false alarms!

Oh, send some prayers our way tomorrow around 1:00! We've been trying to sell the truck so we can get a more baby friendly vehicle. We haven't had a ton of bites and those that we have had haven't been anything we're interested in. Today, Greg got a call from someone in New Braunfels who is looking to buy a car for his son. He's going to drive up to Austin tomorrow and look at the truck and another car. Say a prayer, cross your fingers, or whatever that he'll love our truck and will buy it!

10 days left...I think I'm changing my vote in the poll to after April 1. That way I won't be disappointed ;)

Houston We've...

...progressed backwards. Ugh :( I went in today and Dr. Hancock said that I was barely 1cm dilated and 30-40% effaced. (His actual words were, "Well, I guess you could call that 1cm. Hey, that's better than being totally closed up though!") So in two weeks my body has gone backwards? What is that! Definitely not the way it's supposed to happen. After doing some research, I've learned that internal checks are a very subjective thing. So chances are, I'm exactly the same as I was two weeks ago. Which is not what I wanted to hear either, but better than my body going backwards!

Greg and I talked tonight and if Will doesn't come this week (which I don't think he will), I'll go back to school next week and that will be my last week. My due date will be the following Tuesday and if I haven't had him by then, I'll be induced by the end of the week. I'm getting so uncomfortable, swollen, and just not pretty feeling in general! I SO don't want to go back to school, especially after spring break, but I keep trying to remind myself that I'm going to want all the time with him that I can after he comes.

We've made tentative plans to make our first big family outing the Weenie Dog Races in Buda at the end of April. My parents are going to take their dachshund, Gracie, and I think it'd be a lot of fun to take Will out and enjoy the day, as long as it's nice out! Thinking about having my baby here and going somewhere fun in a little more than a month definitely makes the waiting time between now and my delivery sound a little more bearable. I think it's kind of funny, actually...you spend 37 weeks of your pregnancy praying that you won't have contractions and praying that your baby will not come early. Then you spend the last 3 weeks of your pregnancy praying that God will get that baby the heck out of you! But time is still flying fast (spring break is almost over!) and I know the big day will be here before I know it.

Greg and I drove around tonight and looked at some houses we're interested in. And we got a call on the truck that sounded sort of promising - although the guy lives up near Lubbock somewhere, so he wasn't sure he wanted to make the drive down here. But it was the first call that actually had the potential to go somewhere instead of wanting us to trade for a mini-van or wanting us to take significantly less than we're asking ;) It's a crazy, busy, but very fun and exciting time!

38 weeks

Spring break has been productive so far (although no lesson plan writing - that's on the agenda for tomorrow). I woke up this morning and had this huge burst of energy - I cleaned/mopped the entire kitchen (including bleaching our sinks! They're sparkly now!), vacuumed, picked up the entire house, unpacked from our trip this weekend, and then did all of our laundry. Nesting much? Maybe it's a sign ;) I'm totally kidding - I'm starting to think I'm going to be pregnant forever.

After that, I ate lunch with Veronica and got to ask lots of questions about labor and delivery. It was really fun to see Bryce, who has gotten SO big and SO cute! It definitely made me even more anxious to meet Will than I already was. I think he and Bryce will be great playmates!

Then I took some stuff back to Babies R Us and bought a bouncer seat. I got a great deal on it too. Because they were all out of them, I bought a store model and got 10% off. Combined with the money I got back from returning some toys, I only had to pay $9 for the thing! Next, I went to Target, returned a few more items and bought some wash cloths, burp cloths, and a few other things. I've still got about $20 on a gift card for Target that I'm going do something with after Will gets here :) All in all it was an incredibly productive day!

Tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment. Hopefully he'll have some good news for me! My regular doctor is out of town for the next week (or possibly two, I can't remember), so I'm seeing another doctor. I actually really, really like him because he's so laid back and easy to talk to. I never feel rushed when I'm in there with him! Last week he demonstrated on me how an epidural would work. I'm still torn as to whether or not I'm going to have one. I think I've decided that I'll labor as long as I can without one - hopefully until I'm at least 6 cm dilated. Then if I need one, I'll get one. Just kind of play it by ear!

I'm 38 weeks pregnant - only 14 more days until my due date! Babycenter.com says that Will weighs about 6.6 pounds now and is over 19 1/2 inches long...we'll see about both of those estimates - I have a feeling he's quite a bit heavier and longer than both of those! His organs have all matured and he's ready for life on the outside. So now all he's doing is cooking away and making his mommy mighty uncomfortable. Especially when he stretches out in there like he's been trying to do lately! He sticks his butt up under my ribs (on the right side) and then pushes outward. It hurts like heck, especially if I'm sitting down!

I'll update tomorrow with news from the doctor. I'm secretly hoping (although not very hopeful) that he'll tell me I'm in labor and admit me to the hospital. Wouldn't that be nice? ;)

Still no baby...

Still no baby...but Jen and Travis' wedding is over now and he can come any time he wants. He keeps stretching out and sticking his butt up under my ribs - can we say ouch!? Greg and I have been trying to tell him he'll have more room to stretch out on the outside, but someone is stubborn and not listening right now ;)

I'm SO glad I was able to go to the wedding though. It was beautiful! Someone forgot to pack her camera, so all I have are some really terrible pictures from my point and shoot. Here are the four pictures I managed to take all weekend...kind of sad, isn't it?

The happy couple!

Sorry for the quality (flash didn't fire), but it's me and Jen!

Super blurry, but still cute, picture of me and Greg.

This week is my spring break and I'm SO thankful for the break! I'm really in need of some downtime to relax, get some stuff finished around the house, and be away from my students. I've also got 6-8 weeks worth of sub plans to write, so this will give me a chance to do that too. I won't complain at all if a baby interrupts my relaxing-sub plan writing-to do list finishing time though! I told Greg I'm going to start running again if Will doesn't make his appearance soon...and as uncomfortable as that may be, I might just try it!

Last Tuesday was our second anniversary...I can't believe we've already been married for two years! In some ways it seems like longer. We've had so many MAJOR life changing events - we got married, got Riley, bought a new car, got Sammy, lost my grandma, moved to our house, found out I was having Will, I graduated from college, and I started my new job at Robertson. It's so crazy how much life can change in two short years. It's been wonderful, though :) I'm reminded daily of how much I love my husband when he gives me backrubs for my aching lower back, does the dishes after dinner, and even comes to bed with me at 9:00 just because I want him to! To celebrate our anniversary, we at dinner at the Salt Lick. It was fun to just get out of the house and enjoy dinner together!


T-minus 16 days until my due date! Even if he doesn't come early, 16 days isn't a whole lot of time! Yay!! :)

The Nursery is Finished!

Greg and I finished the nursery this weekend and I am in love with it! I could sit in there all day and look at all the cute things. I love that we got such a great deal on everything and that it is so totally "us."

Standing in the doorway, looking into the room. The scrapbook paper will eventually be replaced with newborn pictures.

View of the room from the doorway. Our good friend Veronica made the amazing canvas and curtains for us!

Crib, mobile from my parents, and the canvas. I love the elephants!

Comfy rocker, bookcase, and the awesome curtains. We eventually want to get sheers to go behind the valence in the window, but that might not happen for awhile ;)

Dresser, changing pad, and the wall letters. I love this part of the room! I bought the circles and letters online and then decopauged scrapbook paper on top of them. It took Greg and I awhile to get them just right, but I'm so proud of the way it turned out.

Close up of the letters :) Love 'em!

Close up of the mobile...I think this is one of my favorite parts of the nursery. It plays a sweet lullaby and I'm sure Will is going to love watching it.

Close up of the bedding. The green parts are all corduroy and the white elephant is a fuzzy microfiber material. I love all the textures!

The newborn and 0-3 months side of the closet. You can see our carseat poking out, the elephant boppy from Target, and all the precious little clothes in there!

In other news, I'll be 37 weeks along tomorrow...officially full term! Yay! :) I had a doctor's appointment today and Will's heartrate was strong in the 130s. He is still definitely head down and I'm still feeling a ton of pressure down low. Dr. Hancock said it could be any time now and to be prepared...we'll see when it actually happens! I really have no idea. Sometimes it seems like it could be happening and other times I feel like he'll never arrive. Either way, it's going to be coming up within the next three weeks! I got all the laundry done this weekend and we packed our hospital bags. It's very weird to think that the two of us will go to the hospital and we'll come home with three. Very surreal and exciting at the same time. I have some amazing friends who are all planning to come visit us in the hospital and are wanting to come help out after he arrives. I feel so blessed to have such a supportive husband, family, and friends!

Here's my 37 week tummy picture...I'm feeling very large (and have very swollen feet), but I know it'll all be worth it once he's here :)

Things I'll Miss About Pregnancy

I'm getting SO ready to have an outside baby...although I'm more ready on the inside than I am on the outside. The mountain of laundry in our laundry room and the unpacked hospital bags definitely need to get fixed this weekend ;) I've had a relatively easy pregnancy...no big complications and it's gone by super fast. But I wouldn't consider myself one of those women who LOVE being pregnant...I'm much more in love with the outcome of my pregnancy! :) I can easily make a list of all the things I won't miss about being pregnant - the swelling, the stretch marks, the peeing every hour, the backaches, etc. But there are some things I'll miss once Will is in my arms.

1. Feeling him move. I love guessing what body parts I'm feeling and I love his daily hiccups (as long as they don't last for 30 minutes!) It will be so weird to not feel him moving in my tummy all the time after he's born!

2. Feeling connected to him. I know that this is the closest I'll ever be to him, physically and emotionally. From here on out he's going to be growing into his own person, and though I'll always be his mommy, I'll never be this close to him again. Kind of bittersweet!

3. Feeling like I'm part of a special club. Everywhere I go, I get smiles and questions about my due date, etc. I don't usually like being the center of attention, but I'll miss this attention afterward. Of course Will will probably get all the attention then! :)

4. Imagining what he'll look like. Okay, so actually seeing him for the first time will be pretty great too, but I love trying to imagine what features of mine he'll have and what features of Greg he'll have!

5. Dreaming of all the things he'll get to do. This goes along the same lines as number 4, but I have so many dreams of what the future with him will be like. I can see flashes of him playing little league baseball, losing his first tooth, his first day of kindergarten, rough-housing with Greg, snuggling and reading books before bedtime, and even his wedding day. I'm sure those dreams won't stop once he's here, but dreaming about all the possibilities is so special to me.

6. Praying for the person he will be. This won't stop either, but I started praying for him once I found out I was pregnant. I pray for the type of person he will be and that God will give him a great compassion for others and a passion for God's work. I can't wait to see the amazing guy he turns into and to watch him grow up.

Thinking about it that way, being pregnant hasn't been so bad :) I might even kind of miss it once he's here!

Oh, vote in the poll of when you think Will might come! I have good reason to believe that I'm further dilated and/or effaced than I was on Wednesday (though I'll spare you the details!). I haven't been having any more contractions than normal, but I have had a lot of pressure from his head. I'm hoping he comes this weekend or during spring break - he needs to stay put wherever he is next week though - Jen's wedding is coming and I'm her matron of honor!

36 Weeks

I'm 36 weeks pregnant! Next week I will be considered full term and they will no longer take any measures to stop labor. Everything is coming SO fast!

I had an appointment today and I found out that I've made lots of progress! Hooray! Will is head down and fully engaged (aka in the correct position for a normal delivery). I'm 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. This is great news! She did say that this doesn't necessarily mean anything - you can be dilated for weeks without having anything happening. But it does give me hope that Will will decide to move out on or before his due date. Here's to hoping! :)

In other pregnancy news, I no longer have ankles. I go from foot to calf. And my calves are barely smaller than my knees. The dreaded swelling has hit and let me tell you...it is NOT fun! Thank goodness it's just swelling though. Swelling can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, which is a very serious condition in pregnancy. My blood pressure is completely normal though (122/60) and averaging on the low side of normal. So my doctor really isn't worried about pre-eclampsia, but we'll keep an eye on it.

Two of my friends threw me a baby shower this past weekend and it was SO much fun! :) We got our carseat/stroller and pack 'n play, which we were extremely thankful for! We're also all set on bottles, clothes, blankets, bath stuff, and diapers for those first few weeks. On Sunday, Greg and I went to Target and Babies 'R Us and bought a few more things that we'd be needing in the first month or so. My friend Veronica is an amazing interior desinger and she painted a canvas that matches our bedding and made curtains for us. The nursery is almost completed and it looks awesome! I'll post pictures of it after we get stuff hung up.

Not much new on the baby development front. He weighs about 6 pounds and is losing the fuzzy hair that's been protecting his skin for the past 36 weeks. His lungs will continue to mature, but they're really almost there. The position he's in (head down) is likely to be the postion he stays in for birth...yay Will! :)

And now for my 36ish week tummy picture...this was actually taken before my shower, so I'm just a few days shy of 36 weeks. I don't think I changed that much though!

Only 4 weeks left!!