Missed Her Window

I'm sure most people sneaking a peek at this blog are also on FB. If you're not, the posting hiatus does not mean that I have delivered. I've just been lazy.

When I was pregnant with Abigail, I delivered 9 days past my due date (went into labor on Day 8, but it was 19.5 hours and spilled into Day 9). Somewhere around 4 days past due, I arrived at a very Zen place. Rather than anxiously believe I could deliver at any moment, I'd decided that I'd missed my window and it just wasn't going to happen. We all know that the baby has to get out eventually, but it made those last few days much more relaxing. Well, I reached that stage a couple of days ago. I'm 8 days past my due date and I just figure she's missed her chance.

I will keep everyone posted, as I have a midwife appointment this afternoon (won't even acknowledge the ginormous amount of weight I've gained with this pregnancy...starting out lighter does not comfort my ego in the slightest) which will lead to an ultrasound appointment to check amniotic fluid levels, movement, heart rate, etc... Hopefully by evening we will have a plan of action and an end date in mind, but I'm hoping that this lady comes on her own. Abigail has placed her bets on tomorrow. Let's hope she's right!

Sometimes You Can't Escape Your Education

No baby. Just to answer the question you were checking this site for.

I took Abigail to the allergist to see how much peanut she could eat before having a reaction. The baby cooperated and is still snuggly in my uterus. Despite it being the first week of school, we were willing to interrupt the routine to gather some important information about our daughter's allergy. Major let-down.

Upon scheduling the appointment (two months ago), they give no special instructions. They give you a reminder call the day before, and-oh-btw, please be sure you haven't given your child any anti-histamine for 48 hours. Well, too late for that. It is summertime and seasonal allergies are alive an well. If allergies weren't an issue for us, we wouldn't be regular visitors at the allergist, right? The nice lady tells us it should be ok and to come in anyway. We arrive, pay our co-pay (not cheap), go over Abigail's history, subject her to another scratch test to get a more relevant picture, only for the doc to say...."she really should be off her anti-histamine for 4-5 days to get an accurate response from the skin test and ingestion test." So, now we have to reschedule (another 2 month wait), I've interrupted an already stressful first week of school for my daughter, stressed over whether I would have to cancel last minute due to labor, all to find out nothing and have to come again.

This is the point that I can not escape my education. I think to myself if only a system had been in place to give the "heads-up" phone call a week in advance. If only they had conveyed that anti-histamines should be stopped for 4-5 days, not just 2 then this all could have been avoided. Instead, I wasted a lengthy appointment that could have better been filled by a new patient or several established patients. I spent time and money (resources in short supply these days) on something completely unproductive. As trendy as healthcare reform is these days, I can't help but see this as just another way that the system can be improved. It wouldn't cost a dime and the solution is not that complicated. A few simple changes can really go a long way to improving what is broken. I love our allergist, but everyone has room for improvement.

Looks like we'll try again in November and maybe I won't put the whole experience under a microscope again.

The Waiting Game

Well, we seem to be doing a lot of waiting this year.

When will Brian get an interview for the all the jobs he's applied to?

Brian got an interview, when will they let us know if he has the job?

Repeat

I interview for nursing positions..oh a hiring freeze....when will I know if I have a job, let alone one on a unit I want?

Financial aid is behind, when will they be cutting checks?

Someone is having surgery, when will we hear they did ok?

Baby was due three days ago, when will she get here?!

Some of these questions have already been answered, but many are still unknowns. Many keep repeating themselves, only to leave us waiting some more. I am typically a pretty patient person, but I could really use a little predictability in my life. At least the option to look at the full hand and run through the various ways it will play out. I've tried to keep busy, but I am running out of distractions. While I will still be in waiting mode for some of these questions, I know for certain I will have one very tiny and adorable distraction in no more than 10 days.

Until then, I'll keep my ears open for all the shoes to drop.

Curious Ticker

I've enjoyed the funny baby ticker I've had at the top of my blog for the last 32 weeks or so. I'm quite curious what it will say tomorrow or if the programmer decided to come up with quippy comments for 40 weeks, then quit. Given that 42 weeks is still within the realm of normal, I will be disappointed to have my ticker achieve it's conclusion before I achieve mine, delivery. I will also not be surprised.

Just keeping it low key today. Brian is working on freelance work and I'm trying to stand as little as possible. Mostly because this baby loves to give me inguinal charley horses that make my right leg give out on me and are most uncomfortable. Also, my midwife is out of town today. I figure, she ought to be back by late evening, so I would probably be safe going into labor sometime around dinner time. She ought to be back on call by the time I need her services. I can get through the first 70% of labor on my own. It's just that last hurdle that I need help with.

We'll see what tomorrow's morning appointment holds in store for us. A biophysical profile for early in the week and more waiting? We shall see.

What Really Matters

Despite my previous posts, I am reminded today that it does not really matter when our baby arrives. We have no control over when we are born or when we die. Along the way, we will face challenges with jobs, disease, and family. While there is nothing I can do to control the inevitable, I can control how I respond to it. I can stress less about the "what ifs" that may or may not be and focus more on what is real and in front of me. I won't give up planning and organizing what little I do have control over, but the rest I will just take as it comes and come out the other side better and stronger for it.

In Case You Are Following

No baby today. Autumn keeps saying the baby is still getting bigger until it 'pops' out. Makes me feel like Jiffy Pop.

Never know who really follows this blog. I imagine many of the followers are also on FB and are probably aware that I am still at home. I know some moms are great at tweeting, FB, blogging during labor, but I don't forsee that being me. The pain is overwhelming and I can really handle being separated from technology for 8-24 hours. For those of you anxiously awaiting, we will announce as soon as marvelled over our newest addition. She's ours and I'll be greedy and not feel guilty for keeping her off the web a whole 6-12 hours. Of course, I'm equally guilty of anxiously awaiting those first pics, the name and the basic stats.

I know, I know...I have no say over when she makes an appearance, but it would be very gracious of her to either come tomorrow or Friday or she should just wait a week. As I've mentioned, my midwife is out of town on Sunday. I can manage any other day (despite what is to follow), but not Sunday. My brother has surgery on Tuesday and it would be equally nice for my mom to meet her granddaughter fresh out of the oven and be with her son's family during their stress. If push comes to shove, my little lady will be just as tiny and cuddly 2 days after she is born. Both kids have appointments next Thurdsay at the same time, but at two different places. This would be much easier to accomplish with two parents. Once could be rescheduled, but still. Plus, Tuesday is the first day of school. Brian is a pro at getting the girls up and Abigail on the bus, but I would still like to see her off that first day.

So, if I may be so bold as to request from you, NuBaby Murphy....Please come in the next 48 hours, if not get comfy and wait until September. Thanks!

39 and 3

Well, no baby yet. I've decided she was ready to come last week when I had all my aches and pains. But then I fell and bumped her back up. She's head down, but not nearly as snuggly in my pelvis as she was before. Sorry, lady. Actually, the pregnancy has been quite comfortable the last few days-- the knee is killing me, but not the belly.

I've just about completed her stocking. It really helped to have a name. Abigail keeps trying to sneek a peek at what name I've put on the stocking, but I won't let her see lest she spill the beans. I guess I wasn't clear because when I told her not to peek at the Christmas stocking, she asked, "I don't get to know her name until Christmas?" Silly girl. Of course she'll get to know the name as soon as the baby arrives.

Today was a double playdate day for Abigail, I'm picking up my diploma, and meeting up with a friend for a refreshing beverage. Tomorrow is Open House and we get to meet Abigail's teacher and learn what the daily schedule will be like for her. I imagine several forms to be filled out will accompany this event.

So, I suppose the baby can come any day. Brian can do most of this stuff, if I'm recovering at the hospital. My midwife has made just one request....I can not have this baby on my due date. She will be out of town that day. While her backup MD is very nice, I really don't want someone to just come in and catch the baby. I want my midwife there to encourage me, run me a bath, massage my back, suggest the birthing ball, keep me out of the bed and moving around. So, let's hope she cooperates. The other girls always accomodated Brian's print deadlines, so I figure the least this one can do is pick any other day to be born besides her due date. The chances of that happening are statistically low, anyway.

tick....tock....tick.....tock.....

39 weeks

The waiting game is on. Now that the name has been decided, I'm getting ancy. I feel like I've finally done everything that I need to prepare for this new little lady and now it's just a matter of waiting for the other shoe (errr...baby) to drop. I am enjoying the time I have left with just two kids. Two is so easy. I should relax while I can. If you know me at all, you know I am horrible at doing nothing productive. At the same time, I would love to have a September baby so that Babigyrl can have a fun sounding birthday like her big sisters. Abgail has 05-04-03, Autumn has 11-11-05 and it's a holiday...wouldn't it be neat if we had a 09-01-09? Again, nothing I have control over and is meaningless in the big scheme of things, but it's still fun to me.

The next couple of weeks are going to be particularly busy. We got Abigail's first grade teacher assignmnet, we've got open house this week, then school starts a week from Tuesday. Throw in dentist appointments for the little ones, a peanut challenge for the big one, and an opportunity for a freelance gig for Brian as editor-for-the-day and our schedule is packed. It would also be nice to get my summer financial aid money before the baby arrives, especially since I have been done with school for 2 weeks now and will be picking up my degree this week. I am shocked and appauled that they were 13 weeks behind on cutting checks. I don't want to be sitting in financial aid with a 2 day old trying to hunt down the person who can end this confusion.

I'll keep ya'll posted if I feel any twinges of labor. My midwife says that all third time moms have at least one round of false labor, but at this stage in the game, I think I am comfortable with assuming any significant contractions are the real deal.

Random Aches and Pains

Well, it seems for me that the third pregnancy is much achier than the first two. Again, I acknowledge that I am better off than most and some of the aches and pains are my own making. Like yesterday, I was at the pool with the girls when I see Autumn about eat the pavement. With the gracefulness of an elephant (and the weight of one, too), I leap out of the water and attempt to catch her before she skins her knees. Not only did I not reach her in time, but I came crumbling down like a Godzilla and skinned my knees. I surprised you didn't feel a small earth quake around 4 pm yesterday. And the ironic part is, Autumn didn't even skin her knees. Of course, a 38+ week pregnant lady falling freaks a lot of people out. I tried to reassure everyone I was fine, the belly did not make contact with the concrete and it's no biggie if this catastrophe sent me into labor because....38+ weeks, hello? Really I just felt embarassed that my own arms can't hold up my upper body anymore. This is very reminiscent of when I was prenant with Abigail. I was 40 weeks and tripped up my front porch. Got a huge scrape and bruise on my knee. Still didn't deliver for another 9 days and every time they said "pull back on your knees and give a big push" I cringed because everyone kept poking the still-healing, and quite painful, scab. Looks like I will have to accomodate a bum knee again during labor, only this time I'm hoping to find a less traditional, and scab-poking- way to push this baby out. Needless to say, my body now aches like a post car accident victim.

I have also had my first experiences looking like the characters on tv that go into labor who looks normal one moment, then doubles over in pain declaring a sudden and intense onset of labor. I mimicked this unrealistic portrayal of labor while waiting in line to return some items. Babigyrl (as my friends have named her) gave a whopping kick to the cervix-or possibly just engaged- forcing me to hunch over a little, grimace and control my breathing. Poor lady behind the counter asked me if I was okay, with a look of fear that I might deliver a baby right there in the store. I reassured her it was just a really strong kick, but I don't think I was very convincing.

Luckily, my doozy of a day was topped off with Girl's Night Out, turned into Surprise Baby Shower. I was just excited to finally catch up with friends after a gruelling 2 years of nursing school. The company was the best part. We got enjoy sitting out on the restaurant patio, I ate a delicious turtle cheesecake, I was relaxed and surrounded by friends. And as an added bonus, they came bearing gifts. I got cute little girl outfits with ruffle bottoms, gift cards (because we need lots of diapers), and a sleek new diaper bag (not too bulky, not too tiny, stylish even for dad to carry, and absent of 6 years worth of cheerio crumbs). They even joined it up with some cards and gifts for graduating from school. I'm not an overly gushy person, but I have been very touched by the support from friends for our new Babigyrl, my endeavours in grad school, and our seemingly endless journey in unemployment. With such a great group of friends, I know that we will always have someone there to rely on and remind us of what really matters in life. The very basic of necessities and a handful of incredible relationships.

THANKS LADIES!!

No Time for a Baby

I have so much to do this week that I really don't have time to deliver a baby. Hopefully she will hold out.

Brian and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary yesterday. That means we've been together for 11 years. The time has absolutely flown by. I have to be honest, I love being married. I know some people say it's 'a lot of work', but I have always found that the best relationships are the ones that come naturally. No doubt we've been faced with the stresses of parenting, moves, unemployment and grad school (twice). While those have been challenging, I wouldn't say they made us have to work harder at being married. With communication and compromise, we can plow through the tough life stuff and enjoy the good stuff. Happy 8th Anniversary Brian. I love you through and through.

No Time for Words

I shall try to sum up the latest hiatus in pics. No baby pics yet, folks, but we've been plenty busy around here.

A generous and well-organized classmate of mine hosted a baby shower for me and my pregnant classmates. Loads of fun and very generous gifts. Thanks ladies and gentlemen.

Then I presented my Capstone Project and was officially done with school work! This is what was waiting for me when I arrived home thanks to Brian and my Mom and my friend Marie.

Then I had my graduation and pinning ceremony.

I devoured the Twilight series thanks to a friend of a friend that kept my supply up.

I've lived in C-ville for 5 years and have never tried Sticks. A real shame, but it was tastey.

Took my mom to the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum for her birthday. Awesome.

This week is just as busy. I'm down to weekly appointments with my midwife every Monday. We're going out for our 8 year anniversary on Tuesday. I've got a date with my girlfriends to catch up after my very busy summer (and my BFF who has been out of town for over a month). After that, I think the baby can arrive (so long as it is before 3 days before the first day of school, or one day after). Not that I have any say, but the other girls were very good at abiding by deadlines and I'm hoping this little lady is no exception.

Intriguing, I know...