40 Weeks

40 Weeks

Well folks, I am officially ten months pregnant.  Whoever said pregnancy lasted for nine months was a dirty, dirty liar!  We had our 40-week check-up yesterday, and apparently my uterus is quite cozy, because Little E does not appear to be in any big hurry to get out of there.  We saw Dr. Parker and she informed us that I am still only about two centimeters dilated.  At our last appointment I was told that I would most likely be induced on Monday, the 21st, but that is no longer the case.  In fact, Dr. Parker initially said she would like to wait until Friday, the 25th to induce me, but because it looks like E is going to be a pretty big boy and because I can be very persistent when I need to be, she agreed to just give him one extra day.  Now we are looking at inducing on Tuesday, the 22nd, but I'm still hoping and praying that he comes on his own before then.  Maybe tonight's full moon will coax him out!

Of course, everyone has advice on how to get him out of there soon or how I should adjust my perspective, but trust me, none of it is working.  Believe me, it isn't that I want to "rush him" or anything like that, I have just never been more uncomfortable in my entire life!  I've had a relatively easy pregnancy and because I am so thankful for such a blessing I have tried to keep the complaints to a minimum, particularly when posting on this blog, but I've just about run out of steam.  I no longer sleep for more than about two hours at a time (Yes, I know I should get used to this, but it still sucks!), my finger tips are constantly going numb, I get painful cramps in my right hand when I try to write or grasp things, my legs are swollen, my back and hips ache all the time, I have chloasma (dark brown spots) all over my face, I now live in yoga pants and slip-on shoes, and yesterday I experienced blurred vision and numbing of the left side of my face.  Phew, that felt great!  Okay, on the up-side, we are so very close and E will get here in due time!  All I really want is for him to be healthy and happy, it is just really hard to be patient when Brad and I are so eager to meet the next great love of our lives!

Please check back soon for updates!

Two Years

Today is our two-year anniversary and I can hardly believe it has already been that long since our amazingly perfect wedding day.  It is sometimes hard to believe how much our lives have changed in the two years since we said, "I do."  It is so much fun being married to my best friend and our life together is definitely an adventure.  As we are now only a week (or less) away from becoming parents and beginning our next great adventure together, I am so thankful for the amazing man that I get share my life with.  Even with all of our imperfections, we are truly perfect for each other and there is no one I'd rather go through life with.  Happy Anniversary, Brad!!!  YLUML!!!

39-Weeks

My mom was here visiting us this past weekend, and despite all of our crossed fingers and prayers, Little E did not make his debut during her visit.  Although we are still waiting on the little guy, it was wonderful to have my mom here for a couple of days.  The most exciting thing about her visit was that she brought the finishing touches for the nursery, a reupholstered antique rocker that belonged to my grandmother and a frame that a family friend made for us.  Both turned out beautifully and helped to make the nursery even more adorable.  I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the way E's nursery turned out!  It is PERFECT!!  I find myself walking in there all the time just to have a look around. 

While my mom was in town, she helped with running some final errands and cooking one of my favorite meals.  I was so happy to have her here for a couple of days and I know Brad enjoyed having someone else around to take care of me too.  Unfortunately, while my mom was here, I had one of my not-so-graceful moments.  On Sunday afternoon, I slipped while walking down the stairs in our house.  I slid down the last five or six stairs on my butt and landed with a bang at the bottom.  For those of you who know the story of me falling down the stairs the first time Brad cooked dinner for me, it was a lot like that, only I'm nine months pregnant and I fell further this time.  I was initially terrified and was in a lot of pain for a couple of days, but thankfully Everett and I are both doing just fine.  Since my mom left on Tuesday afternoon, I've enjoyed a few days off, working on a couple of little projects around the house, or as Brad likes to call it, "nesting."

Yesterday we had our 39-week check-up and I flew solo again.  I saw Christine, one of the midwives at OBGYN of Atlanta.  Christine is great and I would be perfectly happy if she were to deliver the little guy.  After a quick exam, Christine informed me that I am now 1 cm dilated and about 50% effaced.  While that isn't much progress, it is still progress, so I'm pretty happy about that.  I talked to Christine about all of the back pain and abdominal pressure that I've experienced lately, as well as my inability to sleep for more than about two hours at a time.  She listened to all of my complaints very patiently and then, in her very sweet way, pretty much told me to just deal with it.  Before I left, we talked about plans for moving forward.  While I am still hoping that E arrives without assistance, we now have a plan for the off-chance that he doesn't.  If I have not naturally gone into labor by my 40-week appointment next Friday, we will make plans to induce labor, which means that, one way or another, we will be cuddling our sweet baby boy in roughly twelve days or less!  Stay tuned!

38 Weeks and Counting

We had our 38-week appointment today.  Unfortunately, Brad was not able to come to this one with me, but it was relatively uneventful.  I saw Dixie, one of the nurse midwives who could potentially deliver our baby.  I LOVE DIXIE!  She is the midwife who taught the childbirth class we took in early January.  I would be really excited if she ends up being the midwife on-call on our big day because she has loads of experience and she is really cheerful and funny to boot! 

During today's appointment I found out that my Group Strep B test results came back negative, which is a good thing, and my iron levels are excellent.  Dixie said that my iron levels are better than hers, so I'm guessing that means they are pretty good.  Little E's heart rate still sounds great, but I am less than thrilled to report that we are no closer to meeting the little guy than we were last week.  I am still only about 30% effaced and not at all dilated.  We were REALLY hoping that Little E would make an early appearance this weekend because my mom is going to be here visiting us from Saturday to Tuesday, but it doesn't look like he is ready yet.  (Sorry mom!)  I guess I'd better get used to working on the little guy's timeline.  I hope I  have more to report after my 39-week appointment next week!

On the up-side, tomorrow is my last day of work for the rest of the school year!  I had originally planned to work right up until my due date, but due to a highly stressful situation that I've been dealing with at work, I've decided to take some extra time off in preparation for Little E.  This has been a really difficult school year for me and I want to ensure that I leave all of that unnecessary stress behind me.  Luckily, after working in the same school district for nine years, I have a ton of accrued leave, so I will be able to have an extended maternity leave starting on Monday.  The timing of this pregnancy really couldn't have been better and I'm so thrilled with the way that everything worked out!  I love it when a plan comes together!!!

Locked and Loaded

At our 37-week appointment yesterday, Brad and I received some very good news.  Little E is finally in position and ready for our big day!  Prior to yesterday's appointment, we were getting a little anxious, because E was still in the transverse position, which means that he was lying sideways or horizontally in the womb.  For obvious reasons, this could have potentially presented some major problems and would have likely led to my needing a cesarean section, something that I am very much hoping to avoid.  Due to our concerns, we were able to have an ultrasound.  It was so much fun being able to see our little guy again as we have not had the opportunity to do that since our 20-week check-up.  We were able to see his chubby little cheeks (both sets), limbs, and major organs, all of which look like they are in perfect working order.  The best part of the ultrasound was receiving confirmation that E is finally in the occiput anterior position, which is the ideal birthing position and basically means that he is now lying vertically in the womb with his head down and his butt up.  We are so thankful that he finally figured out what he needs to do to get out of there!  I guess, maybe, he is already proving that he takes after his mommy, because he clearly likes to do things his own way, in his own sweet time.  During the ultrasound we found out some other fun tidbits about our baby as well.  For instance, it turns out that our little guy isn't so little after all.  We are still three weeks from my due date and he is already weighing in at approximately 7.5 pounds!  It looks like he is going to take after my side of the family in that department too.  His heart rate was about 140 beats per minute, which is perfectly normal at this point.  The ultrasound technician, Cassie, also checked on the level of amniotic fluid surrounding and protecting little E and it looks like we are good there too. 

After the ultrasound, we saw Dr. Dennard-Hall.  We spoke with her about the swelling I've recently had in my feet and legs.  She assured us that the type of swelling I am experiencing is totally normal at this point and nothing to be concerned about.  She listened to E's heart rate again to confirm the information we received from Cassie.  She then completed a Group Strep B test, which involved taking a swab of some unmentionable areas.  And, as ecstatic as we are about E's new and improved position, I was a little bummed out to find that I am not even one centimeter dilated.  I am, however, about 30% effaced, which means we are on our way.  Seeing as E could potentially be 9 pounds at birth, I for one am hoping he makes his debut sooner, rather than later!  The last part of our appointment involved having blood drawn for the purpose of checking my iron levels for anemia.  We will find out the results of the Group Strep B and anemia tests at our next appointment on Thursday. 

While Little E has been prepping for his grand entrance into the world and our family, we have been continuing our preparations as well.  Last weekend, I assembled shelves in his closet for extra storage.  This weekend, Brad checked our smoke detectors and installed a new one upstairs.  He also installed a carbon monoxide monitor upstairs and purchased a second fire extinguisher.  We've installed our car seat bases, had them inspected, and had both of our cars cleaned.  I've had my bag packed for a while now, but we finally got Brad's things into the suitcase too.  We have Sheri, the dog boarder, all set to pick up Hank on the big day and we have even created phone lists on each of our Blackberries for easy updates.  I do have a few more things on my to-do list, but I am intentionally waiting to complete those items after March 4th, my last day of work.  I know me and I know that I'll go stir-crazy if I don't have a few little projects to keep me busy!  If E does come early, I'm sure that Grams, Grandpa Oscar, and Grandma Mary will be able to accomplish the last couple of tasks with no trouble at all.  We hope you'll check back next week, as I'm sure we will have more to report after our 38-week check-up. 

Family Photos - 32 Weeks

Several weeks ago we had some maternity photos taken by a professional photographer, Becca Price.  I have to admit that I did not initially intend on or even think about having maternity photos taken.  It wasn't until my friend Ellen, who is also expecting her first baby, talked about having them done for herself that I even began to consider professional maternity photos as an option.  I am now so thankful to Ellen for mentioning it and I am so thrilled that we made the decision to have these pictures taken ourselves.  The photos are the most incredible gift we could possibly give ourselves during this amazing time in our lives.

Becca was completely wonderful!  She is so creative and energetic, she made the entire experience so much fun!  She came to our house on a Sunday afternoon and spent close to two hours snapping pics of us, both inside and outside of our home.  We were able to preview some of the pictures a few days after our session, but we finally recieved a CD in the mail with all of the photos this week and I couldn't be happier with the finished product!  Having these pictures taken and choosing Becca as our photographer were both great decisions, because they are so absolutely beautiful and I know that we will cherish them forever.  My first pregnancy has been such an amazing adventure.  I know that I will always be so thankful to have these gorgeous photos to remember this experience.  Even though I feel humongous these days and I certainly look humongous in some of the photos, it is all just part of pregnancy and I would recommend maternity photos to anyone who is expecting. 

If you are interested, you can see some of our photos in the "Expecting" gallery on Becca's website or on Becca's blog.  I've also loaded all of the photos onto Snapfish, but here are a few of our absolute favorites!

Becca did such a  great job with our maternity photos that we have asked her to take newborn photos of Little E when he arrives and I just know those photos will be just as beautiful.  If you live anywhere in the Atlanta area and are looking for a photographer to take maternity, baby, family, or even wedding photos, I would highly recommend contacting Becca! 

http://www.beccapricephotography.com/