36 week appt

Alternate title - Oh my God, there's a 7 1/2 lb baby in my belly.

Yes, you read that right. With 20 days before my doctor will induce me, I'm carrying a 7 lb 7 oz baby. He's measuring perfectly and in good porportion. He's just big - 95th percentile big.

Funny, I've gained no weight, but there's a nearly 8 lb person living inside of me. Not too shabby.

On the extra good news front, the doctor took pity on me and prescribed Ambien - finally. Prepare for me to sleep like the dead tonight. I'm taking one at 9 pm.

A breakthrough

Friday while we were at lunch Todd made a suggestion and I think it has stuck.

I think, think, think this baby boy has a name. :)

What a wonderful weekend

Oh how I love my son.......but, boy oh boy, how I loved our free weekend, too. :)

Friday after Mom's Group, I loaded Will up in the car and headed towards Chattanooga. We stopped along the way and picked up Todd for lunch. We enjoyed Ruby Tuesday and dropped daddy back off.

About 20 minutes after we were back on the road, Will announced he needed to pee and poop. So, we stopped at a Wendy's in Cleveland, TN and he did both. I was so proud of him. Then....back on the road we went.

We met my parents just outside of Chattanooga and made the transfer. I loaded his suitcase, some toys, the bed rail and potty into my mom's car and waved good-bye to my little boy.

Sweet, sweet freedom. LOL

The drive home went so quickly. I got home and took a nice, long, hot bath. I brought the laptop in the bathroom and turned iTunes up really loudly while I got ready. When Todd came home from work I was getting ready in the bathroom with a glass of wine and dancing along to the music. If you'd told either one of us that getting ready in the bathroom, listening to music and having a drink would turn me back into being "me", I don't know we would have believed you.

We both dressed up - I even wore heels - and headed out for the night. We saw a movie and then went out to eat afterwards. We came home and spent some quality time together.

Saturday morning was Heavenly. We woke up when we were ready to and snuggled in the bed. Saturday afternoon we did whatever we wanted - ran errands, went out to lunch, went shopping together. We even went to the boat dealer for a while to visit the guy that sold us our boat. We even ordered me my very own wakeboard for this summer.

We headed home to shower and get ready for our next night out. I dressed up again and even wore a new pair of 3 inch red heels. :) We went out to a local bar/wing place for dinner. Then we headed downtown for the hockey game. We had a blast watching the game, people watching and just laughing and having a good time.

Sunday we spent the day wandering around the real estate market - always a favorite past time of ours. Then we had an early dinner at Lakeside before coming home. Todd worked in the garage for a few hours on a project and I spent a long time soaking in the tub.

What a wonderful, wonderful weekend. We both really enjoyed reconnecting.

Busy week and time to reconnect

It's going to be a busy week this week - and of course, they've closed school for half the week, so that just throws a wrench in things. Isn't that always the way? I don't even know why they've closed schools this time. It's always something, isn't it?

Anyway.........today is my day to make sure the house is caught up and ready to go for the week. Thankfully, we got a lot done on the house on Saturday before having company, so it's mostly just a few things that need to be done today. Tonight Todd and I have an appointment, so we'll be dropping Will off at a friend's house to play while we're gone. So, housework and appts today.

Tuesday - no school - funny how that works out. I sure am glad I arrange my OB appointments during the 10 hours a week Will is at school. Now I need to ask someone to watch Will tomorrow so I can go to the doctor. Todd's at the base tomorrow night, so it'll be "single mom" day for me, anyway.

Wednesday I'm watching Will's best friend in the morning - hopefully that'll lead to them occupying each other and not behaving like gladiators needing referees. LOL With those two, you never know.

Thursday I have another appointment. It's down at UT and should be pretty interesting. I'll keep what it's about under wraps for now, but it should be pretty eye opening and interesting. Thankfully, Will is actually going to be at school - so no childcare arrangements need to be made. I believe Todd's planning on being at the base again that night, too.

Friday is the big day. Hooray!! In addition to my regular Friday morning activity of going to Mom's group - but Will and I are making the drive to Chattanooga. While Todd's at work on Friday, I'm delivering Will and a suitcase to my parents - who are meeting me 1/2 way between here and Atlanta.

This is our big break. Todd and I have never had a weekend alone without Will at home. Sure, we've been on trips (one vacation and a couple of weddings, etc) where we've been away alone since he was born. And those have been really nice. But this weekend is going to be different. We're going to be home. Alone. Together. Sleeping in our own bed and waking up whenever we want to and staying in bed for as long as we want.

This is going to be our last chance to spend a little alone time together for a while. We're looking forward to reconnecting, bonding and just having fun. We both feel like we haven't taken the time to do the fun things together that we used to do. We're looking foward to going out on Friday night and Saturday night and just having a good time together again.

35 weeks

This baby boy is due in only 5 weeks and my anticipated induction date is 1 month from tomorrow. That means soon. Really, really, soon.

I'm so excited to meet him - to see his brother meet him and to watch his father with him. But most of all, I can't lie - I just want this baby out of my belly. And soon.

We've been calling him baby Jack-Jack (from The Incredibles) because he's so wild. I swear, there might be an entire litter of puppies in there. This baby boy has at least 2 dozen limbs - always moving. I don't think he ever sleeps in there. LOL

I go back to the doctor on Tuesday for my weekly appt and testing. Then next week should be my first internal exam - I'm hopeful to hear that some of these contractions I've been having off and on have caused at least a bit of progress in there. :)

Salma Hayek is my new hero

Click here to read the story about Salma nursing a hungry African baby in Sierra Leone while on a Goodwill trip recently.

And for the record - I no longer love youtube. There was an attached video of the event, but it apparently violates their terms of service, so it's been deleted. I forgot that feeding babies is pornographic.

34 week appointment

Yesterday was my 34 week appointment. We're really, really starting to get down to the wire here. This little man will be arriving before too much longer.

First are my stats: Weight - exactly 1 lb over my prepregnancy weight. I had some yo-yoing going on the last few weeks with my weight - gained a bunch, lost a bunch, stablized back at my same weight.

My urine and blood pressure were both good.

He scored another 10/10 on his testing - biophysical profile and non stress test. Brooke has estimated his weight at 5 lbs 8 oz. He was extremely active this week and was moving all over the place for the ultrasound and the monitoring.

I met with my regular doctor (haven't seen him the last few appts). We talked about possible induction dates. We didn't schedule it, or anything, but agreed on Monday, March 16th. He'll be on call that day, so I want to be induced on a date he'll be there.

So, 33 days - or less. I'm hopeful this little guy will come before then, but I'm not holding my breath.

Maternity portraits

Not a lot to say, so I'm just going to load them. They're gorgeous. I am totally blown away.

Hands down the best picture taken of me in YEARS.

Maternity portrait session

I met with an aquaintance this morning - she's a budding photographer and offered to take maternity pictures for us. She's wanting to build her portfolio, so it's a win-win for both of us.

We met at a local park this morning at 10:00 and she took probably 150 pictures in about an hour. I cannot wait to see how they turn out. She's emailed me the first couple and they are shockingly good. I can't wait to see how the rest turn out. Here's one of them.......more to follow.

We're planning a date and time for next week for her to come out to the house and get more pictures. We're both wanting to get pictures of Todd and I both together. I can't wait. :)

Spring is in the air

Yesterday was actually a nice day outside. We spent the afternoon out in the yard. Will rode his scooter and we puttered around a bit. I noticed for the first time that the tulips in the yard are starting to push through the mulch. Spring is almost here. And for the first time it occurred to me, we'll be bringing this baby home while the tulips are in bloom. I cannot even explain how much that makes me happy.

Now I know why I didn't get pregnant sooner. Bringing this baby home while the tulips are blooming is going to be perfect.

34 weeks today

The spinning baby on the page turned. And since my baby turned 2 weeks ago, I don't need to freak out, after all. But, that just means I'm going to be full term in 3 more weeks. And induced in about 5 weeks. That means this baby is coming - SOON.

I can't wait to meet him and I'm scared to death at the same time. I can't wait to hold him in my arms. And I can't wait to see his daddy holdling him to his chest - the way he did with Will that first time. And I really, really can't wait for him to meet his big brother. I think my heart will burst out of my chest at that moment. I'll want to memorize every single second of that. I can't wait.

My potty trained little man

With all the excitement with the baby lately, I haven't posted about Will's potty training successes lately.

This kid is officially POTTY TRAINED. He hasn't even had an accident in over a week - and it was 3 days accident free before that accident. In spite of being at school, church, a friend's house, running errands, etc. He uses the bathroom all by himself when he needs to go. Granted, I need to wipe his bottom after he's gone poop, but I'll do that any day of the week over changing diapers.

He's on the verge of being potty trained over night, too. He's waking up dry in his diapers about 5 nights out of the week. I'm going to give him another month or two before trying underwear for bedtime, though. Honestly, I didn't even anticipate thinking about it or working on it until for another 6 months or so, but apparently he's ready. So, we'll play it by ear.

Closing in on 34 weeks

This isn't an official "belly picture" since it was taken on Friday, but it's two days shy of 34 weeks. As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I had dropped a few lbs back down again after gaining them. This week has been particulary stressful and I don't know if it's the stress or maybe a touch of a stomach bug, but I've managed to misplace a few more pounds. Okay, like 6 lbs.

According to my home scale, I'm back to weighing 6 lbs less than I did the day I found out I was pregnant with this little troublemaker. I'm trying to remember how much weight I had gained during my pregnancy with Will by this point. It was close to 30 lbs. So, it's logical to assume that I may have lost an actual 25-30 lbs of my own weight along with the weight gained during the pregnancy. It makes me anxious to see how much weight is going to fall away after this baby is born. I know with Will, all my pregnancy weight was gone in about 3 weeks.

Between the dark hair (which I have become QUITE attached to), the glasses and the much thinner overall appearance, I think I look pretty damn good. Even in this picture in a casual t-shirt and not a stitch of makeup. I feel my confidence in myself coming back again.

And yes, you will notice in the background that my bathtub has 2x4's surrounding it instead of tile. We're in the middle of a bit of a construction project right now. :) The white tiles are gone (minus what you can still see on the walls around the tub) and 12 inch polished marble tiles will soon be surrounding the tub. I can't wait to see it all finished.

My little boy is going to be a man

Way sooner than I anticipated, too.

Just a bit ago I was in the kitchen making egg muffins for the week. Todd's joined me on a low carb kick, so these are the perfect breakfast to make - esp. for hectic weekday mornings. Will went into the back yard to play a bit and I told him to stay on the deck since he didn't have shoes on. (It was actually nice outside, so I don't feel bad about him being in his socked feet on the deck.)

I look outside the window to check on him just in time to see him with his pants and underwear around his knees. Peeing into the fresh morning sun. Sigh............apparently it really is nature versus nurture. I think it goes without saying that I haven't taught him how to do that.

33 week appointment

After spending most of yesterday at the hospital, I was NOT in the mood to head back today for my regularly scheduled appt. But, any chance for an ultrasound is a good thing.

Had my weight checked first - the 4 lbs I gained last week were lost again this week. So I'm still up 3 lbs total. Off to the ultrasound - it was a quick one, but it was still great to see the little guy. Fluid, movement, respiration and placenta all looked good.

Then we headed over for the NST. And of course, the little man fell asleep. So I had to repeat the test twice before he was active enough to get a good reading on it.

I was able to see the doctor afterwards. He said that things look good and everything is still on track. He confirmed what yesterday's doctor told me - don't stress the contractions unless they are stronger or more painful than yesterday.

He also said that this last month or so is the most important time for me to control my blood sugar closely. The baby's pancreas will start functioning soon and he'll take over regulating his blood sugar. So keeping my sugar steady and level will help him regulate his and will helpe to ease his transition when he's born - which will hopefully mean we won't have to supplement.

The doctor also said that he's excited about my lack of weight gain. He said as long as I'm eating healthy and getting enough calories - he doesn't care if I lose weight or gain it. He said that if I control my sugars really well and eat extra healthy (but not diet, of course) over the next 6 weeks, I'll likely deliver below my pre-preg weight. That makes me happy!! I'll be well on the way back to the old me after this baby is born!

A tale of two hospitals

Sunday night was the beginning on a stressful 24 hours. I was getting ready to go to bed about 11:00 and I started having cramps and contractions. I couldn't get comfortable, so I went downstairs and poured myself a glass of wine in hopes it would help me relax. I turned the lights back out again at midnight and tossed and turned until 1:30 am. I went back downstairs to check on Todd (I figured he was asleep in his chair). He came up to bed and I told him I was having contractions but hadn't been timing them.

About 1:45, I got up out of the bed and went downstairs for the third time. This time I sat down and started timing the contractions. They were close - about 2-3 minutes apart. The OB had told me to call if I have more than 5 contractions in an hour. After I had 6 in 15 minutes I called the on call nurse. She said I needed to come in to labor and delivery to be checked.

I went upstairs and got dressed and woke Todd. I told him I was going to the hospital and for him to stay home (didn't want to drag Will out in the middle of the night for nothing). I had 4 contractions while driving to the hospital. They were relatively strong - enough to make me have to breathe through them.

I arrived at the hospital a bit before 2:30 am. I changed into a gown and got hooked to the monitors. My nurse told me I had a steady contraction pattern of every 2-3 minutes. She checked me and said I was about one centimeter dilated. She started an IV and gave me a dose of terbutaline to slow/stop the contractions. She also gave me a dose of of pain medication (I don't know what) to help me relax. The contractions slacked up a bit, so she gave me another dose of the terb to help them stop.

After being there for several hours on the monitor and IV, they declared I was free to go. I was told to stay on bed rest for the rest of the day and to contact my doctor's office to see if they wanted to see me. If the contractions started up again, I was instructed to call the doctor right away.

I called Todd at 6 am to come get me. I wasn't allowed to drive myself home because of the meds I had been given. He was worried about what shape Will would be in if he drug him out of bed, so we arranged for a friend of mine to come and pick me up. She arrived shortly after 7:00 and took me home. We got Will up and dressed at that point and Will went to his best friend's house to play.

Todd and I gratefully fell into bed just before 8 am to try and finally get some sleep. We got up about 11. Todd fixed me a sandwich and I got up to use the bathroom. I immediately had a contraction, so I got back in bed. My friend calls and says they're closing the schools (it had snowed about 3 inches), so she was going to drop Will back off. When she arrives, Todd talked to her about heading over to the hospital to pick up his car. So, off they go. Todd takes our camera with him and says he'll drive Will around for a bit and snap some pictures of the snow.

While they were gone, I started contracting again. So I went ahead and called the doctor's office. The nurse decided after talking to me that I needed to come back in to labor and delivery. But since my contractions weren't stopping after the meds they'd given me, they were concerned about preterm labor. They told me not to go to my regular hospital (just a few miles away), but to head to the University of Tennessee where they have a large NICU. Her words were "our hospital can't handle a 33-weeker and you'll need to be at UT if you deliver, that way you don't have to be transferred via ambulance."

Suddenly, this all seemed too real and I started crying. I called Todd and told him we had to go to UT because I might really be in labor. I started packing a bag and Todd hurried home with Will. I packed an overnight bag for Will and called my parents to have them on standby in case they needed to come up to get Will.

We dropped Will back off at his best friend's house with his overnight bag and headed downtown. We managed to make it through the terrible maze that is UTMC to find labor and delivery triage.

I got checked in, changed into a gown and hooked back up to the monitors. They said the on call doctor would be by shortly to check on me. They continued to record contractions every 4-6 minutes. The doctor finally arrived (a few hours later) and gave me a Fetal fibronectin test. She said this test would be able to tell if my cervix was breaking down and if delivery would be within 2 weeks. She checked me again and said I was still only 1 cm - so all these contractions hadn't caused any progress - which was good news.

She said if the test was negative, I could go home and take it easy for a few days. She said if the test was positive, it didn't mean I was going into labor - but that is was more likely. She said if that was the case, they'd have the perinatologist come and meet with me to see if I needed a prescription to keep the contractions at bay.

We finally got the test results an hour later - about 6 pm. They were negative. Thankfully, though all of this, it was only false labor and not preterm labor. We were released and told to take it easy for a few days.

We picked Will up on the way home and stopped for an ice cream to try and relax after a long day for all of us.

I fell into bed at 11 pm and slept the best I've slept in weeks - I think I actually slept the entire night. If I woke, it wasn't for more than a minute or two.

Sunday night: 10:30 - DTD 11:00 - start having contractions 11:30 - drink a glass of wine and try to relax 12:00 - try to sleep - lay in bed, tossing and turning 1:45 - get out of bed and start timing contrax 2:00 - call doctor's office - told to come to L&D 2:15 - wake Todd up and tell him I'm leaving 2:30 - arrive at hospital Hook me up to the monitors - contrax every 2-3 minutes. 1 cm dilated. Give me 2 shots of terb and a dose of some sort of painkiller to relax me. 6:30 am - released from triage to go home on bed rest. Todd's home with Will and I'm not allowed to drive. My friend picks me up and returns me home. She collects the now awake Will and takes him to her house. 8 am - 11:15 am - finally sleep for a few hours. Todd's called in to work, so we both catch up on our rest. 11:30 - Shannon returns with Will and picks up Todd - they leave to go get his car from the hospital. From 11:30 - 12:15 - I have 8 more contrax. Doctor's office says they're getting ready to close (we had a snow storm), so I need to come to the hospital. But since my hospital doesn't have a NICU, they want me to go to L&D at the Univ. of Tenn - our local NICU. In the event of having to deliver a 33 weeker, they want me at the right place instead of having to transfer us via ambulance. 2:00 - Will's been dropped back off at Shannon's house with an overnight bag (just in case) and Todd and I arrive at UT. 2:00 - 6:00 - still contracting every 4-5 minutes. No progress on my cervix - still 1 cm. Doctor performs a fFN test - results take an hour - so they finally let me eat something. Test comes back negative - WOO HOO!! False labor! So, they released us a little after 6 pm and we picked up Will and came home. She said I should anticipate to continue to contract regularly. She said that unless they get noticibly stronger (they were already stopping me in my tracks and taking my breath away) or very painful, to just live with them. So, that's the story. LONG NIGHT AND DAY, but we're all okay. Went back to the doctor this morning for my weekly appt. I had gained 4 lbs in the last week at my last appt, but lost it back again. So I'm still only up 3 lbs total. Spent an hour and 20 minutes on the monitors since the baby was sleeping and wouldn't give them a reactive test. Ultrasound looks good - fluid, placenta, respiration, etc. She didn't measure him this week since he was measured last week (4 lbs 8 oz). I go back next week for another u/s and nonstress test. The doctor said that between now and when the baby is born I really need to buckle down on my diet and control my sugars very carefully. That the last month or so is when his pancreas will be taking over and it'll help ease his transition if my sugar is carefully controlled. The doctor also said that by being more strict on my eating plan (but obviously not "dieting" by any means) that I'll likely deliver this baby weighing less than my pre-preg weight. Which makes me VERY happy. Makes being diabetic be not all bad.