Still here. Still pregnant. :) Step. Repeat from last post.

Nothing much has changed except that I've had a backache for most of the day. Don't know if that means anything or not. Time will tell I guess. I'm going to be making a Target run after work today though for some "home remedies" to this non-labor problem. I heard raspberry tea and evening primrose oil can help - but only for some women. I also need to pick up a wedding card since a friend of Kris's is getting married Friday night. Either we'll be at the wedding or we'll have a baby.

Yeah, this is a very exciting post, I know. There's just not much to tell right now. I'm feeling fine and the baby is apparently content where she is. Kris thinks it's time for her to come out now though. He says that I need to learn how to share. :) He's too cute sometimes.

Still here. Still pregnant. :)

Kris and I had a lovely weekend, I must say. We didn't do a thing yesterday. We laid around the house the whole day. It was great. I slept late. I wrote out all the envelopes for the birth announcements. I cross-stitched. I napped. I played computer games. And that's it. I didn't clean. I didn't work at all. Today I did some more of the same. I slept late. I had lunch with Kris and his parents and then Lona and I did some shopping (scored some adorable summer clothing for baby next summer), visited with Dusty and Kim, worked my Pampered Chef business tonight and again played some computer games. It was a very nice and low key weekend. I've had nothing more than a few Braxton-Hicks contractions.

I'm sure tomorrow morning everyone will be surprised to see me at work. I keep telling them that a watched pot never boils but I don't think they get it. (One little annoyance is the phrase - 'haven't you had that baby yet' which I hear about 3 times a day now - Obviously the answer is no - so why are you asking? Ugh.)

OK, that's it. My guess that we're having a September baby seems more and more likely. That's okay - sapphire is prettier than peridot anyway. :)

39 (or 40) week doctor appointment update:

I lost one pound this week, my blood pressure was exactly the same as last week (i.e. good) and everything else is about the same. I'm measuring 42 weeks and the baby is still engaged. This is all excellent news. I asked the doctor about how big she thought the baby was and she said 7.5 - 8 pounds. So, um little girl, can you come out now please? I don't want you getting much bigger in there!

Oh, and while the nurse was taking my blood pressure, I was reading the notes the nurse practitioner wrote on my chart last week. It was all about my swelling and such and then she wrote "patient is taking it very well." :) Ha! What am I supposed to do - get all depressed that I gained six pounds in one week while eating normally? There's nothing I can do about it so yeah, I say whatever. It was nice to see my weight go down one pound this week though.

So, I think I'm going to put my hospital bags in my truck just in case. I mean, really, I could go into labor at any time and the truck is what we'll be taking so why not just stick it in there?

And my mom is calling me every day now on her way home from work to see how I'm doing. Yesterday I answered the phone "I'm here and I'm fine." She laughed for five minutes at me then said that the next day she was just going to say ok and hang up. Also when I call my sister now, she gets all excited and breathlessly answers the phone only to hear me say "hi, I'm not in labor." She then lets out a big sigh and asks what I want. They are too funny!

Finally I can get into Blogger to post something. So, hmm, what should I post? Well, I'm still pregnant - how about that? :) The baby listened to her Daddy yesterday. We wanted to go to the Vikings scrimmage they were having in Blaine last night since it's close to home for us. So, Kris told the baby that she couldn't come out yet. She listened, obviously. We're wondering though if we'll be watching the Vikes 3rd preseason game from the hospital Friday night.

So, I read online today that if you know your conception date, you can add 266 days to that to find your due date. Remember how I was saying that I think my due date is actually August 26th (tomorrow) rather than September 2nd (based on ultrasounds and measurements)? Well, guess what 266 days from when Kris and I think (are pretty darn sure) we conceived is - yep, August 26th. So, will labor be starting tomorrow? Who the heck knows! All I'm saying is this baby will be on the outside come first full week of September. She will have had plenty of cooking time by then! :)

What a nice, relaxing weekend! Yesterday morning I took Mara (our dog) to a dog park while Kris biked his way there. Then, while he went to the Gophers football scrimmage with his parents, I did some light housekeeping and took a 2 hour nap. Ah naps. :) Then I met up with them to see a movie. We saw Manchurian Candidate. It was good. I didn't really know what it was about but I was pleasantly surprised. Then last night I did some more light housekeeping before putting my feet up for a while. This morning after church and lunch, I did some more light housekeeping before taking another 2 hour nap. :) Ah naps. :) I just finished working my Pampered Chef business and writing my thank you notes and now I'm going to go put my feet up and rest before going to sleep. Remember that to do list I had a few days back? Well, the thank you notes, labor music and car seat inspection are all done. The only thing left is the baby announcement envelopes. I may work on those this week. Or I may not. :) Now, the only thing left is to clean the house before the baby comes. Anybody want to volunteer to come do that for me, I mean help me do that? :) So, we're ready baby - anytime you are!

Also, I put up a new album- it's labeled nursery. I wonder what's in there! Yep, it's pictures of the nursery. What do you think?

38 week appointment update:

- Weight is up another 6 pounds in 1 week - Yes my doctor is concerned. My blood pressure was fine and they didn't mention anything about protein in my urine so at this point I only have a lot of swelling. However, if I start to notice any vision problems or headaches, I'm to go to the clinic right away or if it's after hours, I'm to go to Labor Assessment at the hospital. I could develop toxemia (pre-eclampsia) which can very harmful to me and the baby and could even lead to death if not treated. I'm also supposed to weigh myself daily from now on and if I see an unexplained jump in my weight (3-4 pounds overnight for example) then I'm to be seen right away as well. I told her I've been drinking water like a fish lately and she said that at this point, that's not going to help. All I'm doing is replenishing the water in my ankles (and hands and legs and...). The swelling is not going to go down until I deliver and even then it may take weeks for it all to go away. Fun times!

- Baby's heartbeat was strong and easy to find. Once again, our "get out of my space" baby moved away from the doppler so we had to refind it. Stinker. That is going to be her first nickname, I'm sure.

- I'm a tight 1cm dilated. Cervix is very soft. Baby's head is way down there right on it. I could go into labor at any time or I could hold on for weeks yet. It's all a waiting game at this point.

Other things:
- Kris and I opened up our stroller last night. It took Kris only a few minutes to put it together. We both love it! It's a Schwinn jogging stroller and it has all these cool compartments, a cooler bag (Kris calls it his man-bag) , a rain tent that cover the stroller (and it stores right in the canopy!), etc. Anyway, we like it. :)

- We got the car seat inspected in Kris's car last night. It just barely fits! The passenger seat has to be all the way forward and upright for the car seat to fit in the back. That car is now officially our parent/child or parent/parent car but it will never be our parent/parent/child car! Good thing we have the Blazer too. Of course, if we had known last September that we were going to get pregnant 3 months later, we probably would not have bought out his lease on that car but instead traded it in for the Endeavor that we test drove. Oh well. Hindsight is always 20/20. We can't afford to trade it in now so it will just have to do for a bit longer. Besides, Kris likes his car and would be sad to have to give it up. As long as we have the Blazer, we'll be fine.

That's it. Nothing else new to report.

Unless something changes drastically, I don't think we'll be having a baby today. This is a good thing because Kris's brother and cousin both have birthdays today! Happy Birthday Dusty and Seth! Back when we announced our pregnancy, one of the first things Kris's brother said was "not on my birthday!" Good baby for listening to Uncle Dusty. :)

This afternoon my mom and I are getting massages. I'm also getting a manicure. I can't wait! Then, Mom's coming over to see the nursery. After that I'll take pictures of it to post here. Look for those in the next couple days!

Yep, still here and pregnant. I talked with my Mom this morning and she said she was going to call me every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to see how I was doing and to tell me to take it easy and put my feet up. While that made me giggle, I also realize I'm in for a lot of phone calls the next few weeks. I told my mom that I will be calling her when "the time" comes and Kris and I are heading to the hospital. I'll also be calling my dad, Kris's parents and probably my sister. Not that all these people need to drop everything and go to the hospital - we'll call them again ASAP after the baby is born, but you know, they might want to know what's going on. If I can, I will also post a short note here, saying that we're heading to the hospital. Don't count on it though as things can change at a moment's notice. And if it's 3am and my water breaks, I'm not going to turn the computer on to post a note - that just seems silly.

Well, the baby's room is almost complete! I have a picture that I'd like to hang and maybe a shelf but that's about it. All the necessary stuff has been washed and put away. Kris got out the baby bathtub yesterday and washed that - it's a loaner from his parents - Kris was washed in this tub as an infant! We have diapers, wipes, onesies, receiving blankets, the car seat installed, the hospital bag packed (except for last minute items and music), etc. I think we might actually be ready - well at least in the physical sense! My to-do list is getting shorter and shorter.

Things left to do are:

Finish shower thank you notes
Have car seat inspected in Kris's car (Wednesday appt)
Make CD for hospital (low priority since I could just grab all my favorites CDs and be fine)
Start addressing birth announcement envelopes - I heard this is a good thing to do before the baby gets here - again not necessary

And that's it! Of course I'd also like the house to be clean - but I'll wait until that nesting thing hits. It's presentable now - but a good cleaning would do it good.

So - you can start sending me "go into labor" vibes any time now. Kris would like it to be this week since his team has a bye this week! :) Yeah honey, I'll let the baby know! His next game is the 28th and then the 4th and then they have two weeks off in a row before they have another game on the 25th. I'm guessing the baby will come during the next bye weeks, not this one!

I posted 3 new pictures this morning of me at 37 weeks pregnant. You can check those out by clicking on the bunny above.

At lunch today, I went to visit Michelle and Brianna. What a tiny little peanut Brianna is! She's definitely a cutie though and a strong fighter. Go Brianna Grow!

And that's all that's new around here. Have a great weekend everyone!

37 week appointment update - may be TMI for some:

1 - I am group B strep positive which means I will have to have an IV with antibiotics during labor. Since I am allergic to penicillin and that was noted on my chart, they ran the culture to see which medications I could take. It turns out the strain I have is resistant to penicillin anyway. They've identified the proper antibiotic and wrote it on my chart.

2 - My blood pressure was excellent (116/70), urine was fine and weight held steady from last week. I'm still up 40 pounds and you're supposed to be between 25-35 but the doctors aren't concerned about that and neither am I.

3 - Baby's heartbeat was wonderful. Baby had the hiccups while she was trying to listen to it so of course there was static and stuff. It was pretty funny. And when the doctor (actually a certified nurse practitioner) was measuring my tummy, she put her hand up towards the top and the baby kicked it away. Our baby doesn't really like people invading her space. I'll do that sometimes to get her to move. I'll simply sit in a chair and put my hands on the top of my stomach and she'll kick me or move away from me. Stinker.

4 - Internal check - Here's the TMI part - I've definitely dropped as baby's head is very low which is good. Those Braxton Hicks contractions and the low back ache and mild menstrual-like cramping (I've had the back ache and cramping since Monday) are all doing some good. She said my cervix is very soft and around the middle of where it should be (it's not anterior or posterior but in the middle position wise). She could stick the tip of her finger in my cervix but she wouldn't call me dilated yet because the inside of my cervix (close to baby) is still hard and closed. She said I was maybe 30% effaced though. (That's the thinning of the cervix.)

So, that's it I think. Everything is progressing as normal.

My hopsital bag is packed except for last minute items (toothbrush, cell phone, etc.). Tonight I plan on washing baby stuff, writing thank you notes and some other last minute things.

Kris is going to be out of town tomorrow night and Saturday so everyone think "keep baby in" thoughts until at least Sunday. He's not going to be too far away - but far enough that I don't want to go into labor this weekend.

First - Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary Dale & Lona!

Wow! What a weekend! It was nonstop for me with two baby showers, a Vixen football game, dinner with Kris's family and lots of driving! I am so wore out. I have been exhausted all day. I was going to get so much stuff done tonight (thank you notes written, laundry done, shower presents put away, etc.) but instead I think I might just sit on my butt and do nothing - with my feet up. :) Both showers were so nice. We received lots of nice gifts again. My family (both my mom's and dad's sides) are so great. I think we have all that we need before this little one arrives. I'm going to go through both registries now and make sure I'm not forgetting something.

I had my 36 week appointment this morning. There was some protein in my urine but not enough to be concerned about. My blood pressure was good but my weight was up 6 pounds in two weeks. I'm convinced that's mostly water weight because my eating has been normal but I've been swelling in my hands and from my knees to my toes. Yes, even my toes are swelling! I need to be diligent about my water intake and make sure I put my feet up at least a little bit during the day. The doctor also did the group B strep test (which was uncomfortable) and then checked my cervix. I'm not dilated at all but the outside of my cervix is starting to soften. The inside (by the baby) is still hard and closed. The doctor also said the baby is definitely head down and right on my cervix. Good baby! Now stay that way! :) I told the doctor that I'd been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions (on Saturday they were even 15 minutes apart for a while) and he said that if they turned in to real labor, they'd let me go. So, while unrealistic, we could have this baby at any time. Saying that, I fully believe this baby will have a September birthday. So, that's it. I go back in next Thursday morning and they'll tell me my Group B strep results then.

We had our last childbirth class on Saturday along with the hospital tour. I'm really liking our hospital. The labor and delivery rooms are huge and have a fold out chair (for Dad to sleep on), a bed, a rocking chair, a full bathroom with jacuzzi tub along with a sink and the "inspection station" for baby. The baby never has to leave the room because they can weigh, measure, inject, etc. right in the room. Each room also has a radio with CD player. They just remodeled the hospital 2 or 3 years ago and everything is so nice! What was really cool was all the technology they use. Each nurse wears a monitor so they can be tracked. This means that if I want nurse Catherine (our childbirth educator), we can call and ask for her and instead of them hunting her down, they know exactly where she is and can tell her that I need her. Also, each nurse wears a device that has a panic button it. So, if something was going wrong, instead of having to leave to find help, the nurse can call all staff (nurses, doctors, etc.) right to our room without having to leave. Also, all the monitoring is done by telemetry. This means that when I'm hooked up to a monitor (about 15 minutes every 1-2 hours), the output (contraction frequency and strength along with baby's heartbeat) can be seen from any labor and delivery room or nurses station. It's all connected. They can even make notes, like an electronic chart right on the computer. Yay for technology! We also saw the Labor Assessment area. This is where I would go upon arriving at the hospital. Here they check to see if my water has broken (unless I'm puddling, of course!), see how much I'm dilated, hook me up to monitor contractions, etc. If I'm not in true labor, they'd send me home and if I was, they'd move me to a labor and delivery room. The last rooms we checked out were the recovery rooms. They are down a different hallway from the labor and delivery rooms which is nice. I don't want my sleep disturbed by a screaming in labor woman! I only want it interrupted by my baby. :) Those rooms are really nice too though. They're a bit smaller but still have the fold out chair for Dad to sleep on and each has it's own full bathroom. I leaned over at one point during the tour and told Kris it will be like giving birth at the Hilton instead of the Super 8! :)

The rest of class was spent learning about (and watching) a cesarean delivery. We also learned how to swaddle a newborn, saw lots of pictures of newborns to know what looks normal/abnormal and what the nurses are looking for when they check the baby after delivery. It was pretty informative and now we know what to expect before, during and after delivery.

Tonight I have a breastfeeding class. That should be interesting. Next week we have a "Caring for Your Newborn" class and an "Infant and Child CPR" class. After that all the classes will be done. By Thursday, I'll have my birth plan written (in time for my next doctor appt) and my hospital bag packed. We're getting down to the end! Yes, I know that she may not arrive until the first or second week of September which is still pretty far away, but she could arrive the second week of August (I'd be full term then) and I must be prepared! It's just my personality! I must, must, must! If I'm not, I'll be totally stressed out.