I've been to L&D twice now, both false alarms.
I went to my doctor's office to get monitored once. False alarm.
My contractions like to kick up in the evening and go all night and into the morning. They seem to be growing stronger each evening, but not strong enough.
I'm 3 to 4 cm. That sounds like rather significant, but I really can walk around like this till my due date. It doesn't really mean a thing (but that's a few less I have to wait around for the DAY OF).
I'm just particularly cautious because I have this feeling that once my water breaks or I'm having screaming-pain contractions that it's going to go quick. The hospital is close, but it takes time to coordinate with care-givers for the kids. I don't really want to walk into the hospital crowning, you know? (My MIL told me that when she about to deliver her daughter a woman walked in crowning.) So, it does happen! I want to walk in, have some time to get settled in calmly, and be of sound mind (well, as sound as my mind gets). Rushing in there and dropping a baby just seems less than ideal.
Ran around with my SIL today. Hit up lots of stores but didn't do any crazy shopping. Bought only what I intended - pjs and a super-cheap pair of swim trunks for Bean, picture frames for a specific decor arrangement above the loveseat, exchanged an (ugly) outfit at a fancy baby boutique for three little bows (and I still had to pay $2), and then did a bit of stocking up at Target (diapers, wipes, breastmilk bags). Quite uneventful really, but it was nice to have supportive company for a change. The boys are anything but supportive when going into a store.
The boys have been spending a lot of time with their grandparents and aunt. A nice break! A much needed break! They enjoy them ... I am ready to kill them (not REALLY kill them, but you know what I mean).
They brought some baby items, including lots of clothes and a restored rocking cradle, and some items from my husband's grandma's house. We have some cool things that his grandpa made and a picture of his grandpa as a young guy on an Indian motorcycle. It actually looks a lot like my husband (except my husband doesn't have a motorcycle). Also some afghans knitted by a 100-year-old "pretty neat lady" (a great aunt). Add these to the pile of afghans from a couple of my great-grandmothers. We clearly live in the wrong place to own so many afghans! But they do help with fort-building :)
Husband and I are once again involved with our church's largest fundraiser - had out first meeting tonight. Bigger and better this year! I get to design all the paper and promotional items, even a logo! I really enjoy doing this sort of thing - feels good to use my brain in a direction that is completely free of children and household responsibilities.
We had a great Mexican dinner thanks to my in-laws. Maybe the spice will kick me into labor! Fingers crossed.
Also, I love Angry Birds. We might name the baby Angry Bird. That or iPad.
8.26.2011
8.22.2011
More False Labor
I didn't sleep Saturday night. Not at all. I had steady contractions ... but not REAL contractions. No dilation. No water breaking. Nothing. Just pains for the fun of it. All night. Actually, most the day every day for nearly a week now.
The boys didn't do this.
The nurses laugh and say, "It's because you're having a girl this time."
The first time I went in, they asked a series of questions regarding my previous pregnancies and this pregnancy. They asked if I was going to have my tubes tied after this delivery. I said no. I'm very seriously thinking about changing my answer to yes.
This baby clearly wants to be the last child I birth.
When she older and whines about not having a sister, I will tell her it is all her fault: "You were a terrible fetus!"
And when she is older and crying because of false labor pains, I will cackle and say, "Sweet revenge, my pretty!"
OK, I probably won't say that last thing, but if the lack of another baby is ever brought up, I will tell her just how awful this pregnancy has been. It could be worse, of course, but it could be so much better!
Our plan (Husband and I) is to make a permanent decision regarding "having more kids" when this one is 2.5 years old (that is typically when "baby fever" starts to stir up - we want to see where we're at then before making a final decision, but we are very, very strongly leaning towards WE ARE DONE). I always wanted to shutdown at 30 anyway. BUT I'd rather wait and decide than decide and regret.
My in-laws arrive Wednesday. They are making their way through Texas now. I don't envy that drive. Texas is a big state. You can go wide stretches without a single change in scenery. It almost makes flying seem appealing (minus the civil rights intrusions and TSA ridiculousness, and the waiting, etc.).
The boys didn't do this.
The nurses laugh and say, "It's because you're having a girl this time."
The first time I went in, they asked a series of questions regarding my previous pregnancies and this pregnancy. They asked if I was going to have my tubes tied after this delivery. I said no. I'm very seriously thinking about changing my answer to yes.
This baby clearly wants to be the last child I birth.
When she older and whines about not having a sister, I will tell her it is all her fault: "You were a terrible fetus!"
And when she is older and crying because of false labor pains, I will cackle and say, "Sweet revenge, my pretty!"
OK, I probably won't say that last thing, but if the lack of another baby is ever brought up, I will tell her just how awful this pregnancy has been. It could be worse, of course, but it could be so much better!
Our plan (Husband and I) is to make a permanent decision regarding "having more kids" when this one is 2.5 years old (that is typically when "baby fever" starts to stir up - we want to see where we're at then before making a final decision, but we are very, very strongly leaning towards WE ARE DONE). I always wanted to shutdown at 30 anyway. BUT I'd rather wait and decide than decide and regret.
My in-laws arrive Wednesday. They are making their way through Texas now. I don't envy that drive. Texas is a big state. You can go wide stretches without a single change in scenery. It almost makes flying seem appealing (minus the civil rights intrusions and TSA ridiculousness, and the waiting, etc.).
8.17.2011
It took three pregnancies ...
But I finally succumbed to the "false alarm."
After a night of - what I felt like - were steady contractions, Husband and I headed to the hospital. In my previous two pregnancies, my water broke. In my first, I didn't feel ANY contractions till they introduced their evil contraction-inducing drug. In my second, it was an hour before I felt them (but, obviously, with my water broke, I didn't need to count them). So, this whole "counting contractions" thing is new to me. And what a "real" one feels like versus a "practice" one is also new (as I never had Braxton Hicks, a.k.a. practice contractions with my other two).
I was also having some other mild symptoms - nausea (but I'm always sort of nauseated, so who knows) and my body, umm, behaving in a way that it was trying to "clear out" everything. I also just felt a bit off.
It wasn't NOTHING - I had most every symptom for pre-term labor. But they weren't strong enough or consistent enough to warrant keeping me in the hospital. She dropped a bit, and I dilated a bit while under observation but another hour of observation found no progress (and she'd actually shifted herself UP again ... thanks).
They sent me home with pre-term labor instructions and told me to relax. That's SO EASY to do at my house, I asked if I could just please stay there! Nope. I asked for tranquilizers for my boys. Nope.
Things felt a bit more normal this morning. I went to my scheduled OB appointment. She confirmed that 2/3cm dilation and that the baby was still "up." The monitor showed a couple contractions at first but then nothing. That's how it felt.
In the last three hours, though, it feels like things have kicked up again, but you better believe I am not going to that hospital till I can't talk through the contractions OR my water breaks. I will not be fooled twice.
I am 36 weeks tomorrow. I'm told that I can have the baby any minute now ... or not for another week or two. Mother Nature has no fixed schedule, clearly.
After a night of - what I felt like - were steady contractions, Husband and I headed to the hospital. In my previous two pregnancies, my water broke. In my first, I didn't feel ANY contractions till they introduced their evil contraction-inducing drug. In my second, it was an hour before I felt them (but, obviously, with my water broke, I didn't need to count them). So, this whole "counting contractions" thing is new to me. And what a "real" one feels like versus a "practice" one is also new (as I never had Braxton Hicks, a.k.a. practice contractions with my other two).
I was also having some other mild symptoms - nausea (but I'm always sort of nauseated, so who knows) and my body, umm, behaving in a way that it was trying to "clear out" everything. I also just felt a bit off.
It wasn't NOTHING - I had most every symptom for pre-term labor. But they weren't strong enough or consistent enough to warrant keeping me in the hospital. She dropped a bit, and I dilated a bit while under observation but another hour of observation found no progress (and she'd actually shifted herself UP again ... thanks).
They sent me home with pre-term labor instructions and told me to relax. That's SO EASY to do at my house, I asked if I could just please stay there! Nope. I asked for tranquilizers for my boys. Nope.
Things felt a bit more normal this morning. I went to my scheduled OB appointment. She confirmed that 2/3cm dilation and that the baby was still "up." The monitor showed a couple contractions at first but then nothing. That's how it felt.
In the last three hours, though, it feels like things have kicked up again, but you better believe I am not going to that hospital till I can't talk through the contractions OR my water breaks. I will not be fooled twice.
I am 36 weeks tomorrow. I'm told that I can have the baby any minute now ... or not for another week or two. Mother Nature has no fixed schedule, clearly.
8.11.2011
I'd Rather Be Nesting
Baby
I had a baby shower! It was beautiful and fun and other people took pictures, so I don't have any. A lot of the decorations are still up, so I could go around and take a few shots of them ... but that would require moving.
My last doctor's appointment revealed that I'm 2cm dilated and 50-percent effaced. Of course, one CAN walk around like this for a full month before giving birth. I suspect, as does my doctor, that I won't make it to 40 weeks, though. August 25 marks 37 weeks (which is "technically" full-term) and September 1 marks 38 weeks (which more and more OB professionals are considering full-term). So, I'm thinking three more weeks at most. I hope.
I am nauseous and throwing up again. I am even on my meds. Nausea can be an early labor symptom for some women. I don't recall having it before, but pregnancies can be different.
I don't feel or look like I've dropped, but this pregnancy never seemed to restrict my breathing the same way the other two did. Her head is in place. I'm pretty sure the only way to drop is to exit.
We are still building a name. I thought Husband and I reached a compromise, but he was disagreeable about it the next day. So I told him that she gets his last name and she's coming out of my body (except I said vagina), so I'll ultimately just name her what I want. What? I'm going to labor and push and then he's going to tell me NO? I don't think so.
Moose
I enrolled Moose in pre-school today! Five days a week and three hours a day. It's a church-run pre-school (Methodist) but works with the local school district to provide speech therapy for kids who need it. This means it's a one-stop-shop. I won't have to have separate dates, times, and locations for his speech. I think the schooling will also help his speech and social skills. Also, Bean and I need some time away from him to be productive with Bean's schooling. It's hard to let go of Baby Moose, but I really think this is best for the whole family. There is a reason the school still had a spot available and reason they're familiar with speech delays. We discussed his delayed potty-training and they're willing to work with us. Worse case, they'll ask us to keep him home for a week or two (but since it's just a three-hour stretch, they suspect it won't be that big of a deal). They offer extended care (another two hours) and suggested not taking advantage of that till he's full potty-trained. Very reasonable, in my opinion. He starts August 31. I can't believe my sweet baby will be in real school.
He also got a haircut. I'm talkin' you can see his ears and neck!
Bean
We've been doing school for about three weeks now. Moose has been home that last week and a half, and that's been a disaster - he is VERY distracting. All that said, the Language Arts and Math stuff is going very well. I think I'll set up a more formal schedule when Moose starts pre-school.
Once his karate commitment wraps up (September, I think), I think we're going to try swimming. There is a swim school that has an indoor pool and year-round lessons and twice-monthly family open swims. It's a bit pricey (slightly more than karate), but I think learning to swim is a pretty essential skill and worth the investment. We might send Moose too, especially if they can go at the same time (different classes due to different ages, obviously).
Bean's hair is super short, and he loves it.
I had a baby shower! It was beautiful and fun and other people took pictures, so I don't have any. A lot of the decorations are still up, so I could go around and take a few shots of them ... but that would require moving.
My last doctor's appointment revealed that I'm 2cm dilated and 50-percent effaced. Of course, one CAN walk around like this for a full month before giving birth. I suspect, as does my doctor, that I won't make it to 40 weeks, though. August 25 marks 37 weeks (which is "technically" full-term) and September 1 marks 38 weeks (which more and more OB professionals are considering full-term). So, I'm thinking three more weeks at most. I hope.
I am nauseous and throwing up again. I am even on my meds. Nausea can be an early labor symptom for some women. I don't recall having it before, but pregnancies can be different.
I don't feel or look like I've dropped, but this pregnancy never seemed to restrict my breathing the same way the other two did. Her head is in place. I'm pretty sure the only way to drop is to exit.
We are still building a name. I thought Husband and I reached a compromise, but he was disagreeable about it the next day. So I told him that she gets his last name and she's coming out of my body (except I said vagina), so I'll ultimately just name her what I want. What? I'm going to labor and push and then he's going to tell me NO? I don't think so.
Moose
I enrolled Moose in pre-school today! Five days a week and three hours a day. It's a church-run pre-school (Methodist) but works with the local school district to provide speech therapy for kids who need it. This means it's a one-stop-shop. I won't have to have separate dates, times, and locations for his speech. I think the schooling will also help his speech and social skills. Also, Bean and I need some time away from him to be productive with Bean's schooling. It's hard to let go of Baby Moose, but I really think this is best for the whole family. There is a reason the school still had a spot available and reason they're familiar with speech delays. We discussed his delayed potty-training and they're willing to work with us. Worse case, they'll ask us to keep him home for a week or two (but since it's just a three-hour stretch, they suspect it won't be that big of a deal). They offer extended care (another two hours) and suggested not taking advantage of that till he's full potty-trained. Very reasonable, in my opinion. He starts August 31. I can't believe my sweet baby will be in real school.
He also got a haircut. I'm talkin' you can see his ears and neck!
Bean
We've been doing school for about three weeks now. Moose has been home that last week and a half, and that's been a disaster - he is VERY distracting. All that said, the Language Arts and Math stuff is going very well. I think I'll set up a more formal schedule when Moose starts pre-school.
Once his karate commitment wraps up (September, I think), I think we're going to try swimming. There is a swim school that has an indoor pool and year-round lessons and twice-monthly family open swims. It's a bit pricey (slightly more than karate), but I think learning to swim is a pretty essential skill and worth the investment. We might send Moose too, especially if they can go at the same time (different classes due to different ages, obviously).
Bean's hair is super short, and he loves it.
8.02.2011
Doctor's Visit
I went for an unexpected doctor's appointment today. I called the office because I've been feeling very light-headed and dizzy for the last three days - just off. They had me come in and, of course, found nothing "clinically" wrong with me. "You probably just need more rest," the doctor said. I asked for a tranquilizer for my three year old. He didn't offer up anything.
My cervix is still totally closed - so no signs of anything exciting happening anytime too soon. I hit 37 weeks on August 25. Please, for my relief, think August 25!
Moose had his follow-up doctor's appointment today. The doctor ordered a blood draw and it took three lab techs to do the job. That was fun. Seems his speech referral will not be resolved prior to the baby being born. Annoying.
I ordered this today, along with the matching boa blanket.
Way more than I wanted to spend. Oh well.
My cervix is still totally closed - so no signs of anything exciting happening anytime too soon. I hit 37 weeks on August 25. Please, for my relief, think August 25!
Moose had his follow-up doctor's appointment today. The doctor ordered a blood draw and it took three lab techs to do the job. That was fun. Seems his speech referral will not be resolved prior to the baby being born. Annoying.
I ordered this today, along with the matching boa blanket.
Way more than I wanted to spend. Oh well.
7.29.2011
New Blog
I am also making some strides on the new blog, since I have to sit in my office till Moose falls asleep (so I can scream holler "LAY DOWN!" every time he opens the door). I am working on Wordpress ... which is so much less user-friendly than Blogger (but I think will be worth it in the long run).
Without a Paddle
When you don't know where to start, start with what's right in front of you.
Naturally, that's the garage ...
It's not, but that's where I started.
I moved things around, so I have a garage sale pile and Husband's tools and bike/stroller and lawn care in more recognizable piles. I also have more room to open car doors (very important).
I took a trunk full of stuff to Goodwill (stuff that wasn't worth making sense of to sell at the garage sale).
My neighbor yelled at me for unloading bags of mulch. The mulch weighs less than my 3 year old, so I don't see what the big deal is. Just wait till they see what I am lifting at 37 weeks ...
I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Everything is fine. I hate waiting around for three-minute appointments. Next week is my first cervical check, so it'll take all of five minutes.
It's hot. After 30 minutes in the garage, both boys decided to go inside. You know it's bad when the little one is happy to go inside.
I started "school" on Monday. It's going pretty smoothly. Since we are starting so early, I'm just focusing on Language Arts and Math for now. Bean seems to be enjoying it - he actually bugged me about "doing school" on Tuesday. I will say it is MUCH easier to do when Moose is not running around the house screaming.
Moose is screaming a lot lately.
Naturally, that's the garage ...
It's not, but that's where I started.
I moved things around, so I have a garage sale pile and Husband's tools and bike/stroller and lawn care in more recognizable piles. I also have more room to open car doors (very important).
I took a trunk full of stuff to Goodwill (stuff that wasn't worth making sense of to sell at the garage sale).
My neighbor yelled at me for unloading bags of mulch. The mulch weighs less than my 3 year old, so I don't see what the big deal is. Just wait till they see what I am lifting at 37 weeks ...
I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Everything is fine. I hate waiting around for three-minute appointments. Next week is my first cervical check, so it'll take all of five minutes.
It's hot. After 30 minutes in the garage, both boys decided to go inside. You know it's bad when the little one is happy to go inside.
I started "school" on Monday. It's going pretty smoothly. Since we are starting so early, I'm just focusing on Language Arts and Math for now. Bean seems to be enjoying it - he actually bugged me about "doing school" on Tuesday. I will say it is MUCH easier to do when Moose is not running around the house screaming.
Moose is screaming a lot lately.
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