40 week appt

Well, it's done, we scheduled an induction.

The ultrasound went well, the amniotic fluid level is good, the weight guesstimate is 8 lb 9 oz (yikes!!) He was moving around a lot too. They hooked me up to the monitors to check his heartbeat and uterine activity, and he kicked one the monitors off! He's hilarious...

Anyways, we're inducing on Thursday morning. We have to be at the hospital by 7:30 am to get things started. I still have a little hope that he'll get the show started on his own, since we have a little progress: 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced. But we shall see.

Please send your vibes so he gets things moving before Thursday, that would be the best option.

One way or another, Lovebug will be here on Thursday. January 28 it is...

Appt day

We have our 40 week appt today. I'm looking forward to the drive after all that snow Flagstaff got last week!

We have an ultrasound to check on Lovebug and decide our next step. We'll schedule an induction just in case he continues to resist leaving the comfort of his current home, but we haven't decided for when. The ultrasound will hopefully provide some answers and we'll decide based on that. Our doctor definitely doesn't want to go past 41 weeks, so the induction will be on Monday at the latest, but could be sooner.

We hope to be back home around 3 pm MST, and we'll update you then.

At least we get to see Lovebug today!!

Estimated Due Date

The day is here, it's our due date. And no, I feel no different than I did 4 weeks ago. Well, that's not entirely true, I do feel like I'm 40 weeks pregnant. Josh even said he's made the decision that we will induce this week, cause he can't take my craziness for another week! Silly goose...

My new thing is that I sleep like a rock, until I have to wake up to go to the bathroom. But after that, my mind goes into overdrive and it takes me forever to go back to sleep, if I do at all. I start thinking about induction, should we, shouldn't we? What about the risks, is it really that bad to induce? Can we wait another week? Is there any chance there'll be any progress by tomorrow? Any chance Lovebug will come on his own?

Then I think maybe Lovebug is waiting for me to do something, something very specific, what would that be? A playlist for labor? Finish my crochet project? Perhaps our yearly photo album, or some cleaning? None of which I really feel like doing right now, the only thing I really feel like doing is go into labor. Yes, I'm at the point where I wish for painful contractions!

Turns out he's more like his mother than I would like (I was a couple days late being born as well)... And for those of you that entered a guess for Lovebug's birth day, only 7 contestants remain with any chance to win. Check it out HERE

Anyways, we have our weekly appt tomorrow and we'll come back with some decisions made. We'll schedule an induction for sure, the question is for when. We'll keep you posted.

First Date Anniversary

Two years ago, Josh and I had our first date. We didn't call it a date, it was more of a 3-day visit, haha, but it turned out so well that by the time he drove back to Tucson, we were officially a couple.


Who would've thought we would be anxiously awaiting the birth of our first son 2 years later?? (Baby, I love you, and I love this ride we're on. You're the best!)


Anyways... The thing that's getting to me now is the weight. It's such a task to get up and stand up, and I wake up everytime I move at night. I know I'm not that big, but I'm carrying 40 extra pounds around, and I'm not used to it! I've never been this heavy. Heck, I think I was as heavy as I'd ever been before getting pregnant. It's no fun, and it's gotten old now.

That's it. Everything else, I'm still ok with. Even with the swollen feet, I try not to let them get too bad by laying down more often (and who doesn't like that!) But the extra weight... I'm so over it. I think now it's time to get labor started. So come on, Lovebug, the roads are open, you can start any time now! Come on, mommy and daddy want to meet you, and mommy wants to lose a few pounds!

I've been having BH contractions for over 12 hours now, but nothing exciting, just the same old contractions. Two more days to our due date. Lovebug is almost here!

Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes and cards!

39 weeks

And here I am:

We had our weekly doctor's appt yesterday, and surprisingly enough I actually lost a couple of pounds! Well, not surprisingly, really, it's very normal to loose some weight close to the end. And it's mostly that I'm not retaining as much liquid as I was. The belly's actually a bit bigger than last week, see?

So here's the scoop: there's still no progress. We're still 5 days away from our due date, so there's still plenty of time. We do have an ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday, just to make sure Lovebug is still doing well in there and he has enough amniotic fluid. If that's the case, we're going to give him another week before taking action. Our doctor will allow us to go up to 41 weeks, and if labor hasn't started on its own by then, we'll induce. So Lovebug will be here by February 2nd at the latest!

We're still keeping our fingers crossed so we don't make it that far, but that's the way things will go if nothing else happens before. We'll keep you posted!

Oh, by the way: Ana, Kristen, Lorelai, Laure and Mom: you guessed wrong! Follow the LINK to see who's still in the competition!

Dreams... ??

I'm not sure if I've been dreaming it or not, but the previous 3 nights I've been falling asleep with BH contractions, and then I dream about them. I dream I'm having them, I feel them in my dream. But I'm not sure if it's just a dream, or if I'm actually having them, and hence they end up in my dream. Very strange...

Also 2 nights ago, I dreamt that Lovebug had sent me a note. Yup, an actual note, a piece of paper with words written in it. It basically said not to worry, that he was waiting to be closer to his due date. I'm sure it's just part of my own brain washing to be patient, not an actual message from Lovebug! But it was still part of this strange dream phase I'm going through.

Last night though, I was certainly not dreaming. We went to bed, as usual, and I was reading, as usual, and as usual I was having a few BH contractions, very mild. But they started progressing and they actually got painful. Not labor-painful, more like cramps, and basically located in my lower belly, and radiating to my lower back (though still more painful in my belly). It was almost as if someone was grabbing me under the (now gone) waist. I fell asleep feeling like that still, and I dreamt about it all night. When I woke up at 1:30 am to go to the bathroom, it was still very close in intensity, but when I woke up this morning it had dialed down and it was more like my regular BH contractions. I'm still having a few and I feel sore, but it's not painful.

I think Lovebug chickened out. He was very low last night, and pretty much on my right side, and this morning he was all the way up near my ribs. Weird...

Yesterday afternoon he was putting on a show. I've been having these amazing milkshakes with banana, oatmeal and chocolate for snacks, and yesterday he was really enjoying it. So I recorded it. You'll see what I mean when I say he seems to have plenty of space still, he's a little break dancer! I dare you to guess which body parts you're looking at. I will say that he has been head down for weeks now, that might help you guess. And take a look at the lower right corner (first few seconds), there's some action going on there.




We're in single digits today: 9 days to go! That's not long at all...

38 weeks

I look about the same if you ask me...


Yesterday was another contraction fest. Braxton Hicks, but regular and constant. It's a little frustrating to have all those contractions and actually feel sore from them, and have no progress at all. But like Josh says, they call it a due date for a reason, and we still have 12 days to go.

Lovebug doesn't seem to like contractions at all. He's always fighting them! He stretches, so I'll feel my round uterus contracting, but I can see Lovebug's foot coming out on the side, or just pushing his butt out. I imagine it's not comfortable to be squeezed like that, but he fights it 85% of the time. And you would think he's running out of space in there, but the way he moves and stretches, I'm not sure he's too cramped in there.

Finally, this is how I felt this morning:
Swollen. That is all.

Doctor's appt

We had our week 38 appt today. Unforturnately, there's nothing new to report. Things are looking well, I only gained 2 lbs (which is great after the 6 lbs of last week), heartbeat is strong, and we have our next appt next Tuesday.

I've been having BH contractions all day, but since there's no progress whatsoever, we know they're just practice, just like last time.

I have to say I love our doctor, he's very encouraging. I guess he has dealt with many anxious pregnant ladies, so he tells us stories about ladies that went into labor that week, and how it was all of the sudden and quick, so it could happen and we just have to wait. He's sweet like that.

It's all good, maybe Lovebug is actually waiting to be born on our first date anniversary. How sweet would that be? :)

14 days

Only fourteen days until our due date! I must admit, last week's contraction fest got me all fired up and anxious to meet Lovebug, but I really can't complain about the pregnancy. I'm still doing very well, especially for 38 weeks. At this point I'm kinda used to the stuffy nose, the swollen feet and achy hands, the constant trips to the bathroom, the difficulty of movement.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be glad to have things go back to normal, but at this point I'm still not miserable, and that's always a good thing. So if Lovebug waits the whole 2 weeks before making an appearance, that'll be fine. Josh begs to differ, he would prefer Lovebug to be here sooner rather than later, but I have a feeling we'll be at exactly the same point at tomorrow's appt: no progress. But we shall see...

On other news, we finally got all of our cloth diapers! We spent a whole day washing and drying our diapers to make them absorbent, and now they're ready for Lovebug's little rump. I'll try to get some pictures. But if I don't, you'll see them in use soon enough :)

I also started a little crochet project. I'm making a diaper cover out of wool, which is a fantastic natural fiber that absorbs 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp, and it's breathable and insulating. I figured I have two weeks to finish it. Though I have to wait a couple of hours before starting to crochet so my hands work properly again, I have time to kill since mostly everything is ready for Lovebug. Sure, I could spend a lot more time cleaning and whatnot, but at this point I just feel like relaxing. Hey, I only have ~2 weeks before chaos!

After last week's 6 lbs weight gain, I decided not to bake this week. And I did pretty well, until yesterday. Well, a girl needs something to snack on! And I thought a carrot cake was the perfect answer: comforting bread with delicious cream cheese frosting, with hidden veggies (carrots) and nuts (pecans). That's like a perfectly balanced snack!! I even used less sugar for the frosting to make it healthier, and it's even better, because you can taste the cream cheese a lot more. Yeah, I love my carrot cake!

I'll update tomorrow after our doctor's appt. Cross your fingers so there's some (any!) progress!

37 weeks!

I really don't see those 6 pounds in the pic... I think I look exactly the same.

Unless Lovebug is late, we only have 2 more belly pics to post. Isn't that exciting??

Our very first false alarm

That was exciting! First let me tell you we didn't really think that was it, but we sure didn't like not being packed and prepared! And it was a bit of a reality check: we'll be definitely coming home with a baby in about 19 days. Wow!

So 2 nights ago we went to bed a bit before 9 pm, as usual. We were laying down reading and I started noticing I was having contractions. This is not new, I get them regularly, some days more than others. They're called Braxton-Hicks (BH) or practice contractions, not really painful, it just feels tight. In fact, sometimes I don't even notice them or I can't be completely sure I'm having one unless I lay down and feel my belly (it gets hard and pointy).

So we kept on reading, and suddenly I was having another one, and another one. After having several in half hour, we decided to time them. As it turns out they were very regular, about 5 minutes apart. You're supposed to head to the hospital if your contractions are regular, painful and 5 minutes apart. They were not painful, but we were intrigued by the closeness of them.

There are a couple of things you're supposed to do if you start getting contractions like that, that will slow them down or stop them (if they're not real labor). You're supposed to drink water and lay on your left side. This is because dehydration can trigger contractions, and laying on your left side improves circulation, which often helps. So I did. I doubt I was dehydrated, since I was getting up to use the bathroom every 10 minutes. And laying on my left side didn't do it either, as they were still 5 minutes apart.

In the meantime, Josh was packing away everything we would need to head to the hospital. He packed clothes for the three of us, toiletries, the iPod, etc. After half hour laying on my side with no changes, we decided to call the doctor's office just to check. The doctor called us back and said to just go to sleep and forget about them, unless they started getting stronger. We had an appointment with him the next day, so we knew we would get some answers then. And we were packed, just in case.

So we tried to go to sleep, and I couldn't. Probably because I was having so many contractions, but they were getting a little bit stronger. At first they were painless, then I started feeling sore. By the time I was trying to sleep, I was feeling crampy. I just couldn't sleep, so I got up and played on the computer for a while. Sitting actually helped, as I'm sure did getting distracted by the interwebs. I was still having contractions but eventually they seemed a little further apart, and they were back to just feeling tight. Finally I went to bed at 1 am. When I woke up at 3 am to go to the bathroom I was still having contractions, but I was able to sleep through them (though I was feeling them in my dreams). And by the time we woke up that morning, all was back to normal. So it went on for at least 6 hours.

Later we headed to our OBGYN's office for our appointment, but as it turns out, our doctor was called into the hospital, so we were told to come back at 1:30 pm. We had three hours to waste before our appt. We did a good job at it, actually, but as we were walking around I started getting contractions again, same thing. Not as regular, but eventually reaching the same level of discomfort: cramp-like. Unlike the ones I was having the previous night, this time they were influenced by my position, and they would space out or just go away if I was sitting. But still, they were there. Until the time for our appt. Once we were in the office, I only had one. Weird how just being there changed the pattern (not that there was much of a pattern, but you know what I mean).

Long story short, things are looking well for 37 weeks. Blood pressure is good, though I did gain an astonishing 6 lbs in one week. Eeeeeekkk! That's like one pound per day (damn you, donuts!). But Lovebug put on some of that weight it seems, so that's good. Also, there's no progress whatsoever in dilation. We have our next appt in a week, I hope we'll see some minimal progress by then. But then again, Lovebug will come whenever he's ready, and I just have to deal with it. I just wish he would minimize the teasing!

All in all, we're better prepared now: we know what needs to be packed and what we need to do before (like install the car seat), and we know what a false alarm is, so we won't fall for it again. And the truth be told, it was really exciting! Quite the adrenaline rush!

Happy New Year!

I thought maybe I would do my list of resolutions and post them today, but then I realized something: who knows how life will change once Lovebug is here!

So, my only resolution is to be a decent mom. Anything above that will be a plus.

Of course I have ideas of what I would like out of this year, but I don't want to fool myself, or restrict myself, by typing them out. This year I'll go with the flow, and let our life with Lovebug determine how things move along.

With that, we wish you all a very happy and successful 2010! And we hope you find yourself laughing like a kid at least once a month, just cause we think that's the best!