We've got dilation!!!

Yesterday was my most recent doctor's appointment, and what an exciting one to have as I am now officially 1 cm dilated!!! The doctor was very happy about this and was smiling from ear to ear in the room. According to her, my cervix is paper thin, I am 1 cm dilated, and I managed to gain 1 pound this week (which was the goal)! The baby's heart beat remains active at 150 to 160 beats a minute. The doctor asked if I had eaten breakfast before coming. She then smiled and said that baby P must be loving the cereal I choose as she measured the heart beat. She joked about having a July baby, but then shook her head and said, "I don't think so, but call us if anything changes." Unfortunately for all the planners out there, like Jason and me, being 1 cm dilated does not give us any prediction on when we'll actually get to meet baby P. Could be this weekend or it could be in two weeks from now. We do know that we are moving in the right direction of labor. So exciting! The earliest birth prediction has been from my co-worker, Whitney, who believes that I will be calling out of work this upcoming Monday, August 1st. From there the predictions range from my best friend, Kirsten who has August 4th all the way to my parents and Jason's father who have predicted August 14th. I guess only time will tell, but we do know it's going to be soon!!! Yay!

38 Weeks and Dreading Sleep

So I've been told by several people that at a certain point in the pregnancy, I'll feel done with being pregnant and will want labor and delivery to begin....well, apparently that is oh so true and it hit at the 38 week point! I officially feel like a small hippo, am beginning to have contractions although not regular ones, and have discovered the uncomfortable truth that I am just not meant to get solid sleep from here on out. And now that I'm considered full term, the only thing that I can think of is how to get this little one out and into my arms!

Last Tuesday was probably the worst, with steady contractions and cramping happening during the evening while I was trying to relax and watch some TV. When I went to bed, things didn't get any better. I'm not sure if I was cramping in the middle of the night and the actual pain made its way into my dreams, or if because I was so focused on the pain before going to sleep, that the pain traveled into my dreams, but either way, Tuesday's dreams were filled with painful contractions and me thinking "this is it. We have to go to the hospital." I woke up two different times to go to the bathroom (that's also becoming much more regular in the middle of the night), and had such a difficult time going back to sleep. Getting up that next morning to face my teenagers was not pretty to say the least. I've now discovered a new way of sleeping, although it reminds me of a bowling alley with the kiddie bumpers up! ha :) I have my body pillow on the edge of the bed to my one side and another pillow in the middle of the bed on my other side, this way I am protected by pillows and do not turn as much during the night. The turning and flipping sides was beginning to hurt as it took so much effort just to flip from left side to right side and back again. Felt like I was straining some ligament or muscle. Now I only flip sides after I get up for the bathroom and return to sleep. Jason's being really supportive of this whole bed accommodation thing and isn't complaining....although I'm a bit nervous that if too much time passes, he'll be pushed off the bed and sleeping on the floor in no time! If anybody has any tips or suggestions on how to survive these last few weeks, I'd love to hear them!!

Me at 38 weeks in front of my newly planted sunflower garden

The Cats and Me are about to Fight...

So today I think I got a bit of the nesting instinct bug and decided I'd do some cleaning and picking up around the house.  I also thought that I'd make Amy a sunflower garden (she's always wanted one) out in our backyard so she'd have a nice place to relax while she's home with the baby.  After I finished I wanted to take some pictures, including some shots using the timer on the camera so we could both be in it.  Well, I sat the camera on the table outside and realized it wasn't high enough. Amy remembered that we had a box in the basement which would make the camera higher, so I took the camera inside, set it on the table and headed down to the basement to get the box.  Now, the cats had been meowing like crazy (mainly Peanut) because we had the back door open and they could see us out there but couldn't get to us.  When I came in Peanut was on the table (which he never is, should have known something would happen when I saw that) and hopped off right away.  Well, when I started going down the stairs I heard a sound that sounded very much like a small plastic box hitting the floor.  Sure enough, when I went back I found my camera on the floor and the cats wandering around it meowing.  I figured that it would be able to withstand a little fall like that, but I was apparently wrong.  Something was definitely rattling around inside and you couldn't see anything when you tried to take a picture.  I fiddled with the thing for a good 10 minutes steadily getting more mad at the cats (as I assume Peanut was the culprit, though I have no proof) but had not luck fixing it.  I looked for repair shops in the area but most charge about what the camera costs to fix it and they just send it back to the manufacturer anyway.  The bigger problem is that the whole reason I got the camera in the first place is so we'd have a good indoor camera for me to take pictures of the baby.  So I really don't have 6 weeks to wait for someone to fix the thing anyways.  Of course cat related incidents are not covered by the warranty, so as a last ditch effort we figured maybe we could dismantle the camera and put it back together! We knew it was a long shot, but it was either that or just chuck the thing straight in the trash.  The good news is that I did managed to find what the problem was.  After disassembling the entire thing I found that the end of a little plastic piece in the lens snapped off (about half a millimeter in length) which caused the lens to dislodge.  The bad news is that there was no way I could fix it, so into the trash the whole thing went anyway.  I told Peanut that he now has to get a job to pay me back for the camera, but without hands and the ability to speak he's kind of useless, so I'm not holding up high hopes that he'll get a job in the near future.  I then went online to try to buy a replacement and it turns out that I guess I got a deal when I bought it the first time, because now it's 60 more bucks than when I bought it 4 months ago!  We managed to find a cheaper version eventually and are having it expedited, so Amy has to hold off until at least Wednesday otherwise I have to use the camera which has a non-working flash and that could be slightly problematic.  I guess this is just a little prelude to the rest of my life, as I highly doubt this will be the last expensive thing that gets broken, the only difference is that I'll have a harder time deciphering who the culprit is!

Before the cats "helped":

After the cats "helped":

We're officially full term now!! Week 37 Check-Up

So the doctor's appointment that I had been waiting for finally arrived this Tuesday...the 37 week check-up. It was so exciting to finally hear the doctor say "you are considered full term, 37 weeks, so the baby can come anytime between now and the due date." Finally, after all that waiting, we are right around the corner from meeting our lil Pistachio. Of course that makes the time go by slower. I swear this has been the longest week ever and the work week hasn't even been that bad. It's crazy how slow time can go when you're waiting for something! It's also tough to wait when I don't even know what day I'm waiting for...could be tomorrow, or the due date of August 10th, or the week after August 10th. It's like a vacation that keeps changing dates...you know it's going to come but who knows when. Not good for two planners like Jason and myself.  This visit really brought to light the fact that baby P is almost home! Talk about a mixture of feelings and emotions. Everything from excitement to anxiety to fear to disbelief. We've got everything we could need all ready for Pistachio, now we just have to wait.

Anyway, the doctor visit went very well. The heartbeat remains around 145 to 150 beats a minute and my blood pressure looks good. I had an internal exam in which the doctor said no dilation as of now, but the cervix has softened and thinned...all signs that the body is priming for delivery. I tried to see if she could give me a prediction on when we may get to meet baby P, but no luck. She said anytime. The only concern of the whole visit was my weight. It turns out that I've been maintaining the same weight for the last 4 weeks and in the last 5-6 weeks have only gained 1 pound. The doctor told me that baby P is gaining a half a pound per week, so if I'm not gaining the weight then baby P is taking it from me. She wasn't overly concerned or anxious about the weight, but did say that it is something I need to watch. After talking to Jason, I realized that my eating habits have changed ever so slightly in the last month or so. We recently moved work locations which makes it harder to snack throughout the day (mistake 1) and after we went strawberry picking, I swapped my apple and peanut butter snack for a strawberry and blueberry snack (mistake 2). I thought the fruit swap wouldn't matter, since I was swapping a fruit for a fruit. Not even thinking that I eat my apples with peanut butter which is a high fat, calorie protein. Ooops! Well now that the strawberries are gone, I guess it's back to the apples and peanut butter for me...don't want to do anything to risk harming baby P or myself. I have my next doctor's appointment next Thursday, so let's see if the weight changes now that I've made these small changes.

We're officially full-term!!! Me at 37 weeks

Rounding third and heading for home...

So it appears that we have officially entered the days of increased pain and discomfort for Amy.  I have to say, the past 36 weeks for the most part really haven't been too bad for her considering some of the horror stories we've heard from our friends of pain, nausea and constant sickness.  But I think Pistachio has finally turned the corner on third base and is heading for home.  Yesterday was a pretty rough day for Amy with a lot of tightening in her stomach (which of course comes with pain) and just general discomfort.  Amy's not a huge fan of the pain and I'm not a huge fan of seeing her in pain so these next few weeks should be pretty interesting to say the least.  I know that things are only going to get more painful/uncomfortable from here on out, but Amy will officially be full term on Wednesday, so maybe she and Baby P can have a little talk and put an end to this thing pretty soon (although that would kill my chances of winning the birth prediction race since I have her going late).  It's definitely a tough position knowing there isn't much I can do to make her feel better.  Back massages and grilled cheese sandwiches (albeit with too much butter) can only do so much to ease the pain.  But I guess this is where I need to really stand up and do my part as the key support person.  I've had a pretty easy ride thus far so I think I can suck it up and help her with whatever she needs these next few weeks.  I'm definitely a doer so sitting here and watching her in pain while I do nothing is a pretty tough position for me, though I'm sure feeling the pain is probably far worse for her (no womb envy over here I can definitely tell you that much).  I've told Amy that she gets whatever she wants these last few weeks, just as long as what she wants isn't some kind of mammal (i.e. no more cats, two is more than enough fun).  I hope the pain isn't too bad for her from here on out, though I think that kind of comes with the territory unfortunately.  Hang in there honey, you're doing an amazing job and you're going to be a fantastic mom, I'm here for you all the way honey! I love you!!

Week 36 Check-Up: Almost Considered Full Term

So lil Pistachio and I are just getting back from our 36 week check-up, another great bill of health! In one week, I'll be considered full-term and then it's just a matter of time before lil Pistachio becomes an actual little person who will be cradled in our arms! That idea still seems so surreal to me. According to the doctor's descriptions, I was correct in that I have been experiencing some braxton hicks over the last week or so. She described it as random tightening/contracting that has no rhythmic pattern. That about sums it up. It's been interesting experiencing braxton hicks contractions. One day, I'll feel fine and the next day, I'm sore and crampy. This past weekend, Saturday was rough as we packed the hospital bags and shopped for a take-home outfit for Pistachio, and then Sunday felt great. The weekend before that, it was the complete opposite, Saturday felt great and Sunday was in pain. According to the doctor's measurements, Pistachio has dropped a bit. All signs that point to our nearing due date. For all you gender predictors out there, Pistachio's heart beat was in the upper 140s to low 150s today. The doctor didn't reveal the gender, but did state that the baby's heart beat is not looking favorable for anyone who is following Jason's lead and predicting a baby boy. I guess only time will tell on that one! My weight and blood pressure continue to be healthy and the doctor didn't notice any swelling in my hands or feet. She advised me to drink plenty of fluid especially with our recent heat wave. So, from here on out, I have weekly doctor's appointments scheduled all the way up until my due date of Aug. 10th. And tomorrow we have our last baby class (baby CPR) in Hartford.

I still feel like we are going through the motion of being ready for Pistachio's arrival (all the baby laundry is cleaned, folded, and hung up. The room is prepared and all the furniture is put together), but some how the idea of a little baby living in our home, being dependent on us still does not seem real. I'm sure as the weeks go by, this idea will seem more and more real, and then one day it will be real. But for now, it still seems surreal and dream-like to me. Pregnancy truly is a miracle of sorts.

Me at week 36...only 4 weeks left to go!!!

Birth predictions

Baby Pistachio and I had our 34 week check-up and ultrasound this week. I had been looking forward to this doctor's appointment for awhile as this one came with an ultrasound, which we had not had in a long while. I was excited to see how Pistachio had been developing and whether or not she (remember I'm saying the baby's a girl....we still don't know, so nobody get their hopes up) had turned. The ultrasound picture is not the best, but you can definitely see her cute little profile of a face and one of her hands by her mouth. The doctor confirmed that lil' Pistachio had in fact turned and is now sitting head down. I had predicted this as one night several weeks ago while Jason and I were relaxing and watching TV, I experienced some pretty major kicks and rolls that almost had me in tears. At that point, most of the kicks and pokes from the baby were uncomfortable but not painful. These were different and sure enough the next day, no painful kicks or rolls. So I'm assuming she set out on her adventure of turning that night. Needless to say, Pistachio is now situated in the appropriate position to come into this world. Now, I just need her to stay in the oven for a few more weeks....we're not quite ready for her just yet. Pistachio is weighing in the upper 4 pounds right about now, which puts her in the 30-35 percentile, which my doctor said is just the right size for my frame. The doctor is projecting that Pistachio's birth weight will be a beautifully-sounding 7 pounds!! I looked at my doctor with a smile and said, "7 doesn't sound too scary." Thankfully, Pistachio is taking more after mommy who weighed in a 6 lbs 9 ounces than daddy at a whooping 9 lbs 14 ounces. The doctor laughed when I told her this and just shook her head and said "we wouldn't do that to you!" Yay for doctors who are considerate of my size! All in all, another clean bill of health for baby Pistachio. We go back to the doctor's in two weeks and then weekly after that all the way up until the due date. Time is certainly flying by as I'm almost into the weekly doctor's appointments. We're starting to take bets on the due date, so if you have any predictions, we'd love to hear them! August will be here before you know it!

 Pistachio at 34 weeks

Me at 34 weeks...almost there!