Cookie's getting evicted!

41w1d

At my checkup today I got hooked up to a fetal monitor for about 30 minutes. At first Cookie wasn't very active (he's more of a night owl like his daddy), but after I changed positions and drank a really gross Capri Sun (wild cherry flavor, BLECH), he started moving around.

Cookie exhibited enough movement to pass the non-stress test, and my levels of amniotic fluid were good, so my doc determined there's no immediate need for me to go to the hospital. But, he also scheduled my induction for tomorrow night. Eeep!

There's still the chance that labor could start on its own before then, but I'm not holding my breath. If nothing happens tonight or tomorrow morning, I go in at 5pm tomorrow and get some medication to help my cervix along. I then spend the night and hope that labor gets going. If it doesn't, there's talk of starting pitocin on Thursday morning.

It definitely isn't how I pictured or planned, but such is life, right? It's so crazy to think that in two days I'll no longer be pregnant!

41 weeks

41w0d

Well, according to my doctor I'm actually 40w4d today. But changing my dating system now seems too confusing. So there you go. Either way, this Cookie is overdue!


I feel like a broken record these days. "I'm still here, nothing new to report." I have spells of time where I'm more uncomfortable, but then I also have spells of time where I feel just fine. So, we continue to wait...

Diapers

40w4d

Cloth diapering is something that I've been interested in for awhile, and I found this company that offers a very cool trial of several popular brands of cloth diapers. In case you aren't up to speed, there are TONS of brands with lots of different features these days, and it makes it very hard to choose what to buy.


I've spent a lot of time reading user reviews of many different brands, but it really boils down to the fact that what is great for one baby might not be great for the next. So, this trial seemed like the perfect thing: I can use all the different brands for 21 days, and at the end of it, even if I don't like any of them, I pay only $10. Or I can keep what I do like, and they'll just deduct that from my refund. Pretty neat!

Now, off to do more laundry to prep everything...

Update, 40 weeks

40w3d

Woohoo! We have progress!

I just returned from my 40 week appointment with my doctor. I'm still about 50% effaced, but I'm now beginning to dilate too, which is great news. We scheduled my next follow-up for Tuesday, but hopefully things will get moving before then. His heartbeat is still strong, and though I didn't gain any weight this week, the belly grew another 2 cm. I'm catching up to where I "should" be...I'm now measuring only 1 cm behind instead of 2 cm.

The good news is that if Cookie does decide to get moving this weekend, my doctor happens to be the on-call doctor. Yay for that!

His parting words as I left the office today were "Go and have a baby, already!" I'm working on it doc, I'm working on it!

So, what's new with YOU?

40w2d

That's a better question, because my answer is "nothing!" Got any exciting stories to tell me? I could live vicariously through them...

Cookie seems to still be content where he is. And I'm feeling much the same. I do have the lovely new symptom of pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel, though. My wrists are fine, but it feels like all my fingers have gone arthritic on me. Fun stuff!

Oh, and can I just say how much I am LOVING this cooler weather? It's so nice to be able to walk from the kitchen to the couch without breaking a sweat! :oP Haha.

Happy due date!

40w0d

When I went in for my very first ultrasound, my doctor gave me a range of dates, as early measurements can be far from accurate. I happened to pick up on the first day in that range (today) and I started using it as my due date. But he apparently decided to use a date in the middle of the range (October 1) instead, which I didn't learn for several months.

This is good in my opinion, though, because he doesn't really feel comfortable with me going past 41 weeks. Which means I have 3 extra days to get things going if they haven't started already. Which they haven't! We're still just waiting over here.

I'm getting lots of calls, texts, and emails from friends and family checking up on me. It's so nice to know that everyone is looking forward to meeting this little guy as much as we are. I promise that you will all know the news as soon as there is any news to know!

Update, 39 weeks

39w3d

My belly grew another centimeter, and his heartbeat is still sounding nice and strong. But progress? Who wants progress anyway? Certainly not Cookie. He seems happy and snug in there, and is currently showing no signs of making an appearance. Ah well. We'll just keep waiting!

I did get a flu shot, though, so at least something productive happened today. ;)

Oh, and I went and got a facial after my doc appointment. Now I'm officially ready! Haha.

39 weeks

39w0d

Nothing new to report; we're just waiting...


The nursery is coming together. I'm just doing the last few loads of pre-baby laundry and organizing. All is well for now!

New door!

38w4d

Chris has been working on the new door for the nursery for a few weeks now, as time has allowed. It's finally done, and I think it looks great!

From beginning to end:

The too-tall door with multiple layers of paint

The hardware we also purchased at Urban Ore

During the paint-stripping process (there were about 7 layers!)

During the sanding process

The trimmed and sanded door, pre-stain

During the staining process

The finished door!

Nope, no labor yet!

38w3d

I was woken up this morning by a friend who dreamed about Cookie having been born. She was convinced that her dream meant that I was in labor! But I'm sorry to report that no, I'm not quite there yet. It's great that everyone is so excited for his arrival, though!

Edited to add: Several people have actually told me they have dreamt about him having been born already. I have yet to have that dream. :oP

Update, 38 weeks

38w3d

Well, I'm still 50% effaced and not dilated at all. So I continue to wait. The belly did grow another centimeter though, so at least something is progressing! ;)

38 weeks

38w0d


And the belly hangs even lower! I'm still feeling well, though a bit more tired as sleeping is becoming increasingly difficult on my hips and lower back. I just can't seem to get comfy for long. But I'm making do.

I still feel smaller than I actually am. I keep catching myself in moments where I didn't anticipate the belly being in the way. Like sitting in the car and trying to pass my purse between me and the steering wheel, only to find that the purse doesn't fit. Or parking at the gas station a little too close to a post and finding that when I opened my driver's door I couldn't squeeze out, and having to re-park the car. I guess I need to redefine my buffer zone!

Maternity leave!

37w4d

As of right now, I'm officially on maternity leave. Woohoo! Working at home for this last month was great. I did end up in the office on a few days, but for the most part I enjoyed the lack of commute and dress code. ;)

I don't really know what I'm going to do with myself come Monday. I mean, I know I'm going to be organizing, doing laundry, running errands, picking up some of the last necessities, etc. I'll be busy I'm sure. But not working in the office, and for such a long stretch of time, will definitely be strange for me!

Update, 37 weeks

37w3d

Not too much new to report...I'm still 50% effaced and not yet dilated. But my belly has grown another centimeter. My doc's educated guess is that Cookie is now a "nice sized baby" between 5.5 and 6.5 pounds. :)

37 weeks

37w0d

Babycenter.com says, "Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard)."

Full term? Already?!? Where has this year gone?


I've been hearing from a lot of people lately that I've dropped. And this is evidenced by the amount of belly now hanging out of the bottom of the shirt! Yes, Cookie is sitting lower, but everything else is pretty much the same. He's still squirming around, kicking, and getting hiccups on a regular basis.

Photos are in!

36w4d

Today we received the CD of the maternity photos that we took in early August with Kelly Marie of Kelly M Photography. Here are a few favorites...

Update, 36 weeks

36w3d

I just returned from the first of my now-weekly appointments with my OB. Things are looking good: Cookie is still head down, and I'm partially effaced but not dilated yet.

The belly is measuring a bit small (34 cm, when I should be around 36 cm to correspond with the number of weeks), but my doc is not too concerned as I am still showing growth between each of my appointments.

He gave me (what seemed like) a long talk about avoiding the H1N1 swine flu, and told me to call immediately if I experience any flu-like symptoms. It all seemed like common sense to me, but I guess they're very concerned about the susceptibility of the pregnant population, and they're not taking any chances.

Chris and I finished the series of childbirth/infant care classes at the hospital last night, so we're slowly but surely making all the final preparations. No news is good news at this point! :)

Curtains!

36w1d

Thanks Aunt Kelley! The curtains are fantastic! (And way more professional looking than anything I would have sewn.) Now, do you have any interest in sewing new curtains for the rest of the windows in our house?? ;)

We need to buy a door, too?

36w1d

Anyone who has been to our house knows that though we have lots of doorways, we have very few doors. And the few doors that we do have are accordian style and not very sound- or light-proof. (My mom's house has real doors...but I guess that's the difference between 1893 and 1906!)

So Chris and I took a trip to Urban Ore in Berkeley this weekend to scope out their selection and hopefully find something that would work in the door frame of the nursery. After arriving too late on Saturday to complete our search, we returned on Sunday. We found a door, found the lock, the plates, the knob, paid for it and got it out to the car...when Chris discovered a big crack in the door that we hadn't seen inside. Blah.

So back inside we went, and we were fortunately able to exchange it for one of our second choices. Chris is in the process of stripping off the multiple layers of paint, and then he'll sand it and cut it down to size. I'll post a progression of pics when he's done!

36 weeks

36w0d


I finally made it to the chiropractor this week. Heaven! Well, for about a day, anyway. But though my lower back isn't 100%, it does feel better.

It's been pretty warm lately, and that makes me miss the A/C in the office. I feel like all I do is sweat lately! I have the fan going pretty much every night as I [try to] sleep. It's amusing to me when I get up in the middle of the night I see that Chris has all the covers on him and I'm still there without even the top sheet. Usually I'm the one who is cold!

Cookie now weighs about 6 pounds and is about the size of a crenshaw melon. Here's a pic from babycenter.com for those of you who also did not know what a crenshaw melon looked like!