Prediction: June Baby!

Well my appointment today was awfully uneventful, but that's perfectly fine with me  :)  STILL no dilation or any other progress... and even though the baby is most likely going to be substantial in size, I will be allowed to go past my due date because the amniotic fluid level is still just fine.  Next week I go in on Monday (at 39 weeks 3 days) at which point the doctor may try a natural induction method to see if labor can get started.  If nothing happens by June 5 (my due date), I will be scheduled for another ultrasound to determine what the fluid levels are looking like, etc.  Hopefully she decides to come out before the rapture, but who knows?! 

I'm not nearly as impatient as I thought I would be at this point.  I actually think I was more impatient 2 weeks ago for whatever reason.  But now I'm just glad to still be pregnant & feeling good (I have no complaints), and enjoying the last bit of peace & quiet I'll have for, well, 60 years or so!  PLUS, I'm very glad Peter's best friend, Chris, will most likely be here when Elise is born.  He arrives Saturday (we're counting down!) and will be here with us for 2 weeks as our personal chef, chauffeur, maid, entertainment, errand-runner, etc etc.  Chris, you DID know you had a job description while visiting, correct??

I think that's about it for now...  I'm off to eat something & see what kind of damage I can do to the scale at my next appointment.

38 week video

I thought I would post a video of baby Elise doing some kicking & rolling before she arrives & you can see her in person (thus making said video irrelevant).  Watch for the kicking at the bottom left of the screen - on the left side of my belly.  It felt like rapid fire movements.  I wonder if it means she'll be an Olympic sprinter.....

Ultrasound Pic

I failed to post the ultrasound picture as I had promised, but better late than never, right?  So here is baby Elise at 37 weeks 3 days gestation.  If you are like some people (::cough:: Peter and Chris ::cough cough::), you may think you see a creepy ghost-like face & body on the left side of the ultrasound floating in space.  No, that is NOT what our baby looks like!  Instead, please refer to the lovely interpretation I made so you can tell what you're looking at  :)

So does that help?  I hope so!  If not, I guess you won't have to wait much longer to see what she REALLY looks like - all 25 pounds of her.  Well, maybe not 25 - I'm going to try my hardest to keep it under 10.  Can I start pushing now?

The Big 2-6 (Warning: LONG POST!)

Well I didn't intend in any way to post something about my own birthday, but after having such a GREAT day, I couldn't resist  :)

I wanted to share all the lovely things people did to make my day awesome, so here's how the day went:

FIRST!  I got up this morning & headed south with the puppies to Peter's parents' house - The pups got to hang out on the deck while Cindy and I went to get an hour-long massage at a place called Foot Fitness.  OH.  MY.  GOODNESS.  It was amazing!  For $20 (can you believe that?) you get an hour-long massage where these people knead on your neck, back, arms, legs, and feet.  I am still in heaven just thinking about it.  It was kind of funny when they wanted to lie the recliner into a flat position for the foot/leg portion of the massage, and I was trying to tell them I can't be on my back like that or I'll basically suffocate from this monstrosity of a belly weighing down on my lungs.... Well, the people don't speak a lick of English, so a lot of pointing & awkward smiling went on  :)  They finally figured out I wasn't going to lie on my back.  Anyway, sitting in the recliner getting my feet rubbed was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  Cindy also gave me a very sweet card & some money for my next hair appointment  :)

Thank you, Cindy, for a wonderful start to my birthday!

NEXT!  I went over to my parents' place, picked them up, and we met my sister at BJ's for lunch.  YUMMY!  I stuffed my face & even got a birthday dessert thingy that we all dug into.  It was so good & probably has brought Elise's weight up to a solid 9 lbs.  My sister, Sarah, had picked out a super cute card for me that reminded me of a very funny childhood experience.  And it even contained a good ol' pun!  

Thanks, Momma & Daddy, for taking me out to lunch and spending the afternoon with me!

Thanks, Sarah, for your fun card & going out to lunch!

THEN!  The day took a slight turn for the worse (only emotionally) as my parents & I were running an errand and saw a horrible car accident  :(   We were in a strip mall right next to where the car accident happened, so in all actuality, it was probably just the same as any other accident I'm used to driving by, but this one I was "forced" to watch unfold since I was standing there rather than just driving by.  I stood there for about 20 minutes watching a little kid lie on the grass with paramedics surrounding him, and a carseat with a who-knows-how-old baby being examined by people.  With a baby of my own on the way, all I could think of was how FRAGILE these little lives are & how in a split second anything can happen.  I believe the kids & mom were okay after all was said and done - only by God's great mercy.  I am THANKFUL that, although scary, I got to witness the accident so I could be reminded of the grace Jesus extends to me daily in so many ways.  It is so easy to forget how he protects us minute after minute after minute..........   We never acknowledge those times we are kept safe & protected - only the times when something has happened & we are suddenly in need of his grace.  I'm so glad he revealed himself to me in that way today.  

Thank you, Jesus, for always being so merciful to me!

MOVING ON!  I stopped by my aunt's house to pick up a very cool gift:  A pretty pot of some herbs she grew in her garden - parsley, cilantro, and basil (pictured below) - with a few purple irises placed in the pot for temporary decoration :)  (Andrea, don't you even dare question my use of "iris" in its plural form........http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/irises!!!)  I also received a mortar & pestle (not pictured) to crush the herbs if I so choose.  Very thoughtful & appreciated!

Thank you, Aunt Gretchen (& Uncle Jeff for funding purposes!), for the great presents!

LATER!  I finally made my way back downtown to pick up Peter from work & head to the condo.  After a few minutes of settling in, I noticed a note on my pillow in our bedroom....  Peter had handwritten a birthday LOVE note to me at some point during the day  :)   How romantic!  He is so sweet & certainly has a way with words.  Thankfully, he didn't know I had found it & was in the shower as I read it - Otherwise, he would have seen the ugly cry face (and really, who wants to see that?).  I don't know if many of you are familiar with the "Five Love Languages" book/concept, but words of affection are definitely on the top of my list.  I am so blessed to have a husband who takes time out of his day to write down words I can go back and read over & over again whenever I want.  (In addition to the thoughtful written gift, Peter also got me a Baby Bjorn carrier last month so I can carry Elise a little more easy (Andrea, "easier") when I'm walking the dogs outside or while shopping or just whenever I care to!)

Thank you, Peter, for loving me in such a way that I never doubt how you feel... and for getting me that awesome baby carrier that I can use lots & lots!

ALMOST DONE!  I opened our condo door to take the dogs out & noticed a beautiful vase of flowers (pictured below) had been set by my door.  Our awesome neighboors two floors up thought of me on my birthday & brought the flowers and a very sweet card down to me - I LOVE THEM!  They are so pretty and made me feel so special!

Thank you, Rachel & Carlton, for such a generous gift on my birthday!  

FINALLY!  My brother-in-law, Bryan, came over after he & Peter had gone on a bike ride...  He walked in with a large vase of flowers (yay! I love flowers!) he had ordered from McNamara - So crying ensued yet again (seriously, will these hormone levels really go back to "normal" when pregnancy is over????).  The funniest part of the vase of flowers was the assortment of note cards he had picked out to go in that weird little plastic pick....

Of course the obvious note card was a "Happy Birthday" card - and for the record, Bryan likes to pretend my birthday is May 14th ever since he mistakenly recorded that as my birthdate on our mortgage a couple years ago:

He also included a "Get Well" card that is self-explanatory:

And lastly, he included an "It's a Girl" card with a bit of Bryan-esque humor added to it:

Bryan, too, wrote me a sweet note (albeit not handwritten, but a note nonetheless!) which brought on MORE tears (perhaps the superfluity of tears has helped jump start some weight loss.....).  

Thank you, Bryan, for thinking of me in the form of flowers AND an awesome note!  I love them!

I end this novel with another special thanks to:

a) everyone on Facebook who sent me a happy birthday message - that was so sweet & so appreciated!

b) everyone who called me and/or left me voicemails - thank you for thinking of me today!

c) everyone who sent me an ecard, no matter how creepy and disturbing they may have been :)

My birthday has been awesome & I'm sad to see it go, even if it makes me sound like a 10-year-old by wanting my birthday to last forever  :)   I am grateful to have the best friends & family on the planet.... and even more grateful for a loving God who blessed me, so undeservedly, with all of you in my life.  I guess the positive note of my birthday coming to and end is that I am one day closer to meeting our little Elise!  

Thank you, ALL!

She's a FATTY (in a good way) :)

Okay, so the verdict from the ultrasound says she's currently 

8 lbs 11 oz 

at 37 weeks and 3 days along. HAHA! That means if I go full term, she would be a solid 10 - 10 1/2 lbs. I am hopeful that won't be happening! Other than finding out that she's rather hefty, no other news is to be reported. No dilation & no plans to induce as of yet. I don't think the doctor plans on allowing me to go all the way to June 5 (& therefore deliver a 10- or 10 1/2-lb. baby), so perhaps next week we'll bring up talk of induction. But what do I know?

I'm pretty excited to know that she's on the big size, just because I know big babies can fight off ailments a little bit better than small babies. I say that having been a 10 lb. 1 1/2 oz. baby who was in intensive care for __ days (my mom can fill in the blank)... My mom looked at me lying next to so many premature babies, some of whom wouldn't make it, and knew that I would be just fine. So I'm all for a big, fat, healthy baby! :) Now it's just a matter of getting 9+ lbs OUT.

That's all for now - I'll post a pic of the ultrasound in a few hours - she's pretty cute :)

T minus 3 weeks

Well I hit the 37-week mark Friday, which means I am officially full term and could have this baby at any time without issue.  Let's hope that doesn't actually happen though!  I get excited at the thought of Elise coming very soon (mostly so I can MOVE again), but then I know things will be crazy for, oh, the next 60 years of my life  :)   I'm looking forward to ultrasound day on Monday (18th) to determine her estimated size & see what, if anything, comes of that appointment.  Who knows - I could be induced in a week, or I could end up going a week and a half past my due date.  We'll see!

For those of you who perhaps skipped the first paragraph and are more visually stimulated, I entice you with a few photos:

This is the crib I got on craigslist for $40!  My dear husband & father-in-law spent plenty of time finding the right hardware to put the thing together, as the person who sold it to me had kept NONE of the hardware (who does that?).  Then Peter sanded & stained the rough areas so it could turn out looking like this.  What a guy  :)  And I believe I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to make the bedding for Elise's crib... So there ya go - a picture of the bedding.  I can't claim to have made ALL of what you see (the yellow fitted sheet & the pretty pink blanket were purchased), but the bedskirt, bumper, and two pillows were what I came up with over the last week or so.  It was fun to be a little creative before I no longer have time for such things  :)

A close-up photo of the two pillows I made & the bumper behind.

I simply couldn't resist posting pictures of my perfect puppies (alliteration is fun!)...  Above is our lovely Brie with her daddy & grandpa, and below is Lucy "smiling" having just played with Bryan which completely wore her out.  

I certainly hope you're satisfied with this weekend's post (Andrea) - I will certainly be updating Monday after my ultrasound & 38-week appointment.  Until then, I bid you adieu (and urge some of you to do a little updating of your own!).

37 week appt

Went to the doc today for my 37 week check-up (36 wks +3 days along)... still measuring big by 2 cm.  I saw a different doctor in the practice than my actual doc, and I wasn't checked for any dilation, etc.  So all I know is I'm still measuring big & Elise's head is down!  It was down weeks & weeks ago, so that's really nothing new - at least she hasn't decided to go breech on me (at least not yet).  Oh!  And my GBS test came back negative - yay!!! No IV or antibiotics to worry about - I'm glad about that.

The countdown is on for the ultrasound.... 7 days!  It's scheduled for Monday at 9:30am, followed by the doc appt at 11:30am.  I'll certainly keep you posted (I'm a dependable blogger, after all).  :)

Later this week I'll post pics of the bedding I've made so far for Elise.  We didn't receive her bedding at any of my baby showers, but that's perfectly fine as I can make what I want and work out some of my pent up creativity.  I've got a couple pillows done already as well as the bedskirt.  I think my final project is a bumper to go around the crib.  It's going to be CUTE!

Well I'm pretty much out of information.  Hope all you moms enjoyed a very happy mother's day yesterday!  

Feliz Seis de Mayo!

Okay so here's the plan:  I want you to tell me when you think Elise will be born & how big she'll be.  I would do the standard poll, but I want to know who's guessing what so I can give the evil eye to those of you who guess June 15th and 12 lbs  :)  

Commence commenting.....

36 week appt

Today was my 36 week appt....  I'm still measuring big, so Dr. B has me down for an ultrasound on the 18th - fun!  I don't see her next week or the ultrasound would've been then, but alas, I will get one regardless.  That's pretty exciting!  I wonder what little Elise will look like in there (or should I say BIG Elise?).  Her heart rate was in the 160's and my blood pressure was good, so honestly I can't think of anything else that needs updating  :)  

Btw, this post only took me 90 seconds to do - and look at all you satisfied people out there.  Please take note that I care enough to take 90 seconds out of my day JUST for you  :)  :)  :)

Signed,

B-R-A-T

35 weeks & final baby shower :)

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant & getting bigger even as I type.  Agh!!!  I (surprisingly) have no stretch marks yet, but I'm sure I will soon be plagued by disfigurement in one form or another.  I go to the doctor on Monday (I'm thinkin I'll show up no more than 10 minutes early for that appt) & thus begin my weekly appointments.  We'll see how it goes!  I'm excited to know why my doc thinks, as it's been a month since I've seen her personally - my last appt was with another doc in the practice.  

Yesterday was my 3rd and final baby shower... It was so much fun!  Peter's aunt Robin & "cousin-in-law" Alicia put it all together & it was absolutely amazing.  The details involved were insane!  Alicia even went to the effort of stuffing egg shells with potting soil & putting baby begonias inside, then placing each egg shell in a single styrofoam egg carton container.  Can you imagine?!  They also made deeeelicious food, an adorable diaper cake with a little piglet on top!, and also put together a great gift basket for me.  It was above & beyond.  And to top things off, the shower turned out being ONLY family in attendance, which was so much fun!  I got to hang out with Peter's side of the family and my side of the family & simply enjoy everyone's company  :)

Alicia & all the yummy food she made!

"Holy Cow Cupcakes" - a new place up in Carmel... they were gooooood

Diaper cake with Piglet on top - adorable!

A lovely Bible verse I plan on framing - and notice the egg shells stuffed with begonias!

A pair of super cute shoes my Aunt Chris picked out for Elise!

The AMAZING diaper cake Sarah made for me...  seriously, awesome!

With Alicia & Robin