Due Date

It's Cinco de Mayo and Dylan's due date today. It's weird telling people "today" when they ask when I'm due. I have done everything I can think of to get labor moving- spicy foods, pineapple, bouncing on my ball at work, walking, squats, acupressure, etc. She's not here yet and I have barely had any contractions today leading me to believe she will not be coming today or anytime soon. Boo. I really had my heart set on 5-5-10. It just sounds cool. Now I'm just hoping to have her here by the time Mother's Day rolls around... she's got 4 days!

Full Moon

Just so we're all clear, I'm due to have a baby in ONE WEEK! 7 DAYS! Crazy times! There's a full moon tonight which is rumored to induce labor AND there's a low pressure front coming in tomorrow which apparently can cause water to break, so I'm hoping she gets moving tonight or tomorrow. My doctor is on call tomorrow, AND I have an OB appointment in the morning anyway, so that would be super convenient of her. :) I've been walking as much as I can and sit on my ball at work anyway, but now I'm bouncing on it whenever I think about it. I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed at 7:45 and don't even remember Chris coming home when he got off at 9. I read somewhere a while back that a lot of women sleep really well the day or two before they go into labor. Let's hope all of these things are signs. I'm still terrified of the actual labor process (who isn't afraid of being in immense pain??) but I'm also ready to have ankles again, to enjoy a day without back pain, and of course to hold my sweet little girl! I (unfortunately) feel really good right now, so who knows if things will move along anytime soon? Come on forces of nature! Work your magic! :)

38 week appointment and the countdown is on

Had the 38 week appointment on Friday. 1cm dilated and 90% effaced. Any progress is good progress in my book! I've had a lot more cramps and general discomfort since then, so I'd like to think things are moving right along. I've had so many people texting and calling asking if she's here yet. So, I set up a text list of people who will get the updates when we go to the hospital. Never fear, you will know the second we feel like anything official is happening! In related news, there are NINE DAYS left until our due date. That's right, single digits! Crazy! I've read that 1st-timers often go to 41+ weeks, but Dr. Handcock said he'd like to induce in the 40th week if we get that far. I don't know how I feel about all of that. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that she gets here before then. This Wednesday is the full moon, and they say that makes women go into labor, so maybe this week is it. Stay tuned!

37 weeks

I went to my 37 week appointment today. The doctor checked me and said that I'm 1cm dilated and 80% effaced. So, that means that we've progressed nicely from last week (fingertip and "a little" effaced then). I thought that 80% thinned out sounded like a whole lot! Apparently you can walk around that way for weeks, or you could go at any point when you get that far. I read that most first-time mommies thin out first, then dilate, so I'm hoping that I'm on the right track! We shall see.

36 week appointment

I saw the doctor today for my 36 week appointment. He did my first internal exam. It was totally tolerable and way less scary than I'd thought it'd be. He said I was a fingertip dilated, but while he was feeling for her head, I bled a good bit and he thinks he may have pushed me closer to 1cm. I'll take it! The cervix is already shortening, meaning I'm already becoming effaced, but he didn't want to give it a percentage yet. He did an ultrasound to make sure her head was down (IT IS!!) and went ahead and checked to make sure she is still a she while he was looking (SHE IS!!). I gained 6 freakin' pounds THIS WEEK, but my doctor assures me I'm still at a healthy weight and that it's water weight that showed up so suddenly. I believe that since my feet look like inflated medical gloves at the moment. Overall, a great appointment! When I left, he said "I'll see you next week if not sooner." Eeeeeeee!

35 weeks!

We're now 35 weeks in! Dylan is the size of a Honeydew... 18+ inches and 5 1/2 lbs. I picked up a 5 1/2 lb. honeydew and it is HUGE! She's supposed to gain 1/2 lb. every week for the next 5 weeks. That's a lot! Here are the newest belly shots.

35 weeks!

We're officially 35 weeks along now. That means only 2 weeks until I'm considered "full term." Of course I'd rather her come closer to her due date, but they say that any baby born after 37 weeks gestation won't even need to go to the NICU or anything. Pretty exciting stuff. Also, it's April! That means that when a lady asked me this morning when I was due, I got to say "the beginning of next month." That felt great/terrifying! Holy crap we've still got a lot to do before we're parents! Are we ready for this?! I'm going to go breathe into a paper bag now.

Feeling good now!

So, last week I felt like crap... super big, back hurt, swollen feet, etc. etc. This week, I feel wonderful. I even forgot I was pregnant for a little while yesterday. I've slept most of the night for a little while now and I think that makes a big difference. My back still hurts or course, but not as bad.
The neatest thing happened today. I guess we're running out of room in there because something jabbed out of my side while I was working in our storage room. I think it was either a foot or an elbow. I don't know. I'm going to try and get a picture of it if it happens again. I hope that is a sign that she's trying to flip in there. I'm pretty sure she's still breech and my doctor said that if she's not head-down by 36 weeks, she probably won't get that way, which means an almost guaranteed c-section. I've been doing all the tricks to turn her- hand stands off of the couch or bed so that my hips are above my head, playing music in my crotch so she's interested in what's down there (that's my favorite... I think it's hilarious), using a flashlight to track from top to bottom of my belly so that she'll follow, etc. We'll see if any of it works. If I go to my appointment next week and he says she's still breech, I may be looking into some accupuncture. Who knows!
I can't believe we're already 35 weeks in (as of tomorrow). I was reading that she is about 5 1/2 pounds and between 16 and 20 inches long now. Crazy! They also say that she has a 99% survival rate if she were born today. That's the best news of all! I'm almost ready for her to be here! The bags are packed and in the car, the carseat is strapped in, the hospital is pre-paid, and we are excited to get the show on the road. I think I understand what all those moms mean when they say the last few weeks go by the slowest. I can see how all this anticipation could get old. I'm not tired of it yet! Stay tuned.

Hello Hormones!

I just cried because the girl on The Price is Right won $12,000 playing Plinko. Yep.

Sweet sweet sleep!

I slept for 8 hours last night. It was magical.

What a night

All day yesterday my back was feeling pretty bad. Well, at least it waited to get really bad until I got home! I spent the evening at home scaring Chris (he said I looked like I was in labor) while I tried a million different sitting/standing/squating/lying positions trying to find something that would make my back pain stop. It's only on my right side and it stays in the same place right around bra strap level. I've decided it's not a foot or anything because I tried rubbing ice and heat there trying to get her to move. She moved, but the pain was still there. I finally got enough Tylenol in me to make it stop long enough to fall asleep, only to wake up around 4am again to my dancing queen. I'm thinking 4am may end up being the new time that I get up for work. I might as well since she wakes up at that time everyday, and I just lay there after that anyway. I'd get a lot more done if I'd just get up! I'm going to consider it practice for when she's here and just laying in bed staring at the ceiling isn't an option. I'm not as exhausted as I thought I would be, but I can only imagine what's in store if I'm only 34 weeks (tomorrow) and already not sleeping well. By the end of it all I'll already be a zombie!
I had a crazy dream last night too. I guess it was a side effect of the Tylenol?? I dreamt that I was at a high school football game on the sideline near the goal and I gave birth to twins right there! AND the twins were born with a few TEETH! They were big cartoon character teeth and so creepy looking! Then, as I was standing there letting people admire my new additions, the football was thrown into the endzone and I jumped in and caught it for a touchdown. So strange. I'm sure some psychiatrist somewhere would have a field day with that one! Haha. I'm hoping for a solid night of deep, normal sleep today after childbirth class. I should be tired enough. Let's hope!

Feeling awfully pregnant!

I woke up a bunch of times last night, ending with the 4am wake up that never ended. So, I've been up since 4am and am now exhausted, AND my back is KILLING me! Is it possible to get a foot or hand or something in your back ribs??? I've been having problems with her getting caught up in my ribs up front, but this is WAY worse. Ouch!!

We had our shower over the weekend. It was amazing! My friends really outdid themselves and did such an awesome job organizing and decorating everything. We got some great gifts and it was so nice seeing everyone. James came and took some pictures too. From that, I've decided to move the maternity photo shoot up a week. I'm looking terribly bloated. I'd like to have the full effect of baby belly without water-retention face and tree trunk legs. We'll see how those turn out!

33 weeks

The websites say Dylan is now ~5lbs. and 19 inches long. I think that is a little bit of an overestimate, but I have predicted she's going to be a biggun, so I guess it's possible! She's the size of a pineapple this week. Crazy!

Addison Brooke is here!

Andy and Shelley had their baby girl over the weekend. We went down on Friday to be at the hospital when she arrived. We left at 2pm and she was 3cm dilated. By the time we were in Giddings, she was already here! Shelley said giving birth was the easiest thing ever. I'm not getting my hopes up. :) Addison is beautiful. She's tiny and has the sweetest little tiny cry. It's more like a squeak. So cute. Visiting them and seeing the final product of all of those months of baking made me really want Dylan to get here soon. I don't want her to be early, I just want time to speed up a little. We only have 7 weeks left, but I feel like it is forever! Plus, I weighed this morning and I freakin' gained another huge chunk of weight! Even if I only gained a pound a week for the next 7 weeks I'm pushing the max recommended gain. Yuck. Maybe I should stop eating a candybar a day. :/ Yeah. I counted yesterday and I've only got 30 more work days left. There's my silver lining! I put in my maternity leave request too. I won't come back until August 2nd. Best news ever! Let's hope these next 30 days fly by!

31 weeks

We were a little late taking the 31 week belly pics, but better late than never! Dylan is supposed to be about 3-3 1/2 pounds (like 3 large navel oranges) and 16 inches long. Here are my belly pics. Still up 21 pounds, yikes! We'll officially be 32 weeks on Wednesday! Only 8(ish) weeks left!

Shame on me!

I really am pumped about being pregnant and I have not been adequately portraying that on my blog lately! I gotta say, everytime someone asks me how I'm feeling, which happens often now, I think about how blessed I am and how easy I've had it. I LOVE BEING PREGNANT. I feel good. I have minimal discomforts (if back pain's the worst I have to complain about, I think I'm doing pretty good). People are nice to me. I get to eat more chocolate than usual and nobody says anything. People look at my additional 20lbs. and comment on how SMALL I am for being so far along. How could you not love this!?! I get to feel my little girl move around all day and lately it's been really fun trying to figure out what part is protruding or what direction she's facing. I'm going to be sad when these last 8 weeks are up. That's right, only 8 more weeks and we'll be parents! Now, check back in with me in a month and we'll see if I'm still gushing about pregnancy, but for now, I really do love it. I realize that I'm overdue for some picture posting. I plan to do it tonight... seriously. The belly is huge and I've completed some crochet projects that need admiration. :) Stay tuned!

29 weeks belly pic

Dylan is now between 2 lbs. 12 oz. and 3 lbs (the weight of a butternut squash) and she is 15 inches from head to toe. My belly button has officially become an outie. I feel huge, but the silver lining is everyone I encounter is a lot nicer to me now. :) Here are the pics.

Negligent Blogger

Shame on me for not updating! A lot has gone on in the past few weeks. We're in the 3rd trimester now. I'm feeling it. I'm tired! I'm also back to getting up at least once at night to go to the bathroom and it's getting harder to find comfortable positions to sleep in.
My hormones have started taking over a little more, too. Sometimes I think Chris is aggravating me on purpose, (Is there a reason we need to listen to talk radio that discusses the merits of 1920's country music?) but surely that's just the hormones talking. My road rage has peaked too. I don't act on it or anything, but man it annoys me when people camp out in the fast lane and go below or right at the speed limit!

I went to my last monthly appointment last week and am now starting to go to the OB every 2 weeks. I can't believe we're to that stage already! And, we're starting birthing classes on Tuesday. I'm really excited.

I finished crocheting the baby blanket (thank goodness!) and have moved on to hats. I like the hats because they take a lot less time to make and they're SO cute! I'll post some pictures of my creations sometime soon. :)

Also, the baby shower date is set! March 20th at 3pm. Be there!

27 Week Belly

I know that it's going to get a lot bigger, but I can't wrap my head around the physics behind that. I've moved to a combination of oil and lotion and now lube up twice a day to hopefully prevent stretch marks... one of the scariest parts of pregnancy for me! Dylan now weighs 2 pounds (the same as a head of cauliflower) and is 9.6 inches long from head to rump, and 15 inches long from head to toe! That explains the enormous belly growth. :)

Wardrobe Crisis

Lately my wardrobe has been in a constant state of crisis. I have very few weather-appropriate things that still fit and I refuse to buy anything else because I have so much maternity stuff already, it's just for warmer times!
So, I exhausted my work clothes for the week and had planned to wear my maternity jeans today (it's casual Thursday). I get up this morning and find that my jeans aren't on top of my shelf where I left them. I discover that my hubby, in a very sweet effort to help, put them in with a load of wash... and forgot to put that load in the dryer. I am out of maternity options and time, so I reach for my pre-pregnancy jeans. They're the pair that by the end of the day always gave me a baggy butt because they stretched out, so I figured that'd work. Turns out when you gain 19lbs. your size 6 jeans don't really fit the same. I reach for my belly band that slips over the open fly on pants in this situation and nope, that's in the wash too. Sweet. So now, I'm wearing my too-tight pants that are digging into my hips like none other, and a long tube top that is really restricting my ability to move and breathe freely (don't worry, I've got a sweater on over that), but at least I'm clothed and the open fly is covered. This may end up being the longest, most uncomfortable day at work ever. You think wardrobe issues that cause pain and discomfort could count as a reason to go home sick?? :)

On the plus side, we're 27 weeks in and I'm still feeling pretty darn good. A lot of books/websites say we're in the third trimester too which is pretty exciting. Little Dylan now has an 85% liklihood of surviving outside of the womb if something were to happen. It's so reassuring to hear stats like that. The belly has definitely "popped" and there's no longer any question to ANYONE that there's a bun in this oven. We forgot (gasp) to take a belly picture last week, but we took one last night and I'll post it when I get home today. There's a pretty noticable difference. I predicted a belly-button pop in the next 3 weeks, but I'm thinking it may be sooner than that. We shall see!

Weekend and such

We made our way back to Houston this weekend. It was so nice to get some quality time with my friends, but I did have a shocking moment while visiting. One of my friends has a full-length mirror directly in front of the toilet. During one of my many bathroon visits, I saw that when I bent to sit, my innie belly-button turned into a little bit of an outie! So scary! I'm calling it now. In the next 3 weeks, I will have a full-blown outie. Sad times. I had high hopes for attractive pregnancy photo shoot pictures.

Other than my moment of shock, the weekend went well. We visited the brother and sister-in-law and had a nice night with them, then split ways and I got to see some good friends that I haven't gotten to spend enough time with in a long time. On the drive, I made some progress on my crocheting. It's actually starting to look like a blanket... and a pretty cute one if I do say so myself. One day I'll post pictures of it. The only bad thing that happened this weekend is I forgot to take a belly picture! It's the first time we've forgotten since we found out. Oops. I did check though, and baby is the length of an English Hothouse cucumber and weighs 2 pounds. I don't feel like the belly's changed that much since week 25 anyway, so I think it'll be ok to miss a week. :)

On an exciting note, the third trimester starts anywhere between 26 and 28 weeks, depending on who you ask, so this coming week (27) is right in the middle! I'm going to officially call it the 3rd trimester next week though, so hurray for getting so close!

99 Days!

Only 99 days left until Dylan is here! We're into double digits now! Whoa!

Holy Cow... seriously, COW!

Check out the differences between the beginning of it all, last week (24) and this week (25). I've expanded before my very eyes and have officially grown out of near everything I own. The silver lining- I no longer plan to ignore my stagnant gym membership. Now's as good a time as ever to get started... right?

24 week appointment

I went to the doctor last Friday for my monthly check-up. She measured my belly for the first time and it measured right at 24 weeks, so that's good! We listened to the heartbeat and baby Dylan kicked the wand (as she always does). I asked a bunch of questions this go around- including a review of my birth plan with the doc and questions about how labor and delivery will all go down. It sounds like she's good with the plan we've set up. We set up the glucose tolerance test (for gestational diabetes) for my next appointment in 4 weeks. I'm not really looking forward to that one, but it doesn't sound terrible. After that appointment next month, I'll already start with the every-two-weeks appointments! Whoa, time has flown! We'll be 25 weeks tomorrow. I really will post belly pics of tomorrow's photos on Friday, promise.

24 weeks!

This is a big week for the pregnancy because as of today, it is considered medically viable. So, if something were to happen and Dylan had to be born early, she would have a better chance of surviving outside of the womb on her own now! Such an exciting milestone! This week has been interesting, too. On Saturday, I stepped off of our porch right into a teeny tiny hole and rolled my ankle/foot. I decided I was fine, but my in-laws worry, so we headed up to the ER on Sunday to get it checked out. It's not broken, just sprained. I've been hobbling around all week and I'll spare you pictures, but trust me, it's really pretty. The whole foot is swollen and green and purple, and the cast they gave me cut and bruised me up worse than the stinkin' hole did! It has gotten me out of having to do much on my feet this week though. So there's the silver lining. :)

I go to the doctor tomorrow for a regular ole' check up. I think I have one more after that and then we move into going every 2 weeks! It's all moving along so quickly! I'll update with any new stuff tomorrow after the appointment... and of course my huge belly pic.

It's Still a Girl!!

I'd mentioned that I was having a little anxiety about whether or not Dylan was still a girl, so we had one more ultrasound to make doubly sure. I added some of the pics. There's a couple of face shots, a potty shot (her legs are over her head, and the "goods" are in the left bottom corner of the picture), and a picture of her picking her nose, haha!

It's time

A sad day is upon us. Today is the first day that I've put on a pair of scrub pants that were too tight. Did I realize they were too tight before I left the house? Of course not. The fact that I didn't have enough drawstring to tie a bow and had to tie a loose knot instead should have been a clue, but when you leave the house at 6am, the brain isn't running at 100%. So now I'm at work, wearing pants that are begging to be retired. Let's hope they make it through one more day!

22 weeks

Little Dylan Sofia weighs about a pound and is 9 inches from head to hiney. She's kicking up a storm and is growing like crazy! Those aren't stretch marks... Chris woke me up to take the pictures, so they're sleep lines.

Here's the belly pictures from 4 weeks and 22 weeks.