An Update....

Emily
I went to the doctor yesterday and it was probably the most interesting appointment I've had. I saw my doctor (last week I saw a different one) and she went over the sonogram results from last week. Her first words to me, "You have a big baby!" She's not sure about the weight but she is sure that Emily is long. Her head and belly are measuring big and she has long limbs. Looks like Emily is ready to be born. However, my body is not showing any progress - no change in 3 weeks. We talked about different options and came up with a plan - give it this week to see if I go into labor on my own. If not, next Thursday I'll have another sonogram and we'll talk about setting an induction or c-section date - depending on how much Emily has grown and if my body has made any progress. So, it looks like Emily is coming early.

House
Our house is still a mess. We have no water but we hope by the end of the day we'll be able to turn the water on. The plumbers are here right now with a jackhammer. Hopefully they'll be able to find the right spot the first time and only 1 hole in our foundation will be necessary. They told us they might be done today, they might not. Awesome. Brad has been using the "I have a pregnant wife who could go into labor any day now" excuse on anyone that will listen and can move this process move along a little bit quicker. Hopefully it worked some magic on these guys and they'll be done today - hopefully.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Little Flood

The Bad News and The Good News

There is some good news and there is some bad news.

The Bad News:
We have a slab leak.
We have a slab leak under our water heater.
We have no water in the house and won't for several more days.
We have fans running and a dehumidifier going in the living room.
We aren't sure when it's going to be fixed - we are at the mercy of several other people.
They are going to bring a jackhammer in our house and no one is sure how many holes they will have to make to repair the pipe.

The Good News:
Insurance will cover the cost.
We have good insurance.
We've decided to put hardwood floors in the living room.
We have a place to go if we can't stay in our house for a couple of days.
Brad is awesome. He's been dealing with the situation most of the day and I'm very thankful to him for that.
Emily Kate hasn't come! We'd really like to get the house back in 1 piece before she makes her entrance.

37 Weeks...and our mini flood

Monday night:
Emily is now full term and she's welcome to make her appearance in this world anytime now! Brad's prediction that she would be born on Sunday was wrong - but he's changed it that she will be born sometime this week. I think he was a little disappointed Sunday when she didn't come. You should read his blog to find out first hand (it's very entertaining).

Tuesday morning:
I wrote that first paragraph Monday night and after this morning's discovery I would like to edit my first statement. Emily is now full term and health wise would be fine to make her appearance in this world - but Brad and I would appreciate it if she waited a few days.

Why the change in heart? Because half of our living room floor is full of water! As I stepped down into the living room this morning I felt and heard squish, squish, squish. My feet were wet and you could see my footprints on the carpet. AWESOME. Brad pulled up the carpet and the carpet pad (both so wet they are dripping water) to discover about an inch of standing water on the floor. Awesome.

Poor Brad is trying to work from home today and deal with our mini-flood. At this point we have no idea where the water came from or how to fix it. Brad has managed to get the water off of the floor with a wet/dry vac. He's still working on getting it out of the carpet pad and carpet. But the carpet pad is going to have to be replaced - maybe even the carpet. Hopefully Brad will be able to figure something out this morning and it won't be anything too major.

Emily Kate - we'd appreciate it if you waited a little bit longer to make your appearance. Your new home will be in much better shape if you do (we might even have a new living room floor).

So to answer the never ending question - Are we ready for her to arrive? Ummm, I think I'm going to go with No for right now.

Last week we did check the last thing off of our to-do list. Emily's spot in daycare has been reserved. So besides the house being a wreck, everything is ready. I go back to the doctor on Thursday - we'll see if I've made any more progress and what her new estimated weight is.

Here's the update from BabyCenter this week:
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her 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 - according to TheBump.com she's the size of a watermelon). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

I'm going to try and get some work done and hopefully our living room won't be in horrible shape when I get home.

36 Week Appointment - Quick Update

I had a sonogram and saw the doctor today. Sonogram was fine - the tech estimated that Emily weighs 7lbs, 9oz. I think there was a moment of panic when I heard her say that. We got a picture of her but you can't really make anything out.

After the sonogram I saw the doctor (different than my normal doctor). Everything seems fine - didn't make any progress from last week. Blood pressure was and I'm measuring right at 36 weeks. She guessed Emily weighs 6 - 6 1/2 pounds. When I told her was the sonogram estimated she said, "Well, I wish this baby was going to be born today. I would love to know who is right." I was very happy when the doctor said she really didn't think Emily was nearly that big.

That's all I know for now. We go back in a week.

Wordless Wednesday - I Wanna Go Back!

Week 36....less than 1 month to go!

I've been asked quite a few times in the last few days if I'm ready for Emily to be here and after today the answer is YES! I'm ready for some selfish reasons - my back hurts, my feet swelled up like crazy this weekend (so much Brad just called me a Yeti), breathing gets a little bit harder everyday and I can't find any position I'm comfortable in. Yes, all very selfish reasons but I'm ready for her to be here. I know that I shouldn't wish away this last month - that I should enjoy these last few weeks (possibly days) and I'm trying really hard to enjoy it.

Mentally and emotionally am I ready? My answer - are you ever really ready? You can prepare all you want but I don't think you are ever really prepared. Yes, this is something we planned for and very much wanted but are we really ready? Probably not.

In a bold move Brad predicted that Emily will be here on Sunday. I guess we'll see how that goes. If you haven't voted - look to you left and vote in the newest poll! When do YOU think Emily Kate will arrive?

It's back to the doctor on Thursday. We'll have a sonogram to see how big this little one is getting and see if I've made any more progress.

Here's the 36 update from BabyCenter.Com
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.


Changing gears....
We had a busy weekend, once again. Our neighbors hosted my fourth and final baby shower, we took family pictures and went to a birthday party. The baby shower was fun, very sweet and simple - just the way I like 'em. Once again this little girl got some awesome gifts - toys, a lot more clothes, a diaper cake surrounded with goodies and more. After the shower Brad, Banjo and I headed over to a local park to take some family pictures. My brother's girlfriend was kind enough to take them for us and she did a great job! Once I get them from her (she's working a little photoshop magic) I'll post a couple. The last stop on the agenda for the day was little Ryan's birthday party. She turned 2 and couldn't have been happier all day. It was fun to watch her eat a cupcake with no hands.

This weekend....NOTHING and I'm very happy about this. I've got a few things I need to do around the house, but that's about it. YAY! :)

Now it's time for this Yeti to go to bed!

More Comments, Questions and a Poll!

Now that the end of the pregnancy is quickly approaching it's time to update the list of questions and comments I've received. Most of these comments are from strangers.

- You look so swollen!
*right after I got back from the doctor who was thrilled that I wasn't that swollen.
- You look like you could pop any day now.
- You look so small for how far along you are.
*I received these two comments within 5 minutes of each other. Both from complete strangers
- I should have know you were having a girl. You are carrying high and that means girl. After all, I am an expert on these things.
- You aren't taking a Labor and Delivery class?!?!
- Are you going to cry on your first day back at work?
- Don't you feel bad that you have to put her in daycare?
- Is she head down?
- She's going to come early.
- She's going to come late.
- When will the doctor induce you?
- How is Banjo going to react?
- Are you going to take time off before she comes?
- How are you handling the heat?
- Did you plan to have a baby in August? It's really, really hot that time of year.

New Poll!
I've added a poll on the side. Guess when you think Emily Kate will make her arrival into the world. Will she come early? Will she be stubborn and come late? Or will she come on time (within 1 day of her due date - Aug 17 - 19).


I'm off to enjoy my day off by doing a whole lot of nothing! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Puppy Banjo

Change in Plans

Apparently my last week of freedom from doctor's visits was just a tease. My next appointment was supposed to be Thursday, July 23. I was scheduled to have a sonogram and then see the doctor right after the sonogram. I just got a call from the doctor's office and my appointment has been moved to tomorrow, but the sonogram will still be on July 23.

I'm confused.

Week 35....5 weeks to go!

Is there something "magical" about the 35th week of pregnancy? All of a sudden my rings don't fit, I'm not sure why I bother trying to put on shoes and heartburn sucks a little bit more everyday. My fingers don't look swollen but my rings won't go on. I always have this problem during the summer but this year it's worse - maybe it's all of the 100+ degree days we are having and pregnancy combined. And I think my already huge feet (size 10) have managed to go up to a size 11. They aren't that swollen - just bigger! I really, really hope my feet decide to return to their normal size in a few weeks. For now work is just going to have to deal with flip-flops and tennis shoes.

Other than those 3 very minor complaints - I'm still feeling pretty good. And yes, it's hot but I'm staying inside as much as possible. I'm getting a little more uncomfortable each day and Brad told me I'm getting spoiled with all of the pillows I sleep with.

We stayed busy this weekend and that made it go by way too fast. We spent Saturday morning watching some friends 2 little girls (10 months and 2 years old), came home, got changed and went to a wedding. Sunday was church and lunch with Brad's family and then we had some people over to watch the UFC fights we missed on Saturday. Next thing we knew - it was dinner time on Sunday and the weekend was over. Crazyness.

This coming weekend is going to be another busy one - dog sitting, baby brunch/shower with the neighbors, pictures, 2 year old Ryan's birthday party, church and lunch with the family and 28 year old Ryan's birthday party.

Here's the update from BabyCenter this week:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (the size of a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Now it's time for me to go surround myself with pillows and go to sleep!

To-do list update:
List of things to get done before Emily Kate arrives:
- pick a daycare - Picked! I still need to go fill out the paperwork - I forgot to do this last Friday.
- have house deep cleaned - I think I've given up on this one. All of these people annoy me. I'll just be better about cleaning every week.
- pack my hospital bag - made progress but there are a few things I need to pick up this weekend. If something were to happen and we had to go to the hospital at this moment I would be ok.
- pack Brad's hospital bag - he has a change of clothes set out
- install car seats
- decorate nursery
- pack Emily's hospital bag
- make hospital phone list
- figure out insurance stuff
- finish thank you notes
- wash clothes
- pick up items from Babies R Us that we still need
- organize nursery

Wordless Wednesday - Brad & Bec Being Silly

Brad and Bec being silly

Dr. Update

I had a doctor's appointment today. It was an uneventful as the others - weight gain is right on track, blood pressure is fine and the belly is measuring on track. I was just advised to stay inside as much as possible and drink lots of water to prevent swelling. Dr. asked if I've had any Braxton Hicks contractions or regular contractions and she was really surprised when I said no.

I go back in 2 weeks for sonogram to check on Emily's size and my doctor will start checking me for progress. Then I start my weekly visits.

34 Weeks down...6 to go!

I'm not sure if the weeks are going by faster or slower at this point. It seems as if the days just drag on but the next thing I know it's the weekend again. Don't get me wrong - that's a good thing. I just can't believe how fast these past 34 weeks have gone by.

I remember back June, when all of our crazy weekends were over, we said were going to keep our weekends as free as possible until the Baby Emily arrives. HA! This past weekend we went to the horse races (didn't win anything), worked around the house, went to a birthday party, did a good cleaning of the house, saw some pretty lame fireworks, had friends over, church and got a few more things checked off our to-do list. This coming weekend includes babysitting, a wedding, a going away party and UFC Fights. The next weekend we have family pictures, another baby shower, a birthday party and I know I'm missing something. Baby Emily will be here before we know it!

I know things are getting tight for little Emily. She is moving a lot and some of those movements hurt! Brad was feeling her move around last night, with every movement he would look at me with big eyes and say, "That was a big one!" They are all big ones these days! She loves to punch (or elbow) my pelvic bone, especially on the right side. That does not feel good. There are certain times of day that I know she's going to be very active - when I wake up I feel 1-2 quick movements, when I get to work and sit down for a couple minutes she starts in, mid-afternoons she moves a lot, after dinner is by far her most active time and as I'm going to bed there are more kicks and punches.

I think the nursery is done! Everything has been put away and decorations have been put up! I need to put some pictures in a frame but I'm waiting on a few things for that. Here are some pictures:

Picture from the door

Name decal above the crib.
We decided not to use the dragonfly.

Dresser/Changing table.
The window is to my back and glider is on the left.

Glider and little table

Bookshelf
The carrier and stroller won't be staying there. They'll be in the car soon.

Closet. There are more clothes further left.
Everything on the bottom row is 12 months and older.

I'm really, really happy with the way everything turned out. Just very simple and a room that she can grow into. The pack-n-play is set up in our room, too.

Here's the lastest update from BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby now weighs about 4.75 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."

List of things to get done before Emily Kate arrives:
- pick a daycare - Picked! Going to fill out the paperwork on Friday
- have house deep cleaned - I'm VERY annoyed with all of these people
- pack my hospital bag - made progress but there are a few things I need to pick up this weekend. If something were to happen and we had to go to the hospital at this moment I would be ok.
- pack Brad's hospital bag - he has a change of clothes set out
- install car seats
- decorate nursery
- pack Emily's hospital bag
- make hospital phone list
- figure out insurance stuff
- finish thank you notes
- wash clothes
- pick up items from Babies R Us that we still need
- organize nursery

We made lots of progress this weekend! Yay!