40 WEEKS!

We made it the whole way!!!! It's really hard to go overdue but so nice to know that I can carry a baby to term, and beyond apparently. :) Thursday was my new due date per the 20 week ultrasound. I'm not going to lie, this week has been really hard on my body and mind. But overall little one seems very happy and healthy according to all of the tests so I can't really complain.

Sunday started out as a very quiet day. Auntie Anne and Michelle came over for a little bit before Momma had to leave for Indio. Steven was out with Dad all day then at the track all night long, until 8am in fact. They were making a new course for the big race at the end of the month and not very many people showed up to help. Charlotte said the funniest thing to me. "Soooo Auntie Bena, are you ready to be a mother on Thursday?" I wanted to laugh because she said it so seriously, but it was actually a really sobering question. I replied, "Well kiddo, being a Mommy is a lot of responsibility but with God's help I think I'll take it one day at a time." She says in all seriousness "I know. I have two kids and it's really hard." hahahahahaha. Is that not the cutest thing ever? She does have two dolls that she takes everywhere now and is always shopping for them and arranging baby sitting and giving them naps. Two is a lot of work!

Steven slept all day Monday since he was up working on the track all night. I had an NST that afternoon that was a little worrisome at first. The nurse kept me on the monitor for a long time and had to buzz the baby twice to get her to move. She kept taking my print out back to the Dr but eventually they said all was well and to come back as usual in a few days. I had a few contractions on the monitor.

Tuesday wasn't very exciting. I started my craft blog and Steven finally got around to fixing the breaks on the truck then left with Scott to do hobby stuff.

Wednesday we ran some errands and stopped at Ruby's for lunch. That was a nice treat. :) I took a nap then crocheted two hats. I'm not sure what got in to me but it sounded like a fun challenge and they turned out better than I expected. I'm no expert by any means so I found some really easy patterns on line. Steven went to race track. I didn't see him very much this week.

Thursday we started off my due date with another NST where the baby was much more cooperative. We also had our weekly ultrasound to check fluid levels and everything was fine. After that we headed to the OB appointment. I'm still at 204 lbs and dilated 2 cm. During lunch I got really dizzy and developed a nagging headache. The Dr told me that my blood pressure was a bit elevated from my usual so to take some Tylenol and rest when I got home. If it didn't go away I was supposed to go to the hospital. She said if I don't have the baby by next Thursday they are going to have me induced. Because of the blood pressure she wanted me to come back on Monday to see the nurse practitioner. I was a little nervous after all that and didn't want to go sit at home yet again, so Steven took me to Kohl's so I could use my awesome coupon and got a purse. We sat and had an ice cream cone and talked for a bit which was really relaxing. My headache never left, even with the Tylenol but I was so tired and scared of going to the hospital so I just went to bed instead.

Friday I cleaned the house up as best my big belly would allow and made another hat. Steven was gone all day again and I felt miserable. Auntie Anne came over to take my blood pressure which was still elevated but no higher so I didn't worry too much. Momma came home and it was nice to have people around for a while even though I didn't feel well. We also got a package in the mail from Diane today. In it was a cute little stuffed kitty, a lady bug toy that sings, and a lullaby book with a CD. Thank you!

On Saturday Marla and her new boyfriend Donny stopped by while they were in town picking up her new car and visiting friends and family. It was great to see Marla as always and very nice to meet Donny. I'm really happy for them. :) Michelle and John and Char showed up later to spend some time with Momma and then Mike and Tanya and the kids joined us so that Steven and Mike could paint their trucks. Uncle Jim and Aunt Tammy called to say they were in the neighborhood and ended up coming by for a while also. Needless to say, we had quite the impromptu party and a house full of people. Steve bought us an amazing video camera today also. Thank you! It will be so fun to capture all of her "firsts" with it.

I'm late again on my 40 week picture but I don't think that much has changed.

39 WEEKS!

I'm finding it so hard to sleep this week. I never thought my frequent urination could become even more frequent! I'm at least once, if not twice, every single hour during the night. Between that and Steven's snoring I'm not getting much sleep. Sitting is beyond uncomfortable and I can't yawn or take a deep breath anymore. The baby doesn't move very much that's noticeable but it's still enough to not be alarmed. She keeps hitting some nerve that goes through my groin and down my leg and sometimes will knock me feet out from under me. I'm so looking forward to meeting her and being able to move again. Steven and I have picked a name to be announced after her arrival. :)

On Sunday I moved the crib and put on the bumpers and mobile. It looks so cute. :) The mobile needed a little something so I added a cover for the plastic handle. Later we went to a party at Auntie Anna and Uncle Larry's house for the August/September birthdays and Labor Day.



Monday was Labor Day so Mom and Dad were home. Steven spent the day at the race track. Auntie Anne and Craig came over for dinner and brought steaks. Carina also came over to visit and catch up. We had a good time and I kicked butt at Scrabble. Auntie gave me two of the adorable wool diaper covers she made. I'm so excited to use them! It's amazing how quickly she can bust those out.



Tuesday we went to the NST where we had a sleepy baby again. After she was buzzed a few times she did well on the monitors. I was super tired so took a nap while Steven and Scott played video games. The weather was really strange and drizzly so that might have contributed to my tiredness and funny headache. Michelle and Charlotte dropped by later in the afternoon.

On Wednesday Ariel and Chelsea came over to visit with Michelle and I. We had a nice time and I ate far too many munchie snack foods.

Thursday we had another NST and everything looked good. My fluid is still in the safe zone at 9.7 cm. After that Steven and I ran a whole bunch of errands that I had been bugging him about. We had a really nice afternoon together. Later in the day I had a Dr appointment. I'm at 204 lbs and blood pressure and sugars are still looking good. I measured at 40 weeks and baby's heartbeat is strong. She said I made a little bit of progress and was dilated to 1 cm and my cervix was still high but getting a little softer. That didn't sound like much progress to me but oh well. The exam was really painful and I had some spotting afterward and lots of cramping. She thought I might have a UTI so they are running a culture for that. I didn't feel like going home afterward so we walked around TJ Maxx where we found Dare a new bed for a great price. Her last pillow was in bad shape. I swear, whenever we spend money on that dog it's never wasted. She loves it!



Friday we had a pretty quiet day just doing things around the house. Diane sent me another lovely bracelet. :) Thank you!



Saturday morning Mom and Dad took us out to breakfast at Ruby's Diner. I love going there but this was the first time I've had their breakfast. Afterward Dad and Steven went to do boat hobby stuff while Mom, Carina, and I went to a store around the corner holding a cloth diapering class. I used some money from the shower to get a few of the covers I still needed to fit a newborn and for my birthday Momma bought me two dozen prefolds (per my request) and the lanolizing detergent for the wool covers. It's so nice to have a place so close by to purchase these items. Carina stayed and visited for a little while then Mom and I hung out until I fell asleep. When I woke up Michelle, Char, and John had come over to say hi to Momma. Even after the nap I was beat so retired relatively early.

Here is the 39 week picture. Not much longer to go!

38 WEEKS!

Every week is getting significantly harder for me. Hard to move and sleep and harder to cope with the stresses and anxiety. I'm beyond anxious to go into labor and as much as I know I'll miss being pregnant when she comes, I still want to be done!

On Sunday Michelle and Charlotte came over to visit with Momma since she was gone most of Saturday. I think she's really happy with her new job, except the fact that it's so far away. This week she'll be settling in the room she's renting from a nice elderly lady.

Monday was a quiet day. I spent most of it sewing.

Tuesday was my 29th birthday and I woke up to a lovely breakfast. :) Steven had bought me yellow roses (my favorite) and decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons. We had a nice breakfast and then headed out to the NST. Baby did great as always and then we had lunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe. We were early to our movie so we played around the arcade for a while. We saw "The Switch" and then spent a quiet evening at home.







Playing in the arcade.



Wednesday I finally finished my diaper bag! YAY! I swear that project took forever. I'm not sure why it's taking me five times longer than it should to finish anything I start. I'm really happy with how it turned out though. Michelle came over and we went to a few fabric stores to find fabric for her project at Char's school library and I got the fabric to finish the bumpers. It was a really long day but we were both happy with the results of our purchases. I couldn't believe how cheap my fabric was! I stayed at her house the rest of that evening and she made a wonderful dinner.





On Thursday we had our regular Dr. appointment and I met Dr. Spears for the first time. She's the OB that the clinic uses but she's been on maternity leave and is only in the clinic one afternoon per week. She was so nice and really supportive of my plan for little to no interventions and a natural birth. That was not at all what I expected. It's not very likely that she will be delivering me but if all the other Dr's on rotation at the hospital are as nice as her, then I'm not worried at all. I'm up 1 lb from last week to 201 lbs. I measured 35 weeks and with my new due date they considered me 38 weeks. She didn't seem concerned that I was measuring behind since there was some growth from last week. When she checked my cervix it was really painful and felt like she was digging around in there. After she told me that she did a stretch and sweep. My cervix isn't very ripe at all and still long and thick. She could only stretch me to 1 cm and swept my membranes in an effort to move things along. The rest of that day and all night I was very crampy. I don't know why but I was so discouraged and uncomfortable with all the cramping that night so Steven had me take some Tylenol and that helped me get some sleep. I lost some of my plug but there was no spotting. I have a feeling that this week is not the week for baby's arrival.

On Friday Michelle and Char came over to work on her project for the school library. Charlotte actually learned how to work the sewing machine by herself (mostly) and made two blankets for her babies all by herself. She's getting so grown up! Our NST and fluid scan went well and baby was more than cooperative. It seems that little girl likes the sound of her own heartbeat. She always starts dancing like crazy when the Doppler is put on her or the monitors at the hospital. Silly kiddo. :)

Saturday I worked on finishing up the bumper pads for the crib. I think they turned out really cute! It was Michelle's idea to put the ruffles and she found the fabric for the ties. I was getting so frustrated with the whole thing so I'm glad she was able to bring it all together. I love how they turned out and now I just need to make the crib skirt.



My picture is a few days late. I do have some small stretch marks now on my right side but still none on the belly. I'm not sure how that makes sense.