Come out, come out

My dear friend Kim has made a formal appeal to the baby for her arrival (similar to the one I made to her daughter, who arrived a day or two later).  Feel free to join her by sharing your sentiments with the baby in the comments section.  Perhaps she can read through my abdominal wall and will be moved -- literally -- by your comments.

Weigh In: Week 39 + 2

142.5 lbs.  And baby is still in utero.  I had a midwife's appointment this morning.  I was supposed to be there in the afternoon, but the office called this morning around 9AM to confirm that I was in fact coming to the appointment (a couple of inches of snow here in Nashville, with most roads unplowed).  I said I could come earlier if that would help, and the receptionist said they were pretty slow and I could come on in.  I got a shower, called Wes to let him know I was going in earlier, and he decided to come pick me up and go with me to the appointment (something we'd planned on, but then he had a meeting scheduled for 2PM and wasn't going to be able to come).  The roads were fine where they'd been plowed, but as I found out on the way home, slippery where they haven't yet been.

It turns out that the receptionist had told a lot of people the same thing she told me, and so we did have to wait almost an hour to be seen.  The midwife, one I hadn't seen before, was very nice and apologized for the wait.  She felt my belly and said the baby wasn't especially big, which is something I was starting to worry about (especially important when you want a drug-free delivery!).  Her heartbeat sounds fine, and she is, of course, still head down.  She checked me again, and I'm now 3 cm dilated, well effaced, and the baby's head is right against my cervix.  I did let her strip my membranes.  I had mixed feelings on this going in to the appointment.  I've heard both the pros and cons of having this done.  Those who favor it say that except for the risk of prematurely rupturing the membranes, there are no real risks.  The process basically involves separating the amniotic sac from the edge of the cervix, which releases prostaglandins, which helps initiate labor.  This argument says that it won't put a woman into labor if the baby is not ready for it, and it can provide a gentle nudge to baby if she is ready and just waiting (like this one is!).  Those who are opposed to it say that the risk of rupturing the membranes is very real and problematic, since it puts you "on the clock" -- meaning you have to deliver within 24 hours, even if your body wasn't really ready to go into labor.  It can be uncomfortable, and it can lead to additional interventions that can lead to a c-section that would not have happened had the stripping not happened.  This argument is the norm among the hands-off crowd, who basically don't want any kind of intervention at all.  That said, I felt like I was okay with having it done if the midwife supported it.  This practice is pretty hands-off about these things and wouldn't recommend something they didn't think was a good idea.  So when the midwife mentioned it, I told her that I knew what it was but didn't have a firm opinion on it.  She said she's never ruptured someone's membranes in the process and definitely felt that it couldn't hurt.  Plus, I'm at my due date and my cervix is very favorable for labor, so it would either nudge baby out or do nothing at all.  It wasn't really that uncomfortable, and I don't feel any different than I did before except for losing some bloody show, which is expected after the stripping.  I've of course done lots of Googling since I got home, and it sounds like for most women, it either gets things going in the next 24-36 hours or does nothing at all.  So we'll see!  I think the midwife felt better that we live so close to the hospital, so we're not putting ourselves at risk of having to brave the bad roads for a long drive if it in fact works.  I have an appointment set for next Monday, when I'll be almost 41 weeks by the midwife's EDD.  If I have to keep the appointment and am still pregnant at that point, we'll schedule an induction for the middle or end of next week.  Neither Wes nor I, based on what we've read, are comfortable going past 42 weeks based on the best EDD, and I would prefer to induce on a Wednesday or Thursday to give me the longest stretch of time out of class and with Wes at home.  I don't know why, but having this in place makes me feel better.  I know I might still be pregnant next Monday, but then I'll be at my last appointment before the baby is born.  Now, finally, there is an end in sight.

Tomorrow is my official due date by first trimester ultrasounds, 1-11-11.  I would be very excited if she were to make her arrival then -- and if not, Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday.  My sister and her husband are supposed to visit this coming weekend, and while I know they're looking forward to seeing Oliver (and maybe me and Wes a little bit), I'd feel a lot better if they got to see the baby, too.

The watched pot

I am not in labor.  Just in case anyone is wondering and might be tempted to call and ask, I just want to repeat, I am not in labor.  I promise not to secretly birth and parent a child without telling friends and family.  So the baby is not here yet.  I am sitting at home, on my couch, in front of the television, contemplating a nap and maybe a movie later this afternoon.

I repeat, not in labor.

Weigh In: Week 38

142 lbs.  And still pregnant.  I had a midwife's appointment on Friday.  They asked if I wanted to be checked, and I said yes.  Normally I don't want to know how far dilated or effaced I am.  I prefer just to go with how I'm feeling as an indicator.  But with the GBS and knowing I need to be there a few hours early, I wanted to know if I was starting from 0 or had made a little progress already.  The midwife said I was 2 cm and soft, and the baby was low but still could come down a little.  She didn't think it would be this weekend, and now that it's Saturday night, that prediction seems ever more likely.  My next appointment with them is on Monday, January 10, the day before my due date, per their estimation (which puts me at 39 weeks on Tuesday).  Oliver was 39 weeks based on his EDD by first trimester ultrasound, and if this one comes at the same gestational age, she would be born on my younger sister's birthday.  Perhaps that's what she's waiting for.

I am a little bigger, a little rounder, a little more uncomfortable, and ever more ready for her to be here.  My parents visited last Tuesday until Thursday, at which point they drove home and my mom came back on Friday to stay the weekend while Wes works overnights, just in case.  I took advantage of the extra kitchen help (and, for my father, toddler-wrangling help) to do a LOT of cooking.  Before Oliver was born, I made two lasagnas that we froze and ate later.  This time, I went BIG.  Wes and I bought a chest freezer for the garage, and I am doing my utmost to fill it.  Currently there: two sausage lasagnas, two spinach lasagnas, two batches of white chicken chili, two batches of beef chili, one batch of chicken tortilla soup (the other in the refrigerator for us to eat this weekend), one black bean vegetable bake (the other in the refrigerator for later this week), and half a dozen cornbread muffins.  Tomorrow ia posole day, with two batches to be frozen.  That's a lot of food, people.  But I think it will make a big difference in how healthy we eat over the course of this semester.  I am very thankful to have had mom here to help me dice probably 16 onions, mince garlic, and chop peppers.  We had the chicken tortilla soup for dinner tonight, and while I think it could use some more spice, it was pretty good (and Ollie ate and loved it, which is always a bonus).  Oh, and we also made pumpkin bread today, which yielded three medium loaves, two of which have also been frozen.  The chest freezer, in addition to housing these items, will likely get some frozen rolls, perhaps some pizzas, and eventually (I hope) lots of bags of breast milk.

Other than that, nothing else seems to be cooking.  I keep hoping each day that I am nearing her arrival (and of course, that's always true, though not as imminently as I'd hoped).  I made a lunch date with two classmates for Tuesday, and my first official class of the semester is a week from Thursday, January 12, so I do sincerely hope it's not too much longer.  The good news is that her delay -- if it's even fair to call it that -- has allowed me to do all the errands, stocking up, cooking ahead, and cleaning that I could possibly do (or that is reasonable I guess, as I could always do more).  Ollie has had time and attention at home.  Even Lucy got a short walk today.  And tonight, Wes works his last shift for the next three weeks.  Seems as good a time as any, doesn't it?

Here's hoping my next Weigh In is a post-partum one!

Weigh In: Week 37 + 1

142 lbs. (Yes, that's less than last time. Evidently, horrible stomach illnesses and an ever bigger baby pushing on my stomach, which makes me not hungry, are helping me out here at the end.) And I'm term.  I met with the midwife on Wednesday, who told me that I should "call if I need" them.  She also said that Vanderbilt is really strict about the GBS thing and would make the baby stay for 48 hours whether she got the antibiotics during delivery or not, so we know we're looking a full 48-hour post-partum stay.  Save three shifts next week, we're prepared for Wes to take full care of Oliver while I'm in the hospital, so it's important for us to know there'll be no early discharge this time.  There was no vaginal exam (in my experience, they usually don't until 40 weeks), so I've no idea if there's any progress towards labor, and any dilation or effacement wouldn't be a promise of that anyway.  She told me to come back in 7-10 days, so I'm scheduled for this Friday (10 days) and hoping I don't have to go!  I've been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, which might be part of why I'm not always sleeping well, and last night I'm pretty sure I had some real contractions -- which led me to wake up thinking I might be spending the day in labor.  Instead, I spent it in Wal-mart and Lowe's with Wes and Oliver.

I feel, in the interest of full disclosure, that I should admit that the end of this pregnancy has not been the most fun.  I preface it with that because I really and truly do not mean to complain.  I have my whiny moments, but in a contemplative space like this, I'm hardly going to whine about the few discomforts that come with such a wonderful and miraculous event.  Wonders and miracles aside, though, I don't want anyone to think that there isn't some discomfort with the process, or that all pregnant women feel great and go on to smooth and easy deliveries.  I know that there are friends and even some extended family members who read this who are pregnant themselves, looking at what's ahead, or thinking about becoming pregnant or comparing theirs to mine, and I don't want to make it seem like it's all roses and daisies.  It's worth it -- for sure.  I'd put up with all again in a heartbeat for more kids.  But this time around, as I've mentioned, has been harder.  My sleep is mixed now.  Some nights, like last night, are pretty good and I wake up feeling mostly rested.  Some nights, like Christmas Eve, are bad, and I wake up feeling groggy and fatigued but simply cannot fall asleep.  My back is sore, as are my hips.  [TMI warning here: Read ahead at your own risk.]  My breasts are tender, and there are things leaking all over the place.  And to add injury to insult, I have now developed something I'd heard about when pregnant with Oliver but somehow never suffered with -- hemorrhoids.  One in particular is large and terribly uncomfortable.  If I spend much of the day sitting upright or standing or lifting things -- which is basically how I spend every day, all day -- I'm constantly in pain down there.  I'm applying the normal salves and such for the situation, but Roy, as I've affectionately named him, has no plans on retiring until the baby comes out and removes her head from my groin.  He is simply unwilling to negotiate.  I'm sure it will make labor and delivery that much more fun.

That said, the biggest difference between the end of this pregnancy and the last is how ready I am to have her out.  I don't know if it's because I'm uncomfortable.  I mean, the first week or so after a delivery is usually not full of good rest and physical comforts, what with the healing and bleeding and the sweating and the breastfeeding.  I don't know if it's because I'm not in the midst of something else that is consuming all my attention -- like teaching school, which is what I was doing last time.  And, in fact, I'm actually counting down the days until I have to go back to that something else -- being in school -- and want her here for as much of that time as possible.  Or most likely, it's that this time, I have some idea of what I'm looking forward to, what it's like to go through labor and delivery and see that person who's been poking her foot in my side for weeks now.  What it's like to hold her and smell her and dress her.  And looking forward to seeing her with her daddy and brother.  I keep telling her how great they are, that she needs to come out and meet them.  If a kid were ever ready for and wanting a sibling, it's Oliver.  I feel no guilt about ending his days as an only child or making him "not the baby" (which he certainly is not, even without a younger sibling).  And so, I wake up every morning wondering, Is today the day?  Something I never went through with Oliver, even though he didn't really come early.  I know, on the one hand, that she'll probably be here in the next 2 weeks.  But I also know that it could still be 4 more if she were to come really late for some reason, which is scary.   I don't want to hang out with Roy that long, and I really, really want to meet her.

Where there once was a belly button

There is no more.

Ouch

Last night was not a good night in our house.  Oliver came home from daycare with the report, per daddy, that he "hadn't been himself" all day.  He seemed to bounce back at home, and he was certainly ornery enough, but right around dinnertime he had a complete meltdown.  I, meanwhile, had spent the entire day scouring our house, which I'm still not done with, so my legs and pelvis and back were very sore.  And then, suddenly, I was very nauseated.  And really wanted to lay down.  And then came the chills, the achy body, the increased nausea, and finally, the abdominal pain -- made all the worse by a very tightly packed baby moving around against the source of the pain (though feeling her move did make me feel a little better that she's not being affected).  The chills finally subsided between 3 and 4am, and I started to sweat.  The nausea decreased but still isn't gone.  My body is still achy, especially my back, and I just don't feel myself -- in part because I didn't sleep much, and in part because I feel like I've been run over by a truck.  Wes took Oliver to daycare this morning, and I'm going to pick him up after my midwife's appointment later on. I'm still going to try to get a few things done around the house -- no elves have shown up here, yet, to relieve me of those duties, but I think I'm also going to try to put my feet up (on our newly washed couch!) while I fold laundry and the like.

I've been wishing for days that this baby would make her appearance.  Now I think I need a day or two to recover before my body goes through labor!

Weigh-In: 35+2

142.5 lbs, and five weeks, more or less, left. I am very much looking forward to meeting this little girl, and soon.  I stood in her room last night, looking around, peeking through the clothes we've accumulated in the 18 weeks since we found out she's a she, and just got excited about being about a month from my due date.

I'm definitely feeling the third trimester. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping recently, and then I can't decide if I should nap in the middle of the day or hope that, if I don't, it will make me that much more sleepy at night to sleep soundly. Oliver will go to daycare all this week, so I have the option -- though my remaining schoolwork would suggest that I should skip the nap and do the work.  My butt gets really sore, no matter where I sit, which I have to do a lot of to get said schoolwork done.  The baby is really pushing against my pubic bones and head-butting my cervix at times.  I think she's dropped because I can finally breathe a little easier, and she's definitely pressing right on my bladder.  (I went to use the bathroom yesterday, and Wes just looked at me and said, "You've got to be kidding me," since I'd gone not 30 minutes prior.)  The midwife last week told me that they wouldn't stop labor at this point -- maybe some IV fluids to make sure I'm not dehydrated, but nothing more.  And at 37 weeks, I can stay home and labor however I want.  Oliver had to come with me to that appointment.  He thought it was pretty funny to see me get on the scale and lie down on the examination table, something he normally does while I watch on.  I did, at the midwife's request, do a birth plan (I call it "birth preferences") since I want no separation of care after the baby is born.  It's short, straightforward, and of course subject to change as situations necessitate.  The midwives scan it into my file, so I guess they really do look at it when I get to the hospital for delivery.

The picture is from Friday night, when I went to Wes's work holiday party.  I left him with some colleagues to enjoy himself a bit longer while I went home to relieve the babysitter and my sore belly and back after several hours of standing.  I took the picture with a self-timer, hence the distant view.  There's a bow right at my belly, so it makes me look a little bigger than I really am.

There's a couple inches of snow on the ground outside this morning, so Wes took Oliver to daycare because he doesn't want me driving.  He's seen two 30+-week pregnant women in the emergency room recently for injuries from car accidents, and I think it's made him nervous.  I think it also made him realize that we're probably going to have a baby soon.  Yesterday, he asked where the car seat is for the baby and where Oliver is going while I'm in labor.  It's like he suddenly realized I'm pregnant!

Weigh-In: 33 + 5

It's December!!!

140 lbs. and 44 days until my due date.  There is no mistaking I'm pregnant now, even in a bulky sweater.  Another mom at daycare said, "I couldn't even tell you were pregnant" when I was in a winter coat, but I think she was just being nice.  The baby's bum is up at the top of my uterus, and it's very much in the way when I bend over.  Tying my shoes is troublesome.  Shaving my legs is very difficult if not impossible, even sitting in a bathtub.

The nursery is completely done and looks adorable.  It's fun, vibrant, to say the least.  It's almost a different room with the new paint.  I changed out a few basic accessories, but otherwise it's the same, just very, very different with Sea Breeze on the wall.  Oliver likes to go and play with "Oliver's car" (his old walker, collapsed into a riding toy) in "baby's room."  The rug even works.  It doesn't match the paint, per se, but it works.  I don't know that we're going to get a decorator's nod of approval for our interior design there, but we like it, which is really all that matters.

This afternoon is my tour of labor and delivery at Vanderbilt.  I'm looking forward to just seeing where all this will be happening.  I had been in Prentice several times before I went there for a tour and to deliver, so it didn't seem as distant a place.  I've really never been in the hospital here.  I even had to get directions from Wes about how to get to the meeting place for today's tour.  (He is working so cannot go with me.)  I do have a list made for a hospital bag, but I'm not going to pack anything ahead of time.  I know that I need things to do while in labor!  I have my next midwife's appointment on Tuesday.  I'm hoping the baby is measuring correctly or at least four weeks further along than where I was at the last appointment.  I need to ask some basic questions at this point, like who to call (if anyone) when I go into labor and am ready to go to the hospital, and at what point in the pregnancy they will let me labor at home rather than try and stop the labor.  I have been having a lot of sharp pains around my cervix.  I think the baby is just really low, but a few evenings I have wondered if things would be happening sooner than later.

We also hired a caregiver for next semester.  Hailey is a graduate of Belmont University and currently in the MDiv program at Vanderbilt but taking a semester off to teach a class at a prison and make some decisions about whether to finish the MDiv program.  She's smart, really nice, sweet with Oliver, excited to be getting a baby to care for, comfortable with part-time and sometimes strange situation (me sometimes at home, Wes sometimes asleep in the bedroom).  Most importantly (and this is my advice to anyone hiring in-home help), we seem to get along well, and I feel comfortable talking to her about what we want to see happen, what we don't want, and so forth.  Sometimes I think it's less important that people agree exactly on what to do with a baby and more important that they feel comfortable talking through things they arise.  It was part of what I loved about Katie in Chicago.  So that's taken care of, and she's set to start in mid-January on my first day of classes.  If the baby has just arrived, I'll just run in for the first hour of class so I can get the syllabus and some face time.  If she's been around for a few weeks, I'll try and go the whole day.

I'm still nervous, even at this point in pregnancy.  I know too much.  I know that getting to 34 weeks doesn't mean there aren't things, very bad things, that could still happen.  Of course, a healthy delivery doesn't preclude those either.  In which case, I should also be nervous about Oliver waking up each morning.  In which case, I should be nervous about Wes, too.  And some days I am -- all of those things.  So usually I just try to take a big breath, know that I have very little control about those things, and so I should just enjoy these last weeks of this pregnancy.

For now, I'm just excited to be able to say when people ask when I'm due, "Next month."

You might be pregnant if...

Wes and I had late lunch at a bar and grill in Hillsboro Village this afternoon since he is working until midnight tonight and Oliver was off at daycare.  We asked to be seated at a booth since the place was virtually empty, but we quickly realized we would need to switch to a table.  I didn't fit on my side of the booth.

Weigh-In: Week 31 + 5

139 lbs.  I don't know that I look any different here than in my last belly picture six weeks ago, but here she is!  I feel like I've grown, and I think she has, too.  I saw the midwife last Tuesday, and everything looked good.  She did say that I measured a little behind at the last two appointments, but I think it was within a week of where I am, so I don't think it really matters.  I'm hoping that means a slightly smaller baby and not someone planning to come late (though I don't know that there's any relationship there).  I go back to the midwife in 2 1/2 weeks at 35 weeks for my regular check-up and my Group B Strep test.  I was positive for this last time, which means I'm more likely to be positive this time.  It isn't really a problem except that I have to go to the hospital as soon as my water breaks, even if I'm not having contractions yet.  Fortunately, last time my water broke right before I started pushing and about 20 minutes before I delivered -- very fortunate since I hadn't had the antibiotics and Ollie's aplasia made him more vulnerable.  So if the delivery progresses the same way again, it won't be a problem -- just a bit of a nuisance trying to make sure I get to the hospital in time.  I'll also be curious to see if she's still measuring within a week of our count (I say January 15 based on ovulation; the midwives say January 11 based on baby's measurements at 8, 12, and 18 weeks).  I think I have to go weekly after this appointment, though I'm not entirely sure why.  My midwife in Chicago didn't check for dilation or effacement until 40 weeks (by which time I had already had Oliver), and I'm hoping this one won't either.  I know too many women who sat at 1 or 2 or 3 cm dilated for weeks, thinking any day could be "the" day.  I'm already anticipating this too much to have any misleading information make me think it's more imminent than it really is.  The midwife did say she's already head down, with her head low -- low -- in my pelvis.

We are finally starting to do the real preparations to bring a baby home in the next 6-8 weeks.  The baby's rug came.  It's not nearly as bold as it looked on the computer screen, but it still goes great in the room.  With that, we're trying to choose a paint color.  I think blue or green are most likely to look good, but I'm concerned about it being too dark.  We have splotches of four different paint colors all over the room to try and choose something.  I've picked up a few things for her recently -- rattles, bibs, and a baby seat.  I'm getting a diaper stacker for the crib to store diapers and wipes, since the dresser isn't close enough to use like we did in Chicago.  The plan is to paint the nursery on Thanksgiving, when Wes has the day off (it takes one parent to paint and one parent to keep Oliver from "helping").  Once the room is painted, I'm giving myself the go-ahead to fully nest -- empty out the closet, store the things we don't need, get diapers and blankets ready, put bottles downstairs, sterilize the breast pump.  All those exciting things.  I have decided not to pack a hospital bag ahead of time.  I figure I'll have plenty of time to do that once I go into labor, and if we have to get there quickly, it's not like I need to anything to give birth.  Wes can bring me clothes and things for the baby afterwards if we need them.  The beauty of living one mile from the hospital :)

I take a tour of the L&D in two weeks.  Somehow the thought of just being in that space is exciting.

Weigh-In: Week 30 + 1

138.5 lbs.  The baby is supposed to be about 3 1/2 pounds and 17 inches right now, and while sometimes that doesn't seem possible, other times it seems entirely likely given the kicks I can feel on my right side from time to time.  She gets a foot in there, and I push on it, and she begrudgingly moves around.  I am much relieved to be home from my travels, as I slept poorly in Vegas, even surrounded by 6 pillows.  Hopefully, the next night I spend away from home will be one in the hospital.

Weigh-In: Week 29

137 lbs. or somewhere thereabouts.  I feel like my belly is going to burst.  I don't remember feeling this big with Oliver.  My belly button is disappearing.

Times like these make me wish I were a lion or a sheep and really glad I'm not an elephant.  It's not that I mind being pregnant -- bursting belly and all -- just that I can't wait to meet her.

Weigh-In: Week 27+6

135.5 lbs.  I do not have gestational diabetes.  My glucose blood level was 83.  The nurse said that I should look for a number under 135.  Evidently, I'm okay there.  My blood pressure is that of a normal 9-year-old: 98/60.  "Is it normally that low?" the nurse asked me.  And, just as a reminder that nothing is ever quite like the first pregnancy (read: much more pressure, much more sciatic pain, much earlier with this pregnancy), I've been having clearly discernible Braxton Hicks contractions the last day or two.

On another note, I'm really looking forward to the nursery rug coming soon.  It was backordered, but the company charged the credit card, which I'm hoping means it's on its way soon, if not already.  I'm still hemming and hawing about painting the room a different color (hopefully over Thanksgiving break in only six weeks!!!), but I don't want to decide either way until the rug is here.  I also think I found a rug for Oliver's room that is the right colors, kind of kid-cute but not overly so.  I wish it were wool and not Olefin, but that does mean it's (maybe) a bit more durable and certainly a bit cheaper.  The baby gate at the bottom of the stairs came down yesterday.  I fell over the thing in May, which bent it badly, and it's never been quite the same since then.  I have stumbled into it when it didn't open right several times since then, and Wes admits to having tripped over it also.  A few days ago I noticed it wouldn't even latch, so we decided to take it down.  Ollie is really good on the stairs now, and while he could still have an accident, it seems like we're just going to risk it.  He's much more likely to be able to catch himself if he stumbled or at least stop his fall.  The gate at the top of the stairs is staying so that he doesn't try to wander downstairs in a sleepy haze, should he get out of his room one night.  (And, more likely but less importantly, that keeps Lucy from going upstairs unsupervised and, say, peeing on the bathroom rug or eating dirty disposable diapers out of the trashcan.)  We'll have to replace the downstairs gate when the new baby starts crawling, but that could almost a year out still.  So for now, we're enjoying the relative ease and nicer appearance of the gateless stairway.

Weigh-In: Week 27+2

135 lbs.  And it's finally the third trimester!!!  I feel like this pregnancy has been going by so slowly, but this gives me hope that soon enough I'll be meeting my baby girl on the outside.  She really seems to be getting crowded in there, which has me concerned since she has somewhere around 13 more weeks of growing left.  I'm not sure how she's going to fit in there, or how my belly is going to feel at that point.  I can already feel body parts, and when she rolls around my whole abdomen moves.  I commented to my mom this weekend how strange it is to become used to having a person living inside me.  Sometimes I think, "Oh, gas bubbles," and then I'm like, "Oh, no, that's a child in there."  Craziness.

In the final days...

Dear Husband, Part 25

Last night, I asked Wes what he thought he wanted to for dinner tonight so I could defrost it.

His answer: A baby.

And if my body's signs are trustworthy, he may very well get it.

Reminiscing

Women often talk about how, when they're pregnant, every woman they meet wants to tell them their horror birth story. I've been fortunate in that I've not heard any, save those I already knew about (a friend who hours and hours of unmedicated labor became back labor with an ineffective epidural became a C-section). What has been fun, though, is hearing current moms -- especially older moms -- reminisce about their kids when they were babies. Just today I had two moms at this school share their memories. Csilla brought in a certificate the hospital gave her when her son, Endre, who just started kindergarten, was born, that had his little footprints on it. She was so cute showing them to me and telling me Endre's reaction when she showed them to him recently. Connie, the mother of an almost 21-year-old, was commenting on how amazing it is to realize her kids are grown already. "Where has the time gone?" she asked. "I remember when he was just a baby with these really pudgy, rosy cheeks that you just wanted to pinch."

I love hearing moms talk like this. In the midst of stories about sleepless nights and endless diaper changes and plugged milk ducts, it's nice to know that what moms mostly remember about infancy is the good stuff. It helps to focus on those details as you're going through them, to combat the challenges of the sleepless nights and the endless diaper changes and the...

Update for today: An extra-tight belly with a somewhat quieter baby. Six days left on the ticker.

Out of Town Daddy

Wes left today around noon for his residency retreat in Michigan. He's definitely a bit ancy about being almost two hours away so close to my due date. He's called twice in the last hour just to check in and then to let me know his pager doesn't work out where he is. Were I not pregnant, I doubt we would even talk for the 36 hours he's out of town. In truth, Wes has been particuarly vigilant and a bit on edge the past few days. Last night, I went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet in the tub, and let out a yelp when the shower head sprayed down on me unexpectedly (someone forgot to push the plunger down after his shower). Wes ran into the bathroom at top speed to find out what had happened.

Needless to say, we're both watching and waiting. There's tons of pressure down low, and the kicks have moved down from ribs to the side of my belly. There's still enough movement to know he's doing okay, but it's slowing a bit. Wes put down chux (the blue, waterproof pads they use in the hospital) under the sheets on my side of the bed yesterday -- just in case, I suppose (we do love our mattress). While I'm glad the mattress is protected, it is a bit odd hearing the crinkling when I, with great effort, roll over at night.

The weather here is turning cooler -- 50s and 60s for the past few days, low 70s forecasted for the next several. It's making me run to the baby's dresser to recheck our 0-3 month stash -- all short-sleeved onesies! I guess he'll have to stay wrapped as a baby burrito until he starts fitting into some 3-6 month sweatpants. Fortunately, I have an impressive stash of warm baby blankets for any outings in the car seat or stroller.

Strep...

So I don't have strep throat, but I do have it...elsewhere. My midwife called yesterday to tell me I tested positive for Strep B. It's a random affliction that 20-25% of all women have and that doesn't really cause problems except during pregnancy. The result of this positive strep test is that I need a course of penicillin during delivery. I don't know if that means I have to go to the hospital early or just early enough to get it done before the actual delivery; I have to ask the midwife at my appointment tomorrow. The con, of course, is being strapped to an IV pole for any length of time. The pro is that it reduces to almost null the chance of the baby getting pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis, the low-risk but possible effects of deliverying without the penicillin.

For as much luck and good fortune as I've had in this pregnancy, this seems like a pretty minor inconvenience. If this is the worst it gets, it's pretty good.