Beginning of Week 41 (40 weeks 0 days)

Well - today was due date day!!  We had a non-stress test (NST) scheduled as well as a dr's appointment.  My dr likes to do a NST on your due date to make sure everything is still going ok.  Unfortunately Baby Lake decided he/she wanted to be lazy/sleepy during the NST and the dr was not happy with the amount of movement we were getting.  This could be caused by the baby being lazy or it could be something going wrong with my placenta, so off to the hospital we went.  Being a teacher I wasn't too happy that our baby had already failed it's first test!  We had a Biophysical Profile where the baby scored a perfect 8 out of 8.  We then were monitored for a longer period of time and after drinking some juice the baby started to perk up.  After that, the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 3.  I was having contractions every 4-7 minutes during the monitoring, so they sent us walking in the halls for an hour to do some labor monitoring.  After an hour I hadn't dilated anymore, so they sent me home.  Since it is my due date and the baby was possibly showing some signs of not being happy, my dr thought it was best to just go ahead and bring our baby into the world.  Had things not have been fine during the hospital monitoring, we would have just stayed and started induction tonight.  But, since things were looking ok, we were sent home and told to come back for induction at 7:15 tomorrow (Thurs) morning.  We were already considering inducing tomorrow since my dr is going to be gone all next week, so this wasn't an idea we were totally in shock over.  Now, there was more reason though - I will do anything in my power to make sure this baby comes into the world safely!

This week I have been having contractions and my back has been hurting pretty bad with spasm type pain, so hopefully those contractions will pick up tomorrow and I won't have too long of a labor.  We are very excited, a little nervous, and very anxious about what tomorrow will bring.  Hard to believe we will finally know if it is a girl or boy and we will finally get to share his/her name!!

Stay tuned for more updates and/or baby pictures!

My last weekly picture!!

39 week Dr appointment

I had my dr's appointment today.  Everything still looked good and the heart rate was going strong.  I had progressed a 1/2 cm to 2 cm total and had thinned out a little bit (I wonder if she just told me that though because I told her I wasn't going to be happy with her if I hadn't made any changes, haha).  I am supposed to start doing kick counts twice a day to make sure I get enough movement.  I have one more week until my due date, so I have an appointment this coming Wed (on my due date) where they will do non-stress test (where they monitor baby's heart rate, baby's movement, and my contractions to make sure the baby is responding appropriately to movement and contractions) and we will talk about my options.  She is ok with me going a week over due, but unfortunately my dr (who I really like) is going to be out of town the first week of August.

Beginning of Week 40 (39 weeks 0 days)

Well, today was the day I was shooting for this whole pregnancy for having this baby and I only have 3 hours left, so I don't think it is going to happen!  This seemed like a good day as it was half way in between my original due date and my actual due date.  It seemed like I would never reach 40 weeks, and now today I starting week 40!  I have a dr's appointment tomorrow, so we will see if I have made any changes.  I am going to be fairly upset if I haven't as I had a few pretty uncomfortable days at the beginning of this week with tons of sporadic contractions and back pain.  If only those sporadic contractions would actually turn into the real thing, haha.

I have been swimming 4 times this week and that is pretty much the only time I feel total relief.  With the temperature over 100 degrees and my back not feeling the greatest, the pool feels fantastic!   They are saying this is the worst heatwave since the summer of 1980....of course, the summer I am 9 months pregnant, lol.  I am trying not to complain too much as I still have had a fairly easy pregnancy and we have air conditioning! 

No other major changes this week - I have just been trying to stay busy so I don't go stir crazy!  Luckily I have great friends and family that keep me distracted.  When I look at my picture from this week I'm not honestly sure how I am still standing up straight and not falling on my face with my huge belly sticking out in front of me.

Received some not very good news today - I finally called my daycare lady that I had arranged months ago to make sure everything was still in order and was told that the help she had quit last week so she didn't have room for any more kids anymore....awesome....a week before my due date and I lose my daycare that I had done so well to arrange so long ago....so tomorrow I get to spend time on the phone trying to find another daycare option.  Prayers are definitely needed.  Luckily I don't need daycare until the middle of September, but even when I called a few months ago people barely had openings.  I guess this is just another thing that doesn't go according to my wonderful plans.....

Beginning of Week 39 (38 weeks 0 days)

Ok, so today is actually my original due date, which is crazy to think about.  When we announced our pregnancy, July 13 seemed SOOO far away and now here it is!  Hopefully we have less than 2 weeks left in this pregnancy!  I don't really think I've grown that much in the last few weeks, so my pictures haven't changed that much!

Today has brought on more Braxton Hicks contractions, if only they would move on to be the real thing!  I am not wanting the pain, but I know the pain will bring our baby into the world which I can't wait for.

I had a pre-baby pedicure today that was amazing.  My ankles decided to swell for the first time yesterday, but luckily they went back to their original size when I stayed in the house with my feet up.  My fingers and toes have been swelling a little for the past month and I haven't worn my wedding rings for about a month now.  I just wear them on my necklace for fear that I won't be able to get them off.  I am not always swollen, but the morning I woke up and couldn't get them off without soaking my hands in cold water was the last time I wore them just to be safe! 

I am headed to school tomorrow to unpack my classroom and finish my bulletin boards so that can be ready to go for my sub!

37 week dr appointment

At my dr's appointment today, the dr said I hadn't made any changes from last week (still about 1 to 1 1/2 cm dialated and 50% effaced), but that everything looked good. 

Then we got to have another sonogram.  We haven't had one since 20 weeks, so this was very exciting.  The baby actually looks like a baby now, not an alien!  We got to see Baby Lake sucking and moving all around.  The ultrasound tech called our baby crazy!  We got to see the spine, femur, head, and belly, among other things.  Crazy to think in a few weeks we will be holding that baby in our arms!  Measurements estimated the due date all over the place, but she did say the baby was approximately 7 lbs 6 oz (give or take a pound) which is at the 69th percentile.  The baby had a heart rate of 140 bpm which she said was awesome and the amniotic fluid level was wonderful.  She said the baby was head down with it's body on the right side of my stomach and it's arms and legs on the left.    Everything is looking good for a healthy baby, which is what we continue to pray for.

Our baby's profile - forehead is on the top right, then eye socket, nose, and mouth.

Beginning of Week 38 (37 weeks 0 days)

Only 3 weeks to go - holy cow!!  This week has been another good week, I am starting to feel quite big, but I guess that is to be expected!  I have been having some back issues this week, but what do you expect when you are carrying a watermelon around in your stomach, lol. 

I had a dr's appointment this past Friday and had my Group B strep test.  I still haven't heard back from that yet, so I'm not sure if it was positive or negative.  I am hoping no news is good news.  I go back again this Friday so I guess I will find out for sure then.  At the dr's appointment I found out I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and the baby is very low head down.  The doctor said that the baby is in an excellent position, which was great to hear!  I am hoping the baby will decide to show up on time or a little early!   We get to have a sonogram at this week's dr's appointment which I am incredibly excited about.  We haven't seen pictures of our little one since 20 weeks! 

I am looking forward to my sister-in-law and my niece coming down this weekend to spend some time with us.  Girl time with them and my mother-in-law should be fun! 

I am wondering if nesting will ever kick in.  I have decided that nesting will be official when I start caring about how clean the rest of the house besides the baby's room is.  That hasn't happened yet, lol.  I did clean the kitchen and dining room, but that's just because company is coming, haha!

Pregnancy brain struck this past week - I was making 3 pounds of hamburger into meatballs to freeze for Jed to be able to just pull out of the freezer and cook after the baby is born and I remembered two nights later that I hadn't put the eggs into the recipe.  People tell me they should taste ok, they just might not stick together, so I will probably just keep them in the freezer and hope they work out! 

The nursery is finally finished!!

We finished the nursery yesterday - before baby month started!!  A big thanks goes out to my wonderful husband, my mom, and Kristin for all their help.  I couldn't have done it without them.  So, here are the pictures!

The closet, where Baby Lake will spend the first few months of his/her life!

The nursery downstairs.