A Disappointing Week 38

Well, I had my weekly appointment this afternoon, and there's pretty much no change. I haven't gained any weight since last week (yea!), and my blood pressure was 120/70, which is good. Baby's heartbeat was strong, as always. I told the doc I've had a lot of back pain since last week, and she said that's good-but I'm not any further dilated which was disappointing. This weekend is my doctor's on call weekend, and I was really hoping to have her actually deliver Gracie. With today's news, I'm not to optimistic that it will happen though. Well, time for dinner-spicy sausage, eggplant, and Castor oil pasta. Ha!
Next appointment: March 4th, 4:55.

Please

Can I be done now? I'm ready. Seriously. Ready to take care of her. Ready for a break from work. Ready to walk without waddling. Ready to be able to get to the phone before the person on the other line gives up. Here's hoping I have good news at my appointment this afternoon.

Baby Instruction Manual

I received this via email from a friend that is due in April. Now that we have an owner's manual for the baby, I think we are ready. Thanks Jenny, these are too funny! Click on any image to enlarge it.

Good Girl

Yesterday I didn't feel Gracie as much as normal, and by dinner time I was getting a little concerned. Brian and I went to the grocery store, and I bought a Three Muskateers to sugar her up a bit and put my mind at ease. After eating dinner and, of course the chocolate, she moved a bit-although not as much as usual. Brian kept saying, she's just tired, let her sleep. I tried to explain that it could be more than that. So this morning I ate a more sugary breakfast than normal and felt her on the way to work. When I got to work, I lectured her. I said "Gracie, you need to move a bunch today so mommy doesn't have to worry about you." Her response was a nice big belly roll. Good girl, Gracie.

Week 37 Appointment

The progress is good this week. My blood pressure was low, and she said my weight is good. The doc has been finding her heartbeat a little below my bellybutton (what's left of it) for the last few weeks, and it was a good 3-4" below my bellybutton today, so she's dropped again. Her heartbeat was between 129-140, and she's grown a bit too-my belly was about an inch longer than last week. I am now about 1 centimeter dilated, and am starting to feel more pressure lower. Which also explains why my back has been killing me for the last couple of days. She's thinking about coming out, but again, probably not this week.
Next appointment: Tuesday the 25th at 4:25.

Update

Gracie has been moving a lot more lately. She is still on a cycle so I can usually predict about what time she will start moving. Her movements have gotten a lot stronger, and I can actually watch my belly jump as she moves. Carrie and Jon were able to see a little of her jumping when they were here last weekend, and it's gotten stronger since then. I don't think she's actually kicking and it usually doesn't hurt at all-except when she grabs on to my ribs. It feels more like she's stretching-which I can't blame her for doing, it's getting pretty tight in there! I think I felt my first contraction yesterday. It was obviously very mild, and didn't take much time but felt different than anything I've felt so far. Despite knowing I was dilated and working on moving her down, this made me feel like I'm really on my way to delivery within the next few weeks. Tomorrow marks week number 37 so she is officially considered a full term baby. We are trying to stay close to home as she could join our world anytime between now and four weeks from now.

Brian's Outfit

Brian worked last night, which usually means I don't get to talk to him, as I go to bed around nine and he gets home around ten. However, I was running a little late and had just crawled into bed when I heard his key in the door. He came into the bedroom and said "Do you want to see what I got Gracie?" Now, this is only the second time he has come home from work with something for the baby (he works at Toys 'R' Us/Kids 'R' Us). Last time it was a bunch of clearance clothes. Now, to understand how sweet this is, you have to know that we are huge baseball fans. Since I know many of you are not, you have to know a couple of baseball terms. An official baseball is white leather with red stitches that travel around the ball. In two spots, the laces get farther apart from each other, making two panels. There are also two spots where the laces get close together. One of those spots has the official MLB stamp with the comissioner's signature on it, and the other is blank. The blank spot is known to autograph seekers as the ball's "sweet spot." An autograph in the sweet spot is generally harder to get because many players have autograph contracts to only sign there for a particular company-thus making it more rare, and worth more money. Brian told me they had gotten a bunch of new Brewers outfits in stock , and he couldn't resist this one. He pulls this little outfit out from behind his back and says, "Look, her belly is her sweet spot!" Hopefully you can see the gray stitching on the sides of the outfit that make her belly the "ball's" sweet spot. Brian then put it on my stomach an rubbed the sweet spot and gave it a kiss.

Week 36 Appointment

I just got home from my 36 week checkup, and the news was pretty good. My blood pressure was good, and the baby's heartbeat was strong at 135-140 bpm. The doctor said I am 1/2 a centimeter dilated which means the baby is thinking about coming out, but probably not this week. One of my coworkers said she was dilated to 3 cent. for three weeks before her son was born. Although, as the receptionist pointed out, they are much easier to take care of at this stage than they are when they come out!
Next appointment, Monday at 4:25.