40 weeks and golden brown

Some days I imagine pregnancy like literally cooking something in the oven. Like cookies for example:  you mix all the ingredients together and put them in the oven and watch them rise waiting for them to get just right, nice and golden brown.  Well I imagine that is where Millie is at right now.  She has been in there the last 40 weeks, she should be good and golden, cooked to perfection, today is her day, now is her time! 

Everyone in the family is ready and waiting for her to make her grand entrance and a punctual entrance would be preferred!  :)  At the doctor this week I was dilated 2.5 cm and the doctor didn't seem concerned at all about the rate of my progression.  She said things were looking good.  She also said that if I made it to my appt next week 8/3, that we would be scheduling my induction at that point.  I really hope she decides to come on her own before then.  I cried most of the way home from the doctor feeling like I was going to be pregnant forever! 

I have come to the conclusion though that unless you have experienced weeks 37-40 of pregnancy, you just have NO IDEA!  I will be the first to admit that my pregnancy has been a breeze, minor sickness and the expected aches and pains when you are carrying around a bowling ball all day.  However, these last 3 weeks I would think highlight what it truly means to be pregnant!  No sleep, lots of bathroom trips, terrible cramps, sharp back pains, loss of breath, no energy, etc....  So if you were one of those girls that was able to "pop" that little one out early, consider yourself blessed and one lucky lady!  :)  And just know that all of us that go to full term or even more are grumbling under our breath at you!  :) 

I'm really not one for posting my big belly out there for all to see, but I guess I can say that I'm pretty proud that I carried this human around for 40 weeks.  I am certainly ready to be able to wear more than the 5 or 6 maternity shirts that I own and then 3 pairs of shorts/capris! 

My friend Beth made a surprise visit to us last night which was much needed!  Her and her daughter were on their way to NYC and stopped in to spend the night with us.  She was fascinated with my belly and even said that it almost looked fake.  (It has been about 2 months since she had seen me last, the beginning of June at my shower.)   

We will keep everyone posted the best that we can upon Millie's arrival.  It is going to be a time of change for sure!  :)  We are anxiously waiting and very excited!

39 weeks, ready to roll!

Just a side not before I start:  At the top of this page there is a pregnancy ticker that says how many weeks along I am, and there is a silhouette of  a girl who's belly grows along with the weeks and I have a major problem with how inaccurate it is.  My belly is way bigger than that at 39 weeks!  :P


Well one more week until D-Day! Or Days, or whenever this little girl decides to bless us with her arrival.  We went to the doctor for our weekly visit yesterday and I'm 90% thinned and 2 cm dilated.  Here in lies the problem, this really means nothing as far as a time line is concerned.  Could be days, could be a week, could be more!  I really think that when God worked this whole thing out, he should have found a better way to predict just how long this bun is going to take in the oven!  Those of you that know me know that I like numbers and calculations and I'm pretty particular about things being the way that they should.  So shouldn't there be some secret formula that you plug in how thinned out you are, how dilated you are, how many times you take your dog around the block, how many times your husband has to rub your back, how many squats you do, and how many times you have to take a hot bath and BAM it gives you the day and time your little one will be here! :)  Anyways....

The doctor asked me yesterday if I had been feeling contractions and honestly I really don't know what to call all the things that I'm feeling!  :)  I don't know if it's Millie in there pushing and stretching against me, if it's a contraction, or if it's just aches and pains.  So, I told the doctor this and as she was helping me lay back and feeling around to take Millie's heart beat she says to me, "Well you are having a contracting right now."  So in my mind I was thinking... okay well I have been having those pains for the last 3-4 weeks, what is taking this girl so long!  The problem is, they haven't been strong enough or consistent enough. She told me to wait for one of two things: my water to break, or for the contractions to be so strong and often that I can't walk or talk through them!  YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!

On the brighter side, the heatwave has passed and we have actually had some rain around here which makes my grass look more like grass and less like hay.  Yesterday I was able to get out for 2 really long walks, so hopefully that encourages her to move down and get out!  She is officially been given her eviction notice:  Of course it states that she must get out at her earliest convenience with a date to be determined!  :)

Who's Your Daddy?

Most of you that know my husband know him as a quite and easy going guy that generally goes with the flow.  However, he is a very kind, thoughtful, and insightful guy and his mind is always spinning.  Most people don't generally ask the Daddy what he is feeling and thinking through pregnancy. All the attention is given to the Mamma!  I decided to send him a few questions to answer about how he is and has been feeling through this whole adventure.  Here's to my version of a Daddy Interview: (Dad's answers are in blue and I added a few comments in red after his answers!)

1.  What was your first reaction when you found out that you were going to be a dad? 
    - The great news took some time to set in , but I was very excited to start this new chapter in our lives!

I didn't exactly spring the news on him lightly.  He was leaving for work and I came running into the garage with the digital pregnancy test that said "pregnant."  His exact words were: "What does that mean?"  :)
 

2.  Who did you tell first?
    - My older Brother Jed was the first person I told. He had a two and a half year old son at the time.

3.  What decisions have you made since knowing that Niki was pregnant that have been based solely on the fact that you are going to be a father soon?
    - My calculated level of risk taking, on a scale of 1-10, has dropped from an 8 to about a 7. 
    - I began to research babies through books and articles.

4.  What have you been doing to keep "in the loop" with the whole being pregnant thing?
    - I keep up by reading the "Expectant Father" book, "Baby Bump" online articles, and conversing with the woman that's actually doing the whole pregnant thing.
      Doing a fine job at it too if I might add.

He has also gone to all my doctor appts and pregnancy classes with me.  :)  Huge supporter!

5.  Give an estimate of the number of times you have rubbed Niki's back since she has been pregnant.
    - I lost count a long time ago, but it must be about 5o,ooo,ooo by now.

He is not exaggerating on this one!

6.  What other things do you do to pamper the mamma?
    - Help more around the house with cleaning floors and such.
    - Go out, order, or prepare any meal mamma desires :)

7. What were your thoughts/reactions when you found out it's a girl?

    - I was quite surprised considering the number of boys in my family, but very excited.        Especially for Niki's sake because I knew how much she wanted a little girl.

8. What are your greatest fears about being a father?

    - Being able to provide for my family.    - Losing my little girl to some illness or tragic event.

9. What are you most excited about?
    - The enjoyment of watching my child learn and grow in her new environment.

10.  How are you feeling now with only 1 week looming before Niki's due date?
    - Anxious, excited, uncertain, but at the same time feeling I have prepared myself as much as possible.

11. What is the greatest life lesson you want to pass on to your daughter?
    - One of the many life lessons I hope to pass on to Millie is that she stands up for herself and her beliefs.

38 weeks, tick tock!

Well 38 weeks comes and goes again, slowly however!  But when you look at it the other way around and say that there are only 14 more days until my due date, it doesn't seem like that much more time.  The days go by much slower now that I'm not working and spending the days at home.  This past week, I kept myself busy by going to the zoo with my nephew, meeting up with my all time favorite school nurse, Bette for lunch, and taking Newton to the vet!  We also visited the doctor on Friday, he said nothing else was new.  That her head was down far, but no more dilation.  So since then I have driven around on our riding mower in the bumpy yard, raked red stones, and helped with other landscaping at my mom's house.  Come on Millie Raine! 

Everyone said to be patient and to enjoy the last few days of quite around the house.  It's hard to enjoy when you can't sleep, pee every 10 minutes, have crazy pains in your belly and other unforeseen places, can't figure out what you are hungry for or if you are even hungry to begin with, waddle everywhere, have swollen ankles and feet, and I could keep going....   I have been very lucky through this pregnancy not to have too much trouble or pain, but I can say with most certainly that I'm done and ready.  My family is placing bets as to when this little one plans to arrive and some of them estimate as late as August 3rd!  Better not be Miss Millie! 

37 Weeks and beat the heat!

Well I'm glad to report that I survived a 10 day heat wave while 9 months pregnant!  Something I surely don't want to do again!  As the days pass by I'm getting sleepier, a pickier diet, and more unsure of this entire labor and delivery thing!  Like I have said before, I'm ready whenever she is, but I'm no superhero either!  I'm sleeping less each night and feeling more and more crampy and uncomfortable.  Never sure if the stabbing pains I feel in my back and lower abdomen are real or fake.  I don't know how anyone can call pains like this fake, but we are just going with the flow now.

Millie celebrated her first fourth of July this week.  She enjoyed the company of her family and picnic food.  When we visited the doctor last Friday everything looked good with Millie but I did not dilate any further.  I was secretly wishing I would have progressed more, giving me some kind of indicator of how quickly this whole "last month" is going to pass by. Oh well, I guess we just wait and see!

 We took some fun pictures this weekend with the blocks that we bought for Millie. Enjoy!