Mommy Update: N suggested I put a finish line on the chalkboard this week and I am really happy to have made it to 40 weeks. This week we met with the doctor and things are looking about where he expected. We set a date for an induction if need be because they only schedule a certain number per day, so it’s best to schedule early. August 25th is the date we picked, which would be 41 weeks & 1 day. Oddly enough, this is a pretty typical amount of time for a first time mom to be late. I am really hoping to avoid a c-section for all of the obvious reasons but also because there is some really interesting research coming out about bacteria and gut flora that the baby gets from the birth canal that affects (in a good way) the person’s metabolism for the rest of their life. In a nutshell, I’m hoping to avoid surgery and hope the little guy is good to go prior to the 25th. This week was a little crazy additionally because I got pretty sick and at one point, almost completely lost my voice. Now I am all better, but I managed to pass it to N, who gets sick every 4.2 years. Good thing he seems to be bouncing back rather quickly. To top off the week, as if all of this wasn’t exciting enough, I woke up with contractions Thursday night. The standard for going to the hospital is contractions that last 30 seconds to 1 minute and are 4 – 5 minutes apart for an hour. When I woke up they were the right duration and distance apart and, needless to say, I thought it might be a good idea to pack a bag for the hospital, which has totally been on the to-do list but just didn’t seem that necessary because I have been pretty sure I’m going to go super late. (I get this feeling from my extensive medical training and birthing experience – so, you know, legit sources.) I woke up N and we (he) got to packing, but after 30 – 45 minutes the contractions slowed and got weaker, which is not, according to my understanding, how labor typically works. Bummer. The next morning I was looking into false labor and one of the tell-tale signs that labor is false labor (asides from the it-gets-better-not-worse issue) is that false contractions start at the bottom of the abdomen and work their way up while the real ones start at the top and work their way down (presumably to shove the kid out). Once we realized we would not be going to the hospital and the adrenaline worked its way out of our systems, we went back to bed and haven’t had any more false alarms since.
Daddy Update: N’s mom made the curtains and crib skirt for the nursery. They turned out fabulous and she brought them over this week. N got everything finished in the nursery this week and it was a really good feeling to have that area set. N is coming to the doctor’s with me for each appointment at this point, and we agreed that picking out the induction date was pretty surreal. At this point we are just ready to get this going because he is “really excited to meet the little guy.”
Baby Update: This week he is the size of a small pumpkin or jackfruit – whatever the heck that is. At this point Bug is just getting fatter, and working on growing a bigger brain, longer hair and longer nails. He is also working on frazzling his parent’s nerves with making them guess when he’ll make his appearance. N was rather fond of pointing out that he missed his birthday, but that probably is just even more evidence that he’s our kid 🙂
Missing Most/ Looking Forward To: I am really missing a regular sleep schedule, but that isn’t coming back any time soon. At least in a little over a week I’ll be able to relax with a glass of red wine! Needless to say the thing we are looking forward to most is having all the waiting done. I’m looking forward to seeing what his personality is like, seeing what he got from me and what he got from N, and getting to tell everyone what name we picked out!
little piece of living 