38+ weeks

Still pregnant - don't want you all to think my silence means we've had a baby without telling you. I even had a pic to prove it, but when I told the computer to rotate the photo, it deleted it instead. Lame. And I'm super speedy with clearing them off my camera, so no back-up. Of course.

There's nothing new to report on the baby front. I have an appointment tomorrow, where once again I won't have them do an exam to tell me how far I'm (not) dilated. The baby does like to press on the nerves that shoot down between my pelvis and my thighs, usually at the same time, when I'm walking somewhere in public and look super awkward when I do this weird squat jerky reaction to the shooting pain.

I also had a bottle of water at church with me yesterday, and someone knocked it over, so it looks quite suspicious when the 9 month pregnant lady returns to her seat with a stack of paper towels to clean up the puddle under her chair.

I've thought this baby was a boy almost the entire pregnancy, and I'm still holding to that, but I had a dream last week where the baby was a girl. Maybe it's because that's all I'm familiar with. Everyone has switched over to girl, although Luke went back to boy last night. I'd say he's one undecided father on this front. I could be absolutely wrong and decidedly happy regardless.

I spent one night over the weekend thinking over new things to add to my once-completed to-do list, and I just had to get up and write them all down. I think I finished all of those, apart from a bit of grocery shopping for labor snacks.

I'm reaching the panicked nesting stage. I am highly irritable. I get irritated when people interrupt my nesting. I'd prefer to have a few hours to myself to get stuff done than to visit with people when I can. I'm hungrier, because I have to eat less, because there is less room for my stomach to expand. My energy is all over the place. It's too hot to walk this baby out of me in the regular outdoors (hello 109 degrees!), so we walk Target or the mall instead. Not as good for my budget.

So, no worries - you haven't missed the birth. Avery was late, so keep that in mind.

A Conversation

This morning, over breakfast.

Avery: "Mommy not sad. Mommy is happy!"
Me: "Yes, Mommy is happy. Is Avery happy?"
Avery: "Oh, yeeeeaaaahhhhh!"

Why was she so happy?

Chocolate. Toast. (toast with nutella)

So I Can Remember....

I just checked on Avery before heading to bed. She was wedged against her bed rail, so I adjusted her back to the center of her bed. She woke up, looked at me, and said, "Hi Mommy. I need (to) go back to bed. It's dark outside. Night night. Sleep tight. Sweet dreams." A small grin, and she was out like a light.

Austin Steam Train

Today marks 37 weeks, full-term baby, and the end of bed rest. What a glorious day! 

 We celebrated by taking Avery on a train ride. She's been really into trains lately, thanks to the one Dora episode that we have to watch over and over, plus a train book, plus the train ride that Caillou (another cartoon) takes. So, we had the idea to check out the Austin Steam Train, but then decided that maybe the ride to Burnet was too far for me in case I went into labor, so our next option was the Metrorail. Ha, silly, I know, but Avery wouldn't have known the difference. However, the Metrorail, seeing as it's a commuter line for Austin Metro, only runs on weekdays. After doing a little research, we learned that today's steam train ride was the short one, out to Bertram (about an hour and 15 minutes by train), rather than the longer full day trip to Burnet. We also learned that during your birthday month, you get a free ticket. Since next weekend happens to be Luke's birthday, he got the free ticket, and Avery was considered a lap child, so she got to ride for free. I was told over the phone that they only had the lower class seats available, but still with A/C - we were totally fine with that since you can bring food on the train and wouldn't really need the snacks provided in the "luxury" car. With an hour to spare, we threw food in a bag, got dressed, and raced out to Cedar Park to purchase tickets, hoping they still had some by the time we got there.

Fortunate turn of events - they had a private compartment available in the luxury car, and they decided to go ahead and honor the free birthday ticket for the upgraded seats, meaning we snagged this train ride for a song. It's not something we'd be able to afford to do with a bunch of people or even on a non-birthday month very regularly. We raced to the train, probably the last ones to board, and settled into our quiet little room. Two seats with enough floor space for Avery to walk around...it was perfect!

 Luke and Avery found the snacks, and I treated myself with a complimentary diet coke. Avery came back with a mouthful of brownie, or "chocolate cake" as she described it, while Luke had a whole pile of sweets and a cup of coffee. Nice.


When the train stops in Bertram, you have 15 minutes to explore the restored train depot, though Luke decided to run across the street for a pulled pork sandwich. Unfortunately, they sounded the all-aboard whistle before he could order, so back he raced to meet us, no sandwich in hand.

our car

They lock the restroom apparently when the train is in the station and they wait about 10 minutes after pulling out before opening it back up; not sure why. But the attendant took pity on this 8.5 month pregnant woman and let me in a little early. Thank you thank you!

I think Avery was a little confused about the train, because she kept asking when we would see it, not realizing that we were actually ON it. During our stop in Bertram, we checked out the engine, only to have them blow the whistle at that exact second, which sent her into hysterical tears and begging to be picked up.

Other than that, she was so calm and happy the whole trip, enjoying the sights out the window and all of the vintage quirks in our car.

a sink for shaving, and a place to put your used razor blades

Labor Scripture

When a friend of mine gave birth last year, after a complicated pregnancy, she had decided to send out some verses for friends and family to pray over during the delivery. It was great to be able to pray specifically over verses that meant something to her during that day, and during her preparation for birth, knowing she was praying over them to at the same time as she brought her son into the world.

I love the idea so much that I've decided to do the same. I'll have them printed on cards to take into the labor room with me, but I'd love for you to pray over these, if you're interested. I'll just list where you can find them, rather than typing the full verse out, because there are a lot.

I've seen God's hand through this whole process - I don't yet know how this will all come out, but I am confident that He has ordained everything that has happened, starting with the time it took us to get pregnant through all of the drama that this pregnancy has gone through in the past two months, and whether I end up in a successful VBAC or not, He is there. Of course I still long for a natural childbirth this time around, and there is some anxiety building as the day quickly draws near, but I pray for peace over the situation, knowing that I am not in control, no matter what measures I have taken to help make this an outcome I desire.

So, some of these I have desperately clung to in the scary moments, some are old verses near and dear, and some are just plain applicable to the situation. And, they are in complete random order.

Psalm 34: 4-6

Philippians 4: 6-7

Philippians 4: 13

2 Corinthians 12: 9

Psalm 27:1

Isaiah 43: 1-3 (I can't read this one without singing the song...all you good PCA'ers will recognize it)

2 Timothy 1: 7

Nehemiah 8:10

Psalm 28: 7

Psalm 105:4

Isaiah 41:10

Romans 8:28

Romans 5: 3-4

Romans 13:12

Romans 12: 1-2

Psalm 139: 23-24

Hebrews 13:6

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Hebrews 12: 1-2

1 Corinthians 10:31

Maternity Pics

My good friend Erin came over to take some maternity pics close to home, only to get rained out after just a few minutes. But, she's fast and got some amazing family shots. We finished up the next night at the park, just the two of us (Avery stayed home with Daddy), and we had a perfect (though a little hot and windy) night to snag some more awesome photos. If you ever need a photographer, give her a call. She's fantastic, especially with the kids.

http://purewonderphotography.com/blog/round-rock-photographer/austin-maternity-photographer-2

I'm loving the preview so much, and after all the drama of this pregnancy, it's so nice to have it documented in a special way, to remember that this life growing inside of me is special and unique and something to be celebrated.

Avery Girl

I don't want to do the whole "princess" thing with Avery, been trying to avoid it, but when the dress-up box is dumped out and Daddy dresses her like this and tells her she's a princess, she's bound to repeat the phrase. I'll just tell her what my mother told us, "Well, if you're the princess, that makes me the queen!"

Apart from her play clothes, Avery really has no interest whatsoever in what she wears. She is drawn like a moth to a flame to anything girly and sparkly, but usually only if it's my stuff. As far as her own wardrobe goes, we've had no battles in getting her dressed in the morning. We pick it out, she lets us put it on her. She doesn't seem to have a favorite color, although sometimes she prefers the blue plate for meals.

But - I'm still holding out that we can avoid the whole pink-sparkly-entitlement that comes with Disney these days.

She looks pretty cute, though.

Doc Update for Baby P

Or midwife, really, since I see the midwives more than the doctors. Fine by me, because I love them. Everything is looking good, had the Group Beta Strep test done this morning (please pray that it is negative), and the baby's heartbeat was high today because he/she kept wiggling away every time she tried to listen - we've got an active one in there!

This was a new-to-me midwife; she was a quick talker, which made me think she'd rush right out, but she was so bubbly and friendly and stayed as long as I needed and didn't rush through my questions. Loved her and would be happy if she were the one on-call during delivery.

Apparently I'm a rockstar at my GD diet, so now I get to go down to checking my blood sugar just twice a day. This is fantastic news because those supplies are expensive. And, I don't have to worry so much about what my numbers do during labor, which means I can just focus on labor and not stress over getting the right carb count for once, just eating and drinking as I need to.

I go back in two weeks again, but since they don't automatically do pelvic exams, it's mostly just to listen to the baby's heartbeat and check my vitals. I also learned that though my bedrest restrictions are lifted this weekend, at 37 weeks, a term baby is considered 37 completed weeks, meaning 38 weeks. Are you confused yet? So ideally I'd go another 2 weeks, though I'm not really worried about making that. However, I am noticing pre-labor symptoms that I never had with Avery (who they had to force out), so maybe this baby will show up by the due date instead of after. Not holding my breath on that though!

36 Weeks

I'm still pregnant! I won't be rejoicing at this news when I'm past 40 weeks, but today, this is a huge praise. We've got one more week til term, and then my bedrest restrictions are lifted and I can get out and about and have a little fun.

I must say, 3rd trimester pregnancy is the only time that my butt looks small. I'm liking this.

The past 3 weeks have been better than I thought, though I know it's been trying for Luke and our families - everyone has had to juggle schedules in order to help me out, and I am so utterly thankful for all of them.

My to-do list has dwindled down to just a couple items, including getting my hair cut and baking for the hospital (I like to "bribe" the nurses). For Avery, I baked cupcakes and spent my last afternoon before being induced frosting them. But, it's 105 degrees out, so I'm opting for simple brownies that won't melt in the heat.

I did come to the realization this past week that even if we have a girl, we still have to buy a whole new wardrobe for her, because our children will be born in opposite seasons. We're covered through the first 3 months, because the weather will be similar, but after that, we'll have to stock up for a girl. And if it's a boy, I hope our bank account can handle it. *grin*

And, here's what I've been up to the past 3 weeks:

This quilt, a gift for a friend's new baby, plus another 2 quilts are in the works.

So, I'm off to enjoy my last week of laziness before the hubby goes back to working in the office and I'm on my own again.

Weekly Report

• Tomorrow marks 35 weeks. We've made it 2 weeks since our hospital visit!
• I'm on modified bed rest for 2 more weeks. After that, I can do whatever I want, within the scope of normal pregnancy regulations of course. That glass of wine will have to wait. 
• I was originally told that they won't induce me at all for a VBAC, but the doctor informed me that even if I go to 42 weeks, it's not an automatic c-section. They will do a very gentle induction at that point. Praise God! They won't, however, induce me at 39 weeks just because I'm tired. I'm perfectly in agreement with them. 
• My mother-in-law was here this week, and we (she) got lots of cleaning done, plus we had time for some sewing. Thank you so much for coming to help us out!! We miss you already!
• Our neighbor, who is no longer our neighbor because she and her family moved last week, had her baby a week ago. Such a tiny, precious little girl! They stopped by tonight for a little visit and I got to snuggle the baby for a bit. I'm hoping she whispered to my baby and encouraged him/her to not take too much time getting here once full-term is reached. 
• We ask Avery if she wants a baby brother or a baby sister, and she usually repeats sister. I still think this is a boy. I could be very very wrong.
• Luke quizzes Avery on her middle name preference for a boy. She usually responds with his top choice over any of my choices. Stinker. His are weird. However, she also picked "Tickle" as a middle name at one point today, so I don't think her vote should count. 
• When Avery saw baby Lyla today, she just stared and stared at her, probably wondering how she came to exist outside of her momma's belly. We tried to explain that we'll have a tiny baby in a few weeks. And then Lyla started crying, and Avery responded with, "Baby cry! Baby sad!". I have a feeling we'll hear that a lot next month. 
• Dora is the new favorite at our house, and we had a long day of it yesterday because I was at the end of my patience and Avery was at the end of hers. She consistently cracks us up with her talking though, because she kept running into the room to tell me, "I see Swiper! I be right back!" and off she'd go to make sure Swiper didn't run off with whatever object he was trying to steal. 
• Baby P likes to stretch out diagonally in my belly, making it look quite oblong. I'm often lopsided. 
• My belly button popped out with this pregnancy. It never did with Avery. I wonder if it's because this baby is sitting much lower, and it stretches my skin out differently than Avery did. 
• I've been sewing like a madwoman. I have 3 quilts in various stages, plus a teething guard for the crib. 
• We have a quiet weekend ahead of us, lounging around the house and enjoying this restful time before the baby comes. 
• I feel good, the baby is healthy, and we're just hanging out, waiting! We are so eager to meet this child. And I'm SO curious to know the gender!