17 days......11 days!!! Update

So the sonographer got it partially right. I have been scheduled for an induction but it's not for this weekend, it will be next weekend. 11 days from now I will report to the hospital at 9pm to begin the next phase of my life, mommyhood.

The doctor didn't say anything to me about the induction last time because she wanted to make sure I was ok with it. I had previously told her (when I was 5 mos along)I wouldn't be interested in it unless it was absolutely necessary. So what made me change my mind? That leads me to all the other things going on.

So my dad's knee replacement surgery went well, according to my dad. The rest of the family said it hadn't gone well at all. He was released from the hospital only to be sent to a rehabilitation center. Dad says he will only be there for a couple of more days. The rest of the family says that he will be kept there until the first full week of March. Catching on to the pattern? Dad says the best weekend to have the baby is next weekend (24th-26th), Mom says they can't come down until the weekend of March 10th because of Dad's rehab. I can't get a straight answer. It sounds like no matter when I have this little guy, they are probably not going to be around for it.

Which brings me to the whole idea that I was planning to either take a taxi to the hospital or drive myself while I'm in labor. I've mentioned it on here once before and I've talked about it at work, but the overwhelming response was not to try either. The taxi service here is really hit or miss. They could get to you in ten minutes or two hours, depending on what time of day it is. A lot of the girls at work said there was no way they would have been able to drive to the hospital without getting into a car accident. I decided to mention it to the doctor today. I literaly live 3.2 miles from the hospital (8 minutes from my door step to the lobby of the hospital, I timed it today). She said without hesitation that I could definitely do it. I have had co-workers who have generously offered to take me, but little miss independent that I am, I really don't want them to have to go out of their way to take me. Plus I feel really weird about them staying and being there for the birth. I have a strict no-co-worker/seeing my lady bits policy. It creeps me out. If I'm induced, I really don't need to worry about finding someone to drive me to the hospital, I can just do it all myself.

Work has been bananas. I can't wait to be done but you've all heard my crazy stories. I've had five meetings in the last three weeks regarding my departure. Each meeting was meant to establish who would take over my unfinished projects. Each of the meetings are carbon copies of the previous ones yet no one seems to understand whose doing what or how to complete the project. This probably stems from the fact that they chose our secretary to complete the majority of my projects. She has no background working in my field at all. I think choosing her to cover me just shows how much my boss has no clue what I do. The whole thing is like watching a train wreck. You can sense how bad the results are going to be yet you can't turn away from the horror. She's just as freaked out as I am but there is no amount of explaining that will ever help her finish this work. I feel really bad for her, she's really stressing out over it. I can tell already that I am going to have some serious messes to clean up when I come back in May. In the same aspect, I'm thankful that I can get out of here soon. Since my last day will be on the 24th, I will arrive back 2 weeks prior to the due date for 7 of my projects. Although there is no way I can finish them in that short amount of time, I can at least clean them up a bit and correct some of the mistakes before they are submitted.


Last thursday, I received a text message from my aunt saying she can't wait to come down and meet the baby. Then she goes on to say that they (her, my two cousins and my uncle) aren't car pooling with my two other aunts, their husbands and my grandmother because she would go nuts being in the car with them for that long. I had no idea that any of them were planning on coming down, no one said anything to me about it.

At that point it sounded like they weren't all coming down on the same weekend, but then I find out that they are all coming down on the weekend of the 10th. If my mom was right and not my dad, that would be the week that my parents would be down staying with me. Then my aunt tells me don't worry, we are all (aunts, uncles, grandmother) staying at a hotel. I just kept thinking even if they are staying at a hotel, during the daytime, they are going to try to cram 11 people, 13 if you include myself and the baby, into my 900sq ft townhouse. That is standing room only folks! My living room only seats four people just to indicate how small my living room is.

I didn't know what to say to my aunt and I didn't want to offend her so I just replied back that I can't wait to see them. I then called my sister to tell her my concerns and she tells me that's the weekend that her and her husband were planning on coming down with their two kids (they were also planning on staying at a hotel. Now thats 17 people trying to cram themselves into my apartment. She told me she understood why I'm freaking out, afterall she just went through this in October when she had her daughter, however this large group only stayed for a couple of hours. Due to me living out-of-state, they are all planning (except my parents who will be here for a week) on being at my place Friday afternoon and leaving Sunday afternoon. If I went past my due date, they would most likely be there the first few days I would be home from the hospital. Talk about stress!! I would be learning to breastfeed and then also trying to play hostess, no way!

So I thought I would just start calling people and explain how everyone being here at the same time would be really overwhelming and to see if they could spread out their visits over the next few weeks instead of being here all on the same weekend. My sister thought it was a great idea but when I explained the situation to my mom, she freaked and told me that it was really rude of me to suggest it. I really do love that everyone is so supportive but all my aunts have kids, I think they would understand how hard it is the first few weeks after giving birth. I still haven't made the phone calls yet because my mom is so sure this is going to hurt everyone's feelings. Then Mom drops the bomb on me and tells me that my favorite Aunt, who has been battling breast, liver and bone cancer for the last 7 years, found out in November that her cancer was back. Nobody wanted to tell me because that was around the time that I was told the baby might have down syndrome. Since November she has been going through chemo but in the last week they found out that the chemo didn't work. Basically, this trip to see the baby wasn't just for the baby but it's also to be a positive fun trip for the whole family to be together and support my aunt. How can I tell them to space their trips out after hearing that? Who knows what else they are not telling me about my aunts condition?

I figured the only way to give me some time to get settled in before the family descends on my place was to take my doctor up on the early induction offer. She said that their really wasn't any health benefits to keeping me pregnant past 39 weeks so I've decided to go for it. I've heard great things about inductions and I've heard horror stories about them. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself when I say this, but I heard good and bad stories about getting a cerclage removed, yet it really wasn't that bad. I'm just hoping for an uneventful birth of my little boy.

For the next week I'm going to just focus on doing things that will make me prepare for my induction. Maybe some longer walks? Lots of pineapple? Sex is out of the question (Even if it was available, it doesn't sound appealing anyways). I'm already dialated to 2 cm and am 60% effaced. Lets see what I can accomplished between today and next sunday.

17 days!

Sorry, I don't mean to be MIA for so long but everytime I start creating a new post, I get interrupted with work. First, I'm still pregnant. Things are going really well (Knock on Wood). I had a perinatologist appt yesterday and the fluid around the baby went up again to a 11.2 which is awesome considering just 3 weeks ago I was at a 6.9. The running joke at the office is that they are going to start charging me for water and TP. I have to be drinking well over a gallon of water every 8 hours but I'm so darn thirsty I can't help myself. At least it is keeping the fluid around the baby nice and high.

When I say I had a perinatologist appointment what that really means is that I got to spend some quality time with the sonographer while receiving a biophysical. I never saw the specialist. The sonographer had me scratching my head by the end of the appointment. In the middle of the scan she started saying how I must be so excited to be getting induced this weekend. Aaaahhhhh, what????? She read the chart again and said yeah it says right hear your getting induced this Friday. WTH?? Why? Everything is going ok? This is the first I've heard of this. She went to get the doctor but he hadn't arrived yet and told me to clarify it with my OB, who I get to see in about 50 minutes. I really think it's some kind of mistake, the doctor has already made the mistake of thinking I'm a week ahead of where I'm at. So now I'm waiting to find out what the heck is going on. I'm ready if that's what is going to happen but I'm not sure the baby is ready.

So much more has happened in the last week, which I will share in a later post but for now I'm off to the doctors office.

25 days...and turning it all around!

I am smiling from ear to ear right now. I just left my biophysical and the fluid around the baby is at a 9.1. It's back in the normal range!! I was kind of hoping they would say that I wouldn't have to do these appointments anymore but I still have to go for biophysicals for the remaining weeks. I am so pumped right now! Wouldn't it be a trip if I make it past my due date? The thought of it just makes me laugh. I still have an appointment with my regular ob this afternoon but I can't imagine anything going wrong (knock on wood). I can't wait to see her face when she reads my chart!

26 days

So most of the cramping tapered off by noon along with the spotting. Perfect. I'm wondering if I'm still just overdoing it somehow. I was cleaning the night before, not alot but enough were I was glad to be able to lay around afterwards. This might make a good excuse to pay for a maid to come in:)

My parents picked up my dog this morning. If it wasn't such a funny sight to see 4 adults and a big lab along with all their luggage crammed into a Nissan Ultima, I would have been bawling my eyes out. I have no idea how they are going to make that 7 hour drive in that clown car. Cooper got into the car without a problem (what dog doesn't like a car ride), but he looked a little panicked when he realized I wasn't getting in the car with him. He had his nose all pressed against the window, with the saddest brown eyes I've ever seen. I'm sure he will be fine staying at my parents for the next 3 weeks but I am going to miss that dog like crazy.. I already do.

Funny enough my remaining cat was howling for an hour after they left. She hates the dog and is always attacking him even for no reason. She was probably thinking she is the next to go....first my Evie Cat, then Cooper disappears....Oh crap, I'm next. Maybe this will make her start behaving. Wishfull thinking.

I don't think I slept a wink last night. I was a little anxious about Cooper leaving and then there was a crazy car chase through my neighborhood which ended with a manhunt for two suspects that had robbed the gas station down the street. I swear there had to be twenty squad cars searching my neighborhood with their big flood lights. At least I can say the PD where on top of things.

What really kept me up last night was me thinking about this upcoming round of doctors appointments. I'm sure I've said it before, but it really sucks going to these appts and not knowing what to expect. Is everything ok? Are they going to put me on bedrest? Are they going to induce me? The not knowing is bitterly painful. I wish there was something to keep my mind off of all of this but there isn't. I think the worse part is I'm starting to get the daily phone calls from friends and family to see if I've had him yet. I think its way too soon to be getting these phone calls. I'm only 36 weeks people!! It's nice to know that they care, but it just makes me more anxious. I would seriously consider turning off my phone if I knew it wouldn't send some people into a frenzy.

27 days and its a full moon!

I started spotting last night and accompanied with a lot of pressure in my nether region. It's like I'm carrying a bowling ball with my lady bits. I should video tape how I'm walking so I will always remember how ridiculous I look right now. If I take a walk out by the lake, I think some of the ducks will start following me, thinking that I'm one of them.

I continued to have mild off and on cramping since I had my cerclage removed but this morning it has been non-stop. Now I'm not saying I'm in labor but there is something funny going on here. I called to move my appointment up with my doctor. The earliest they could get me in is wednesday morning (my original appt was that afternoon anyways). I'm still anti-triage but if this continues at this pace, I'm heading in by the end of the day. Perfect timing if something does happen because my family will be driving through my city around midnight while they are on there way back from their cruise.

Now watch all this cramping and pressure is just caused by BH's or gas pains..haha.

31 days...Surprise!

No, I didn't have the baby. The better news is I got my fluid to go up by .2 so the doctor told me as long as I keep doing whatever I did this lask week he will let me stay off of bedrest. What a relief!! I don't think I could handle true bedrest without going nuts from boredom. He did remind me the increase in fluid wasn't enough to put me in the normal range and that bedrest and induction can still be on table for discussion next week. Way to bring me back down to earth doc! At least I now know that laying around and drinking gobs of water can really help. My blood pressure still looks good and the nurse was joking around that I have only gained 3lbs since November and that pregnancy will end up being a great weight loss program for me (I started off overweight so I wasn't suppose to gain more than 15lbs this pregnancy). After my sister gained 60lbs in her pregnancy, I thought that I would follow her path but I guess not. Oooh, it would be a nice surprise to not only get a baby out of all of this but also go down two pant sizes. I still have a month left which leaves plenty of time to pack on more pounds so hopefully I didn't just jinx myself.

I'm still having a lot of cramping but hopefully when the weekend comes I can just relax enough on the couch to make them go away. The doctor just told me that the cramping can last for days after the cerclage is removed and to not worry about it.

I said the stupidest thing this morning. I just have to share. I keep thinking my belly is getting smaller. I told this to one of my female co-workers and she started to laugh hysterically. I didn't think it was funny.
Why is that funny? She told me her and another co-worker just got done joking around that my boobs have gotten huge over the last week or two. Then it dawned on my that my point of reference on the belly size has been my girls. They gotten so pornographically huge, I can barely see my belly anymore. Duh...

I'm so excited that I might prove my regular OB wrong (she said if I made it past this week I would be lucky). On Saturday I will be 36 weeks, maybe I can make it to 37 weeks or later!

32 days!

To say I am a nervous wreck is an understatement. I've been having contractions off and on since late Monday night which isn't helping the situation. Some of them would jolt me awake causing me to kick the dog who has been insistant on laying on my legs at night. He's been so clingy and whiney the last few days, he's kind of driving me nuts. Normally, he is super excited to go to doggy daycare and drags me through the door when we get there, but this morning he wouldn't leave my side. They had to distract him with a doggy treat so I could get out the door. As soon as the door closed behind me, he caught on to me leaving and ran for the door. I could see his sad face at the window while I was driving away. It broke my heart.

My stomach is just in a knot, to think by the morning I may be put on bedrest or (gulp) be induced is just wild! Am I ready for all of this?