This days' for wishing it's time to start pushing! !

I believe if I were to search my blog, I'd discover a post saying that the 29th was my original guess for a birthday for this big ole son of mine. But where are my baby vibes?
I noticed that each day that's closer to the 5th, I'm less inclined to grab the hospital bag as I head out the door. But as science tells us all, our chances of having this baby greatly increase each day. I am much more likely to have the baby today than I was yesterday, so why do I feel like things are heading in an opposite direction?
Further, why am I such a complainer when I'm still 7 days from my due date and not 7 days over like a close friend of mine? I hardly see that as fair. But then again, I hardly see this recent 7lb weight gain as very fair. : (
Lets hope I see more of those 8 minute-spaced contractions like I did last night. If he's not here by Monday, I'm calling the doc to schedule an induction for my due date so we don't go over. Basically my body, at 4 cm, is in active labor. It's READY to have this baby. It's been getting ready for some time now. So I think a petocin drip to help this labor pick up speed and strength is just OK at this point. I wanted it to go full blown on it's own, but now I'm just more eager to keep him under 9lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last chance to NOT see oliver!

At least we hope. I don't want to be on here posting a 42 week belly shot!
Hubby and I agreed today would make a cool birthday: 9.27.2007. Looks good, right? Again, though - no strong baby vibes. Too many false starts to recognize anything now. My tolerance for pain has shot way up this last month and my contractions stay at steady paces for days on end. So, I guess it's going to take my water breaking or a scheduled induction to get me to the hospital.

38 week check-up

Well I'm actually 38 and a few days now. We had a good appointment with our OB and progress was made but not too much that it would scare me. 4 cm dilated now and he also decided to "stir things up a bit". I figured this was the routine membrane stripping that's done after 38 weeks.
Daddy said, from where he sat it looked like the doctor was shaking olivers hand. I guess in a way, it felt like it. This is a painful procedure and I don't wish it on anyone unless they are over due!
Ill shake hands with my baby when he's good and ready!

Tomorrow?

comfortable in my own foreSKIN

to circumsize. to not.

Talents join forces

My plan worked much better than ever expected! I think daddy would agree when I say that neither of us are "painters"....but artists we certainly are. We purchased a projector last week so we could make some penguin paintings for Oliver's nursery. Since we chose the green/khaki/baby blue color scheme, finding penguin decore is impossible to match up. Realizing this, we decided to paint our own because we can paint a khaki/brown penguin if we want to!

The very first joint venture came out perfect!

That time is near!

I don't know if it's only hours away or still days....but my body has done some major "gearing up" for delivery since this morning. I won't go into detail for those that don't NEED TO KNOW, but exciting things are happening!
Okay, maybe they are only exciting for that one person who is carrying a 32lb bulge in one place for this long. Those signs that tell you the end (or start) is near.

A setback...that's not so bad!

Well, at my doctors appt yesterday I was able to clarify the whole effacement progress, which terrified me last week when I understood it to be 100%. It turns out that 70% would be more accurate for this week. This is a good setback because once you're at 100% and already 3cm dilated like me, then you can get to 10 very easily - especially with it being my second baby. So, naturally I was thinking there was no way I was gonna have enough time to get ready for this delivery.
At this point, we have still made wonderful progress and I feel confident that we'll have him soon (and not go over the due date of oct. 5th) and that we'll be able to let him come on his own w/out inducing. If there's anything I want this time it's that. When Oliver is ready, Oliver will come.
I should sit back and enjoy my last week or two of ever being pregnant and feeling my body nurture and unborn child.
Oh, and clean! : )

Nursery Progress

Well, there's not really a nursery yet, but Oliver's belongings and room decor is slowly being purchased, constructed, and placed about the house until we give him our room. Here is a glimps of the "Spa" bedding by Glenna Jeane that we purchased today....and we actually saw this in person and it's some of the most AMAZING bedding I've seen for a baby! Full of dark, attractive colors and different textures. Beats sailboats, trucks, sports, and all gender themed bedding they make for little boys! I can't WAIT!

who wouldn't giggle?

whoa, belly!

Gravity takes it's toll

As you can clearly see in the picture, my dear oliver has dropped...appearing only inches from the floor : )
Now that we are officially full term (37 weeks and some change now) we felt it was okay to take a long walk last night. Naturally I get home and felt like I walked through an automatic carwash and had the worst case of lower back ache. Oh, the pressure! At this point, I really do feel the need to make sure this pregnancy doesn't go on weeks longer. 3cm (who knows, maybe 4 already) dilated will just increase and I will absolutely panic if it just continues before I get a good steady flow of painful contractions that make me give in and head to L&D.
Lets pray our old-wives who made the "tales" about eggplant parmasean and preggo pizza were absolutely right. If so, we should have a baby before the weekend is up.

Wouldn't today be nice?

Pregnant for a few more days!

Well, hopefully.
Today we went to a regular scheduled check-up and not only did I expect for "no cervical changes" I kind of hoped to hear that. I know I dilate quickly and it would be so reassureing to know I can walk around, eat, enjoy the comforts of my home, and spend a few quiet moments of pain in PRIVATE before rushing into labor and delivery to meet my son. Now I'm back to the same fears I had when I worried over preterm labor.... Will I have my baby in the car?! HA.
Just in case, daddy has packed a nose sucker, hand sanatizer, and a really unappealing black trash bag to lay down on once we pull over the side of the road!

So, getting back to my progress: We are 3cm dilated and 100% or fully effaced. To those (ahem, michelle) who are about to google effacement: it's the thinning of the cervix. This means mine is paper thin and you can feel Olivers head just inside and very low. And just this morning I was convinced that I had a bowling ball between my legs! The dilation, of course is 3 of the full 10. This can take some first-time moms 18 hours to achieve....see why I worry about going quick?! 0-3 is early labor, then we move on to active labor from there...so it's any moment now.

I've read of women that will talk about the urge to push and it seems this is really hard to fight when you've dilated so far. I do not recall this with Kiran's delivery. In fact, I "fake-pushed" until the BF and my doctor were located and brought into the room. No way was I okay with pushing my baby out in the company of the new intern and no one else. Woman had LOST HER MIND!

So, after my doctor instructed me to put my clothes back on he also instructed me to NOT waste time if I think I'm in labor. Under a grin i was told to book an appointment for next Tuesday: "I'll see you next week....or....before then"

It's all a countdown now. In fact,....contractions seem to already be coming on 10 minutes apart. Whew.

Pregnant Forever

And That's okay.

Daddy & Kiran now predict Thursday for the big event. And while before I was feeling confident about the 10th or "sometime before Sept. 15th" I am no longer getting baby vibes. Yes, I feel like I could be pregnant forever. I hear this is medically impossible but I can't shake the notion, and science isn't exactly penetrating my lower back and uterine screams.