Almost There!

One day from our due date! That's so cool. I can't believe it's almost here. March used to seem so far away, and now it's almost over. No signs of labor yet, but considering about 50% of pregnancies go past the due date, this is no biggie. I'm still feeling pretty good, so for me it's more mental endurance than physical. I think every pregnant woman wonders at the end, "Will the baby ever get here?"

This past week has been interesting. I'm not used to staying home all day during the week, and yesterday I started feeling a bit trapped due to the rain and not being able to be outside walking or enjoying the weather. I had cleaned a whole lot the day before, so I really wasn't in the mood for more of that. Normally I don't mind rain at all, especially since it means that my flowers get lots to drink. But I really wanted to be out walking, so I started to get a little down. I'm feeling much better today. I have nothing to complain about; I was just being silly yesterday. Ah, the mood swings of a pregnant woman. If Davey had been home during the day, he'd probably have used his favorite expression to get me to chill out: "Pipe down, Prego."

Something that made me feel better too was buying a few clothes. I didn't want to do it, but all my maternity clothes are either too hot or too short. I guess this is due to the fact that I'm due right when the season is changing to warmer weather, and I'm much more hot-natured that I used to be. My belly is sticking way out there, and midriff is just not attractive these days. And wearing Davey's clothes around the house is fine, but not so much out in public. So while at Wal-mart I hit the clearance racks and found 3 shirts and a pair of shorts for $30 total. Now I'll have a few things to wear and actually feel a little cuter while I wait for Baby to come.

Today Davey and I have had another whole day off together. It's been so nice. I mentioned in a previous post about making him a "Daddy-do list." Well, because I've been home all week, I actually ended up doing a lot of the stuff I was going to have him do! He was thrilled when he realized how short the list actually was. Mostly he's been sorting through his piles of papers, receipts, and the like trying to get it organized. Boring but necessary. The rain let up a couple hours ago, so I quickly donned my tennis shoes, grabbed the dog and went walking for an hour. It felt really good outside because it's nice and cool from the rain. I hope I can do this every day. I hear it's the best way to get your body ready for labor and in some cases, actually get labor started. That would be nice.

Appointment Update

Baby is still heads down, that's for sure. Trust me, I wasn't leaving my appointment w/o knowing! I'm not dilated any yet, but I am about 50% effaced (thinned out). Baby's heart rate was nice and steady in the 140 bpm range. I've actually lost a pound since last time (completely normal at the end), which I think is due to all the swelling in my legs and feet going away. Hooray for bony ankles!

This afternoon, much to Rudy's delight, we took an hour walk at the park, although at this late in the game I think it's safe to say a "waddle at the park." The rain held off surprisingly. Roo wore his little backpack for the first time. It came in handy to carry my phone and keys since I didn't have any pockets. When we got back, we were so tired that we fell asleep on the couch for a nice nap. Hopefully tomorrow I can walk again if it's not pouring down rain.

Gardening

Yesterday was a wonderful day! We actually had a day off together, so we enjoyed in to the fullest since we don't get to do this much. We started the morning sleeping in. Then we went to an appointment to meet our potential pediatrician. We loved the office and the doctor, and they're less than 10 minutes from where we live. We were very happy with the whole visit.

After some lunch, we headed over to Lowe's. Davey needed some weed-killer among other things for the yard, and I very happily wandered (aka: waddled) around the nursery picking out flowers. I don't know what it is about buying and planting flowers, but it's one of my absolute favorite things to do. I bought petunias, marigolds, dianthus, astra african daisies, and geraniums. I've planted a few of these before, but the other ones were new to me. I just pick out what I like and hope it grows.

After that we had to go to another locally owned store to get some more stuff for the grass and potting soil for me. Then we went home and Davey got to work. I, on the other hand, was so tired from the errands that I took a long nap. Then I got to work too. Davey, being the wonderful husband that he is, dug out a little flower bed along the sidewalk for me. We had lent out our wheelbarrow, so he decided to put the dirt he removed into a big box. When he had it half full, I casually mentioned that he might just want to go dump it before digging out the rest. He didn't want to, so he kept on digging and loading the box. When he went to drag it to the back of our yard, it would barely budge! I couldn't help but laugh! In fact, I found it so funny that I got my camera to video. He was laughing too, knowing he should have listened to his wife. It's probably not as funny to anyone else, but I thought I'd put it on here.

The finished project

Astra African Daisy

Pink Dianthus

I bought the hanging snapdragon baskets the other day. The ivy in the planter box hanging on the porch actually survived the winter to my surprise. I just planted the purple petunias in there with it.

I didn't actually finish all the planting yesterday evening, but I'm glad because it gave me a project for today while Davey is working at the studio on the newest album. If the neighbors were watching, I'm sure they were entertained by me waddling around (in Davey's shorts and shirt, I might add) digging in the dirt. I'm definitely slower and more awkward, but it was fun. Now Baby has a pretty little garden waiting.

Weekly OB appointment tomorrow at 11:00. I'll update sometime after that, so check back.

Just For You, Amy

My sister has been bugging me about putting a new picture of myself up. Well, you'd better know that I love you since I did it. :)

The belly at 39 weeks

Davey putting together the beautiful bassinet that his grandparents gave us.

On Monday we have an appointment to meet our new pediatrician, and Wednesday is my weekly check-up, so check back for an update sometime after that.

I'm officially on maternity leave! Because we thought we were having a scheduled c-section next week, I had already planned to have everything finished by yesterday (Friday). Staying busy with work has made the last few weeks fly by for me, so last night I started wondering: what if I get bored? In order to reduce the potential for boredom and avoid any anxiety about when Baby will come, I have made some plans. And they are as follows: clean, rest, walk, plant flowers, clean, read, and clean. Sounds good to me! I probably won't have this much time on my hands for a LOOOOONG time, so I'm going to enjoy it. I've already informed Davey that he will also have a list (made by me, of course). I just don't think I can stand bending over to vacuum all the baseboards. And I've always hated dusting, and he's really good at it, so that one makes it on his list. Oh yeah, and washing my car will be on the honey-do list too. The weather has been so beautiful though, I think I'll probably help. Maybe I can be in charge of spraying off the car (this puts me in charge of the hose you know...power I probably shouldn't have.) I know there are a few more things...I just can't think of them at this second. I have such a wonderful hubby.

That's pretty much it for today. Baby's had very distinct periods of activity and non-activity lately. Sometimes I think that a little foot is just going to pop out of my side because he/she's so strong! It's a little alien-ish at times to see body parts wiggling in your belly. I love it!

BABY FLIPPED!!!

The baby flipped into the heads down position!!! I am in absolute shock! Talk about beating the odds. But we know God's above the odds, right? Now for the story, which I know you're dying to hear...

Yesterday Davey and I went to my regular OB check up for the week. Dr. Stewart checked the baby's heartbeat (still sounds great), explained the c-section, told us what we need to know, and then we left. I had asked her if she wanted to feel to make sure baby was still heads up, but I guess she didn't feel the need since she said "I would know it" because I would have been very uncomfortable while it happened. She didn't check my cervix either. All last night, I kept having this nagging feeling that she should have checked baby's position just in case. I just couldn't get rid of the feeling. I'm not typically a worrier, and I usually don't have a problem getting over things, but I couldn't get over this one. My thought was that I'd hate to get to our c-section day and then, after an ultrasound, find out that we didn't need one, after everyone had already planned for it. Why not just be completely sure? So what led up to this? Well, all last weekend the baby moved A TON. It didn't hurt, but I did notice how much wiggling he/she was doing. It's always been hard for me to be able to tell the baby's position just by feeling my stomach, so that wasn't conclusive. However, I didn't think baby had flipped because of several reasons. First of all, I didn't want to get my hopes up, and I'd come to peace about having a c-section. Second, everyone had told me that I would be very uncomfortable when it happened and that I would *know* it. I've heard stories about feeling like you're in labor, getting nauseated from the movement, etc. Third, the odds of Baby turning this late in the game were very slim. I kept saying to Davey that I thought the baby was trying to turn, but there just wasn't any room. Well, apparently there was enough!

Now to back up farther, last week in addition to a lot of praying, I tried some hilarious things to try to get Baby to turn. I figured it can't hurt, right? Here's what I (we) tried, based on others' suggestions:
Davey talked to Baby at the bottom of my belly.
I rubbed my stomach in a circular motion.
I shined a flashlight at the bottom of my stomach (babies will supposedly move toward the light).
I did exercises suggested by the midwife at the doctor's office.
I tried various yoga positions. (Let me tell you, some are not very glamorous, especially as awkward as I am now with a giant belly.
Okay, and my favorite one, (which my sister wants me to do again and take a picture...sorry, not happening!) is lying on my back on a flat hard surface - ironing board works great - tilted up against the couch, with my head down and feet pointing up. Add to this headphones at the bottom of my stomach playing Dave Matthews Band (Davey's choice). I did this twice, for 15 min. at a time, which was as long as I could stand the blood rushing to my head. Of course, the theory behind this technique is to use gravity to get the baby's bottom out of my pelvic cavity so it's possible to flip over. I think the ironing board technique may have been what did it, because ever since then my stomach has felt a little different. I'll never know for sure, but Dave Matthews Band and an ironing board make for a great story.

So, back to today. I called the doctor's office today and they said to come in so they could check. First Heather (midwife) checked the heartbeat, which sounded fine. Then she felt the top of my stomach. She got a puzzled look on her face when she said "that sure feels like a butt." And then she checked my cervix. She said, "Sarah ,that feels like a head." At this point, I wasn't getting my hopes up for anything, and based on the fact that very few babies flip this late, I'm sure she wasn't either. Well, then she got the ultrasound machine to get a clear picture...and Baby's head was down!!! We couldn't believe it! She was so excited for me, gave me a huge hug, and said "Talk about waiting to the last minute!"

It's amazing the different emotions Davey and I have gone through the past few weeks, probably me more than him. From disappointment, to anxiety about a c-section, and then finally contentment knowing that God knew best no matter if Baby flipped or not. There is a part of both of us that is a little sad knowing that we may have to wait a little longer (past when we would have had a c-section) to meet our baby, but that's okay. I feel like at this point it doesn't matter what happens because we'll be prepared for either regular labor or c-section. You can make your plans, but you just never know when it comes to babies. How do people go through life without peace from the Lord? I'll never know.

Thank you for all your prayers! While I am thrilled that God answered our prayers this way, let me make something clear: Even if the baby hadn't turned, that would not have meant that God didn't answer. It just would have meant that He answered differently than what I desired. Sometimes I forget that what seems like an "unanswered prayer" is really just a different answer. I know I'm not very old and I have a lot more to learn, but how many times in my life already can I look back and say I'm glad God didn't answer a prayer. I'm sure I'll have to learn this lesson again and again.

So now we just wait...as everyone else does for their baby to arrive. We'll try to keep everyone posted!

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Waddling into 37 weeks

I understand it now: the pregnant waddle. I feel so awkward and round, and it seems to be the only way I can walk. I try not to, but I'm not sure it does any good. :) Davey seems to find it entertaining, though he tries to hide the laughs (thanks, honey). Today I've been resting and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible since my ankles are back to being swollen again. They're not really uncomfortable, just huge! I'm thankful I only have a few weeks left because I'm getting really excited to meet our Baby. I'm not miserable, but I think God made pregnancy 9 months for a reason: it's just long enough to make you ready for it to be over by the end. Not because it's horrible (at least not for me), I'm just ready. I'm running out of things to organize in the nursery. I did hang pictures the other day and put "Sunny Sunshine" in the crib. He lights up and plays music when you touch his nose. He's so cute! Due to a scheduling error at the doctor's office, we did not get to see the OB this past week. We did see the nurse practitioner and she checked the baby's heartbeat and everything is still just fine. We know a lot of people are praying that Baby will turn heads down, and we really appreciate it. It's definitely my hope, and I believe if God wants it to happen then it will. We have chosen to have a c-section if the baby does not turn. It's a disappointment to me as I'm sure it is to most moms-to-be, but I'm feeling much better about it now that I've had some time to process. You can have the best of intentions about labor (and life in general), but you never really know how it will go until you get there. We feel we've made the best decision with the situation we've been given at this time. We're still so thankful that our baby is healthy and doing fine, and that's the most important thing. God always knows what's best for us.

March is here! And...it's snowing?

I'm 36 weeks pregnant today, and we're officially in the month of my due date. Hooray! In order to commemorate the day, I decided to order snow, just to make it more memorable. I'm sitting at my computer looking out the window as the flakes come down. Usually when snow or flurries are predicted here in Georgia, nothing ever comes of it. Not today! It will probably melt quickly as it usually does, but for now it's pretty fun to look at.
Rudy hates going outside in the rain, but the snow doesn't seem to bother him as much. I wish I had gotten a picture of him with the white flakes all over his back because he looks like a little spotted fawn. I'm not going out in the snow because I've had some sort of cold with a very stubborn fever for the last 5 days. I'm finally feeling a little better this morning. Hopefully one more good day of rest and I'll be back to work.

Rudy actually jumped in my lap and put his front paws up on my desk to check it out. I'm surprised he still has room with my big belly! He was so curious.

We're still praying lots asking God to help Baby flip over. I'm getting LOTS of wiggles, but no flipping yet. I trust God to make it happen if that's in His plan. At this week's appointment (Wednesday) we will probably set a potential date for a C-section just in case.

Davey and I are getting so excited about the incredible change that's about to happen in our lives. It puts everything in a new perspective.