FULL TERM!

As of Tuesday I hit the full term mark!! (37 weeks) It's the last milestone of the pregnancy to reach so I guess you can say we are there! Any day now Miss Ella James will be joining us! Ready doesn't even explain how I feel at this point. I am just done! We go to the doctor on Tuesday to have an ultrasound which will determine Ella's weight and help us decide if we are having a c-section or being induced. Either way it will likely happen a week from Tuesday (November 3rd) or in the few days following that depending on how crowded the hospital is. I was a little bummed leaving the Dr yesterday because I thought that we would be having her next week but unless she decides to come on her own before then it will be a week from Tuesday. As Mom says, "you can do anything for a week". So that's the attitude I am trying to have. I will keep you all posted and certainly let you know if something happens sooner!

4 Weeks (OR LESS) to go!

So...4 weeks, at the most, to go!!! I am feeling ok, I guess. Just the common end of pregnancy complaints....lower back pain, really swollen feet, really tired, can't get comfortable at night, using the bathroom every other minute, etc. Every time I move Drew asks me, "Are you ok??!!" Apparently I grunt, moan or whimper every time I do anything! It either sounds like I am in pain, something major has happened or I am dying each time I move a muscle.

Dr Cousins explained to us this week that on the 27th (my next scheduled ultrasound) we will be deciding the baby's birthday and how she will be entering the world. It all depends on estimated weight. (which can be way off but they are going by it anyway) If she is weighing over 4000grams, 8.? lbs (close to 9lbs) then I will be having a c section the following week due to babies of gestational diabetes people having broader shoulders. If I were to try and deliver her and her shoulders were to get stuck in the birth canal then it would be a real emergency situation. If she is weighing under the 4000g mark then we will be induced that next week. This is the plan we are praying for!!! I am a big believer in vaginal rather then c section. It is healthier for mom and baby. Not to mention the recovery time is way less. I know some people that have had great experiences with them but everyone is different. I personally, do not want to go through that. C sections are a major abdominal surgery and I would rather my guts be left out of the birthing process!! All of this will make no difference if she decides that she is ready before the 27th!!!

Whichever way she gets here, there is no doubt that she will be here in 4 weeks or less!!!! I cannot believe that we are here! Bags are packed, car seat is installed, nursery is ready to go, Mommy is READY and Daddy is too! It is crazy that I was dreaming about being at this point 8 months ago and here we are! Check Momma out.....

We graduated Birth & Baby Class at the hospital last week. It was a five week class. Mostly on the labor process but some on after the baby comes at the last class. I told Drew that we may have been puppy school drop-outs (Bentley did not graduate) but at least we graduated birth & baby school! I didn't learn every much because of all the reading I have done and the little medical background I have but I think it was really good for Drew. He learned a lot about the whole labor process and how to help me through it. Here are some cute pics of Drew learning to swaddle the baby...

Other then all of that the only news is that we are seeing the Dr TWICE a week now. I have 2 non-stress tests a week. That is where they hook me up to the monitors to compare her heart rate and activity as well as my contractions to make sure that she is not under any stress. If I fail that (which we did 3 weeks ago) it is no big deal, we just get to have an ultrasound that day. She passed that with flying colors the day we failed the NST. She just likes to sleep through the test every once in a while. Kinda like her Mommy in college! lol! And I also see the Dr at one of those visits a week. So far no progress "down there". Just pretty regular contractions that are in between braxton hicks (practice) contractions and real ones. I say that because they are starting to hurt and becoming regular although they are not changing my cervix yet.

Oh yeah, AND....my awesome boss' have changed my work schedule to 9-4!! So I am 30hrs now rather then 40. (yet at my same pay) It makes a big difference! I am slow in the mornings and swollen in the afternoons so the extra time not here helps a lot!

Hope you are all doing great!

Much Love, Laine