9 pound baby, anyone?

Just got back from the Dr. office. The good news is that it is a girl (my good friend from church had a dream that it was a boy) and she is healthy and has plenty of amniotic fluid. The not-so-happy news is that she is measuring at 9 pounds (the Dr. says that figure could go 20% either way). The ultrasound tech said her head appeared to be a normal size, not measuring too big. Also, I am still only 1 cm dilated and only about 80% effaced. I go back on Thursday for a non-stress test to make sure the baby is still doing ok and then if I haven't had her by Monday then I will have another non-stress test and then will see the Dr. to get checked again and discuss options.

I just got off the phone with my doula (birth coach) and she was very encouraging that I am moving in the right direction and just because the ultrasound says 9 pounds, she could be up to 2 pounds less.

40 weeks, 4 days

No news on Pumpkin's arrival, she doesn't appear to be in any hurry. We did get snow and ice yesterday night, but only about 3 inches. It looks like it will all melt today. I guess I will post after my ultrasound and Dr. visit tomorrow, unless something happens before then.

40 week picture

Well, it is official. We're supposed to get between 6-8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow, so I need to make sure my hospital bag is completely packed!

I was out running some errands yesterday and I think I was freaking people out. Everyone would ask, "when are you due", and I would tell them today and they would get this scared look in their eyes. One person even offered to get me a chair, it was kind of funny.

Coincidence? I think not!

I get an email every week giving me information about how the baby is developing, how big it is, what it looks like, etc. This is what today's email said about this week (40 weeks).

"It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. "

Hmmmm, I think that is so funny. We named her well (ok, nicknamed her well).

Happy due date to me!

Well, we've made it to the due date. No signs that Pumpkin has any plans of showing up anytime soon. I do believe that she may make her appearance on Friday night or Saturday sometime. What, you may ask, do I base my claims on? Well, it is supposed to snow on Friday night and Saturday, so that is when she has the best chance of arriving. What Pumpkin doesn't realize is that we have All Wheel Drive so we're getting to that hospital no matter what!

Finally, here is a picture of our poor dog, Lucy. She has no clue as to how her life is going to change. Actually, she may have a slight clue as she has been a little whiny lately.



40 week picture to come (hopefully we'll remember to take it tonight).

Latest Dr. visit

Just a quick update. We just got back from seeing my Dr. and I am 70% effaced and still 1 cm dilated. If I haven't gone into labor by next Monday, then I am scheduled for an ultrasound to check her size/weight and make sure she is doing ok. She is still moving around a lot (we should change her nickname to Jitterbug, especially in the evenings).

Finally, a picture of "A" being a good dad-to-be and pre-testing her toys. He pronounced it "Pumpkin" worthy!!

39 week picture

Wow, I'm big.

I thought I would include the pictures that shows off my alphabet cards. We bought them years ago (like most of the stuff in the nursery, we have been planning for this baby for years). I was going through a nursery decorating book and saw the same cards I had that were mounted on the wall on ribbons. They were so cute I had to do the same thing, with a few modifications, of course. I found these really cute clips at Michael's and instead of punching holes in the cards, I attached them to the ribbons with the clips. I'm really proud of how it has turned out, I think it is pretty cute. Yes, the walls are two different colors, yellow and blue. The baby's room is really weird shaped so when I painted it (again, a couple years ago) I decided to alternate every other wall. It is a huge room, I never thought I would get done with the painting, it was originally a tan color with a tan border (how boring).

Quick update and clarification

1. I heard back from my doctor's office about my platelets. They have gone from 102 to 114. For those of you who have no idea of what I'm talking about, I have been seeing a blood Dr. because my platelet counts have been fluctuating below normal, which could have consequences during delivery (i.e. I might not be able to have an epidural if I wanted it because of the risk of bleeding). Anyway, 102 was the lowest I have ever been so I was very pleased to hear it is rising again. Anything over 100 should not cause any issues and this whole thing should go away after the baby is born. Please keep praying that they will continue to rise and it will not be a factor during labor.

2. I wanted to clarify my request for anonymity. I was actually just referring to us, not anybody else. I have no problem with people using their first names in comments (in fact, I would love it because I have had a little trouble figuring out who is actually leaving comments as there are several people with the same initials). Sorry if I was being confusing or unclear, you can email me if you have any questions.

Finally, a picture of our dog, Lucy. This was taken during our new car hunt. We had a mini cooper and we had planned to keep it until we found out that a car seat would fit, but the car seat and I both wouldn't fit on the passenger side. I was squished up against the dashboard with about an inch to spare, not very comfy, let me tell you. Anyway, we thought maybe we could get a mini clubman (slightly longer than a regular mini cooper and with an extra door) which had tons of room for the car seat AND me, but Lucy was another story (+ baby gear + baby stroller, etc.). This picture is from when I took her to the dealership with me and had her try to fit in the trunk. She could fit, but she couldn't turn around or basically move. Believe me, we loved our mini cooper and hated to get rid of it, but in the end we got a small SUV that has plenty of room for Lucy + baby + baby gear + dad + mom. Lucy even approves!

Dr. visit

I went to the Dr. today and I am still 1 cm. dilated and 50% effaced (same as last week). However, Pumpkin has officially dropped!! I asked if the Dr. could guess her weight and she said she was somewhere between 6-7 pounds, but she really couldn't tell me for sure. Since it is official that she has dropped, I guess that explains why I am starving (i.e. more room in my stomach), or maybe I'm just a little piggy. Anyway, here is a picture from Thanksgiving when I was about 23 weeks.

Here is the latest picture from yesterday, 38 weeks 4 days (same dress). Not much difference!

The giraffe has a name, too bad Pumpkin doesn't yet

The giraffe (see picture in last post) is called Gerdy. Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Tania, for the name suggestion. If only we could figure out what to call the baby. Ok, we have it narrowed down to 3 first names, but middle names - we have no clue, there are too many choices! You will hear no hints about the baby's name from me, we want to see her first. But rest assured, her name will not be Clotilda! Here is a rather fuzzy picture from her 20 week ultrasound. She had one arm behind her head and her legs crossed. She was completely relaxed, almost too relaxed as the ultrasound tech had trouble getting her to move.

38 week picture

It has finally happened!

I kept saying I would start a blog and I've finally done it. Of course, it is two weeks before the due date, but better late than never.

I don't want to go password-protected so I am not going to be using our whole names or location in this blog, so if you leave comments (and I'm hoping for a lot, I love comments), please leave off information of this kind. A thinks I am neurotic, but I would rather be cautious. Thanks a bunch!

I hope to post lots of pictures of Pumpkin once she arrives, so check back often. When the big date arrives, we will be sending out a group email to everyone with all the info (name, weight, etc.) and hopefully a picture or two, but after that I plan on using this blog to post pictures and keep you updated on her progress.