More False Labor Fun...

So what I thought would be the day that my daughter would arrive, ended up not to be so. My contractions started at about 10am yesterday and continued to get closer together until about 4pm. They decided to take a little break and were really random. But they started back up around 7pm and were about 5min. apart and lasting for about 50sec. I called the doctor and he told me to monitor them for another couple of hours to see if they got longer, stronger and closer together. They did get to be about 4-5min apart and lasted for about 65sec. While they weren't causing me what I would call "pain" I was getting steadily more uncomfortable. So I called in again, Dr. Cook wished me luck, and Dan and I set off for the hospital at about midnight. Of course once we got to the hospital and I was in bed the contractions stopped! I got up to walk around and rock in the rocking chair and they started back up again. However, every time I laid back down they stopped.
For some good news: I am now 3cm. dilated, 100% effaced, and what they call completely "ripe" meaning my cervix is as soft as the inside of my cheek and has moved into position for labor and delivery. So my body is COMPLETELY ready to go.
On the other hand: Aiden, who was at -1 on Monday is now back at -2. She just doesn't want to come out... I don't get it. My body is completely ready for labor and delivery, but she is determined to stay. The nurse said they won't even consider induction until she has dropped due to concern about the umbilical cord... not that I'm looking to be induced yet. But if this keeps up for another couple of weeks I will be.
I'm just so uncomfortable and ready for her to be here (and I know I'm not exaggerating as every medical professional I've met with just keeps telling me how sorry they are for me as well as using the "you poor thing" look and speech). However, I've decided I'm not calling the doctor for anything unless my water has broken or I'm in so much pain that I can't focus. Walking out of labor and delivery without a baby was just so depressing, even thought the nurses were really nice and sympathetic. I'm NOT doing that again. Next time I go in, I am getting my baby one way or another!

Week 37

What an excellent beginning to a week!
We just had our doctor appointment this morning at 11am. Aiden is measuring up very well and her heartbeat was very easy to find and sounds good. The doctor said that I'm about the same in dilation and effacement as before, but Aiden is also officially starting to drop! She is now at -1cm, as compared to -2cm the previous week. He seemed very confident that we will be having our little girl in a few days to a week! He said if by some chance I'm still pregnant next week, I'll come back in for another check up to see if I've had any more progress. So hopefully we'll be meeting Aiden before the week is out! I can't wait!
Some more great news! The girl who looked at our apartment last night said she DEFINITELY wants to sublease. Finally! And she seems totally sane, unlike the last potential...
Hopefully we will be signing paperwork today or tomorrow. The leasing office for the complex in Gosport said we can definitely move in by Monday. So... as my mom said, as soon as I set up the nursery a subleaser would show up and she's guessing that my water will break when we are in the process of moving. She's usually pretty good at these things. So that will probably be exactly what happens. Haha!
Well, I guess we will be REALLY busy this week!
Some very odd news from last night. My feet swelled to about twice their normal size! That was pretty frightening. I couldn't bend my ankles! The swelling was way down this morning though and my blood pressure was fine. So hopefully no more of that in the future. The doctor actually complemented me on still having noticeable ankles. He said that usually women at this stage just have cankles. Haha! Even with the swelling I'm managing to look somewhat normal. Yay!
Here are the stats and pictures for the week:
If you notice, in the bottom left corner of this picture is Caina. She has been following me around non-stop for nearly a week. It's been really cute :-)
*When is your due date? April 12, 2010, but who are we kidding?

*What week are you in? 37 weeks

*How much weight have you gained? +22lbs (no weight gain this week)

*Do you know the gender of your baby? If so, what? An eager little girl

*Do you have a name picked out? What? Aiden Ryelle

*Maternity clothes? I've found that I still have one pair of normal pants I can wear with a belly band (woohoo!)

*Stretch Marks? The initial ones are fading, but I'm still getting new ones :-(

*How are you feeling right about now? crampy, but very excited!

*Have you felt the baby move? She seems to be getting hiccups more and more. Poor girl!

*Sleep habits? * More Cynical laughter*

*Any food cravings? Not really...

*Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore? Pickles are really grossing me out

*Memorable Moment of the Week: A subleaser and hearing that delivery day is right around the corner

Aiden's Nursery!

Dan and I have been hard at work trying to get Aiden's nursery put together enough that it will be functional if she arrives a little earlier than her previously intended date (but also easy to pack up if we find a subleaser). I think I finally have it in a state where I would feel comfortable with her coming any day (Are you listening Aiden- any day. Really. I mean it.). We don't have any pictures on the walls. So it seems a little bare, but I would hate to put more holes in the wall when we are talking to a couple of people about subleasing and it is sounding rather promising with one of them (not getting my hopes too high, just being prepared). I was talking to my mom on the phone and she said that we will probably get a subleaser now that I'm so close to delivery and I will probably go into labor when we are in the middle of moving. Ha! I wouldn't be surprised! I will take what I can though. I've decided that it is just better if I let things happen as God intends them.
Anyway: On to photos!

We'll start off with the side that I'm having issues with. There are still a couple of storage drawers that I have no other place for but the nursery. So for the mean time, Aiden is sharing her space with some of Dan's stuff.

Here we have an excellent view of half of the room and I love it!

Here is the other side. Don't worry, the play gym will not be on the table when Aiden is playing with it. I just think it's a cute storage shelf :-)

The lovely rocker and a side table with play gym.

Caina LOVES spending time in Aiden's room! I think it's so cute how attached she is already :-)

This is the old fashioned bassinet that my Auntie Pam gave us. I think it will be PERFECT for easy blanket storage!!! As well as a little bed for our room if I just can't stand to be away from Aiden initially, just need a mattress and cover first!

The book shelf, with only a few books at this point and lots of cute totes, lamp, etc. from Dan's wonderful aunts. Oh and you will notice to the right, our diaper bag (which is ALREADY packed!).

Close up of the crib

Entrance to Aiden's room

All of the stuff I am taking to the future Grammy and Grandpa King's to wash and a few duplicates to drop off for grandparent usage.

Oh! And we have our canvas closet organizers on the way. They should be here by Thursday! Yippee. Super cute dresser alternative. Our portable changer is also on schedule to be here by Thursday. I can't wait to finish up with everything! I'm so excited!!!

The Closer We Get- I Just Can't Help Thinking About...

It's absolutely amazing how close we are to meeting our little girl! I can't believe that she could arrive any day. In so many ways I feel unprepared and in so many ways I'm definitely ready. So the closer we get, there are certain things I keep running over in my mind. I know that if I don't write them down, I will never remember everything I was thinking (with the way my brain has been, I can't believe I got it to remember them this long!). So here we are:

What I'll Miss:
-Feeling strange alien kicks at random times throughout the day and night
-Watching my belly "roll"
-Dan touching my belly and smiling fondly
-Hearing Aiden's heartbeat
-Feeling her pick up movement when Dan reads
-The kids at work feeling my belly and saying/asking completely innocent and adorable things (ie. How did she get in there? Is she sleeping? Why are you having a baby? My mommy's baby is hiding too. I don't have a baby in my belly. )
-How easy it is to take her to places that I want to go
-Gaining weight without feeling too guilty
-Compliments on the glow and my beautiful belly
-Random people smiling fondly at me when I walk through the grocery store, work, etc.

What I Won't Miss:
-Leaking (from everywhere, you mother's know what I mean)
-The inability to get up and down without help
-The inability to tie my shoes or roll my pant legs
- The lack of curves
-Being randomly nauseous
-Crying for no reason (I know that won't stop for a few weeks... but I still won't miss it once it's gone!)
-Being afraid of falling
-Forgetting everything/walking in a daze
-People being afraid to ask me to do things

What I'm Looking Forward To:
-Seeing my daughter for the first time- As mucus covered, purple, and cone-headed as she may be
-Holding her
-Watching Dan with her (he's going to be such a great father)
-Seeing everyone's reactions for their first meetings with her
-Midnight feedings (I'm sure I won't be saying that later, but I'm really looking forward to her needing me... even in the middle of the night!)
-Going for walks
-High heeled boots!!!
-Reuniting with my feet!
-Introducing her to Caina
-Watching her grow (Again, I know I may change my mind about that one... they grow so fast. But I can't wait to watch as she hits all of her milestones)

TMI- You've been forewarned!

Well, as you can all assume, my contractions did NOT continue and bring about the birth of my daughter. After 13hrs of contractions that got continually closer together (8min apart at the last) they suddenly stopped... That's the bad news-Here's the good:
I believe I have finally lost my mucus plug, otherwise known as "bloody show". I have a doctor's appointment Monday, which should confirm that. But if I'm right, this means that I will definitely be going into labor some time soon (soon in this instance meaning between now and a couple of weeks hopefully!). Everywhere I looked up seemed to indicate that the majority of women (if you can take a majority for anything in pregnancy. LOL) seem to have gone into labor appx. three days after losing their mucus plug. This would have me going into labor on Sunday!
Well, I've placed my bets on Monday. I just feel like my body is ripe and ready for delivery, but she is my daughter after all. I hope I'm right! I'm definitely ready! I can't wait to meet my little girl :-)

Week 36 is SO exciting!

We had a wonderful day yesterday! There were so many exciting things- where to begin...
At our doctor appointment, we did my group B strep test and the doctor checked my cervix. It turns out that I am 80% effaced and 2.5cm dilated! Woohoo! Easier labor for me, hopefully!!! The doctor was very confident that I would be delivering within three weeks and wouldn't be surprised if she came this week. When we left she said "See you next week, hopefully!". So we are making excellent progress!
We also had our pregnancy photo shoot with Jessie today! We spent a few hours up in the Broadripple area, snapping some seasonal shots. They are so sweet and there are so many that I am absolutely in love with. It's going to be hard to choose a few to frame. Here are some of my favorites:And there are SO many more. I just don't want to overwhelm you with the beautiful artistry that is my cousin Jessie's psyche. Thanks Jess! These are just perfect and everything I wanted :-)
To end the evening, Dan and I picked up all the remaining necessities for the baby. We now have our carseat, mattress, etc. Yippee! If she comes soon, we'll at least be more ready... I'm not sure we'll ever be ready ready ;-)
Speaking of being ready- I've actually been having contractions since yesterday at 8pm. Majorly bad on the ride home, not steady and extremely painful. Once we were home, they settled out at about 10pm to being 15min or so apart and not painful at all. This morning. They are 10min apart, 48 sec long and can feel some mild discomfort with the obvious tensing of the belly. I guess we'll see...
As for the fun facts:
*When is your due date? April 12, 2010- but I think we can all agree that they got that wrong!

*What week are you in? 36 weeks

*How much weight have you gained? +22lbs

*Do you know the gender of your baby? If so, what? I can't wait to meet my little GIRL!

*Do you have a name picked out? What? Aiden Ryelle- Little fire on the rye hill. I hope she's spunky!

*Maternity clothes? I've got some nice dresses that work really well. I think I will keep them forever, even if I'm not pregnant.

*Stretch Marks? Some of them are starting to fade :-)

*How are you feeling right about now? Sick, crampy, and a little miffed that my contractions don't seem to want to commit to a basic time table anymore :(

*Have you felt the baby move? She doesn't stop much... but we did get it videotaped finally! It just took Dan. She won't work for me. DEFINITELY a Daddy's girl already!

*Sleep habits? *Cynical laughter*

*Any food cravings? I can't even think of food right now. I just don't feel well.

*Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore? Anything with grease

*Memorable Moment of the Week: Hearing that we'll be meeting our little girl any time! I can't wait!

An evening of false labor...

Well, we can at least say that last night was... "eventful". I was at work until about 5:40 yesterday and had a couple of contractions in between 5- 5:30. I've had contractions at work before. So no big deal. I left a little early because we only had one kid and everything else was done. Brittany and I were joking around about how funny it would be if I went into labor tonight (this stemming from a conversation about the contractions).
I got into the car to go home, talked to my mom on the phone, picked up a salad, and went home to enjoy a nice healthy dinner, a glass of water, and some "feet up" time. All through this, I'm having the occasional contraction.
After this had continued for about two hours, I figured I should probably start timing them. They were coming every 10-20minutes and last about 30-50sec.
I called my parents to see what they thought. I just hate calling the doctor and seeming paranoid about everything. They suggested that I wait a little bit and see how things go. At about 9pm, I talked to the doctor who suggested that I take some Tylenol and have a warm bath and if the contractions started coming more frequently, to call. So I took the Tylenol and the bath for about an hour and felt better. About 15min. after I got out, they started again. This lasted until 12:30 when I decided that I should try to sleep, just in case this was real and I would be having a baby in the 24hours.
Well, I didn't wake up to any contractions and I haven't had any this morning. So apparently it was a false alarm. I did, however, finish packing the hospital bag and get the crib put together... as well as shave my legs. I figured... if I'm going to have a baby, I might as well shave my legs. I'm not going to get to for a while whenever Aiden does finally get here. So I might as well take advantage! Haha!
Anyway... So I guess we'll see what today holds. The doctor said to go ahead and go to work and see what happens. If it happens again, I'll go in a little early and get checked to see if I'm dilated.
In the mean time, I've kicked things to into high gear to make sure that everything is ready whether she makes an early debut or right on time. I guess we'll see!