Week 39 We're Almost There!!!

I can't believe that we will be meeting our little girl on Monday... Oh did I not mention? Like it or not this child is exiting on or before my due date, doctor's suggestion (I didn't even ask!). My body is SO ready for delivery that Dr. Wood suggested we schedule an induction. She said she usually has mothers (and fathers) begging for inductions before they are anywhere near as far along as I am. She said that on the Bishop scale (what they use to determine labor readiness and includes dilation, effacement, ripeness and cervix position) I am EXCELLENT. She said that she had never seen a cervix as good as mine go for so long. SO... induction here we come. She said she would be surprised if we made it to Monday for the induction, but she's still not here. So I think she is determined to wait as long as possible. Dr. Wood said that she would have been fine inducing us on Wednesday, but seeing as we had some unfortunate events to take part in, we decided waiting until Monday would be best. ---We will definitely miss Aunt Rhea Dawn, but we know that she'll be smiling down and enjoying Aiden wrapped up in her little bunny quilt from heaven. ---
So as for those statistics I've been hinting at: I am about as ready as can be. I am 80% effaced, 3.5cm dilated, Very ripe and perfectly positioned. You can't get much better than me in the terms of labor readiness... which probably accounts for my daily contractions and cramping. Ugh! I will just be glad to have that over with. The doctors seem to agree that Aiden is about 7.5 lbs. Of course that's not an exact science by any means. She could be anywhere from 6-8lbs. I guess it will have to be a surprise.

Warning TMI to come:
As we all know that a natural induction would be preferable, Dan and I have a whole list of things to try to get this party started before Monday.
-I've got some raspberry tea (doctor recommended) to try out tonight. I'm not a fan of tea, but raspberry doesn't sound too bad.
-Everyone and their brother (including my doctor) has suggested sex as it seems to be the most effective... Mom, if you're reading this, don't think anything of it. In fact, just remember: I'm still a virgin. Your grandchild was artificially inseminated into my womb. In fact, I'm not even actually pregnant. I'm just pretending while Aiden is being grown in a test tube. There. Bases covered.
-Long walks. These have definitely made me uncomfortable, but no contractions to speak of. But I will keep trying. I'm told these help the real ones to regulate and the fake ones to disappear. So I guess if any of these other methods start contractions, I'll go for a long walk to see if they'll stick around.
-Massage and acupressure. These sound GREAT to me, as my whole body has been super sore and achy anyway. I figure... even if this one doesn't work, it's a great excuse for some more pampering. Did I mention I have the world's greatest husband!?!
If any of you moms have other suggestions, feel free to pass them along. I'm all ears!
As for other things:
We are now all moved into our new townhouse in Gosport. We love our little place and it is at least 100sq.ft. bigger than our flat was. We are getting things put away and have the bedrooms almost done. The living room and kitchen still need a little work though... but we are getting there. And aside from have a couple very interesting neighbors and some mouthy teenagers in the area, which I guess you have to expect in Gosport, our complex is pretty nice. We even have a first responder for the fire dept. living next door. So if I have an emergency, I have emergency personnel close by!
Well, as I am tired, cranky and swollen, I'm not posting pictures tonight. We'll be taking plenty soon of the new place, Aiden's room and inevitably my stomach. So don't worry. You will get to see me in all of my swollen, sweaty glory soon ;-)

*When is your due date? April 12, 2010! Officially. She will be out by then or ELSE!

*What week are you in? 39 weeks

*How much weight have you gained? +27 lbs. Yes. I have bypassed my target weight. Why you ask? Water retention. If it could die, I would torture it and all of it's progeny until long awaited death arrived. If you can't tell, I'm feeling a little resentful.

*Do you know the gender of your baby? If so, what? Monday brings our beautiful baby GIRL!

*Do you have a name picked out? What? Aiden (little fire) Ryelle (rye hill) Wisley (gardens). If that last one surprises you, it did me too. Just found that out at Rhea Dawn's funeral.

*Maternity clothes? I will not wear pants until Tibet is free... or at least until Aiden arrives.

*Stretch Marks? Disgust me

*How are you feeling right about now? Kind of nervous about the induction (even though they do seem to run in my family... right along with c-sections...).

*Have you felt the baby move? I can now find her toes which if funny to see when she stretches and still hurts quite badly.

*Sleep habits? Not applicable

*Any food cravings? Not really... but fruit is REALLY satisfying

*Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore? Cucumbers still terrify me, as do pickles and spinach.

*Memorable Moment of the Week: Induction schedule!!! Oh! And meeting little miss Ella Lynn! Cutest child EVER by the way (I only have a few more days I am allowed to say that. So I might as well squeeze it in!) :-)