Elite Club

Well, I've officially crossed into my 42nd week of pregnancy which in my extensive 5-10 minute search on google means that I've joined an elite club of which only 5-10% of pregnancies go into.

Lucky me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for her to bake in there and to be healthy. And I'm still holding out hope that she'll decide to make her entrance before the induction on Wednesday so I'm happy for 2 more days to give that a shot.

It just hurts. To walk. To sit. To stand. To lay down. I swear she's gained 5lbs in the last 2 days. And now she's doing this new thing where she's laying off to my left side and it just feels funky. Plus, since it's something new I can't help but wonder if it means something and wonder if she's okay in there. Fortunately her movements are keeping up so I think she's fine and I'm just being paranoid. She's pushed so far on my side,
 I can actually feel her little rump...at least, it better be that and not her head. She was head down on Thursday and I don't recall feeling a big flip! ;)

Well, since this will be one of my last posts, if not THE last post as a pregnant lady, I thought I'd finally get some belly pics up to show how I've grown through the last 9 months. I find it funny that the one I just took today actually looks smaller than some of the other ones. Maybe she dropped again! Maybe it's just the camera angle. ;)

Here I was pregnant and didn't know it yet. This was taken on a Saturday and I found out just 3 days later on Tuesday. I was about 6 weeks along at that point. Things were "late" so it was suspect in the back of our minds but I didn't want to let myself believe it. However, when Eric & I both came down with horrible head colds, he insisted I check before taking the cough medicine with codiene. I cried just knowing I was going to read another stupid negative but much to my surprise, God blessed us with a POSITIVE test result! 

21 weeks with the side view...ignore the jungle theme in the background of most of these. Roma's room is the only one with a full-length mirror! 

Here I am at 21 weeks shortly after getting a ton of maternity clothes from my dear cousin. She said this outfit would make me feel like a model - she was right. Be prepared to see it again in a couple more pics. ;)

This is me at 22 weeks. Boy, the iphone takes a fuzzy picture.

On our honeymoon at 26 weeks. I totally popped while we were gone! I went from no one saying anything to me about being pregnant to 4 strangers in one day asking when I was due.

At 27 weeks

At 32.5 weeks; I'm making a goofy I-look-like-I'm-trying-to-do-the-online-kissy-face-look-but-really-it's-my-I'm-concentrating-and-biting-my-lip-face but my hair looks great so I'm going with it ;)

At 33 weeks 5 days

35 weeks

If you read this blog regularly, you've already seen this one. This was taken at our shower with my family at 36 weeks.

At 37 weeks; a little disappointed that the pictures makes my cute shoes look like slippers. They're really an adorable pair of sandals.

And finally at 41 weeks and officially 1 day into my 42nd week. Notice the change of attire...yoga pants are my best friend these days. Helps I'm not headed into work either. ;)

You want me to come out of where?!

Seriously, Mom...I'm pretty comfy in here. Living space is getting a little cramped but it's nothing we can't handle. Just move an organ or two out of the way and I'll be fine...

I'm convinced this is what she's in there thinking because she seems as cozy as ever.

Tuesday I had all kinds of symptoms that had me thinking a completely natural labor was at least on its way and today I'm convinced of the opposite: that the doctor will yet again tell me that I'm 1cm dilated - just like last week and just like the week before and we'll be scheduling an induction to get her out before it's not healthy for her to be in there anymore.

I'm going to assume it means that you really love being close to Mama, Sonnie. Now if I can just convince you that I promise to hold you all you want and that you will enjoy the leg room on the outside. ♥   

UPDATE: So, exactly as predicted. Well, not exactly. I am still only 1cm dilated however she actually worked her way back up after she had dropped so low last week. Huh?!? Not sure exactly what that's all about but the induction has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 22nd at 8:30am.

I really, really want a natural labor so I'm a bit bummed that my body just isn't cooperating. The good news is that she still shows every sign of being super healthy, as do I. They did another ultrasound to measure her growth and it's on par with a healthy, reasonable weight gain based on her last scan; exactly the 1/2 lb a week they say they gain in the last month. I wouldn't mind a few extra prayers that my body at least preps more on it's own for the induction, even if I don't actually go into labor on my own. Doc said at this point, she wouldn't even be able to break my water easily. And of course, there's always the hope that I'll be the story of the person that goes from no symptoms to all of them in no time. Not really banking on it but you never know...

Oh the hormones...

Well, today is the day...the due date anyway. I've still got about half of June 12th left for her to make her arrival before I officially can be termed "overdue". I've come to accept that since I got so emotional after my appointment on Thursday. I've even pretty much assumed that I'll head to my next doctor's appointment this Thursday to find out the exact same info regarding my dilation & effacement and we'll be talking induction. Yes, yes...she could come any day but mentally, it's just easier to think that I'll be pregnant for another 2 weeks than to keep waking up thinking that today could be the day.

If I sound a little down, it's because I am. It all started in the wee hours of Saturday morning. I had been awake and at one point just started crying. Not tears trickling from my eyes, I'm talking CRYing. The kind you try to keep quiet but you can't. Eric calmed me down before I reached full-on sob but I'm still not sure what made it start and I'm not sure exactly what he did to make it end. All I know is that in no time I went from being a very sane, pleasant pregnant person to feeling irrational and it hasn't quite stopped. I managed not to cry yesterday during the day but felt like I was shortchanging everyone no matter what I did. No one acted like I was but I just felt like I was either harping on the kids too much or not keeping them enough under control, or that every moment I gave one of them attention, all I could think of was who I wasn't giving attention. I even felt guilty when I came home and the poor dog had been alone all day b/c we were at my parents. This morning, I cried over just about everything with ease; and after Eric returned from taking the kids back to their mom, he came in to find me googling "extreme emotions prior to labor" and doing nothing short of, you guessed it, crying.

So I don't know if this ball of emotions means anything as far as Lil Miss' timing of her arrival or if it's yet just one more thing to make me so done with pregnancy that I'll welcome the impending work of laboring this baby out, but I'm really hoping for the former.  In the meantime, the kiddos are all out of the house and while I adore having them around, I think Eric and I will take advantage of the free time and find some things to do to take my mind off this. It's a gorgeous day (as I sit outside to type this) and I'm excited to find something to do that the 90 degree heat that we've been having would otherwise kill for a 40-week preggers like myself. And I will attempt to do it without crying. ;)