The End. 40 weeks 5 days

Little Miss Kalia has 29 hours to get here on her own before we start the eviction process.  We are scheduled to start induction at the hospital at 5 p.m. tomorrow night.

The doctor did not check to see if I was dilated at all at today's appointment.  He said he had no reason to believe that I'd made any progress since Tuesday, and they'd check me upon arrival at the hospital tomorrow night.  I believe there's two types of people when it comes to dilation and effacement.  Those that dilate and stay dilated for a some amount of time before actually going into labor, and those that dilate and then immediately go into labor.  I'm think I'm the latter.  Which is why, I'm guessing, he has no reason to think I'd made any progress since Tuesday.

First I'll explain the process, then I'll relate our wishes for how we want to handle the masses :-).

When we get there tomorrow night, after they check to see if I've dilated, they'll administer a pill into my cervix which will stay in for 12 hours.  The purpose of the pill is to soften and dilate my cervix.  I'm going to have to fight to get them to use telemtry to monitor Kalia and allow me to walk around some during that time.  After 12 hours, they'll check my cervix, and if I haven't dilated/effaced any / enough, they'll put in another pill for 12 hours.  After 24 hours of the pill, they'll start pitosin.  If I've started dilating to 2-3 cm before that, and I'm not contracting on my own, they'll administer pitosin.

Once I get into active labor, 4-5 cm dilated, the doctor said the average Mom delivers the baby sometime between 6-8 hours later.  He said average induction start to labor finish is about 48 hours, but it could take longer than that.

We've talked about it quite a bit, and we really would prefer not to have everyone sitting around waiting for my cervix to dilate.  The doctor actually mentioned not calling in the crews just yet too because it makes the Mom over-anxious which leads to all sorts of bad things for Momma and Baby.

So...to those of you that are heading up to the hospital...  our plan is for Chris to call everyone when I start going into active labor.  That should give you guys plenty of time to get down / over here pretty closely to when Kalia's going to arrive, although planning that is next to impossible.  Please please please after Chris calls, do not call to check on my progress.  Although I know everyone cares, it'll only make me more anxious if I hear Chris's phone ringing off the hook.  Once you get to the hospital, there's monitors that show how far along I am, so you can check that way.

We're bringing our computers, so I might update this blog prior to going into active labor.  I have no idea...I don't know how I'll feel or what I'll be going through, so no promises on this end.  I just know that I don't want a room full of people there just sitting around twiddling their thumbs, and I don't want a room full of people when the contractions start coming hard and fast.  If you get into town early and want to swing by to see how I'm doing prior to active labor, visitors for a little bit here and there are fine, but no camping overnight in my hospital room, and when the nurses come in to check me, everyone but Chris is out :-).

The hospital won't give out any information either...I called to check.  Sorry!!

The only one that I know that is for sure going to be around during all of it (although not camping in the room!!!) is my T. Mom and Dad.  They're heading over here Sunday night to stay with Kodi at the house.  So, if you want their cell number to get updates, email me, and I'll email it to you.

The doctor did say it's very possible that I'll go into labor on my own in the next 30 hours, so I should be prepared for that too.

Those of you that aren't parents and driving over here, Chris is making an email list to email updates when he can.  We don't have texting, and emailing is so much easier for both of us with our dinosaur phones.  No promises on updates towards the end of everything, so if you haven't heard anything for awhile, just hang tight until you get a 'she's here!' email!

....

Whew!!!

Yesterday was our 5 year wedding anniversary, and we went to Melting Pot to celebrate.  Here's a few pictures to hold you over until Kalia pictures arrive.  Sorry, no belly pics...I wasn't flashing the camera in my dress!

Before :

During ... (yes, my face already looks fatter from eating all the yummy food!!)

After :  Wowzer.  Huge.

This is all you get of a profile shot.  I stood sideways with my hands on my belly and said "oh wait, can you even see it?!?!" and then after Chris said "yep!" realized that I just asked if you could see the equivalent of the good year blimp attached to my belly and couldn't stop laughing.

Chris thinks they may have spiked my lemonade.  I think my brain is going bonkers.

Last 'free' weekend!!!!!

Today at the docs I weighed the same as Tuesday.  Total love gained : 34 lbs.  Oiy......  It's okay though, Kalia will be here SOON!!!!  WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

39 week checkup, blimp pictures

Another week at the doctor......another week of no Kalia. Sigh..........

They checked my blood pressure and Kalia's heart rate, and everything looked good. The nurse then told me that the doc was going to check my cervix...WOO HOO!!!  I was seriously so excited.  Chris said I was beaming, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that :-), but I really wanted to know if I was making any 'progress'.

Well...BOOOOOOOOO... 0 cm dialated and 0% effaced.  I gave the doctor a big sad face when he told me that, and he said it doesn't necessarily mean that she's coming late.  After he said that he re-iterated his statement that he's been saying since the beginning "most first time Mom's go an average of 5 days late."  Chris asked him what his standard deviation was on that one, and after he laughed, he said he had no idea, and wasn't willing to answer that question.  Gotta love being the doc for two Engineers!

He told me the only reason he checks my cervix at this point is because a lot of women want to be induced by 39 weeks, which is something he'd entertain doing if I was progressing.  But since I'm not, he said that if he induced labor with 0 progress on my own, there's a high probability that I'd wind up needing a c-section.  I told him I'd wait for Kalia to decide it was her time to come into the world.

If she takes after her Daddy, she'll be here within the next week.  If she takes after her Mommy, she'll be here the week after, completely scatter brained. 

If I haven't gone on my own by next weeks appointment, Kalia's due date, he'll discuss scheduling an induction for later on in the week.  He said if I make it to 41 weeks without her coming out, and am still not progressing at all, the benefits of induction decreases significantly because of the likelihood that I'll put myself through lots of hours of labor only to have to wind up the c-section route anyways.  After 41 weeks, he says she'll be too big to deliver naturally.

She's slowed down some in her growth though.  For the first time in a looong time, I measured perfect at 39 cm.  I'd been measuring at least a week large since about month 5 I think.

I've been having menstral like cramps with my contractions, which he said is a really good sign.  That just started happening Saturday night, so hopefully it continues!!

Now for the blimp pictures...

Seriously, I have no idea how it's possible for my belly button to stick out even further, but every week it pokes out more.  Or my belly for that matter.  I'm really gonna fall over forwards before too long.

And now for the "I can't believe I'm actually posting these" blimp belly photos...

 

Dear Kalia, I'm impatiently waiting...Love, your Mommy.

Yes, that's my foot tapping...come on already!!!

I'm starting to get a little bit of swelling in my face, hands, and feet.  It's worse when I'm hot or after I've exercised.  I nap a lot, toss and turn a lot, and eat a lot. 

I'm keeping up with the 1 lb a week weight gain thing...so far, total love gained = 33 lbs.  So.freaking.big!!!

T minus 6 days till her due date, and 13 days till she absolutely without a doubt will be here.  I can do it!!!

38 week checkup, hippo pictures

Yesterday was our 38 week checkup.  I was surprised the doctor didn't check me internally to see if I was progressing in labor at all, but I guess it doesn't really matter.  If I'm not dilated at all, I'll be impatient / upset, and if I am dilated, I'll be anxious with anticipation!!!

The nurse found Kalia's heartbeat, which was pretty high.  When it didn't slow down after a few minutes, she hooked her up to the heart rate monitor thing again and let that go for about 20 minutes.  Her heart rate was around 170 for most of it, but she did get down to the 140's occasionally.  She was kung fu fighting the whole time, which is a new regular for her, and the doc said that's why her heart rate was so high.  He said it's a good sign that she's an active little baby.  Just like her Momma and Daddy!!  :-)

I'm convinced that Kalia's confused on where the 'exit ramp' is.  She's still kicking up a storm in my ribs, which is probably due to her continually growing long legs!  She's kicking so much in fact that my right rib is actually bruised.  I don't think I've dropped enough for her to really be ready to come out, so if I'm being completely honest with myself, I don't think I'm going into labor anytime soon.  I hope I'm wrong though!!  Today was my guess date because of the full moon tonight, so maybe she'll figure it out by tonight.  (Please oh please...)

I haven't lost my mucous plug or had any bleeding at all yet, so that's another reason why I don't think she's ready to come out.

I'm still walking or riding the exercise bike most days, and I'm staying pretty active, so I'm convinced she's just not ready...even though we are!  She'll come out when she's ready, and there's not much else I can do to help her decide that.  Two miles a day for this large and in charge body is more than enough.  I feel like I'm crawling most days by the time I get home!

I'm only posting one picture with my shirt down this time.  Yes, I realize black is not the best to show how big I've gotten.  However, you work with what fits you, and Chris's monster shirts just make it look like I'm wearing a moo-moo, and I have a grand total of about 4 shirts that fit me...sooo...just be happy I'm sharing in my embarrassment of my new-found hippopotamus body!

Chris took these last night after I was done riding the exercise bike.  I'm sooo tired lately, and you can definitely tell them in the pictures.  Oiy!

Now for the belly reveal...I get tired just looking at how big my belly has gotten!!

All right Kalia, time for you to come out now!!!

Pretty pretty please?!?!?!  No??  Boooo!!!!!

Maybe tonight!!!

Thanks everyone for all of your phone calls / emails / prayers / well wishes / etc..  I know I'm not doing the greatest at keeping up with everyone (or anyone...), but please know that we appreciate being in all of your thoughts!!  I sleep a lot more these days too, so I'm either go-go-go or passed out.  One extreme or the other.

The doctor did say yesterday that most first time Mom's go at 40 weeks and 5 days.  BOOOO!!!  Regardless, he won't let me go more than a week past my due date, so by June 6th, she'll be here.  I'd prefer May 17th though!

T minus 13 days till my due date, and 20 days till she's absolutely without a doubt here!!  I can't wait!

p.s.  I don't think my boobs look too terribly big anymore.  My belly is taking ALL the glory!

Our Little Alien

The doctor gave us these pictures from Monday's ultra-sound.  Kalia's got too much fluids in front of her face (see huge big rockin' belly picture from Mother's Day) to get a really good picture, and she was moving around quite a bit, so this is the best he could do.  She actually stopped moving for a half a second and we could see cuter images, but he couldn't capture them in still frame.  The 4-D thing is amazing.

 

Yes, I realize she looks like an alien.  No, I don't think all of my fluids in front of her face and her sunken in eyeballs are terribly adorable.  But her button nose is cute!!  And in the first few pictures, it actually looks like she might have hair!!  But then you get tot he last one and she looks bald again. 

I can't WAIT to see her outta my belly!!!  I think she's confused though...I think she thinks she's supposed to come out through my rib cage instead of down yonder.  I swear sometimes it feels like she's coming out through my ribs.  I asked the doc if it was possible for her to break my ribs and he just laughed at me.  I guess that means no!

T minus 18 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Mother's Day

Yes, I moved a tree on Saturday.

But on Sunday, I did a lot of this with Kodi :

I had to include this last one so that you could see that I am indeed wearing bathing suit bottoms.  Although, I don't think I'd notice the difference if I weren't...I can't see anything anyways, but they're definitely there.

Chris and Kodi bought me flowers and made me breakfast to start off the day.  Chris and I went out and ran a few errands after that, and I can tell I'm getting so large and in charge.  I got stopped I don't know how many times and asked how much longer.  One lady at Home Depot said I was making her nervous because I was too close to my due date.  Apparently you're supposed to do a lot more of what I'm doing in the pics above when you're getting close and just wait for the baby to get here.  Someone tell my brain that please, k?  It won't turn off.

We got home and Chris and Kodi made me lunch, and then we floated in the pool some, and then switched to the hammock for a bit (we being Kodi and I...poor Chris hung out in the pool for a little bit before going to work on the sprinklers), and then the boys made me dinner and dessert!  It was a great way to spend my last Mother's Day as only the Mom of a 4 legged furry kiddo!

Today is officially THE day that it's okay if I go into labor.  We have an ultra sound this afternoon at 415, and he's going to do his weekly 'checks' then too.  After that, we have breast feeding class from 7-930.  It's our last 'baby thing' to do before Kalia's arrival.

I looked at the calendar last night and told Chris that I think I'm going to go into labor on May 17th.  He just started laughing and was like ummm...okaaaay!!!  It's the next full moon though...sooo...that's my logic!!!

Realistically though, with all this talk about me going early, I will probably now go late.  I don't know if I can handle carrying around this front-load belly of mine for too much longer.

Or sleeping like this :

I miss being able to sleep in my bed with Chris.  Chris took this picture on Friday night sometime.  This big body is just impossible to get comfortable, but the side of the couch at least provides support on one side, and then I make a pillow mountain around me and manage to doze off for a few hours...till it's time to get up and pee...again.  Oiy.

T minus 21 DAYS till my DUE DATE!!!  Come on Kalia!!!!!!!

Goodbye Feet

You officially disappeared yesterday.  I look down every day when I take a shower to see if you're still there, and yesterday you disappeared.  Hopefully less than 8 weeks and I'll see you again!!

Or, I could just lean over...but you look so tiny and so far away when I do that now!!

How funny looking is this?!  Hello tiny little feet!

If anyone sees me walking around with mismatched shoes or sandles on, just ignore it.  I can't see it anyways!

My neighbor Nancy says I'll know when I'm ready to pop when I'm wearing Chris's shoes because my feet and ankles are so swollen.

I hope that really isn't the case...these boats look ridiculous on me!!  Thankfully I still fit into my own shoes / sandals!

I had allergy shots today, and there was a lady that's three months pregnant with her third child and she couldn't BELIEVE that I was 32 weeks.  She kept telling me how tiny I looked and how I'm all belly, and the rest of me looks absolutely amazing.  She said when I walked away that she wouldn't even be able to tell I was pregnant from my behind side.  Woot!

I ran an errand afterwards and got asked how far along I was by the store clerk and she had the same reaction.  She asked how I've stayed so small everywhere else and just managed to gain in the belly.  I told her I feel like a house, but thanks!

I think I need to get out more often.  Even though I'm a firm believer that most people will tell a pregnant lady they look amazing and wonderful even if they're wearing a pillowcase and look like poo, it's so nice to hear it!!  ESPECIALLY when you feel like a house!