Past Due Date Rants

My hospital bag has been packed for two weeks already and my due date has come and gone and still no baby.  I know that most first babies come late, but seriously?  I am dying already. I know all of the tips and tricks to induce labor and have done all of them (castor oil and other laxatives as the exception). I just want this baby already!

I had Judd give me a blessing the other night because I have been driving myself (and probably him) nuts. He must have been getting promptings to tell me to be patient because he kept saying that over and over again. It is just super lame, because I keep getting contractions and I am so sure that I am going into labor but it just turns out to braxton-hicks and false labor.

Mom came to visit me yesterday which was great.  We ended up walking around Target and buying lots of stuff that I will  never need. Plus she stopped by Trader Joe's on her way down here and bought me tons of junk food that I will never need.  She knows exactly how to cheer me up! I am so grateful for such a good mom who helps me calm down and put things into perspective.

On a completely different note, I do have to admit that I am very proud of myself. Two nights was the first night in about a week that I got out of bed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  A few nights ago Judd was at a basketball game and I was watching Netflix and playing around on my laptop. I had a friend who posted on Facebook a scary video and said, "I screamed a few seconds into this video! Don't watch it before you go to bed!" So what did I do?

I watched it.

I am an idiot.

I am such a wuss.  I should have known better.  Not only was I scared senseless, but I have been terrified to get out of bed to run to the bathroom at night. I usually just try to go back to sleep until it is a little lighter outside and then go. I know that that probably isn't the best idea, but I haven't wet the bed yet!  And two nights ago, I got out of bed without being scared so hopefully it is all over now.

But anyway, I have been very bummed about not having a baby in my arms yet. I know that it is only a matter of time, but like I said in a previous post every day feels like a week! I am just lucky that Judd has been really nice. I have no idea how he can be so patient with me but somehow he manages (Office reference, anyone??).

On a different note, have I mentioned that our summer destination this year is San Diego? I can't wait! We are living in La Jolla to be exact. Judd's brother and wife who will be coming with us are in the area right now and checked out the apartment complex we will be living in. They said it is only five minutes away from the beach. This is going to be the best summer of my life. I can just see myself now playing with Baby Girl and Nixon at the beach. If I visualize that baby will be here then she has to come, right? I can't stay pregnant forever!

Well hopefully next time I write I will have a sweet newborn in my arms. Until then, Somehow I Manage (Michael Scott's book title, in case you didn't get it).

Any Day Now...

When everyone first started telling  me Just wait until the end of your pregnancy!  Every day feels like a week then!, I gladly welcomed those words.  I thought that I would  never be ready to have a baby and the more time I had on  my side, the better.  Especially since at the beginning of my pregnancy I felt like weeks were flying by at a time.

However, now that I am at the end of my pregnancy, I have to admit that everyone was right.  I look at my calendar everyday and think Really?  Only one day has passed since yesterday?  Good gracious!  It is so true.  Every day does feel like a week.  But hopefully this pregnancy does not last forever and that I will eventually have this baby.

Judd and I went to the doctor and then the chiropractor on Tuesday.  Everything went really well at both.  The doctor gave me a lot of hope stating that he thinks I will be in labor early next week (please let that be sooner than later).  That is great news considering the fact that at my last visit he told me that he thought that baby would be a week past her due date!  So I am holding on hope that my doctor's intuition and experience will prove to be correct.

Later that day at the chiropractors I had a really cool experience.  I had never been to a chiropractor before.  Judd has been going to one all of his life so he walked in completely confident and knew exactly what to expect.  We were both getting adjusted and as I watched the chiropractor adjust Judd's neck, I thought I was going to pass out!  I thought that he was going to snap Judd's neck for sure!  But of course he didn't and Judd admits that he hasn't felt this good in a long time.

The chiropractor soon began to adjust me and he kept commenting on how I was shaking.  I was so nervous!  I know I shouldn't have been, but I couldn't help myself.  Once I was finally able to calm down, he did some muscle testing with me.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with muscle testing (I didn't know what it was until Judd explained it to me), but one aspect of it is that you can associate different emotions with it.  While the chiropractor was testing me, my arm was unable to hold strong and the chiropractor stopped right there.

He put my arm down, looked me in the eye and said some pretty amazing things.  He told me things that I believe that every expecting mother should hear regardless of if it is her first child or her last.

He said that this is the first time my baby has ever felt any mortal pain.  She probably learned all about pain in spirit school, but has yet to experience it and is probably very afraid.  She needs to be loved and encouraged to come into this world.  She needs to know that her mother and father love her and that she is coming to a good home that will take care of her.  She needs to be told (out loud) that we are anticipating her arrival and can't wait to meet her, snuggle her, and love her.  I shouldn't be afraid because when I am scared, she feels the fear too.  So instead of fear, I should just feel love and encouragement.  She needs to be encouraged daily to come.  How beautiful?

That has really helped me see the effect that I have on my baby girl.  I have since tried to be strong and encourage her every chance I get.  Judd and I talk to her every night to reassure her how much we love and care for her.  Now baby just needs to get here so we can physically hold her and show her!

I Love Staring Contests

I would just like to begin this post by apologizing to all of the pregnant women who I have ever stared at.  I don't know if I am the only one (actually I know I am not), but for some reason whenever I see a pregnant woman I just can't help but stare.  A million thoughts suddenly go through my head.

How much longer does she have?

Wow!  She looks good!

Wow!  She looks exhausted!

Oops! Her pants are falling off.

I wonder if I could pull off that outfit even though I am not pregnant. -->This was pre-pregnancy

I always wondered if I was the only person who noticed the large, round woman waddling past me, but as I now know I am NOT the only one who notices these women.  How do I know this?  Because I have never been stared at more in my entire life than I have these past few months.  Seriously though.  And the funny thing about it is that it makes me feel so self-conscious.  My first thought is usually, Oh no!  Is my belly showing from underneath my shirt?  Because let's be honest.  I think that has happened to every pregnant women in public at least once.  After doing my quick shirt check, I end up trying to figure out what else could to happening to me that would make people stare.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago, that I came to the realization that it isn't anything wrong, it is just that I am pregnant and for some reason people like to stare at pregnant women.  It is especially funny when I make eye contact with these people to let them know that I clearly see them staring at me and they just continue to stare back.  Awkward.

On a completely different note, Judd and I took Nix to the park today.  Ever since my doctor's appointment last week I have tried to be really active.  It turns out that my baby girl is floating right now.  Since I am still a week and a half away from my due date, it isn't that big of a deal, but if she doesn't start dropping soon then it could lead to her being born late and we might need medical intervention.

Fortunately, I have a very wise and kind, big sister Brittany who did some research on how to get baby engaged for labor.  I have been drinking lots of raspberry leaf tea, sitting on my exercise ball constantly (including right now), walking everywhere, doing cat/cow yoga poses, and planning a trip to the chiropractor.

My doctor informed me that one of the many possible reasons why baby is still floating is that this means she and my pelvis bone aren't getting along and that she might have a hard time fitting through the birth canal.  So all of the things that I have been doing are to help my body reposition so that it will be an easy fit and that I will need as little medical intervention as possible (in other words, no c-section).  I truly believe that by doing these things and by giving myself positive affirmations directed by Judd, that everything will work out just fine.

Back to the park, it really was a fun day.  There were a few other dogs there and Nixon had a great time running around with them and playing fetch.  I am hoping for many more days like today so we can keep going back!

Here are some pictures from today and if any of you have any other suggestions on how to reposition my body for an easy delivery I would love to hear it!

Full-term and Feeling It

Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant!  That means only two more weeks until our little baby girl is here.  Although it could be easily longer than that.  Today at the doctor’s, he said that she is still up really high and that there is a chance she will be coming late.  Super lame. 

This whole journey has been such a weird experience. For months I was in denial thinking that there was no way this was happening.  I was not pregnant.  I was not going to give birth.  I was not going to be a mother yet.

But that is not how life works.  Everyday the sun sets.  Everyday that sun rises.  Seconds, minutes, and hours pass and life goes on.  You can’t stop it and you can’t fight it (believe me, I have tried).  It has taken me forever to get to this point and now that I am finally here, my only wish is that time would go faster! 

I am dying to hold this little baby in my arms.  I hate this waiting game.  Every mother I have ever talked to has said that the past few weeks are the worst.  I would for sure agree with that.  Not only is my body constantly in pain and the nausea I felt during my first trimester has come back, but now I am super anxious to go into labor.

I am probably a little paranoid because every time I have a new ache or my body does some new pre-labor sign, I immediately grab my baby book and call my sisters.  Thank goodness for technology!  Unfortunately, it has all been false alarms so far.  But just wait!  One of these days it won’t be!

I also have to give a shout-out to my beautiful sister Brittany.  She took my maternity photos a couple weeks ago and I can’t even begin to describe how talented she is!  Believe me; if she can make me at 36 weeks pregnant look good then she can make anyone look good!

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.  Hopefully the next time I am writing on this blog I will be holding a baby in my arms!