Full-term!

Just a little humor to brighten your day. It's appears as though my belly is hitting Ella in the head. But there it is...my 37 week, full-term, baby belly. Labor won't be stopped at this point. I went to the doctor today while Ella spent some time over at my friend Alison and her husband Sean's house. Typical stuff...weight, blood pressure, baby's heart-beat, measurements...all good! Measuring at 34 weeks, but that isn't a concern anymore since we know the baby is a good size. I've gained roughly 22 pounds, which I think is less than with Ella. Maybe that means it will come off super quick! (I can always dream, can't I?) Last week I was dialated 1 cm, and that hasn't changed as of this week. More blood was taken to check my platelet count as usual. I go back in a week. I'm beginning to have a nice relationship with the valet parking employees! I'm sure they start to recognize all the pregnant ladies that come every week!

We've decided to send Ella to an in-home daycare provider starting tomorrow. Ella and I went over to "Miss Linda's" house this evening and played for a while, so Ella could get to know Linda a little bit and become familiar with the new environment. I think it will be a much better fit. We just didn't feel comfortable with the big daycare Ella attended all last week. Joe and I feel much better about this arrangement.

I steralized all the bottles and breast-pump parts today while Ella was taking a nap. I feel better now that that's done. You'd think I would be more on top of getting my bag packed, but I keep putting it off. One more week and I'd be okay with this baby coming. No sooner though.

All of my pregnant friends/family are doing well. Everyone is out of the hospital and pre-term labor has been stopped for now. Fingers crossed it will stay that way.

One more little note: my friend Christine, who has the cutest little boy named Danny, has become the queen of motherhood. She's knows so much and is so involved in playgroups and whatnot. Well anyways, I received a very thoughtful gift in the mail today. A baby sling! It comes with an instructional DVD...that frightens me a little bit. I hope I can follow the directions. It seems like it will be a lifesaver once the little man is here, since I will still need 2 hands to take care of a very active 2 year old! Thanks Christine!!!

My Baby Turned Two!

Here are some out of order pictures. You'd think I would have figured out this whole blog thing by now. I haven't. The two top pictures are of the baby's room. I haven't moved in the rocker yet because we still read books with Ella on it. Otherwise, it's done! Yay! Pictures 3, 4, and 5 are of Ella's big birthday party. She got a new bike from her Aunt Liz and Uncle Brian, and we haven't been able to get her off of it since! What a big girl! Ella enjoyed her cake and was kind enough to pose for a picture with her mommy and daddy. Curious George was the theme. Ella received lots of nice gifts and actually was excited to open them this year!

New baby update:
I am now 36 weeks and 1 day. I had an ultrasound today to make sure the little guy is growing okay. He is! He is estimated to be 6 pounds, 7 ounces at this point. After my ultrasound, I had my 36 week appointment. No weight gain since last week, blood pressure was good, platelets were stable...all good things! Still measuring small, but the doctor is no longer worried about that. He said it's because the baby is positioned so low. I was tested for Group B Strep and will find out in 48 hours if this will be a problem. I also found out that I am already 1 centimeter dialated. The doctor said that he would expect that I might deliver earlier than October 19th. If I were to go into labor now, they wouldn't try to stop it. So, now we just wait. I'm hoping to make it until after October 6th, which will allow me to be on maternity leave until after Christmas, so we can travel to Michigan and not worry about going back to work before that. Keep your fingers crossed!

Ella had her 2 year old check-up today. She's the size of a 3 year old. I asked what percentile she was in for height and weight, and the doctor said there really wasn't one that she fit into, since she's off the charts! But, at least her head is porportionate to the rest of her body! :) She received the Flu Mist vaccine, and that was it. We go back in 1 year for her 3 year old check-up. Ella starts daycare tomorrow. Joe will drop her off and I will pick her up. I just hope that she does okay. If I think about it too much, I get sad, just picturing her there, not understanding why she's there and where mommy and daddy are. I'm sure she'll do great, but I'm just being a mom. My parents will be leaving tomorrow. My mom has been here for 3 weeks taking care of Ella and my dad arrived last Thursday in order to be here for Ella's birthday. They'll be driving back to Michigan together tomorrow, probably just to turn around and come back for Nathan's birth!

Two people to keep in your thoughts:
My friend Stacey, who is 32 weeks pregnant, went into pre-term labor last week and was hospitalized for a few days. She is home now, but on bedrest. And also, my sister-in-law, Julia, who is only 21 weeks pregnant, also began having contractions and was hospitalized Saturday night. She is still in the hospital receiving medication to stop contractions. So far, they have stopped, but she will stay overnight to make sure. She's not sure yet what her restrictions will be at this point.

I'll keep posting short updates (unlike this novel) every week.

35.5 weeks

I just wanted to update everyone briefly. Sorry no pictures this time...soon, I promise. The fatigue has set in, as well as being uncomfortable most of the time. 4-5 more weeks to go, and I know I can do it! I went to the doctor today and again my platelets dropped, this time to 91,000. As a reference, a normal platelet count is 150,000-450,000. No big worries or interventions unless they drop to under 50,000. I am also still measuring 3cm behind. At 35 weeks, I am measuring at 32 weeks, so the doctor decided to schedule another ultrasound in the next 1-2 weeks to double check the baby's growth and development. She made sure to tell me that she is not concerned. I actually saw another doctor in the practice today and she was very friendly, so I would have no problem if she ended up delivering the baby. There is one more doctor joining the practice on October 1st, so my appointment on October 6th will be with her. Then I will have met all the doctors. On an exciting note, I have made my last 4 appointments before my due date. I have to go weekly from now on, so my late appointment scheduled is Oct. 13th, 4 weeks from now. At that appointment, I'll have to make another appointment for the following week, but hopefully not! :)

My mom is still here helping out with Ella before she starts daycare. This is her last week at our house. My dad will be arriving this Thursday and staying until September 23rd, when he and my mom will drive home for a few weeks, before coming back when Nathan is born. My mom has been wonderful...cooking, cleaning, keeping me sane when Ella is testing my nerves (which is happening a lot lately.) I went to visit the daycare today and dropped off some items for next week. Everyone was very friendly and all the kids looked to be having a good time. I'm still a little anxious and I'm sure it will be an adjustment. Ella turns 2 years old in just under a week, which is unbelievable to me! I can't believe it's been 2 years since she was born.

I will update weekly, after my appointments and after my ultrasound. I'll take some pictures of the nursery, since I finally painted all the circles.

I'm Due Next Month!

Now that it's September, I can officially say that I'm due next month. How exciting! The baby's room is almost complete...just a few more little details on the walls and it should be done. I bought some newborn diapers, since I figured Ella's size 4-5 diapers might be a little big on Nathan. My mother-in-law is painting wooden letters that will spell Nathan, just like she did with Ella. I have the perfect wall space for them. I'm feeling pretty good and got through the heat wave we experienced the past few days. This next week is supposed to be in the 60s and low 70s...much more comfortable. I am still sleeping very well and Joe hasn't been kicked out of bed yet, which happened near the end of my pregnancy with Ella. Work is getting a little harder, especially being on my feet most of the day. I just keep telling myself, "6.5 more weeks!" I can do it!

I was 33 weeks on Sunday and had an appointment today. I met with a different doctor since my usual doctor didn't have any openings this week. It was a good thing, since this doctor may be on call, depending on when I go into labor and deliver. As usual, my platelet count continues to drop. I had to get blood taken again to check the level. My platelet count is 99 and the doctor said they wouldn't start to really worry unless it dropped below 50. At the end of my first pregnancy, it had dropped to 92, and I didn't have any complications from it. Hopefully it will turn out the same this time. My blood pressure and weight were normal, and the little guy's heartbeat was strong, in the high 140s. The doctor was able to determine that he is head down (yea!) and his knees are what's getting me all the time on the right side!

My parents came to visit this past weekend (see the Snapfish link I sent) and we enjoyed avoiding the 105th Harley Davidson Anniversary Fest. I've never seen so many motorcycles in my life! (Except for maybe 5 years ago at the 100th Anniversary when Joe and I lived downtown.) Of course we now live less than a 1/4 mile from a Harley dealership. We could hear the bikes and live music from our backyard. Crazy! My mom is now staying with us for the next 3 weeks, until Ella turns 2 and can start in the 2 year old room at the new daycare. She is stringing more and more words together and says the funniest things. She has also learned how to peddle a bike which is the cutest thing to watch! I also went to my friend April's baby shower this past Sunday and had a blast. I LOVE seeing all the new baby "stuff" that is out now. You wouldn't believe all the new stuff that comes out in only 2 years! Speaking of baby stuff, last week I went to Babies R Us with my friend Stacey, who is due 2 weeks after me. I helped her add some essentials to her registry. I had so much fun...I think Stacey was overwhelmed. It's her first. I feel like a pro now! (That may change in a few weeks when I have TWO children.)

I'll update again in 2 weeks or so, unless something really exciting happens in our lives. My guess is that I'll update in 2 weeks or so. :)