I met Mr. Dr. Brown today as my doctor (Mrs. Dr. Brown) was in delivery. He was very nice, and now at least I know what he looks like in case he has to fill in for my doctor in delivery.
They did my Group B Strep test, but I won't get the results until next week. He checked my pelvis. I am 50% effaced, 0 cm dialated, and -2 station (Will's heart rate 150). The good news about that is that I will likely not deliver while my doctor is on vacation next week. I take after my momma; this baby will very likely be late. Dr. Brown noted how much he moves. He asked if Francis is an athlete. I told him he plays hockey, and the doctor was not at all surprised. Apparently I've got an active one on my hands. The nurse even started giggling as she could see my stomach moving before he even put the sonogram wand on my stomach. Then William spent a significant amount of time kicking at the wand wherever it went. He's a mess, but at least I know he's healthy. Dr. Brown was surprised at how low William's head is for me not being dilated. I'm not surprised though; he is pushing down all the time, and I feel like he is going to fall out.
So the waiting game continues, but I don't mind. As someone said, "It's easier to take care of him in there than out here." I do believe they are right.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 18th, 2011
A busy week, but a productive one. I already talked about my appointment with the doctor last Tuesday. My next one is one Thursday. I will be getting measured for everything and they will do the Group B strep test as well. It will likely be an interesting appointment.
Friday, Rachael Heard came to visit. She made it in time for lunch and we had (surprise, surprise) Chick-fil-a. It was the third time that week. The previous two times were for date night (Tuesday) and Play Date on Wednesday. Yummy food and I don't regret it! William doesn't seem to mind either. Rachael and I headed up to the Round Rock outlets to do some shopping for the afternoon. All I ended up buying was a pillow from Garden Ridge which is not even at the outlet mall. Rachael got some adorable clothing though, so it was totally worth it! Then we came back to the house and I showed her how to play on the Kinect. Racing a car just isn't the same when you have a huge belly obstructing your movements; I'm just saying... We made a delightful new dish for dinner and then had a Say Yes to the Dress marathon (Francis did not participate for some reason).
Saturday we shopped a little more, and I finally found wrist rattles for William. I had a $5 voucher for Toys R Us so it ended up being free! One is an elephant and one is a tiger. Very cute! Rachael headed home after lunch at Arby's and a treat at Sonic. I loved seeing her!!! I hope to see here again soon. After she left, Francis and I got to work. We hung the last thing on William's wall (the elusive monkey wood cut out). Francis's coworker sent a bunch of his unused baby stuff (clothes, pacifiers, wipes, etc) to us on Friday so I put all that away. I haven't been buying newborn size clothing (it's 0-7 lbs) because I don't think William will fit in it, but Dwayne sent us an armful of his unused newborn clothing. If William is small enough to wear them, he will have even more outfits to choose from. For the record, I have bought 0-3 month clothing (which is 0-14 lbs) because I think it is more practical. Unless I have a 16 lb baby like that lady in San Marcos a couple of weeks ago (don't even think it!), he should fit in them. Francis and I also put up shelving in William's bathroom. His bath time stuff has been taking up space with no where to put any of it, so it has been sitting around the sink, on the toilet, or even in the bathtub. With the new shelves, we have a place for his towels, soap, future bath toys and even some room to grow. It is so much better than putting a medicine cabinet above that toilet and will come in handy in the long run!
Sunday after church and lunch with Russ and Becky, we did even more to prepare for William. His expected arrival is just about three weeks out! In the heat of the day, we vacuumed out my car and installed all of the wonderful gadgets that go with a baby. That means the seat protector, the car seat base and car seat, the mirror that faces forward and the mirror that I can adjust from the front to see back. It took a couple of hours to get the car prepared for the car seat, but I am glad it is done. Francis buckled that sucker in so tight that it doesn't move a bit. William will be very safe! I also finally began the packing process for the hospital. I keep thinking of things I need to bring and other stuff that I don't have to have. I have a sneaking suspicion that my bags will not be finished until we are in the car leaving for the hospital because I keep switching things around. We shall see.
There is not much left on my to do list so I may have to start making things up. I am home most of the day so I am hoping for some visitors in the next couple of weeks before the big day (hint, hint). After he comes, I know I will have visitors galore, but they will be here to see my little bundle of joy. I want to enjoy my last few non-baby days just as much as the beginning of motherhood. I try to be happy wherever God places me at that moment in life, and that seems to be a good recipe for contentment. Right now, that means I get to be happy with lunch!
Friday, Rachael Heard came to visit. She made it in time for lunch and we had (surprise, surprise) Chick-fil-a. It was the third time that week. The previous two times were for date night (Tuesday) and Play Date on Wednesday. Yummy food and I don't regret it! William doesn't seem to mind either. Rachael and I headed up to the Round Rock outlets to do some shopping for the afternoon. All I ended up buying was a pillow from Garden Ridge which is not even at the outlet mall. Rachael got some adorable clothing though, so it was totally worth it! Then we came back to the house and I showed her how to play on the Kinect. Racing a car just isn't the same when you have a huge belly obstructing your movements; I'm just saying... We made a delightful new dish for dinner and then had a Say Yes to the Dress marathon (Francis did not participate for some reason).
Saturday we shopped a little more, and I finally found wrist rattles for William. I had a $5 voucher for Toys R Us so it ended up being free! One is an elephant and one is a tiger. Very cute! Rachael headed home after lunch at Arby's and a treat at Sonic. I loved seeing her!!! I hope to see here again soon. After she left, Francis and I got to work. We hung the last thing on William's wall (the elusive monkey wood cut out). Francis's coworker sent a bunch of his unused baby stuff (clothes, pacifiers, wipes, etc) to us on Friday so I put all that away. I haven't been buying newborn size clothing (it's 0-7 lbs) because I don't think William will fit in it, but Dwayne sent us an armful of his unused newborn clothing. If William is small enough to wear them, he will have even more outfits to choose from. For the record, I have bought 0-3 month clothing (which is 0-14 lbs) because I think it is more practical. Unless I have a 16 lb baby like that lady in San Marcos a couple of weeks ago (don't even think it!), he should fit in them. Francis and I also put up shelving in William's bathroom. His bath time stuff has been taking up space with no where to put any of it, so it has been sitting around the sink, on the toilet, or even in the bathtub. With the new shelves, we have a place for his towels, soap, future bath toys and even some room to grow. It is so much better than putting a medicine cabinet above that toilet and will come in handy in the long run!
Sunday after church and lunch with Russ and Becky, we did even more to prepare for William. His expected arrival is just about three weeks out! In the heat of the day, we vacuumed out my car and installed all of the wonderful gadgets that go with a baby. That means the seat protector, the car seat base and car seat, the mirror that faces forward and the mirror that I can adjust from the front to see back. It took a couple of hours to get the car prepared for the car seat, but I am glad it is done. Francis buckled that sucker in so tight that it doesn't move a bit. William will be very safe! I also finally began the packing process for the hospital. I keep thinking of things I need to bring and other stuff that I don't have to have. I have a sneaking suspicion that my bags will not be finished until we are in the car leaving for the hospital because I keep switching things around. We shall see.
There is not much left on my to do list so I may have to start making things up. I am home most of the day so I am hoping for some visitors in the next couple of weeks before the big day (hint, hint). After he comes, I know I will have visitors galore, but they will be here to see my little bundle of joy. I want to enjoy my last few non-baby days just as much as the beginning of motherhood. I try to be happy wherever God places me at that moment in life, and that seems to be a good recipe for contentment. Right now, that means I get to be happy with lunch!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 12th, 2011
So yes, I know I wrote yesterday, but I had a moment at the doctor's office today. Now worries, William is healthy. He has tons of fluid around him (no surprise there, since he still is able to occasionally disappear into the recesses of my belly). His heart rate was 150. He was even blinking for the sonogram (which looked really cool!).
But none of that is the main reason I am writing. The doctor said something that struck a chord. She said, "So yeah, if you go into labor at this point we are not going to try to stop it." That caught me off guard. Yes, I knew that information somewhere in the back of my head, but hearing someone say it out loud (a doctor no less) gave me reason to pause. Really? I'm that close now? William will be a term baby in a week, but "term" is little more than a word to me if I'm being honest. It holds little meaning other than that he will be healthier if he comes after that date than before. Considering women in my family seem to carry long (I was 15 days late), I figure I will too. But what if I don't? This is just food for thought mostly. I am not panicking or anything. I would categorize this feeling in the anxious/excited category.
I am glad things are ready for him to come, or I might be in a bit more nervous. The OCD person in me has mapped out anything we could possibly need. I am one of those crazy women who made a birth plan. If we don't stick to it, I am not worried about it, but I want to have something to give the doctor or nurse if they ask. I also made information sheets for my mom and Francis for my time in the hospital. Mostly it is who I would like to inform of William's arrival before it is posted on Facebook as well as a list of what we need to do before leaving the hospital (ex: make an appointment with the pediatrician). I have also made a list of things to pack to take to the hospital, though that list is less complete. Like I said, I am a bit obsessive/compulsive when it comes to planning, but at least I am flexible in the moment.
Sorry for rambling a bit. I just had to get it off my chest. This baby will come when he comes, and it could be any time now!
But none of that is the main reason I am writing. The doctor said something that struck a chord. She said, "So yeah, if you go into labor at this point we are not going to try to stop it." That caught me off guard. Yes, I knew that information somewhere in the back of my head, but hearing someone say it out loud (a doctor no less) gave me reason to pause. Really? I'm that close now? William will be a term baby in a week, but "term" is little more than a word to me if I'm being honest. It holds little meaning other than that he will be healthier if he comes after that date than before. Considering women in my family seem to carry long (I was 15 days late), I figure I will too. But what if I don't? This is just food for thought mostly. I am not panicking or anything. I would categorize this feeling in the anxious/excited category.
I am glad things are ready for him to come, or I might be in a bit more nervous. The OCD person in me has mapped out anything we could possibly need. I am one of those crazy women who made a birth plan. If we don't stick to it, I am not worried about it, but I want to have something to give the doctor or nurse if they ask. I also made information sheets for my mom and Francis for my time in the hospital. Mostly it is who I would like to inform of William's arrival before it is posted on Facebook as well as a list of what we need to do before leaving the hospital (ex: make an appointment with the pediatrician). I have also made a list of things to pack to take to the hospital, though that list is less complete. Like I said, I am a bit obsessive/compulsive when it comes to planning, but at least I am flexible in the moment.
Sorry for rambling a bit. I just had to get it off my chest. This baby will come when he comes, and it could be any time now!
Monday, July 11, 2011
July 11th, 2011
Another week passes, and I am closer to William's coming. I am getting a little anxious but in a good way. William's kicks are still gentle, I am not waddling, and I am not swollen. Oh! And I can still wear my wedding ring! All is well.
This weekend we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday. As my mother says, we celebrated the anniversary of her 29th year. Francis's parents, Cynthia, and my niece Abby came up in time for lunch on Saturday. We ate at Chipotle and then went shopping at Garden Ridge and Baby Depot. I finally found a cushion for the rocking chair I inherited from my family. It looks great and matches the room! Abby got some new clothes at Baby Deopt (she is growing so fast!). We came back to the house, and Francis made the most excellent beef and chicken fajitas for dinner. They were amazingly good! After dinner we played a round of Settler's of Catan which Cyndy won. Cake and presents followed and overall it was a great evening. Something I found very interesting is that my father-in-law's voice has much the same effect on William as Francis's voice. At one point in the evening they were both talking feverishly very close to me (about computer stuff) and William went crazy. Not sure he knew what to do with himself, so he just did his best marching band impression. Adorable.
Sunday Francis's family headed home after I made French toast for breakfast. Francis got called into work late the night before and didn't return until 4am. He slept most of the day while I fiddled around doing different odd jobs around the house. About 4 O'clock, Francis and I finally got out of the house and went to use a Sears card we had forgotten we had. What did we buy? Diapers and baby powder. We will need both, and so we might as well get them with the gift card before it expires or we lose it again. On our way home, we stopped at Kaleidoscoops, my new favorite ice cream place. They have all sorts of crazy and fun flavors. We had double fudge and New York Cherry. They even went well together!
I washed all of William's clothes and linens last week so that he can use them when he comes. The only big thing we have left to do is to install the car seat base and mirror in my car. That shouldn't take too long. We will do that some time this week. I also need to find something I want to wear in the hospital (a robe and night gown). As much as I may like the hospital gowns...I may want to at least have the option to change.
Looking forward to just about 4 more weeks of waiting and preparing (six if this baby is 2 weeks late). He will come when he comes. I pray that he will be healthy and have no complications. We appreciate all your prayers!
This weekend we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday. As my mother says, we celebrated the anniversary of her 29th year. Francis's parents, Cynthia, and my niece Abby came up in time for lunch on Saturday. We ate at Chipotle and then went shopping at Garden Ridge and Baby Depot. I finally found a cushion for the rocking chair I inherited from my family. It looks great and matches the room! Abby got some new clothes at Baby Deopt (she is growing so fast!). We came back to the house, and Francis made the most excellent beef and chicken fajitas for dinner. They were amazingly good! After dinner we played a round of Settler's of Catan which Cyndy won. Cake and presents followed and overall it was a great evening. Something I found very interesting is that my father-in-law's voice has much the same effect on William as Francis's voice. At one point in the evening they were both talking feverishly very close to me (about computer stuff) and William went crazy. Not sure he knew what to do with himself, so he just did his best marching band impression. Adorable.
Sunday Francis's family headed home after I made French toast for breakfast. Francis got called into work late the night before and didn't return until 4am. He slept most of the day while I fiddled around doing different odd jobs around the house. About 4 O'clock, Francis and I finally got out of the house and went to use a Sears card we had forgotten we had. What did we buy? Diapers and baby powder. We will need both, and so we might as well get them with the gift card before it expires or we lose it again. On our way home, we stopped at Kaleidoscoops, my new favorite ice cream place. They have all sorts of crazy and fun flavors. We had double fudge and New York Cherry. They even went well together!
I washed all of William's clothes and linens last week so that he can use them when he comes. The only big thing we have left to do is to install the car seat base and mirror in my car. That shouldn't take too long. We will do that some time this week. I also need to find something I want to wear in the hospital (a robe and night gown). As much as I may like the hospital gowns...I may want to at least have the option to change.
Looking forward to just about 4 more weeks of waiting and preparing (six if this baby is 2 weeks late). He will come when he comes. I pray that he will be healthy and have no complications. We appreciate all your prayers!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 5th, 2011
I thought about writing some deep soliloquy or essay about what independence day means to me as I am free in Christ, but I did not get enough rest last night. Eloquence does not become the sleep deprived.
It was a wonderful 4th of July weekend and as it was William's first, I would have hoped for nothing less. Usually I travel to Plano to see the parade and fireworks there. It is a sort of tradition that is hard to give up. This year I have now entered my "discouraged from travel" period of pregnancy, so we opted to stay at home here in Austin. Friday night, Francis mother came up for the night. She and Francis's father were going to head up to Junction, Texas and go Kayaking the following morning. Since his dad was in Houston (long story), they were going to meet up at our house. We had breakfast with them Saturday morning and then they headed up to Junction for a couple of days.
I spent Saturday morning working on what I HAD to have off my registry, what it would be nice to have and what was really just fluff. Both my showers have passed and William is just about 5 weeks from coming, so we needed to know what we still had to buy. I found out Buy Buy Baby had a lot of the things for cheaper than Target and Babies R Us (the two places I am registered), so Francis and I made the long trip down to south Austin to get some of the things. On our way back we "had" to stop by Best Buy and look at toys for Francis (like father, like son?). When we got back to the house, I opened all the stuff and started to put it away. We bought a humidifier and after trying it for about a minute, discovered a design flaw that caused water to leak through the sides on the base. I was a bit upset because I had looked through all the reviews and changed the humidifier I wanted at least 5 times. This one was supposed to be very good, and yet water was leaking onto my floor... After a couple of hours of tinkering with it, Francis solved the problem that the engineers that designed it should have dealt with when they built it. Why didn't we return it, you ask? Chalk one up to APWS: angry pregnant woman syndrome. I didn't want to drive an hour back to the store just to tell them it didn't work because I probably would have gotten very worked up in the process. It works now and that is what counts.
Sunday almost no one was in Sunday School or at Church. Everyone was out of town. It made traffic much less of an issue though. Francis's parents came back from Junction about 4:30 and we talked to them for a bit before our dinner date with Russ an Becky. We had fajitas (yummy!!!) and then we taught them to play Settlers of Catan. I have a feeling William will be taught this game pretty much as soon as he can roll dice and count to 12. Anyway, we had a wonderful time with Russ and Becky (complete with excellent chocolate pie), but eventually we had to head home. Francis's parents were at our house and as they were exhausted, we all turned in early.
Monday was the 4th of July. How did we celebrate? Shopping of course! Francis made omelets for breakfast for all four of us to kick off the morning. I still maintain that his midlife crisis job will be a master chef. Then we went and got Francis a new phone. We figured out his old phone was at least four years old. It was not in the best shape anymore. He got a Samsung Infuse (anyone shocked by that news?). As we left the store, Francis handed his dad the keys to our car so he could play on his phone in the back seat. Pretty much anytime he was sitting (or standing for that matter) during the rest of the day, he was playing on his phone. I am glad he has a hobby. While Francis was in his phone delirium, we all visited Target and Babies R Us (stopping for lunch at Red Robin). With my wonderful in-laws' help, we got the rest of the necessities in anticipation of William's arrival. There will probably always be a couple of things in the "would like to have" column, but I am so blessed and excited, I can hardly breath. Thank you to all who have helped to make this happen, and a special thanks Gigi and Poppy for helping us close the gap this weekend (I am just throwing those names out there. My in-laws are not completely set on names yet!)!!!
There were no fireworks in the Austin area this year other than in Georgetown (which people from hours away were coming to see), so after Francis's parents headed home, I searched out fireworks on TV. I found the New York city fireworks. Although they are not the same as seeing it in person, they were an admirable second place. Francis put down his phone long enough to watch them with me. He's so sweet, because I know he would have rather been playing angry birds or an air traffic control game he found. So although it was a very unorthodox 4th of July, I would not have traded it for anything.
My youngest sister turns 20 today. No more teenagers in my parents' house. Happy Birthday Danielle! She is gonna do great things, and William is so blessed to have her for an aunt!
I suppose that is it for now. It's laundry time!
It was a wonderful 4th of July weekend and as it was William's first, I would have hoped for nothing less. Usually I travel to Plano to see the parade and fireworks there. It is a sort of tradition that is hard to give up. This year I have now entered my "discouraged from travel" period of pregnancy, so we opted to stay at home here in Austin. Friday night, Francis mother came up for the night. She and Francis's father were going to head up to Junction, Texas and go Kayaking the following morning. Since his dad was in Houston (long story), they were going to meet up at our house. We had breakfast with them Saturday morning and then they headed up to Junction for a couple of days.
I spent Saturday morning working on what I HAD to have off my registry, what it would be nice to have and what was really just fluff. Both my showers have passed and William is just about 5 weeks from coming, so we needed to know what we still had to buy. I found out Buy Buy Baby had a lot of the things for cheaper than Target and Babies R Us (the two places I am registered), so Francis and I made the long trip down to south Austin to get some of the things. On our way back we "had" to stop by Best Buy and look at toys for Francis (like father, like son?). When we got back to the house, I opened all the stuff and started to put it away. We bought a humidifier and after trying it for about a minute, discovered a design flaw that caused water to leak through the sides on the base. I was a bit upset because I had looked through all the reviews and changed the humidifier I wanted at least 5 times. This one was supposed to be very good, and yet water was leaking onto my floor... After a couple of hours of tinkering with it, Francis solved the problem that the engineers that designed it should have dealt with when they built it. Why didn't we return it, you ask? Chalk one up to APWS: angry pregnant woman syndrome. I didn't want to drive an hour back to the store just to tell them it didn't work because I probably would have gotten very worked up in the process. It works now and that is what counts.
Sunday almost no one was in Sunday School or at Church. Everyone was out of town. It made traffic much less of an issue though. Francis's parents came back from Junction about 4:30 and we talked to them for a bit before our dinner date with Russ an Becky. We had fajitas (yummy!!!) and then we taught them to play Settlers of Catan. I have a feeling William will be taught this game pretty much as soon as he can roll dice and count to 12. Anyway, we had a wonderful time with Russ and Becky (complete with excellent chocolate pie), but eventually we had to head home. Francis's parents were at our house and as they were exhausted, we all turned in early.
Monday was the 4th of July. How did we celebrate? Shopping of course! Francis made omelets for breakfast for all four of us to kick off the morning. I still maintain that his midlife crisis job will be a master chef. Then we went and got Francis a new phone. We figured out his old phone was at least four years old. It was not in the best shape anymore. He got a Samsung Infuse (anyone shocked by that news?). As we left the store, Francis handed his dad the keys to our car so he could play on his phone in the back seat. Pretty much anytime he was sitting (or standing for that matter) during the rest of the day, he was playing on his phone. I am glad he has a hobby. While Francis was in his phone delirium, we all visited Target and Babies R Us (stopping for lunch at Red Robin). With my wonderful in-laws' help, we got the rest of the necessities in anticipation of William's arrival. There will probably always be a couple of things in the "would like to have" column, but I am so blessed and excited, I can hardly breath. Thank you to all who have helped to make this happen, and a special thanks Gigi and Poppy for helping us close the gap this weekend (I am just throwing those names out there. My in-laws are not completely set on names yet!)!!!
There were no fireworks in the Austin area this year other than in Georgetown (which people from hours away were coming to see), so after Francis's parents headed home, I searched out fireworks on TV. I found the New York city fireworks. Although they are not the same as seeing it in person, they were an admirable second place. Francis put down his phone long enough to watch them with me. He's so sweet, because I know he would have rather been playing angry birds or an air traffic control game he found. So although it was a very unorthodox 4th of July, I would not have traded it for anything.
My youngest sister turns 20 today. No more teenagers in my parents' house. Happy Birthday Danielle! She is gonna do great things, and William is so blessed to have her for an aunt!
I suppose that is it for now. It's laundry time!
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