Pregnancy Update: 35 & 1/2 Weeks

I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow. (Or Friday, depending on when you calculate from.) This past week I had a few days where I had a marked increase in the number of contractions I was having. (Not alarmingly so, but a definite increase from before--enough to make me lie down and take it easy.) Looking back at my notes from Nathan & Emily's pregnancies, I noticed a similar pattern with them. And by this point in the pregnancy with Nathan, I was dilated to 1 cm, and by my 36 week checkup, with both Emily & Nathan, was dilated to 2-3 cm (& 80% & 50% effaced, respectively.) [I can't compare things with Abby as she was another story altogether--I actually did have pre-term labor with hospitalization starting at around 28-30 weeks.] I've not had anything considered pre-term labor with any of the others.

I had a prenatal visit with my midwife yesterday. I'm 50% effaced (that means the cervix is thinning)--which my midwife said is beautiful and actually just perfect at this point with a 4th baby. And I was relieved to hear that I'm not dilated at all yet. I'm planning a water birth and learned that I need to make it to 37 weeks or they won't let me birth in the water. So, I just need to lay low for another 8-9 days and then I'm in the clear. And if I last longer than that--great! I'm in no rush.

I'd appreciate your prayers that my body will stay "quiet" until at least the end of next week when I'm 37 weeks. (Or beyond!)

Wrapped in Love

Did some packing today--a little suitcase of what we'll bring to the hospital. (It may sit for a month, but I'd rather be ready than rushed.) One of the things I packed is this sweet rag blanket that my mom made for baby. :)

Also, can I just say that I love my new burner?...and not the kind on the stove! As I type, I'm listening to the Birth CD I just made from itunes. Woo-hoo!!! As I listen, it simultaneously makes me want to dance around and raise my hands in the air in praise to God...and fall on my face in worship.

I always like seeing what songs others list as their favorites--gives me a window into who they are. So, here are the songs I included:

1) Grace Like Rain (Todd Agnew)
2) You Are Everything (Matthew West)
3) One Pure and Holy Passion (Passion Worship Band)
4) Mighty to Save (Laura Story)
5) I will Lift My Eyes (Bebo Norman)
6) Brave (Nichole Nordeman)
7) All I Need (Bethany Dillon)
8) Glorified (Jared Anderson)
9) Here is Our King (David Crowder Band)
10) Give Me Your Eyes (Brandon Heath)
11) Legacy (Nichole Nordeman)
12) He's Always Been Faithful (Sara Groves)

Any here that you like too?

During labor, I tend to like more powerful and energetic music compared to others. (Most people seem to choose all mellow or soothing, but for the most part--that's not me.) I was going to include Love the Lord and Everyday by Lincoln Brewster...but decided maybe they were a little too energetic. So I'll put them on my running CD come Spring!

Abby's Turning 8!

Yesterday we had a special birthday outing for Abby's 8th Birthday. The long awaited anticipation of two big events events--ear piercing, and the purchase of her very first American Girl Doll! (Though she and Emily do have Bitty Babies, too.) We went to the Mall of America and made it a girls' day by inviting both Grandmas and Auntie Ginger to join us. (Special thanks to these ladies, plus Aunt Bria, too, for going in on these special gifts!)

Abby was a little nervous, so Grandma P. offered to go first! (Did a 3rd piercing and a re-pierce, I think. Go Grandma!)

Belly Shots

Nothing to noteworthy to say...just an update. I feel like I'm nearing the finish line. This coming week will mark 34 weeks. Time has flown by this time around. And, except for the first trimester, I have really enjoyed this pregnancy. I have gratitude in my heart as I think back to a few years ago when we were going through infertility (perhaps one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced)...and now look what God has done. We plan for this to be our last baby, and I've been trying to just take it all in.

As I've said before, I always like to have things done by around 36 weeks, to be ready if this baby follows suit like the others and comes a couple weeks early. Made my To-Do list the other day, and when I checked it today I realized I don't have too much left. Just lots of little things to finish up...

1) Birth CD--should be done soon. (We found a good deal on a burner, and someone taught me how to download songs off of i-tunes.)
2) Dressers--we've got several good options--may even get one for baby AND a bigger one for Nathan. Woot! (Thanks to those who've helped out here.)
3) Hospital pre-registration: almost done. Will hand it in at my check-up this week.
4) Birth Plan--done and typed.
5) Childcare during hospital stay--working on. Almost figured out.
6) Baby layette--out and folded. All the greens & yellows, and then some each of pink and blue since we don't know which. Need to stain-treat items that oxidized and now have yellow spots. May be a lost cause. :( Any good suggestions? (I've heard Oxy-clean's supposed to work, but I don't think it did for this kind of thing last time I tried. LadyD--you got any tricks?)
7) Took some belly shot pictures, as you can see. Abby's been asking to do those, as well as a few others who live far away and wanted a visual update. :) Wade took the one of the kids and me, and Abby took the one of just me.

What's left...
1) pack for me, baby, and kids. (Will let Wade do his own...nah, on second thought--he waits until the last minute. I'll do his, too.)
2) And I'd like to experiment with our camera a bit more. Still getting the hang of the different functions and settings.

Oh, there are a few other little things I suppose, but nothing else worth mentioning. I will say--the nesting's still going strong. Most recently got the junk drawer and the "tupperware" drawer cleaned out and organized. And can I just say how much I am enjoying my decluttered house? Others might not notice a huge difference, but I can tell. Wade has commented on it, too. It feels good to have gotten rid of excess. And the kids seem to be enjoying their toys more, too.

Now if I could just get rid of this nightly insomnia...oh well. This too shall pass.

That's all for now folks.

Handy Man Turned Expert Wart Remover

My husband has a lot of little quirks that make me laugh. Like his insistence on fixing ailments himself so as to save money. (And I'm not talking about herbal supplements verses medication.) For example, once we didn't have insurance and he was pretty sure he had a sinus infection. He of course didn't want to pay to go to the doctor, so he came up with another bright idea. Having grown up on a farm, he knows all about antibiotics and the dosages given to cows and such. He also knew that those cow antibiotics are sold over the counter for anyone to purchase at Fleet Farm. Awfully tempting to this hubby of mine. He decided it should be no big deal to just mathematically calculate his own dosage by weight and proportion to the meds. So off we went to Fleet Farm. Wade was almost giddy as we paced up and down the animal med isles in search of the "right" antibiotic. No amount of protest from me would sway him.

It wasn't until he saw the size of the meds he'd have to ingest that he hesitated...each pill literally looked like a big blue tampon! OK, so eventually he backed down and later that week ended up at the doc's office for the real thing. Phew! (Note: later we talked to a reputable vet at our church who informed us that you should NEVER do that. You cannot calculate equal weight proportions from animals to humans. What would work for a 175 lb. animal might be WAY too much for a human. Thank you Lord for scary big blue tampon pills!

But every once in a while, Wade's bravery and creativity pay off...like yesterday.
Yesterday I took Abby to the doctor to have a little bump on her hand checked out. (Nothing of concern, as I suspected.) While we were there I asked the Pediatrician to check out Abby's now healing wart that Wade "took care of" a month or two ago.

The doc said: "looks great! What'd you use, a wart remover?"
Me: "Ummm...no...my husband...uh-um...freeze dried it or something." (I'm immediately worried about her response.)

Doc: "Oh, perfect! Looks like he did a great job."
Abby: "It really hurt."
Doc: "If it doesn't hurt, it usually doesn't work.
Doc: "So, did he use an over the counter [freezing medicine]?"
Me: "Um...no...he's a mechanic...he got something...er..uh"
Abby (pipes in): "He used gum remover." (For carpet, airplane seats, etc.)
Doc (to my surprise): "Oh super. Yeah, that stuff's even stronger. Tell him good job! I should start sending patients to him and he can be Hudson's Wart Remover!

I couldn't wait to tell Wade. I knew he'd be proud.

So today when I told him what I was blogging about he said "I don't get why everyone thinks this stuff is so funny. I don't give a second thought to it."

That's why it's funny, honey.

A Labor of Love...in search of music and a dresser

I've entered week 32 of my pregnancy. The nesting and preparations are in full swing now. Just wrote my birth plan this morning. Soon I'll take out the newborn clothes and wash them up so they are ready and waiting. (I should probably mention that the previous three kiddos all arrived between 36-38 weeks, so I always feel an urgency to have things completed by week 36, not week 40.)

And next on the agenda is making a birth music CD. I've been making a list of songs I've heard on KTIS that I'd like to download and put onto a CD. I don't think our computer has this capability (we don't even have a burner), plus I don't know where to begin or which sites offer the best deals/programs for downloading music legitimately.

I was wondering if any of the local folks might be willing to help me put together my CD?

Also, one last request--I'd like to find some sort of dresser to use for Baby. (Or one to use for one of the other kids, and then I'd pass theirs on to Baby.) I had checked Craig's List a while back, and will start doing so again. And if I don't find something I like, I can always use the open shelves of the changing table for a while. (Just not ideal.) I may even break down and buy a new one from IKEA. (Love that store!) I was just wondering if anyone by chance had a dresser they were wanting to sell or get rid of? Just thought I'd mention it.

Thanks for considering!