The end is in sight!

So yesterday I hit the 38 week mark. Tot has been considered full term for a whole week now and his due date is only 2 weeks away. Everyone and thier grandma has felt the need to roll their eyes and or shake thier head at me and say "welllllllllllllllllllll don't count on him coming then" after they ask me how much longer I have and if it's my first. I'm not stupid or naive, people. I am WELL aware that 50% of first time pregnancies extend past the due date. I am also aware that most people can't pinpoint the exact date of conception and so may be off a few days or weeks in calculation alone. I can, though. I know exactly what day Sam and I conceived due to the circumstances surrounding it. I also have had 2 ultrasounds that have confirmed Andrew's growth rate to be exactly on track with what day I am in pregnancy. My uterine measurements are also exactly to the day of how pregnant I am. So those 3 factors are on my side. Also, according to WTEWYE, only about 1/2 of those babies that are past the due date are truly postmature (meaning only about 25% of first timers carry past the true 40 week mark). So since my estimated due date is truly 40 weeks after we conevied, I have about a 25% chance of carrying over. Yes, it may very well happen that way if left to nature, but leaving it to nature may not be an option. Here's why:
I went to the Doc for my 38 week appt (which was really at 37.5 weeks) on Monday. The aide took my weight, which was about 2lbs higher than last time - which was only a 1.5lb gain for that month. So we already knew my weight gain had slowed. When I went back in this morning (4 days later) my weight had actually dropped 2 lbs. There are 3 possible explanations for this -
A) We used a different scale than the one I was weighed with on Monday
B) I could have dropped some water weight although this one is 99.9999% NOT the reason since I woke up with sausage fingers and The Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man's feet/ankles this morning.
C) Tot's coming very very soon

Guess which one I'm hoping for? ;)

So after that, she took my blood pressure. The first reading was 198/94!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She had me lay on my side for a minute then tried again. The top number lowered quite a bit but the bottome was still in the 90s. That pretty much ended the appointment right there bc my Midwife was too concerned with that to care about anything else I may have wanted to ask her about. She sent me to the fetal monitoring room where they drew blood and strapped on devices to measure contractions (did not have a single one til they unhooked me, of course) and Andrew's heart rate (which was perfect and healthy as it has been this whole pregnancy! Remember, his little heart was so strong at 7.5 weeks that the Doc was able to pick it up on the doplar - that doesn't usually happen til 10 weeks). They also gave me a clicker to press every time I felt him move, so of course my little riverdancer had arrows all over that printout. lol After about 45 minutes my bp had dropped to a normal rate so they sent me home with a 2 liter jug and a funnel. You can guess what that was for. I took the jug back to the hospital on Wednesday and they ran labs on the contents.
So this morning I went back in for my follow up. After they weighed me they took my bp - 117/9osomething. Top number was fine, bottom number is way too high for pregnancy. 10 minutes later she retook it and it was worse! (135/90something). Doctor Shoved-Her-Arm-In-Up-To-Her-Elbow from the day I went to L&D with kidney pain a few months ago came in and told me my 2 liter jug was protein free (so that means no preeclampsia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAAAAAAAY! http://www.preeclampsia.org/about.Asp ) but my blood pressure was still too high. Dr. S.H.A.I.U.T.E. then went to listen to his heartbeat and globbed the gel on the center of my stomach. We could barely hear anything so I kind of laughed and said, "yeaaaaaaaaah....he's a lot lower than that". She moved the wand down, then down again before she got a loud thumping. She seemed impressed that he was so low - that's another sign that he's coming soon. She said she was only comfortable letting me go about another week with it this high and that if Andrew didn't make an appearance on his own by then, that we should plan to induce. That would put me at 39 weeks then a few more for scheduling issues....so he ought to be here by his due date. :)

That is a huge relief in a couple of ways. One is that I am starting to believe that I am never giving birth. After that kidney stone a few weeks ago, everything mellowed out and I don't feel like I'm about to pop anymore. Another is that Mister will be away during what would be my 42nd week -induction week for overdue mamas - so I was afraid he'd miss the birth. Third - I really would like to not go over just bc so many people have told me I will. I would like to be able to sing the "SO THERE!" song in my head. And fourth - I am SO DONE being pregnant! BLAAAAAAAAAARG.

I'd much rather go into labor on my own than be induced, so I'd appreciate your prayers for a healthy delivery with a healthy baby afterwards!

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs!

Hope everyone's Christmas was great! This was our last one as a famly of 2 - the next one will be SO different. I'll have an 11 (ish) month old, be in Arkansas with family (hopefully), and may not have Mister there (it's the Army, we can't ever assume he'll be home). Anyway, it was a good day. Mister got me a new cell phone so I *should* actually receive phone calls now that don't disconnect 14 times in a row!

Christmas Eve was officially the end of my 36th week of pregnancy. So 1 more week to go and Andrew will be considered full term (as in fully cooked ~ if he comes out before Thursday he'll be considered a premie). Only 4 weeks til my due date. Can't believe I'll only be preggo for 1 more month (6 weeks if he refuses to come out on his own). I cannot WAIT to not be pregnant anymore!!!!!!!!!!! It hasn't been awful, but man I'm done with fat knees and fingers. I want to wear my wedding rings again. I want to sleep on my stomach. I want to wear jeans without a hula hoop of stretchy fabric around the top in lieu of a button and zipper. I want to see my toes. In the last 4 weeks I've had a migraine, a kidney stone (that I handled w/o medical intervention, thank you very much), developed carpal tunnel in both wrists, stop being able to breathe out of my nose, and at 34 weeks, Andrew dropped. *Dropping is when the baby settles down into the pelvis, head down, in preparation for birth. That means it's harder to walk, sit, sleep, etc.. but eaiser to eat and breathe. The pangs that come along with his newest position are HORRID. I'm so blessed that I didn't have to deal with most pregnancy symptoms/complications for the first 8 months bc this last one has been ridiculous and I've still got 1 more to go (yes, I'm aware that 8+2=10...there are 10 lunar months ~ as in 40 weeks~ in a pregnancy). I will, however, miss the endless acrobatics going on in my stomach. I spend more time watching my belly than doing anything else. It's amazing how much motion goes on in there that we can actually see. Sometimes I think Andrew invites friends over.

Here are the pictures we took on Christmas:

We've decided Andrew should come on out and play Jan 2 or 3. That way we don't have to give up New Year's for the next 18 years and we don't have to wait til Jan 21st. We're not impatient at all! HA!

So hope you all had a very merry Christmas and maybe my next post will be a bit more exciting?!!

Last night alone and other realizations

So I get to pick Mister up at the airport this evening (yay!). He's been away on a mission hopefully for the last time until after Andrew is born. Last night I realized that, provided they don't send him away again in the next 6.5 weeks, it was my LAST night completely alone for a looooooooooooooooong time. It was a bittersweet realization. These past 4 years of Army life have given me years ~ literally YEARS ~ alone. Basic Training, AIT, training exercises, deployment, schools, PSU, cases that he has to work around the clock to solve, even 24 hour CQ shifts (front desk duty in the barracks, for those of you who do not speak Army)...these are all things that have left me facing an empty house night after night after night. Most of that time was spent in Alaska so when I say "alone" I mean the voice echoing in a canyon type of alone. I have no issue spending the daylight hours by myself - in fact, I *need* time to myself as I am used to so much of it. Deployment did that to me. I hated it at first because I was so used to having the boys from B-Co running amok in the house and then suddenly everyone was gone. I didn't just have Sam taken from me, I had almost everyone I knew up there taken away at once. But as the months went by I came to like the time to myself, but never the nights. I still hate it when his head isn't on the pillow next to mine. In fact, I cried last night even though I knew he'd be home the next day. I can't help it! I just love that guy! It didn't help that he was on a mission that didn't allow him time to call me for the last 48 hours of it. So anyway - there I was on my last night alone and how did I spend it? Ironing and assembling Christmas presents. WHOAAAAAA mama! Party central in my living room, lemme tell ya. I don't know how else I would have spent it if I would have realized a week ago that it would be my last one and had time to plan out my last few hours of solitude but really - ironing? I'm so lame. HAHA!
When Mister finally got to call today he asked what I was doing.
I answered with, "waiting for you".
He said, "You do that an awful lot, huh?"
Me - "story of my life"
Us - "hahahahah"
Me - "Well, this should be the last time I'm waiting for you alone, though!"
Him - "That's right! You'll have a little buddy waiting with you from now on!"
Then I got kinda sad bc now it won't just be me dealing with Mister away, Andrew will be hurting, too. That's going to just break my heart the first time Andrew is old enough to understand that the suitcase/duffle means that his daddy's leaving. But on the bright side, we'll be dealing with the seperations together. I'll have a wonderful distraction while Sam's gone and someone to hang out in the Arrivals section of the airport with.

I can't believe it's about to happen. I only have about 6 weeks left til my due date. I've already had a full day of false labor - the day before Thanksgiving. I didn't worry about it, though. I know what Braxton Hicks Contractions are, I've been having them for about 5 months now so I just let them be. By the 11th hour, they were coming about 3 min. apart and stayed that way for 2 hours. What a fun day! *note the sarcasm* I haven't gone more than 2 hours since then without a BHC so basically I've been contracting for a week and a half straight. False labor can trigger real labor so I just take it easy whenever I get more than 4 an hour and load up on the water. I'm never dehydrated but for some reason drinking water makes them back off. If I go into labor 3 weeks from now, the Docs will let it progress. I'm THAT pregnant. hahah! If I go into false labor again 3 weeks from now, I may just do jumping jacks instead of hitting the couch. ;) My back is killing me right now, btw. I keep having to get up from the computer and walk around. I should have Sam blow up the yoga ball so I can sit on it instead of this chair. Teacher at our child birth class said those balls were more comfortable to sit on than desk chairs in the 3rd trimester. I'm going to pull it out of the closet now.

What else have I realized lately...................?

~Oh, that I'm not going to have to pee every 15 minutes for much longer!!!!!!!! lol!
~I've got less than 2 months til I can have a spicy tuna roll and a big fat glass of anything with vodka in it.
~I'm about to be able tie my own shoes without waiting for a contraction to pass first (really! It's like trying to bend over a ball of concrete in your lap).
~We're going to be a family of 3. It won't be just the 2 of us anymore.
~Sam has officially run out of time to quit dipping before the baby is born like he promised....sigh.
~I'm going to have a mini Sam. How incredibly lucky am I???? I know that I'm blessed to have the original Sam but now I get to have TWO of him????????? My heart might just explode with fluffy hearts and rainbows.

I know that it is possible Tot may get most of his personality from me instead of Sam but I reeeeeeeeally hope he takes after his dad on this stuff
~temperment (Sam is way more chill than I am)
~sense of direction
~metabolism
~drive
~eye color
~teeth
~his immune system
Stuff I hope he gets from me
~money management
~practicality
~FEET!
~ability to be independant early on
~cat person vs dog person (hahahah)
~compassion
things I hope he gets equally from the 2 of us
~hair (please Lord, do not let my baby have red curly hair!!!!!!!! he needs Sam's texture and my lack of red pigment)
~our confidence (we're both pretty fearless in our own set of circumstances)
~our faith
~our cleanliness and organizational tendencies
things I hope completely skip over him
~our height
~my allergies
~teenage rebellion (hey, it skipped Sam! Stop laughing, Mom.)

Ooooh! I better get moving. I leave for Nashville in an hour and I don't think Sam will appreciate having some big fat pregnant lady in green and purple plaid pj bottoms with no makeup on and her hair in a knot running toward him at the airport.