Tomorrow

Unless this Baby decides to move out on its own within the next 7 hours.......
The son (or daughter) will come out TOMORROW!

Pudgy Baby

I still can't get over the possibility that Critter might be born weighing 8 lbs.....8 POUNDS!!!!

So many people have said not to worry about it and it's just a guesstimate and not accurate.
BUT WHAT IF IT IS 8 lbs?
Holy......how the heck? My Birth Plan was to have a quick and painless 10 minute delivery with a cute little healthy baby, not a Sumo Wrestling size baby.

Okay, I'm starting to panic now. What if Critter decides it never wants to come out but wants to stay inside me and keep growing and growing? It may grow to be bigger than that 19lb baby in Indonesia.

What if I can't deliver this super sized kid naturally? I don't want to be cut up!

I'm starting to regret every sugar laced item I ate, every bowl of Asian noodle soup I ordered, every plate of Biryani I devoured; always helping myself to a second portion, every scoop of Ralph's creme Ices I stuffed into my mouth. THOSE DARN CRAVINGS!!!!

I blame everyone around me. That's it! It's everyone's fault....not mine. NO ONE stopped me from indulging. People told me to eat whatever I wanted, that I'm eating for two. Well, gosh darn it, while I'm struggling in that delivery room to push a heifer out and in major pain, those same people are gonna be sitting on their comfy sofas pain free eating a meal.

While many people say it doesn't look like I gained 45 pounds. I HAVE! That's 10 pounds more than what is recommended gain weight during a pregnancy. Some of the weight gain is in my Butt and Thighs but it's now obvious all those extra pounds are on the baby.....a big fat pudgy baby that's gonna be too big to pass through my birth canal without tearing me from here to California!

Oh my gosh, I'm so stressed out. I need some chocolate!

Today Would be a Good Day

Hello you in my belly. Can you hear me? Hellooooooooooo, Little Critter.

If you made your entry into the world today it would be a very
HAPPY FATHER"S DAY!!!!

Dear Critter,

You were supposed to arrive on Saturday, June 12th. Your father and I have been anticipating your arrival for some time now. We've been preparing for your long stay with us. The apt. is very clean and tidy. There's a special area for you next to my side of the bed. There's clothes in your closet and toys for you to play with....and plenty of hugs and kisses ready to be dispensed.

Lots of people have been asking about you and are ready to welcome you.

Where were you? Your father and I aren't going to tolerate tardiness. I've let you have your way for the past nine months and accepted all that you've done; but for you not to show up when they said you would is unacceptable behavior on your part.

Your daddy and I are very mobile active people, always going out and exploring and you're going to need to keep up with us. The world is vast with lots to see and do. You need to be punctual and ready to go out in a timely manner. None of this lollygagging!

The Doctor who's been monitoring you for the past 7 months is now talking about inducing me to get you out. You don't want to put us through that as there are some risks.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_inducing-labor_173.bc

So Critter, please make every effort on your part to come out.
We're waiting and ready.

Induction into the Hall of Maternity

According to a pregnancy calendar, I shouldn't have seen the doctor yesterday (Wednesday) cause Critter should have been in my arms last Saturday.

Doc checked me out on the inside. Critter sure is nestled up in there! Doc looked thru my belly. Heartbeat seems good, there's fluid surrounding the baby.

I'm 4 days overdue and not that Doc is worried but because of my age; hey, I thought age was only a number, besides I'm not sporting a walker yet or have blue hair; he wants me to go for a Sonogram and fetal monitoring as soon as possible (I got an appt for today). And then see him again on Saturday (19th) morning.

And if Critter isn't here by next Wednesday (23rd), the nasty word 'Induce' came up. No way do I want to be induced!

I went for the Sonogram / monitoring this morning.
Blood Pressure, Temperature, Urine in a cup. If I can actually see past my belly, I might be able to aim it in the cup!
Measured my belly. From the top to the bottom it's 38-1/2"

Into a room I went. I shared the room with another preggo with a curtain dividing us. Nurse/Tech hooked up two round flat things on my belly to monitor Critter's heart for 15 minutes. The machine was turned on and the band started to play. I could hear Critter's heart thumping away. I could also hear my 'roommate's' baby's heart beating. For the first couple of minutes it was interesting listening to what seemed like a group of tone deaf teenagers practicing for the Battle of the Bands with their older sibling's out of tune instruments. BUT 10 minutes into it I was ready to confess everything and tear apart the floor boards to reveal the Tell-Tale Heart!

Nurse/Tech was looking at a computer screen with squiggly lines and #'s and from where I was laying all hooked up to the machine, I can see numbers changing from 148, 151, 155 back to 148. What does that mean??

Then off to the sonogram. Expose the overdue belly, machine went on my mound and Critter was on the screen. Measured the head, the stomach, it's femur, the fluid, etc., etc. Is it okay? Is everything fine? Why can't I find out the results now instead of waiting till I see my Doc on Saturday?????

Sonogrammer said Critter right now is estimated at 7 lbs 15 ounces.
WHAT!!!!!!!
That's almost 8lbs!!! That's huge!
Oh my goodness......How the heck is Critter gonna come out of 'THERE'??????
Ouch! Ouch! and OUCH!!!!!!

GET THIS PUDGY BABY OUT OF ME NOW! or I'm going to put it on a diet till next Wednesday, planned Induction Day.

Waiting

I've been waiting a long time
For this moment to come
I'm destined
For anything...at all
Downtown lights will be shining
On me like a new diamond
Ring out under the midnight hour
No one can touch me now
And I can't turn my back
It's too late ready or not at all
- Waiting, Green Day




So I'll be waiting
'cus I cant smile until I see your smile
I'll be waiting
there's nothing else that I would rather do
I'll be waiting
'cus I can't sleep until I hear your heart
I'll be waiting
patiently I'll wait right here for you

Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting
Patiently I'll wait right here for you
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting
Patiently I wait
- Waiting, Beyonce

Due Date

Today is my 'Due' Date and Critter is nowhere to be seen!

We're giving it till midnight and then sending out a search party.

My Favorite Things

With only one day till Critter is 'DUE', I've been reflecting about this pregnancy.

Looking back I hate to admit, I've had a really easy time. Compared to some other pregnancies I've heard and/or read about, mine was a breeze. Sure I was nauseous in the beginning, congested most of the time, my back aches and my feet are swollen to the size of cinder blocks.
But the reality is, I felt good most of the time and had no major health issues and I'm thankful.

It was fascinating experiencing a pregnancy and reading and discovering about the stages of embryo / fetus development. We even watched a DVD - National Geographic The Biology of Prenatal Development.

Some women love being pregnant and feel gorgeous; I'm looking at you Heidi Klum; I can't say I feel / felt that way.
It's been an experience, that's for sure. It was interesting seeing my body go thru changes but I didn't feel gorgeous or more of a woman.

Will I miss being pregnant? Probably not.
Will I look back at this time in my life fondly. Of Course.

I hate to admit but I do enjoy when Critter moves around inside. I actually enjoy sitting around with hubby watching my belly. There were specific times Critter was most active; 7am-10am, 1pm-3pm and 7pm-Midnight. In the evenings, we'd sit around watching it, waiting...waiting for movements. I'd feel Critter moving and the the show would start. We became active participants by egging it on.

- I'll miss Hubby tickling my belly to get a reaction from critter. Critter would kick or jab and hubby would push the spot and critter would kick back.
- I'll miss Hubby talking into my belly, telling Critter to kick Mommy.
- I'll miss playing 'Guess the Body Part'. We'd feel around my belly and try to figure out if it's Critter's foot, elbow, hand, etc.
- I'll miss Hubby massaging my cinder block feet every night.
- I'll miss laying in bed and Hubby holding me and caressing my belly.

These have been my favorite things about being pregnant.


Ripples in stomach and jabs in my belly
Hubby pressing me where I'm swelly
Critter pushing back and my tummy springs
These are a few of my favorite things

With the back pains
With the pound gains
When I'm feeling fat
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel soooo bad

The Day After

The day after I deliver, for lunch I want a Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Pepper Jack Cheese on a soft baguette with mustard (not the cheap kind, but with real seeds), roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

And for dinner, I want Sushi from our favorite Sushi place. I want a Sashimi Salad to start, then some hand rolls and sushi that include, spicy tuna, eel and avocado, yellowtail and scallion, salmon skin and cucumber.

I've gone so long without!

Doctor Visit

Was today my last doctor's visit?
It should be, given that my Estimated Due Date is Saturday, June 12.
But I have another appointment next week with the Man with the degrees on the wall just in case Critter is not punctual.

I told Doc, Critter isn't moving as much anymore and asked if I should be worried. He looked at critter intently and said everything seems normal and if the baby is moving several times a day not to worry.
That's a relief.

Dinner Plans

Recently we've been going out with friends a lot.
"Let's have dinner before you have the baby." Our friends said.
AND not only one set of friends, but so many have said that.
Do they think we're never going to go out again after Critter arrives.

Maybe they think as soon as we come home from the hospital, Critter is going to leap out of the car seat, run to the front door and bolt it shut. It turns around and with an evil grin on its face says:
BWWAAAAAAA! You're trapped now! I will destroy your social life. You ain't never getting out now!

The Name Game

With only a few days till Critter is 'DUE' we still haven't settled on what to legally call Critter!

We have one name we like if it's a ______.
And since (almost) everyone thinks it's going to be a _________ based on my belly shape, Hubby has been brainwashed into believing it and won't think of names for the other sex. Everything I've suggested if it's not a _______, he's poo pooed.

Something to Talk About

People are talkin',
talkin' about Critter
I hear them whisper,
you won't believe it
They think it's a _________.

Everyone and their mother (and strangers) is predicting the sex of Critter. It seems like lots of people know what a preggo belly shape has inside.

Every time I see Mom: "100% it's a _____."
Friend: "I looked exactly like you. You're going to have a _____."

The other day, I was getting Chinese take-out. Standing and waiting for my order, a woman says: 'Whatcha got in there? Looks like a ______.'
'I don't know what I'm having. We decided not to find out.' I politely replied.
She then walked all around me and checked me out from all angles. "Oh, it's definitely a _____."
And then we had a lengthy conversation.

Hubby and I went out to dinner the other night. The woman serving our food "It's a ______, right?" We replied that we don't know, etc. A convo developed and ended with her pulling out pics of her 3 day old granddaughter.

Time is running out, So place your bets now! Are you going to be right?
Will it be a boy or a girl?

Birth Plan

The two books I've been reading both talk about creating a Birth Plan.

And expectant mother outlines the birth scenario; how she'd ideally like labor and delivery to play out. It's between the parents and Doctor/hospital or birthing center.
It can be very basic or extremely detailed.

Some things that a Birth Plan can cover are:
- When you'll go to hospital or birthing center
- Walking around or sitting up during labor
- Eating and drinking during labor
- Personalizing the room with music, lighting, etc.
- Using mirrors if you want to see the birth
- Use of IV
- Use of pain medications
- Fetal monitoring
- Inducing labor
- Massage
- Vacuum or forceps use
- Father aiding in deliver/cutting the cord
And so on and so on

Geez, I just thought you go into the room, push and yell at the top of your lungs and then you hear the baby cry hours later.

I didn't create a 'Birth Plan' to hand out to all parties involved in the room. I really don't care about music and lighting. And my doctor will guide me if things (emergency measures) need to happen. The two things that are important to me (being as upright as possible and nursing critter right away), my doctor and the hospital encourage anyway.

My ideal Birth Plan would go something like this.
- A mild contraction happens at home. I say "Hubby, we should go to the hospital."
- We drive to hospital, stopping before to have a delicious lunch and a pedicure.
- We're admitted. Nurse checks me out and says "You're ready to deliver."
- We're in the birthing room laughing, joking around. I'm not in any pain. My doctor comes in and says "Push", I gently push and Critter is in my hands.
The entire process takes 10 minutes

NOW THAT'S A BIRTH PLAN!

Contraction

This morning when I saw the man with the medical degrees on the wall, he rubbed the jelly on my belly. We were checking out critter on the screen and at some point he said: "You just had a contraction!"
I didn't feel a thing.
But for the past several days, once a day I have been feeling cramp like somethings. Can they be Braxton Hicks?