Welcome to my insanity!

This is what happens when you're done "nesting" and you're stuck inside because the weather decided to be super shitty out....you record your belly movements!

LOL!!! Seriously, I did. Yep. Autumn was doing this weird "rocking" thing in my belly. Normally when she moves it's all over, but this afternoon she was just lightly pushing on my belly in a continuous motion - like she was rocking herself to sleep in my belly. It could happen - her Daddy rocks himself to sleep sometimes!

It's hard to see via video with just a belly since the movements are so small, so I placed my phone on top of my belly. You can clearly see the difference between my breathing up/down movement and her kicking movement. Enjoy. Have a good giggle.

And we're still here...

pregnant! Pregnant as I'll ever be...except if I'm still pregnant next week or the week after! Haha.

Nope. You did not come out yesterday for Grandma's birthday. Why? Because you're stubborn like your grandmother and every other woman in our family? Most likely. No, really. I know it's because you will come at your own time. That is such a sucky saying, but I know it's true.

If playing soccer for 40 mins with a 7 year old yesterday didn't make you come out, then I should leave it at that, for now. Yea...we're talking kicking and jogging here - NOT just walking around like a wimp...I was hustling kiddo! And all I got for it was a majorly sore vajay-jay (although that might have something to do with the internal exam for fluids with that awful contraption they used yesterday morning).

13 days. Less than 2 weeks. That's when you come full term. Thinking of it that way doesn't sound so bad. And despite the tossing and aching turning last night I actually managed some decent sleep. I did some grocery shopping this morning to re-stock on anything that's been eaten in the past two weeks. I remembered that OMG! I have TYLENOL to help with the down-there soreness that still existed this morning. And for another week or two I will rest. Yes, I said it. I'll rest, OK?!?!

I'll take a break from the walking and the nesting and the knee bending and just chill out because obviously I'm only wearing myself out and you are no closer to coming out of me. HOWEVER, after 40 weeks all bets are off and I'm doing EVERYTHING I can to get you out before we hit the "too overdue for the birthing center." Because we are NOT going to a hospital, do you understand me? I put my foot down right there young lady! I'll let you chill out til you're full term, but after that you're chances of doing it on your own are over:oP

Patience.

38 week update

I'll make this short b/c I'm actually really tired and don't feel like typing today.

Weight up 1.5 lbs in a week
Heartbeat 160s.
Measuring 37.5 cms - she hasn't dropped again, but she's definitely lower than last week, so it's just a waiting game.
VERY active & excited at her appointment today.

I'm Strep B positive. Not a big deal. If my water breaks I'll likely be asked to go in right away & start antibiotics - if I am in labor w/ just contractions & my water has NOT broken yet, I'll still labor at home, but not for a long period of time like I would if I didn't have Strep B. They just want to make sure they get antibiotics into me at least 4 hrs before the baby is born. They'll put in an IV, give me the meds, unhook me after the first dose and let me be as mobile as I want and only continue to provide meds if I'm in labor every four hours.

Also, instead of a max of 6 hrs, we'll be staying at least 12 hrs AFTER the birth to monitor the baby and make sure she doesn't get Strep B. Should be fine. Means extra quiet time at the center, extra guidance and care w/ the midwives & extra help in taking care of a new baby.

They also checked to make sure my fluid leakage from yesterday wasn't my water breaking - it wasn't. Just excess preggo fluid:o) Fun stuff! No real yay or nay on when she might come, but they're ready when I'm ready...so we just need Autumn to be ready!

OH! And I met the new student midwife & I really like her! I know she did her first waterbirth last week that went great, so that makes me very excited if she is around when we go into labor!

Interesting Fact...

According the babycenter.com Wenesday is the most popular day for a baby to be born. Why is this so interesting?

Because apparently Autumn sincerely dislikes Tuesdays. Last Tuesday was so horrible and uncomfortable that I was asked, "Are you in labor?" and my honest to God response was, "I don't know. If it gets worse I guess we'll know!" By Wednesday I was fine. Thursday she was no longer engaged/dropped at my appointment.

This morning, another Tuesday, at 6am I had some fluid leaking that does not resemble pee. But it's not enough to be a gush and leaves me perplexed. I've had fluid leakage before, but not like this. Although I've had the feeling that over the weekend she had dropped again, this morning she was sure to let me know that as I walked around or sat in bed and the pressure "down there" has only increased! A lot. However, I don't believe I've had any real contractions...so I continue on with my day. My Tuesday. What is doomed to be an awful Tuesday with uncomfortableness & another night at the bowling alley with people houding me about when I'm having this child. Ugh.

Also, this is interesting because if this IS it...the big moment...and labor lasted forever, that would mean my child could very well be born on a Wednesday. The most popular day of the week to be born. Which is also my Mom's birthday - she would have been 60. Which is the same day that I've been telling everyone since DAY ONE that she would come. And I've called birth dates before - ask my best friend. If I have this child tomorrow I swear I'm going into the "baby pool" business - I'd make a fortune!

Tonight's Laughs

My husband, God bless him really, the old dude. He makes a movie reference. I don't know it. And this conversation follows:

S: "It's not THAT old! It came out when I was probably a senior in high school."
N: "Honey. When you were a senior in high school, I was probably in 4th grade."

and then I took it one step further...

N: "When you were a senior in high school trying to get laid..."
S: "You were probably a Brownie!"
N: "As a matter of fact, yes I was!"

And hysterical laughter breaks out. I'm dying and I swear I'll pee in my pants from all this laughing. And THEN he says, "Somewhere what we're doing is illegal!" I LOVE MY HUSBAND! And I know it sounds awful that I enjoy making him feel old and remind him that we're EIGHT years apart, but then he makes comments when I'm in the tub like, "Wow - you displace a lot of water!" and "Don't let the harpoons get you!"

Yes. Shmuck. But what's funny about that is that he CAN make those remarks because it's FAR from what he actually thinks. There are husbands who can't make jokes like that because their wives might cry or go psycho on them. We're not like that - we live off love and laughter.

The last thing my grandmother ever said to me was "Just keep laughing." I think she'd be proud of my choice in marriage!

I'm done.

I really am. Daytimes aren't bad. Really they're not - I can do tons of walking & keep busy. Driving is uncomfortable, but manageable. But this nighttime stuff is horrible. I can't do it. I passed out tonight after such an exhausting day, but after almost 4 hrs of sleep I'm awake and not because my body wants to be. I woke up to pee. Getting out of our bed is becoming so difficult. I can barely make it out of the bed by myself. And then, the WORST part, is laying back down. My belly is so heavy that I have to prop it with a pillow & even that is no longer working because it's just so massive. It is the MOST uncomfortable and painful thing imaginable right now. I dread laying down. And then every.single.time I have to roll over to shift my hips I have to grab the pillow, roll over with it, and re-prop it.

My husband's lovely encouragement is, "I hate to tell you honey..." YES, I am well aware of the fact that reality says it could be a few more weeks. SHUT UP! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! NOT WHAT I NEED TO HEAR. I'm telling you, I'm DONE. My body is done. I will take much better care of myself and my child when she comes out than I feel like I can do right now.

I'm whiny & being a brat, I know. I have little to complain about when compared next to others who suffer severe swelling, spend their last weeks on bed rest almost all day, or suffer pregnancy rashes that itch til their skin feels like it's ready to come off.

But...ugh!

Quick read articles...

Some articles I found this morning related to pregnancy & pregnancy health.

C-section rates around globe at ‘epidemic’ levels

Longer nursing may aid kids’ mental health

Mother’s gum disease linked to infant's death

Breastfeeding may curb heart, diabetes risk

More women choose do-it-yourself births (Fear not...this will NEVER be an option in our future. But to each her own!)

Busy and baffled, new moms hire baby planners (I have a wonderful bff who served as my expert baby planning helper!)

Are we there yet?!

I wouldn't say I'm all out "nesting" because 1) I'm not a spic & span kinda clean girl and 2) my sister in law told me to really not worry about too much since when we go to the birth center her and my mother in law plan on going to our house to prepare for the baby's arrival and 3) even if that doesn't happen...what's the point in a perfectly clean house when my child will forever be surrounded by dog hair and dust?

But, I'm also running out of things to do and THAT is driving me crazy. This morning I vacuumed the living room, hallway, & kitchen. And ran the swiffer mop over all of it really quick because it was just nasty - and despite the offer to clean our floors I was just NOT letting any family members walk in on that if today happened to be the day of arrival! Of course, considering it's raining and the dogs and people will track in mud sometime this evening, my efforts might have been pointless, but it made me feel better before leaving the house this morning.

I went to Rite Aid. I went to Food Lion. I went to the mall. I went to the dollar store. I dropped off the rent. And now I'm at work.

This evening I will get my eyebrows waxed and a pedicure. I wasn't really going to do either, but 1) I decided I didn't want my eyebrows to look awful when my baby comes and we take a ton of pictures and 2) I will fully admit that trying to do my own toes would be uncomfortable and disasterous, so I'm spending the money to have someone else do it while I relax.

I still have some food to make. But for the most part...I'm ready to go. I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready. When will she be ready?

The first casualty:o(

How do you explain, "This is for the BABY, but not you-baby, the BABY-BABY!?!?!"

So I came home yesterday & my loving hsuband asks, "What was that duck thing?" And I immediately know what he's talking about. "It's a duck rattle." His response, "Well..." It seems Jynx got to it and he had thrown it somewhere, so I didn't find it until this morning to see what the damage was. Luckily it just needs to be washed. No rips. All seams in tact. Eyes are firmly attached. I mean even the tags from when I bought it are still there!!! She must've brought it out to the porch immediately to show Daddy before trying to tear it up, so it was caught pretty early. What's even more interesting...I had actually placed it in the bin where I'm keeping the baby books & toys, which meant she had to go into the room and look into the bin and take it out. Smart dog. Pain in the ass dog. But smart dog.

On the other hand, she's stupid. And I can't be too mad at her. The only toys we've really ever had in the house have been for the dogs. She doesn't know there's a baby on the way, so she can't understand the concept of "a toy for a child to come, but not yet here." It' a toy - it's meant to be played with. Also, the nursery used to be her room, so she still goes in there to lay down and she has been so confused about what we're doing to it. Poor Jynx. It really is like having another child who is too young to understand a "new baby" in the family. Jazz gets it - she's been great. She's a VERY SMARY dog. But my baby Jynx is my baby and she requires a learning curve in this department.

Here's the duck. It has now met the full acquaintance of Jynx. Been loved adn slobbered on by a pup. And now it will be fully prepared to be loved & slobbered on by a baby. (after being washed of course)

And here is Jynx being talked to about the differences between "baby toys" and "Jynx toys." She didn't get yelled at, but we need to start showing her what is hers and what is not hers. Oh brother...

37 week appointment

Needless to say my child is a PITA. Or as Aunt Becky says "tricky."

They took blood & my iron levels are up, but barely. However, I've been taking iron supplements as well as my pre-natals, but iron takes a few weeks to work into your bloodstream, so all should be well when baby comes. The midwife, my FAV, "A" didn't even say anything about my levels, so she obviously wasn't so concerned. Blood pressure is fine, as usual.

We went over the birth plan. She liked it. It'll be awesome. I do need to remember to draw a map & write down directions for when the nurse visits my home the day after.

We did the Strep B test. No big deal. Results soon.

Heartbeat - strong & healthy!

Then we checked on baby. Oh Autumn! She is no longer "engaged" or dropped. She is still head down, which is great news, but I'm measuring back at exactly 37 weeks - right on time. It seems she didn't like being engaged so early, so she came back up to just swim around the top of my pelvis. It doesn't mean anything, really, but it does explain why I still feel her so much in my ribs - moreso than I did when she dropped - and it's basically because she's back up. She can still come at anytime and while she is uncomfortable and it's getting harder to get comfy, I'm a very patient person - really, I am!

I've gained 5 lbs in the last 2 - 2.5 weeks, so I'm officially at the 35lb mark:o) I've been doing nothing but eating, so I'm not surprised:o)

I was told I can start taking Evening Primrose oil to help things move along. I've set up my WEEKLY appointments for the rest of the pregnancy...next one is on Wed - my Mom's birthday - which is the same day I keep telling everyone she's going to be born, so we'll see!

And that's about it. Shawn was at this visit & it made it a lot more fun and enjoyable. I'm so glad I have a loving and supportive husband and I am 100% confident in his ability to help me through labor and the rest of the parenting process we're about to endure. I'm so excited & I hope Autumn is ready to come out soon because I can't wait to meet her!

My last "safe" day

I got some awful news today in regards to a friend of mine that gives a totally new meaning to the word "safe," but that's for another post. This post is something that I thought about all the way home and I still feel should get written for the mere fact that despite the fact that in a second everything can change, the world still moves on and nothing will ever change that fact.

On the way home today I thought about how tomorrow is my last "safe" day of pregnancy. Why? Because at 12:00am on Wednesday morning I will become a nuerotic human being. I have no idea whether this will be blatantly obvious on the outside or if I will contain it on the inside, but either way - I'm going to be a nutcase. Because at 12:00am my child can come at any second of any day...and there's nothing I can do about it. That's that. Pregnancy done. Labor begins. I'm pushing a baby out of my vagina and I will be coming home with a little girl. That is what will eventually happen sometime after 12:00am on Wednesday.

Yes, I know, technically she could have come at any point during this entire pregnancy. We don't get to choose when and where it happens. Every mother, at some time or another, fears pre-term labor. We fear NICU visits. We fear our child coming out so small and fragile that we're afraid there's no way such a tiny living thing could make it. I, too, have had these fears. I, too, recognize that sometimes we are not in control. But at the same time, we all hold onto some naive thought of "never me." And I'll even admit to my own selfish thoughts - while I've been reassured by research and midwives that IF my baby girl was to have been born in the past few weeks she most likely would have had little to no complications - I really didn't want to go into pre-term labor because I didn't want to go to a hospital. Healthy baby, of course, is all that matters, but being reassured that everything would most likely be okay, my thoughts then turned to the one place where I have been trying to avoid this whole pregnancy. I feel like Shawn and I have dedicated so much time and thought to the birth center that ending up in a hospital would be like disrupting part of our dream. Like I said - selfish - but I'm human enough to admit it.

So yes, ANYTHING could have happened before. But nothing did. And I'm thankful each and every day. But Wednesday I become FULL-TERM! Something I've looked forward to for so long. A part of me feels like I can breathe easy while the other part of me is thinking "WHERE THE HELL DID THE TIME GO?! NOT YET!" On Wednesday some big fears get packed away for another pregnancy and the almight epiphany of "OMG! I COULD HAVE A BABY TODAY!" will arrive.

I think there are some huge milestones in every pregnancy that get acknowledged with justice: the positive test (and the three to five tests that follow), the first appointment, the first listening of the heartbeat, the first kick, the arrival of "the bump," the first maternity clothes being worn, the first ultrasound, the shower, the bulging belly, etc etc. But I don't think "the last day of not full term" and the "officailly full term day" receive enough importance. Surely these thoughts consume other preggos. Surely.

And so tomorrow will take on great meaning for me. And I will enjoy it. And Wednesday will come. And I will glow...while also trying not to hyperventilate. And soon...so soon...my Autumn will arrive.

Autumn's Room

Autumn's room is coming along VERY nicely! It's a very small room with a lot of furniture, but I think we've done an excellent job so far keeping it open in order to move around and be accessible. These are pictures taken with my laptop camera, so some didn't come out as well as I had hoped. Still to come...pictures of the dresser, wardrobe, & changing table.


Ta-da! Her name! YAY! The letters were a shower gift from my boss & good friend. They were white when we got them & then after a trip to Michael's they've been handpainted with a lot of thought behind their design.


This is her crib bedding. Actually, the set comes with black & white crib sheets, but we decided to accent the bedding with red sheets instead.

Her window treatments. The valance matches the crib set. The black rod came from Kmart. The black curtains from Walmart. And the sconces we've had around the house for years and were originally off-white. Shawn painted them red w/ black accents (sorry there isn't better detail to show).

Light switch cover & outlet covers. 100% my husband's idea. I'm glad we're creative together - it's made decorating her room so much fun!

Her closet door knobs. Painted red w/ NJ Devils (NHL in case you didn't know) logo stockers attached. Whose genius idea could that have been?!

That is a picture of Martin Brodeur above my child's crib. Please note: it is BELOW the Cross because we cannot be committing sacrilege in this house:o) Yes, I agreed to this. Because sometimes you have to pick & choose your battles and, honestly, it's kind of cute how Shawn is putting his own thought into all of this.

The sitting area! The hamper & the bin (which will be used for books & toys) match the crib set also. The rocking chair & ottoman were from Craigslist and obviously do NOT match. The upholstery on both is blue with red flowers...hence the red throw over the chair. But this is the MOST COMFY rocking chair ever & I had to get it!

Wall art! This is hardly all of it - I'm still waiting on a few pieces. On the ride side is the wall beside the closet. The picture frames were a set that - again - match the crib bedding. The puzzle mirrors I adore! I think mirrors are great for little kids to look into and make observations and the puzzle theme is just really cute! We might get two more to add to the wall!

On the left is the entrance to her room. The NJ Devils flag was added by, guess who? He wanted to hang it somewhere more prominent in the room and I absolutely refused! This was a compromise - when the door is open it's actually behind the door, so you only see the edges.

buzz buzz.....

goes the busy bee!

~Thank you notes complete & to be mailed out tomorrow
~Bills paid & to be mailed out tomorrow
~Crib bedding is all washed & crib is 100% ready
~Bassinet bedding is all washed & 100% ready
~New shower liner bought
~Made a return to BRU & bought some very important registry items regarding breastfeeding
~Packed a diaper bag for each of our cars (THAT was exciting!)
~Designed Autumn's name letters
~Picked up/ordered the last of the cloth diapering necessities
~Ordered some wall art for the nursery

TO-DO

~buy craft paint & paint letters
~pack "birthing center/labor" bag
~clean bathroom
~more laundry (adult & baby)
~another BRU visit
~make freezer food
~find decoartive curtain rod & order red scarf for window treatment in nursery

To-do list (Thurs)

I'm sorry. You don't have to read all this, really. I more or less type it out because I type faster than I write, so this is the best way for me to go back and see what else needs to get done.

Done:

~Installed carseat (need to get it checked)
~bought more @ BRU (necessities - all of it - I SWEAR!)
~ordered more CD stuff (again...necessities!)
~paid off a ton of debt

To-do:

~clean bathroom
~"thank you" notes & gifts
~new shower liner
~design Autumn's letters before I paint them this weekend
~grocery shopping - stocking up!!!

CD CRAZY!

I think I'm ALMOST good on cloth diaper stuff:o)

Tomorrow I'm picking up 9 FREE Kissas - supposedly they aren't in the best shape, but they're free, so who cares? They'll be handy if I need backups for emergencies or something.

I'm also picking up some Mother-ease which will fit during the NB stage and some time afterwards during her "medium" phase, along w/ 2 wraps to go with the diapers.

And I ordered 5 more medium AIOs from Etsy! I love this one shop - the diapers are really cute & get GREAT reviews.

And I got a good amount of cloth wipes for pretty cheap & free shipping off another Etsy store.

AND I ordered our wetbags (travel bags for dirty diapers).

All I have left is to order 2 pail liners & Bac-Out & I think I'll hold off on purchasing anything else. Overall, between Craigslist, sales & second-hand stuff I've saved us over $350 from buying stuff at full-cost! I'm proud of myself!

I'm trying my best...

to bring my daughter into this world with as little debt as possible:o/

This morning I paid off my credit cards. I'm only keep one for emergency use. The rest I'm cutting up and saying "adios!" to. About four years ago I got myself into BAD debt and I'm still in a recovery program that I'm almost finished with - I remind myself that it was the BEST decision I made for myself then and I'm really proud of myself for owning up to the problems. Then, I went a few years without credit cards. Did fine. I REALLY believe they aren't necessary to live. But then things were good again and I thought I'd be okay, so I got some more...and they sucked me in and when times got tough I had high bills and was overwhelmed. So I'm taking a break once again because sometimes...that's just what you have to do. Everyone has to do what's best for themselves and me not having ANY temptation to use them is what's best for me.

So, Autumn, mommy is trying her best to make good decisions that will help us move forward in life. I really am trying hard and I hope I can do my best for you:o)

To-Do list (Wed)

What I've accomplished thus far:

~put away adult laundry
~vacuum bedroom
~vacuum kitchen
~stripped the bed
~wiped down the kitchen counters & emptied the sink (again!)
~taken out MORE trash that seems to accumulate in mounds in my house!
~make a return to BRU
~remake the bed
~vacuum the car

Still on the list:

~start "thank you" notes
~install carseat
~wash (or get new) shower liner
~clean the bathroom

To-do list (Tues)

This morning I have accomplished:

~first washing of cloth diapers
~finished the adult laundry for the week
~removed all empty boxes from the house
~removed husband's hunting gear from the bedroom
~vacuumed hallway & living room
~empty dishwasher
~load dishwasher/empty sink
~fold adult laundry

To do:

~put away adult laundry
~vacuum bedroom
~vacuum kitchen
~make a return to BRU
~start "thank you" notes
~look over bowling paperwork for tonight
~strip & remake the bed (with Shawn's help)
~vacuum car & install carseat!

101 Reasons to Breastfeed

Copied from "It's a Domerbaby" - another blog I follow.

http://www.promom.org/101/

OH MY!

We have SO MUCH STUFF! Yesterday's shower was awesome. I ate some yummy food (I love Debbie's meatballs!) and got to hang out with friends and family that I don't get to spend much time with. And my CAKE was the coolest! EVER! I can't wait to post pics! Oh, and I willingly shared the spotlight with Caleb because he's such a cutie pie, so who couldn't resist just loving on him?! Of course...he was definitely trying to put Autumn in her place and let her know who the big kid in town was as he bopped up and down on my belly, but I didn't mind...it will just make her a tough girl!

Shawn was right - I came home with more STUFF! STUFF GALORE! I came home with boxes and bags of all sorts of wonderful things, along with my leftover cake and leftover snack food. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking everything. I do not believe in stacking things away in boxes until they'll be used. Time goes by so fast when kids are little that you use things before you know it, so you might as well get it unpacked and put where it belongs from the very start! There is now some organization in the nursery. Today I'm washing all the baby blankets & newborn/0-3 clothes to get us started. I can't put her crib together 100% until I get my crib sheets, which have been purchased off my registry, but I haven't received yet. I CAN put together the bassinet since I went out and bought the new bassinet mattress & sheet today. I need to wash it all though. I also plan on sterlizing all the bottles, utensils, snack traps and other feeding-related items today. I put together her new bouncer, which is soft and snuggly! I put together the strollers. There is a pile o'stuff that is designated for our cars when the cars get cleaned out. Boxes are piled high in the living room, but they're being taken away by friends who are in the process of moving (so convenient!).

And that's that. I got laundry detergent for the baby clothes & cloth diapers (which I also might brave sometimes today). I ran to Babies R Us to use a gift card and purchased a good chunk of items I needed.

This week: finish purchasing registry items & other necessities, stock up on food & other grocery items for the first few weeks of baby's arrival, make some freezer foods, purchase shower gifts for my wonderful sister-in-law and my bestest friend ever, do thank you notes, and try to manage some rest somewhere in the mix of things!

Pregnancy Battles

#1. Constipation ~~~ nothing some home remedies couldn't fix with the occasional over the counter help

#2. Weight ~~~ gained gracefully, cheerfully expanded, nothing but a basketball belly!

#3. Upper back pain ~~~ couldn't stand up to hubby's backrubs & the heating pad

#4. Nausea ~~~ I laugh at your existence! My best friend's advice to eat every few hours kept you at bay!

#5. Shaving ~~~ 35+ weeks and I haven't stopped! I may not be able to see what I'm doing, but it's getting done!

#6 Bladder control ~~~ I can successfully go to bed at 11pm and not pee until 7am, if I so choose. You do not rule me!

#7 Kicking/Punching ~~~ Want to get pushy?! I'll get pushy right back!

What does this all mean?! It means: STRETCH MARKS - you do not have a chance! I will outlast you. A funky red splotch the size of my surgery scars showed up just this week and my husband dared to call it a possible stretch mark. HA! I will not have it. I will not give in. I will conquer you! Bring out the cocoa butter & the Vitamin E oil. You think you'll get me in these last few weeks...I DARE YOU to show your face. I will seek out your slightest beginnings and crush you!

So...there.

True Love

When your husband looks at your bloated 34 week belly and says most genuinely "You would have made a beautiful belly cast"...you know you found yourself a keeper!

35 week appt

Ok..ALMOST 35 week appt! 34 weeks and 5 days. And things are getting interesting!

I met with "A" again - who I loved at our second visit and I still love! She's just awesome. I told her I was getting concerned about her being so far ahead in measurment and the conflicting due dates between my last menstrual cycle and the 7 week ultrasound. I mean - it's a 2 week difference and God forbid I go into labor before the 2/10 due date says I'm "full term" I'd be forced to deliver in the hospital...which would suck.

But "A" confirmed that u/s at 7 weeks is actually very accurate - usually only off by 3 days at the most - and that's why they'd stick with the 2/10 due date. She felt confident that I'd make it to full term. And that makes me feel better.

HOWEVER...she does NOT think I'll be making it to my due date. At my last visit (33 weeks) I was measuring 2 weeks ahead at 35 cms. This week I was only measuring at 32 cms. Why this drastic 3 cm change? Because she's already dropped! A lot. She's low. Very low. Which, honestly, I could have told anyone considering this weekend I thought she was trying to punch her way out of my girlie parts!!!! Not the more comfortable feeling, I assure you!

"A" said that generally, once the baby drops, the baby has about 4 more weeks. So, depending on WHEN she dropped since my last visit I could possibly only have another 3-4 weeks to go (anywhere from the 37-39th week). I'm not surprised. Well, I am. I mean I knew she was low. I've always said she was coming early. But someone giving you confirmation that it's actually possible - totally different!

Then again, knowing my silly luck, she'll end up being like a week late! HA! Wouldn't that be funny?! No, not really. But again, it's always possible! Talk about driving someone who's always been a planner compeletely crazy!

And that it. In 2 weeks I go back for my Strep B test and then I begin going to the center weekly!

Here are the basic stats:

Weight - 5 lb gain; total 30lbs in 34.5 weeks
HB - 150bpm
Position - head down! and very low
Belly measurement - 32cms (dropped)