The good news is...

...she's not going to be born in March, thereby making her the oldest baby to ever be born. The bad news is, it looks like I'm not going to go into labor on my own. Here's the deal:

I went in today for my ultrasound to determine Kendall's weight (she's definitely a she - made sure of that while I was being checked). She is already at 8.5 pounds - give or take 1/2 pound (a 9 pound baby - good gracious!), so the doctor wasn't too keen on letting me progress too much farther overdue. We went back upstairs for him to check me out and I'm not dilated anymore and my cervix is still just a little soft - nothing to write home about. And Kendall is WAY high - not dropping at all. So, he decided that he would offer me an induction date or a scheduled C-section. I opted for the induction. I go in Sunday at 6pm and will start Pitocin on Monday morning if I don't go into labor on my own.

What can you do, you ask? Pray. Pray. And pray some more. I would, of course, love to go into labor before Sunday night and avoid the induction altogether. But please just pray that we'll get through whatever happens - be that C-section or induction or whatever - and that the baby and myself will be healthy. I must admit, I'm scared to death. I'm not one for venturing into the unknown and this is one pretty scary unknown to venture into. I know a couple of my blog readers have been induced and/or have had a C-section, so if you would email me and maybe offer some words of advice or encouragement, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'll keep ya'll posted!

Finally a little progress

Went to the doctor this morning for my weekly check and I'm actually dilated one whole entire centimeter! WAHOO!! However, the baby definitely hasn't dropped yet (even though I had been telling myself she had) and my blood pressure is a little elevated. I'm going back in on Thursday for an ultrasound to try and determine the baby's weight (I'm guessing due to the chance of her being big because of the diabetes) and also to keep a check on my blood pressure.

I'll keep you guys posted!

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas!

So um yeah...

...I'm still pregnant. Very much so, in fact. I go back to the doctor on Monday...a Christmas Eve doctor appointment - nice, right? Hopefully he'll tell me something good.

I have had a few contractions with pain concentrated in my lower back, so maybe we're getting somewhere. We shall see.

Otherwise, I still have 2 presents to wrap (much to my mom's disappointment...it is beyond her why anyone would still be preparing for Christmas this close to Christmas - but I heart procrastination, so there). We're getting together with my Donnie dad's family on Sunday after church. Then Christmas Eve service and dinner with mom and family (and opening stockings!!) on Monday and then lunch with James' family and dinner with my family on Tuesday.

And just for the record, Kendall thinks she's getting out of wearing her Christmas dress if she comes after Christmas, but she's wrong. She's wearing that thing even if she doesn't come until March. Why? Cause I'm in charge. Pastor Philip taught me that!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Intruder

Last night I finally got around to wrapping Christmas gifts. Near the end of the stack of presents, I realize I had left some gift boxes in the car. So I head out to the garage to get the boxes and catch something moving out of the corner of my eye. I'm thinking it's a frog because I always see frogs near the house when it rains out. So I walk around the car to make sure it is, in fact, a frog and what do I see rounding the corner Nascar style going about 45 mph? A MOUSE!!! Ugh!!!! So of course I hightailed it back inside before the obviously out of control rodent attacked me. I call James in a panic and his grand advice is to "go back and chase it outside". Um, no. So, hoping to get a little sympathy - I call mom. Her advice? Go back and chase it outside!!! HELLO!!! What is wrong with these people that I call family? I'm nine months pregnant with a waddle like no body's business, I'm clumsy as it is and I'm deathly afraid of the mouse climbing my pants leg. I'm NOT going back out into the garage of doom. Negative. Not gonna happen.

Anyhoo - James brought a couple of traps home and tonight after church we rejoiced in the wee little mouse carcass strangled in the trap (sorry if that's gory). However, now I'm EXTREMELY paranoid (I thought I bird singing earlier was a mouse in the house), so I'm thinking of putting the house up for sale. Just kidding...I'm not quite THAT bad. Although complete fumigation doesn't sound like a bad idea...

Tardy

So I'm pretty sure the baby is going to be born in January. Why, you ask? I don't know. I have absolutely nothing to base that on other than the fact that I'm not dilated AT ALL and I just don't feel like anything is changing. So, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be one of those that delivers at 42 weeks.

We went today and got schooled on car seat installation and usage. Very information, although it took forever. I think it's great that they offer that service to us clueless new parents.

I'm out of work until, well, I don't really know when. In my mind I'm thinking I'll go back part time after the little one arrives, but we'll see what my heart says after she gets here. The good news is that my boss has a spot for me if I decide to come back, which makes the "planner" in me feel secure.

Alrighty, I'm about to go put on some Taco Soup for dinner...yum! Gotta love Crock Pot cooking.

I thought of something else I won't miss...

...MY BEARD.

That is all for today.

Eventful day that turned out not so eventful

So remember how I said I loved hearing the baby's heartbeat? Yeah, well I got my fill today when I was hooked up to fetal monitors for like 6 hours! Here's the story:

Woke up this morning and realized that I really hadn't felt the baby move since last night at church. So I tried all the tricks - laying on the left side, eating, drinking cold drinks, drinking a little caffeine, pushing on my belly a little. Nada. Nothing. Nope. So I called the doctor and they had me come in at 12 noon. Hooked up to the monitor and while the heartbeat was okay, she wasn't moving. Unhooked me and had me go get something to eat and drink something "sweet and caffeinated" (I'm a wee bit upset that I wasted my one chance at a sugar splurge on blasted Mello Yellow). Came back and they hooked me back up and she moved a couple of times, but was not "reacting" the way they wanted. So off to labor and delivery I went.

Get there and register (which took forever...glad I wasn't in labor). They hook me up FOR EVER AND A DAY!!!! and then the doctor finally comes in. While he's happy with the way things are looking (of course she's moving by this point because she's buzzed from all the caffeine and sugar), he still wanted to do an ultrasound. Everything looked great on the ultrasound - amniotic fluid levels were perfect, heart beating, movement and you could see her breathing (how does she breathe in fluid, might I ask...am I having a fish baby). So they finally let me go home. And here I was thinking I might be able to have a baby today!

Got to give credit to mom and James for sitting with me and making the experience a good memory for the three of us. We actually had a pretty good time laughing and talking all day.

I go Monday for a regularly scheduled appointment and we'll see how things are looking then. He did say that if tomorrow she doesn't move when I do my "kick count", I have to go back up there and restart this whole process...nice, huh?

Of course I praise God that everything turned out okay. Oddly enough I was never actually worried, which is a new phenomenon for me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!