What you've been waiting for...

Are you ready for THIS??????

Hospital... sort of? definitely!

My bag of waters started leaking while walking on the beach today (how "Santa Barbara" of me...), and it's still going. We called the hospital once we got home, and they said that we could go ahead and wait a few hours to see if the contractions kicked in, but ultimately they want us to come in tonight to check up on things. I think we'll likely be staying b/c of the GBS antibiotics, but I should know more in the next few hours. I have no idea if we'll have internet access at the hospital... maybe now will be the time to start "tweeting" from my iPhone. (Okay, just added Twitter to my sidebar!) Anyway! We're just about to head out... so please pray that my contractions start soonish & on their own, as well as for a safe and healthy delivery all around.

Sooooooo excited to meet our baby girl!!!!

Week 40 (and a day)

I hope no one's been holding their breath... I'm still here and still pregnant! I am hoping to at least throw up a quick post before we leave for the hospital, so you can keep an eye out for that.

Anyway! I'm officially "overdue" now (but not post-term yet). Kate's official due date was yesterday, and though it's a bummer that she didn't arrive by then, the day didn't go by uncelebrated! During the day my mom and I took a nice day trip to the Santa Ynez valley (if you've seen the movie Sideways—that general area). It was a really beautiful drive and just a fun time to talk. We then stopped in Solvang and had a yummy danish lunch and some amazing Aebelskiver. Sooo good.

Once Chris got home, I put on a "cute" outfit and we went to a really great local Italian restaurant (I know... lots of eating out!). I'm so thankful for the array of amazing restaurants in Santa Barbara—it always makes whatever you're celebrating that much better! Anyway, we had a really nice dinner and just enjoyed each other's company and conversation. I didn't have a ton of energy after dinner though, so we came home and watched a movie. To top it off, I got about eight hours of sleep last night, which is something that doesn't happen often these days! All in all, it was a really pleasant day... even if it didn't end with a sweet baby :o)

It doesn't appear that tonight will end with a sweet baby either. The waiting has been a bit more bearable this week though since my mom arrived in SB on Sunday. It doesn't seem like having your mom hanging out 24/7 waiting for you to have a baby would be a good thing... but it's really been a godsend! She's been an amazing help around the house (she's a much better homemaker than I am!), she keeps me company/distracted during the day, yet she still gives me/us space as needed. Her work is very mobile and flexible, so she has her little "office" set up in our breakfast nook that allows her to do some work here and there while I nap, read, or whatever. But since she arrived, we've gone to Ventura for Target and Babies R Us runs, made a pillow for Kate's room and hemmed the drapes for her window; gone on three or four walks, had our Solvang date, and weeded, purchased flowers for, and planted flowers in two flower beds! She's also been cleaning up all sorts of things around the house... it's amazing :o) And we still have two or three sewing projects planned! So, as you can see, the waiting process has been made much easier with so many distractions.

The physical tolls of waiting have been a bit harder though. Lots of lower back pain this week, and I definitely feel like a pengiun when I walk around. I haven't been as good about tracking my weight over the past couple weeks, but I believe I'm at about 33/34 lbs now?

Anyway! Time to get this baby out!!! Maybe I'll post a pic before then :o)

Here she is this week:

Appointment Updates

Quick updates:
- Definitely more than 3cm dilated, but "close" to 4cm
- 60-70% effaced
- Belly (fundal height) measures 38cm

I scheduled my 41 week appointment for next Tuesday, but we're hoping not to make it to that one!

A "Roomy" Three

We learned at my check-up yesterday that I'm a "roomy" 3cm dilated and about 60% effaced. So... some progress, but not a lot. Ultimately it sounds like things are more up-in-the-air than I had originally thought. The progress only means that my body is on the right track and things *may* be a little easier once active labor starts, but really Kate could still be born any time between now and week 42...

Despite my impatience, I'm really thankful that my body has done this much work already. My midwife commented that my pre-labor is basically "done" at this point. I'm also thankful that it looks like Kate won't be born on Halloween (I like the holiday, but would feel weird as a birthday for my firstborn... or any of my kids at that). Tomorrow is Chris' birthday, and I do think it would be so sweet for his little girl to share his own special day. But I'm not holding my breath for anything at this point. She'll come out of there eventually... and I just need to keep remembering that it's all in God's timing and not my own!

But I'm sooooo eager to meet her!

Okay... I need to go distract myself. More cleaning!!!

Week 39

Update: Week 39 photo added below!

I've been secretly hoping this week that I wouldn't be writing a week 39 post! Since my last appointment I feel like I've started playing "the waiting game"... and it's proven to be much harder than I had hoped (especially for someone who is too impatient for their own good— although I'm working on that!). I think the waiting has felt more difficult because I'm aware of how dilated I am. On one hand, it's really exciting to know that my body has done this much work already... and I've hardly noticed a thing! But on the other hand, I expect that since I've come this far, it only seems logical that my body should just go ahead and start the labor process. And when I tell people about how much I've dilated, they tend to look at my like I might start pushing the baby out right then and there. So every day I'm in this, "okay Kate... are you ready today???" sort of state. If no one told me that I was 3cm dilated at 38 weeks, I'd just be anticipating the due date to roll around rather than waiting for labor to kick before 40 weeks!

At points I've felt more resigned... like maybe it's possible to just continue to be at 3cm for the next three weeks? Cleaning and resting have really helped keep me distracted. Beach walks are good too. And spending an evening here and there with good friends has really helped keep my mind off of waiting. Although, despite how nice it is to have the company, some days I feel super hermit-y and am not really interested in seeing or talking to people. Not really sure what the explanation is for that...?

I'm feeling a bit more encouraged (though extremely tired) this morning because I woke up last night with contractions. They were very light/mild, but they were consistent, which is something I haven't experienced yet at all. I have no idea how I got to 3cm without anything obviously definable to me as "contractions," but recognizing them last night made me feel like the time may be drawing near. I was up from 4-7a: first I just laid in bed and tried to think about how long they were lasting & how much time passed before another started; after about an hour or so I got up and tidied up the house for a bit; laid back down and felt a couple more (less frequent, but a bit stronger); got up again and showered; laid back down and didn't feel much... besides the 2.8 earthquake just outside of SB this morning!, and then finally drifted back to sleep. In the time since I woke up this morning (around 9a), not much has been happening. I notice my uterus/stomach tighten around Kate every now and then—sometimes accompanied by a cervical cramp, but often not. Anyway! I'm really thinking things could be happening in the next few days. If I wasn't already 3cm I probably would not think that... but experiencing "real" contractions on top of being that far must mean my body's close, yeah?? I'll keep you updated :o)

Here's "Kate" this week (and the article):


Here's "Kate" again. I'm very tired and am lacking in the makeup department in this photo... so yes, I look a bit rough! But the belly's so impressive at this point I thought it worth posting anyway :)

Week 38+

Yesterday I hit 38 weeks, and yes, I'm still pregnant. Though perhaps not for long...? I had a check-up today and the doctor said I'm still 50% effaced, but am now a solid 3cm dilated!!! The progress is exciting b/c it implies that Kate will probably be coming soon-ish. He even said that it's likely that she could show up within a week, though not to hold him to that because it could still be two :o)

Oh, more good news: I really liked the doctor this week! He was very kind and had great personality and bedside manner. The only "weird" thing was that he was young(ish) and attractive... is that even allowed as a male OB/Gyn?? He reminded me a little bit of Peter from Heroes as well as Trey from SATC. Probably some other people as well, but no one else that I can pinpoint at the moment. Aside from that though, I think I would be really happy to have him deliver our baby. He's my number two pick out of the group :)

Anyway! I am very excited. I'm working on making sure that our bags are packed and things are in order. Tuesday was my last day at work, and since then the nesting has really gone into overdrive. Yesterday I washed the curtains in our living room, and this morning I was up at 9am ironing them. Ironing curtains... honestly??? I don't iron anything. But apparently Kate will not feel at home if our curtains aren't cleaned AND ironed. It really makes no sense at all, but I guess that's the nature of the beast.

I think that's all for now—short and sweet! Plus, I have other business to attend to (the sconces are begging to be dusted and Windex-ed!). Here's the article and pic. Hopefully my next post will be MUCH more exciting ;-)