The Details

Perhaps you've wanted to know a little more since my big wordless announcement?

I am saying my due date is November 1st. Yes, "saying". That means I'm not fully telling the truth. If you remember anything about Drew's arrival you may be able to figure out which direction I'm fudging. I promise it's not by much. Just enough for a little less pressure.

So far I'm feeling fine. Wiped out. Pooped. Exhausted. Wanting to fall asleep on my feet. But fine. In other words, I have been thankful to, once again, miss out on the morning sickness. Perhaps it's another boy, or maybe it's just good genes. Either way I'm not complaining. (Until the last couple of days that is- but that could very well be the "stomach bug" Drew apparently caught).

Yes, we've told Drew, but no, he doesn't get it. Maybe when my belly gets a bit larger...

Speaking of large bellies, is it seriously this big already?? I know they say it pops faster the second time around, but I still wasn't expecting this. I am embarrassed to admit that I've broken out a few pairs of maternity pants. Partially for comfort, and partially for looks. While I can finagle my normal pants to work, they make me look awkwardly fat-but-pregnant-but-maybe-just-fat and it's a look I don't really appreciate. The maternity pants give a smooth, round look, rather than a lumpy, bumpy look, so I feel like they highlight "possible baby belly" instead of "too many donuts belly".

I am surprised how many people quickly ask "do you want a boy or a girl this time?". Obviously, we will be happy either way. I would love for Drew to have a little brother to play with, just like I had my sister. And I have a hard time imagining anything but boys now. But I think a girl would be fun. I always imagined myself with a girl when I was younger. I've been told by no less than 5 people that they are "secretly" hoping for a girl (P.S. It's not really a secret when you tell me!). Wondering if this is some sort of big prediction, or if I'm going to let a lot of people down...

Also, working with international coworkers makes for interesting pregnancy conversation since cultural norms (and taboos) are a little different. After my announcement one coworker said "Oh! I saw you were getting FAT  [motioned with wide arms]  and I thought 'why is she getting fat? She is so thin, she should not be getting fat now'".  Another coworker later, in reference to the pregnancy, asked "are you putting on weight? I think you are putting on weight." (Ummm... no, actually, not yet really. But thanks for mentioning it). Sigh... I think I'm going to have some fun...

So, that's the scoop for now. I will keep you updated with pics, ultrasounds, and all that good stuff (P.S. No ultrasound yet, which is crazy because at this point with Drew I had already had at least 3. But since I haven't had issues, and since, according to my new doc, "it's only necessary for dating, and you know your last menstrual period so we know the date" I don't need one until 12 weeks. Sad.)

2 weeks ago @ 8 weeks

Patience and Trust.... Part 3??

As my dad put it on Facebook, from country singer Clint Black.... "this killing time is killing me"!

Who knew I'd be here? Just short of a week overdue?  I didn't!  I tried not to listen to co-workers and friends telling me I'd never make it to my due date.  I tried not to pay attention to the fact that my mom was early (10 days and 7 days) with both her pregnancies.  I tried not to listen to the doctor when they told me I was already 1.5 cm dilated at 38 weeks and that if she had to guess she'd guess he'd be early.....

But I did.

And now I'm impatient.

I'm trying to be patient and trust that God has a plan and that this baby will be born "on his birthday" meaning when he is supposed to be born.  6 days overdue is really not bad.  Apparently the "average" for first time moms is to go about 10 days over.

But 10 days over means my dad and sister won't be here any more.  They have to leave on Friday (8 days over). I can't even explain how badly I want for them to be here.  How I want for them to be some of the first people to meet and hold our little Floodling. How I don't want for them to have to come back later and meet him after everyone else has.  It hurts.

On top of worrying that he won't arrive before my family leaves, I have the doctors hanging over my head too.  I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, but basically I have a "time limit" before my doctors will induce.  Two of my doctors are a little more open-minded and are willing to let me go to 42 weeks (you aren't technically considered "overdue" until you are 42 weeks), but the doctor I saw this past Monday went ahead and "tentatively" (by booking it with the hospital!!) scheduled an induction for next Tuesday (not even 2 weeks over yet).  When the receptionist called to tell me it was booked I was more than a little miffed and told her I would likely be canceling (she wouldn't cancel it for me, she said I have to talk to my doctors on Monday).

And even on top of that I'm simply bored to tears!  I normally go on vacation during summer break, but I can't do that right now. I normally clean and organize between those vacations, but all that's done! My to-do list is complete, and I have nothing I want to get started on.  I don't feel much like going out to do things, and we don't have the money to spend anyway.  A baby sure would give me plenty to do! :P

But babies make their own schedule.  And as much as I can try to encourage it along, Floodling will come when he is ready.

I actually just read yesterday that stress is a labor inhibitor.  Stress produces chemicals in our bodies, including adrenaline, which actually slow down or prevent labor. Why? So we don't give birth in an unsafe situation.  A woman can actually regress from 9 cm dilated to 6 cm dilated, for example, if under stress.  It makes sense, what if you were giving birth and suddenly you saw a tiger? You'd have to run for it! Well, our bodies are built to deal with that. 

I keep thinking now that all the stressing I did over my job situation probably didn't help move things along.  I'm over it (for now) and putting it out of my mind, but I've found that overall I've been in a "funk" and I think I need to get out of it.

So, I've decided that I'm going to enjoy my last little bit of time and I'm not going to worry about getting this baby here anymore.  I'm not going to feel guilty over being lazy and putting my feet up every once in a while (gravity can't help anything if you're feet are up!).  I've put it in God's hands.  Though I've been eating pineapple and basil, walking, bouncing on balls, and trying plenty of other things, I'm starting to think maybe the best thing I can do is simply relax to let my body know that I am ready, happy, and "safe"!

She's gonna blow!

I'm a ticking time bomb... that's how I feel people view me these days at least.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this past week I agreed to work on mapping/designing/cleaning up the new Elementary Foreign Language curriculum with a group of other elementary language teachers and the county World Language coordinator.  I had initially planned on simply enjoying my summer after my last day Monday (as you know I've been looking forward to the time off!) but with things the way they are I figured it wouldn't hurt to "suck up" a little to the Language coordinator (unfortunately she has no control over the reassignments, but I still figured some brownie points wouldn't hurt).

Well, apparently the Language coordinator seemed to think I looked about ready to burst.  She kept telling me I was making her nervous even though I wasn't doing anything.  But if I moved, went to the bathroom, or coughed she would worriedly exclaim "are you all right??". At one point I had turned in my chair to prop my legs up on another chair (to help prevent my feet from swelling so much from all the sitting) and she said "you're not delivering, are you!?"  On the last day of our meeting she showed up with a sticky note... apparently the number for the security guy of the building "just in case!".  (If it's not obvious she has no children of her own and didn't realize that even if I were to go into labor I would likely have several hours before anything got serious).  She did tell me I was a "trooper" though and that is more or less what I was after (for her to see that I was so dedicated that I would come even on the verge of "popping").

Yesterday I was at Publix picking up some diapers and wipes (they were having a sale and I had some great coupons!).  I made my purchases, returned to my car, stuck the keys in the engine and turned...... and absolutely nothing happened.  Not even a noise.  I tried several times before I officially decided my battery was dead (and no, I had not left lights on, my battery just died- Jason told me later that when he got my oil changed last week they told him the battery needed to be replaced).  A guy happened to wander over and started checking out the battery while I explained I was calling my husband to see if he could come help.  I sat in the driver's seat to make the call and a Publix employee walked up and said "what!? Is she having the baby!?"  Haha!  I had to laugh....

It seems that these days instead of getting comments along the lines of "aww.... how far along are you?" I now get eyed and told "you look about ready to pop!" or "how can your husband make you grocery shop when you're about to burst!?".  People seem almost scared of me now as if having a baby means I'm literally going to "burst" and they may get maimed in the explosion.  I have to admit that I myself worry that my water may break when I'm out and about but the likelihood of that happening is very slim (most women's water doesn't break until far into labor, not as a sign that labor is beginning as on TV and in the movies). Maybe I just need to carry around flashing lights and an alarm that makes a big "awooga!" sound and see how people react then!

I can only imagine what people at the gym think when they see me climbing the stairs up to the treadmills.... RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!

100 days!

Woo!  Just had to celebrate that I'm 100 days from my due date!  Who knows when Floodling will actually arrive of course... I'm curious if he'll run late like his mom, or be early like his dad??  I read that at a birthing class this couple was told by the instructor that the arrival times of the couples often indicated the arrival times of their babies... those who came early had their babies early and those late arrivals had similar late arrivals.  Of course, between the two of us we tend to arrive right on time, but if it were up to me we'd always be late, and if it were up to Jason we'd always be early.  For fun, check out the poll in the side bar.  Do you think Floodling will be early or late?

More Details

So I failed to put in the important details that I'm sure most of you want to know. I just added the ticker above to help, but here are the details:

I am technically 6 weeks and 1 day pregnant based on the date of my last period.

Based on hormone levels, baby development, etc., the doctor said my due date is most likely June 17th instead of the expected June 22nd (which actually makes me closer to 7 weeks).

According to Chinese gender charts, we are having a girl, ;) but we will be happy either way and are looking forward to the date (forever away) when we get to find out. The coloring of the ticker above does not indicate we are having a girl or that we would prefer a girl, I simply picked it because it was pretty and it sort of matched my blog.