Well, here we are again. I am 35 weeks and 4 days into this treck. As I write this, I can feel Mia hiccupping inside me.....she's always doing something to remind me that she's there. I think that may be what I love most about her right now. Some of her indicators are more subtle than others, maybe a bout of hiccups or a roll across the tummy just to say 'hi'....others, not so much. Those pokes and stretches done with seemingly so much intention are slightly less "comfortable" but no less loved.
So much went on this past weekend that I'm not even sure where to begin. That's a lie, why would I start anywhere but the beginning of the weekend. Ok, here goes.....
Friday morning I had my 35 wk doctors appointment. It was your pretty standard appointment, pee in a cup, step on the scale, blood pressure then chat with doc. When the doctor came in, she listened to Mia's heart beat (150) and measured me (36cm). Everything was within normal. She said she wanted to start seeing me weekly now (also pretty standard) because my blood pressure was a little high this time. I was relieved because one of my best friends is getting married in Houston next weekend and I wanted to get checked out one last time before I commited fully to making the trip. Now is the point where sh*t started getting real......we're talking about delivery now. She was letting me know when I should call when I start having contractions, what to do when my water breaks.......holy crap, I think I'm having a baby, folks! Before she left, I had to ask her one more question, I think its something every mom wants to know - so I asked, "how big is she now?". So, she came over and started picking up my stomach as though it was detached from my body then calmly stepped away and said "oh, about 7 lbs." WHAT???? I'm not sure if she was doing the math, but if this kid is 7lbs now, we're looking at possibly close to a 10 lb-er when she's born. Yikes! I know that all she can give me is an educated guess at this point in time and the only REAL way to know how much the little anvil inside me weighs is to do a sonogram, but I have to admit, I was sweating a little (and by that, I mean, a little more than I do on a regular basis). She told me that if at my appointment this week I am starting to dialate or efface at all, I would most likely not make it to October 15th.....I can't decide how I feel about that yet, but if it means not shooting out my lower regions with a 10lb butterball, I think I'm ok with it. So, there you have it, I go back this Friday at 10:45 to see what's happening.....
There was phase 1 of my weekend. it just so happens that phase 2 was ALSO at the hospital. Dan and I signed up for (back in June when a 12 hr course in 2 days sounded like a fantastic idea) a childbirthing class at the hospital. This class was meant to cover everything from pre-labor to delivery to after birth to breast feeding and also included a hospital tour. Sort of a one-stop-shop for all you need to know about parenting.....or at least producing a child and having that child survive for at least the first couple weeks. After that, she's on her own ;-) Going in, neither of us knew what to expect. I think there were definitely points after a long week where both of us wanted to just say 'screw it' and try to wing it, but in the end, I know we were both glad we sucked it up and just did it. Over the course of the Friday night and Saturday classes, something else happened that I dont think either of us expected. I should probably start by saying that when we initially met with my doctor when I was 6 weeks along, she asked if I had any preferences about how I was going to deliver. I informed her very quickly that if she were to offer me the epidural that day, I would gladly take it and live as a parapalegic for the duration. Over the course of the last couple weeks, I have had a shift in what my plan is though....and this weekend kind of sealed the deal. I've decided that I am going to try to have this baby naturally. No drugs. Which is another reason I'm a little worried about her size at the moment. Now I realize that at this point, I can safely say this because I am not in a state of having my uterus try to shove a watermelon through a small opening in my body, but I figure if I go into it with this mind set, I will at least make it a little longer before I ring for the drugs. I realize this choice is not for everyone (and may not even be for me - time will tell) but I just feel very strongly about it at the moment and I think I would regret not at least trying. So there you have it.....phase 2.
I think that Phase 3 was probably my most favorite phase.....my family baby shower :) On Sunday, Amie, Kelsey, Robin, Linden, Avah and my aunt Eileen threw me a baby shower, and I must say, it was amazing! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing women in my family. To have started out with just me and my mom as the 2 sources of estrogen, I must say, the Swindle women are now reigning strong! And they sure throw one hell of a shower. I'm not sure how many people were there, but Mia was showered with so many gifts that we are seriously considering moving her to the master bedroom and Dan and I taking the study ;-) Some of our favorites were some handmade receiving blankets that Dan's aunt made for us, an amazing quilt that my Aunt Eileen and her husband put together and embroidered for everyone to sign, a coming home outfit that my mom bought for Mia (it looks just like the one she brought me home from the hospital in), an overnight bag for going to Grammy's house that has her name embroidered on it from Amie and and absolutely incredible scrap book that Kelsey put together for her. This scrapbook, is something that I have been meaning to do, but just haven't (and probably never would have) gotten around to.....Kelsey spent days printing up this very blog and pictures to put with it and put it in a book for Mia to read when she gets older. I probably don't have to tell you my reaction to opening it....and its not because I'm such a huge fan of my own work......its because I was so touched by all the work and love that went into it. It still makes me tear up. These women are all in my family people! ALL OF THEM! I think maybe its God's way of saying "ok, you put up with 3 brothers and your father long enough, here's your break". I hate to speak for my mom, but I know she feels the same when we say how lucky we both are to have such wonderful sisters(daughters in my moms case)-in-law. I can't wait for Mia to meet everyone.....I have a feeling she will be just as awesome....if not, we'll just put her back and start over ;-)
Well, that pretty much covers it. I didnt take a 35 wk picture because after all of this, I couldnt stand up anymore. But I will post pics of the shower soon! Also, this week I will be taking maternity pictures. Its another thing I wasnt sure if I wanted to do or not, but it came in a package where we paid for a years worth of Mia pics, so I thought why not? I will post those (if I approve of them) sometime this weekend.
As far as how I'm feeling, I have to admit, I am feeling kind of rough. I now have to get up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom and I noticed yesterday morning that my fingers are starting to swell, so I'm no longer sporting my engagement ring :( I have a hard time being on my feet for any amount of time with out some pretty intense pain in my lower stomach area and I am just very tired a lot....in other words, I'm about 35wks and 4 days pregnant ;-)
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