39 weeks

Ok, so much to cover in a small amount of time. As you can see from the pictures above, Leta and I have been doing a lot of walking this past week. The walking didn't through me into labor, but it did make Leta drop significantly, as you can easily see in the pics. This left me with a good amount of discomfort, as her head really settled down in my lower abdomen / pelvis. Fun! I worked over the weekend and felt pretty good the whole time.

So we're all set to go to the hospital today and then this morning, I had some bleeding, which has never happened before. It's carried on very lightly through this morning, so I guess I might be in early labor? I'm leaving for the hospital in an hour and 1/2, so I guess we'll get it all figured out!

Very exciting!!!!

little nothin'...

This is one of those surveys that floats around on myspace and facebook, but it was aimed at married couples and amused me, so I thought I'd go with it...

What are your middle names?
Mine is Danielle and his is James. Although, if you were to ask him what TJ stands for, he'd probably tell you Thomas Jefferson, just because he's amused by how many people actually believe him. It's these silly little things about him that strangely make me love him.

How long have you been together?
Married 2 years on Monday and together 6 1/2 years.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I met him at the surf shop I was working at in December of '01, but we didn't go out for the first time till November of '02. Just a solid year of intense flirting.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me. I absolutely refused to be the one to make the first move, much to the dismay of several people. I felt pretty strongly that if he was interested in me enough it was the least he could do :)

How old are each of you?
For these short few months he's 29 and I'm 28. I revel in these few months ;)

Whose siblings do you see the most?
We're both one of two siblings and his brother unfortunately passed away a few years ago. My sister lives nearby, so we see her on a regular basis.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Ugh. Probably finances? I put a question mark because we don't really fight about them in the traditional sense. It's just a tough, uncomfortable time in life with lots of bills and never "enough" income. We stress about it together (me more than him).

Did you go to the same school?
No mam. I went to Liberty University in VA and graduated in '01. He got his aa at Santa Fe' CC in Gainesville and then went to Florida State Fire College. I think he finished all that up in '00.

Are you from the same home town?
Close. Although we're both from out of state, I essentially grew up in Boca Raton and he in Coconut Creek. I'm originally from CA and he's from IL.

Who is smarter?
We're smart in completely different ways. I tend to be more on the book-smart side while he's got me beat in the street smarts category. Frankly, though, I don't think I could do what he does for a living - for many reasons - but one definitely being the intelligence level it takes for all of the medical knowledge. It'll be interesting to see the mix Leta gets.

Who is the most sensitive?
Wow. Without even a hint of hesitation, me. That's all that needs to be said there.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
It's hard to say, as we don't have one favorite place. I'd probably say, when it comes down to it, it's Thai Sushi Express in Deerfield. Awesome, awesome sushi, hands down, every time.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
France. Amazing.

Who has the craziest exes?
I think I probaby win this one, although, he's has some winners in his past too. I think I'm the only one with a certifiable psychopath though. Lucky me.

Who has the worst temper?
Neither of us has a really hot temper, and the things that get under our skin are completely different. I'm probably more easily annoyed and I tend to stay irritated longer. He gets more upset, when he gets upset, but gets over it sooner.

Who does the cooking?
Mainly me. I enjoy it more than he does. He's kind of relegated to the grill. I also make him make all egg dishes as I always burn them. He makes a great shrimp primavera and he has a couple of other gems in his sleeve, as much as he might try to act like he doesn't.

Who is the neat-freak?
His empty cups and clothes EVERYWHERE drive me INSANE.

Who is more stubborn?
Oooo! I win, I win! (He comes in a close 2nd though)

Who hogs the bed?
TJ does what I like to call a tornado with the sheets in which he wraps them all around his legs and then proceeds to sleep in the middle of the bed. It's not appreciated.

Who wakes up earlier?
TJ for sure. Usually just because he has too, but I love me some sleeping in.

Where was your first date?
We went out for sushi, then to a dive bar with some of his friends. It was great.

Who is more jealous?
I guess me, although I wouldn't consider myself to be a jealous-type person in general.

How long did it take to get serious?
We were more or less serious from the beginning. We had a first date and then a full-blown relationship that started the next day and never ended. There was never talk of seeing other people or not spending most of our time together. I was sure that we were meant to be from the beginning honestly.

Who eats more?
TJ. But I enjoy eating much much more. TJ could live on bologna sandwiches alone. g.r.o.s.s.

Who does the laundry?
I do mine. He does his. Equal rights and responsibilities in this household.

Who's better with the computer?
Neither of us is good with the computer. We're functional. End of story.

Who drives when you are together?
Usually TJ, but not because he's better. I have spent the past 7 years of my life driving all around Florida for my job and I'm more than happy to pass the reigns over to someone else when I can.

39 weeks

No picture for this week up yet, frankly, because I was too lazy to get my stuff together and take one today. I'm anxious. Just very anxious. I want this ball to get rolling! Every moment of the day is spent wondering if that little feeling or that little poke or that new/strange sensation means that something is starting. Something that will end in my having my little girl in my arms. Ughhh. Nothing to report yet. One of my best friends and I took a 4.5 mile walk today, and this evening I was able to feel Leta moving her head around very low in my pelvis for the first time. Literally. I was able to feel her head with my hands. Clear as day. It was insane and made me instantly teary-eyed. Hopefully, this is due to all the movin' and groovin', and you know that I'll be out there tomorrow for round 2. I'd love to get this thing going naturally by the end of the weekend! Wish me luck. :)

38 weeks

So, I'm midway through week 38 and I'm looking at 9 days left. Finally hit that mark of feeling big and uncomfortable. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I've been feeling crampy, like the first day of your period for a couple of days now. My mom says this is how it all starts, so we'll see. My doctor's been out of town on vacation in Tahoe for the past week and is getting back today, so the goal has been to make sure I don't go into labor until at least tonight (at the earliest). :) I've been beginning to wonder if I'll make it all the way till the 24th. Frankly, I'll be ok if I don't. I just have a few more things I need to take care of work-wise before I'm ready to be off, but I'm also so, absolutely ready to be done with this. I'm still a bit overwhelmed with the idea that I'll have a baby home with us in the next week, but I'm equally excited. I also feel like if I were to do as little as go for an aggressive walk that I might kickstart this whole thing. Let's hope. I might just be starting that regimen tomorrow morning.

37 weeks

Holy Cow, I am SO pregnant!

As of today, I'm looking at exactly 2 weeks from my induction date (which is the day before my original due date). 2 weeks till my little girl's birthday. Talk about holy cow! More about thoughts on being induced in a moment. We had an ultrasound yesterday (I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow) to help determine her size and weight. They told us that she's 6 lbs 6 oz (I'm told that could be off by 1/2 lb either direction) and I'm measuring at exactly 38 weeks. Her heartbeat is right on and we got some fun u/s pictures of her chubby little cheeks and full lips! We also got a full on crotch shot, confirming once again that she is 100% girl! My blood pressure's been just fine this whole pregnancy, and I feel really good, aside from achy hips and the continuing sciatic problem. I've gained 22 lbs so far and haven't dealt with any swelling or puffiness. I woke up with some strange, period-like cramping in the middle of the night and again when I got up this morning, but nothing else to report. I do feel like my stomach is so big that it's going to explode, so the idea of just 2 weeks left really works for me.

This brings me to the issue of being induced. It's funny the reactions I get when I've told people that this is what our plan is. Most of our friends that have recently had children seem to fully understand where our doctor is coming from, and having just gone through giving birth to their first children too, are as eager as we are to just embrace whatever is going to get our daughter to us safely. We've also had our fair share of cool reactions, from both mothers involved and from those who feel like we should let things happen "naturally". The short and sweet of why our generally non-interventionist doctor would suggest that we might induce (again, only 1 day before our due date), is that after 40 weeks a placenta does not function at 100% anymore. Also, if the weight estimates are off from the last ultrasound that we did, as they can be, the baby can start to get so large that I will end up with a c-section, an episiotomy or the baby can be put into distress. He mentioned that after 20 years of delivering babies, he's only had a few still births, but it always leaves him wondering that if they just had gone ahead and induced the week of the due date, if the still birth could have been avoided. I'm due on a Wed and the hospital only does inductions on Tuesdays, so that's how we ended up with an induction date the day before. My doctor is not pressuring me into this and said that we can wait another week if we want to. It's just not his recommendation. Another reason some people are against inductions is that so often due dates are not accurate. Usually the mother is mistaken about the date of her last period, which leads to the wrong assignment of due date. This can lead to inducing up to two weeks earlier than the 40 weeks you think you're at. For me, I'm 100% positive of the date of the last day of my last period, and I and the baby have measured dead on throughout the entire pregnancy. I feel really confident that our dating is correct, so I'm not worried that we're taking her at 38 weeks instead of 40. Last concern is that inductions lead to c-sections. I spoke to my doctor about this in earnest, as I really do not want a c-section if it can be at all avoided. He said that the farther away from the due date (earlier) that an induction is performed, the more likely the incidence of c-sections due to the labor not progressing. He said that a day before the due date, the chance of the labor not progressing naturally from that point out is really low.

So there it is. Maybe I should be surprised that so many people have had such strong reactions to what really was a pretty simple decision for us to make when we weighed the pros and the cons. In the end, like any good parent, we won't do anything that isn't best for our little girl - regardless of how much I would like to be done with being pregnant. As of right now, we think this decision is best for us. Simple as that.

With that, we're on to the 2 week count-down!

36 wks

Week 36, officially 9 mo pregnant! whoo woo! I can't explain how fast this past 9 mo has gone. At times the pregnancy seemed to linger on, but on the whole time has flown by. I'm again writing about the week in retrospect, so I'm actually looking at less than 3 weeks till the big day as of right now. Still no real change with Leta. She's still sitting high and although my cervix is thinning, I'm not dilated at all. I think I'm on my way to carrying to the very end, which is fine.

We started working on really finishing Leta's nursery this week and are pretty much finished. Having that weight off of my shoulders is huge and I feel much more prepared. I spend an entire day this weekend washing her clothes and getting them arranged by size. I got her closet organized and all we have left to do is hang a shelf or two and buy a floor rug. At this point, I just need to make appointments with pediatricians and pack our hospital bags. I can dot all of the i's and cross all of the t's, but I still can't really wrap my head around the fact that the end result of all of this preparation will be taking a very, tiny infant home with us permanently. Amazing.

Anyhow, here are a bunch of pics of her nursery....












:)