Too comfortable...

I started having regular contractions yesterday. By 2pm they were every 10 minutes. By 4pm, they were every 5 minutes. At 6:30 they really started coming on fast...and were every 3 minutes. I drank a bottle of water and layed down on my side, as instructed. At 9:30, the contractions remained every 3 minutes so we called the Labor and Delivery folks. Because I could still walk around and was able to hold on a conversation, I was told I should stay home until things got more intense for me. I took a shower and went to bed, trying to get as much rest as possible. I got zero sleep, but I got some rest.
I'm still having contractions about every 3 minutes. I spoke with my nurse this morning and she agreed that until I can't walk or talk through the contractions, I should stay home and rest.
So I'm not really sure if I'm going to progress, or if I'm just going to have regular contractions for another 2 weeks.

Nope...not yet

Many had predicted the baby would arrive this weekend...she did not. Her due date according to wheel of fortune at the doc's office is July 2. Her due date according to the calculations of her size on the ultrasound machine is June24-28. Either way, we still have a ways to go.
We'll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.

38 Weeks and looking oh, so fabulous

I am officially 38 weeks! Any time she'd like to be born would be just fine with me, but alas she seems comfy.
We went to the Dr. this am for an ultrasound. Baby girl has finally turned herself and "assumed the position," (as of yesterday, she was still upside down and sideways.) I am 75% effaced, but still only dillated to "1," so not much exciting going on as of yet.
Feeling very chubby, and very, very ready to be rid of the IV, and to meet this little girl...she's worn out her welcome within me.
We'll keep the post updated as any changes are made.

A cooking tip from Bryan

Well, actually, most of the things my husband cooks are really quite impressive. (Have you had his Sour Cream Bundt Cake? MMMM) As of late, tacos are my love. I cannot get enough tacos. Earlier in the pregnancy, the thought of a taco made me gasp, but in the last week, all I can think about is tacos. I have to chew on several tums after, but it's soooo worth it.
Bryan has thus obliged and made up batches of taco meat and pre-shredded cheese for me, so that I can have tacos whenever, without him having to cook it all up.
Let me tell you however, he has a magical way of assembling a taco that makes it just more delicious than one could ever imagine. The other night, our friend Carolyn was here for a visit, and she joined me in my taco-fest. She too commented on how good the taco was. Allow me to share his secret...he told me it's okay.
First, you add the sour cream to the bottom of the shell...yes the bottom, not the top...this is of course if you enjoy a little sour cream on your taco. Then, you put a little shredded cheese on top of the sour cream. Then you add the meat (obviously already warm/hot.) If you are one of those people who enjoys veggies or salsa on your taco, you put it on top of the meat. Then you add the rest of the cheese. Then you place the entire assmbled taco in the microwave for a few seconds...(the amount of time varies by your model) The cheese should not be melted, mind you, just soft enough to hold together.
Then you enjoy your taco. The sour cream and cheese and meat are all slightly melted together, so you get all flavors at the same time...never a bite without a flavor. Because you put cheese on bottom and top, it's all softened together, so you aren't dropping half your cheese on the plate. The same goes for your veggies and/or salsa...they are held in by the warmed cheese. And again, I tell you that because of this process, you shouldn't lose half the taco on the plate, you get all your required flavors in every single bite.
Magic my friend, simply magic.

You're definately in labor...oh well, maybe not so much

We made our first trip to Labor and Delivery yesterday.
Saturday night was very tough for me, I was having really strong back pain and could not find a single position that would offer relief. All night the back pain/spasms got worse and then the cramps started up. By 7am they were getting pretty regular. By 9:30 they were every 5 minutes and getting stronger. We went to brunch, me hoping I could be distracted, but but by 12:30 they were really strong, 4 minutes apart and I also noticed I felt like I had wet my pants just a little. So I called the doc who told me it was time to go in. I got there, they hooked me up to the monitors and yes! I was in labor! My contractions were then 3.5 minutes apart, the baby's heartrate was up, and things looked like they were progressing. However when they went to check for dillation, everything came to a screaching halt. "Well, you're obviously doing something, but we're a ways away." Said the lady with her hand in a very sensitive place. She told me to get up, walk around and she'd see me in an hour to check for progress.
An hour came and went, she checked me again and informed me that I'm dillated to about 1, and not progressing nearly fast enough to stay in the hospital...."it could be another hour, it could be two weeks."
So I'm back home. Still contracting, although they finally subsided a bit. Right now I get REALLY strong pressure and pain about every 10-15 minutes, but nothing more.
People are starting to make predictions that she'll be born this week or next. I'm still convinced that she'll be a week late, because well, why not?

I'm not really high maintenance, am I?

We went to the doctor today for our 37-week check up. My doctor determined last time that the baby has positioned herself with her butt down. Today he became concerned that she is still in said position and ordered an ultrasound for next week to see if she's moved yet.
He then said..."if she is still butt down that will cause a whole new load of problems and we'll have to change our plan of action." he then turned to Bryan and asked..."Is she always this high maintenance, or only when pregnant?"
Excuse me Dr., but you can stick it. I know he was kidding, but thou shall not kid a 9 month pregnant woman who has had just about every pregnancy complication possible...we don't think you're funny. And furthermore, I think that I have been quite friendly under the circumstances.
Here's what's really weird...I'm starting to put on a lot of weight, but I can barely eat...my feet and hands however have maintained a lovely shade of purple and my toes look like little sausages, so it's obvious I'm retaining water. The weird thing is that my blood pressure is really low...today is was 100/48. How is it that my bp can drop while I start retaining water? Amazing.

Obviously designed by a man...

...who has never done his own laundry.
At the Scott house we have been suffering from laundry maintenance defficiency disorder, or LMDD as I call it. This disorder has been a major problem especially since I've been out of comission.
Allow me to explain. Our laundry room is downstairs, our bedroom is upstairs. I'm not able to carry laundry up and down the stairs in my current pregnancy state...I'm barely able to get myself up and down. I am however able to fold and put away once said laundry has been transported on my behalf.
Our laundry room is very narrow, and the way the hook-ups are positioned, the dryer has to be in the far corner, but the width of the laundry room is so narrow that when one opens said dryer door, the door is only a few inches off the wall, making it nearly impossible to take laundry out of the dryer. Plus, the dryer only opens one way, unlike many, where the door can be installed opening either way. Ours only opens with the door toward you, so that you have a gate in front of you while you're trying to pull the laundry out. You have to bend over the door, and contort your body to reach around to get to the clothes. As I am 9 months pregnant and a bit shaky on my feet, this is an activity I cannot do.
Our washing machine is one of those super-high capacity washers, which means it's very deep. Due to my short stature, I have to hop up and dive in to pull the clothes out. While pregnant, this is impossible.
My husband, who has been amazing and earned several awards whilst I have been pregnant, still hasn't quite understood that I can't in fact reach the clothes in the washer or dryer, and if only he would please rotate the clothes for me, I will fold them and then put them away after he carrys the basket upstairs. I ask throughout the week...please rotate the laundry for me...but this has proven too taxing...he's a bit overwhelmed as it is.
It doesn't help that the man has more clothes than most hollywod starlettes, so he can go weeks, perchance months without needing to wash his clothes. Plus, he wears suits to work, so much of wardrobe is dry-cleaned. I on the other hand, barely have enough items to get me through the week, especially right now when the only things that fit are sweats and big tshirts...and even they are getting snug. Although I am pretty much house-bound, I do still enjoy being showered daily, with fresh clean clothes to put on. This has been proving increasingly difficult for me however, since as I said, we suffer from LMDD.

Sorry....this is depressing...

I miss my mom. As most of you know, she died of cancer on my 26th birthday...almost two years ago. As I'm approaching the finish line of my pregnancy, I find myself full of questions that only she can answer, but she's not here. I don't know who to be more frustrated with, her or God.
I have been dreaming about her a lot lately, but the dreams are really, really weird. Two nights ago, I dreamt that she and Bryan stood at a white board in one of my college classrooms and made lists of potential baby names, and then argued over the results. I would try to explain why we liked the names we liked, and she would roll her eyes in that funny way my mom used to do and make some crack comment about why that name was ridiculous.
I wake up (from the hour of sleep I ever get at one time) and feel stressed and guilty about decisions or actions I've taken as a parent...even though I haven't even given birth yet. And this whole baby-naming thing is really throwing me for a loop. I keep thinking, "what would my mom think of this name?" And I know that the ones that we agree on are all names she would hate. Why do I care? How unhealthy is it that I'm stressing out about what my dead mother would think about decisions I'm making?
I have a million questions about giving birth, what her labor was like, how I was as a baby etc., and she isn't here to answer them. I've done extensive reading and have asked many other friends and family members about random baby topics, but it's just not the same. She always had a way of making things funny, and putting me at ease when I was stressed out. How I would like for her to be there when I go to the doctor, to crack a joke, to ask questions I forget to ask, and to keep me laughing when the pain starts up. I feel like if only my mom were here, I would somehow feel a little better about what's about to happen. And that's where I am today.

36 weeks and getting out!

**My hands keep going numb and my wrists are in a constant state of discomfort. My nurse called on Thursday to check in and when I informed her of this new phenomenon, she told me that it sounds like I've developed carpal tunnel--I guess lots of preggies enjoy this. So I have now have to wear spiffy grey and pink wrist guards when I'm sleeping, or during the day when my hands start going numb again. I only wear them in the privacy of my own home however. No need to add further insult to injury.

**We went to Costco on Friday...that means me too. I hit 36 weeks Friday, and said "I'm going out!" I was hoping they would have the little scooter things since Costco is a pretty big place to tackle, with few places to sit and rest. Alas, they only had one and it was broken. I almost made it the entire trip, but I had to go use the bathroom three times, two of the three of which were false alarms, but the walking around made me feel like I had to pee pee the whole time. Oh, and then contractions started up again. I was actually hoping they would progress to little missy coming out, but they did not, and I just had to sat in the car while Bryan finished up.

**When waddling around, the pressure and shooting pain "down there" was so strong I felt like I had to hold on to myself to keep everything together. Of course I didn't actually grab ahold for propriety-sake, so I just waddled more while arching my back, hands on my hips or back, trying to stay upright. Most attractive.

**I got an email Friday afternoon from my college-pal Cass, saying she was coming up to Seattle for the weekend and wanted to get together...Saturday morning we had her, her hubby and sis over for breakfast. It was great to see them; we hadn't seen each other since their wedding over a year ago. Bryan made the food as always, although I did attempt at making a coffee cake, but after having to take 5 sit-down breaks while resting my head on the counter, he took over the final step of filling the pan whilst I layed down. So ridiculous.

**I got a second wind Sunday and Bryan had to take some stuff back to the Nordie Rack, so I tagged along. I had to pee pee three times during that adventure too...at least I thought I did until I hauled my fat self out into the mall and down the corridor to the skanky bathroom, only to discover I just THOUGHT I had to pee. So I'd waddle back through the mall and to the line where Bryan was waiting. While there, and after waddling through the mall three times, I decided I needed new shoes. I've been wearing my Reef flip flops, but my feet are now so puffy and purple whenever I stand, that the little toe thingy was cutting off any remaining circulation. I have Crocs, but they're just a bit ugly and hard, so I wanted some slip-on tennies that were cute, soft and squishy and I could easily get on. I ended up with just a regular pair of white Adidas running shoes because everything else was either too tight, or lacked any support whatsoever. They may not be the daintiest shoes ever, but they're soft and squishy, and if I leave the laces loose, I can slide my toesies into them without having to throw my back out trying to secure them to my feet.

National Spelling Bee?

Bryan and I watched the National Spelling Bee last night because well, that's just how we roll. I have one question however. Why is it called the "National" Spelling Bee and yet Canadians were in the finals? Not that I have anything against our northern brethern, I find them fabulous and welcome them to come visit anytime! But they are in a different country after all. It wasn't called the "International" Spelling Bee, or the "North American" Spelling Bee, it was called the "National" Spelling Bee. As such, I take issue with Canadian kids competing in our National Bee. If we're going to include folks from other nations, I'm all for it, but then let's call it something else. But for an event that places all emphasis on proper spelling, should we not also emphasize the proper use of said words?