Update

Today we had a very long doctor's appointment thanks to baby monitoring, internal examining and having bloodwork done. The baby still looks very good. I forgot to mention that at my last appointment I was actually dilated 2 cm and had a very soft cervix. It just amazes me that my body seems to be doing some work toward delivery as this certainly was not the case with Lily, even past her due date. My blood pressure was similar to last time (140/70). This, combined with other test results, seems to indicate that we are probably dealing with high blood pressure alone rather than preeclampsia. Still, my doctor wants to be cautious. So we are talking about inducing before 39 weeks (which is fine by me)! My next appointment is Tuesday, the 13th. As the doc said, he may tell me to go downstairs that day, depending upon the results of the exam. Otherwise, we are talking about inducing on Thursday (6 days from today!) or maybe Sunday the 18th. I really wanted the 16th so that Lily's birthday would be November 16th and the baby's would be October 16th, but my doctor is going to be out of town from the 16th to early morning on the 18th. Any later than the 18th would be getting a bit close to Angela's wedding so we are trying to avoid the 19th - 23rd if possible. Even though it is after the beginning of the 39th week, I also really wouldn't mind waiting to Saturday the 24th (the day after Angela's wedding) because it would be fun to have everyone in town for the big event. So unless by some twist of fate the baby decides to come on his own, I think we are looking at the following dates: 15th, 18th, or 24th.

A few Lily quotes

In the last few days, Lily has made the following comments:

• When Carl was playing with her the other night, Lily said, "Daddy, you almost scared Aunt Angela's wedding right out of me".
• Last night, when cooking at her pretend kitchen (Lily's absolute favorite activity), she asked if I would like to try some of her legendary cookies.
• As we were getting ready for bed last night, I said that I just didn't know what books to pick for reading. She came over and said, "I can help you in your time of need".

Such a character!

Lily's first day at her new school

The lighting in our kitchen is terrible so this is not a great picture AND it is late in the coming, but here is Lily on her first day of school (last Monday).

37 Weeks

Today I had my first full-term doctor's appointment. Yay!!! Completely unsurprisingly, my blood pressure is up. Even when laying on my side, I had a reading of 142/84. My doctor decided to monitor the baby to make sure that everything is okay with him. In his words, the results of the monitoring were "literally perfect". The heart rate was right where it was supposed to be, fluctuated with movements, and indicated no signs of distress. All good news.

As for me, I now have to go to the doctor twice per week to make sure that this high blood pressure does not lead to true preeclampsia. If the blood pressure continues to rise, he will induce. I completely expected this which is why, as of this very appointment, I had my hospital bag packed and in the trunk. If you recall, I was sent directly to the hospital (on Halloween) with Lily when I was about 38 weeks due to high blood pressure. I didn't have her then because my blood pressure came down, but my doctor now is more cautious, and I think he would go ahead induce anyway. Also, my doctor's office is just one floor above the labor and delivery unit of the hospital which would not allow a lot of time for my blood pressure to come down!

If my blood pressure remains the same, he said that he will induce anytime between 39-40 weeks. He said that we'll just look at our schedules and see what date looks good! This makes me laugh, like we're going to pencil in the baby's delivery around other activities in my daily planner. Although, it is actually going to be tricky. Due to Angela's wedding, there really aren't many days between weeks 39-40 that would work while still being able to be at the wedding. Luckily, my doctor is very flexible so I don't think that it will be a problem.

The great news is that he will not let me go beyond my due date which means that this baby is definitely coming this month....and in time for Halloween festivities! It is really nice to know absolutely that three weeks is the maximum time until delivery day.

I was just commenting to Carl how weird it is that I felt so anxious and overly ready for the baby to come in August and September (when the baby wasn't ready). Then October arrived, and I just completely relaxed. I feel really good physically and emotionally, and I know that the due date is around the corner so I'm not overly anxious for it to happen right now. Don't get me wrong, I am ready whenever he is, but the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. I feel strangely calm. Maybe because this is number 2, and I completely expected all these latest developments because it was the same with Lily, but I'm just in a good place right now. Plus, an induction would be nice. It is so great for planning. You just don't have to worry about having to scramble to get all the pieces in place, like getting Lily squared away, figuring out how to get to the hospital, and having to track down Carl at work. So, while having high blood pressure is by no means a good thing, there are at least benefits that could result from it. I'll definitely update again on Friday with any developments (or non-developments).

Changes, changes

As if we didn't have enough changes going on right now, we had to add just a couple more. As I mentioned in the last post, Lily began a new school on Monday. This came about rather suddenly, but we are all so, so happy with this development. Lily's friend's mom (from our playgroup) mentioned a program that her daughter attends that piqued my interest. Basically, the program is in a nearby school district that has a very good reputation. The school district has inclusion classes that have children with mild disabilities in classes with "model" (or typically developing) children. The idea is that the typically developing children will model positive language/social/cognitive/motor skills while the children with special needs will provide an opportunity for the typically developing children to gain an acceptance and appreciation for differences. It really is a win-win situation. Best of all, this is a free program through the district. Lily attends the school 3 hours during the morning, 4 days per week. This has been an absolute dream for us so far. Lily really enjoys the school, and I have enjoyed being able to get things done like grocery shopping, running errands, etc without having to drag her along. I'm just so grateful for this situation. I also couldn't be happier about the timing because this will keep Lily in a routine and give her an outlet and her own special time when the baby comes.

The other change is that I will be starting a part-time job in January. I have signed up as an adjunct faculty member at our local community college. I taught a Psychology course at a community college when we first arrived in Baltimore (8 years ago), and I haven't taught college-level courses since, but I am really excited to get back into it. I will probably end up teaching about 5 hours per week. This is my ideal set-up. I really do want to use my degree and work but still be able to devote the majority of my time to being a mom.

I really feel like I was floundering a bit for the first year that we moved back to St. Louis. I just couldn't find the right school situation for Lily with the right work situation for me. Finally, I feel like it is coming together. This, combined with a successful pregnancy after trying for a year and half, makes me happy and content beyond what I conceived possible.

Birthday party

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Farm to celebrate Lily's friend's birthday. The girls had a great time together.

Girlfriends

How appropriate...a school bus shot for school friends. Yes, Lily is back in school as of last week. When I have time, I'll update more about that.

Riding the caboose on the adorable kiddie train

Enjoying a birthday cupcake. Lily's friend's mom made a really cute fish birthday cake with blue mini-cupcake "bubbles".

I know that this is a bad shot. But, this horse caused one of my scariest mommy moments to date. We had just arrived at the birthday party when the girls decided that they would like to ride the horses. Just as the horses started up, the guy walking next to Lily adjusted his hat and spooked her horse. The horse reared ALL the way up on his hind legs until he was practically vertical with my daughter holding on for dear life. Luckily, they regained control of the horse, and Lily recovered beautifully. Her expression after the incident revealed the she was a little shaken, but she continued to ride the horse and never shed a tear. Even the adults nearby commented that they would not have handled it as well as she did. She definitely earned her cowgirl badge that day.

Make Room for Baby

In anticipation of the baby's arrival, we've pulled out all the baby gear. Lily thinks this is the best thing ever as her dolls and stuffed animals have been enjoying some new, fun toys and accommodations.

Baby Elmo in the bouncy seat

Lily in the swing

The pack 'n play

We've decided to put the pack 'n play downstairs for now in order to have a changing station and napping area on the main level. With Lily, we kept this in our bedroom to have her close at night. Since the nursery is attached to our master bedroom in this house, it didn't make much sense to have another sleeping area only steps closer. Maybe this will help in keeping this baby in the crib from the get-go! We'll see.

We also moved Lily's carseat from the middle of the backseat to the side to make room for baby's infant carrier. Lily wasn't psyched about this at first, but she is adjusting to her new "big girl" position in the car.

Slowly our environment is changing to reflect the little addition coming to our household. It is amazing how a someone so small requires so much stuff!

36 Weeks