Due Date

Today is the day. Went to the midwife this morning and she basically told me I'm still pregnant. Heartbeat is good, size is good. Went for a walk in the mall this morning after my appointment. People kept looking at my big belly, they looked concerned. Still gaining weight, maybe I should not have eaten that giant pretzel at the mall. I am thinking this baby will be bigger then the first. The midwife said that the mother's intuition is usually correct. That would mean a 9 to 10 pound baby . . . not going to think about it!

Marlena should be back home tomorrow and I can't wait to see her. Maybe that is what her littler sister is waiting on. Trying to keep busy. Going to pack the car up tonight and start making crusts for Christmas pies. Keeping busy . . .

One More Day

One more day until my due date. The doctor's office called this morning to reschedule my appointment for today because my midwife was delivering someones baby. I was a little disappointed not to go today but they rescheduled for tomorrow. I don't think there is really anything new that she can tell me other then, "You're still pregnant!".

Ate more pineapple yesterday it is not something that induces labor for me but It is mighty tasty. I get to work more on the house today so that will keep me busy. Maybe she is waiting until I am finished cleaning.

Marlena is spending time in with my parents and I am really starting to miss her. I know that it is good that she is there instead of with me bored out of her mind watching me clean. I do miss our daily routine. Plus I was able to actually clean her room which really needed some reorganizing.

Anyway, off to mop the floors!

What is this baby waiting for Christmas!!!

Went to the see the midwife today(39 weeks) and there is really no new news to report. I'm beginning to think this baby will be born 6 days late like her big sister. I was hoping the midwife would say "Lets get to the hospital, this baby is about to fall out!!" I am really enjoying having a midwife this time around. I have had to call twice so far and I actually talk directly to her! She gave me her office number, cell phone number and home number!!! Usually if I have a problem I call the doctor around 9:00am hoping to talk to someone and I get a call around 5:00pm-6:30pm from the nurse. I could get used to this.

Meanwhile, Marlena is practicing being a big sister. The other morning she climbed into our bed and gently laid her body over by belly and said "Body slam my baby sister." A wrestling move I will surely have to thank her father for later!

Pineapple and Papaya

Marlena looking like a crazy squirrel as I try to use the self timer on the camera.

Best picture I could get with the self timer.

Pineapple is supposed to naturally induce labor . . . I ate enough pineapple to give my mouth a citrus burn and I am still pregnant. I have also heard that papaya juice is also a natural inducer. Well, I guess we will have to see about that. We are still working on the house to I want to get a little more done before I try it. Even though I know no one is really every truly prepared for a new addition to the family.

What is the rest of the family doing? Well , Scott is working hard at the store http://www.texashauteseat.com/ He has been very busy lately and will be even busier in the new year (in addition to our new baby girl) when the store is opened three days a week. Marlena is ready to celebrate Jesus's and her baby sisters birthday. She wants to make a cake for them both. We made some cookies for Santa all ready since I thought they would last longer. It is definitely a month for celebration!

38 Weeks ! ! ! ! ! !

Everything is going well. Went to my 38th week appointment and we listened to the heartbeat. We are waiting until next week to check for any dilation. It becomes a little stressful this last part of the pregnancy because I wake up everyday think is today the day?! I'm trying to keep myself busy getting baby clothes ready, getting a bag packed for the hospital, keeping involved in our weekly activities. So much to do so little time. I keep checking things off the adding more to the list.

I went to the grocery store to buy some milk and the past due date on it was the 25th of December. I was thinking I could still have this milk in the fridge when our baby gets here! We went to Target today and Marlena picked out an outfit for her baby sister. She tells me that her baby sister will be ready to come out on Saturday. Let's hope I have a little more time to prepare! She wanted to buy her sister preteen clothing and I keep having to reminder her that she is going to be very small at first and then she will get bigger.

Anyway, I better get back to that To Do List!

37 Weeks

Getting my socks on in the morning is quite the challenge. Every time I attempt it I think I'm doing to break my water. Coughing and sneezing has also gotten stressful since I am sure the baby will fly out of me. Not too much longer! I can't wait to meet her and introduce her to everyone.

This time around I decided to go with a midwife . I went in for my 37 week appointment and she did not check for dilation. She said she only checks if there is a concern or at 39 weeks and does not feel it is necessary for an invasive procedure otherwise. It made sense to me since you can be dilated for weeks and nothing happens and in my case last time I didn't dilate until my water broke and I was already at the hospital. For those of you that have concerns, I will still be delivering at the hospital. I don't think I could do a home birth it is the furthest thing from my mind. I decided to go with a midwife because I want to TRY to do it natural . . . TRY. I am still not sure that I can do it without the meds. I wanted to do it natural the last time around but after the first contraction I was begging for an epidural! I told the anesthesiologist that I loved him after he finally administered it. I was very close to a C-section with Marlena. I remember them wheeling me in to the operating room and getting ready to strap my arms down. The whole time I was asking if I was getting a C-section and no one would talk to me. Scott was not in the room because they forgot to get him after he changed into scrubs. The doctor (thank you Dr. Haskett) had to tell them twice to get Scott in room. He yelled "That is unacceptable, someone get him!" After Scott got in there they told him I was getting a C-section but Scott told them that we did not want one unless it was absolutely necessary. Luckily, they were able to get her out with forceps . Dr. Haskett was not my doctor at the time he was on call that day since it was a weekend. Which is another reason I went with a midwife. Since I will probably deliver during the holidays I wanted to make sure the person that has been seeing me through my appointments and knows what I want will be the one with me during delivery. My midwife will since she is the only one there. I know that things still may not go the way I plan and having a healthy baby is the most important thing. I'm excited to see how things go this time around!

We are going to try to get the Christmas tree up. If there is not already a lot to do! Marlena has been asking for us to put it up and I want it to feel like Christmas so hopefully we can get it up before we have to take it down. With the new baby here we may have it up until May. Still trying to get everything ready for her arrival. Let's see how much we can accomplish . . .

Does this shirt make me look fat?!

30 days to go and I am feeling it! I'm thankful that there is no swelling so far. Last time my I could not recognize my hands and feet. It was summer time and I had to wear my sandals half way on and half way off. Also there has been no middle of the night leg cramps and my favorite neck cramps! This time I have restless leg syndrome (Scott says I've always had it) and when I wake up in the morning it feels like I already had the baby. After googling it I found out it is called symphisis pubic dysfunction or SPD. It happens to be pretty common. I don't look forward to night time but I know I need to stock up on sleep while I can.

Marlena is so ready to meet her baby sister. While we were driving she told me that she wants Gisele to sit on her lap in the car so that she can kiss her. I told her that she would have to have her own car seat and she told me to get her a big one like hers. I tried to explain that Gisele's would have to be smaller because she would be smaller. Marlena told me that Gisele would be big so she would need a big chair. I told her that we would just have to see what she looks like when she comes out and she finally agreed to that.

We are slowly getting the house together. We went through tons of toys this weekend and going to try to sell some to make some room. It is feeling a little crowded! It is hard to concentrate on getting things ready with all the holiday plans also in the mix. Well, at least it is keeping me busy!