Becoming A Fish

It's no secret that Y loves the water, she asks to go to the pool daily and she hates being told on Sunday's that she can't go.  Well last month B had promised her that the next time we went to Wal-mart he would buy her a toy.  He thought she'd forget that promise, but he was wrong!  So when they went to Wal-Mart she got to pick out a toy - she picked a noodle to use in the pool - he got off cheap! 

So since having this noodle she has made great progress in the pool, becoming much more comfortable swimming around in there with B at a greater distance from her.  On Friday, I went to the pool with them to take a video, here are 2 of the quick segments I got!

I love to hear her say, "Daddy get away from me so I can get you!!"

38 Week Appointments

So now that I'm almost 39 weeks I figured I should post an update about my 38 week appointments.

On Tuesday I went in with the idea that I would have him strip my membranes (helps assist in the loss of the mucus plug and for some people induces labor).  I asked his opinion about it and he told me that generally it only helps if the individual is at least 4cm dilated, so we agreed that we'd check me and if I was at a 4 then we'd give it a shot.  Well I was only at 3cm, not effaced at all, and Baby Q was still riding high - needless to say we didn't do any membrane stripping.

On Friday, I was attached to the fetal monitor for around an hour and fifteen minutes, for the first 30-45 minutes of which she didn't move at all.  He was then called away to run over to the hospital for a delivery and the moment he left I started to feel a contraction.  Well I guess that's all she needed to wake up and get moving because after that she was all over the place!  As for the contraction, on one hand I was happy because I knew that something was getting started and on the other hand I was bummed that it was only one contraction.  I began to feel a bit better about it when later that night I discovered that I was beginning to lose my mucus plug - without having membranes stripped!

I had a few more contractions that night and have had a few in the days since, I've also continued to slowly lose bits and pieces of my plug - it's all progress so I try not to complain.  I've started saying a "special" prayer and requesting that since Heavenly Father is all-knowing that if it be His will and I could have a successful VBAC then to help labor get started before Friday afternoon at 4pm.  And if the case would be that labor would not end in a VBAC then to just hold off on everything until Friday at 4pm.  I'm not sure if it'll work but I'm sure the prayer is being heard!

"Princess" Board

I'm not the most creative or original person you'll ever meet!  I am, however, really good at duplicating something I like when I see it.  And so when I saw this post over at Baby Makin(g) Machine (a blog which I read frequently) I just knew that I wanted to make something similar for my princess.  I just had one hang-up, when I originally read the post I knew that we were planning to start trying for baby #2 in the coming months.  And since Y and baby #2 were going to be sharing a room, I wanted to wait until 1) we were pregnant and 2) we knew the gender.  So in March, after our ultrasound, the wheels started to turn in my head.

I should interject that I'm very fortunate to have some very talented and crafty friends here locally.  I spoke with one of these friends regarding what I wanted and she gave me some awesome ideas to make the project even better.  She has a vinyl cutter and I simply emailed her to see if she would be able to create the vinyl for me but she also gave me the idea of using scrapbooking paper behind the vinyl.  On top of that great idea she also recommended that I contact a mutual friend, who is amazing at carpentry and woodworking, to shape the edges of the board so it wasn't so boxy and gave it more of a finished look. 

The project is finally finished and I am super excited about it, I fall in love with it again every time I walk into the room!  Here you can see pictures of the progress from start to finish!
 

I started with a regular 1" thick board from Lowe's which measured 12" wide and 4' long.  I can't remember what it cost but I think it was somewhere between $6 and $10.

 

The edges after being shaped by a friend.



I choose to stain the wood instead of paint it.  I wanted a cherry wood color that would match all the furniture in their room and the closest I could find was called Red Mahogany by Minwax.  It's not a perfect match but it's close enough!

 

Here's the board after I added the scrapbooking paper.  It's super easy to do, all you need is Mod Podge and the paper of your choice.  First, cut the paper to the size you need to fit the board, apply a small amount of Mod Podge to the board and then apply the paper.  After all paper is applied to the board allow it to dry and then apply Mod Podge to the top of the paper.

 

Take some measurements and apply the vinyl.  I was sort of paranoid because I have never applied such a large piece of vinyl so I just had my friend help me out with that part.  She was a huge help and had some techniques I never would have thought of.



The final project hanging above their window.  The window is just over 6ft wide so you can probably understand why I needed the board to be so big.

 

In case you're wondering why I didn't chose a polka-dot scrapbooking paper which would certainly match the decor of the room a little better, it's because I needed a paper that was both feminine and would grow with them.  I'm sure that eventually I, and they, will outgrow my polka-dot obsession and so I went with a more neutral paper.  In either case, I think it turned out perfectly.


I'm pretty relieved to finally have this complete!  Baby Q will be here within a week and a half and fortunately my to-do list is dwindling down.

37 Weeks

Time is winding down, we'll be meeting Baby Q soon!!  I'm so ready to see her and hold her but not sure I'm ready for the late night/early morning feedings or even the adjustment period that comes with a new baby.  I've been spending a lot of time with Y talking about Q and what will happen when it's time for her to come and teaching her how to hold her using her baby dolls.  Y now walks around the house saying that "Baby Q will be here in a few weeks."  She really is excited about it, she touches my belly all the time and when we're home she is known to pull my shirt up just to see if Baby Q is moving.  She also asks me a lot what Baby Q is doing, most of the times she asks I just tell her that she's sleeping unless of course she happens to be doing a lot of moving around.

Everything is still going pretty smoothly, not sure if I'm dilated any more than the 2cm from last week, he didn't check me on Tuesday so he may just wait and do it on Friday at my next appointment.  Our friend K from Sarnia drove over with her kids to spend the day with us yesterday so we all went to dinner, a park and then out for some ice cream.  It was super hot so we didn't let the kids play at the park for too long after dinner but we stayed just long enough to get some pictures taken.  But please excuse the big greasy stain on my shirt, you'd think I was nursing already and leaking milk but I'm not...I'm just a messy eater when out in public apparently!

The Plan

After our ultrasound on Wednesday I wrote a quick post to update you on the latest news regarding the pregnancy in general and Baby Q's size. In the same post I informed you that I had made a decision but wanted to discuss it with my doctor before announcing it to the world. Now that we've discussed it with him we'll let everyone else in on the plan.

My original plan was to set a C-section date of August 8, a day before my due date. However, if I were to go into labor prior to that then we would attempt a VBAC. There was a scheduling conflict with August 8th so we have instead decided on Friday, August 5th in the early-mid evening.

Dr. L had no issues at all with this plan of action but he did make it clear that should we attempt a VBAC and something starts to go wrong or if I have a period of several hours with no progression then he'd call for a C-Section before it would reach the point of needing an emergency C-Section because that would be the worst possible scenario for someone in my position. I had no issues at all agreeing to that because in the end I want the healthiest possible delivery for myself and for Q.

So there you have it, 3 weeks from today one way or another Q will be here with us! I'm both nervous and excited by this!

Impromptu Pictures

Today while I had the camera out taking pictures of the Baby Q's newly hung name, Y decided that she wanted to have her picture taken too and since this isn't something that she allows me to do very often, I decided to take her up on it.  I suppose I should clarify that when I say, "she doesn't allow me to do it very often," it's not that she doesn't like to have her photo taken, she LOVES it.  But she wants to have her picture taken and stand BEHIND the camera to SEE the picture at the same time.  One day she'll understand that I actually have to take the picture before she can see the picture on the camera, but until that day arrives I guess we'll be snapping these impromptu photos.

Finally Finished!

As of yesterday I finally finished painting the letter's of Baby Q's name.  It took several weeks of me staying up late while everyone else was in bed but I was finally able to complete it and hung it on the wall today.  It's pretty much exactly like Y's name (which I swore I'd never do again but since they're sharing a room it didn't leave me much of an option) except I used a turquoise base coat instead of lavender.  Here's the Q and the Y from their names so you can see their similarities and differences.

Now that I have fully completed one project I just have to work on completing the other two, which have been in progress at the same time as I was painting her name.  Hopefully I'll have pictures of those posted soon because my time is winding down!

A Quick Update

It's late and I should be in bed so I am just quickly posting an update.

For the most part, all is well, Baby Q appears to be healthy, my blood pressures and glucose levels are all doing great.  On Tuesday I went in for my first NST for the week and everything was perfectly normal.  Dr. L gave me the all clear to leave and then the nurse asked him if he was going to check me.  He assumed she was referring to checking my amniotic fluid levels but he had already done that last Friday so she clarified that she was referring to checking me for dilation as well as taking a sample to perform the Group B Strep test.  When he realized what she meant he made the statement, "oh yeah, but I don't know why because she never dilates!"  Well upon checking me to his surprise and mine he found that I was actually 2cm, he then proceeded to attempt to calm me down and reassure me that it does not mean I will be going into labor anytime soon.  If you know me well then you know that his reassurances did little to calm my panic at the time.  I just kept thinking of all the things I need to finish before she arrives.  I remained in a panic much of yesterday but after sleeping on it I awoke feeling more accepting of it, what will be will be after all.

Today, Wednesday, I went in for a 36 week ultrasound and it's estimated that Baby Q is in the 92nd percentile and weighing approximately 7lbs 6oz - in other words, she's another big baby!  At this point in pregnancy they estimate that a baby gains about ½ a pound a week and so with another 4 weeks to go until my due date we're looking at adding on another possible 2 pounds.  It's important to remember that these estimates are +/- a pound but I found from my experience with Y that it was pretty accurate.  At 38 weeks she was estimated to be about 8lbs 10oz and she was born just over a week later weighing 8lbs 14oz.

As for what this means for my decision about VBAC or C-Section, I do believe I have come to a conclusion but I am still gonna wait to talk to Dr L on Friday when I go in for my other NST.  I feel comfortable with the decision but I still want to ponder and pray about it before announcing it to the world, so stay tuned!  If all goes well I will be posting again in the next few days to let you all in on my little plan!

Diaper Bag

When pregnant with Y you could say I was polka dot obsessed, it wouldn't be an overstatement in the least.  I fell head-over-heels in love with the Deco pattern by Graco and bought almost every item they sold in the print.  The exception was the bouncer chair, because I wanted the Fisher-Price Rainforest chair instead, and the high chair (had they made a space-saver version I definitely would have bought it)!  They also made and sold a diaper bag with the print and so of course that was the diaper bag that I wanted.  I loved the print but I must admit it was small, fortunately with only one kid I could make due with it.  Several months after Y was born they came out with a larger diaper bag in the same print and I made sure to tell B that whenever we had our next kid we were buying the larger version.  Well it turns out when you put 3 years between your kids the things you purchased/wanted with one kid may no longer be available when another kid comes along, and so it wasn't meant to be for me to have that bag.

Deco print by Graco

I suppose it's just as well though because, though I haven't fully outgrown my love of polka dots, it has lessened to some degree.  I found myself attracted to black and white prints this pregnancy, mainly damask and so I set out to find a black and white damask diaper bag.  Well I didn't exactly find anything that I loved or even liked that much in that exact print and color scheme.  I did however find a bag that I instantly fell in love with and decided I had to have it.  It's made by JJ Cole and the print is named Black Magnolia.  I was so excited the day that it arrived in the mail and I am anxiously awaiting the ability to put all of it's pockets and attachments to use.

Ironical

A few days ago I came across the term Placenta Accreta when doing a little more research concerning C-Sections and so I did a little reading up on the term and well, let's just say it freaked me out.  Mostly what disturbed me about it was the idea that most often it can't even be detected until the baby is born, and if you know me then you know I don't like surprises!  I like to know exactly what to expect.

Fast forward to today's doctor appointment which was at 1pm.  Everything was great, I was taken back, gave my urine sample, was hooked up to the machine and then just sat there waiting for Baby Q to move and Dr. L to come in and check on me.  Well, I waited...and waited...and waited.  I could hear the nurses talking outside the door and was able to gather that he had a C-Section scheduled for 12pm but hadn't made it back yet.  2pm rolls around and I'm still hooked up to the machine with no doctor in sight.  Finally at 2:15pm I hear them say that he is on his way back (FYI my doctor's office is right next to the hospital, the two buildings are literally connected) and they explained that the delay was because after the schedule C-Section was complete another patient was ready to deliver so he had to stay and deliver that baby too.  Well at 2:35pm he finally arrives and comes in to check on, me the nurse is also in the room and he begins to talk about the C-Section and how the patient had Placenta Accreta.  Well he probably didn't expect me to know what that was because quite honestly had I not come across the term 2 days earlier I would have had no clue what he was referring to.  And so I mention to him that I had literally just read about that 2 days prior and how ironic it is that he's standing in front of me talking about it now.  I mean it's a pretty stinking rare occurrence, much less to happen right after I finish reading up on it.

Now there are 3 degrees of Placenta Accreta depending on how deep the placenta attaches itself inside the uterine wall.  The worst case scenario is Placenta Percreta (click on the link provided above for more info) but it's also the rarest of the 3 and it just so happens that whoever this lady is, had just that and the only solution was an emergency hysterectomy.  Apparently she wanted a tubal ligation anyway so I guess, hopefully, that made it a little easier for her.  So if reading about it a couple days ago didn't make me nervous enough hearing about this today made me even moreso nervous.  I guess the scariest thing is that regardless of whether someone chooses to have a VBAC or C-section, if they end up with Placenta Accreta the decision they make won't change the fact that they have it.  I guess it just makes you think...

By the way, all was well at the appointment!  Six more weeks to go...