Goodbye DINKS

Well, this will hopefully be our last blog post as non-parents;  I woke up this morning and immediately felt “different.”  I spent several hours walking with a friend (completely tiring Bo in the process), and felt more pressure throughout the morning.  This afternoon we had a doctor’s appointment, which started with a non-stress test (NST), a standard procedure for any pregnancy longer than 40 weeks.   During the NST they track both the baby’s heart rate (should elevate at least twice within 20-30 minutes of monitoring) and contractions.  My contractions had started!  Though mild, they were consistent (every 3-4 minutes) and distinguishable.   After further exams, Dr. Keith suggested that labor should progress well and baby W should be here within a day or two!  Yay!

Since the appointment this afternoon I have continued to feel the contractions, but I would still describe the pain/intensity as mild.  I am hoping for some degree of sleep tonight and a baby tomorrow!   Should, however, baby W keep us waiting, we’ll be going to the hospital on Thursday to speed things up.   I believe, and my doctor seems to agree, that assistance probably won’t be necessary, but it’s not in the best interest of baby W to keep laboring for days on end.  So….we’ll keep everyone posted, but tomorrow could be the day!

Waiting…

There have been a lot of challenges related to pregnancy and preparing to expand our family, but this final period of waiting is really testing my limits!  While not everything is 100% perfect for baby W’s arrival (the nursery isn’t decorated, and we admittedly are still tossing around a few name ideas), Sam and I are really anxious to meet our little one and start this next phase of our lives.  I’m sure that parenthood is going to bring us a million and one surprises and a whole new set of challenges, but we are both ready to jump in with both feet.  Let’s get this party started!

We had another doctors appointment yesterday, and according to Dr. Keith I was measuring “small” (which makes me chuckle, since I would NEVER use that adjective to describe myself right now!)  So, we followed her recommendation and did an extra ultrasound to check on the baby’s growth and fluid levels.  The baby is estimated to weigh 6 lbs. and 7 oz, putting him/her in the 18% percentile.  Honestly, this is just fine with me!!  Fluid levels looked normal, the heart rate was between 130 – 140, and everything seems healthy with baby Williamson.  But, there is just no way to predict when this star will make his/her grand entrance…it could be in 6 hours or 6 days!  If nothing happens over the weekend, we’ll go back for another appointment and a non-stress test on Monday afternoon.  Should we make it to that appointment, I have no doubt that Dr. Keith will recommend (and by “recommend” I mean strongly push) inducing the baby.

So, Sam and I are praying each day that this baby will come when it’s ready, and that day will come sooner rather than later.  I’m working to trust God’s timing, but every morning I wake up and wonder, “Will this be our child’s birthday?”  Sam has been a saint keeping me occupied and catering to my physical needs.  He is the champion of back massages and letting me put my feet up! 

In the meantime, thank you to everyone for all of the calls, emails, text messages and support!  We are grateful that so many people care about this child and are excited to meet him or her.  We plan to contact everyone just as soon as something happens….stay tuned!

Showered!

The last weekend in March my sisters hosted an AMAZING baby shower to honor the little one joining us soon.  It was literally perfect, and I am so grateful to everyone who shared in the joy and excitement!

The weekend started off right with my Grandma and Grandpa coming into town on Friday afternoon after their long drive from New Bern, NC.  After a brief visit at the house, we headed downtown for dinner.  The experience left much to be desired (it was the noisiest restaurant ever, it rained on us, a dog peed on the restaurant patio, drunk baseball fans surrounded us…you get the point) so we packed up our meals and brought them back home for a more enjoyable evening.  While I was mad about it at the time, my Grandma was right that I would laugh about the experience later.  I guess she has gained some wisdom over the years! 

The rest of our families arrived in town on Saturday morning.  The shower was held at Brick Street Cafe, a local restaurant and bakery known for their desserts, and the food did not disappoint!  Everyone was raving about the sweet-potato cake with cream cheese icing.

Delicious Dessert!

The theme was bees, and the colors were yellow and gray; Perfect for a boy or a girl!  My sisters carried the theme thoughout every inch of the party - invitations, decorations, thank-you notes, favors…I was truly moved by how much time and effort they had put into the details of the party.

The placecards

Guest Sign-In Tree!

A diaper bee-hive. I literally teared up when I had to take this apart!

All of the guests filled out a “baby name bracket”, in honor of March-madness, and a “Wishes for Baby” card.  Sam and I have enjoyed reading through these cards and name ideas, and I plan to put them in an album to read to our little peanut in the future.

The whole group of wonderful friends and family!

With the Grandmas

This handsome man stopped by!

All of the aunts

Overall, the day was absolutely amazing.  Sam and I literally felt “showered” with love, support, encouragement, friendship and blessings.  Thank you to everyone!!

36 weeks…where has the time gone?!

We are just a month away from our due date, and I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying!  Here is the latest:

How Far Along? 36 weeks and 1 day

How Big is Baby?  Roughly the size of a coconut, at 4.2 – 5.8 pounds and 17.2 – 18.7 inches long.  Supposedly the baby is gaining around 1 oz. per day!

Weight Gain?  34 pounds, as of my last doctor’s appointment

Maternity Clothes? This question seems a bit irrelevant at this point!

Exercise?  Just walking, and even that can get me out of breath pretty quickly

Riding my horse?  No, not for a while now.  I still visit him a few times per week and lunge him (a workout for him, but all it requires is that I just stand there).

Stretch Marks?  Happy to report that I’ve probably missed this side effect of pregnancy!

Zzzzzzzs?  Sleeping well, although I’m restricted to only one comfortable position:  On my right side.

Cravings?  No, not anymore

Aversions?  Anything that could induce heartburn – carbonated drinks, spicy foods, too much dairy…

Baby Movements?  All the time.  The baby is strong enough that occasionally the kicking can hurt a little bit.  It’s a good thing that nobody stares at my stomach all day, since it looks like it is having seizures!

What I miss?  Running.  I have never been a big runner, but I still wish that I COULD run.  And, of course, riding my horse!

Milestone?  Next week will be a big one once we’re considered full-term…

Notes from the Doctor: Everything is looking great!  The heart rate was 13o at our last appointment.

Random Questions/Quotes/Comments from Strangers:  A middle aged-woman to her 4 or 5-year-old son, while pointing at me, “Jeremy, do you see that lady’s stomach?!”.  Uh, what am I?  A science fair project?  I felt like I needed to stand up so Jeremy could get a better view.

Other News:  The last month has been busy, busy, busy!  We had our baby shower, a trip to Raleigh, our “babymoon” vacation and a lot of excitement with church friends who adopted a little boy from Ethiopia.  So, expect some “better late than never” blog updates coming this week!  Until then, I leave you with these photos from last Tuesday evening:

30 Weeks

How Far Along?  30 weeks and 3 days

How Big is Baby?  Still like a squash, roughly 2.5 – 3.5 pounds and 15.5 -16.5 inches long.

Weight Gain?  28 pounds.  Right on target

Maternity Clothes?  Time to switch to warm weather gear;  The highs here are in the high 70′s and low 80′s all week!

Exercise?  It’s horrible, but none this week.   I’ve been plagued with another round of sore throat, cold, cough, etc.  I just haven’t had the energy to do anything physical.

Riding my horse?  Just one walk this week.

Stretch Marks?  Looking good so far!

Zzzzzzzs?  Horrible!  I am lucky if I get two hours uninterrupted, and 4 or 5  for an entire night.  Between the heartburn, coughing, and restroom breaks, I’ve managed to be awake for a lot of sunrises!  Thankfully Sam is turning into a sound sleeper, ignoring all of the commotion.  I guess this phase is preparation for when the baby needs to be fed at all hours of the night? 

Cravings?  None this week.  I’ve been sucking so many cough drops that everything just tastes like Menthol anyways

Aversions?  None, but I haven’t really had an appetite because of the cold

Baby Movements?  All day long.  The kicks remind me why pregnancy is a blessing!

What I miss?  Sleep, sleep and sleep!

Milestone?  Crossing the 30 week threshold feels like a milestone.  We’re at the point now that our baby could survive if he/she were to come tomorrow.  It’s comforting to know that every day he/she is getting stronger. 

Notes from the Doctor: We had another appointment this morning, since now I’m having check-ups every 2 weeks.  All of the stats were perfect, and the baby’s heart rate is 130.  For some reason our doctor had the monitor turned on full-blast, so we were practically deafened by the sound of the heartbeat.  I’m pretty sure that everyone in that doctor’s office got to hear baby Williamson.   Our doctor was also in a very good mood today, which was a pleasant surprise, given that we’ve had some tense conversations with her in the past.  It was nice to see that she isn’t just a good doctor, but also has some personality.  It must be all the nice weather we’ve been having…

New Category!  Random Questions/Quotes/Comments from Strangers:  I’ve now been introduced to the weird interactions that strangers have with pregnant women.  People ask me questions or make comments ALL THE TIME!   I really don’t mind, as the questions are harmless and the comments are generally encouraging, but so many people interact with me that wouldn’t have in my non-pregnant days.  Here are some of the highlights from just the last 24 hours:

- Lady at the gas station cash register (with deep Southern accent): “Honey, you carry that baby so well!”

- Middle aged business man in the line for free ice cream at Jason’s Deli:  “You better go straight for the cone!  Especially if it is a boy!”  (?)

- Homeless man in the parking lot at work: “Ma’am, is that baby kickin’ you a lot?”

Interesting.  I feel as though I’m bonding with a lot of strangers, but I guess I’m grateful for everyone’s attention to our baby. 

Other News:  Grandparents, Great-grands, Aunts, Uncles, and friends will be pleased in the next few months, as we have finally invested in a new camera to document the little one!  (As you probably noticed from the last few posts, our photography doesn’t exactly impress)  Sam asked for a new camera for his birthday, and he found a great deal online for a Nikon D5100.  It arrived in the mail yesterday, and HE IS SO EXCITED!  We’re still waiting on the memory card to arrive, but look forward to better pictures in the future.

We also received a video camera for Christmas, so we are fully prepared to capture our child’s every awkward moment.  We look forward to embarrassing him or her in future years with our collection of home videos!

Nursery Beginnings

Planning a nursery for our little one has been a project, to say the least.

Our house has three bedrooms, the middle of which is 11 X 11 with a nice window to the backyard.  It has always been our intention to use this room as a nursery, so for the first year and half of living in our house, it simply got ignored.  More accurately, it was used as a dumping ground for miscellaneous furniture, out of season clothing, etc.  (With plenty of storage space in our attic and basement, I’m not sure why this room was always such a mess!)  Regardless, step one was to find a new home for all of our junk and clear out the space.

This bedroom was the only one to escape our painting craze when we first purchased the house, thus, it was its original “purply-mud” color.  It was plagued with chipped and dingy trim, holes in the wall, a dirty ceiling, and black outlets.  The room required a ton of prep work, but Sam busted his tail to spackle, sand, and clean every inch.

Prepped for painting

Although I helped some, we knew the trim contained lead paint, and it was safer for the baby for me to be out of the house while dust was flying.  Sam and I both took extra precautions by wearing Darth Vader-esque masks though.

Playing it safe!

Once all of the prep work was complete, we started by giving the ceiling a fresh coat of bright white paint  (flat finish).  We then painted the walls with two coats of Benjamin Moore’s “Gossamer Blue”.  We chose the “Natura” line of paints, since they are the most green and no-VOC.  While we’re not too extreme on being green, we try to make smart choices when possible, and this paint seemed to be an easy way to lessen chemical exposure to our baby.

Working hard on the first coat of Gossamer Blue paint

Then came the hard part: The trim for the entire room needed to be painted.  Since this is where lead paint was exposed, all of the trim required three thick coats!  We used the bright white paint again, but this time in a semi-gloss finish.  We developed a nice system, where I did all of the taping, and Sam worked diligently for over a week to finish all of the trim painting.

Such a hard worker!

Doesn’t the room look so much better?!  It’s difficult to demonstrate in pictures, but all of the prep work and new paint really gives the room a fresh, new look!

Glucose Good News

As I had expected, I passed the glucose test just fine.  One step closer to a healthy baby in May!