39 Weeks + 1 Day

I have passed my 39 week mark and am working towards 40 weeks! It was so thoughtful when a friend brought me flowers today from her garden. I feel like I have been stuck in such a self-centered state for so long that it was good to just hang out with a friend and let our kids play in our cul-de-sac. I hope I can return the favor when my head is out of this pre-laboring cloud.

Aren't they gorgeous:


Do you think we get out enough? Here is my child taking photos of the outside world through the doggy door. I promise he got to ride his tricycle today:


Pregnancy update: I had another prenatal appointment today. My midwife told me I am a bit more dilated and she wouldn't be surprised if baby comes sooner than later. I left her office feeling confident that all was well. About an hour later, my midwife called me back saying she was concerned about my headaches and vision spots. She called my OB and he suggested I go into his office and have some tests run to rule out preeclampsia. My OB is on vacation so he thought the other OB would still be in the office, but come to find out everyone had gone home. So the other OB told Rosanna which tests to run so I headed back to her office for another visit. She drew my blood, did a fetal stress test, and checked my urine. She just called around 9pm to say my lab work came back just fine, but the OB needs to go over it to make sure. I still can't believe how quickly things can get done. I still can't believe my OB is on vacation in Mexico and still answered Rosanna's email! Poor doctors, they never get a break (darn Smartphones). Anyways, so I have been having mild contractions every five minutes since leaving Rosanna's office. We will see if they develop into anything overnight. I am just praying that I don't get a call tomorrow from the OB saying he wants me to go to the hospital for monitoring. I guess that would probably mean they would induce and want me to have the baby. Well, this paragraph is huge so I should probably stop now while ahead. I hope I have good news for everyone by tomorrow, being a baby or a pardon by the OB.

P.S. These headaches and vision spots are not a new concept for me. They were the reason I did all the lab work two weeks ago. I know they are red flags, but I have always suffered from migraines and remember feeling a bit like this with Blake's labor. The only difference between the two labors is that Blake came six days after pre-laboring so there wasn't a lot of time for symptoms to develop. I am not questioning authority, but feel deep down this is just how my body does this. Relax, deep breath, off to bed.

Testing, Building Up, or Just Plain Teasing

Was it the Hawaiian BBQ dinner? We met up with friends at Hukilau in San Jose last night to celebrate Casey's birthday. Andrew and I decided to get a sitter so we could have a date night out before baby comes. It was nice to gather with friends and not have to worry about our son squirming around or throwing restaurant fits. Peter guessed the baby would arrive last night so I was ready to call him at midnight when strong contractions set in. They only lasted for an hour or so, but they were the strongest so far. I went back to bed, but still haven't gotten rid of this achy abdomen feeling. It is a cross between nausea and that feeling before a contraction comes on. I have had a few contractions this morning, but nothing lasting. Maybe Danika will win since she said the baby would come today?

Here is Casey blowing out his candle:

Science Guys

Our neighbors had an extra hot air balloon science kit and were kind enough to give it to Blake. We decided to crack that kit open and take it for a test run. Here is how the Hurst household tackles science:

Got it on the first try:



Take 2:


Take 3:


Take 4:


Final flight:


We may not be the most experienced science team, but we had fun.

Baby update: I am back to feeling pretty normal without much pre-laboring at all. I am starting to think that my midwife was right that the UTI probably gave me those symptoms. The only discomfort I have is my big belly, but nothing leading me to believe this kid is coming out soon. I am one week away from my due date so time will tell. I am now wondering if he will be an Earth Day baby?

Gathering

We needed one more chair in the family room and I happened to find this on craigslist the other day. It is a bit beat up, but for $20 I couldn't pass it up. It is super springy and fun to sit in. The cushions were covered with a horrible, pastel fabric so I knew I would need to do something about them. I stopped by the thrift store down the street and found a whole set of couch covers in this butter yellow fabric. The best part was they were $9.99 with 30% off. What a deal. I took the covers home, washed them, shrunk them and they fit perfectly. I have spares so I can just throw on a new one if I don't have time to wash them. Ellen suggested dying them in different colors. Oh, the options.

Today, I am not patient about waiting for this baby. I am taking Blake to the library for storytime so I can get my mind off this baby. The baby was super quiet yesterday, but has since woken up last night and continues to wriggle all around. Andrew was playing guitar and made up a song to try to lure him to the outside world. Then he got to the part about Teenie and LuLu being dirty and I told him that might not help.

Rainy Day Sunday

This rain is so great. It seems to shimmer when it comes down because it is so fine, but there is tons of it. My human baby may not be out yet, but I have two new babies to add to my garden. I inherited two staghorn ferns that I love, love, love. When the rain stops, Andrew will have the fun job of hanging them on our back fence so I can see them out my kitchen window. I am quite attached to them already so I pray I water them enough to keep them alive:


What do you do with a child and husband when it is raining? Why, you unleash them at a place called the Jungle in San Jose for an hour or so:


They reminded me of hamsters when they were climbing through the tubes:


I called the Jungle before we left to ask about pricing, etc. and this is what the teenage boy said (imagine the most monotone voice you have ever heard) as he answered, "We are going bananas over here at the Jungle, how may I help you." It cracked me up.

Video footage of the madness:




Baby update: I slept all the way through the night last night and the baby has been super quiet today. A sign? Who knows. Lots of pre-labor feelings though without contractions.

In all of this fuss about baby #2, I have overlooked a much needed post. The celebration of my son's second birthday. I can't believe two years have gone by since the birth this special guy. Everyday he brings me such joy. Here are some things I want to write down before I forget them:
1. I love how you are built just like your father.
2. I always said I wanted more of an adventurous child instead of a worry wart like me and boy did I get it. People describe you as "all boy" and it makes me smile each time.
3. I like that you can be the center of attention one moment and then get shy the next.
4. Your coordination has amazed me and I still can't believe how early you started pedaling a tricycle.
5. I am pretty sure you are smart like your daddy since you are better at navigating our town than your mother is!

There are so many other things I love about this kid, but I won't sicken everyone else with the details (that is what baby books were invented for). I can't wait to see what Blake will do in the near/far future. I feel like I am along for the ride with him and he already has his path planned out. I will try not to step in the way! I love you big boy Blake.

Baby #2 update: Nothing new to report. I had one big contraction yesterday when we went to pick up our van from the body shop (we fixed the rust around both windshields). Other than that, the baby is just bumping around in his shrinking space.

Moving Slower

Here is what 38 weeks looks like. I like how the baby and mama seem so serene. The picture is from babycenter. Their website says this about 38 weeks:

* average size is 6.8 pounds at this point
* average length is 19.5 inches
* organs are mature and ready for life outside

I had another prenatal appointment with Rosanna and she was happy to get a good blood pressure reading. Nothing much to report, but everyone seems to have relaxed about the urgency of this baby coming out. She doubts I will make it all the way to 40 weeks and I hope she is right.

I woke up with contractions at 3am this morning and they lasted until about 5:30am. I crawled back into bed around 6:00am and was thoroughly annoyed when Andrew's alarm went off at 6:15am. I asked him why he thinks he needs to get up that early to go for a bike ride, but I guess that is what normal people do when they are not pre-laboring. My body is doing its usual evening thing by getting all tense and stirred up, but tonight I am going to sleep through this and try to function at a higher level tomorrow.

P.S. I may sound crabby, but really I am excited and am enjoying watching Blake run around in the sunshine outside.