New Year's Eve

Lil' Biscotti has 24 hours to get here and counted as a tax deduction for 2011!  It is kind of a running joke that even my doctor has mentioned.

I'm just praying she stays put until 1/6 ... or at least through this morning - after my long-awaited hair appointment!

Hey, a girl's gottta have her beauty standards. :)

But seriously, it is in everybody's best interest if she waits to arrive until 1/6.  

Countdown: One Week

Next Friday is the BIG DAY!   I just can't believe it ... this time next week, we'll be a family of four (okay, five if you include Bella ... and we must never forget Bella!).

Jonathan has been hard at work getting our "chair rail" project completed.  He finished painting the walls a lovely shade of "blue-ish" and has much of the chair railing installed (with the rest to be installed this weekend) - and it looks GREAT!  (Thanks, Honey!!!)

I've been cleaning and getting the house ready for Jonathan's parents' arrival.   The hard part is keeping things clean once they are clean (or should I say, "the impossible part").

I have been off work all week, which has been good for my mind and body.  I'll be working next week on Tuesday and Wednesday - and that is it.  Hopefully my schedule isn't filled to the brim, as I'm really not in the mood to work - but the later I can start my paid "sick leave" (aka, materntiy leave), the better.  So Thursday will be a "vacation day" and then Friday starts my "Family Medical Leave," courtesy of a law from our federal government.

I am trying to cherish these last few days of relative calm - the days where Christian sleeps all night, and therefore WE all sleep all night.  The days where Christian naps all afternoon - or at a minimum, "rests" in his room while Jonathan and I tend to things.  As I've mentioned before, I think his naptimes are coming to an end - and will probalby really come to an end once the excitment (and noise) of Lil' Biscotti arrives in our home.

Today's Dr. Appointment

For today's Dr. appoinment, they performed a "non-stress test" which is where I get to relax in a comfy recliner and they put a monitor around my belly to check the baby's heart rate and movement.   Lil' Biscotti's heart rate was a bit high, so we had additonal testing - and at last, an ultrasound!

Unfortuantely, the tech wasn't really into understanding our excitement in seeing Lil' Biscotti for the first time since week 20.   I couldn't really see the screen from my position, and for the two times she actually moved the screen my way, she very quickly moved it back to its original position.

And when I asked for a print out, she told me that machine didn't print the images.  WHAT?

Jonathan had a better view than I did and got to see part of Lil' Biscotti's face - though she had a hand in front blocking much of her face.  Based on what Jonathan saw, he's quite certain she looks like me.  We'll see.

The best news to come out of the ultrasound:   Lil' Biscotti is just fine and dandy and the amniotic fluid is at a good level and ... she's definitley a girl! :)

My final appointment will be next Wednesday ... and then two days later ... Lil' Biscotti arrives!

"Your Pregnancy at 38 Weeks"

The time is drawing near!

I am very happy to report Lil' Biscotti did not arrive on Christmas - whew!  Jonathan's parents arrive on 1/5, and she's not allowed to come into this world until her Granny and Grandpa are here.

I'm feeling remarkably well, considering.  Lil' Biscotti is pretty heavy, and sometimes I really feel it.  It is a treat when I get into a good, comfortable sleeping position ... and then disappointing when I can't acdtually sleep because my mind is racing.

We've been telling Christian that the baby is coming, and so he's added, "Tell me about (insert baby's name here)" to his repertoire of questions.  So we tell him that she's going to be his little sister, and he's going to be her big brother.  And that she'll be really tiny, and he can hold her if he wants to and he can also help Mommy with his little sister, if he wants to.

I still don't think he really understands there is a baby coming who will be staying with us permanently.

And now for this week's baby update ...

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

"Your Pregnancy - 37 Weeks"

I had another doctor's appointment today, and have nothing new to report.   He measured my stomach, which is right on track.  We talked about what necessitated a trip to the hospital:  water breaking or painful contractions that are five minutes apart, or less.

I asked him about a pain I've been having that pretty much stops my in my tracks when it occurs, and he assured me it was normal - just an indication that my cervix is doing what it needs to do to prepare for childbirth.  I confirmed that he pain doesn't indicate that labor is eminent (well, I mean ... it IS eminent ... but just made sure the pain didn't mean labor was going to start any minute).

I'm really starting to get antsy about the baby coming.  I have a lot of work to get done at my job in the next three days (taking Friday off, and all next week) and so that is putting some stress on me.   I also can't get my mind to stop racing about anything and everything having to do with an labor symptoms I might get ... what if I go into labor early, wondering about the hospital stay, wondering about a lot of things with Christian, etc.   I can't seem to focus on any one thought - or related thoughts - for a long period of time.

I'm also starting to feel like a bit of a spectacle.  You know how people's eyes tend to focus on a woman with a large chest?  That is how I feel about my stomach.  Everywhere I do, I find people's eyes immediately looking to my tummy (though, truth be told, I also look at the tummies of other pregnant women).  But the people who amuse me are those who feel the need to say something.   And that is fine ... although, when somebody asks me when I'm due, I'm going to start telling them "April" ... just for laughs.

And now for this week's (actually, next week's) "Your Pregnancy at 37 Weeks."

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

"Your Pregnancy - 36 Weeks"

I had another Dr. appointment today, and once again, all is well!   I will now move to weekly appointments.

The c-section has been officially scheduled for Friday, January 6.   I will need to be at the hospital at 5:00am.   Ouch!

The doctor said the goal is to keep lil' Biscotti inside and growing for at least the next 11 days and that after 11 days, she's free to come out whenever she'd like.  *gasp!*  11 days???

Of course, that doesn't mean she's coming in 11 days, necessarily.  That just puts me within an acceptable delivery time frame 

Side note:  I guess I've been getting these pregnancy updates via e-mail a week early.   I'm at 35 weeks today, not 36.  But I'll keep posting the updates as I get them, because they are interesting, nonetheless.

And here is this week's pregnancy report:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Lil' Biscotti May Now Come

Big weight off my shoulders:  That glorious brown truck known as "UPS" just delivered Lil' Biscotti's car seat.

WHEW!

So let me qualify the title of this blog post, "Lil' Biscotti May Now Come":   should she choose to arrive early, we now have a car seat to bring her home in.  However ... we'd like for her to continue "cooking" for the next four weeks.  Thank you.

One Month Away!

Today is December 6th.  Biscotti's scheduled c-section is for January 6th.  And that makes today exactly one month until our little blessing enters the world.

Of course, she can certainly arrive any time before that.    Am I ready?  Not just yet.

It seems there is still so much to do.   We are waiting for the car seat to arrive, and just ordered a changing table.  The changing table isn't crucial, but the car seat is.  Once that arrives, I'll feel much better.

I suppose you could say I'm "nesting."  I'm trying to clean the house and get baby stuff organized.  Easier said than done.   

And of course, there is holiday decorating to get to!  Again, easier said than done. But I will, I will, I will get it done!   I have put up two Christmas wreathes on each light outside of our garage, and when we are coming and going, Christian will say, "That is my Christmas Tree House!"   So I want to be sure to get all of our lights up outside.  Christian is so excited for Christmas this year, and I want it to be very special for him.  After all, this is the final year that Christian will be an only child at Christmas (or not ... again, Lil' Biscotti can come at any time).

"Your Pregnancy - 35 Weeks"

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.