An hour of contractions tonight about 6-9 minutes apart. Of course I stood up and they went away after a while but just maybe at some point. After the hour baby looked slightly lower...so maybe they did something...at least I'd like to think so.
(i'm x-posting this to my other thread because i have friends all over mothering that are not in our DDC responding to it)
well i'm frustrated. i did the labour smoothie this morning at 8 and again at 12. besides making me feel horrible all day and clearing out my system, it hasn't done much. my midwife says if by 2:00 pm tomorrow it hasn't done a lot, then it won't. blah. oh well. i realize i still have a week to go but i am SEVEN FREAKING CENTIMETRES. WTF, BABY!?! who sits around for a week between 4 and 7 cm besides me?! ugh. i know this is just my body and how i do labour, and even though it isn't conventional obviously it is working. i just have to keep telling myself that. we walked in the park and at the fair and had a picnic for dinner and played soccer in the dog park and i was having some crazy contractions...of course as soon as i came home and laid down they dulled away. oh well. life goes on. she can't stay in there forever and they think it will be soon. we decided not to rupture membranes unless it was a really good idea, right now it just isn't. the midwife agreed with me. i see them again on wednesday (hopefully this doesn't go on THAT long) and they can stretch and sweep...again. i think that i have accepted the fact that i can't MAKE her come out (well i could, but i don't want to that badly) and that i'm not letting anybody down if she comes later than i'd like. i wanted to make everything work out and i think i just stressed myself out so much about it that i forced myself to not progress at all. so whatever. i'm done! i'm letting go.
i'm still losing big chunks of mucous plug and having bloody show, but obviously that means nothing. 
. Now to have a baby...
I posted my most recent update in a separate thread because it's pretty huge. I'm not happy (understatement of the year), probably gonna look up an accupuncturist today.
Seafox, that quilt is gorgeous!! Baby will love that contrast, too. Looks Storm-at-Sea-ish? I'm surrounded by amazing quilters - I'm just sadly not one of them yet! Oh, and if I'm remembering who was wondering about chiro right, I would definitely second the idea of getting checked out pre-birth regardless of how you're feeling now. Who knows, it could make all the difference!
Elonwy, I hope things happen fast for you! And those muffins sound SO yummy.
Evergreen, I am SO HAPPY for you that your dh made it home! It sounds like he's swept in like your hero to take care of everything, which is just so brilliantly fire-fighter-ish of him! :)
L&K, I hope things get going for you too! We've been going back and forth about when to have my mom here too.. she definitely going to be here Tuesday now, and I really doubt the baby will be... Maybe if get on the bandwagon and bake some happiness... some fresh muffins or cookies sound so good right now... after we unpack the kitchen! :D
BHappy, I think I've dropped w/o question, (looks it, feels it!) but my mw *still* can't hardly feel the baby down there unless I push "him" down the two times I've been checked, so I concur that dropping really isn't that big of a deal, AND that 2nd babies have a path to follow that eases things! :)
Ryleeee, I'm just thinking all of the ELVs I can at and for you!!
AFM - I'm trying to remember WHY I ever thought this baby would be here before the EDD? What got me in that mindframe to begin with?? Such a waste of energy apparently. I got checked at my appt yesterday and NOTHING had changed since last week. I have to bear down for her to find my super-squishy 4cm cervix, and despite feeling like Baby is about to fall out, she can just barely feel his head when I do that. I went ahead and had her do the stretch-sweep thing, but with as busy as we've been, and after the long walk we took yesterday morning, for nothing to have changed tells me I'm just kidding myself.
So I spent some time trying to figure out why I was pushing so hard in my mind to get the baby out, and letting it irritate me that nothing was happening and basically just came up with my mom getting here Tuesday. I really planned/wanted/intended for her to get here after the baby was born. Nothing against Mom, she's great, she will wonderful to have around, but I guess latent tension in MY head from very early in our marriage between my mom and dh still flips me out. I don't want her to get her and feel like I/we don't want her here, (we DO!) or for me to feel like dh is annoyed by her presence (he's not, he's grateful one of us has a mother who can and will help - his own mom has said repeatedly that wishes she could be here AND be of help, but even she knows it would be too much for her).
After talking with dh, I know all of that was pretty much in my head, and not anything Mom OR dh is doing. He's fine with Mom being here, her coming when she is was his idea to begin with, and I'm really the only one who needs to get her mind right. And I think I have. Being in this tiny apt isn't helping any of us, and now that either dh or Mom will be around to drive me to the birth center, we're going to go ahead and move out of here this week, rather than wait for the baby to be born. Financially, spatially, and relationally, it just makes the most sense. And while I'm keeing the birth center as our "Plan A" for the birth, it won't break my heart at all if things happen so quickly that we have the baby at the house.
My back-up mw also said that nothing we do (walking, dtd, castor oil, stretch & sweep, etc) will matter if the baby's not ready to come out, and I think not only is she right, but that my baby just isn't ready to come out. My original mw will be home Sunday, and she was so hoping to be here for this baby, so basically everything has gone back to it's original production schedule, and I have rewired my brain to believe that. So once again if my first two are any indication, we'll be seeing this baby about 4 pm on May 29th. :)
ELVs to you ladies needing them!!
I am seriously considering an "I'm tired of being pregnant" induction. I keep telling myself I've done the home birth thing. I've done everything right in the past and still had awful birth experiences. Maybe some interventions won't hurt...especially if one of those interventions is an epidural. But in reality I'm more scared of trying to labor hooked up to a bunch of stuff so I will probably wait it out unless the u/s reveals some major calcifications next week.
I know my OBs don't do those until at least 41 weeks if at all which is part of the reason why I chose them but I am wishing right now that they would!
lizzie- I need to get into your mindset. My cervix is nowhere near favorable- less than 2 and not at all effaced. I figured I go 1.5 weeks past the EDD and here I am about a week from it acting like I'm going to die.
HI ladies. Seems many of us are on the misery boat. Love and vibes to all.
We got our diaper service delivery this morning, which was exciting. I was up at 5am filling my water glass and found myself peering out the window to see if it was here like a kid waiting for Santa Claus. I think the things I have to do left to get ready for baby are... wash the moby. Oh and finish my birth mix play list on my ipod. As for the last thing on my list (finish school) I finished the main paper for the class and all I need to do today is finish the edit on my honors paper and turn the group work over to someone else in my group and I am done, done, done with school. So by the end of the day I should be free and clear of anything holding me back mentally that I am aware of.
I swear that my HR person, though she is the sweetest thing on earth, is a complete idiot. Everything she's told me about going on leave has been wrong and to top it all off she told me to give her my timesheet for the first week off so I could use all my sick time (during the mandatory waiting period before I can get disability) and I went to check my account today and did I get a paycheck? No. I am super super grateful I live in a state where I get benefits, but the money from the state won't show up for at least another week. It's just frustrating when you depend on money to show up and it doesn't and you're kind of left going "Uh, ok... well crap." I owe our Doula the balance of her fee too. URG. This morning was going so well too. I've emailed her and everything but the best I can hope for is it will show up next pay period which is another two weeks away. The good news is, we love lentils and rice :)
I am just going to finish my work and hope the constant low level contractions stay low level today, then I'm going for a jog when my paper is done 
so now this is quilt #4. Its getting much easier ! we'll see how I feel next week though. we have a LONG to-do list that we haven't touched, really - since we both kind of see a baby as still so far off! but its really not anymore. So car seat figuring out, changing table moving around, diaper washing, lanolizing, all need to happen. I also need to finish a baby hat !
So I spent some time trying to figure out why I was pushing so hard in my mind to get the baby out, and letting it irritate me that nothing was happening and basically just came up with my mom getting here Tuesday. I really planned/wanted/intended for her to get here after the baby was born. Nothing against Mom, she's great, she will wonderful to have around, but I guess latent tension in MY head from very early in our marriage between my mom and dh still flips me out. I don't want her to get her and feel like I/we don't want her here, (we DO!) or for me to feel like dh is annoyed by her presence (he's not, he's grateful one of us has a mother who can and will help - his own mom has said repeatedly that wishes she could be here AND be of help, but even she knows it would be too much for her).
After talking with dh, I know all of that was pretty much in my head, and not anything Mom OR dh is doing. He's fine with Mom being here, her coming when she is was his idea to begin with, and I'm really the only one who needs to get her mind right. And I think I have. Being in this tiny apt isn't helping any of us, and now that either dh or Mom will be around to drive me to the birth center, we're going to go ahead and move out of here this week, rather than wait for the baby to be born. Financially, spatially, and relationally, it just makes the most sense. And while I'm keeing the birth center as our "Plan A" for the birth, it won't break my heart at all if things happen so quickly that we have the baby at the house.
My back-up mw also said that nothing we do (walking, dtd, castor oil, stretch & sweep, etc) will matter if the baby's not ready to come out, and I think not only is she right, but that my baby just isn't ready to come out. My original mw will be home Sunday, and she was so hoping to be here for this baby, so basically everything has gone back to it's original production schedule, and I have rewired my brain to believe that. So once again if my first two are any indication, we'll be seeing this baby about 4 pm on May 29th. :)
ELVs to you ladies needing them!!
lizzie, i have the same problem. i have thought all along that this babe will be a may baby. but i have no idea why. i am likely setting myself up for disappointment as well. i have a history of going early, so that must play into it. though when i really reflect on my dd's birth (which was supposedly at 35 weeks), i feel it is more likely that she came on time, and that my dates were off by about a month. so if i take that out of the equation, that leaves my twins who were born at 37 weeks. well, for twins, that is full term! so really i have no practical comparison, no reason to suspect i will go early, and this baby may very well take its first breath in june. 
(edd is june 6). i should really try to prepare myself for 40 weeks...
well, in any case, this is all going down soon. very soon. 
I am feeling pretty good today. It isn't nearly as hard to bend over, stand up, walk, etc. It's really cool. I blamed all of that on being pregnant in my 30's but my mother claimed that it's because the baby is a boy.
Last night we had an hour of contractions and we were so excited. I seem to be carrying lower since that hour but I haven't checked to see if I can feel my cervix yet. At this point, we really need to not have this baby until Monday though.
we even have this onesie from when Z was little w/ a gemini sign on it. heh, but I actually am hoping I get one more week of work in, at least. The mr.'s bday is May 27, so that'd be a funny bday present
ARgle BaRgle. I wrote for over 5 hours today and finished my final paper. School is now over for me. I am mentally drained right now. I am looking forward to getting some rest tonight and then trying to convince this baby to show up. My insides have been a mess for two days now with no letup in sight... so maybe... who knows. I have to admit that I have been in school for so long that I am a little dazed that it is all over.
Hope everyone has a great night!
so proud of you, elonwy! woooo no more school! i remember that feeling...i was SO RELIEVED this time last month. oh hey, it was my birthday a month ago today! crazy.
i just realized this weekend is SO BUSY for us! and i am so super excited about that...i figure it will take my mind off sgt. stubbornpants (yes, her name has been changed) and her ignorance of the eviction notice she has been served. tomorrow there is a parade at 10:45 we're going to. derek has to clean the church after lunch, then at 2 we have a playdate at the waterpark with our friends...becky is 3 months pregnant and i am obviously 10 months pregnant so we plan on laying in the shade while the boys watch the kids. we have to be back at church at 4 to let a rental in, then we will eat and clean and wash some diapers i think. i want to get our room straightened up and our laundry done. sunday we have church in the morning and a baby shower at 2pm. my sister and her husband and kid are coming to town to buy an ab circle pro (also known as the worst excuse ever to come check up on me haha). she kind of assumed they would stay with us and i was like uh...no friggin way dude. i don't want to have to be stressed out by them (my sister is like...really awesome...but has bi-polar we think, and she's unmedicated...and they yell at their kid a lot etc etc. it's realllllllllllly stressful having them stay with us. plus i don't want to have to kick them out at 2am if we are in labour, you know?)...so anyways, they decided to splurge on a hotel. so after the baby shower we'll probably swim at their pool and then head home and crash hard. (i am SO EXHAUSTED lately). i guess monday we don't have to do anything...so really just the next 2 days are super busy.
trying to keep busy and out of the house as much as possible (but not too far from home) ...there's some (COUGHLOTSCOUGH) photos under the cut of the last few days. if you're my friend on facebook you can just ignore it altogether as they are the same! hope you're all doing well. ELVs to everyone in labour. i checked myself and i'm still hovering around 7 cm. weee. 
dial-up beware! (Click to show)
i told haye the baby would come after his tooth fell out. it came out wednesday.
i can't BELIEVE how different he looks! he no longer looks like a 5 year old to me. *sigh*
spring has sprung in the beautiful okanagan.
kids are so awesome. ^_^
uh. the lake was SO COLD. i have no idea how they were in it.
apparently my post was too long
alright...i have no idea what was going on with these women. they were like 35-40 and this guy spent the entire time (AT THE TODDLER PARK AT THE BEACH) filming them. they wore matching outfits (they changed a few times, always high heels with a short skirt and a matching top) and had scripts...but they did weird things...like swinging on the swings...saying in "sexy" voices "I'M A SWINGER!" at the same time...and then the ice cream truck pulled up and they went and bought ice cream together while it was filmed...it was so strange. derek and i are convinced it was like the establishing shots of the worst porno ever made :P
Evergreen and BHappy - I have to say, my stress and general ARGH!!!! levels have dropped significantly since I decided nothing was going to happen! Lol, particularly in regard to dh's job. He's over an hour away right now, and I'm sort of ok with that. Monday he's taking a load to Atlanta - about two hours away - and he could be gone all day, you never know how a delivery or pick-up will go. I'm not even worried about it. I was totally 
about him going even half an hour away last week. NOW the only thing I have to worry about is being so relaxed somehow getting things going. :) Like you said, BHappy, either way, these babies are coming SOON.
Seafox - My mom is theoretically making my son a storm at sea, that's the only reason I recognized it! :) It's such a cool pattern! Sounds like you have a great OB, if she brings chiros and acupuncturists in to her office! I love it when everyone works together. :) And I had the same idea about this baby with regards to being a gemini - AND I don't pay any attention to astrology either! Lol... my dh is a "rabbit" and it's year of the rabbit, and he's also a taurus, so I was hoping (for no reason in particular whatsoever) that this baby would be a gemini like me in a happy blending pattern. :) Tomorrow's my birthday, as well, so that would be a double bonus, but like I said in my last post - I'm sure it'll be next weekend! Ish.
Camprunner, the good days are such unexpected blessings at this point, aren't they??
Elonwy - CONGRATULATIONS!! 
And for your dh too - what wonderful timing for your LO to arrive in, with both of you ready for all the next phases you're about to embark upon!
Ryleeee - I love the pics! of Haye! It's amazing how just one little tooth can change so much about their appearance and how you see them. AND the flowers! AND the women - that's hysterical!!
AFM - Well, like I said, I'm so much more relaxed, which just makes everything easier. I scrubbed down a changing table we were given yesterday and decided I needed to sand and paint it, it's a little rough. But clean! NO clue what color to go with... don't really have a theme. The house is more like home every day and we're planning to spend the night there for the first time tomorrow night. My mw will be back tomorrow so I can stop worrying about her dog - he was *so* stressed out that first week she was gone, but he seems to have settled down in the past week, and neither of his 'hot spots' look like he's been going at them too much. Poor dude.
My only somewhat sketchy concern right now is this apartment being clean when we get out of it for good on Wed. It's really hard for me to relax and trust that my dh and/or mom will clean it like I would, particularly since it's my mw's apartment, in her basement, and we'll still be "working" together afterwards. Actually, my mom would/will do a great job, it's dh being more laid back that I worry about! It was by no means pristine when we moved in, (not trashed either!) but I just need it to be better than that when we leave!
i got two boxes from my mom yesterday and a box from a girlfriend the day before that - like baby showers in boxes, each of them! I had so much fun going through everything. Mom went OFF sewing tons of wipes, nursing pads, prefolds, flats and receiving blankets, a diaper stacker, a great quilted toile diaper bag AND a mei tai. And there's another box in the mail. She loves her new serger and she's not afraid to show it, clearly. :) I had to tease my gf that the stuff I told her I was still planning to buy was a *suggestion* list of *options*, not a *shopping* list, but I'm so grateful to them both for spoiling me so much - the time and effort it would've taken me to find this stuff shopping on my own, to say nothing of the money involved - would've been pretty considerable. My feet and my bank account are both deeply relieved. :) Now I have a ton of diaper washing to do! And I'm excited about it! LOL!
Continuing the theme of LOTS of ELVs to you all! :)
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