Week 40 Appt.

Today we had our 40 week appointment with our midwife. Baby's heartbeat sounds good, I measured in at 39.5 weeks and she estimates his current weight to be 8-8.5lbs. Oh, and I gained a pound.

After checking me, she said there has been some progress but not much.  I am about 75% effaced and Hanley has dropped from a -1 station to a +1 station.  No changes in dilation.

So...what next? Talk of induction began.

She said normally they recommend induction 7-10 days after your due date. So, I opted for 10 days, trying to give as much time possible for things to happen naturally. Prior to our induction date of Friday, Nov 9th we will have a stress test and ultrasound done next Monday and then our 41 week check up on Tuesday.

I am feeling a little bummed but I know a lot can happen in 10 days.  As for now, I think someone didn't get the memo...

Yesterday was my last day at work.  I am going to try to take advantage of this "me" time because I know I won't have it again for a long time to come!

Eviction Notice

Dear Hanley-

I have fulfilled my commitment of carrying you for 40 weeks so it's time I serve you with your eviction notice.

I have already fell so madly in love with you that I just can't stand to wait any longer to meet you.  Your Dad and Big Sister's feel the same so come soon little guy...

Love You,
Mama

39 Week Bust

Today we had our 39 week appointment and everything about it was a BUST. 

We were scheduled at 8:15am this morning to see our midwife.  We got at call at 7am, telling us she was out ill for the day and they needed to reschedule us with another provider.  So, they moved us to a 3:45pm appt. with an MD. 

The OB department is so big that it covers 2 wings of the medical office. We have always been seen on one side, but today since we were seeing another provider, we were on the opposite side.  First step after check in is the always dreaded weigh in. Today I weighed in 3lbs more than last week...Seriously?! Is that possible to gain 3 lbs in a week?!?!?! A small part of me (okay, maybe a large part of me) wanted to go the the other wing of the office and make sure our normal scale said the same thing!!!!

When the Dr. measured me, she was like "Wow...you are all baby!" Then she felt around my stomach and continued to say, "and this is no 6lb baby you have in there-he's going to be a big boy!".  Yes, thanks for voicing one of my biggest fears. Since my Mom had all big babies, I have always worried that Hanley's going to be a big boy too.

Since I felt some contractions over the weekend, we both we hoping to hear that I have progressed well since our last appointment.  Instead after checking me, she just said, "You have a long way to go.  We really need this baby to drop more before we see any progress. So, we will see you at your 40 week appointment." Hmm...not exactly what we wanted to hear.  The longer this kid stays in there, the bigger he is going to be come delivery day!

So, the wait continues...

Hello Weekend!

Friday was a busy day at work for me. I had a bunch of things that needed to be taken care of before my maternity leave begins so I utilized every minute of the work day to really get things done! It felt great going into the weekend after such a productive day.  One little hiccup we had at work this week was that my replacement fell through last minute.  Now we are kind of scrambling to hire someone to work for us during my 4 month leave. I wanted this to be an easy transition for everyone in the office, especially since the end of the year is our busiest season. So, we are in desperate need of some excellent help!

Friday night was a rainy night.  I made zesty chicken and brown rice for dinner, which is one of my favorite P90X recipes, and we watched What to Expect When Your Expecting.  Good movie and very fitting for us in our last days of "expecting". It was nice to just have a relaxing evening at home with the hubby and my 2 favorite snugly gals!

Roxy has been especially needy lately.  I am not sure if it is the weather (rainy day blues?) or if she can sense the coming changes with the baby.  She won't leave our side when we are home with her and she has even been getting in between us whenever when we hug each other goodbye in the mornings or just get home from work.

Roxy was a little upset with Maxi being in her territory!

Maxi has been a little snugly lately too! She's has been dying to lay on my stomach but with it's huge bulge, it's impossible.  So, instead she results to sprawling wherever she can on my body.

At least one of us looks comfortable!

Enjoy the weekend everyone...unfortunately it looks like it's going to be a wet one.

Ready for Hanley!

Okay Baby....We are ready for you!!!



The "Little Boy" quilt was a shower gift from Great Great Grandma!

Mama's chair and Hanley's chair! The little rocking chair was actually mine when I was a kid.  My Grandma and Grandpa Robideau bought it when I was born.

 

 

I still need to fill the fly fishing frame with photos but I sure love it!

 

It might look like a lot of diapers, but I am sure we will blow through them!!

 

It's a small room, but we managed to get everything in there!

 

 

We still need to hang the fish net frame that is sitting on his dresser and I have a project I am working on that involves pictures of Great Grandpa Vince and Great Grandpa Robideau (which are the two wonderful men Mr. Hanley is named after--post on that later!). Otherwise, we are ready to become a family of 3!!!

38 Week Appointment

38 Week Appointment Stats:

1/2 cm dilated
60% effaced (thinning of the cervix)
-1 station (position of baby in relationship to the pelvis.  A -5 is a floating baby, 0 station is said to be engaged in the pelvis, and +5 is crowning).

After our midwife checked me she said, "Well, it doesn't mean a lot because you could be having that baby tonight or in 3 weeks!" So, the waiting game continues...

Weekly Happenings

-We completed baby class last Monday! Prior to signing up for birthing class, I had received mixed feedback from friends and family. Some felt it was extremely helpful, some felt like it was a waste of time and many people fell somewhere in between the spectrum. I personally feel like it was a well spent $70! I think what I gained the most from class was knowledge, techniques and the proper mindset for natural delivery. It made me feel more confident in my ability to achieve MY ideal delivery but put me at ease if things stray from my birth plan.

-Our hospital bag is packed!

-Hanley's car seat has been installed!

-Today, Cody and I spent the day working on another project for the nursery. After a quick trip to Joann Fabrics and Craft Warehouse, we got right to work! We are really happy with how it turned out! Now we just need to collect some more photos of the all the Olson and Stuebing men fishing! Someday, when Hanley is old enough to go fishing, we will add his photo's to the fish frame as well!

Cody installing the fish net to the back of the frame.

"Give a Man a Fish & He will Eat for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish & Feed Him for a Lifetime"


-There is still some work to be done in the nursery. By work, I mean some organization!!!!

-I will be 38 weeks on Tuesday.  I told Cody that he better keep his phone nearby for the next couple of weeks because...well....it could really be any day :o)

Maternity Leave

I can't believe how fast our October 30th due date is approaching.  The only thing I have really associated our due date with is finally meeting Hanley! Well, now that my maternity leave is really becoming a reality, it adds to the excitement!

So my plans for maternity leave: My maternity leave officially starts October 29th (unless Mr. Hanley decides to come early). I am taking the first full month off completely, then the following 3 months, I will work a half day on Friday's only (and bring the baby with me to work). After that, I will be back full time and we are going to have to find childcare for Hanley.   I think this is a good set up because I will still be in the loop at work and be able to manage all the patient accounts during my leave. So, when I return to work full time, I won't be so overwhelmed.

I have been working since I was 16 years old and the thought of taking 4 months off of work pretty much blows my mind.  Now trust me, I am aware that this is going to be no vacation, thats for sure! I know sleep deprivation is going to consume me for the majority of my leave. I just hope that we develop a good routine at home before I go back full time.

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks, which means full term! It's weird to think that it could really be any day now.  However, I think my Mom has bets on a early November baby.  I need him to hold out until after October 19th because I have things at work I can't wrap up until then...after that, I say it's game on and I hope to meet him BEFORE Halloween!!!!! I almost bought him a "My 1st Halloween" onsie but figured that might be jinxing myself!

Even as I have become more uncomfortable in the past few days, I really want to cherish these last weeks of my pregnancy.  Feeling him move is still as exciting to me now as it was in the beginning and that is what I think I will miss most!

A Better End and a Good Start

The end of last week ended up being a lot better than the beginning of the week and this week has been busy but good so far...

-A coworker of mine, decided Thursday that I needed my "going away gift" early. It was complete with a wine glass, my favorite wine (post baby beverage), sparkling cider (for now!), biscotti, chocolates, a fall decoration, and a picture frame for my desk. Thank you Joanne for being so darn thoughtful!

-Cody and I spent Friday together.  We took the dog the park, went out to lunch and went shopping for a rocking chair. Later that evening, we picked Jordan, Marissa and Bee up from the airport and got to catch up with them a little.  They enjoyed a much needed family vacation to Hawaii and of course Brooklyn just keeps getting more adorable each time I see her!

-Cody went hunting on Saturday.  He came home with a deer which was really hard for me to get excited about.  In fact, I was in tears.  I worked with human cadavers in college as part of my human anatomy curriculum but I couldn't handle seeing his deer in the back of the truck...

-We celebrated Kramer's birthday on Sunday! After the BBQ, I crashed.  I crawled into bed to take a little nap...Roxy and Maxi joined me. My quick nap gave me enough energy to decorate the house for fall!

-This week has been another busy baby-filled week so far full of baby class and our 36 week Dr.'s appointment.  Our midwife was out today so we saw an OBGYN. She did a quick ultrasound to confirm Hanley is head down and in an ideal birthing position. I also had to have the routine group B strep test.  As I sat there in my gown, waiting for the Dr., Cody said, "I feel really uncomfortable right now!" Haha...he better get used to it because in just a matter of weeks, things are going to get even more personal come D Day!

-I made a list of baby gear we still need and ordered a few things from Amazon including cradle sheets and pads, Bob car seat adapter and my diaper bag.  I plan on making a quick run to Babies R Us to pick up a few more things this weekend then we should be pretty much set.

Overall, things are going well. I am getting to the point where I am just ready to meet this little man!