Anxiously Waiting

In between Week 38 and 39- anxiously waiting for the arrival of "Little Peanut". I was wrong last week with my new due date- I still have the due date of July 4th. I asked about the last ultrasound predicting July 1st and the doctor said they like to use the earliest ultrasound as the predictor of the due date. Not sure why- but what's a few days. I still believe this little one will be an end of June baby. Thus looking at the calendar- we've got a week to go if my intuition is going to be correct!

Further update on baby- amniotic fluid was on the low normal range two weeks ago and they rechecked it today and I'm back in the healthy normal range- which I'm hoping explains why I gained 5 pounds in 1 week! AAAHHH!!! I know I shouldn't stress about the weight gain- maybe I just feel guilty because I haven't been eating as healthy as I would be in Cordova. With all the food choices available in Anchorage - not to mention the 3 to 4 times a week trips to Cold Stone Ice Cream- is not really helping... Oh well, right?!?

Leif, soon to be known as Poppa, is anxiously waiting to. He's been caught a couple of times talking to my belly saying, "You could come out any day now..." I've been doing the same thing- especially since my friend we are staying with is getting ready to leave town for a few weeks. I was really hoping she'd get to meet the baby before she left- well I guess a lot could change in the next 6 hours- but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Here's a funny picture of the dogs adjusting to the limited space in the car. My Ford Escape has been the doggy wagon, which means both back seats were down so the dogs had plenty of room. Well, now baby's car seat takes up one of the back seats, so the dogs are learning to adjust to limited space. If you can't see in the picture, Koda (white dog) is laying on Bailey's tail and back legs. Too funny... what's even more funny is when Koda wants to stick his head out the window- he will straddle Bailey- she refuses to move, and Koda doesn't care because he is able to get his head out the window. I really should try to get a photo of this- it's quite amusing to see Bailey laying underneath Koda.

Well, my next blog WILL BE introducing our Little Peanut... or at least I hope! Until then- I hope everyone is enjoying summer!

"You still have aways to go..."

Today marks Week 38 since I have a new due date of July 1st. Instead of posting a picture of myself, I decided to find something in nature that reflects my state of mind. I love this picture of a swallowtail butterfly- I was able to capture this picture at Sheep Creek Lodge just outside of Willow, Alaska. We took a drive out that way to meet up with some friends of ours who have a cabin and while the dogs were out running around, I saw this beautiful creature just floating along.

That is how my mental state is these days- just floating along like the butterfly. It's challenging to be away from home and just waiting day after day for the baby to make his/her appearance. However, I find my mind floating from thoughts of, "Is there is anything else I could possibly buy for the baby?" to "Am I really ready for this?" to "I can't wait to hold this little peanut in my arms!" In many ways I'm like this butterfly just floating along from one flower to the next.

Baby update is this- we had a doctor appointment today and looks like baby is still facing downward but is still pretty high up. The doctor did say the baby is angled to the right slightly- which would explain why I've been getting sharp pains in my right groin and hip area. Notice the title of this blog, "You still have aways to go..." This was the last thing the doctor said during my appointment today- so not what a 38 week pregnant lady wants to hear- but oh well. I've come to terms with the fact that I can't plan when for sure we will head back to Cordova so I might as well be like the swallowtail butterfly and enjoy my time floating around from one flower to the next.

New Due Date!!

Little Peanut has a new due date of July 1st! We had a doctor appointment on June 10th to follow up on the cysts the baby had on his/her head- which we are happy to say that they have healed. Otherwise, the ultrasound wasn't too exciting as it's pretty packed in the belly right now- so it was difficult to make out things. Leif was fascinated by the measurements the technician was able to take- 9cm for diameter of head (just what I needed to know!), femur length is 7.3 cm and the stomach circumference 30.4 cm. The ultrasound technician also estimated that the baby's current weight is 6.5 pounds. The ultrasound did show that my amnionic fluid is on the low normal side- so doctor told me to rest and drink lots of fluid. We'll look at the fluid levels again in two weeks if the baby hasn't arrived yet. Other baby news is that Leif has installed the car seat! Hurray- my dreams of not being able to bring baby home because we didn't have car seat can now end!!! Other than this, I'm feeling good and ready to meet this little boy or girl.

Less than a month to go...

Yesterday was June 4th, which means one month to our due date! AAAHHH!!!! I'm very excited and nervous at the same time. The last few weeks I've had dreams of going into labor early and having to deliver in Cordova. This wouldn't be bad, except I haven't bought a car seat yet. So in my dream the hospital won't let me bring the baby home because I don't have a car seat. My dream continues with me frantically shopping online to get a car seat and it takes over a month to get the car seat to Cordova- thus in my dream the baby's first month of life is spent hanging out in the hospital just because I don't have a car seat to bring him/her home.

Other than this goofy dream, things continue to go well. We leave on June 9th to go to Anchorage to wait for the arrival of the baby. I have doctor appointment on the 10th- I'll be curious to find out if baby has returned to being head down. At my last appointment, the PA thought the baby had turned and was laying more left to right instead of head down. The heart burn continues and TUMS continues to be my best friend. At least TUMS is an extra source of calcium right?!

Leif and I have also been getting the house ready for when we come home with the baby. We took several loads to the dump that we've been meaning to do for months now. Leif also filled in the potholes in the driveway and I spent an evening painting our deck. Also, while Leif has been busy finishing things up at work, I've been cleaning like a mad woman! So, while Leif and I have been busy preparing things for our new arrival- this is what the dogs are doing...

They look pretty comfortable to me- maybe I should follow their lead and be resting as much as I can?!

Well, this may be the last blog update until baby arrives. Can't wait to introduce our "Little Peanut" to the world!!