Nursery Pics

The nursery is finally as complete as it is going to be until I know if I can buy pink or blue knick knacks. So while I say it is "complete" it still needs stuff on the walls and we are going to get some shelves and of course pictures--lots of pictures of the baby, if the baby ever shows up. I hope you're happy now, Mary Katherine!!!

Update

Well, it looks like this large child is comfortably ensconced in me and has no plans to leave anytime soon. I got to see my doctor today and he said he is less worried about the size of the baby than he is about how I am not dilated enough to be induced (he said 1/4 of a cm dilation). So he would rather give me more time to progress further on my own before inducing me. I am scheduled for an induction on January 5th, (Percy's sister's birthday- does a niece or nephew count as a good enough bday present, Casey!?), with the hopes that I will either go into labor on my own before that or at least progress further to the point that I am a better candidate for induction by then. So I am about to go walking up some inclines (Haaga's advice) and eat some mexican food (Amy M's advice) to try and get things moving- keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Even Sooner...

Well Baby Quinn may be making it's appearance even sooner. Last night after the shock of a 3 month old inside me started to wear off, Percy and I realized that my doctor will be in town this Friday. So we decided to try and reschedule my Monday appointment for Friday so we can talk about all of this with him--we didn't see him yesterday bc he delivers babies on Mondays. I was able to get his last open appointment! Then...the nurse practictioner I saw yesterday called me to see if I might be able to come back in this Friday. I told her I had actually already planned on that and she said that was great bc she had been talking with Dr. Sullivan about me since he would be the one to deliver me if I was induced on Monday (my doctor usually delivers Mondays but not next week bc he is on vacation.) She wants me back in sooner so that they can induce me at the beginning of next week as opposed to just 'sometime' next week which was the original time frame. I think the New Year's Holiday being in the middle of next week might be playing a role in this bc they wouldn't want to schedule me to be induced on a holiday but if they wait till after the holiday i might have a 6month old in there and be forced into a c-section. By seeing me on Friday instead of Monday they will be able to schedule me before New Years if necessary. SO---now I will go back in on Friday and hope that I have progressed somewhat and will be able to be induced next Monday. I'll keep you posted!! And Merry Christmas!!!!!!

38 Weeks

 

They think I am giving birth to a 2 month old...I had an ultrasound today and the baby is measuring 8lbs 12oz. I flipped out so badly when she told me this that she measured the baby again and it was 8lb 10oz. She said the estimate could be wrong a pound either way but that based on her doing it twice and on the quality of measurements she was able to get (I guess the baby was cooperating and giving her good angles), she felt pretty sure the baby was at least 8lbs. I am still only 50% effaced and not quite 1 cm dilated (I asked if she was just saying that to make me feel better and she said no I really was almost a whole cm.) So if I haven't had the baby on my own by next Monday I will go back for another check-up and set a date for sometime next week to be induced. The problem is my doctor will be out of town all of next week so he won't be the one to induce me unless we wait until the next Monday, which they don't want to do bc the baby is already SO BIG! So now we just wait and see if the baby decides to come before Monday or not!

37 Weeks

Percy and I went to the doctor Tuesday for my 37 week check up and there has been no change since last week except that the baby wasn't as low this week as it was last week. So that kind of put a damper on all the questions Percy had planned to ask that he felt I had neglected to ask regarding how low the baby was :) He said the baby still 'floats' up and down a little bit so that explains why it was lower last week than this week. I'm not sure I agree with this statement, he may have the MD but I'm the one with a baby firmly wedged between my bladder and my lungs! I don't know how it can FLOAT anywhere any more but whatever. So- still 50% effaced and 0cm dilated. I should feel fairly confident that the baby isn't coming any time too soon right? Wrong- Haaga's due date is the exact same day as mine and I left the doctor's appointment and returned a missed call from her and she tells me she is in labor! Andrew McDowell aka Mac was born at 2:47pm, just 2 minutes after his cousin Sessions was born in Memphis at 2:45pm! Haaga had a c-section while her sister was being induced in Memphis. Mac weighed 6lbs 11oz (don't know about Sessions but I think she was a good bit over 7lbs). Still waiting on Daddy Patrick to email some pictures but congrats to the now family of four!! Oh and to Haaga's mama Sue aka Tancy who may not have had quite as long a day as her two daughters since they did give birth, but was pretty close! I'll post a pic of Mac as soon as I get one!!

36 Weeks

This Tuesday was my first weekly appointment. Since Hillary was set to deliver anytime that day I decided to wait until next week to ask my doctor about when I should stop traveling. I am pretty sure he would have said a couple weeks ago but I didn't ask so he didn't say. I wanted to leave for Jackson straight from my appointment so I packed up my car and my dog, sorry Weeza, and parked in the garage with the windows cracked. The doctor said I was already about 50% effaced (spelling?) and that the baby was really low. He said the 'really low' part like it was a good thing- I am not convinced this means I have 'dropped' or anything bc I think the baby is as low as it has always been. There really isn't enough room in my torso for me to carry a baby really high or really low- they kind of need to use every inch they can to fit inside my short-waisted self! Percy is flabbergasted that I didn't ask more questions about what all this means for delivery dates. I assumed my doctor would laugh and say the baby will come when it comes and all we can do is guess at when that will be, so I didn't ask any questions, (plus Hillary was pushing already and I really needed to get back to the dog in my car!) Needless to say, Percy is going with me to my next appointment- so I'm sure I will have LOTS more info to report after next Tuesday...

A couple of people (Mary Katherine) want me to post pictures of the nursery- and I will, as soon as the curtains get hung, the rug comes in, and the changing table is finished being made and makes its way from Alabama to Jackson to Memphis! The baby absolutely can't come early. My bassinet (which I LOVE) came in and Percy and I put it together last night and you can see it (and the Weeze) in the belly pics- that's all I got for now!

P.S. My sister Katie just called and had me book her flight to come home-FINALLY! She had to set her alarm for 3am to try and catch someone in our family at home and able to get on the computer for her, (she has been having some technical difficulties with the Mozambique computer technology). But she is booked and coming home next week! Keep her in your prayers for a safe trip home!

Sweet Baby James

My cousin Chesley and his wife Hillary had their baby boy yesterday! Pruet Pattison James was born just before noon, weighing a measly 8lbs 15oz and measuring 21.5in. I went to Jackson yesterday but didn't make it in time for the birth so when I got to the hospital he was in the nursery, so I went back by today on my way out of town and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to hold him today when I was the only visitor so I didn't even have to share him! Congrats to Ches and Hillary- he is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see him again!!

Christmas Lights and Due Dates

Most of you know that I AM Clark Griswold when it comes to my Christmas lights. I have won the Christmas Yard Award for our nighborhood, three years straight. I am in no way humble about this-I am dang proud. So that is why it is just sooo funny that I am due on January 3rd. So the lights will suffer this year. I'm not sure how badly they will suffer but they will take a hit so I am posting a picture of my award-winning decor from last year so you might have a better idea of the full scale of my madness.

I start the day we get back from Thanksgiving and will not finish the bulk of it for a week. I will then continue to add things I find on my 30+ trips to Lowe's and Home Depot and WalMart and Target (and last year I even discovered a little gem in the Memphis ghetto called the Light Bulb Depot bc GE discontinued a type of bulb in a certain color that I use and I needed replacements,)right up until I take the picture for my Christmas cards and/or get the sign in my yard telling me I won, again. My husband will be the first to tell you that he DOES NOT PARTICIPATE in any way- it is all me. Well, there is one thing and I mean one thing that he does other than put up with no supper and no clean clothes and an absentee wife who is spends most of December in the front yard, he puts the BIG wreath up on the very tip-top peak of our house bc he will not let me get up on a 32foot extension ladder alone during the day when he isn't here. So I really have no choice- he threatened divorce after the mailman had to help me off the roof of our old house, (which is where I won the award for the first time- we only moved around the corner in the same neighborhood.) We live on a corner with our carport facing that side, it has a semi-flat roof so this is where my 8foot tall by 8foot wide Santa in a sleigh pulled by Rudolph inflatable, my skiing polar bear with snow, and my twinkling Frosty all reside. I go for classy in the front yard and trashy on the side yard. All of my lights and decor are on timers so the nighborhood doesn't miss out on a second of enjoyment while we are out of town. Then comes the crappy part. I spend about half of January taking it all down. Nothing gets lit up anymore after January 1st but it takes me a while to get it all down and organized and back up into the attic where it takes up about 1/3 of the available floored space up there.

So now here I am with a belly big enough to qualify as its own nighborhood- maybe i should just put lights on it and call it a day. I have been debating about what to do as far as the lights go- part of me wants to just skip out entirely this year bc-hey, I have a pretty good reason, and it's not like I haven't contributed in the past! And then part of me says I should let Percy do a little bit under my direction (this spells disaster to me), and some of my friends have even said they would come put them up and my mother-in-law said she would take them down when she comes up after the baby is born. But, I just don't think any of us are going to want to deal with a boat-load of Christmas lights and decor when there is a week old baby in the house! Oh, and I go all out inside as well- last year I took pictures of where my decorations go inside so I would remember for this year. We will have a tree to deal with bc Percy put his foot down about that.

Thank you so much to the friends and family who have offered to enable my addiction to Christmas, regardless of what I decide I really do appreciate it! But for now enjoy the picture of last year- that may be as good as it gets!!