Today is Tyler's Birthday!!!

We are all checked into the hospital and plugged into everything. Nurse Jennifer has hooked me up to the pitocin to start contractions. So far I've only had really small ones. Ice chips are wonderful, I was so thirsty when I woke up this morning! I must say that hospital gowns are a lot smaller than I expected (I would be quite embarrassed to stand up right now). I'm a little nervous but mostly just ready to meet Tyler.

Hospital pictures are so lovely...

1...

Today started off a lot like yesterday. I woke up and laid in bed for a bit, ate some breakfast, started doing some "chores", etc. Then... I lost my mucous plug (that may be way too much information for some of you, but there it is). Sometimes that means nothing, but a lot of people go into labor within 24 hours of losing their MP (my friend Amanda did!). So I'm getting everything in the car today just in case, then I'm going to head up and hang out with Mandee and Caden this afternoon.

I think we are going to head to the mall and do some walking... we may just go into labor naturally, you never know!

2...

I am done with work until late April... wooohooooo! I spent the day relaxing and getting some house work done. It's nice to have this time before Tyler gets here to make sure the house is in order and to tie up any loose ends. Only 2 more days to go!!!

Below are our last (I think) belly pictures... 39 weeks along.

3...

Had my last doctor's appointment before Tyler arrives. His heartbeat is strong and sounds good. I have not made any progress on my own (still 1.5cm dilated, and only about 50% effaced...no I haven't gone backwards, it just felt different last week than it does this week apparently). The doctor also stripped my membranes today (which was not the most comfortable experience, but she is generally good about being quick with that sort of thing). She said this should help get things "ready" for Thursday, which she fully expects us to make it until Thursday (so nobody get their hopes up too much for Tyler arriving any earlier).

Below is an explanation of what "getting your membranes stripped" means... warning, this may be TMI for some of you (so stop reading if you think that may be the case):

Stripping the membranes of a pregnant woman is almost a guaranteed way to bring on labor naturally.

Stripping the membranes is when a doctor inserts two fingers into the vagina and makes a sweeping motion inside the cervix to loosen not only the mucus plug but the bag of water from the uterus.

This procedure is best done when the mother has already started to dilate, or open up. Stripping the membranes when a mother is not dilated may cause discomfort and even pain. So it is much better to do this when the mother is at least 2 cm dilated.

The reason that this procedure is a natural way to induce labor is because removing the mucus plug as well as disrupting the attachment of the bag of water to the uterus will cause the uterus to contract. Often times, once the mucus plug is removed (which is a thick collection of mucus that seals the cervix from anything trying to enter the uterus), labor starts within 3 days.

5, 4...

Jonathan and I had a nice relaxing weekend. Friday night we stayed in and ordered some chinese food. Saturday night we went out for a movie (we saw Avatar in 3D... it was really good!), had dinner at the theater, then went out for ice cream afterwards. Then we had another lazy day on Sunday, after going to church and the grocery store (we stocked up on lots of frozen food and soups).

And the countdown continues...

6...

Tyler is still a womb-baby, despite my efforts of eating spicy foods all day yesterday :)

I only have 2 more days of work left (today and Monday), then I will have two days off before our induction date to relax, do some laundry, clean the house, stock up on some frozen food and soups, etc.

Tyler has been pressing his little feet and hands into different spots on my belly for the last couple of days; I like to tease that he is "testing the perimeter" to try and find his escape route. At this point though, that's probably the easiest form of movement he has since he is running out of room in there.

Happy Friday to everyone, hope it flies by!

7...

Trying to wait patiently, which is easier said than done.

Tonight we have dinner plans with some of my good friends from college, so we are looking forward to that. We are hoping to take advantage of this last week (I know, can you believe it?... only one more week to go!) to try and squeeze in some baby-free activities (going to the movies, going out to a nice restaurant, etc.) and also find some time to just relax at the house without any plans too.

8...

Hospital bag packed... check.
Hospital bag in the car and ready to go... check.

Yesterday was my last day at the gym, I've decided to give myself the next week off to relax and save up on energy. Plus I needed the pants that I've been working out in to pack for my coming home outfit (they have drawstrings and still fit at this point... so they were my best option). So just in case Tyler decides to arrive early, we are now as ready as we can be. Wooohoooo... now I'm just a ticking time bomb :)

Today also marks 38 weeks for us. I'm not going to include the baby growth information b/c Tyler is pretty much done developing and just getting more baby fat on him right now. Pretty soon we will get to see those cute little rollies in person!

9...

Nope, no baby yet :)

The hospital bag is almost completely packed, Jonathan added his clothes in yesterday. We just have some last minute things that we are waiting to throw in. Now I need to put it in the car (just in case) but haven't quite been able to do that yet... maybe that will be my homework tonight.

10 days...

Wow, it's amazing to think that in 10 days (or less if he surprises us) we will get to meet our sweet baby boy! People ask me whether this time has flown by or if it has gone by slowly. That is a loaded question.

At times it feels like it has flown by... like when I think back to when we found out that we were having a boy and we also met our little nephew Caden - that was 4 whole months ago! When I think about times like those, it does seem like time has flown.

But with the anticipation of meeting and holding our first baby, sometimes it feels like I have been pregnant forever. I know that I will miss this time though once it is over. I will miss feeling Tyler moving inside my tummy, I will also miss having him with me all of the time and knowing that he is safe and comfortable.

We also had another doctor's appointment today and... we've made some progress! I am now 1.5cm dilated and 60% effaced (5 days ago, I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced). Some of you may not think this is much, but to a 9 month pregnant person any progress is good progress!!!

UPDATES!!!

I had a doctor's appointment today and Tyler's heart beat is still nice and strong. The doc said that I am 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and Tyler's head is definitely down. She also scheduled us for an induction on Thursday, January 28th... so we only have 2 weeks and 1 day left before we get to meet him. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

I have added an updated ticker above that counts down to our baby's new "due date"... although if he doesn't arrive by surprise before then, then we will definitely get to meet him on the 28th!

37 Weeks: Tyler is now considered "Full Term"!!!

With just three more weeks to go and at about six and a half pounds (though weight and height vary from fetus to fetus), your baby is doing just fine. You can expect weight gain to be about half an ounce per day. (Boys, though, are likely to be heavier at birth than girls. And here's a bit of boy baby trivia to back that one up: Moms carrying boys tend to eat more than moms carrying girls — a foreshadowing of teenage refrigerator raids to come.) Since your little one is considered full-term at 37 weeks pregnant, if your baby was to leave the wet nest this week, he would likely thrive. That's because Mother Nature and you have done such a fine job.

So what's keeping your little one busy while waiting it out until D-day? Practice, practice, practice. Your baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side (one day you feel the tushy on the left side, another day it has swung around to the right side). All these are skills needed for his next gig — starring as newborn.

Here's an interesting fact: Your baby's head (which, by the way, is still growing) will, at birth, be the same size circumference as his hips, abdomen, and shoulders. And guess what's making an impression (literally) these days on those shoulders and hips: fat — causing little dimples in those cute elbows and knees, shoulders and hip, and creases and folds in the neck and wrists.

36 Weeks...only 4 weeks to go!

Your baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his little body. Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey as your baby squeezes through the birth canal at delivery (and less prodding and poking for Mom along the way). At 36 weeks pregnant, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

So your little bruiser (who you've now learned won't be bruising you all that much with those soft bones) is now about six pounds in weight and measures slightly more than 20 inches in length. Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and also so he can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

By now, many of your baby's systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms — and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation, for instance, has been perfected and your baby's immune system has matured enough to protect him from infections outside the womb. Other systems, however, still need a few finishing touches. Once such notable example: digestion — which actually won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. Why's that? Inside his little gestational cocoon, your baby has relied on the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning that the digestive system — though developed — hasn't been operational. So your baby will take the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.