progressive lesson in patience

yup- ANOTHER lesson in patience.

but more on that in a sec... :)

first, the big thing this week is that auntie sarah is home!!

it's her college spring break, so we get to have her close by for an entire seven days- how awesome is that?!

we made a spur-of-the-moment trip over to mom and dad's monday night for a lasagna supper with them, sarah and chase.

coley helped grandma make the salad :)

i found a madagascar penguins version of the fishing game for under $10, so i couldn't pass it up. the littles had so much fun with the regular version at auntie kandace and uncle duey's on christmas eve that i figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get our own.

chase chilled.

(sorry- that's the only photos we got of you, man... i can't very well post that you were here and NOT include photographic evidence!)

yesterday afternoon i had my pedicure... almost 2 hours of pure bliss!

not only did our wonderful neighbor do an awesome job, she massaged points on my ankles that are supposed to be good for encouraging labor.

i got four solid hours of prelabor out of it!

mmm, pretty feet!

(all that really mattered to me was getting rid of the dry skin, callouses and pumping some moisture into the poor things)

*

now for my lesson in patience...

it involves this prelabor thing. it's also known as prodromal labor, or more commonly, "false labor". the last term is not a good one, since there's nothing false about it. technically it's early labor that just doesn't progress, for whatever reason. i've been having it every day for weeks, and let me tell you, it's exhausting. not just physically but emotionally too... but that goes without saying.

last night's round included contractions every two minutes (they lasted between 45 seconds and a minute) for four solid hours. i did some housework, sat on the ball, puttered around in the kitchen, sat down on a regular chair for supper, made a triple batch of pancakes for the freezer, threw in a small load of laundry (since it seemed like we might be heading in to L & D that night...) and scrubbed the kitchen floor. sitting, kneeling, standing, moving, none of it seemed to have any changing effect on the activity. finally, heeding my mom's suggestion, i stretched out on the couch and put my feet up. that's when they slowed. i'm not sure who was more disappointed: kelvin, or me. he had his heart set on this time being "the time", and seeing his enthusiasm, well, i was getting a little stoked too.

so today, with every contraction, i'm going to be doing pelvic tilts and tummy lifts- spinningbabies.com recommends it for lengthy, unprogressive prelabor, so it's worth a try. maybe the little guy needs a little shift to settle down just right? in any case, it can't hurt, and i'll feel more proactive about this extended early labor nonsense. at this point, my ab/side/back muscles ache from the workout, my patience is being tested (hence the post title) and emotionally, i'm ready to be done with the stop-start thing. that was SO last week, hahahaha!

anyway, now that the house is clean (still), the laundry's still caught up, there's food in the freezer and my poor husband's wound tight as can be, there's not much else to do except get the ball rolling a bit faster- which is why i'm doing everything i possibly can to move things along.

mindless meanderings

• the nesting continues... the windows in the kitchen and dining room are clean (just the insides, and it's bugging me that it's too chilly yet to tilt them in to do the outsides!!), i freak out if the stovetop is dirty or there are dishes in the sink, i feel like i should clean the bathroom every single day and i've been caught up with the laundry for about a week now.
• it's a very good thing we don't have a chest freezer, or i'd be on a cooking/baking bender too. the urge is there, believe me!!
• last week kelvin cleaned out the van (thank you, sweetie!!) and put the baby's carseat in. cole's now in the back seat and has taken to it rather well. i was a bit worried that he might feel left out, but he thinks it's neat! i, on the other hand, feel awful, like he's been banished. i want to cry every time i see him at the very rear of the van, but i'm sure that i'll get used to it too. :)
• i have a pedicure booked for tomorrow... second one ever. i had my first pedi three years ago in arizona and haven't had one since. normally i wouldn't splurge, but i can't reach my feet to put lotion on them, so they're in desperate need of some tlc.
• the littles are becoming more individual in their food preferences: cole doesn't like scalloped potatoes and ham (at least, not last night) and madi seems to really dislike homemade mac-n-cheese. of course, they're not always consistent, but that's what i've observed over the last 24 hours.

(photo courtesy of daddy!!)

just a random shot of the littles enjoying the static cling on the couch, hahahaha!

• my exercise ball is my new best friend... it's getting lots of use and is on the list of things to take with us to labor & delivery. i have no idea why i didn't drag it out long ago...
• this lil guy seems to be unable to make up his mind- we've been having a LOT of false labor action, which is exhausting. i sure hope he decides he wants out, and soon.
• my belly now measures 53.5" around. very disturbing.
• my 'baby' sister is coming home today- yay for college spring break!! we can't wait to spend time with her again, and we're crossing our fingers that she gets her wish of the baby coming while she's still home.
• in addition to the ball, i've been doing acupressure. it seems to maybe be doing a LITTLE something- even if not, it's relaxing and still beneficial.
• have i mentioned that we're all getting anxious for our little guy to arrive? :)

lately i've felt like a huge (no kidding. huge.) bear;

an uncomfortable, nearly immobile, achy, itchy, restless, irritable, neurotic bear.

not this morning!

for whatever reason, i woke up feeling like mighty-mom.

or super-woman, except without the svelte physique. that part's long gone, never to be seen again.

(bummer)

not one to pass up an opportunity (usually, although sometimes i do procrastinate and said opportunity gets tired of waiting for me and leaves), i put my new-found energy and pep to good use.

i whipped up a batch of cookie dough.

it's THE best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever, and makes a huge batch. we're talking 6 cups of flour, 5 eggs... yeah. big.

but we eat them slowly, so i've gotten into the habit of forming them into balls and freezing them. that way they don't get stale and get tossed, there's not a bunch staring at us begging to be eaten NOW, and if we only need a few cookies, we can take out a few dough balls and bake them. and it tastes way better than most of the frozen dough i've tried (well, except for the expensive school fundraiser kinds. those are usually pretty scrumptious!).

so... i now have 129 individual balls of dough ready and waiting to be baked and devoured...

and for more readily-available treats that don't go stale in a few days, i also made a batch of no-bake cocoa mounds. hey- the main ingredient is oatmeal, so it's not all bad, right?

i even managed to overlook the chaos that has been our household lately... toys scattered everywhere, two small being fighting and having tantrums more than once a day, that sort of thing. while calmly ignoring a rather loud dispute over a certain toy, i had a moment of clarity:
toddler etiquette is nothing like adult etiquette.
they have a whole different set of rules...
which proved true when the screaming match dissolved in a matter of minutes, everyone emerging relatively content and mommy not having uttered a word.
huh.
maybe i should let them fight it out more often...

oh, this looks so comfy!!

funny that madi should take to sitting on a ball, seeing as how i haven't gotten around to dragging mine out. i need to... time to get more proactive in encouraging things to move along a little more quickly so we can meet this little man!

~

so, i'm not sure if it's a sign of impending labor, since every labor is different, but the energy, the ambition, the calmness... it has to mean something, right? i've had a few intense contractions this morning, but nothing regular, and i've been really focused on relaxing, using a positive mantra and some visualization techniques through each one.

~

there was a brief, oh-so-brief moment this morning where i thought my water had broken. it was in the middle of a contraction and i was in the kitchen; i stepped on something wet, which turned out to be a very small puddle of water. must've happened when i refilled the brita pitcher. made me giggle a little, knowing that we're at the stage now where stuff like that makes us think "this is it!!".

~

a lesson in humility came my way this morning- i'm not the kind of person that likes to ask for help, much less accept it when offered. i like to think that i can do it all myself. but i got a phone call from a very special lady, asking if she and her co-worker could bring supper to our house tonight. my first thought was "absolutely not- it's OUR place to feed YOU", but then realized that this is something she wants to do. in not accepting help from someone else because i think i can do it all on my own, i'm denying them the opportunity to feel good about what they're trying to do. just as lending a helping hand makes us feel good, allowing someone else to help us makes them feel good too. now, that doesn't mean i'm totally comfortable with accepting help when it's offered (i'm so used to doing things myself and being in control that it's now way outside of my comfort zone to accept assistance), but i know now that it's not always what i'm comfortable with- it's about the thoughts and intentions of the other person.

funny how things just kind of dawn on you, all of a sudden, after years of thinking that you had it all figured out.

between that and the toddler-etiquette thing, that's two epiphanies for me today.

i'd say that's enough for one day... any more revelations about to come my way can take a number and wait till tomorrow! :)

36-week visit

well, there's not as much to report as i'd have liked (personally).

baby's down low (but i've known that for a week and a half, hahahaha!) and i'm not dilated at all.

however, i AM about 20% effaced, so that's good.

dr h gave me the green light, so baby can come any time from here on out.

i won't lie, i'm a little disappointed- i was hoping that with all the contractions and such, there'd be more change. i guess it doesn't really matter much, though, because one can remain dilated/effaced for weeks or go from no dilation or effacement to active labor within a few hours. i'm hoping that baby will come next week, though, because that's when my baby sis is home for spring break! :)

this is how it's been...

i've been lazy in my posting.

whups.

extreme exhaustion may or may not have something to do with that...

*

madi's been learning to dress herself.

she doesn't always remember to take off her clothes before putting her pj's on.

(and vice versa)

"i got it, mama!"

big brother already knows how to dress and undress himself with very minimal help, so he's in a good position to give little sister some pointers.
(so eager to help that he forgot to put his own pj's on first, hahahahaa!)

this past weekend, kelvin's uncle randy and aunt karen were in the area, so we went to his parents' place to see them for a few hours.

madi conned a tractor ride out of auntie karen...

she didn't even have to twist her arm! :)

the tractors are always the highlight of their visits to grandpa dan and grandma ruby's!

madison helped auntie kandace take down the laundry... who'd have thought that clothespins could be SO much fun?!

sunday my parents came and brought lunch.

it was yummy, and a real treat to not have to move around so much.

(walking is very painful these days!!)

after lunch the kids entertained us all...

(nice hair, madi!)

(you move that way, i'll go this way, and i'm sure we can both squeeze in here!)

(see? told you!!)

... and then were entertained by grandpa!

they thought a ride in the toy bin was pretty nifty.

unfortunately, when they asked to do it again the next day, i had to say no. there's no way i'm managing that one at this point!

*

• we've had some more false labor episodes, all of them short-lived. that's ok- it's good practice!
• i may or may not be nesting... today found me clearing out the fridge, wiping it down, washing all the gladware (that held the old leftovers i tossed), giving the kitchen floor a very good scrubbing and doing laundry at bedtime. (which reminds me, i need to stick that load in the dryer...)
• yesterday i got all the itty-bitty baby boy clothes put away, and cole's clothes moved to his new dresser. the dresser is in the dining room right now because we want to get the floor in his room re-finished before moving his bed, dresser and nightstand in. we COULD move it all in right now and just stick it in our room when it comes time to redo the floors, but that doesn't seem all that logical. so for now, the poor kiddo has his entire wardrobe stashed in the dining room, except for the few things that hang in the closet.
• tomorrow is our 36-week appointment. whether or not i get checked depends on if the charts in the clinic were updated since the ultrasound last week. if they weren't, they'll still have me at 35 weeks, but seeing as how i'm measuring so far ahead, dr h may have planned on doing a check anyway. i'm anxious to see if anything's happening! after my 32-week check, when dr h felt baby's head down where it should be, i helped kelvin feel our little guy's noggin when i got home. now, though, i can no longer feel it. knowing from our ultrasound that he IS head-down and low, i'm hoping that he's already engaged and moving down further. my word- tomorrow afternoon canNOT come soon enough!
• this pregnancy has been pretty much back-pain-free, compared to the last two, which included excruciating back pain the entire time. both times. i've been SO lucky with that this time, and until last night, didn't really feel anything. so- lower back pain: another good indication that the end is near(er)!
• all in all, i'm going to miss being pregnant. i always do. the excitement and relief that come with delivering a sweet little one is always mixed with a little sadness that there's no longer a tiny life inside me anymore. some people absolutely dread being preggo, some people love it. i'd have to say i definitely love it. even when desperation for d-day hits, it's still something i love.
• i WILL update tomorrow, after i get back from my appointment... :)

and we all breathed a sigh of relief...

...because our 'emergency' ultrasound showed that our little guy is head-down.

w-a-y down.

so far down that our technician had some considerable difficulties in getting measurements for baby's head.

and our due date is now april 6th...

estimated weight is about 5 1/2 pounds.

so...

all's well, pressure's still on (but now we know for sure what's causing it- that little noggin is really deep!) and we have one less week to worry about.

most of all, we're relieved that he's ok, he's locked and loaded and now all we have to do is wait.

---> insert huge grin here <---

pressure: explained (and other things)

*EDIT: "emergency" ultrasound scheduled for 12:30 today... the kids are excited to see daddy early, and cole's anxious to "see the baby on the 'puter".
~
in the last few days, i've been super lazy about taking photos.

i did get some video of cole tonight, though... i don't have the patience to try to figure out how to post it here, but i'll share the story: we were sitting at the table for supper, and i winked at cole, then asked him if he could wink too (he learned to do it quite awhile ago). he did... he winked with one eye, then the other, giggled, then continued to wink one eye and then the other, told us he was a cop car and made siren noises.

i'm sure i don't have to mention that we laughed. hard.

what a creative lil man!!

gummy bears.

dye-free ones.

perfect potty-training reward.

(which madi got the other day for going potty on the toilet. just once. and her reward was enjoyed very thoroughly, i must add!)

*

being 34 weeks yesterday, my appointment was today. i was hoping i'd not measure more than two weeks ahead, that baby would have indeed dropped enough to make it worth mentioning, etc.

instead, this is what happened: after waiting forever (45 minutes, to be exact) to be called back, i was greeted by dr h's nurse with "holy cow!!". hahaha! i have to laugh, because i was in the same cna class as he was, so i know he's a funny dude. we love nurse john!!

we did the usual pre-exam stuff, then dr h came in and started by asking if we'd had to make any more trips up to labor & delivery. he asked if i was taking it easy (yes. i feel lazy. REALLY lazy.), then went to feel for baby's head. instead of hearing something to the effect of "oh, that little noggin is nice and low", i heard "ummm... there's baby's head, beneath the left side of your ribcage, and his rump is beneath the right.".

oh.

well, what now?

dr h rushed out of the room to see if there were any ultrasound techs left, but they'd all left already. maybe if my appointment had started on time... ? instead of getting a last-minute scan to confirm baby's position, central scheduling will call tomorrow to try to set something up, and my weekly visits will start a week early because of the whole transverse position thing. it can usually be corrected by external manipulation, but i've bookmarked some yoga moves to help correct it, so maybe we can avoid an uncomfortable "turn the baby!" session. seems that this isn't that common: 1 in 2,500 births. fortunately, we're not birthing yet, so we have time to get him to turn back. the good news is that the position he's in is what's causing me to now measure 3 weeks ahead. it's also what's responsible for this incredible pressure i've been feeling.

mystery solved!

the other good news is that dr h feels he's not a big baby, so he's small enough yet that he can flip back... especially since he was head-down at my 32-week visit.

now i'm just crossing my fingers that scheduling will be able to fit me in for that ultrasound tomorrow sometime so i don't have to spend the weekend wondering (and yes, worrying a little too!!). i'm banking on those yoga moves to do the trick. we really really don't want him to stay sideways because even if it's comfy for him, it's not at all fun for mommy. AND there's the c-section factor; we'd like to avoid that for sure!!