Maybe tomorrow?

I am 40 weeks & 1 day pregnant today. I had another appointment with my widwife & she did what is called "sweeping of membranes," or cervical massage. The aim is to separate the amnion around the baby from the cervix. This releases hormones called prostaglandins, which may help to start labor. I was expecting a lot of pain during this procedure, however, I had no discomfort whatsoever. Sally asked if I was being stoic & I said that it didn't feel that uncomfortable. She said this was good news since it meant my cervix was soft & "ripe" for labor. She was able to insert 2 fingers inside it. It was 3 cm dilated & 65% effaced (or thinned out). Sally did something different with my platelets last week. She asked the lab for a manual instead of an automated platelet count. My platelet count came back at 144,000! We were both happy about this number since manual platelet count is more accurate than automated one.
I got home around 4 pm & have been having mild intermittent contractions & back pain ever since. I have made a quick trip to a grocery store, done a load of laundry, started the dishwasher, washed the kitchen floor, cooked a bunch of brown rice & made an ox tail soup, sorted out dry clothes, organized baby's toys & vacuumed the carpets. Definitely nesting.... Also, I wanted to be on my feet as much as possible so the contractions would not stop. My husband got excited again, so convinced we are having the baby tonight (even though I told him the contractions may slow down & go away), he called our friend Ananth & asked him to come over just in case. By 9 pm I was still having contractions, so Ananth drove to Tacoma to pick up my hubby's Mom. We've talked about waiting till morning, but then we didn't want him to be caught up in a rush-hour traffic. The worst thing that could happen if my labor stopped is that Gerritt would have a day or two of fun with grandma. I get excited every time I feel a contraction now; glad that the labor may be on its way. My husband said he is not ready to be a father. I tried encouraging him by saying that you are never ready. He clarified that he wasn't ready to be a father to a little girl. The responsibility still scares him. :-) I told him he has many years to master his role & he doesn't have to be ready overnight. I will have to learn to be a mother to a girl as well. What an experience!

I am due in 2 days!

It is Mother's Day today & still have not delivered! Only 2 more days to go until my due date. Little Sophia is definitely taking her time. We had our weekend pancake & sausage breakfast this morning, then headed to Tacoma to spend this Mother's Day with my hubby's Mom. Gerritt had so much fun running around & playing outside, with 3 dogs (Spike, Dingo & John) as well as with his wooden train set that he refused to take a nap. We've tried twice & he screamed & pleaded so loudly I've rescued him after 5 minutes each time. Of course, he passed out in the car on the way home & once we got home he cried non-stop until he got his milk & was put to sleep in his crib at 6:30 pm (an hour early). I don't feel as tired since I was able to escape into a bedroom & take a 1.5-hour nap at grandma's house. Yesterday my hubby & I took Gerritt to 2 different playgrounds - the one near our house & another one called the Grass Lawn Community Park. I've been really impressed with beautiful & well-maintained parks in Bellevue & Redmond area & consider myself fortunate to be a part of this community. We haven't even seen half of them. We take Gerritt to the playground every time it is not raining since I believe fresh air & sunshine are essential for good health. Plus any time he gets off the couch is great.
No changes in my pregnancy status yet. I've had a few mild contractions, but nothing regular or strong enough to get excited about. All of my body parts look bigger (hands, feet, my face), probably due to water retention. My engagement ring still fits, no so for the wedding band; so I look like a pregnant woman who is engaged. :-) I've gained 34 lbs so far (I've gained 35 lbs while being pregnant with Gerritt), so my weight is right on track. Sophia has been living on the right side of my abdomen, so my right lower ribs are tender. For the last few weeks I've been craving whipping cream & berries, cheesecake, ice cream, coconut chocolate-covered popsickles & lots of carbs (pasta & pancakes). She must be putting on some weight.
I've washed the floors in Gerritt's room & in the office (I like being on my hands & knees) & unpacked a few more boxes in the garage yesterday. I've written all of my baby gift thank-you notes. I've been re-reading book "The Baby Catcher" to get inspired about the birthing process. Even though I've been listening to my hypnobirthing CD, I can never finish it since I fall asleep so quickly. I've been also re-reading the Twilight books for the 3rd time (!) to satisfy my craving for romance. I am not sure if it has anything to do with having a girl, but I don't remember reading romantic books when expecting Gerritt.
Gerritt is such a true boy! He loves to play with trains, cars & airplanes. He usually carries 2-3 small toy cars with him everywhere we go - to the store, playground, bath, nap/bedtime & daycare. He still wants to hold on to his 2 bears & a blanket when going to sleep so it is quite a site to see me in the rocking chair with Gerritt on my lap. He learned to say a few new words recently: "No!" (I am not really excited about this one), "Pee!" (please), grapes, "Wa-wa" (water), & OK.
My plan for tomorrow is to get a pedicure since my husband thinks that is one thing holding me back from starting labor. I will probably cook a few meals for the next 3-4 days & clean the house, AGAIN. I am so tired of keeping everything in top shape just in case the baby comes. If Sophia doesn't make her entrance in the next couple of days, I will need another appointment with my widwife & talk about induction (?). I know I can probably go 2 weeks over my due date but not longer than that. I can't imagine being pregnant for another 2 weeks, so hopefully, things will start moving SOON!

Only 4 more days to go until my due date!

I can't believe I am only 4 days away until my due date! With my short cervix & the intermittent contractions I've been having I thought I would have had my baby by now. I am feeling bored & restless. I am tired of being pregnant, & these past few weeks have been difficult. I am feeling reasonably well & have no major health issues, but my back aches, my feet & ankles swell up occasionally, the intermittent contractions & sharp pings in my cervix are uncomfortable, I can't carry Gerritt for long distances or run after him, & I am tired of always being hungry. My nesting stage seems to be over, & I've been taking it easy for the past week. I am focusing on food now. I prepared beef stroganoff & chicken stew with vegetables yesterday & froze some so Gerritt would have something to eat when I am at the hospital. This morning I made buckwheat pancakes & sausage & froze some again for Gerritt's breakfasts. I just want his life to be disrupted as little as possible when I am away. Who knows how long it will be?
It seems this pregnancy will never end. A couple of my friends had babies last week & it is so hard for me to still be pregnant. At the same time I am dreadng labor & fearing the unknown. I hope I can handle the pain (I am still worried even though I went natural up until my C-section last time). My last platelet count was 81K last week, so the epidural may not be a possibility. We have not hired a doula this time & have not toured the hospital. My hubby has been sleeping in the guest room since I wake up so often now & can't go back to sleep because of his snoring. Thankfully, Gerritt sleeps all night from 8 pm until 7 or 7:30 am. Today I took him to Target & bought him a wooden train set with rails, trees, people, etc. as well as a set of main car characters from the "Cars" cartoon. I am still getting over the guilt of giving him a sibling so soon.
I am all finished with my work. My last day at Planned Parenthood was last Saturday & my last day at the Evergreen was on Monday. I am almost done unpacking all of the boxes from our move 7 months ago. We have tons of baby girl clothes. One of my friends gave me all of her used daughters' clothes up to age 2, & my hubby's co-workers threw us a baby shower at the end of April. I have prepaid all of our bills, & the house is reasonably clean. Gerritt has a bath every 3-4 days just in case, & gave him a haircut recently. Everything is ready.
I've had a 3-hour episode of false contractions on the night of April 27th. They came every 3-4 minutes & lasted 15 seconds each. This all happened around 12:30 am. We've called our friend Ananth & had him pick up my husband's Mom from Tacoma & bring her over to our house. I haven't packed for the hospital yet, so here I was again rushing around the house looking for things. I told my hubby to conserve his energy & get some sleep, but he was way too excited to rest. I was so scared I was shaking from the adrenaline rush & could not relax either. He kept telling me to call my midwife, however, I didn't want to until I knew it was the real deal. By 2:30 am, my hubby's Mom was here & we were exhausted. We fell asleep around 3 am & when Gerritt woke us up at 7 am the next day, my contractions were gone. Maybe I scared them off with my reaction. I was definitely not ready psychologically to deal with labor so soon. Now all I want to do is get the show on the road so to speak. I've started to listen to my hypnobirthing CDs again to be more relaxed & welcoming next time the contractions return. Hopefully, soon!
On April 30th my husband & I took Gerritt for his 2nd dental visit. He still cried during an exam, but not nearly as loud or as long as the 1st time. His teeth looked great, just mild gingivitis around back molars. So the tooth brushing time is now increased from 10-15 seconds to 1 minute. I usually brush while my hubby keeps track of time with a beeping watch. Not Gerritt's favorite thing to do, but necessary!