36 weeks

Why won't this baby turn? I continue to do the "breech tilt" position thing at home (aiming for at least twice a day), I've seen an acupuncturist twice now to do that moxibustion thing (see link for more info), I even had a massage yesterday (although I can't complain one bit about the most relaxing 3 hours at the spa, ever!) But baby seems to be pretty darn comfortable exactly where he is - which currently is head up under my right rib cage, bottom in the opposite lower left, and feet dangling down low, where the head should be. I go tomorrow to meet with a doctor to discuss the ECV procedure I've mentioned in previous posts (also called, version). When I first learned about versions, it seemed like a viable, although unpleasant procedure. But now that it's possibly going to happen this week, I'm quite nervous about it and have tons of questions I need answered satisfactorily before I will agree to it. Hopefully the doctor will be knowledgeable and understanding of my worries.

My list of things to get done before the baby arrives seems to be growing rather than shrinking, even as the weeks remaining are disappearing before my eyes. We did, however, get the crib assembled - in the baby's room - this weekend and plan to get the car seat installed before the day is over, too. Of course, Kinnick (who is healing up nicely from his little accident last weekend) gave both of the new contraptions a spin, but I think you can see in his eyes just how fearful he is of all this strange new baby stuff. Just wait 'til he hears all the crying! : )

35 weeks

So, here we are - only one short month to go. The reality of what is about to happen in our lives is finally sinking in. We started our birthing classes this week, and hearing about ways to work through contractions and labor has probably contributed to that sinking feeling. Don't get me wrong - I am SO excited and can't wait to meet our baby! But that has just been such a distant, almost hypothetical concept up until now. I mean, I know it's going to happen eventually, but it just seemed so far off. And now it is rapidly approaching...yikes...and yay!

My big brother Chuck has been staying with us this week and we've had fun taking him all over Seattle and showing him the sights. I've been proud of myself and my stamina - we've done a lot of walking and, overall, I think I've managed to hang in there pretty well, considering my current condition.

Yesterday, our little Kinnick was attacked by a dog right outside our house. We had to rush him to the emergency vet down in Tacoma and on the drive there, I mentioned to Ryan that this will be a very familiar drive in the not too distant future. (Our hospital is also in Tacoma - about 20 miles away.) And as we sat in the vet's office waiting to hear about our poor little pal's condition, I also commented that I will surely be such a nervous wreck when we inevitably have to rush our baby or toddler to the ER one day. So, I guess it was a good practice run for us, but poor Kinnick is a little worse for the wear, unfortunately. We think he'll survive, though. : )

34 weeks

This has been a fairly quiet week; not much new to report on the baby. Another ultrasound at my appointment on Friday confirmed that he/she is still breech, so I'm continuing my pelvic tilts and other crazy attempts to get baby to turn. So far, nothing seems to be working. I'm starting to come to terms with the idea that I just might have to have a c-section, though I'm still hopeful that it won't come to that. (I have lots of - somewhat unfounded - feelings about having a c-section, but I won't go into that now. In general, it's something I'm really hoping to avoid.) But everyone keeps telling me that babies can turn at any point and I still have plenty of time. So, I'm trying to remain optimistic and hopeful that this baby isn't as stubborn as his/her mother can sometimes be!

Let's see...what else?? I finally washed and put away a few baby clothes, blankets, and towels. That was fun! Sometimes I just go into the drawer with all the onesies and pick up the tiniest one in there, hold it in my hands, and marvel at just how small and adorable our little one is going to be. And now, more than ever, I'm starting to get so anxious to find out if we'll have a little boy or girl. Up until this point, I really haven't thought much about it, but as the weeks creep by, I find myself constantly wondering what this baby will look like and which of the several names we've poured over will eventually fit. I've always kind of maintained the notion that it will be a boy - based on the strong initial feeling I had in the early weeks of pregnancy, plus the fact that everyone else we know seems to be having girls. But lately, I'm starting to get more of a sense that it will be a girl. I've had a few dreams now about baby and in all of them, she's been a girl. According to my midwife, in her experience, dreams seem to be the best indicator of the baby's true gender, so we'll see...

I also celebrated my 31st birthday this past Tuesday. When I was a kid, I always assumed that by my 30s (ugh...my 30s!), I'd already be done having my babies. But as I reflect back, I wouldn't change a single thing - I am truly happy with the course of my life thus far.

In other news, we had a brief visit from Ryan's mom on Friday night and Saturday. She'll be back for a bit longer when she returns from her trip to the Canadian Rockies. And in the meantime, we are very excited to welcome my big brother, Chuck, to Seattle for the first time this coming week! Good times ahead...!

33 weeks

What a fantastic weekend! Friday night we went to a Mariners game (love those!), Saturday we attended an Infant Safety/CPR class in the afternoon and had dinner with our neighbors that evening. And today, my dear friend Kat hosted a baby shower in my honor. Life is so good!

Not much baby news to report; kid still seems to be stuck in the wrong position, as best I can tell. My midwife should be able to confirm that at my next appointment on Friday. If that's the case, I think my next approach will be to at least look into an acupuncture treatment that is supposed to have some success at turning breech babies around. Normally, I am not one to put much stock into alternative medicines, but if it can potentially prevent having to do the ECV procedure I described last week - and ultimately avoid a c-section - hey, it's worth a shot.

In the meantime, here's a funny photo of me in the "breech tilt" position, doing what I can on my part. Oh baby, I hope you appreciate what Mommy is doing for you!!!  : )

32 weeks

My mantra this week is "turn, baby, turn!" After meeting with my midwife on Friday, it was confirmed that this baby is still in the breech position. She gave me a few "exercises," which are really just strange positions to get in and hold a couple times a day, to encourage baby to turn head-down. And if that doesn't work, then I may schedule an appointment with a doctor (in the hospital in case an emergency c-section is needed) at 36 weeks to perform something called External Cephalic Version, where they try to go in and manually flip the baby around. (Here's a link to more info on ECV, in case you're interested.) It doesn't sound very pleasant, so I'm hoping that in the next few weeks, I can coax this baby into position myself. I tried it last night and thought that it actually worked, but now this morning, I'm not so sure. It's hard to distinguish the baby's exact position - I'm constantly guessing, "is that a head, or a butt?" Obviously, though, we want the baby to turn into the proper, vertex position so that I can deliver him normally and avoid a c-section, if possible.

On a completely unrelated, and happier note, we finally finished painting the baby's room. Attached is a picture of the "wall o' squares" that came together quite nicely. (All too often my creative attempts fail to live up to the vision in my head, but this one actually did!) I'll be sure to take another picture once all the furniture is set up and the room is ready to welcome baby home.

It's an absolutely GORGEOUS weekend here in the pacific northwest, so I'm off to go enjoy it!

Baby Shower in Iowa

Whew! We are just back from one of the best weekends ever! My Mom and sissies, Rachel and Jackie threw Ryan and I a simply lovely baby shower on Saturday - it was absolutely darling and perfect! And the rest of the weekend was spent with our dearest loved ones. It couldn't have been more perfect!

There are lots more pictures shared by friends on facebook, but this one is my favorite (courtesy of Janan).

This baby is so loved and supported by such a wonderful family - he or she is truly blessed. (As are we!) Thank you, thank, thank you (100 times) to Rachel and Jackie for all the hard work they put into the shower - down to the smallest detail. And to my Mom for being so generous and considerate of my needs this weekend. And to everyone who made it (some from very far away) - thanks SO much being there!

The rest of the weekend was a blast as well. Got to spend time with my aunt and cousins and Grandma whom I haven't seen in so long. And all the meals and good family time was absolutely refreshing!

We flew back late last night and I had my first experience with swollen feet and ankles. By the time we finally got off the plane, I could barely walk. I have never seen the bottom half of my legs look that way before. It was crazy! And kind of scary. But Ryan gave me a nice foot rub before bed and by the time I got up this morning, everything was back to it's normal size. I am glad that I will not be traveling by air again during this pregnancy.

And finally, I'm considering changing the name of this blog, although I haven't come up with what yet. When I originally created it, it was for an entirely different purpose, but now I think that the name needs to fit the direction of the blog a little better. I'll keep thinking about that one and let you know what I come up with. But watch for an email with the new web site address sometime soon...

Testing out the new stroller

So, we're not sure who we got our awesome stroller from (there was no name on the delivery slip), but whoever you are - thank you!  (I'm sure we'll find out next week at the shower.)  In the meantime, we are having fun giving it a test run using Kinnick as the baby.  You can see for yourself just how happy he is about that.  : )