Introducing Our Little Man!

Happy Birthday, Baby Thomas!

Thomas Allen Cook III was born on July 8, 2009 (7/8/09!!) at 3:49pm. He was 8lbs, 6oz and was a measly 20.25 inches long (what a squirt!!) :)

We are so excited he is here! I hope to post more about his birth later, but most importantly, he is healthy and happy and we're settling in together well.

3 Days Overdue!

We had our 40+ appointment yesterday with our midwife. All looked pretty good. Baby has a good amount of fluid to live in, though it's a bit lower than last week. He measured at 8lbs 11ozs though!! Hopefully that was a high estimate, and not a low one! He didn't do as well on the non-stress test as we were hoping for, but still good enough to satisfy the doctor. I think he was just sleepy. He hardly moved around at all during the test, whereas come 10 or 11 at night he's breakdancing in my belly pretty consistently.

As far as progress (without being too detailed, here!), we're moving along slowly. I don't put much faith in this being an indicator of anything, but it's interesting to know. Anyways, once again, he could come today or come later. What we do know now is that he'll at least be out sometime next week! We set an induction date for Monday/Tuesday next week since I'll be between 41 and 42 weeks pregnant. I sure hope I don't need to be induced, but at least we have a plan.

There are many reasons I don't want to be induced, including the unnaturalness of forcing the huge event of labor upon a less than ready body and baby, but I also cannot even imagine the ball of nerves I will be leading up to the induction time/day. To know the exact time that I'll be heading to the hospital and given meds to get the show on the road is a little too much information for me. I'd rather be surprised and just go with the flow because that's the only choice I have. So, let's all pray for a natural labor and delivery (and soon!).

Meanwhile, Tom and I have taken several nice walks around the neighborhood and are enjoying our quiet, lazy days. We napped for 2+ hours this afternoon and just do whatever we want throughout the day. It's nice. I think our boy is being very courteous and giving his momma and daddy some extra time together before he shakes up our world. What a good boy! (versus the boy who won't listen to his momma when she tells him to get out of her tummy!!)

I've been having more contractions last night and today. They are a little different from Braxton Hicks that I've previously had; these ones come with some cramping and lower back discomfort. I haven't timed anything yet, but am pleased that something seems to be happening. Maybe that full moon we're getting tonight will give us some magic!

We'll keep everyone posted!

4th of July Celebration

So, my due date has come and gone. Our little 4th of July baby decided he wants a more low-key birthday. Nonetheless, it will be quite the celebration when he does decide to make his way into the outside world :)

Here's the 4th of July baby onesie that little one was supposed to wear yesterday. Looks like it fits, though!

Even though we couldn't go Up North and celebrate with everyone, we had our own little party at our house. Carley is visiting for a bit and we introduced her to the best summer game ever - Ladder Golf.
And broke out some sparklers....

And had our own little fireworks show in the driveway. It was a nice night, albeit no baby news and no Up North time. I just hope this little guy decides to come out sometime.

T minus 1 day

Still playing the waiting game. Yesterday was a bit eventful though. I had some vision problems during the afternoon (blind spots such that I couldn't read a whole sentence) and a dull, constant headache most of the day that wouldn't go away. I wasn't terribly worried about the headache, but at each appointment, they ask me if I have been having any headaches and I always say no. So, I figure it's a sign of something if I do have headaches. Along with the weird vision problems, I decided to call the nurse to see if she thought anything of it. Because these are two classic signs of pre-eclampsia, she wanted me to head to labor & delivery at the hospital just to be sure. Since I've had no problems with blood pressure or excessive swelling, she figured I was just fine, but wanted to be safe. I'm on board with that.

I offered to wait a bit longer to see if the headache cleared, but she said just to go to the hospital and that was that. I cleaned up a bit and grabbed our bags just in case this turned into the real thing. Tom was mowing the lawn, and since I didn't think this was an emergency case (and I've been waiting for the lawn to be mowed!!) I waited until he had just a couple rows left and then told him we needed to head out. (sneaky, I know)

After 3 hours in L&D triage, we found that the baby is happy and moving around, my bloodwork is all normal, and my headache was eased with some extra strength Tylenol :) But, everyone agreed, it was good to be checked out. Plus, it was really nice for Tom and I to be able to do a little walk through of what we'll be experiencing when I'm really in labor (where to go, what they'll ask for, etc.). Plus, I'm not big on hanging out in hospitals. In general, they make me a little uncomfortable, so I really appreciated the opportunity to become a little more familiar with it so I'm less overwhelmed when we go next time. Plus, the staff was awesome and super friendly.

So, after a spicy dinner at Chipotle on our way home, we are back to waiting around for our little man. I've been extra tired and achy today and am hoping that is a good sign of progress to come. We still managed to fit in a pretty nice walk this evening with minimal feet swelling. I'm happy to be able to get outside more since it's not so sweltering this week.

Anyways - that's our update. We're still here hanging out. T minus one day until my due date. I'm thinking this little guy is going to be fashionably late......

A Good Laugh

I love this commercial. It's hilarious and has a great message (and I think it's Tom Selleck who is talking - and who doesn't love to listen to Tom Selleck's voice?)

Tick Tock Tick Tock

With my new found freedom in that I don't have to exclusively sit on the couch all day long, I decided to venture out to JoAnn Fabrics to get some material for a few things I'd like to make for Baby before his arrival (yeah....not cutting it close or anything!).

Here are a few problems I ran into on this short trip....

1. It's 62 degrees outside (per the dash on the Equinox). One would think this is a chilly late June day that would warrant some long pants and a 3/4 length sleeved shirt. To be honest, I welcomed today's weather. However, in the 9 months I've been pregnant, apparently I have not learned that I operate at a much higher temperature than the average bear and would have been much more comfortable in just my underwear.

As I'm waiting to have my fabric cut, I notice that my feet are turning a questionable shade of dark red (see item #2, below) and I'm sweating. Totally overheating. This lady is incapable of cutting fabric at a satisfying speed. So I'm fanning myself, blowing air on my face (which makes an adorable facial expression, I'm sure), and shifting my weight from one side to another. This probably lasted only 3-4 minutes, but I was concerned each second that I would for sure pass out right there. As for the checkout lane (note: the ONLY check out lane open), repeat all of the above, but make sure it takes at least 5-7 minutes to get to the cashier.

When I walked outside to my car - oh, sweet relief. The cool air was blowing and I was ready to tear my long pants off in hopes of feeling that delicious breeze on my overheating legs. However, I managed to settle for putting the a/c on high blast once I got in the car. (You're Welcome, to all of the other patrons in the parking lot)

2. My feet are like time bombs. Based on their coloring and level of ballooning, I know when my time is up, my freedom is gone, and I have to sit down with my feet up for awhile. Unfortunately, these time bombs are just not of sufficient time for me to get done what I want to get done. I did manage to get all of the fabric I intended to purchase (though I would have probably enjoyed more time to ponder my decisions) so it wasn't a complete failure of a trip. However, my time bomb feet also save us money because I was unable to wander around the store finding other "necessities" to buy. So, I guess that's a good thing.

So, I'm back to sitting on the couch for a bit. I had a trip to Target planned and would normally do both trips in one shot just to get them done, but I'd prefer not to pass out at a store if I don't have to. I'll have Tom come with me later on today so he can at least catch me mid-fall. (just kidding, I'll be just fine, I'm sure.)

Back to Normal

Back to the midwife today....

The ultrasound went really well and Baby was moving all over the place, as usual! Thankfully, fluid levels are up, again! They are up to 10cm now - clearly in the "normal zone" even with the 50% margin of error that Tom is convinced it comes with. I'm just so happy that we're seeing such great improvement. Clearly, extra fluids and rest has been working! Plus, I'm pretty much over the cold that I had; Tom and I think that had a lot to do with the low fluid levels since the midwife is quite sure it's not due to a leak in the amniotic sac or anything like that.

So, it looks like I'm just a regular pregnant woman again! I'm free to do whatever I want (except drive across the state to go waterskiing, as my mom clearly pointed out!) and don't have to be banned to the couch drinking water anymore. Yay! Of course, I'll still need to listen to my body and take it easy when needed, but that's just fine with me.

I've heard over and over (and over and over and over....) to just enjoy this waiting time. It's the last time our little family will be just Tom and I, the last times we'll get to sleep so much and just hang out at the house doing whatever we want..... I get it. Really. I do. I just couldn't stand having all of this free time, Tom having free time, and we can't do anything or go anywhere. Thankfully that's eased up a bit and we can go on walks together, go out to dinner with our friends, run to the store together....... instead of me just sitting around asking Tom to do everything for me (which I will probably still do on occasion!). So I'm happy. I'm excited for Baby to arrive, but certainly am enjoying how easy he is to take care of and how our schedule is so flexible right now. Not too shabby!

We'll keep the updates coming. Based on my exam today, no progress so far, but the midwife said that doesn't mean anything - he could be here tomorrow or in several weeks! We'll be ready whenever he is!