Not Yet!

I guess when I was praying for the baby not to come before Greg was done with his internship, I prayed a little too hard. Because here I am, an entire week past my due date and still very very pregnant.

I am getting induced tomorrow at 8 am. A situation I thought for sure that I would be avoiding. I've been dilated to a 5 since Monday and effaced at around 70%. But the contractions - nada. Well, I have them, but they are super random and I haven't had anything less than 10 minutes apart and when I do, I'll have maybe 2 or 3 of those 10 minute-ers, then a whole 40 minutes before another one.

After my 40 week appointment on Monday my OB had me so freaked out that I was going to have this baby any minute. She told me to go right in if had contractions 7 minutes apart for close to an hour. Ok, I thought - this is happening tonight! 
My mom came into town last Saturday, a day before my due date. Plenty of time for her to be here and meet the baby, help with the kiddos... now it looks like I won't even be home from the hospital when she has to leave... 
I'm so sad!
If I want to be positive about all this (and I guess I should try) we've made the most of the time my mom's been in town. Well, as much as we can when it's 100 degrees outside. We've done lots of shopping, got our nails done, gone out to eat... she watched the kids so Greg and I could go to the movies... so fun!! BUT, kind of defeats the purpose of the visit.

Well, maybe not completely. I have slept better since she's been here than I have in a long time. Just knowing that if I had to get up and tail it to the hospital at 3 am, I wouldn't have to worry about finding someone to watch Aimee and Jack.

I kind of wonder if the office had my due date wrong. Originally my date was the 26th, but after the ultrasound they changed it to the 22nd. I think in the future I will always go with the later date!

Anyway... so since Monday I've been kind of freaking out about going into labor "any minute". Plus I tested positive for strep B and you are supposed to have the antibiotic for 30 minutes for it to be effective. I didn't have strep B with either of the other kids and with how potentially fast this baby could come, I've been so worried!

Well, Monday came and went (obviously) and on Tuesday we celebrated Greg's birthday with a dinner at Cheesecake Factory. During dinner I had a few contractions that were 10-12 minutes apart and when we were walking around I felt some serious pressure "down there". I kind of psyched myself out. We came home and I was like, "Let's just go!" So we went to the hospital. Of course, when we got there I had like 2 contractions the whole time and I was still at a 5. So, they sent me home.

When we got back to the car I lost it. I was so sad to still be pregnant. Sad that my mom was leaving... I felt dumb too. Like the nurses probably thought I was being super dramatic. I mean, this is my 3rd kid, for crying out loud! I should know better, right? I guess in all fairness I was induced with Jack. With Aimee, I had like no false contractions - it was just go-time, when it was time. And that was 4 years ago!

Maybe it's my age... maybe it's because this is number 3, but the aches and pains and discomforts with this pregnancy are unlike anything I had with the first 2. I am feeling a bit paranoid.

Well, by this time tomorrow - it should be over. I'm ready to see this baby! This last month has felt as long as 7!!
Check back for pictures and a real update in a few days!

Tender Mercies and a Happy 4th!

So I would say that I've been blessed with some tender mercies this summer. I have about 2 weeks to go with this pregnancy and Greg has been out of town for the last 7 weeks. And somehow, we are all surviving!

Greg's been interning for a law firm in Austin and that in of itself has been a huge blessing because it's a paid internship! We would have been seriously scrambling this summer without it. I am soooo very grateful, even if it means I've been parenting solo 90% of the time. With the exception of just 1 weekend, Greg has always been able to come home, even if it's only been for a day. That too - has been a major blessing. The best is seeing the kids react to him coming home. Their little faces just light up!
Greg only has one week left - Hooray! I get to have a husband again! When he is home I forget how much nicer it is to have someone on my "team". Especially getting the bed time routine done... oh, and when I can duck out of the house to run an errand without the kids - sooo priceless. Ever try taking a 4 and 2 year old to World Market or Homegoods? Never ever ever a good idea.

So long as baby girl will wait until this Friday night before she makes her debut - we're golden.

And speaking of that - she is still just referred to as "baby girl" - still at a loss with the name. Maybe it will come to me when I can see her. There a lot of names I like, and I would say for the most part Greg and I like the same names... Maybe the biggest problem is that I just don't spend much time thinking about it.
A few days ago I was on the phone with Greg and while we were chatting Aimee and Jack started to fight (they seem to do this on purspose). I stepped in to referee and said to Greg on the phone, "This is why the baby does not have a name! I hardly get a moment to think about her!"

Seriously, if it weren't for the discomfort, I might even forget that I am about to have another baby. She reminds me that she is there though, with a swift kick to the ribs or an "inside" punch to the crotch. Yep, ok little baby - I haven't forgotten about you.

Today at church we sat in front of a family with a little baby, she couldn't have been more that a month old. 
When I see tiny babies I get so excited! I am really anxious to meet this one. Will she look just like the other two? Will she inherit the red-hair gene? (I kind of hope so - how cute would that be?) She's been soooo wiggly this entire pregnancy. Does that mean she's going to be a hyper baby?? A colicky baby? (Hope not!)

Until she comes we are managing to pass the time staying busy. The kids and I try to get out and do something every day. We swim a lot, go to the library, set up play dates. That's another huge blessing: my friends! So many have volunteered to watch my kids while I went to the doctor - another recently called me up and asked if they could take Aimee for a few hours. Umm... YES! And a few weeks ago my college-roomie bestie came out to visit for a few days. It was SO great!

Hopefully the next post I do will be to announce the new baby! Stayed tuned...

Videos

Aimee and Jack doing their "Dancey-Dance" (Kind of long, like 3 min - but pretty funny. Especially Jack)

Jack-man counting and singing

Happy Friday Everyone!