38 Weeks

I'm exhausted.  I'm in pain.  This morning, Scott and I got up at 4am (yes, 4am) to go to the hospital.  Now, this visit was scheduled, not a surprise.  Since last week, the baby had not turned back around on its own so we went in to the hospital to have some ECV (External Cepahlic Versions) done ... aka... WWF.  Needless to say, at the quote of a very good friend of ours, the baby is going to be exiting into the world with a championship belt in its hands.  Now for those of you who don't know what this is or how it's done, feel free to Youtube it - now remember, there are different videos out there and per Scott's report, It looked like the Doctor was picking up my uterus and trying to turn it around in my abdomen, like she was Heismanning it like a football.  What I felt (thank goodness I was sedated to a point), was the doctor reaching into my bowels and picking out my different organs to sell on the black market - and she was just moving the baby out of the way to get to them, it wasn't painful, just very awkward and uncomfortable.  Since the baby is so high on my ribcage and my abdomen is so tiny, the baby moved maybe 3 hours on a clock, from 11 -> 2.  She wanted it to move from 11 -> 6 so it could go head down and I could try for a vaginal birth.  No such luck.  Upon 20 minutes (the longest our Doctor said she's ever done these movements), she gave up.  The baby was NOT going to move and it was plenty comfortable laying in my abdomen as if it were laying on the outside of my belly, prone.  Stubborn little child, I wonder where it gets that from...

Now, the doctor gave us the option of returning at 39 weeks to have the ECV movements done again and I politely declined.  If I'm supposed to have this baby vaginally, it will turn in the next 10 days and if not, it will be born into this world, kicking and screaming from my lower abdomen.  Something tells me that the Doctor will win this fight and Scott and I will be parents next Friday, July 8th, 2011.

I'm going to go back to sleep now so I can try and get some rest to go to work tomorrow.  I'm sorry that there is no OWT for you and you'll hear from me sometime next week pre-Ceasarian.  Thanks for all the well wishes and positive thoughts!  10 days!

37 Weeks

37 weeks, yes, 3 weeks left.  Or, maybe 2.  Today, Scott and I went to see Dr. Sodoma on our second weekly visit to see if the baby is ready to go...and it's not.  I'm not dilated, I'm not effaced, in fact, I'm breech.  I'm not breech, but the baby is sitting on my bladder and cervix with its rump.  Dr. Sodoma was none too pleased with the "violent" turn the baby took at some point in my uterus.  Apparently, it likes Hotel Scheider too much to want to come out, so it flipped and basically gave us a big protest.  Stubborn like their Mother.  So, where do we go from here?  Well, next week, we have to see if the baby turns itself around and I have to keep a close monitor on how much the baby moves.  Seeing as though the Dr. states that it takes a pretty significant amount of energy to move a full 180, she's anticipating that I'll have to be admitted sometime after the 4th (probably on the 5th) have some maneuvers done under sedation to get my muscles to relax and if she can't turn the baby or it goes into distress - out it comes at 39 weeks via Caesarian.  I guess we will wait until next week to see what happens.  My thought is that the baby just likes the sound of Mom's heartbeat.

So, I owe you an OWT - this one has to do with the shower as well.  Since I've had both my baby showers, the book states that if you get more Green clothing, it's a BOY and if you get more Yellow clothing, it's a GIRL.  I got far more green items (probably since there aren't a whole lot of yellow animals besides ducks - I will give this one to the BOY.

Girl - 18
Boy - 17

36 Weeks

I'm getting lazy.  Super lazy.  I'll just put it that way.  In fact, as I sit here writing to you, my husband asked me "did you do your blog this week?" I replied, "No, I'm lazy, and I'm doing it right now."  See, even he notices how lazy I've gotten.  Work has become a workout for me since I'm still lifting in the hospital and I really haven't gotten any restrictions (yes, I'm crazy and still working 9-10 hour hard days) and nice evening walks around the complex have become my routine when my husband can pull me off the couch.  Still, I'm only up 30 lbs and don't have the room in my stomach to try and gain more.  I don't have the room in my lungs to take a deep breath when I freak out about what's about to hit us.  I do however, get a lovely melody strummed along my xylophone of a ribcage when Baby Scheider feels the need to play a little tune to get itself to sleep (which BTW is the weirdest feeling I've ever felt).

I'm now on weekly OB visits and this week my OB advised me that she will not be around for the actual due date, so I'd better go early.  I was thinking - trust me lady - I'll do my best.  When I was in her office, her MA, who shall remain nameless due to my opinion of her gave me an old Mexican wives tale (OMWT).  She said to me, "Shari, you look pointy."  I said, "well thank you, what is that supposed to mean?"  She said "You're having a BOY."

I'll take the crazy MA's opinion and give the boys the point for the week.  Only a few weeks left until Baby Scheider arrives!

Girl - 18
Boy - 16

35 Weeks

I can count the number of weeks left on one hand or one very swollen foot.  It's gosh darn ridiculous.  I'll just put it out there that my hands and toes have completely turned into sausages and are none too attractive despite the pretty pedicure and manicure that I had done last week.  Thankfully, I visited an Orthotic clinic with some old colleagues and they hooked me up with some lovely compression stockings - watch out Bea Arthur.

So, this past weekend, I had the joy of hosting some of my very dear, dear friends here in Phoenix and they were so gracious to throw me a baby shower.  Now, I must confess - I've only been to one baby shower in my life, and it happened to be my own.  Just so you all know, I am in the process of sending thank you's (well, writing them out) and they should be in the mail shortly.  If I were seriously motivated and had full range of motion in my hands, I'd try and make them myself, but since I can't barely make a fist, pre-fab cards it is.  It makes me sad since I love card making, but it will have to do.  I had a truly wonderful time and I can't thank my friends and family enough for such a wonderful weekend.  I miss them already and can't believe that the next time they see me, my life will have completely changed.

At the baby shower, my wonderful co-host, Stephanie, came up with the brilliant idea to perform some of the OWTs to help me out with my blog.  For those of you that were there, you saw them in person, but I'll be recapping them, two at a time for the next three or four weeks and then thanks to Mindy (who recently had little baby Benjamin and is flourishing in motherhood) - I have a special blog treat for the last 10 or so days of the blog.

So, the first of the two tales, Stephanie had me pick up a flat tissue off of the table.  The OWT states that if the Mother grabs the edge of the tissue, she will have a GIRL and if she grabs one of the corners, she will have a BOY.  Well, I grabbed it right on the nearest corner, which means that I will be having a BOY.

The second of the two, Stephanie made me pick up a key, which I grabbed by the base as any normal person would do so (honestly, who grabs by the teeth?).  The OWT states that if the Mother grabs it by the teeth, she will have a GIRL and if she grabs it by the base, she will have a BOY.

They're gaining on us...

Girl - 18
Boy - 15

Thanks again for a wonderful time on Saturday, to all that came.  We can't wait for you all to see Baby Scheider!