Finally, some PHOTOS!

But I didn't take them.

Go to Matt Kennedy's website and on the client page type in the password "Darcey." This will show you the photo shoot that we took at 37 weeks.

There, now I have November photos!

I'm so done...

I had a midwife appointment today. Cathrine asked me how I was doing, and I told her I was SO done! I'm not getting much more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, my back is killing me from all of this silly bed rest. I'm tired of braxton hicks contractions, and I'm just done.

Get this, Cathrine offered to break my waters. It is a HUGE testament to how much I want to hold on to this little one until December that I said no. But I'm so going for it next week!

So, that's what I got for you. I'm going to try and have this baby next week. But if Blessing decides to come before then, life will be grand, and I will post pictures.

37 weeks

I'm technically off of bed rest now. My midwife came to our house today for the "home visit," and congratulated me on keeping Blessing safe and sound. She also said that I was free to do as I wished now, because the baby is considered "to term." Blessing, if possible has descended further, and so must have grown as well, because although Blessing is lower, my belly measured the same as last week: 35 cm.

Of course, you all know that I really want this baby to be born in December, so I'll be enforcing some bed rest of my own for another little while. I probably won't be as strict as I have been, because, for one, I can now have a planned home birth, and two, we had our maternity photo session tonight!

Okay, why do I want a December baby? I guess the first reason would be because that is what I've been expecting. Also, with my history of miscarriages, I want to be able to carry my baby to the end (or very, very close to it). I think that a December baby is the best way to celebrate Christmas. And, quite honestly, the December birthstone is much nicer than the November birthstone.

All that being said, both Russ and I have let out a long held breath today. We made it to term, 37 weeks. We had the photo session with Matt Kennedy tonight, and most importantly we can have the home birth with our midwives that we have planned.

Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and especially your prayers. We have felt very loved through all of this.

Ebay

Ebay is addictive! Especially when you have endless hours in the day to browse...

Okay, so I now have an Ebay account, and I've bid on a few items (much to Russ's dismay). I even won a bid. It was so exciting to watch the time come to an end and know that I was the winner!

I bought a 14k solid white gold ring with a natural sapphire & diamonds. I won the bid at $12.87. I'm not thinking it's real!!! But it was my first experience, and I think it was cool. Okay, the picture is really small here, but honestly, I was able to see it larger on-line.

Thank you Lynda for getting me hooked on Ebay!

Braxton Hicks Contractions

Well, bed rest is boring. But every time I get up (even just to go to the washroom), I get those lovely braxton hicks contractions!

I spent a little too much time out of bed yesterday. My teaching partner came over, so we could look at our class marks for report cards, and I was out of bed for probably 4 hours in a row. Unheard of in this house for the past little while, especially since everything seems to be intensifying as the end draws near... Anyway, I paid for my time. I had one braxton hicks that lasted nearly 20 minutes! Really, I don't need that.

Needless to say, I didn't have a very good night's sleep! Then, for my 4 am bathroom break, I started to have contractions. They seemed real enough to me. After about 45 minutes of this, I woke Russ up to start timing me. As they were irregular (10, 12, 4, 17 minutes apart), I didn't call my midwife. At about 6 - 6:30, they went away. Thank goodness.

We're still holding out for a December birth; however, if we can just make it to Saturday, we will all be very happy!

36 weeks

I have one more week of forced bed rest! Except that I want a December baby, so I'll impose a few more days of bed rest to make it to December.

We just returned from the midwife appointment. It was a 15 minute drive there, and by the time we were a block away, I was so uncomfortable. I had felt Blessing move down - it was HORRIBLE... What are you doing to me kid! I've pretty much been in bed since last Friday - I've been very good - and this was the first car ride I'd been in...

Okay, Blessing grew! My belly measurement was 35 cm (up from 31 last week). Elaine (one of my midwives) said that Blessing had a good growth spurt this week (I blame the eggnog!). I wondered if it was because Blessing had moved up, but Elaine said no, because after she did the external exam, she felt that Blessing was actually lower than last week. Is that even possible without giving birth! It was truly the most uncomfortable external exam I'd had so far.

Blessing has also changed positions. Blessing is now in a position that, apparently, babies get into when they're preparing for birth. Which would go with (what I feel) was the second false alarm last night. I got so worried, I even called Elaine! She reassured me; told me to take a couple of Tylenol, have a bath, and go to bed.

Well, I'm back in bed. And here I'll stay until December 1. On that day, I'm going for a bike ride, doing jumping jacks, and everything else they say to do to stimulate labour! 16 more sleeps.

False Alarm

Well, it was bound to happen, and this morning it did; I had false labour. I never had that with Robynn, so it was a bit disconcerting. Well, that and the fact that Blessing isn't actually due for another MONTH!!!


I had exactly what the midwives and all of the books that I've been reading: mild lower back pain, cramping... It lasted for about 30 - 40 minutes. Russ caught the second train, just to be sure I was doing okay. Oh, didn't I mention that this all started at 4:15 in the MORNING!

I'm still praying for a December baby, but my hope on that is dwindling. My biggest prayer is that Blessing wait until November 22. That way, we will have made it to 37 weeks (and one day), and - we're talking about me here - the photo shoot we have scheduled for November 21 can go forward. I really want some gorgeous pictures of my daughter and my belly! Oh, and if we make it to 37 weeks, we can have the planned home birth that we so want. Before November 21, I'll have to go to a hospital. Yucky and scary all at once!

Thank you to everyone who has helped out and loaned books and movies, and thank you especially to the wonderful people who are taking pity on my poor Robynn and taking her out for play dates! She so enjoys that, and it leaves me guilt free - because my 4-year old entertaining abilities consist of Disney, Disney, and more Disney...

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. You are all in ours!

Eggnog & Roses

My family loves me SOOOOO much!

Being stuck on Bed Rest is only so much fun you know... So, I've been listening to Christmas music to cheer me up! Russ thinks I'm only a wee bit insane: "It's not even Remembrance Day!" Oh well, whatever makes the pregnant woman happy!

But despite his attempts at being a scrooge, my hubby has a soft heart -awww. Yesterday, while running errands that I would normally have done (groceries, stuff for Blessing's room, Christmas present shopping...), Russ found himself in the dairy isle at Save-on-Foods, picking out which carton of Eggnog he should purchase for his wife.

Russ tried to convince Robynn - who had cried out loud that Momma NEEDED a dozen red roses - that the eggnog was enough, and that I didn't need the roses too, or at the very least, maybe some less expensive flowers... But Robynn won, and I am now sipping my daily cup of decafe coffee (with eggnog!), smelling the pretty roses.

I feel so loved!

Christmas Outfits!!!

Oh so adorable!

Since I don't know what gender Blessing will be, I had to get both a boy and girl Christmas outfit! And since Blessing isn't SUPPOSED to be born until December, I figured I'd better get on getting these outfits before all the sizes I'd need sold out!

I just had to share, because they're too cute for words...

35 weeks & Bed Rest

Well, here I am at 35 weeks. I gotta say, I don't think it looks much different from my last picture at 28 weeks (although, I did get a hair cut!).

The main reason, I guess, for the lack of largess in this picture, is probably because Blessing is WAY DOWN! At my 34 week check up, when it was determined that I go on moderate bed rest, Blessing was measured at 32.5 cm. At this week's check up, Blessing was measured at 31 cm. My midwives aren't really holding out any hope that this baby will make it to term, but they really want me to make it to 37 weeks - that would be November 21. I'm still gunning for December.

So, for now, I'm on complete bed rest. I'm supposed to rest for 3 - 4 hours and be active for 20 - 30 minutes. By active, however, they mean that I'm not allowed to cook, clean, do any strenuous activity, or go up and down stairs. There are 31 stairs in my home, and the bathrooms are after that 31st stair! Oh, and I'm pregnant!!!! My house was not designed for a lady on bed rest.