39 weeks

This week has been really busy for us. Sunday night I woke up in the middle of the night to throw up. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not really one to throw up, so it was pretty strange. I woke up a few more times coughing on my own bile. It was awful. I woke up Monday morning with the worst pain in my right rib. I thought maybe it was from throwing up, so I tried to just relax and not worry about it and went about my day. The pain was worse on Tuesday and was radiating to my back as well. I decided to call the doctor, and they told me to go right in. I wasn't dilated at all, and the doctor said it was either 1) that Jonah was now too big for my ribs to hold, 2) a gallstone, or 3) toxemia. She only thought the last two because I had vomited. She gave me medicine for me upset stomach and took blood, but said there was otherwise nothing I could do but try to be comfortable. I was also not dilated, which was kind of depressing.

Maggie came to visit on Tuesday, and we stayed up late chatting and had a late dinner. Wednesday we hung out all day, and my mom came in that night in anticipation of Jonah's arrival. Maggie and Aaron made us an amazing dinner. Thursday we met Aaron for lunch, walked all around downtown, picked up our Locally Grown groceries, and then had a nice dinner out. Maggie left today. It was so nice getting to spend so much time with her, especially since we rarely get to do that. We missed Athey, which was a bummer, but hopefully we'll see him next time.

My rib pain has persisted, and my back pain has gotten significantly worse. I honestly think at this point that Jonah has actually bruised my rib and back. I alternate between heating and icing them all day, and have relief in short bursts. I can't sit in one position for too long without wanting to cry. The medicine has helped my stomach a lot, which I am really grateful for. It has even curbed my heartburn for the most part. I've only had to take Tums a few times this week! The blood test results haven't come back yet, but I went to the doctor today and she suspects it is just Jonah's size and position. The doctor asked if I wanted to be checked today, and I almost said no because how much could have changed since a few days ago? Well, I am 1 cm dilated! It isn't a lot, but I'll take it. We were thinking maybe it was all the walking I did yesterday. I asked her how long she thought I had, and she actually said I'd probably hold out until 41 weeks. Talk about depressing! I think I'm going to go for a walk every day and see if that helps. Our next appointment is on our due date, a week from today. I also asked her how big he was, and she guessed about 6.5-7 lbs. I gained 5 lbs in a week, which is so upsetting, but she said it was fine and probably water weight. Either way, I know it isn't helping my back any, and it's more weight to lose after he's born. Plus I am now 10 pounds over my goal weight! Ugh!

Yesterday when we were downtown we got some cute decals for Jonah's wall. I can't wait to put them up. I guess I should post pictures of his nursery soon. I am so anxious for his arrival.

Although I could probably type more, sitting just for the amount of time it has taken me to type this has put me in a lot of pain, so I am going to cut this short. I hope he comes soon.

It's February!

The last few weeks have been relatively uneventful. I go to the doctor's office every week now. Two weeks ago, she did the Group B Strep test on me, which I still haven't gotten the results from. She asked how I was feeling, and I told her I had been cramping and spotting, which she said was early "show." She measured my fundal height at 33, which meant that Jonah had dropped. She said all these things together meant that I was probably dilated, and he was well on his way! But then she checked me and said he wasn't dropped enough, so I wasn't dilated. What a bummer! She was so shocked. She just repeated over and over again how shocked she was that I wasn't dilated yet.

On Friday I woke up with a low grade fever (99.3). Thursday night I felt flush, but Aaron felt my head and said I felt fine. All Thursday night I had chills and was shivering. It was awful. But I knew I had another doctor's appointment scheduled for Friday afternoon, so I thought I'd wait it out. The doctor just listened to his heart beat, measured me, and felt for his head. He said his heart beat was great and that his head was really low. I asked if he was going to see if I was dilated, and he said no. It was a disappointing visit. I really don't like when doctors act as if they are too busy to see me and don't spend any time answering my questions. Maybe he does it a million times a day, but it is my first baby, so yes, I'd like you to check if I'm dilated even if it means nothing in terms of when Jonah will come. Do it for my peace of mind, dude! I didn't even have time to ask him about my fever, which thankfully only lasted a few hours, but still.

Teaching has been pretty difficult. Try as I might to stay seated most of the time, my students are so needy that I end up walking around for much of the labs. By the time I get home, it's hard to get out of the car. My back hurts, my feet and legs hurt and are swollen. It's awful. I also waddle more on those nights.

I'm sleeping ok, though some nights heart burn still comes to get me. I keep a bottle of Tums next to the bed. Now that he's dropped, I also have to get up and pee several times a night. I spend most of the day completely exhausted and often have to take a nap because I can't get through what I'm doing. I'm still cleaning a lot, but since most of the big stuff is taken care of, it's just little things like making sure the dishes are always clean and the floors are always vacuumed. Every other day or so I am real crampy. Friday night I had a TON of Braxton Hicks contractions, and Jonah was real fidgety. Then after awhile I had what I thought were real contractions, because they felt like menstrual cramps, but they were about 30 minutes apart. I decided to go to bed, thinking they'd wake me up when they got worse, but they actually just went away after I fell asleep. I actually thought that was it, because the doctor told me if I change positions and they stop, it's false labor. But I got off the couch, got ready for bed, and then got into bed and still felt them. But he's still not here, so I guess I was in false labor. Other than that, the only difference I've noticed is an increased irritability. For the most part, I haven't been nearly as emotional or irritable as I thought I'd be during this pregnancy, but it's starting to kick in now. Maybe my hormones are adjusting to get us ready for labor, or maybe it's how big I am, or maybe it's just my anxiety. Either way, it's so annoying! Poor Aaron, too! Speaking of how big I am, I've gained about 30 pounds now. My weight gain was so slow until these past two weeks, and he's really picking up the pace now!

Aaron and I have picked out a pediatrician, and I installed the car seat today. Talk about tricky! I hope I did it right! His room is all set up and ready. I just have a terrible feeling I'm forgetting something.

Now that it is February, and he is officially full term, I can't help but wake up and wonder if today will be the day. Ugh, I am so impatient!