I've lost it... The Labor Dance

Soooo... after watching several labor inducing dance videos, I decided to enjoy my body one last time. I've mentioned my woes with my baby stretching me, blowing me up like a balloon, and putting me in pain. All the woes I am grateful for. So I am taking my curvacious, big belly, jumbo butt, no makeup, silly self to all extremes to have a dance party. This is for Baby J's memories of mommy's celebration of her pending arrival in 2 days.

Enjoy.

Eviction date scheduled!

What? Jessica is 102% baked! Today I went for my final tests; both the NST and my ultrasound. It's funny how the ultrasound is not as exciting anymore because baby is just too darn big. You barely can see anything. As usual, little Jessica is healthy and booming! She has a guessed weight of 7.5-8 lbs. She is definitely scheduled to be evicted from my dear body on Monday June 27th.

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm scared. I'm at peace. She is not showing any signs of coming before then so I am just enjoying my "alone" time for now. 4 days seems like forever but it will be here in no time.

I am just imagining this little one will fill her bouncy seat, lay in her bassinet, sleep in her crib, get her butt cleaned on her changing table, wear her carefully cleaned and ironed clothes, drink out of her lonely bottles, stare at me as she lays on her boppy pillow, and fill my house with so much warmth and joy in just 4 days. How amazing.

YAY!

No baby J and a glass of wine!

It hit me this morning when all of my tickers, calendar updates, and blog were off. One website said 364 days until your child is 1 years old! This ticker above said that Baby J graced our lives yesterday. Outlook kept on a blinking reminder that Baby J was due yesterday. These were all reminders of what an emotional day yesterday was for me.

I woke up in the morning and watched the sun beam into Baby J's room as I sat in my rocking chair and just fell out in tears. I've been holding you for 280 days girl and you weren't here for your birthday! I've been in pain and all that, but not enough to get overly emotional about it. Yesterday just hit me because it was just the realization that it wasn't going to happen and that I was going to be that mom that carried past 40 weeks.

Later in the day yesterday, I thought maybe you just might come. I couldn't take the pain anymore and headed to L & D to check things out. Nada. She is just getting bigger, causing me a ton of pain, and no progression. The doctor saw how stressed I've been (I haven't been sleeping because contractions keep me up all night). She said doctor's orders are to go home, drink a glass of wine and take a bath.

That glass of wine was heaven along with watching me some Miss USA pageant. I had the best rest I've had in the last 2 1/2 months. I awaken this morning to still having contractions but at least I am rested. I've sent my hubby on his way to work. I'm in my recliner... just waiting as I've been told that now the pressure of the baby is causing me additional pain and to stop walking around.

As I wake up with a fresh mind this morning, I have a renewed feeling of "oh my gosh, I'm going to see my little one sometime this week!" She didn't come by her due date, but she will be here. That puts a special glow on my face. So here is to Baby J coming sometime this week... I hope.

Is she going to make it before Father's Day?

It's been a while and I figure I should write something. I hit month 9 at the end of May and have been somewhat miserable ever since.

We have this incredible hosta that we put in a pot finally and within just a couple of days it grew beautifully. It was quite amazing to watch. It looks fabulous on our front steps.

What is not amazing to watch is how my stretch marks have accumulated over the last month. Just like that hosta came out of no where, so did the stretch marks. I've been a cocoa butter junky since I was a kid. It is just something my mother always used with us growing up with everything and it always worked. The stretch marks don't bother me much now other than like 2 of them that are painful. My sadness is in what these jokers will look like AFTER the pregnancy. You hear over and over that there are no miracle creams or that there are, that they will fade or that they won't and so on. All I know is that I'll be working my tail off to try to fade 'em, get rid of 'em, hide 'em - something. My belly is so stretched it literally has not grown anymore in the last 3 weeks. Battle wounds are what they call 'em!

No really? Every stretch mark is a beautiful blessing. I've read the various sad stories of June mothers that I've bonded with during this pregnancy who were not able to make it this far. If it takes a bunch of lines on my belly to make it happen, I'm all for it and I would do it again. Thank you Jesus for this dear blessing.

For a while this month Jessica got very quiet and so did all my Braxton Hicks. Well all that came back full force this past week. I am having regular contractions, FINALLY dilated, and Jessica has quite a bit of an attitude in my belly. I told her I feel the same way and that she is going to have to do some work and get out! Doc suspects she might be a 7-8 lber. If she is not, I am going to demand that the doc looks for the other baby hiding in my belly to make me stretch out this far!

I've definitely been nesting. I lay down whenever I get a chance because my feet and legs swell in a second. It's literally nest for 10 minutes and rest for 50 minutes... repeat. I've scrubbed down our refrigerator and freezer, cleaned up Jessica's room like a million times ironing all of her washed clothes and socks, scrubbing the bathrooms, making lists from lists, and throwing things out. I've been very tired though lately. I typically take 2-3 hour naps each day. Baby Story gets me in that sleepy mode.

I'll leave us with what I hope is my final pregnancy picture at 39 weeks. My brother came over and took pictures so that every preggo picture of me isn't with me holding my cell phone.

Here's to patiently waiting for Jessica to come over the next 5 days. It's a full moon tomorrow. Just maybe she'll make her debut mid week.