Just a little hike

We went to Millcreek Canyon tonight for a little stroll in the Fall foliage. It was absolutely beautiful. We haven't been up on the Pipeline trail since May. Pretty sad! It did my spirits some good to be in nature. Sitting around waiting for Jack to come has become taxing on my mental well-being. As I'm sure everyone out there who has been prego knows what I mean.
Me and Joe (and Jack).
I had NO idea that my belly was that out-of-control. Why didn't someone tell me?! Oh ya, Joe did. Only everyday!! You kinda loose perspective after a while. You just think, "Oh, it can't possibly get bigger than this". Then it does. So sad! What's even worse is when you grow out of your maternity clothes. I've resorted to wearing Joe's biking t'shirts that he's gotten at races. Oh well. Soon I'll be wearing all my normal clothes. RIGHT??!!

Another false alarm!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!

We had another false alarm Sunday evening. I had contractions all day long and by 7 pm was having them every minute. So we loaded up the puppies, dropped them off at "grama's", and flew to the hospital. (Joe was really upset we couldn't drive his car to the hospital because his goes REALLY REALLY fast and mine doesn't). When I got there they hooked me up to the machines like last time and started to monitor me. Well wouldn't ya know that as soon as we get there my contractions kind of stopped! Little Jack is playing tricks on us! So the nurse checked my cervix when we got there and once more an hour later after walking around a bit. NO CHANGE IN THE OLD CERVIX!! So all these contractions I've been having for three days did nothing to my cervix. LAME!!!!!! So I might have cried and cried out of frustration (oh and the checking of the ol' cervix isn't pleasant either). The nurse suggested I get a shot of Morphine and Phenergen to go home on. I really didn't want to but she said if I was in true labor it might bump it up to active labor, if I was in false labor it would make my contractions go away. So I thought I'd try it out. I went into the bathroom to get changed into my clothes and when I came out the nurse proceeds to tell me that she needs a butt cheek! "HA HA jokes on me, alright here's my arm". Joe says no really honey they need your butt. OUCH!! I have a small bruise there now. So Joe drove me home all "morphed" out and hysterical because I was convinced I was going to be allergic to it and was going to stop breathing any second. Joe was so awesome about the whole thing and kept reassuring me that I wasn't going to die. He helped me wash my face and brush my teeth and put me to bed. He's the best. Well, hopefully the next time I post will be the real deal.

In Labor (kind of)

Lately I've been having fainting spells and I've lost some weight. So I called my doctor this morning and told them all my symptoms and they told me to go to Alta View hospital and be admitted to Labor and Delivery to be monitored and have some non-stress tests done. So I drove myself there and got admitted. They hooked me up to the machines and I hung out for about half an hour. In the mean time Joe had come from work and my parents were there too. After being monitored for a short time the nurse came in and said that I was having contractions every 2 minutes. I said, "oh that's what a contraction feels like, well I've been having those all week". Pretty funny I didn't know what a contraction felt like until someone told me. So they checked me and I was 50% effaced and dilated to a 1. So they had me walk the halls with Joe and then they checked me an hour later and no change in my cervix. So they sent me home and said if my water breaks or the contractions get so bad I can't stand, then to come back. So I'm kinda in labor and kinda not! We'll see. But I think he'll come some time this weekend. Oh, and I'm only 36.5 weeks along!! Yikes!!!!

Random pics and thoughts

So this is Jack's shelf that hangs on his wall. It has all the essential things a kid could want. It has monkeys hanging around, biking books, even better there is a book about a monkey who bikes (Curious George).
We finally put up Jack's name on the wall. We don't know how to hang things straight so we purposefully hung them ski-wom-pas. Under his name there are some dolls called "Ugly Dolls". Each one comes with a story about them and they are so ugly that they are cute, sort of like our pugs!
This is my nursery chair that we have out in the loft and the fat pugs seem to think that it is solely THEIR chair. That's why I have a blanket up there because they shed. Whenever I can't find them I just come up stairs and low-and-behold, there they are, sitting in MY chair!! FATTY'S!!
Last, but not least, here is the beast itself, my belly. It's so big that it has its' own zip code. Over the last few weeks I have, as so my husband has, developed insomnia. I'm usually up around 2 am and go back to sleep around 4-ish. What do I do you wonder? Well, I have arranged and rearranged Jack's room, closet, and drawers many times. I put together cute outfits and lay them in his crib. I read my book on nursing. But my FAVORITE thing to do is lay in bed and listen, AND LAUGH, at Joe talking in his sleep! Oh man! One night I almost wet myself laughing at him, which woke him up, then he was up for a couple hours with insomnia.

I am currently 35 weeks and some days. My doctor says when I'm 37 weeks I can start walking again. I can't wait!! Fall is my favorite season and I haven't been able to do anything but sit in my house or on the porch. Also, at my O.B. appointment on Monday my Doctor "checked" me to see if I was dilated. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! That hurt so bad I thought I might pass out!! I feel REALLY good about my decision to have an epidural now and I hope the next time he "checks" me I'm on drugs or unconscious! Love my doc, but I think I'll have to hurt him if he does that again.