Baby Bump: Week 39 1/2

Here I stand, as pregnant as I've ever been, waiting on another stubborn little lady to make her way into the world! I swore I'd go well before my due date with all of the monitoring I'd been under, but turns out we were both stable enough to keep this little lady cooking. Since February when I saw that Anna's first days of kindergarten were going to be the same week as my due date, I had a little heartburn. I knew if I was in labor or still in the hospital, we'd survive, but I definitely anted to be there if possible. Either this little one heeded my requests or is stubborn like her sisters : ) 

My urine protein is still off the charts, my blood pressure ebbs and flows from high to low, my immune system is shot and I've had about 20 sinus infections, my platelets are low, and I have pretty decent bouts of swelling; luckily none of this all at the same time and enough for the doctors to prefer our little bun stay in the oven for as long as possible ... but not longer than 40 weeks. So, I have an induction scheduled for Friday, my due date, unless she comes earlier. I've been about 2cm dilated for a few weeks, but no other progress or signs of labor. My doctor has painted a pretty rosy picture ... "we'll start some pitocin, I'll break your water, and we'll have a baby in the afternoon!" Ever the optimist, I'm hopeful it's as easy as that, but the realist in me knows that my babies get comfy, so hopefully this one doesn't hang on as long as her sisters (19 and 30 hours). 

No matter what happens, how she arrives, and on whatever timetable, I know this much: she is loved beyond belief already! We are so happy that God decided we should expand our family and we CANNOT WAIT to meet our little bundle that will complete us. We have a name 99% picked out, but aren't sharing as we always like to wait to meet the baby and ensure it's a good fit. Spoiler alert: it's not Riley Elsa or Elsa Riley, so hopefully the girls will be OK with what we choose : ) 

Leg rest

Summer means swollen legs and ankles for this pregnant lady and one of the best purchases I've ever made was a $20 elevated leg pillow from Groupon Goods a couple of months ago. I promised the girls that they can have it to play with after the baby arrives when I'm hopefully less swollen. They took that to mean they can kick me out of my spot and elevate their very skinny and non-swollen legs right away. Stinkers!

Please also note the bedside fan ... I'm basically a menopausal woman ...

"Go upstairs and rest" they all said ... What they meant was "We'll find you within 5 minutes and kick you out of your comfy spot so that we can steal your pillows and act crazy ..."

Sprinkles

My friends and coworkers have totally spoiled me as we prepare to meet Baby Kelly and although we have pretty much everything we need for her arrival, it's still fun to celebrate our upcoming arrival of sugar and spice!

My Cincinnati coworkers surprised me with a surprise lunch sprinkle, complete with my favorite dessert (Opera Cream Torte from The Bon Bonerie), bottles of wine to enjoy in a few weeks, and a hilarious book for Mommies.

My remote team sent us a delish cookie cake that the entire family enjoyed for several days. The girls minds were blown ... "it's a huge cookie with icing?!?!?" : ) 

And my sweet neighbors that I'm blessed to also call friends sprinkled me at dinner with another delicious cake from The Bon Bonerie. 

And, yes, I'm still pregnant. As of this past Monday I'm 2cm dilated and "ready for labor" but haven't made any progress since last week. Other than being uncomfortable, no signs of labor; nary a cramp or contraction, so I have a feeling this is another stubborn little girl : )  I thought they may induce me this week, but no dice. So we wait, I see the doctor again next Tuesday, and we have an induction scheduled for Friday, August 26 (my due date) with the doctor that delivered the girls. 

Maternity moments: the clothing

(Catching up via phone while Mike is out of town)

Me: So, I'm laying in bed with a tank top dotted in bacon grease splatters because we had breakfast for dinner and I didn't have time to change while monitoring "no pants I don't want to sit on the potty" Charlotte.

Mike: Man, you're not going to be able to give any of your maternity clothing away, you keep spilling on everything.

Me: #1 - you need to watch it buddy, those are fighting words to a pregnant lady, we can't help the spillage! #2 - there was no plan to give any away because I already have plans to burn them ALL in a bonfire as soon as this baby is born.

Needless to say, I am SO over maternity clothing. I'm wearing mostly dresses lately because the thought of capris or shorts makes my skin want to crawl. And, I'm cherishing the time I can wear dresses before my year of transformer-style bras and no-dress-wearing starts along with nursing. I will say that maternity wear has gotten cuter over the years, but it's still nothing any woman actually wants to wear when she's in the throws of feeling like a literal whale.

PS - I do have a fairly robust selection of maternity clothing covering most seasons, mostly in size Medium, if you know anyone that could use them; free of charge along with a good riddance from me : )

Friday funny

Baby Bump: 27 Weeks

Here I am again, behind on documenting much related to this pregnancy, such is life with it's #3 : ) As far as pregnancies go, I feel like I'm pretty average in hindsight (which is always 20/20, ha), but in my personal medical-mystery style, something always seems to pop up and I usually don't feel "normal" and "average" when in the throws of it. With Anna and Charlotte I was borderline pre-eclamptic with both toward the end, which got me extra visits, ultrasounds, and plenty of non-stress tests; and with Charlotte, an induction. This time around I've been tracking protein in my urine since my first check-up and am now seeing a nephrologist in addition to my OB and oncologist. I have extremely elevated levels of protein, and they don't know why and can't test or biopsy, but my kidney and liver function are holding their own for now, so all we can do is monitor and plan to biopsy about 6 weeks post-partum (if needed). I'm doing my best to keep my blood pressure in check and monitor swelling, but man do I feel like a hot, sweaty mess most days. My maternity wardrobe had to expand to include summer selections and I'm pretty much living in dresses and shorts and my goal on the weekend is to spend as much time at the pool as possible.

How Far Along: 27 weeks

Size of Baby: Approximately 2 pounds, about the size of a head of cauliflower, and approximately  14 1/2  inches long; I haven’t had an ultrasound since 20 weeks, so these are just estimates based on the fact that I’m measuring right on track both belly-wise and with weight-gain. 

Movement: This baby girl is a just like her sisters, active mostly in the afternoon and evening and I'm starting to feel bigger kicks and have been able to get Mike and Anna over in time to feel as well. 

Sleep:  I'd say pregnancy average. Summer heat is hard to adjust to, especially when pregnant, and I'm more restless in the middle of the night earlier in this pregnancy because of it. 

Cravings:  Nothing super specific and it depends on the day and what has popped into my head. I'm trying to watch weight gain and stay more active this pregnancy, but am definitely enjoying some indulgences and often times justify because it's a swap for the glass of wine I'm not enjoying :  ) 

Symptoms: Fatigue, swelling in my ankles and feet, and an umbilical hernia that hurts like the dickens.  An occasional headache that lingers, and a couple of migraines, but nothing like what I had with Charlotte. 

Best Moment This Week: Surviving hot days at Disney World and Sea World and rewarding myself with dips in the pool the days in between : ) 

Charlotte obviously wasn't as excited to pose with me as Anna : ) 

No pictures with Charlotte at 27 weeks and the one at 26 weeks with her is horrendous

Friday funny: maternity moments

I feel you camel, oh do I feel you. It's gonna be a looonnnng, hot summer ...