kids are cute

When Bigguy was a wee little babe, we thought he strongly resembled E.T. Littleman, hands down, Alfred Hitchcock. He so resembled Hitchcock that Bro-in-law often joked about buying him some stuffed birds. Today it struck me that Babe#3, yeah...he looks like Yoda. Don't get me wrong, he's not green, but he always has a wrinkly little forehead, his years droop just a little at the top, and are slightly uneven,he often has his fingers interlaced in a thoughtful, knowing manner, and he makes...well..Yodalike mouth movements. Two puppets and a horror/mystery writer...not bad.

Littleman had a peice of parsly from dinner sticking to his forehead, right in the location of the Third Eye. I commented that he had parsley for a third eye, he has found inner peace, and it is tasty. His toddler response - thoughtful pause, followed by "Uh-huh!!" Hubby said I deffinately needed to write that one down for posterity.

less stress, and a cleaner dining room/living room

I just got off the phone with my mom, and that helped to alleviate some of the stress we were under here in Housewife land. Now I am going to go and feed Littleman lunch and work on the rest of the common areas downstairs. I need to keep the cleaning going, it will make life much easier.

stress and a clean kitchen

I realized that there is a sort of nervous energy that surrounds major amounts of stress and worry. In the past, I would think that this nervous energy was my bodies way of telling me I needed to eat, since it closely mimicked the jitterry feeling one can get with low bloodsugar, but Irealized today that I just needed to do something, and since I couldn't do anything at the moment to take care of the problem at hand that i cousing stress, I cleaned. My kitchen isn't spotless, because I really do need to eat now, and there are some things I really should wait till morning to do, but it is greatly improved. I figure if this keeps up, I should have a pretty spotless house by the weekend!

Starting to settle in, at least for now

I am starting to get settled in, getting a schedule down, and all that good stuff. Of course, it'll all get blown to hell soon anyhow. Hubby is currently not working, but looking for a job, he is contacting the agency that got him his old job and letting them know he can start as early as monday. Bro-in-law starts a job on monday, and moves out over the following weekend, which will have little impact on Babe#3, but will greatly impact Bigguy and Littleman. Then, Babe#3 turns two weeks old on friday, and anyone with kids knows that wierd eating and sleeping patterns change about every two weeks for the first two months, then roughly monthly to every other month after than for about a year, then at 18 months(littleman's age) and two years, etc... On top of all of this, I have to try to get Bigguy onto his "school" sleeping schedule, and in reality, trying to get anyone on a schedule until we know what hours Hubby will be working is kinda rediculous, but not having a schedule is insane.
It will all be OK, and it will all work itself out in the end. As long as I tell myself this, we're all good.

posting will become sporadic...

Untill the new baby and myself get some sort of sleep schedule hammerred out, posting will be a little sporadic. Babe#3 was born on friday in what was a rather easy labor and delivery, all said and done. I will give all the stats later. He had a slight issue with not wanting to poop the way he should after leaving the hosp., but came thriugh that with flying colors. I am tired, not wearing my glasses, and typing this one handed so as to keep the surprisingly alert babe from fussing, so Hubby can sleep a little longer before getting up with the older two boys, and then it will be my turn to sleep again!

I've got a golden ticket!

Okey dokey folks, heres the deal. I just recently got back from the Doc's. I get to go in and get induced on friday, if I make it that long. After doing the internal, Dr B said that if I were any other woman, he would guarentee a baby withen the next 24 hours with how for dialated, effaced etc I am, but being it's me, we'll see. Either way, friday at the latest...well, maybe really really early saturday, I'll have Babe # 3 !!!!!
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

it's tuesday

I'm still pregnant. I will be calling the Dr's tomorrow to get that magical mystical same-day appointment so that we can get the paperwork rolling. Of course, we have some friends who assure me that as soon as we get all pre-registered to induce on friday that I will go into spontanious labor. Oh! If only it were true. Either way, it's tuesday night, and friday isn't too far away.

I'm in hell

The earliest they can get me in for a non-emergency induction is friday. If I go into labor before then...great. Dr B stripped the membranes...again, and I am supposed to go in on wednesday if there is still no kid, but ..yeah.. once again in baby limbo.

fixed a typo, more info

First, thanks to the anonymous commenter who, in their own snarky way, pointed out an error in my bio/profile/ Babe #3 is due in april 06 not '05, so
I have not been pregnant for the last three years, although sometimes it feels like it.

Now, for a little medical info, for people in the know. On friday I was at 2 cm, 50 percent effaced, and at a +1 station. This translates into me being really, really physically uncomfortable, and one of the few woman who can somehow manage being at a +1 while still not being in "active" labor. Will wonders never cease. If this kid doesn't come out on his own by 10:15 am tomorrow morning, I get to brive to the clinic attached to the hospital, get induction paperwork filled out, figure out which of two hosp's it'll be done at, and check in to have this kid! I would prefer to go naturally, but at this point, my body is not cooporating, and things are becoming increasingly more complicated. Things like standing, sitting, changing possition, getting dressed, and doing these things without falling over.

Of course, there is a very real possibilaty that I will go into labor tonight, not need the induction, and all will be well, but I am not placing any bets at this point.

How big will baby#3 be?

Last night, Bigguy asked me how big I think the babe is going to be. I told him I didn't know, and asked how big he thought the babe was? Bigguy's response- "Well..not as big as Littleman is now, but maybe only a little smaller?"
Granted, Bigguy has a limited frame of reference for how big a brand new baby is. The smallest babe he has recently seen was Baby Bear, and that's a bigger kid, almost 9 months old now...

Anywho... What all this boils down to is how big do y'all think that Baby#3 will be upon it's birth. The information I can give you beforehand is thus- we are fairlycertain from ultrasound that it is a boy. Littleman was 6lbs, 14 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. Bigguy was 7lbs 3.8 ounces and 21 inches long. Littleman had a 13.75 inch noggin, Bigguy was 14 even. Littleman had HUGE feet when he was born. According to the doctors and nurses, everything is measuring where it should, sizewise.

self-doubt, self-assurance

I was filled with self-doubt, angst, hurt, confusion, and I don't know what all else this morning. I was so certain when I went to bed last night that I would be in full blown labor when the sun rose...instead, I was stumbling, half asleep, into the bathroom, to pee. Yesterday morning, I went to the hospital with regular, strong, contractions. When they checked me, they saw no change from my friday appointment. After an hour or so of walking the floor, there was still no change in my cervix, and ultimately I was sent home. I am in this wierd limbo-land where my body is trying to do something, but it isn't working. My Dr is still of the oppinion that my body knows what it is up to, and that everything is fine. The lack of sleep and rapidly deteriorating mental state are not reasons enough to induce, since everything else is beautiful. My having a medical history of getting stuck in early stage labor means nothing if I am able to withstand the contractions. Basically, unless I am in unbearable pain, they won't do anything for me yet.
Friday morning I have another appointment with Dr B, and we will talk much more then. I will be at 39 weeks on monday, and I know that elective inductions can be done at that point. I am still unsure if that is the route that I want to go, but I am possitive I do not want to be pregnant anymore...this has surpassed the point of normal pregnancy discomfort by quite a bit.

On the plus side, as the day progresses, I am feeling more sure of myself and my body again. It is frustrating, yes, but it is serving some sort of purpose, otherwise there would have to be issues present. It is funny, though, that two weeks ago we were worried about having to induce early, and now we are wondering how much longer this kid is gonna stick around for.

My father-in-law has been a huge help through all of this, oddly enough. He has been very good with the boys, very patient with me and Hubby, and very understanding that just because I go to the hospital doesn't mean I will be leaving with a baby.

For the people who were not called and notified that I went to the hospital yesterday-- I decided that, with the exception of the FIL(who picked up the boys for the day), that until I was checked into a room, and had some sort of certainty (water break, IV, etc...) that I was going to be having the kid, that wer won't make calls, I don't need people getting all excited just because I am in triage. However, if my water does spontaniously break, or things elevate to the point of no return, everyone will be notified in a timely manor before the babe comes, and after the babe is born.

very, very frustrated

my body is doing half of what it should be. It is working, but not hard enough, or not in the right way. Tomorrow, I plan on toeing the line with my doctor, and hoping I come out victorious. I am hoping that I don't need to do that, however, that my body will come around on it's own and get this kid born. More later.

still no baby yet...

Hubby thinks that the kid will hold out untill saturday, April Fools Day, just because that's the sort of sense of humor innate in both our families. I'm placing my money on sometime in the next forty-eight hours. Granted, I could be drastically wrong, and might very well be so, only time will tell, but
I have insider information the rest of the world just cannot have access to. I'll keep everyone posted.

I know I will not be pregnant forever...

it just feels that way, right now

in praise, and criticism, of sleep

Sleep. Ahh, sweet, sweet, elusive, sleep. I have been lacking sleep until very recently. The last two nights, I have been sleeping fairly well. Normally, I would be all "WOOHOO I got to sleep after weeks of getting barely enough to stay alive!!!!"
The last two days, however, I have woken rested, and pissed off. I need the rest, that is indesputable, however, if I am able to get good sleep, the contractions are slacking off at night. This means that each day starts great, ends in discomfort, and instead of having a kid, I go to sleep, my body rests, and we do it all again.
At this point, I have determined that there is nothing I can do to bring on strong labor, and if nothing else, I have a Dr's appointment on friday. Then, if I still am not far enough into labor to go to the hospital and have this child the "natural" way, I can beg, plead, and demand an induction, so that I can finally be done with this pregnancy.

still laboring away

Still stuck at home, waiting for things to pick up to the point where I can either go in and have the baby, or go in and have the Dr assist me in having the baby. I'd like to avoid pitocin this time, but if things don't change soon, my body is going to be so worn out by the time it's "go time" that I might not have much choice. Oddly, I got a lot of sleep last night, but was still exhausted this morning. will give updates as needed

the beauty of the female form, and, well, not so much...

The female body is a miraculous thing, when you think about it. It has the ability to grow and nourish new life. It is round, curvy, soft, comforting, appealing, all at the same time. Being pregnant is a beautiful thing, as is preparing to have a baby...BUT... some of the things the female body does while pregnant and preparing to have a baby, not so much. There's discharge, nausea, diarreah(sic?), profuse sweating, leaking breasts, hemmorhoids, you name it. None of that makes you feel attractive, pretty, or comfy. After the baby there is extreme bleeding, more leaking breasts, even more profuse sweating, hot flashes, cold sweats, and engorgement. Oh, and an increase in flatulence during all of this.

Soon, I will be a mom for the third time, and soon, everything will level back out, but at this precise moment...I feel disgusting!

increasingly uncomfortable

I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable, and having more problems with concentration, but still nothing significant enough to call the Dr or go in to the hospital. The longer I can hold out at home, and the more progress I can make pre-hospital, the less likely my chances of an induction. Since the contractions are still spaced, I am good, but sore. Soon enough, it will be over, and I will have another babe to show for all my hard work.
I am also at a wierd crossroad of tired, but wanting to do stuff around the house...Damn nesting instinct.

probobilaty

the chances of me having this kid in the next week...pretty good, the chances of me having this kid in the next day?..yeah...not so good. The chances of me having this kid? ONE HUNDRED PERCENT

Dr's appointment today

I have an appointment in 3 hours, 30 minutes. I have no idea why I am awake right now, but I am, and I have this feeling that even though I haven't been bothered by most of my contractions, and even though are are slightly irregular in spacing, and deffinately not closer together than every thirteen minutes, we are going to find out that I am significantly farther along. Maybe not, but I have a pretty good idea of how my body normally feels, and how it is feeling now. Plus, there is that whole joking factor...
I have been joking around with friends and family that I will either go into spontanious labor, water breakage and all, need to go in, in the middle of really bad weather and rush hour traffic, or the kid will come on St patricks day, when a lot of folks'll be out, drinking, so I can be all paranoid about the on-call physicians sobriety. Really, I think I can wait a little bit longer.....
I'll update everyone after I get home from the Dr