We're STILL here!

Countdown:

Baby Rueber's estimated arrival: 3 days!
I am sooo ready for an outside baby!

I am currently 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Baby continues to grow layers of fat on his/her body to help regulate his/her body temperature on the outside. Baby Rueber is about the size of a small watermelon around 19-20 inches long weighing around 6-7lbs.

I continue to feel rather well (which if you ask my mother isn't a good thing, I need to start feeling miserable!). I have contractions daily, and I am walking everyday hoping to stir things up! There are many old wives tales out there to help "induce" labor....well I can't lie, I have tried a few -- eating pineapple and labor cookies (they are ginger snap cookies with cayenne pepper). Obviously nothing has worked and only Baby knows when he/she is ready.

The last week has been filled with lots of waiting. I feel "ready" for Baby Rueber to arrive and try to stay busy to keep my mind off of the time. I try to have something to do each day so that I don't go crazy sitting and waiting at home. I sure do A LOT of internet surfing and Facebook Stalking!

David continues to play summer ball and his team made a special gift for Baby Rueber. A Menomonie Eagles shirt (with Daddy's #) and a baseball hat...how adorable! Baby Rueber will be Daddy's #1 fan.

This last Tuesday I had my 38 week appointment and showed progress 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. David and I ran a few errands after our appointment and then home to relax.

Around 3-4pm David and I took Paisley to the dog park and made 3 laps around, when we got home I started thinking about the day and I couldn't remember Baby moving. I do kick counts daily to make sure that Baby is healthy, so I thought I should lay down and count.

At 6:30pm, I drank a glass of juice (giving Baby some sugar) and laid on my side, 1/2 hour into it NO movement. A little nervous now, I drank another glass of juice and tried my other side. I felt about 6-7 kicks/movements and the doctors would like you to feel 10 in one hour - any time it takes longer than one hour they want you to call labor and delivery. I was so nervous, as this was my first call to L&D. I talked with the on call doctor and he suggested I eat dinner and count again for one hour. Now in my second hour of laying on my side, it took the entire hour to feel 10 kicks/movements and only 3 felt "normal". I was happy that I felt 10 kicks, but was still nervous so I called my mom and she said it would be best to call the doctor back and get his opinion. He wanted me to come in and get hooked up to the monitor because the movement was not what I was used to feeling.

It is now 9pm and we are in the car on our way to the hospital. When we got to the hospital and checked in, the lady asked if I wanted a ride in the wheel chair. Ummm... no and I plan on walking out of here tonight!

We had a wonderful nurse (I can't remember her name) who explained everything and answered all of our questions.

Once hooked up to all of the monitors, we watched Baby's movement for approximately one hour. It took Baby almost 20 minutes to move and then I was having a small contraction so I didn't feel the movement, but the monitor registered a movement. Babies heart beat jumped from the 130's to the 160's! Our nurse explained to us that they want to see a jump in the heart rate by about 15 beats. Then baby moved about 5 more times within the next 10 minutes! Phew...

Doctor Dovre was the on-call doctor that night, he came in to check on us...what a nice man (besides the fact that he is a Viking Fan!). He looked over Baby R.'s movements and asked if we had any questions, with no questions we were on our way.

I am so glad that we went in, I would NOT have slept a wink all night just waiting for Baby to move. My only wish is that the next trip we make to Labor and Delivery, we will be bringing a baby home with us!

David is back to work this week and with our due date Thursday, we asked my mom to come stay with me. This puts David at ease during the night when he is at work, knowing someone is here to bring me to the hospital! Thanks to my mom for hanging out!