Dangerous Wonder

Actually, the phrase "news flash" is probably misleading as there really isn't anything new to tell, but update just sounded so boring. I saw my Dr today and haven't changed my cervix AT ALL in the last week. I'm still "barely" 2cm dilated, 50% effaced and my cervix is still tilted pretty far back. None of these are good indicators of pending labor. Now for the kicker... my Dr is leaving town tomorrow to go elk hunting for 5 days! The practical side of me says "good for him". After all he does need a life and I don't pay him enough to be at my every beck and call. However, the emotional/hormonal side of me says "how dare he"! :) Even though I'm getting tired of waiting around for Abi to come (I'm pretty much nested out!), I want to wait to have her now until he gets back; which won't be until after my due date. I know though that if God decides to start labor before that that I will be ultimately ok. I need to put more trust in God and less in the specifics of who delivers me. On that note, I'm also starting to get a little apprehensive about doing this again. My memories from Dean are still a little too vivid. The modern day focus for most in having a baby is to have a "good experience". I admit I am no different. It would be nice to have a smooth, non-eventful, play cards till it's time to push kind of delivery. I know so many for whom having a baby is a routine non-news worthy event. I pray that this one could be like that and not the stuff of folk lore! :) Well, all who read this can keep me in their prayers that I will be at peace and have a "good experience" delivery!

On another note: Dean is becoming so much more vocal these days. Well, at least in words I can now understand. He's always been a talker when in small crowds or alone, but we never could understand what he was saying. Now we are beginning to recognize more words and he is also able to sign one small sentence, "More...., Please!" He's very proud of himself and his ability to communicate. He's saying: cracker, bye-bye, go, no, ball, baby, amen, teddy, beep-beep, and milk (sounds like me-me). It's nice for me to realize just how much he understands of what we are saying and talk to him with that understanding. He likes to push his boundaries and is finally developing some courage. The other day he crawled out our back door onto the rocks and had fun playing in the dirt and rocks. I do find it odd that he is willing to crawl on rocks, but not the soft lush grass at the park. What a silly boy!

I was really hoping to go into labor over the weekend to avoid having to start another week of my maintenance cleaning. Oh well! Kyle keeps asking me "how I feel". I can't remember feeling any different prior to going into labor with Dean so I can't say when I'll go into labor this time. We had a very relaxing weekend and I got all the things I still needed for Abi. Now we just wait and keep the house clean. My sister is moving in this week which should provide a nice distraction for a few days. Well that's all for now!

I love how as one approaches their due date the seemingly never ending questions are.. "How are you feeling?" or "Have you had the baby yet?" It really doesn't bother me and I appreciate the interest others show in my life. But in order to "kill two birds", I'm going to try to keep the blog updated with all the pertinent info.

Yesterday, I had my 38 week appointment with Dr O'Connell. I had lost a little bit more weight, which is fine for a woman of my size. In fact, the Dr keeps complimenting me on my weight control! Yippee! My uterus measured smaller then last week (for each week you are pregnant your uterus should generally measure the same number in centimeters, thus I should measure 38 cms this week). This week it only measured 35 cms. This is a good indication that Abi has finally engaged into my pelvis and is starting to make the final preparations for "landing". When the Dr checked my cervix I was dilated to 2 cms and 50% effaced, which seems like some progress from last week (1cm, 50%); but for those who have done cervical checks it's almost a negligible difference just depending on who checks you. He did confirm that Abi had "dropped" though, which of course is great. We decided to go ahead and "encourage" nature a little by letting him "strip" my membranes. *Side note here: I owe my friend Michele a huge apology. When she told me that stripping membranes hurt like heck, I kind of "poopooed" her and said maybe it was just her. My bad.... that was extremely uncomfortable and rather painful. I assume this is the case because I wasn't all that dilated or effaced. Anyway, Michele you were right!* The stripping of the membranes involves the practitioner manually separating some of the amniotic sac from the wall of the uterus. The purpose is to agitate things enough to get labor to start on it's own. For people who are 3-5cm dilated and fairly effaced (70-100%)when this is performed it is usually enough to "push them over the edge" and get labor started within 12 hours. For those like me in the 1-2 cm range it may help progress things, but not necessarily in the immediate future. So all that to say... we still wait just like everybody else. :) Despite all that we as humans have learned we still don't know what starts labor or why it may start at certain times and not others. I think God in his sovereignty keeps some mysteries from us, just so we remember who is in control and the true author of life. That said... I wait in peace for His perfect timing.