The time has come

Here's a quick update: the baby is on its way.

Becca's water broke at around 3:15 am and we got to the hospital about an hour later.  Everything seems to be going well and the doctor thinks we'll have the baby before lunch.

More details to follow as events unfold.  We'll include any PG rated photos.

37 Weeks: Full Term

We made it! Our little guy is now considered fully baked.

At our sonogram today we discovered that he didn't gain any weight this last week. Unfortunately that's not good news. In the last weeks he should be gaining at least 1/2 pound per week. According to their measurements, he measured 1 oz smaller than last week and that makes the doc think we might have to keep a closer eye on him. So, if he hasn't gained enough weight by next Tuesday we might be having a baby next Wednesday. We'll keep our fingers crossed that he beefs up a little. We'll also keep you all informed but for now we will keep him in there for at least another week. Good thing my last day at work is Saturday! Other than the weight issue everything else looks good. Fluid levels are good, placenta and umbilical cord are in the right places, our little guy's heart rate is awesome and he isn't in any stress as far as we can tell. Also, he had hiccups last night for the first time. That was an experience. Kind of felt like a slow heart beat near my belly button...weird. :-)

We also got to see his little face - more or less. He looked really squished in there so we couldn't really get a good picture. I'll get them scanned and posted soon. In the meantime my bag is packed and we are pretty close to being ready, as ready as you can be, for our little guy to arrive. It's all getting so close we might have to plan a date night this weekend because I have a feeling it might be a while before we get the opportunity again.

Do we want to take some bets on weight, time, hair color and so forth? The doc did say he has some hair. We just don't know how much: peach fuzz, 'fro or somewhere in between. It's all so exciting.

If, for some reason, we don't get to post again before he gets here we will be at Plano Presbyterian. We will also post pictures as soon as we can on our Flickr site. My sister Jessica has been kind enough to offer to join us and take pictures of the big event so be sure to check back next week. :-) Till then...

Almost there: week 36

Just a few more weeks left and then our world is going to change. I have come to the realization lately that somehow, someway, this baby has to come out. How scary is that! Yes, I know, I've always known that labor or a cesarean has been in the works but until it's staring you in the face you don't really think about it. And believe me, I've been thinking about it a lot! All I can do to keep my wits is realize that millions of women have had babies and have chosen to do it again, so it can't be that bad...can it? (Please, keep your horror stories to yourself, I don't think I can stand to hear them until after the baby gets here)

According to the sonogram yesterday, our little man is weighing in at 6 lb 6 oz. He will be considered full term as of next Wednesday, December 3rd. After that he can pretty much come at any time and we would be happy. More than likely, if my blood pressure and swelling stay in control we will be inducing sometime during the third week of December. We haven't set a date yet but if we do I will be sure to let you all know. The rest of the doctor's appointment went pretty well. He took some blood to test how my liver and kidneys are functioning and they are doing great. I'm still only dealing with the swelling. Basically what it comes down to is, other than being at work, I am pretty much on bed rest. He wants me home and off my feet. Right now I am just focused on having a great Thanksgiving and looking forward to playing a little Rock Band 2 before my last weekend of work. Happy Turkey Day!

Week 34

I had my doctor's appointment today and - so far - cutting my work hours has helped. We are going to give it another week and still keep an eye on my blood pressure. If everything stays on track the new goal will be to induce the third week in December. Meanwhile, I'll just keep things simple and stay off my feet as much as possible.

Our boy is doing great and starting to move around a lot! Sometimes I think he's swinging around on my ribs like a monkey. Which figures as his nursery has just a few monkeys hanging around as well. Yep, we have finally finished it. (Well almost, just a few more decorative touches to go.) It's painted, furnished and my mom made us some great crib dressings and curtains. We have a few more pictures on our flickr site so check them out!

Pregnancy Update

I have now been to the doctor at least 12 times in the past 8 months or so and have gotten to know my Dr. pretty good. If you have heard me talk about him you would know that he is a very high energy kind of guy. He's fast, efficient and loves it when your baby's daddy comes along to the appointments. (I picture him and Chris having a beer right after our little one comes out!) Needless to say I never have to wait more than 10 min for my appointment and once we are in, he's there buzzing around the room with so much energy you get an instant high. So, with that little bit of background, imagine my surprise when after we talked for a few minuets he pulled up a chair and actually sat down! I knew I was in for some not so great news. And I was right. :-( He isn't so passive about my swelling as I have been. (See post below) Apparently what I thought was normal for being on your feet all day isn't normal at all, at least not at 33 weeks. So...he has put me on a 4-step plan until December. I now have to go in every week for blood pressure checks and to see if I need to move on to the next step of our plan - see below.

1. Cut my work hours in half
   
2. Stop working and bed rest at home
   
3. A week's worth of bed rest at the hospital
   
4. Induction (aka: get the baby out of there)
   

Even with all this planning, if at any time my blood pressure (which is great right now) decides to take a dive we will skip steps 1 and 2 and go straight to spending some time with the lovely people at Plano Presbyterian Hospital. Cross your fingers for me that this isn't necessary. As of right now, other than the swelling, I feel good. My goal is to make it to December and at least 37 weeks. On another note, our boy is still doing great. His weight is about a week and a half ahead of the average so if he has to be born early at least he'll be closer to fully-baked.

So now that I know I am going to have a little more time on my hands, off my feet, anyone have any ideas of what I can do? Know of any great books or shows that I should check out? I'd love the recommendations. :-)

On a happier note, some good friends of ours, Colin and Megan, had their twin boys yesterday, and my uncle Dan and aunt Brenda had their little guy last week. Both moms are doing great and all the boys are healthy and adorable! Congrats you guys!