Our UC

The birth story (edited April 1 with pictures) Please note that birth isn't something you can really do while dressed, so you'll have to overlook any nakedness.

So I was getting a little antsy about my baby coming. She was born Saturday March 29, 2008 at 6:45pm, this was 42 weeks and 3 days gestation based on my last period and 43 weeks from my ovulation date. I had been having regular contractions all week varying from 3 minutes apart to 10 minutes apart.

Thursday, the 27, a friend from church came over and brought us split pea soup for dinner. We had just gotten up from a nap and had slept through dinner (that was my last "good" sleep. By the time we finished talking with her, I was trying to hide the fact that the contractions had just gotten stronger. It was 10:30. After we ate, I tried to lie down in our bath tub. At about midnight we went to bed. I struggled all night to sleep, but eventually gave up at 4 in the morning.

Friday morning, I realized that we should probably blow up the birthing pool we borrowed. A friend of ours let us borrow a pump and McKay blew up the pool and filled it up with hot water. During this time I was laboring on our birth ball and it felt pretty good. I tried some relaxation techniques that really helped control the contractions, but it didn't work forever.
Once the pool was filled I labored in it and McKay would make hot compresses and press them on my back for the back pain and would boil water. He was doing the work of two people.

At some point I asked for a blessing and I was told that I would receive the inspiration on what to do next. That evening I started losing my mucous plug which was exciting because it meant progress was being made. I continued losing my mucous plug up until Saturday morning. That night I pretty much didn't sleep and about 5 in the morning I was getting frustrated with the lack of progress, and I was feeling like I didn't know what I was doing so I called a friend (J) who was training to be a doula. She had told me that it wouldn't bother her if I called in the middle of the night. I left a message about 5:45. About 20 min later she showed up at my door with some food. I explained to her that I was in labor and what I was feeling. I felt hopeless and that the inspiration I had been promised wasn't coming.

She gave us some food, which I ended up throwing up later that morning. J took over the water boiling so McKay could put pressure on my lower back during the back labor. I had really hard back labor through the afternoon. I threw up gain sometime that afternoon, but we had hidden the clocks so I wouldn't be bothered by the time, so I don't know when.

At some point, probably around 4, I realized that I didn't need McKay to apply pressure during the contractions. That either meant that baby was moving down or had moved down or that labor was going to be stalled. I was getting really tired of the back labor but was beginning to feel pushy. I wasn't sure how dilated I was so I didn't want to push too much. I started vocalizing through contractions. Around 5:30/6 I started pushing with the contractions and could feel which contractions were productive and which weren't. I put my finger up my vagina and felt that the baby was about 4 inches back. I thought I felt the head, it was very smooth. For the next while I would push with the contractions and sometimes without contractions because I was so anxious to see my baby and was finally making progress that I could measure which gave me hope. I started ignoring the fact that I was supposed to wait for contractions and pushed whenever I got antsy. I was holding on to McKay's hands and leaning over the edge of the tub.
The next time I checked how far back the baby was, there was about an inch and a half to go.

McKay moved behind me into the water and I gripped J's hands. In the next few pushes I started feeling something crowning, but the ring of fire was not as strong as I expected. It was only a little bit of a sting. I felt something partly out of my vagina and put my hand down there and felt something really squishy hanging out about an inch. I stood up for McKay so he could see what it was. It was my bag of waters, which had not yet broken (obviously). I knew it was soon, so I gave a few more hard pushes and finally felt the ring of fire. The part that stung the most was up in front, I didn't feel any pain near my perineum. McKay saw the head coming out and I finished pushing it out. I knew at this point that there usually is a lull while the baby turns to get the shoulders through. I kept thinking McKay was pulling on the head and told him to stop. He said he wasn't. I felt the shoulders turn and I helped push them through. Two shoulders and an arm were pushed out, and then there was a slight pause before the rest of baby spilled out. The baby was still in the water sack until the feet came out, at which point it broke. McKay passed the baby to me between my legs and I brought it up out of the water. I noticed she was a girl but didn't say anything yet. J and McKay started to help unwrap the cord which was around her arm. Then it was announced that we had a Margaret. We checked the time and it was 6:45.

J got the camera and started taking pictures.
I started nursing in the pool and then J suggested getting out of the pool and helped me out. I reclined on the couch, nursing our little Margaret. McKay gave me a blessing for the placenta to come quickly. I started noticing after pains of my uterus clamping down as I was nursing. About 15/20 min after the birth, the placenta started coming out and was sitting in my vagina. I scooted towards the edge of the couch and it just fell out into a bowl with a lot of blood clots. Soon after, we grabbed our sterilized meat scissors and a piece of cotton yarn. The cord wasn't pulsing so I tied it off and McKay cut the cord. A little bit later, McKay examined the placenta and it was all there. I asked J at what point she thought I had hit transition. And she said a long time ago I had shown signs that morning but none recently. Either that meant my second stage was really long or didn't really exist. When Margaret was born, she was very pink and started fussing and breathing right away. There was a good amount of vernix on her, which reassured me that she wasn't too overdue and that everything was fine. There was a little stain of meconium on the top of her head, but that was it, and it was barely noticeable. I had just given birth!


I will totally go this route again. McKay was such a help and I was glad that J came so McKay could focus on helping me with the back labor Saturday. Next time I'm going to do more stretching (hips, legs, back) during pregnancy; maybe it'll help me be able to walk better afterwards. The pool was the best thing because by Saturday, the birth ball didn't feel comfortable anymore. After having done it, UC doesn't feel extreme- just natural.

We haven't uploaded the pictures yet- they'll probably show up on our family blog.

Public Service Announcement

Still pregnant.

I am very aware that I'm "past my due date." I'm also aware of the "higher risks" and such. You don't need to email me or call me. I've researched the subject, McKay and I have discussed it, and we're going to keep UPing. I know some of you have concerns, but this is a decision between McKay and God and me.

Today's scripture: Mark 4:40.

Last night was wonderful, though. McKay and I had a mini-birthing party. We've been practicing relaxation techniques: breathing, listening to good music, keeping out fearful thoughts and doubts, saying affirmations. I took a nice, hot shower and McKay set up our living room for the birth with towels and everything. He also put on hymns so we had nice music to listen to. When I was done with my shower (aka when the water heater was out of hot water), McKay brushed and blow dried my hair. It was nice to just sit there on the birth ball with him brushing my hair. It reminded me of my grandpa who used to brush my hair; he was always very gentle with it. We then put the barrettes I made for International Women's Day in my hair (they're obviously purple and white). McKay thinks I look pretty with the ribbons in my hair and I feel strong and feminine with the purple and white. We then listened to hymns and relaxed. McKay was even kind enough to take down the clocks in the house so I didn't have to think about the time. I had some contractions, as always, nice and steady, but nothing really progressed. This is also when we discussed my "going over" of dates. Then we read some uplifting stories (namely Hathor's birth) and statistics about "going over." Near the bottom of that page I just linked to, there's a list of mothers who went "over." So many were at 43 weeks and I'm still only at 42! This gave me hope.

And then, we eventually went to bed.

Baby still kicks tons. Maybe it's just going to push off the back of my uterus and pop right out!

And Rixa is my hero. I've been reading her blog and almost every post I want to link to here. She's doing her PhD on unassisted birth and had an unassisted pregnancy and birth herself. There are so many things she mentions that I can relate to: her opinions on prenatal care, dealing with people at church, having a 19 year old brother that can't be in family pictures, and tons of other stuff. Ok, well, her brother was 19 a year ago and mine is currently 19, but the reasoning behind lack of family pictures is the same. Really, it's just nice not to be alone in the UCing LDS community. Well, I know I'm not alone. A lady in a playgroup I go to had a UC last Monday, but extra positive reinforcement has been really nice.

Anyway, still having steady contractions- 8 mins apart while writing this up- not quick like yesterday afternoon when they were 3 mins apart, but they are more intense than yesterday's.

A weekend

So what did we do this weekend?

Well, on Friday we went out. I walked around the mall a little, had some contractions. Had no baby.

On Saturday we went out to another mall and walked around that one a bit. McKay bought some new jeans since his were getting holes in them. We also watched War of the Worlds, which got me upset since the characters have NO sense of logic. I was pretty much frustrated with the movie the whole time. We had chicken for dinner and it was yummy. Carolyn came over and brought us cupcakes, also yummy. Then we went for a walk, I was struggling to stand up straight for the last couple of blocks, but no baby.

Sunday. I was pretty much set on an Easter baby. Notice the use of past tense in that previous sentence. I wasn't planning on going to church, but we got a call and had to meet a member of the bishopric before church. That was my "releasing from primary" meeting. I am no longer Primary pianist! I am calling-less. I liked the calling, but it was definitely time for me to move on. They sustained the new pianist and I was excited because I was SO TIRED and I wanted to go home after sacrament. However, the new pianist wasn't ready to start right away, so I stayed and did my calling for the last time.

I attempted a futile nap and then we went to Jillynn's, which was fun. We had a vegetarian Easter dinner and strawberry shortcakes. I used a shortcake recipe that I got last year from the My Favorite Things Swap. Very yummy. We stayed and watched a movie- I forget what it was called. I believe something on the lines of Mystery Science Theater.

As soon as we got home at 8:30-ish, I was pooped and went to bed pretty much right away (about 9).

And now it is Monday morning. Still no baby, but I'm still technically 41 weeks, so I'm not overdue yet. I hit 42 weeks this Wednesday.

I have had some nice encouragement. I was reminded Friday that babies that are born later have a much better chance at breathing better. Plus, the pounds that it has packed on the past few weeks are fat pounds. So though I'm past my due date, the extra poundage is just cushy, cute baby fat (which'll also help the first few days before my milk comes in). We'll have a cute, healthy baby.

Also, from the birth stories I read, late babies tend to have shorter labors since by the time you go into labor, your cervix has been opening and ripening for a few weeks. You start ahead of the game with a few centimeters of dilation already done.

I AM getting tired of the "when will the baby come" thing. I didn't go to Enrichment Thursday night because I didn't feel like answering that question- and for those of you who know how much I love Enrichment, that is pretty surprising.

Well, I have things to do this morning. Maybe I'll have a baby today. Maybe not.

Michel Odent Article and some of my musings

So yesterday, this article showed up on the unassisted birth forums. Michel Odent is a French physician and he spoke at the Trust Birth Conference a couple of weeks ago.

For those of you who don't feel like reading the whole article, I'll give you his main points.

• Cortisol, the stress hormone, can hinder the growth of unborn babies.
• The current state of prenatal care causes the mother to be more stressed than is needed, which causes the creation of cortisol in her system, which, in effect, can be detrimental to her pregnancy.
• Regular, repeated prenatal visits give the doctors more opportunity to scare the woman about her pregnancy, ultimately hindering the natural growth processes.
• He mentions a British study which found that delaying prenatal care doesn't have a significant effect on the infant mortality rate. In places, such as the US, where studies have shown that prenatal care is correlated to birth outcome, prenatal care is also connected to socio-economic status. Basically, those without care are the same as those without money, information, nutrition. For a normal, healthy woman with care, information, and nutrition available if she needs it, prenatal care doesn't change the outcome of the birth.
• Odent also writes about regular prenatal testing (blood pressure, protein, glucose tests) and shows that the birth outcome is not significantly changed when these tests are used.
  

Basically, I really liked Odent's article. I'm surprised I hadn't found it before now.

Prenatal testing and me:

Ok. I'm the sort of person that is easily stressed. My parents can attest that I would get really stressed about my schoolwork in high school, and the migraines I started having in college are also testament to that.

You don't have to go too far to find studies that say excess stress is harmful to your body. Early on in my pregnancy, I knew that if I was stressed, the baby would feel it and be stressed also. If my own body can be harmed by my stress, then how much more would a little tiny body inside of me be harmed?

So I knew what I wanted was the most stress-free pregnancy route. Frankly, I was completely fine with doing absolutely nothing in the way of prenatal care. (Can't be stressed if there's nothing to stress about). McKay, however, felt we should at least do SOMETHING. So we bought a fetoscope and urine test strips. I was concerned at first that if I were regularly checking for things, I'd stress myself out, but in the end it was good- I've only really checked on things when I felt something was up. Let me give you an example:

In early January, I was having a hard time getting through the day at work and being able to stand upright by the end of the day. I had lots of lower back pain and people at work were worrying me with, "Are you sure it's not back labor?" questions.

So I tested my urine, since someone mentioned that lower back pain can be related to kidney infection. When I tested, everything was fine, except for leukocytes. That means one of two things: the sample was contaminated or I had a UTI. UTIs are pretty common for me, so I erred on the side of caution and started treating my UTI. After 3 days of lots of water, cranberry juice, and limiting my sugar intake, I retested and everything was fine. Had I been seeing a doctor, I'd have been given antibiotics and told to come back in 2 weeks, giving me two weeks of "will this go away?" stress. Instead, I just changed my diet and was reassured of my health immediately.

I've done this a few times. There have been times where my protein was high (which is a sign of preclampsia) but I didn't have any of the other signs of preclampsia such as swelling, high blood pressure. A quick diet fix and the protein levels went down. I've also had glucose be a little high, but limiting sugar in my diet fixed that quickly, too. There have even been times where I hadn't felt the baby move a lot in a few hours and I was able to get out the fetoscope and listen to the heartbeat, reassuring me.

What this has given me is control over my pregnancy. I'm in control, and I don't worry. Of course, if something had been continuously an issue that I couldn't fix, I'd have sought medical advice, but that's never come up. I am left with a clear mind and no stress and a very active, healthy baby. Very active. Very very active.

I have been asked, "What about things such as an ultrasound that you can't do for yourself?" Fairly early in my pregnancy, I was advised to only do what I know is right for the baby. I haven't found any substantial evidence to whether or not ultrasound technology is harmful or helpful for the baby. In fact, the FDA states, "Recent reports in the medical literature suggests that an increase in the number of ultrasound examinations during pregnancy may restrict fetal growth and that prenatal ultrasonography may be associated with delayed speech in children. Other experimental studies have reported adverse effects (lung hemorrhage) in animals resulting from ultrasound exposure." Also, at the bottom of this page, the FDA gives a list when ultrasound is appropriate in pregnancy. McKay and I reviewed the list (presented here) and decided it wasn't necessary.

• Diagnosing pregnancy- We already diagnosed that ourselves.
  
• Determining fetal age- I know when I ovulated last and I've always had very regular periods, not a problem there.
  
• Diagnosing congenital abnormalities- Congenital abnormalities include things like heart defects, Downs syndrome, etc. Most of these are unavoidable and not something you can fix. McKay likes to quote a statistic he learned in Family Life class last semester: that 80% of babies diagnosed with Downs syndrome are aborted. We already have decided to not abort the baby so that doesn't matter. And knowing ahead of time would just add more stress and not be helpful.
  
• Evaluating position of placenta- I can hear the placenta with the fetoscope- it's in a fine position: upper right side. This is just to diagnose placenta previa.
  
• Determining multiple pregnancies- Fundal height CLEARLY indicates I only have 1 inside me.
  

My favorite part of that list is how finding out the gender isn't on it. So the FDA doesn't consider identifying the gender to be a good enough reason to get an ultrasound... interesting...

Well, I think I've lectured enough for now. Meanwhile, I get to do some cleaning (vacuuming and such).

Simmering

So I'm past my guessdate. It's fun to hear the reactions.

Happenings and commets from the past few days:

Two people from church have called to ask if I've had the baby- one said she and another lady had bets going when I'd have the baby. Hers was Friday and other lady's was Saturday. Well I showed them!

I've gotten a couple of emails with people asking about if I've had the baby.

"When are you due?"
"Last Saturday."
"I'm sorry."
??? I love being pregnant. It's not a burden at all. Sure, some things are more difficult, such as tying my shoes, but they're not impossible. And they're just little things like that- why do people make mountains out of mole hills? In fact, I shaved my legs the other day- you CAN do it while 9 months pregnant! And it's not that hard. Pregnancy doesn't turn you into an invalid!

"When are you due?"
"Last Saturday."
"Oh- you went over your due date- that's so rare!"
"Actually 'due dates' are more like averages, and while averages don't necessarily split the population 50/50, with the huge sampling of women that get pregnant, I'd say it's pretty close. About half of all women have babies before their due date and about half have them after. People have to go over their due dates to counter the people who go before."
She looked like she had never heard this before! Obviously, simple statistics. When I told McKay that conversation, he said I should look up the standard deviations and have that information available in the future.

"When are you due?"
"Last Saturday."
"Are they going to induce you?"
(smile) "No." (then a discussion proceeded about how inductions aren't necessary unless there's something wrong- I took no part of this conversation and just listened to it. Frankly, I think that inductions are only very RARELY needed- like if you were 50 weeks or something.)

Ah, induction. While I could try home inductions, I haven't felt the need to. And I don't think it'll work anyway. I've done some of the home induction sorts of things (out of necessity, not out of trying to induce) and I'm pretty sure that if they worked, they'd have worked. Of course I wasn't really trying that hard. For example, I pretty much stayed on my feet for 3 hours straight Friday night, but I had gone shopping and then went to a basketball game. Also, I had chips and salsa for lunch one day, but that was because I didn't feel like cooking- not because I was trying to down spicy food to induce. I did dance around the apartment like a loon at various times, but that was because a good song was on.

I'm also doing things that prevent contractions. When I notice a contraction, I immediately think, "Am I not getting enough water? Do I need to pee?" Both dehydration and a full bladder can cause contractions, but I've decided that those aren't good induction methods, so I try to remedy those quickly. :)


And no matter what your mother says, eventually a watched pot DOES boil.

Getting there...

What is THAT?!?!


What? You've never seen a clean kitchen before? The only dishes that are out are drying in the sink. WOW. Well, there is that cup by the sink, but that's it.

I've also made pancakes. I cooked up 9, made 3 servings of 3 pancakes each and froze them for those post-baby days that I want a warm meal, but don't want to really cook. Hello, toaster!

I also went and picked up the birth certificate packet yesterday. I even started filling it out (you know, my name and McKay's name). Pretty exciting. There are extra pages for statistical purposes. I like how on one of the pages, the question is (and I quote):

Please check the correct box pertaining to this child's place of birth:

• In Hospital
• Enroute to Hospital
• Born at home, transported to Hospital

Those are the only 3 options.

Of course, that page isn't required for the birth certificate- it's just statistics. I like how my birth will probably skew their stats (especially the prenatal care stats).


Last night I saw the Business of Being Born. It was a good movie. Of course, it never mentions unassisted, but it's a great intro to the history and current state of birth in hospitals vs. homebirth movie. I would recommend it definitely.

And today is another one of my due dates. How many due dates do I have? Many.

• March 8- based off my ovulation date (temperature-wise) and the fact that we actually found out that I was pregnant a few days before my missed period and the fact that the previous month I only had a 25 day cycle (unheard of for me- I'm a 27 day, 11 hour clock). I just strangely had a short cycle for a couple of months.
• March 12- the date I originally calculated off my period, and what I told the insurance people.
• March 13- my due date based off of what doctors think.
• March 20- my due date based off the fact it's my first (the 41 weeks + 1 day from LMP)

So I know I'm technically past my due date, but I wouldn't be on anyone's radar yet for being "late" (if I was on the radar).

Baby is head-down, engaged, moving like crazy. I'm trying to hydrate myself like a thirsty camel and am finally getting some nesting done. We might get a tub today. I know McKay wouldn't mind if I went into labor today because it would give him an excuse to not go to class. :)

so happy

On Sunday, I had some BH. I only notice when I touch my belly and it's all hard.

"McKay! Feel my belly! It's a contraction!"

He felt my belly and got this really happy look on his face, "You're having contractions!?!"

Well, yes, but that means that eventually, sometime this baby will come out.

It's not yet, though. I just wanted to share that McKay is getting excited for this birth. He looked so happy at the prospect of labor. Well, it obviously didn't happen Sunday or yesterday or yet today. And Laura, you are right about first time mothers going past their due dates. I found something that once said that "they" were going to change gestation to 41 weeks in the late 1990s because it's actually more accurate for more mothers, but it never happened. I need to find that article again...


I didn't sleep at all last night after 3. Well, that's a lie. I slept for half an hour from 4:30 to 5, but my insomnia was not pregnancy related. It's gotten warmer here, so it's time for my yearly "cold that isn't really allergies because I refuse to believe I have allergies" cold. Stuffy nose, cough, runny eyes, cotton mouth, the usual. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't breathe.

And I can't have the baby today... It's my sister-in-law's birthday and I wouldn't want to rain on her parade. :)

Quotes for my week

"We have a secret in this culture and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong." - Laura Stavoe Harm

"The first intervention in natural childbirth is the one that a healthy woman does herself when she walks out the front door of her own home in labor. It is from that first intervention that all others follow." - Michael Rosenthal, OB/GYN

My "ignore other people's birth horror stories" quote:
"People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar." -Thich Nhat Hanh

ABC Tag

So a friend of mine had this on her blog. I wasn't tagged, but it's a quick, easy post. I haven't posted much lately, so I figure this will make you all think I'm on top of my blogging. :)

A: Attached or single: Attached

B: Best friend(s): McKay, of course.

C: Cake or Pie: Cake. Cake. Cake. <3

D: Day of choice: Friday. It's like a weekend and I don't have to do the laundry as that's a Saturday chore.

E: Essential Item: Water. It's just one of those things I need to survive.

F: Favorite Color: All bright colors- whatever is most eye-catching at the time.

G: Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms because they come in sour flavors.

H: Hometown: Cary, IL

I: Indulgence(s): Ice cream, pretty yarn.

J: January or July: Either one. I'm pretty neutral about those two months- why weren't March or October options?

K: Kids: not at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I'll have one by April.

L: Life is incomplete without: McKay, my testimony, fun.

M: Marriage Date: 19 Aug. 2006

N: Number of siblings: 1 sister, 2 brothers

O: Oranges or Apples: Mandarin oranges.

P: Phobias or fears: earwigs, eyes (like when you look through a little hole and there's another eye staring at you...creepy)

Q: Quote(s): "There's only one sin, and that's failing to believe you have a choice." Jean-Paul Sartre

R: Reason To Smile: There aren't too many good reasons to not smile.

S: Season: The season of laughter (Eccl. 3:4)

T: Tag: anyone

U: Unknown Fact about Me: I pick up every penny I see; I became 2 cents richer last week.

V: Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I eat meat, just not very often.

W: Worst Habit: Procrastination... maybe that's why I haven't had the baby yet.

X: X-rays or Ultrasounds: Neither.

Y: Your favorite Food: I really like the texture of over-cooked pasta. Mmm. Mushy.

Z: Zodiac: Sagittarius

Dem Dry Bones

I've kind of gone no-Internet lately because I've been very busy. I got lots done this week: grocery shopping, sent out packages to my and McKay's grandparents (still need to get the ones to our parents out, though). I went to the dinosaur museum, when to Enrichment walking group twice, went to AP playgroup twice, went to a baby wearing party, went to the temple, somewhat tidied our house, returned baby stuff to stores, lots of window shopping, bought a Boppy, etc.

Meanwhile, I'm still pregnant. That's been an interesting arena, too.

Thursday morning: really bad headache. I figure it's just a dehydration headache so I up my fluid intake and drink some extra Powerade. It doesn't work. After walking group, I start to wonder if it's a lack-of-sleep headache since I've been going to bed late, so I lie down to sleep for a little bit. The baby decides that those 2 hours of nap time are really kick and move around time. They are nice, tough kicks. I toss and turn and do not sleep.

Thursday afternoon: I go to playgroup. I feel more kicks, but they aren't on the right side. This baby's been anterior for MONTHs and suddenly, the kicks aren't indicative of that. McKay and I go to the temple and the whole time, the kicking is on the left instead of right.

Friday morning: I get out the stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat. I can't find it on the left side, where its been ever since we've been listening to it. I do, however, find it on the right and my suspicions are confirmed: my left occiput anterior baby had decided to do a 180 and become a right occiput posterior baby- two days before my guessdate. Wonderful.

Friday afternoon: I watch my posture the whole day trying to re-turn the baby.

Friday night: I pull out the big stops and get on the birth ball and try to turn the baby. I get out my new boppy and sleep with my belly in the donut hole part to turn the baby that night. I think my belly changed shape a little- it seemed lower than usual, but it was always fairly low.

Saturday morning (guessdate morning): kicks are back on the right side! I think I feel the butt on the left! I get out the stethoscope, and behold! The baby is anterior again! Woohoo! I do a little dance, but spend the day careful of my posture. I kind of have the feeling all day, "If I want to go into labor today, I could." But I didn't care that much to force myself into labor, so I didn't.

Saturday afternoon: Jillynn and I go find some organic eggs. I accidentally crack one so we boil some and have some very good hard boiled eggs. Yummy. Did you know that chicken eggs can be green?

Saturday evening: I spent the day with Jillynn and hang out at her house that evening. Lots of kicking. I showed her how much the baby likes to kick- and she was surprised. I guess her daughter was a mellow baby comparatively. I just figured all babies kicked this much, oh well. Baby stops kicking and takes a nap. Over the course of the evening, my pelvis has this strange pressure on it. At one point, I get up to get ice cream, and I start to waddle. I've never waddled! I check out my belly, and sure enough, the baby has been dropping.

Baby's head is now engaged in my pelvis.

Saturday night: Every time I get up to drink or pee, I hear lots of cracking in my hips. I start thinking, "The knee bone's connected to the leg bone; the leg bone's connected to the hip bone, the hip bone's not connected to anything." My ligaments and cartilage down there are nice and supple and getting ready to let a baby through.

I'll probably have this baby this week. Maybe. It is possible to go days/weeks with a dropped baby, so I can't really say.

It's still moving, though.

That's my update. Baby is still inside, but is closer to the outside than it was a week ago.

The Alarm Didn't Go Off

Do you see that alarm clock? It's the clock my parents had when they were first married. It still works great (except for the cassette player), but the important part is that the bar is set to "off".

Today is my first day as a SAHM, except for the part that I don't have a child outside my body yet. That's ok with me, though. I get to do everything I need to without any distractions.

Maybe I'll even nest.

I've actually gotten some things done this morning, but I'm being somewhat lazy about it all. I do have all day to do everything. Tomorrow I have a play group and a walking group and SnB in the evening, but today: NOTHING. I wrote up some thank you cards. I'm going shopping this afternoon (for groceries- nothing exciting).

I might even get completely caught up on the dishes or cleaning the bathroom (I did part of it already- I just need to clean the tub now).

Well, I guess I'll go get things done now- I just wanted to share that.