Six Days
October 09, 2008
The contractions started about an hour before my scheduled OB appointment time, conveniently enough. By the time I started paying attention (shut up, my mascara rolled behind the toilet so I was mighty preoccupied with the retrieval process for awhile), they were about 10 minutes apart. I announced this fact to the receptionist and was a little surprised by the SERIOUS TIZZY it threw everyone into -- like, for real? You take this sort of thing seriously? I barely notice anymore.
I was hooked up the monitors for a non-stress test, and of course the contractions stopped dead the instant I hopped up on that table. The baby has a lovely, wonderfully perfect heart rate and I now have his pointy and incessant jabbiness charted out on paper.
What we don't have is any cervix dilation or signs of actual labor. Surprise!
(We also don't have a confirmation call from the hospital yet about my c-section or arrangements for me to come in and get pre-op blood work done. Which raised everyone's eyebrows because yeah, I should have gotten that call by now. I am now waiting for ANOTHER call from Office Manager Person today, who will be double- and triple-checking that I AM INDEED SCHEDULED, and I will have ya'll know that I kept smiling the whole time and refrained from throwing the contents of the bio-hazardous waste containers at ANYONE, lest I get accused of OVERREACTING OR ANYTHING.)
(I actually saved my anger and dirty looks for the poor cashier at Starbucks who informed me that they were out of the sausage, egg and cheese Yuppie McMuffin that I really, REALLY wanted, because come on, I was just told that I wasn't in labor after all and NOW THIS? SERIOUSLY? I don't want a savory fancy folded piadiavanno or whatever the fuck made up word Starbucks is calling their new breakfast sandwiches, I WANT THE MCMUFFINY ONE. I mean, how much can the universe expect one person to take?)
I gained two pounds this week -- my most ever! -- putting me at 21-ish pounds total. (Way to GO, five months of vomiting. You so rock!) When I was lying down my doctor guessed the baby is around eight-ish pounds, but then when I sat up and my belly tumbled forward and outward into its full glory, she said, "Oh. Wow. Hmm. That's a little bigger."
I are eight-ish punds. I are so not that fat. I totally judging rite now.
I just did this 8 months ago, so I understand. Now, I *almost* miss it.
Hang in there!
Thanks for the updates! How can you be calm enough to type right now? If I were you, I'd be all "FBEP$(N' BABY FOIESP." Shoot.
I can't wait to "meet" him!
The waiting game, so un fun. Good luck and godspeed!
Um, Ceiba is DEFINITELY giving Baby v2.0 the stinkeye.
This part sucks, I know - but your belly is so darn cute. I just want to pat it.
You're almost there!!
That look on Ceiba's face? PRICELESS.
Okay so I know despite the miserable vomiting and the freakishly narrow pelvis and whatnot, I have to say, you're the most adorable pregnant
bellylady I've EVER seen.Ceibas look is adorable!
Hang in there, less than a week before you get to eat some toes! :)
Yes, yes, Amalah, but what is the baby's name!? I cannot keep calling him Baby Tivo!!
Ahh, the uterus, how it likes mess with our minds.
I heart Ceiba.
I would like to heart Baby Tivo if he would hurry and get here already. Tivo, are you listening? You are about to be evicted, my little friend!
hahaha, oh my! how did you get the dog in there? would ya look at his/her face?
even the dog is saying "don't get in front of that, it's gonna blow any minute now!"
Can Ceiba guest post more often?
LOVE the look on the dog's face.. too totally funny!!!
And can I just say that was really mean to mention those yuppy mcmuffiny things.. We don't have them yet at our starbucks.. but when I visit my parents in Calfornia it's one of the first things I HAVE TOO have.. man they are amazing!! Do you think they put like pot.. or crack or something in them to make them so addictive.. because really they arent anything that special, but they are all I can think about every time I drive past a Starbucks (which isnt very often in Utah!!)
Oh man that sounds soo good...
The dog is totally like: "is that ready to come out of the oven yet, so I can get a nibble?"
woo hoo , baby soon!
Ceiba looks a little suspicious. I love the expression. Even my 3 year old came to look and laughed.
Not long til that baby comes now!
Starbucks and their made up words and mcmuffin-shortages. Also still excited to meet 2.0
Ceiba is precious. This photo reminds me of the way Sweetie kept looking at Miss Zoot's stomach when she was pregnant.
Pregnancy should come with two extra legs out of the belly for support.
Ceiba: "Is it for me? Is it food? Is it? Is it?"
If your doctor's office (or Starbuck's for that matter) screws anything else up, let me know and I'll drive up there and kick someone's ass.
Ceiba's face is HILARIOUS! She's like "no, really, what the hell?"
22 pounds total with my second. I walked out of the hospital at prepregnancy weight, but everything had shifted. Nine years later, it still hasn't gone back!
(You keep torturing me with pictures of the pillows I wish I'd bought! I got the ones without the green and gold in them, because if I'd bought those Maras, I wouldn't have rested until I had the matching drapes)
I am loving these countdown updates!
And also Starbucks has breakfest sandwhiches!!!! When the in the hell are they coming to Canada??? We just got the porridge thing up here, and I was all like wow so fancy Starbucks. Give me some sandwhiches!
Wow, 6 days! I know you are SO READY. The belly is awesome.
Hi Ceiba!!
How was the book reading? I never saw a post on it. we were in dallas for the cowboys/redskins game. I was sorry to miss it.
the baby doth tease! hurry up little one! we're all dying to meet you!
Is that a rat or a dog?
look at that cute belly! you're in the homestretch. good luck with the delivery :)
Last night I was reminiscing about those last few days of pregnancy (I have a seven-month-old boy) and how crazy it was that not even 7 pounds of baby made me have to pee literally ever 5 to 8 minutes, and kept me from being able to do things like, oh, ROLL OVER IN BED. Congrats--soon you'll be peeing at normal intervals.
Ceiba says "did that just move?"
Your belly pictures are unreal! Tiny skinny person with watermelon under shirt.
Love the Ceiba shot. Poor dog has no idea WTF is about to happen!
that picture is priceless.
Good luck!
I'm behind you at 32 weeks, and if Starbucks didn't have the breakfast I wanted, I'd probably break down and start weeping right then and there. Another one for the WTF column:
My doctors just told me that my due date is actually 6 days earlier than they had been telling me. WTF??
That's one cute pup!
Seriously - what is the DEAL with ALWAYS being out of the sausage ones? I live on those, as my somewhat-healthy lunch (hey, it beats banana bread!) and they NEVER seem to have enough of them... Don't they monitor those things?!
It just amazes me that a teeny little thing like you just insists on having these gigantic baby boys. You're going to end up skinnier than pre-baby, since about half that belly must be child and the rest all that other goop and placenta and mucus plug, and all that.
By the way, how is the mucus plug?
I'm only doing this to keep you at the top of the google searches.
That picture is priceless! You're ALMOST THERE!!! Hang in there!!!!
Now that you have bangs you look even MORE like Noah. I didn't think it was possible.
Canada does have the Starbucks McMuffiny things, but I have yet to try one. What, they're about 8 bucks, right?
And Amy, oh mah gawd with 6 days. That's next week, even!
Several months ago, I decided it would be a good idea to take a pregnancy test after I went to Starbucks every day for over a week (sometimes twice a day!) for a sausage, egg, and cheese yuppie mcmuffin. I would plow people over to get one. (p.s. pregnancy test was POSITIVE!) So, me and yuppie mcmuffins have a special relationship and I can TOTALLY relate to your anger today.
your tummy looks so uncomfortable. it looks like it's burning it's so tight. poor you. good luck with Noah, I'm sure he'll love his baby brother.
Ceiba is like "excuse me, what is this great mound of flesh doing occupying my lap with petting attachments. I totally called dibs."
I look at Ceiba and think, "Yo quiero Taco Bell." :)
Aw, Ceiba, even Baby Tivo is dwarfing you now!
I love Ceiba pics. I love Max pics. What does the CAT think of all this?
Have a happy weekend, Storches.
Part of the Starbucks employee orientation includes a segment on Negotiating with Hungry Pregnant Women (subhead "They Can't Have Caffeine"...)
Great looking belly. I think docs have NO IDEA how to measure a baby's weight in utero. Not one of my friends has had a close guess by their doc; in fact, one of my girlfriends was in a state of panic when her doc told her the baby would be at least 8-9 lbs. She delivered a 6 pounder. Um. Thanks.
As for the c-section confirmation? Women have emergency/unplanned c-sections all the time so I assume they will know how to juggle it.
All this pregnancy talk is actually making me long to be pregnant again. I've stopped remembering how it all feels ("feels" in bold and italics!) and just remember the good parts, whereas 3 months ago when my son was only 6 months old, I still remember EVERYTHING. I told my boyfriend that the only time I would start considering another child if when I forgot about the pain of the first! *lol*
I know what it is though: I've been coming across a lot of birth stories lately and my son (now almost 10 months) is easing out of the true baby stage. I miss the cuddling and warm baby burritos, until I remember the newborn gas and never getting more than 2 hours of sleep!
Not to mention me not being able to walk more than 5 minutes without feeling like my crotch was going to detatch and drop out right there on the sidewalk!
And for some weird reason, I'm not horrified by the idea!
Our bodies truly love to screw with us when we're pregnant, don't they?
Very cute doggie shot.
Doctors know next to nothing about babies' birth weight. With my first, the stupid OB looked at my huge belly (about 3x the size of yours), my 6'2" husband, and my 5'8" self, and said, "No, you're not going to have a big baby. Neither of you are big people."
Enter 10 pound baby and emergency C section. Feh.
At least the OB we got for our second and third baby was reasonable. He would look at me, my medical record that listed HUGE FRAKKING BABY OMG PLS HLP for the previous birth and said, "Yeah, let's just assume this one's gonna be pretty big too."
Huzzah for Baby Tivo and his cute mamma! He's joining such a cute and loving family.
Delurking to wish you luck and to share something that I am SURE you will not experience at all. My first baby, like Noah, weighed 10#, 1 oz (yes I do count that oz.)so when it came time for baby #2 to arrive I was curious how big dr thought she might be. Ohhhhh, mayyyyybe 9'ish. Cool. Um, a week later and 10 days BEFORE her due date she arrived at a whopping 10# 11 oz.! Both vaginal births.
Again, I am sure that will NOT be your experience at all. Good luck to you!
Following your countdown with excitement and sympathy.
When I had my scheduled C 7 months ago, I wasn't "allowed" to get my bloodwork done until the day before the surgery - because it was scheduled for a Monday, I had to go on Friday. At my hospital (Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington) you could just go in anytime, no appointment. In any case, I didn't know too far in advance about it if that is helpful in any way.
I had a ton of contractions on the day of my c-section, making me wonder if I would have had Colin within that 24 hour period anyway. It made waiting to go into surgery more interesting for me and my husband since you are hooked up to the stuff anyway. (Look! Silver lining!)
Ceiba's face is hilarious in that pic! Maybe she could hear the baby with her super-doggy hearing! "LEMME OUT!!! LEMME OUUUUUTTTTTTT!!!!!"
Dude...I don't think I can be ready in six days.
I haven't emotionally prepared myself to be able to handle itsy baby photos and not run off screaming to husband about the lack of additional itsy babies running around my house.
I'm going to go and scrub something in your honor...because you...you totally deserve to take a nap.