Dr. Appt. update

Well, I really don't have much new news. I am still 1 1/2 cm dilated but am now about 80% effaced, so when the baby does finally decide to make an entrance it should all go fairly quickly. I only gained 1 pound over the past week, so that brings me to a total of 32 lbs, I believe. Dr. Lines doesn't see anything happening before Easter, but as with every pregnancy, things can change quickly! I will keep you all posted!

Quick Pregnancy Update

No, the baby has not arrived yet! But I will be surprised if I make it through the week. I know my due date it April 13th but I REALLY doubt that I will make it to that long! The baby just keeps dropping lower and has now reduced me to "waddling". I try not to, but my hips and legs just don't move the way I would like anymore! I'm trying to take it easy to see if I can at least last until the first week in April, but I really need the hours this week at work, so I will be attempting to get in 40 hours.
This past weekend we did finally get the library set up nicely. We moved the queen size bed that was in the babies room downstairs into the library, so it is now a real nice guest room, so when people come to visit (hint, hint) they will almost have their own little Suite to stay in since there are pocket doors leading into the piano room that can be opened to enlarge the room. We still need to find a door that goes on the opening into the library from the kitchen hallway. Hopefully it is one of the 5 doors in the garage. Louis was also able to rearrange our room to allow for the babies bassinet. The arrangement turned out very nicely. I even ( finally) planted the iris' that mom had given me last fall. They survived living in a bucket, in the house all winter! Caisha and I also finished up scraping paint off and cleaning all the hinges and doorknobs for the built-in cabinets in the baby room. All that's left is to hang the doors back up. I still have a long list of things I would like done before the baby arrives, but fear that there is just not going to be enough time! Most of it is cleaning type stuff.... sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, etc. The kids have been a big help with a lot of that.
Wish me luck and pray that I make it through the week!!
As a side note....I won't be posting as often for awhile, since we do not have a computer at home. I will be going to the library occasionally to check email, etc.

Baby will be here soon!

I had a Dr.'s appointment today. So far I have gained a total of 31 pounds, which my Dr. is very pleased with. At this time I am about 1 1/2 cm dialated and about 70% effaced. Dr. Lines says nothing will happen within the next week, but it is very possible after that. We will have a better idea after my appointment on the 28th. I am hoping the baby will be born the first week in April (not April Fool's Day!) Dr. Lines says that once I do go into labor she fully expects me to go fairly quickly as everything is very soft and it shouldn't take much to dialate all the way. I liked to hear that! Today I am feeling pretty good. I slept pretty well last night after Louis snuggled with me for awhile. Monday night I didn't sleep much at all. My whole body ached! Both Monday and Tuesday were hard days for me. I am pretty sure it was because the baby was dropping further into position. I think it was hitting some nerves into my legs and putting a lot of pressure on my pelvis area. I woke up this morning and was actually able to lay on my back for a little while! It felt great to be able to stretch that way!! I am getting very excited for the arrival, but I am content to wait until the first week of April. Hopefully it won't be too much later than that if it doesn't happen then.

Updates

Well, we survived the 2 weekends in a row of ice and snow! The first weekend we got about 3/4" of ice and then it snowed about 10" on top of that! Louis had to prop up some of the branches on the pine trees to keep them from potentially snapping our power line into the house! The 2nd storm actually happened on a Thurs. & Fri. We got more ice and then another 8"-10" of snow again! We hadn't even dug ourselves out from the weekend before. Needless to say, I did not venture to work those two days. The first attempt at getting out was on that Sunday and then I still wasn't able to get out! Both Louis and I managed to get the Vue stuck in the driveway! Louis did go to work since the dispatch center really needed him there to answer 911 calls, but he had the police driving him back and forth between Ames and Boone. The kids (& the dog) had a great time with all the huge snow piles in the school parking lot! We were lucky in that we never lost power, but I know a lot of houses were not so lucky. We also only had 2 branches on our lilac bush break off, while lots of people around town were losing entire trees! It was a mess for quite awhile. The last couple days we have had 60-70 degree weather, so all but the biggest piles of snow are gone. Now we just have mud everywhere!! I am hoping since we are already half way through March, that we are done with the snow storms for this season! The pictures above are of the lilac bush and it is usually standing pretty upright! There was a lot of weight on those branches.

In other news, my pregnancy is progressing quickly! The baby dropped this past weekend, so I have been pretty uncomfortable the last couple days. It's the worst at work, since I don't have anywhere to lay down to relieve some of the weight on my hips and back. I've been experiencing Braxton hicks for about a month now which adds to my discomfort. I've been trying to tackle unpacking all the boxes we still have in the library and piano room but it is pretty slow going since my movements are pretty awkward. I did get all our books organized and put on shelves along with sorting through all our video tapes and DVD's and getting those organized. My stash of "garage sale" items is getting quite large. The kids are very excited about having a garage sale this spring and hopefully we will get it done this year! Both kids, especially Caisha, are always looking for ways to earn a little money, so they have been pretty good about going through their toys and weeding out the ones they really don't want anymore. Louis and I are planning that I will take 3 months off work (as long as money holds out), and in June, Louis will take a month off and spend it up at his parents (Jack & Lynne) along with me and the kids. I will probably be making a few trips back to Boone just to check on the cats (neighbors will be caring for them). Bronx (the dog) will be with us up at the farm. I don't think he is going to want to come back after an entire month there! Sometime in April, after the baby is born, I hope to get my garden started and planted. So far I have sweet corn, beans and carrots planned along with some flowers to plant around the dog run. Some day I hope to put in a sand box for the kids where the (very sad) pine trees are. Hopefully we can get someone to come out and cut the trees down for us. Louis has gotten a good start on clearing the branches off, so it will just be a matter of cutting them down without taking down the power lines that run through them! If anyone has the inclination to do a little manual labor (I don't have a tiller) I could sure use the help breaking up the ground in my backyard for the garden! Over the years I plan to expand the garden and flower beds to take up most of the backyard, that way we don't have to mow very much lawn! The biggest chore to tackle will be digging up the bushes in front of the house and transfering them to the back yard. I am hoping Louis will get the carriage house completely tore down this spring, too. Any help on that would be greatly appreciated, also! I would love to have visitors after the baby is born. If you are going to be in the area or just need a short vacation you are here-by invited to stay at the "Johnson Manor"!