Day 5: Friday, September 2

Today I feel really tired and have a very full belly. I lost count how many times I’ve made my way to the bathroom. Feel like my allergies are acting up on me and my right foot is swelling up even though I am keeping it elevated.

• Morning- Slept in until 9:00 and had my Honey Nut Cheerios. My mom stopped by and helped me out with some crochet techniques and visited with me and the kitties.
• Afternoon – Worked on our web page (thecullos.com) for most of the afternoon and organized files on the computer. I took a long walk and ate a light lunch as I wasn’t that hungry (surprise)
• Late Afternoon – Thought about making some chocolate chip cookies but it just didn’t happen. I watched TV and worked more on the web page and did some job research for Louie and talked to Claudia on the phone.
• Evening – Louis and I picked up our rocking/gliding chair from Goores and went to dinner at Sam’s Houf Brau on Watt Ave. We put the chair together and then watched the Hurricane Relief concert with Harry Connick, JR (love him) and then watched some recorded programs on our TIVO. Roxy caught a cricket and let Sassy play with it.

Here are the pictures of the Glider. We purchased it from Goores and it is by Dutailier.
It is a multi position recliner glider rocker and it ROCKS ! The pattern is a light green, almost beige with buzzing bee’s stitched into the fabric.

Day 6: Thursday, September 1st

Today I feel like my belly is so full. I think that the baby might be dropping now as I feel a lot of pressure in my lower belly area and on my bladder. I don’t look any different but I feel a bit more tired. I took a 10 minute walk today and I felt like I had a rock sitting on my bladder the entire time.

• Morning – Got up early, 6:30 and ate Honey Nut Cheerios and graham crackers with peanut butter. =) Updated Birth Announcement list with corrected address from Grandma Cullo.
• Afternoon – Did grocery shopping at Bel Air for mainly dinner items (spent 80 bucks, yikes), picked up Lou’s dry cleaning for his interview tomorrow and picked up lunch. I ate McDonalds, I was totally craving french fries. I don’t eat fast food very often so I think it is ok to indulge. Took a quick 10 minute walk and organized pictures on the computer.
• Late Afternoon – More computer research, this time on baby keepsakes and part time job opportunities for myself. Worked on my new craft of crocheting.
• Evening – Kathy came over and helped me out with our web page and I made baked spaghetti for dinner. The rest of the evening spent on the computer organizing files and working on the web page.

Here are a few pictures as I begin week 39.

My feet look so far away.

Not sure if my belly is dropping yet.

We are 1 week from the due date and I am going to document what I do each day until the event.

Day 7: Wednesday, August 31st

• Morning – Watched hurricane coverage on TV & took a walk and read more in my book “The Happiest Baby on the Block” and got the mail.
• Afternoon – Ate Lunch & cleaned up kitchen and dining area from Lou’s Grad party on Sunday, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the dining table and the kitchen counter and made chocolate chip cookies. Watered the plants in the backyard.
• Late Afternoon – Did research on the computer for some new recipes for dinner. Made a grocery list and watch 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray on Food TV. Looked into jobs for Louis and working from home opportunities for myself but I didn’t find anything too exciting.
• Evening – Made dinner Lemon chicken with Garlic and Butter pasta. Did some more research online for portrait studios such as JCPenny & Sears. Worked on creating a website on Comcast.net but it sucked so Kathy is coming over to help me. Watched TV with Louie.

We had our 38 week Dr. appointment today and the Dr. checked the status of my cervix. My cervix has not yet begun to dilate and is closed up tight but is getting soft. Looks like we will not be having a baby this week. Our due date is the 7th but she can wait until September 21st before she is considered overdue. I don’t think that my Dr. will let Lily cook that long and would induce me should I go past the due date.

I am feeling pretty puffy today and I feel like I am coming down with a cold so I am taking it easy today.

From BabyCenter.com Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see how it ‘s “ripening.” Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don’t go into labor on your own, you’ll be induced sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

I guess I am just anxious as the day gets closer to Lily’s entrance into our world but I can’t sleep. I go to bed and just lay there. I try to sleep but the only thing that happens are thoughts racing through my head about everything not just Lily. But when I do think about her I get tears in my eyes when I think of what a beautiful moment it is going to be when I get to hold her in my arms and look into her eyes.

Most of the time as I start to finally drift off to sleep she starts to move and right now her movements are pretty uncomfortable for me as there is no room for her to move. I almost think that she just might break through and pop out of my tummy like in the movie “Alien”.

I look over at Lou and he is fast asleep sawing logs and part of me wants to wake him up so that he can share in my insomnia, but yet I let him sleep and I am jealous of how easy it is for him to sleep. I toss and turn (this takes time and effort) and then I am either hungry or have to use the restroom so up I get to make a trip somewhere. I repeat this routine at least 3 times a night.

Finally morning comes and I get up right around the time Louis is leaving for work. Time to eat again and watch the morning news and plan my day. I suppose this is just a cruel joke that my body is playing on me as I only sleep a few hours at night. Guess my body is just preparing me for what the real thing is going to be like.

I can’t wait for Lily to get here and break up this routine I’ve got going on.

Lily’s newest addition to her closet is a Raider’s Cheerleading outfit. She wont be able to wear it until next season, but I bought it now because the price was great and I was afraid that I would forget to buy it next year.
(Click on photos to enlarge)

Here are some photos I took of me and Lily hanging out in her room.

Wow, my belly is sticking out a lot in this photo.

We are waiting for a sign that labor is about to begin. One of the first signs could be “dropping” of the baby. This may sound dangerous, but it is something that happens to the majority of women a few weeks or days before labor begins.

Unfortunately, this has not yet occurred with Lily. She is sitting so far up in my uterus that I think she is going to crawl out of my throat ! She turns and twists so much I tend to loose my breath because she sits right on my lungs but there is also a lot of pressure on my pelvic floor so she might be making her way down. I can’t wait until she “drops” because then I can breath again.

We are 37 Weeks today and that means that Lily is full term and can survive outside the womb on her own. Now it is really becoming a reality that she could come any day now.

From BabyCenter – How your baby’s growing:
Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.

We had our 36 week check up yesterday and everything is going well. My tummy measured at 36 weeks, my blood pressure was much lower than last weeks at 120/68 and I haven’t gained any weight since three weeks ago. The only thing that the doctor told me was that I tested positive for Group B Strep This means that I will have to be placed on antibiotics when I am in labor (at least 4 hours before giving birth) so that I don’t pass it onto Lily. I understand that this is not a harmful disease to adults but can complicate things in infants.

I am getting tired of cooking Lily but I know that the longer she cooks in my tummy the better off her start in life will be. Sometimes I feel like I am going to be stuck with her in my tummy forever, like I have a tamagotchi to nurture.

Still cleaning and organizing things around the house, it is amazing all the room you can create when you just organize things better and of course throw crap away. I just bought the expansion pak for Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 so I hope to become addicted to that and thus keep my booty planted on the couch for more hours in the day. I don’t want to overdo the cleaning and organizing so the game should help keep me on the couch.

=)
Dawn