On our way to the hospital!

David put together a baby rocker chair, and I put some essential items in my hospital bag at the last minute before we left for UT-Medical Center tonight.  (photo credits: Nancy Haase)

Here's a last picture of me and the biggest that the belly will get before we invite the baby to come out with my induction starting tonight at Midnight! 

 We're getting ready to leave, but obviously not leaving the apartment at the second that David's mom took this photo because we don't have shoes on.  

 We did a mock photo at 10:00 PM of our departure because we still had a few things to do before the "real send-off" to the hospital.  David took a quick nap at 10:30, and I wrote a few emails and whipped out this last blog post.  But in 35 minutes, we're hopping in the car, and we are hoping to return home with a healthy baby girl!

Last dinner!

David's parents, Nancy and Fred, came down tonight to get ready for the baby's arrival as I get induced Sunday night at Midnight.  My mom joins us tomorrow as she snuck away from a family reunion in Colorado earlier this afternoon.  The Haases and I went to the Chcesecake Factory to celebrate early and for me to enjoy my last hearty meal before I start snacking and drinking juice tomorrow.  I had a burger, and I ate it all... It was delicious and I even followed it up by sharing some key lime cheesecake with my husband.  While the pregnancy has been an amazing journey, I'm eager to start running again with our new jogging stroller and the little girl inside!

Belly Progression, Photos Week by Week

The original countdown to birth was 10 days, but it's now officially 2 days because of my doctor's wishes for an early induction with a high-risk pregnancy.  I will be induced on Sunday night  at Midnight when I turn 39 weeks, unless labor starts before then. My belly feels like it's being stretched to the max, but I'm not having terribly painful contractions, so I'm going to take advantage of this weekend to finish up things and relax before Sunday night.  We are excited!!!  At the same time, I'm getting mentally prepared to survive on little sleep and lots of crying and diapers!

Below are the weekly pictures of the growing belly and baby since the 10-week mark in mid-January 2014.  I was a little unsure of how my pregnancy was going at the beginning, so I only took an initial picture at 10 weeks, skipped a few weeks, and then became consistent again with the "selfies."  The word "selfie" has got to be a word from 2014 showing a change of the times with our technology and cell phones when we look back on this year in January 2015!

10 WEEKS: 

13 WEEKS: 

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30/31 WEEKS (since my due date was moved earlier): 

32 WEEKS: 

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38 WEEKS: 

Coming SOON...5 days or less!

First of all, our 38-week doctor's appointment was at 7:30 this morning, so when we got the news that we would see our baby in 5 days, I wanted to post an update right away, but Comcast was not working.  It has been SOOOOO frustrating to have Comcast as our internet provider at our apartment for the last 4 years, and we can't even change providers because we live in an apartment complex.  I'm so angry when we pay such large bills every month for TV and internet, and they don't even  provide good service... in and out just about every week!  And it's true what they say about the price going up a few bucks every few months for no reason!  I know, because I keep track of our bills from each month and save them all, so I have kept track of the ridiculous price hikes.  And then Comcast charges us a late fee twice in the last 4 months for not paying a bill that I never received in the post mail because they switched  my preferences to "eco-bills" TWICE without my consent and I never see them unless I check the Comcast email address that I never use!  I do not need this stress right now with everything els that I'm trying to do with the apartment, school, cross country and health in general before this weekend!  Ughhhhhh.... RANT OVER.

Anyway, I'm a cranky and exhausted pregnant lady who can finally post on her blog at 10:00 PM when the internet started working again, so the GOOD news is that if I don't go into labor myself soon, the doctors will induce me at midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning!  We can't believe it's finally happening and a miniature version of both of us will be here this weekend! 

We will be "unpregnant" in 5 days!  Even at 9 1/2 months pregnant, I still don't completely believe that there is a little human growing inside of me.  There's really not much room in my belly anymore, but she still moves a lot!

The ultrasound technician took a picture of the "rolls" on the baby's body that she saw on the machine.  She said these were rolls of skin.  That was the first time we had seen something like this!  Again, like our previous technicians had said, the lady noted how much the baby was moving and how much hair she had.  She was breathing well and often, and she looked healthy overall.

 The technician gave us an estimated weight for the baby of 6 pounds, 3 ounces for this week.  However, I've heard that the estimates can be off by a whole pound, and that the baby loses weight when she is born anyway.

I definitely don't fit well into my own shirts that I wear to the doctor's appointments, but I don't want to look like a thug wearing David's large-sized shorts and t-shirts.  

I'm feeling pretty exhausted this last week as I finish organizing basically my whole life before the induction on Sunday evening, so David is trying to keep me de-stressed and we appreciate the support from family and friends in texts, emails and phone calls as we get ready for the baby girl on Sunday (or earlier)!!!

38 weeks, still pregnant

The baby girl is measuring 38 weeks and technically only 14 more days until the "deadline" of August 4th!

Although, our newest doctor said that "there is no way" that she'll let me stay pregnant until August 4th, and if some action doesn't happen this week, like all my doctors so far had expected, then she'll likely induce me at the beginning of the 39th week, on July 28th.

That is what we learned at our last doctor's appointment.  But, we go to our 38-week appointment tomorrow, bright and early at 7:30 AM, so hopefully we don't wait around too long.  I was spoiled at my original OBGYN's small, intimate office where I got in and out quickly.  

Now where we go, the UT-Medical Center, we have waited at least 30 minutes after our set appointment times until I actually got called in to have the nurse take my weight and urine sample and ask me questions. But then they send me back into the lobby waiting room with David to wait again until they call us back into the ultrasound machine room and then finally talk to the doctor.  None of the "Fit Pregnancy" or "Parenting" magazines on the lobby tables interested David much, so he took a nap until it was time for him to join me in seeing the doctor.

Tomorrow, the doctor will tell us the newest game plan for delivering the baby in the next week.  She'll check how much I have dilated, estimate the baby's current weight based on the ultrasound machine waves, see if the baby's head is still downward and plan a possible induction date if the baby doesn't come herself this week.  

Since I'm considered a "high risk pregnancy," all my doctors have really anticipated either an early baby arrival or advocated to deliver her not much later than 39 weeks because of the complications that I've had.  

We're pretty much set with baby preparations and it sounds like plans at my school for my maternity leave are finally set, which is a relief.  Since I'm still coaching cross country this fall, even though I'm not teaching, which some people have called me crazy for doing, I am busy now organizing cross country plans for two teams and doing loads of laundry and cleaning out junk from our apartment that I won't have time to do in a week, so I have plenty on my plate before any baby excitement happens this week.

David's boss from the Tennessee National Golf Club was very nice and donated his children's dresser that came with a mini closet with glass doors in which we could hang the baby girl clothes.  Our friend, Amy P., gave us a good start with several baby hangers but we received so many adorable dresses, sweaters, and even two baby bath robes, that I probably need to make another run to Buy Buy Baby to grab more hangers for ALL of the "little doll clothes" as my mom-in-law likes to call them. :)

I am feeling good about continuing to coach because I still want to be involved with students and colleagues from school this fall while on maternity leave and get a few hours of "outdoor time" every day with people other than a baby...and the little extra money, not a lot by any means, does help to pay our bills!

After David came home from a long day of work last night, he and I rested on the bed in the guest room/baby room together and just looked around and reflected for a few minutes... We couldn't believe how much we had transformed this little old guest room in our apartment, or that we would be very soon changing diapers and rocking a crying baby back to sleep in that room.  We're excited to see what we learn at tomorrow's doctor's appointment.

Lastly, David and I are bummed that we will not make it to my family's annual "Miller Open" family reunion golf tournament this upcoming weekend in Colorado.  David came to his first Miller Open in 2008... I can't believe it's already been 6 years.  That's when he first got a taste of my mom's side of the family, which he loves, and they got a taste of him.   While my cousin, Carson, was the big golf champion in 2008, David did earn an impressive double eagle on a hole the first day, which I did not realize was so rare and such a big deal when I first heard about it... I think I told him a simple, "Hey, that's good!"  It was also at this 2008 reunion when my cousin, Allison, got engaged to Nick, and when David met one of the matriarchs of the family, my great Aunt Susie, who was known as "Sparkler" for her great energy and was the beautiful co-queen with my grandma of the family. 

Below are some throw-back pictures from our 2008 Miller Open family reunion golf tournament: