Why Now?

I've managed to stay physically healthy pretty much this entire pregnancy. But, of course, now that the kids are back in school the germs are spreading. In the last month I've had 2 colds. The first one was pretty mild and not really bothersome. But 2 days ago I was hit! Hit like a Mack truck by this nasty bug. Normally, I can still function pretty well, but being 37 weeks pregnant and pretty tired already has not helped. My sleep is already interrupted by frequent bathroom trips, so a stuffy nose and cough just add to the fun.  My poor husband has been dealing with the same illness too, plus dealing with me! I always seem to have a snoring issue towards the end of pregnancy and the stuffy nose has not helped. Sorry, Honey : (
Hopefully this nastiness doesn't linger, because I sure don't want to deal with it while in labor.

Last night, after dealing with my crabiness and irritability, my oldest son, John, said the sweetest thing to me. He knew I wasn't feeling well and said, "Mommy, tomorrow I'm going to do everything for you, all the cleaning and even the dishes! But it'll have to be after I get home from school." What a sweetheart!

On a positive note, I had my weekly OB appointment on Wednesday. Always the highlight of my week : )
He checked me and I'm 2-3 centimeters dilated now instead of 1-2 from last week. Yea!
Although, as much as I want to go into labor on my own, I hope it doesn't happen until after next Friday. Why, you ask? Well, silly me, not thinking about just how pregnant I would be, signed up to take a test to become certified in inpatient obstetrics.  This is a test that RN's can take after having worked in their field for a couple of years. So, if I pass, when I sign my name at work I will put RNC after it instead of just RN. So, what happens if I can't be there next Friday to take this test? I have to pay $125 to have it switched to another date! Ouch! Yeah, poor planning on my part...

36 Weeks...In the Home Stretch!

I had my 36 week appointment today. Dr. Bishop checked me to see if I was dilated and, lo and behold, those contractions I've been having have done a little something. I was 1-2 cm dilated (how open the cervix is) and 60% effaced (how long the cervix is.) Not anything to be crazy impressed with, but I was glad I wasn't closed and thick. It's a good start for 36 weeks, at least.

I'm getting to the point of being ready to deliver...especially every time I wake up to pee in the middle of the night! Which is usually about every 2 hours exactly.

However, my journey with Sarah and Brian won't be ending after the little mister is born. I had been tossing around the idea of pumping breastmilk just for my own benefit (weight loss) and possibly donating it to a milk bank (Yes, they are out there, in case you didn't know!), but wanted to offer it to Sarah and Brian first, of course. I wasn't sure how they would feel about it because we had never discussed it before. I told Sarah if she was totally grossed out by the thought of using someone else's milk I wouldn't be offended, but wanted them to have first dibs on it. Well, she was thrilled by my offer! So, I will be making my best effort to establish a good milk supply for him. I'm kind of anxious about it though, because exclusive pumping is a daunting task.  But I'm doing some research and making sure I've got the adequate equipment to (hopefully) set us up for success.  If anyone reading this has done exclusive pumping from the get-go please, PLEASE give me your advice and voice of experience. : )

As a side note, when Sarah told me she wanted my milk, I totally got teary-eyed! Blame it on the hormones or whatever, but I was touched. : )

35 Weeks =)