Not the way we like to spend our weekends....

Friday afternoon, finishing up the day at work, looking forward to a wonderful, relaxing weekend with my husband and son. I get a call from Marilyn saying Aiden has a slight fever... 102.4. I pick him up and get him a doctor's appointment for that evening, because Jeff and I had noticed over the past 2 days that he was playing with his ear. Now with a fever, we automatically start thinking Ear Infection!

Nope... doctor looked him over, said everything looks fine, just that his body is trying to fight something. Said to alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 and 6 hours. This seemed to work well for Saturday, keeping his temp around 100.

The next night, after Aiden was in bed, we get him up around 11:30pm for his next dose of Tylenol. His temp was 104.4. We called the doctor on-call and he suggested a sponge bath, and if he wasn't acting like himself, then take him to Children's. Aiden loved his midnight sponge bath and was playing and splashing like normal - smiling, giggling, etc. Nothing out of character. So, we put him back to bed. He wakes up in the morning with a slightly reduced temperature. 103.4. Throughout Sunday we were able to keep his temperature down to around 99-101. This was encouraging! He continued to play and act like normal!

Sunday evening we give him his dinner, his bath, and put him to bed. At 10am we hear him in his crib slightly crying, but not really upset. I go in to check on him. He's burning hot! I take his temp, and it's 103. We decide, that since he still had an hour and a half til his next dose of meds, that we had better take him to Children's. His fever wasn't going to go down in the hour and a half on it's own!

We arrive in the ER, only to find that there is no one there, and they can take us right back! (the woman who took us to our room said about 30 minutes before we arrived they were packed!) The nurse takes his temp (rectally, he loved that.....) and it was 104. They give him some Tylenol. The doctor came in (Dr. Johnson.... I am in love with this woman! She was amazing!) and looked him over and said she wanted to do a flu test (even though he's had his flu shot, some Influenza B can still sneak in) and she wanted to run some bloodwork. So, they shoved a tube up Aiden's nose, a needle in his arm, and another thermometer up his butt.... he was not a happy camper! After all that was done, he slept peacefully while we waited for the results.

The results: No flu (yay!). White blood cell counts: 19.2 (they like them to be 12). The doctor came in and said there's obviously something his body is fighting, so they would give him a couple shots in his legs and we would follow up with our pediatrician for the next 2 days for more shots and that should take care of it. However, before she left the room, she decided to order a chest x-ray.

So, off we went to the imaging center in Children's. It took about 1 minute, and we were back in our room waiting for the results...

The results: Pneumonia. But just the start of it. Praise the Lord for a thorough doctor, and for giving her the thought to do a chest x-ray!

So, the treatment is the same as she had planned before. We will take Aiden for the second round of shots this evening and another round tomorrow. Hopefully this will take care of everything!

Until last night, we had only been to Dayton Children's for scheduled appointments for Aiden's Hypospadias and his flat head. Now, after our experience in the ER, I am convinced that everyone who works there are saints! Each and every person we encountered, from the security guards, to the registration lady, to the nurses, doctors, x-ray techs, everyone.... they were so exceptionally kind, caring, helpful, I could go on and on! We are SO blessed to have such an awesome facility only 25 minutes from our home!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers for him! They are all appreciated!

A case of Croup

I feel as though Jeff and I have officially been inducted into the true life of parenthood! I had an Upper Respiratory Infection and Bronchitis, at the same time, so did Jeff. And at the same time we both had that, Aiden had Croup. Oh... my... goodness!!!! Can life get any more difficult than to have everyone in your house be so ill, all at the same time, all feeling completely helpless (especially the ill 9 month old!)

But, we are survivors! Jeff and I are completely mended and Aiden is well on his way there. He is on Albuterol and Omnicef and getting better each day!

Now I pray that we don't have another test of strength like that for a VERY long time!

A Christmas Story

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house... Aiden was puking! No, that's not how the story is SUPPOSED to go, but that is definitely the way it went this year! Our poor Little Man spent his first Christmas sick :( it all started on Thursday morning. Daddy had the day off an was so excited to spend the day with his Little Man! The day started off with a bang! Literally! Aiden gave daddy quite the surprise in his diaper (and out of his diaper, all over his back, stomach, legs, etc.)! I think you get the picture.... this happened 4 more times over the course of the next 2 days. And then the puking began. After every meal it all came up. We felt so bad for Aiden... but he didn't seem to mind! Once he was done throwing up, the intense look of horror would escape his face and he was back his normal, happy, babbling baby self!

Sadly, this continued through Christmas day and into the evening. The next morning, Sunday, we got him in to the doctor. Aparently it's just an intenstinal virus that will work it's way out in no time at all. Doctor's orders are to keep fluids in and meals small and bland. Aiden was not pleased that his dinner consisted of 1oz. of oatmeal.... and nothing else! We tried to explain doctor's orders to him, but he didn't seem to understand... someday he will. We hope.

So now it has been a day and a half since Aiden has shared the contents of his stomach with us (which we are happy about and appreciative of). We are hoping we are on the upside of this nasty virus and sooner than later life will be back to normal in the Freeman house!

On a much more pleasant note, Christmas was fantastic! We were able to spend Christmas Eve with Jeff's parent's, his sister, and her boyfriend, Adam. We all got very nice gifts, and Santa even came to see us all!!!

Christmas day - we spent the morning opening gifts at home with Aiden. He decided it was naptime halfway through, so Jeff and I took the time to clean things up and pack up to head to my parent's house! We spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon with them. My Aunt Julie, Uncle Stan, and Grandma Mimi came over as well and we all had a great time opening gifts and eating!

A highlight of this Christmas - My mom had sent my dad to Macy's to get a gift card for my Grandma Mimi. When my mom went to wrap it, she looked at the gift card and said, "Happy Birthday??? DAVE!!!! YOU BOUGHT A HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIFT CARD FOR MOM!!!" As we all stood there cracking up laughing, my mom wrote on the card, "Jesus" after the, "Happy Birthday". So when Mimi opened her gift, she said, "ooh! A Macy's card! Thanks!" We explained to her what happened and we laughed about it all over again. Maybe you had to be there for it to be funny, but I am still laughing about it!

The rest of our weekend was filled with the Freeman Family Christmas up in Findlay! Lots of food, laughs, gifts, and fun were had.

Aiden got so many nice things from all of our family! We haven't quite figured out where to put it all yet... our living room still looks like Christmas threw up in it, but we'll get it all put back together sooner than later (trust me... i can't live in this clutter for long!) All the more reason why we need a bigger house... Aiden's toys are taking over!!!!!!!

Anyway...

To sum it all up, Aiden's 1st Christmas was one that will always be remembered and treasured. Despite his virus, he was a happy little boy and loved playing with all his new toys! Even though he wasn't quite sure what we going on, he was obviously excited about it all. A child's smile never gets old.

Oh no! He's on the go!

It all started a few weeks ago. Aiden would be sitting upright, happily playing with his blocks, or whatever toy is the choice of the day, when suddenly he would lunge forward to get on his hands and knees. He would stay there, on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth, waiting for something miraculous to happen! It was Friday of last week when he discovered the Army crawl. He started using one arm to pull his whole body forward. Then on Saturday he realized that with a little effort, his knees can move forward too! And then Sunday came... it was like everything just seemed to click! All of a sudden his arms and knees were working together to get to wherever he wanted to go! Oh the freedom he must have felt when he realized that the combination of his two extremities working together could get him to wherever he wanted to go! He first made a circle around the youth room at church during our weekly meeting, exploring every inch of the floor that we would allow him to (who knows when it was last cleaned...). Then Monday came and he discovered the ceramic tile in our entry way and the sound it makes when you smack an open hand on it! "smack smack smack" over and over again! The way in which my son is so easily entertained is beyond my comprehension. We spend all this money on fancy toys that sing and dance and light up and you want to do what? Smack the dirty floor??? Oh my son, you have so much to learn... but not too quickly now, I enjoy you being so little and cuddly!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Christmas is by far mine and Jeff's favorite season of the year - the music, smells, lights, sights, giving, etc. - all of it is just beautiful! We plan on spending this first Christmas as a new family enjoying every single moment there is to enjoy! Just picture everything there is... beautiful lights lining the city streets, snow falling and Aiden taking in his first sights of the white flurries falling from the sky, the music in the car playing all the songs we look forward to listening to 1 month out of the year, the tree lighting up the living room with its red and white lights... I could go on... it's all so beautiful! And to see the look on Aiden's face as he notices the new sights, sounds, and smells for the very first time in his life, it just brings a smile to my face each time! He is so inquisitive and everything that is new to him has him so curious and intrigued - it's so neat to watch!

So as we enter into the Christmas season, let us not forget the reason we all look forward to it so much - no it's not the gifts, and it's not even the giving, but it's Jesus! "Jesus is the reason for the season". As cliche as it sounds, it's so true! Without His birth, we would not be where we are today, or who we are today - forgiven children of His!

A Bit Behind, I'd Say!

Sitting here, a little bored on this S-L-O-W Friday at work, I started thinking about this Blog. The blog where I promised to keep everyone updated with our crazy, hectic, lovely life! I realize that for the past 5 months, I have failed you all! I guess it's expected though - I mean, our life IS crazy hectic!

So here's a quick run-down of our life currently -

Aiden is almost 8 months old - WOW!
He is sooo close to crawling - he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth.
He has 2 teeth - front bottom - they're adorable.
He is eating 3 meals of "real" food a day, along with about 4 bottles - he despises his bottle. He only eats from it when he's REALLY hungry!
He speaks his own language right now - "mama" "dada" "baba" "nana" "lala" "gaga" "blahblah" - notice a trend? Yes, every word ends in the "a" sound. My personal favorite is "blah blah".
He continues to be a very peaceful sleeper - yay for mommy and daddy :-)
He is a mostly pleasant baby - he lets you know when he's not happy.
He likes to be with people and have human interaction - I don't blame him... being alone is no fun!
At his 7 month doctor appt. he was about 16 1/2 pounds (I think... my memory isn't what it used to be, so I could be just making that up.)

Jeff continues to do well. He is busy at work and busy with Search for the Christ Child at church. I'm very much looking forward to Wednesday of next week, when all of his obligations for church and Greenon high school will be over and we can finally relax a bit and enjoy this beautiful Holiday season that only comes but once a year!

Aiden's 5 1/2 Month Pictures

Aiden's 3 month pictures!

Our happy 3 month old baby!

Aiden's Unexpected 3 month doctor's appointment

Ever since Aiden was about 1 month old he has stuggled with constipation. "Oh, just give him some Nursery Water every day and it'll clear right up!" the doctor says... only, it didn't! Then she said, "Try Prune or Pear juice! Those should clear him out good!".... NOPE!

Now Aiden is 3 months old and we decided this has gone on far too long! His attempts to poop were always accompanied by strains, grunts, a red face, and sometimes even a scream! So, off to the doctor we go!

This time, the doctor says, "Let's switch his formula." okay, to what?? "Have you ever heard of Similac Alimentum?" the doctor asks, "Have we ever?!?!?!" we reply! My dad works for the company that makes Similac, and he has told us many times how awful the shop smells when they make the Alimentum formula! GREEEEAT! Can't wait to smell those burps, huh??

The doctor also sent us to the hospital for some x-rays to make sure his bowels aren't blocked or backed up... those all came back perfect, with no blockage, and no backup :) I thought we were all going to get 1,000+ diseases from standing in the ER as we checked in! That place is nasty!!!!! And it was packed! Who knew that SO many people go to the ER at 7pm on a Wednesday!!

Anyway, we did as the doctor said, and put him on the ever-so-expensive, chemically predigested, stinky Alimentum formula! And lo-and-behold..... Aiden HATES it! He rejected it completely at first, turning his head away as we tried to feed him. After only eating 4 ounces in 14 hours, Aiden finally decided it was time to eat! And ever since, he has eaten 4 ounces at a time :) The other good news is that his bowel movements, for the first time in 2 months, are NOT SOLID!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! No more straining, grunting, screaming, red-faced baby!

New Pictures!

Aiden's first boat ride - 6 weeks and 5 days old

One happy family!

Bath time fun!!!

Father and Son on father's day morning - what a pair!

Aiden on Father's Day

Mr. Smiles!

Aiden is getting stronger each day!

A New Chapter

As if putting our house up for sale and having a baby wasn't enough to completely change our lives, I've decided to change it up even more! I have accepted a position at Freeman/Groves Insurance! I will be working for my father-in-law, Bob Freeman, and his partner, Perry Groves. I will be starting out doing reception work and learning the insurance business. Then, they will send me to get my agent's license, and I will be an insurance agent! I am truly, so so excited about starting this new endeavor! It's finally time for me to stop having jobs, and have a carreer! I'm a mother now, and the stability this job will offer is exactly what our family needs!

However, leaving Dave Dennis isn't going to be easy! I have worked here off and on since 2004 - when I was in college! The people here are like family - through the bickering and nagging, we still find a way to all get along at the end of the day. I have also thoroughly enjoyed working for my aunt. She is an incredible boss and treats her employees very well (I may have gotten some special treatment - like weekly free lunches and ice cream) ;-) But I will miss seeing her every day! I've gotten very used to that!

My last day of work at Dave Dennis is June 30th - only 6 days from today! I will start my new carreer on July 6th. We're taking a much-needed mini-vacation at Jeff's parent's lake house at Indian Lake! We are leaving June 30th as soon as we are off work and heading up there for 7:00 reservations for all-you-can-eat crab legs at Captain's Point! Then, we'll be up there enjoying the sunshine and water until the evening of July 4th. We'll return home on the 4th, just in time for our first family pictures on July 5th! We're having pictures of Aiden (he'll be 3 months old that day) taken, as well as pictures of Aiden and Eli (our nephew who is 5 weeks older than Aiden) taken together! OH! And our first family pictures taken, too! :)

We're always so busy... but it's our life and we love it!

10 Weeks old and 2 Month Check-up

So, I'm a little behind on my updates! But things are crazy busy!!! So, here's what's going on!

Aiden had his 2-month checkup on June 8th. He was 10 pounds 10 ounces and 23.5 inches long. I don't remember what his head circumfrence was but the doctor said that everything about him is 100% average! The 50th percentile all around! I am very okay with that :) She also said that developmentally, he is doing exceptionally well! She put him on his stomach and was amazed at how well he was holding his head up! She couldn't believe he was already following faces so well, laughing, and talking up a storm! She was very pleased! She has been seeing him since he was 5 days old, and she said that compared to our first visit with him (when he was losing weight, jaundice, and wouldn't stop crying because he was starving and we didn't know my milk wasn't in!) she couldn't believe this was the same baby! YAY :)

So, that's all the good news..... now for the not so good news..... Aiden will probably be having surgery before he's 1 year old :( :( :( :( :( Aparently the pee-hole on his little penis isn't where it should be. It's down on the bottom side of the head of his penis instead of out front where it should be. She said it will need to be corrected before he turns 1 or it could cause problems.

Other than that, though, he is doing fabulously! He has 4 teeth buds already (2 top, 2 bottom, all 4 where his canine teeth will be). He talks all the time, smiles a lot, is almost rolling over completely on his own, is eating 5 ounces every 2 hours during the day, is sleeping 10 hours at night.... the list goes on! He is just a very pleasant, easy baby!!! We are so abundantly blessed!

Aiden - 3 weeks old!

It's hard to believe, but Aiden is already 3 weeks old! 23 days old today, to be precise!

He continues to be... well... PERFECT! I don't know how else to describe him! Everything about him... his smiles, his coos, his toes, and his fingers... everything is perfect! He brings a smile to my face and to my heart every time I look at him! When I hold him and he just stares at me as if saying, "I love you, mommy" it melts my heart! I know my love and affection for this little man will only continue to grow as he does, and I simply cannot wait to see what God will do with his precious life!

Okay, enough with the sappy stuff, I'm getting all teary-eyed! Today Aiden weighs approximately 10 pounds 7 ounces (and when I say, "approximately", I really mean it! I weighed myself, then held Aiden and weighed again and subtracted the 2 weights to get his :) Lol.) and he is about 22.5 inches long (when he was born he was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long).

He is now starting to mimic faces that Jeff and I make - mostly sticking out our tongues and opening our mouths in an "O" shape. He is awake more during the day and very alert during his wake periods! He will focus on people's faces when they are talking to him. He smiles a lot, and just yesterday started smiling when I made a funny face at him.

He is now sleeping from about 9pm-2 or 3am steadily, without waking up at all! Then he wakes up every 3 hours after that to eat. During the day he eats about every 2 hours, though. He is eating about 3 ounces (sometimes 4, but not often) in a feeding, which is great for him! His jaundice is completely gone and he is a very healthy, growing boy now!

I continue to feel great! I feel completely healed from the delivery... it was so easy, there really wasn't much healing to be done! I feel great, and have somehow managed to lose 20 pounds (the 14 pounds I gained from my pre-pregnancy weight, plus 6 more) since delivery... I hope 20 more comes off that easily ;-)

Today is mine and Jeff's 3 year wedding anniversary! When we got married, we always knew we wanted children, but we didn't know when! But now that Aiden is here, we think now is a perfect time :)

Aiden Update

Aiden is now 1 week and 1 day old... wow! Time flies! I finally decided to put him in his swing while he is sleeping and get on here to let you all know how things have been! Well, it's been rough... First, when we got home from the hospital I called my family doctor, who would be seeing Aiden, to schedule his first appointment. However, the receptionist informed me that she isn't seeing any newborns. I informed her that she had already approved seeing Aiden and that it is in my chart. So, they say they'll have to call me back. The nurse calls back and says, "I am so sorry, but the doctor has had to make the decision not to see any more newborns, and that includes Aiden, even though he was preapproved". I was devastated! I called my mom in hysterics practically, because who wants to have to find a pediatrician to see a baby in 3-5 days while having a 2 day old baby at home?!?!?! So, my mom calls the office the next morning and talks to someone she knows there. She told my mom that she can't tell us the details, but she said something has happened and the doctor has no choice but to not see any newborns. So, all we can assume is that someone is suing her for something with their newborn... which is SO sad, because she is the most amazing doctor EVER! So, my mom told me of a pediatrician group by the hospital that a friend of hers takes her twins to and highly recommends, and which they recommended in our birthing class. So, I call them, explain the situation, and they were awesome and got Aiden in on Saturday!!! (They have incredible hours! 8am-10pm weekdays, and 8am-5pm weekends!!! WOW!!!) Anyway, we brought Aiden home from the hospital last Wednesday. On Thursday night he was extremely fussy and would not calm down! I tried to nurse him and he acted extremely frustrated with feeding. So, we kept at it until Saturday when we took him to the doctor for his first well-baby appointment... turns out he wasn't well :( He had continued to lose weight since discharge and was becoming jaundice (Aiden was 7lbs 8oz. at birth, 7lbs. 1oz. at discharge, and 6lbs 13oz. at the appointment Saturday). So, they sent us for blood work to check his Billi Ruben, which came back at a 14.6 - not too bad, but still not as low as it should be for a healthy baby! Also, the doctor had us try Similac and told me to pump and see if I was getting anything.... I didn't. I pumped each breast for 5 minutes and had maybe 5 drops... literally, drops... from each breast. I was so frustrated, and a little upset with myself because little did I know that my body was denying my baby the nutrition he needs to thrive! I'm not blaming myself... it was just disappointing! So, we went back to the doctor the next day (Sunday) and he had already gained 3 ounces in 19 hours from being on the formula! They rechecked his Billi Ruben levels, and they dropped from 14.6 to 13.8! YAY! So, the doctor said we are on the right track for sure, and to come back in 1 week (we have an appointment for Friday). Needless to say, I was terrified - especially when the doctor said the word "hospitalization" as a possibility if his levels were too high. I was in tears in the doctor's office. However, God is good and pulled our little guy through just fine! His coloring is awesome now, he is eating like a champ (about 1-2oz, sometimes 3, every 2-3 hours... not as much as he should, but he's getting there! He's just a little thing anyway!) I'll keep trying to pump and see if I get anything... but in the meantime, we've stocked up on Similac!

Aiden's Birth Story

On Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, I started having some harder and more regular contractions off and on all day. They would be regular (like, 2 minutes apart for about 50 seconds each) for about an hour, and then they would stop for a little while. So, we went to church, had Easter lunch with my family, went to my mom's house and spent some time with my parents and my siblings and our new nephew, and then came home and went for a walk. We had a late lunch, so around 8pm we made some spicy cheese dip for a snack and then went to bed.

Around 1am on Monday, April 5, 2010, I woke up having the strongest contractions I had felt yet! I started timing them and realized they were very regular. So, I got up and walked around the house to see if they would go away - they didn't. At 2am, my husband woke up to go to the bathroom. He said, "Are you okay?" and I told him what had been going on. We got out the laptop and loaded up Contractionmaster.com and started accurately timing them. They were coming every 2 minutes and lasting for as much as 1 minute and 10 seconds. After a few of those I said, "Let's go to the hospital!" So, off we went!

We got to the hospital at 3am. They hooked me up to the monitors and said that I was 2cm dilated. After 1 and a half hours, the nurse came back in and checked me again. As she was checking me she said, "Well, it looks like you haven't dilated any more. You're still at a 2..." and proceeded to tell us to go home... just then my water broke! She said, "Ok, well I think your water just broke, so I'll go get you a room and get you admitted!" I was ecstatic! I did NOT want to go home just to go through all that again when the "real" time came! So, we all started laughing and got VERY excited! My mom was already there, so she made some calls for my dad to come with my younger siblings around 6am (it was about 4:30am at this point), Jeff called his parents, and we got a room!

Almost immediately my contractions came to a screeching halt! They became irregular and practically non-existent. I was so disappointed... but glad that my water had broke, so I KNEW we would be having a baby in the next day or 2!

When they checked me for dilation again, I was only at a little over 3cm! Ugh... so, the nurse started talking about Pitocin. I was very leery of this and told her my fears of the contractions coming too strong too fast! So, she sent my doctor in (my actual OBGYN was the one on call that day so I was very happy about that!) So my doctor came in and started discussing the pros and cons of Pitocin. I decided to get the Pitocin, but to only start at a 2 and if nothing happened, to only go up by 2 every hour (they wanted 30 minutes, but I said no!) So, they started the Pitocin at a 2 and almost immediately the contractions started coming back! They were regular for a while, but eventually started spreading apart. So, they raised it to a 4. That really picked things up and they came every 2 minutes and started getting longer and longer. They gave me some pain meds that did NOTHING for the pain. After a while I asked for an epidural. The nurse checked me first and I had already progressed to 6cm!

The anesthesiologist came in and did the epidural - however, it only took on my right side! My left leg became a little numb, but I still had complete control over it and I could feel every contraction on my left side! The nurse called the anesthesiologist back in for a little more of the epidural and he had my lay on my left side to see if it would go that way... no such luck! So, I decided I could live with the pain and dealt with it as it came... about an hour and a half later, the nurse came back and said that Aiden's heart rate started to decelerate a little (but nothing alarming) so she wanted to check me for dilation again because this could be a sign that I was ready to push. Lo and behold, I was 10cm dilated and she could see Aiden's head!!! (we were all shocked, because the doctor said to expect 1cm dilation per hour after 6cm). So, she called my doctor in and while the doctor was changing she had me start pushing! I gave about 3 pushes and she told me to stop because Aiden was about to come out! (She said I was pushing like I had already had 5 kids!) :)

So, the doctor came in and I gave 4 sets of 3 pushes, and out came my baby boy's little head!!! They suctioned him and did their thing, and with one more push we had our little boy!

Aiden Michael Freeman was born at 4:59pm on Monday, April 5, 2010 weighing 7lbs 8oz. and measuring 21 inches long! He has a full head of beautiful brown curly hair and a beautiful olive skin tone. He looks identical to Jeff, but he has my mouth. We are both so head over heels in love with our son... he was so worth every bit of heartache and waiting that we have endured over the last 2 years!

38 Week Appt.!

I had my 38 week appointment today. At my 36 week appointment they checked my cervix and I was 1cm dilated. Then at my 37 week appointment they didn't check and said they would at my next appointment. So, I go in today totally expecting to be checked and planning to ask if he would strip my membranes (a process of sweeping the bag of waters away from the uterus near the cervix in order to release prostoglandins, which cause contractions). So I go in, and when the doctor comes in he says, "Well, we'll check your cervix next time!" and I said, "They said that last time!" and he said, "I like to do it at 39 weeks"" so I said, "Can you just check it, pleeease?" and he said OKAY!!! YAY! So, as he was getting ready to check I said, "Would you strip my membranes today, too?" and he said OKAY!!! YAY! So, he said I am about 2cm dilated, very low and soft and thin! All good news! He said that IF the membrane stripping works (cause it doesn't always), it can take UP TO a week! So, we'll see what happens :)

Everything else was great! My blood pressure was just fine - so no concerns there. My swelling has gone down considerably! Although it seems as though the swelling in my feet has gone mostly away (depending on the time of day) and moved to my hands... ick! But, it's not so bad that my rings are stuck on or anything. Just getting uncomfortable.

Aiden's heartbeat was good and strong and he's getting lower... so hopefully when labor DOES start, he won't have far to travel :)

37 week appt.

I had my 37 week appointment today. They didn't check for dilation or anything this time (they did last week and I was 1cm). But they did say my blood pressure was a little high and I'm a little swollen. This is the first time at my appointment that everything hasn't been "perfect", so needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed... But, she said to just keep an eye on my swelling and if I start developing headaches, to come in sooner than my next appointment, which is next Monday. I'm sure I'll be fine... not really worried, just disappointed.

One of my mom's friends is letting us borrow her portable blood pressure cuff that she had to use when she was pregnant. So, I'll at least be able to catch a spike in my blood pressure if one occurs.

Week 36

Today is the first day of my 36th week... 4 more weeks til my due date... hopefully more like 1 week til Aiden's born, but we'll see. As long as he's healthy, I won't be too impatient about the next 4 weeks!

This week we have our 36 week doctor appointment on Tuesday, March 16th. This is just a routine check-up, but they will do the Group B Strep Test to see if they need to run antibiotics during labor so Aiden doesn't get sick on the way out. Hopefully they'll check for dilation and effacement at the same time - if not, I'll probably ask for them to do so.

We had a great visit yesterday with my brother and his wife and their baby Eli. He is too precious for words! Jeff held him and fed him a bottle. It was great to see how well he did! He said he felt totally comfortable with it too, which was comforting to him (and me)! :-)

I'm starting to feel pretty tired, but nothing to complain too bad about. Just ready to be done being pregnant!

week 35

Today is March 11th, officially one month from Aiden's due date!!! However, my guess is that he'll come on March 30th or March 31st.... simply because the full moon is on March 30th, and I have looked into this a lot and it seems to be that A LOT of babies are born on a full moon! My SIL just had her baby on Feb. 28th - full moon. I am really starting to feel DONE with this whole pregnancy thing! I have been so blessed and so fortunate to have such an uncomplicated, easy pregnancy, that I feel selfish for being so done with it all. However, I am ready to meet my son and hold him in my arms!!! 40 weeks is a LONG time for an impatient person like myself! So now that I am almost 36 weeks, I really would be a-okay with him coming any time now ;-) I started drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. I found some interesting articles about it, and decided I would give it a try. The articles said it helps tone the uterus and can help you have a quicker, easier, and less painful delivery, as well as strengthening your milk supply and giving you all kinds of vitamins and nutrients essential to milk production and healthy babies! SO... I bought 2 boxes from The Vitamin Shoppe here in town where I work and have been drinking it since yesterday. I had 2 cups of it hot in the morning, and 2 cups of it hot in the afternoon. Then I made some iced yesterday, and brought that to drink this afternoon and am drinking some hot right now. It tastes soooo good, so that's a plus anyway since I was getting sick of drinking water all day every day! Our next doctor's appointment is March 16th. They will be doing the Group B Strep Test, and I will ask them to check for dilation at that time if they don't do it automatically. Also on the 16th we have our breastfeeding class! I am really looking forward to this and learning all about it, since I really am clueless :-)