4/6 Update

I had my appointments today. Keira is weighing in at an estimated 8 1/2-9lbs. I am 2 centimeters dilated, still 60% effaced, and at a -2 station. Because I am that far along and because of the injury to my back, my doctor has strongly advised me to be induced Thursday. I asked her a million questions and after her million assured answers, have decided to go ahead and be induced. She does not think I will have to have pitocin for long, just long enough to get my contractions going regularly, and then they will take me off it and let me progress on my own. I have been having contractions every 8 minutes or so for a little while now, and am trying to not think too much about them at the moment because I am so tired of being disappointed about being tricked by braxton hicks contractions. I will find out tomorrow morning what time I will be going in on Thursday. Fingers crossed for a quick delivery!
40 weeks

4/5 Update

Hello
No baby yet. I woke up yesterday morning (I will be somewhat graphic here) and lost what I believe is part of my mucus plug. The main mucus plug is a bit larger, and usually tinged with blood... I told you I'm being graphic, but this was not. It was also not anything "normal" either. I am hoping that this is the start of SOMETHING. Nathan's sister, Meryl took the kids yesterday and let them have a sleepover last night, and Nathan had to work most of the day, so it was just Brody and I for the most part. I had contractions every 15-20 minutes for about 13 hours yesterday, and even briefly thought they may get closer together, but alas they did not and they stopped later last night. They were just braxton hicks after all. I did not take the tylenol with codine last night because I was concerned it could effect the baby if I did go into labor. I did not sleep last night at all. My back was worse than ever.
I did get to go out with my mom yesterday and pick up a few spring things for Brody and a new pair of sneakers for him. Today is one of the only rain free days predicted for the week so i am taking full advantage and walking the lake in a few minutes and then headed to my mom's house for cake and ice cream for her birthday and taking another walk around her neighborhood afterwards. Hopefully all of that will encourage Keira to move down a bit more and give her the hint that her time in utero is up. I have an ultrasound and doctor appointment back to back tomorrow afternoon and will make sure I update afterwards... unless of course all this walking today does something! (I can only hope right?)

4/2 Update

Yes, I'm still pregnant. April was brought in... well not so pleasantly for me. While I was getting ready to leave for Nate's first storytime in this session, I was carrying Brody down my stairs and somehow missed the last 5 or 6 stairs and collapsed at the bottom. The good news is Brody is fine, and I didn't fall forward or backward, but instead made one huge, giant step to the bottom, skipping those last 5 or 6 stairs entirely. I did twist my ankle (left ankle, the first part to "land" and braced against/fell against the wall and window at the bottom of the stairs as the rest of me kind of crumpled to the landing. I was worried more about my ankle, and of course feeling the baby move, after the fall. Again, I knew Brody was fine and probably thought it was fun sailing through the air with me. I took Nate to storytime, knowing it was an hour of semi-quiet, and while there felt the baby move. However while I was there I started to realize maybe my concern should not have been my ankle (which was surprisingly feeling fine) but my lower back which was growing increasingly more painful and was actually burning. I decided to call my doctor. Better to be safe than sorry, right? They brought me in and wanted to do a non stress test, where they hook me up and monitor the baby and if I'm having contractions, for three hours. After an hour I was on the verge of tears from having to stay in the seated position I was in. Since the baby looked great, and there was no concern there, I begged them to not make me do it any longer. I did have a few big contractions while I was hooked up, so they wanted to check me. I attribute the contractions to my body reacting to the pain I was in. I was almost 2 centimeters though, so maybe it triggered something. Not in labor though, clearly since I am writing this now. They then sent me to another doctor to check my back. Turns out she believes I cracked my tailbone. There is nothing I can do about this besides ice it and stay mobile so my body doesn't tense up. They gave me tylenol with codine, but I am hesitant to take it, even at night in case I go into labor. (I did take it last night, and feel groggy this morning. I'm not a fan of being drugged, even if it is just slightly so.)
Anyway, that's my story. I need to stay active, and sitting here writing this is not very comfortable. I figure I'll make the best of it and get a lot done around the house, and if the rain holds off, maybe squeeze in a walk.

3/31 Update

I am 39 weeks pregnant... almost a whole 10 months I have been growing this baby and feel like as a reward for that she should decide to give me a break and come this week. I am not optimistic about this though. I am at the point where I feel like I will literally be pregnant forever. I am actually completely surrendered about the fact that I do not think she will come out on her own, no matter what I do. I had my appointment yesterday and not a whole lot has changed. Still 60% effaced, 1 centimeter dilated, but the major change was where my cervix is usually very posterior, it has come all the way down and is no longer so. Without being too graphic, I did not have to get into funny positions for her to strip my membranes this week.
I am walking as soon as the kids finish up lunch, and am going to walk again tonight without the kids, and will hopefully follow this routine all week as long as the rain holds off... we'll see.

3/27 Update

It has been gorgeous out the past few days here, and trust me I am taking full advantage of it! I have walked the lake (there is a lake 2 streets over from my house that is about 3 1/2 miles around... a good walk) the past two days and fully intend on walking it each and every day it is nice enough.
No new news on the baby front. I am still getting somewhat regular braxton hicks contraction, and those can fool me into thinking maybe it is the start of something, but that has not been the case so far. I am taking the boys to the zoo in Boston tomorrow and am looking forward to one last big outing with the boys... and more walking.
I will update more as things progress and hopefully will have a few good pictures to share from our zoo adventure tomorrow.

3/25 Update

I had my doctor appointment today. I am very pleased with how everything is going. My cervix is very soft and I am a little over 60% effaced. I am still only 1 centimeter dilated. Because Keira is not an enormous elephant baby right now, we discussed letting me go on my own. I told my dr I was very anti pitocin (a medicine that they use to make you contract) and said I would feel much better waiting it out. She felt great about this. Because they don't let you go any later than a week past your due date, and because of the close proximity to Easter, she will be inducing me (if I don't go on my own earlier) either 4/8 or 4/9. She will be putting my name in 4/7 and I will know (again if I do not go on my own beforehand) that day when the exact date will be. Either way, 4/9 at the latest. She will continue stripping my membranes at my next (and last) two appointments. Until then I will be walking a lot and enjoying every moment with just the three boys.
It was so nice today so Nathan and I took the boys to the baseball field to practice for the upcoming season. I should mention we had to jump a fence to get into the field... quite a sight, I'm sure if anyone saw me.
I will report anything else if it comes up!

Ultrasound 3/24

Hello
I am 38 weeks along now, just 2 weeks away from my due date. I had my ultrasound this morning to measure the fluid and estimate the baby's weight. I also had her do a check to make sure we were once again indeed having a girl... we still are. I didn't want any April Fool's Day surprises!
The fluid around the baby was fine, and she was a bit squirmy, so it was somewhat difficult to get a good measurement, but they said they think she is measuring at 7lbs exactly right now, right on target. She said it's actually the 67th percentile, so just a bit above average for how far along I am. They get this "guess-timate" by measuring the circumference of the head and stomach. Her head was very far down and although we couldn't really get a good glimpse of her face, she briefly turned a bit, enough to see she had chubby little cheeks.
All in all everything went really well. I'm still having contractions every night like clockwork, and am up most of the night with them. I have my appointment with my doctor tomorrow afternoon to check for dilation and discuss what the course of action will be. My hopes are that I can wait it out until Keira is ready to come on her own.

Randoms

Ty got his report card and did great! He is such a good student and we are so proud of his effort and the pride he takes in his work. Here are a few pictures from playing outside one day. Nate is not in them because he was not in a picture mood...Today Nate had a little mishap. Nathan had just gotten out of the shower and Nate was waiting outside the door because he had to go to the bathroom. Nathan was still in the bathroom because he was getting ready to shave. When Nate came out of the bathroom He was running around a bit and Ty and I looked and noticed he had blood quite literally all over his face. I brought Nate in the bathroom and Nathan and I washed his face to find the source of the cut and Nathan immediately picked up on the fact that Nate was probably trying to shave. He must have slid the razor sideways across the very top of his top lip, because that is where the cut is. Nothing huge or gaping, but a good enough size that it bled for quite a while. Nathan had a "shaving 101" talk with him, and helped him hold a cold washcloth to his face to help the cut stop bleeding and to keep it from stinging. Just another day...I will have lots to report tomorrow after my ultrasound. Wish me luck!

Nathan's Surprise 30th

Well I somehow pulled it off!!! Thank you to Matt for getting Nathan out of the house, and to Meryl for picking up balloons and helping me get the finishing touches set up. Nathan finally got the bracket to hang our new tv, and he enlisted his brother's help to move our old tv into our bedroom. I was upstairs folding laundry with Brody when I heard a huge crash and Nate crying. I thought for sure the new tv had fallen or something, but it turns out, as Nate was running into the kitchen and the door to our fridge fell off. Scary. This was at 530... you could say I was a bit panicky to say the least. Nathan said he'd go to Home Depot with Matt, who was supposed to be at the house around 6pm, and when he came back from "helping Matt" he'd fix the fridge. If it isn't one thing it's another, huh?
Nathan didn't leave until around 720 and I had to send a text message to everyone to not arrive until 8pm, and told Matt to have Nathan back by 9.
As soon as Nathan left I rushed around like a mad woman getting all the decorations set up and food out, and thankfully everything went really well.
Nathan was so surprised, which made me really happy. I made enough food to feed an army, but had so much left over that I froze two big casserole sized containers, which will come in handy the next few weeks when the baby comes.

Surprise!!!Opening presentsCake time
Watching him blow out the candles

3/20

I thought for sure I was going to go into labor last night. Around 930pm I started having really intense contractions every 10-12 minutes. They lasted ALL night. I didn't sleep much. But alas, this morning they slowed down just in time for me to start a busy day.
They may have been caused by me rearranging my bedroom yesterday. Yes, I moved the bed, hope chests, everything. No Nathan was not home and had no idea I was doing it. What can I say, nesting instincts kicking in yet again.
We woke up early and I took Ty to get his filling... he did great although was very upset with having half of his face numb. I then swung by my mom's house so Nate could use the bathroom and I could change Brody's diaper. I headed to IParty to get the last of Nathan's surprise 30th party decorations and went to the grocery store to buy the stuff to make all of the food for the party. It was such a fun visit to the grocery store... Ty complaining of his face being numb, Nate off the wall and covering his face in stickers, yes his eyes too, Brody was very cranky and kept trying to get all of the food. I bought a ginger ale and was so excited to have it when I got in the car and it exploded all over me. It was really fun.
I am now waiting for the cake to cool and have sent the older boys out to play. I just got Brody in for a nap and now am procrastinating before I start making mounds of food.
If I survive this night, I think I am in good shape. Will post pics soon.

3/17

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!
All of the boys dressed in green today... and although we have lots o' Irish heritage, that was the extent of our celebrating.
Since my doctor's visit yesterday I have been having a strange pattern of braxton hicks (?) contractions. They last for 2 hours or so, then stop for an hour or two, then start up again. They have done this all day yesterday and today, and when they are "on" and I am having them, they definitely seem to be getting more intense. Maybe this is my body preparing for the real thing?
Not this week Keira... please for the love of God, not this week...
I am registering Nate for preschool tomorrow and have lots of paperwork to fill out, have to bake and get everything ready for Nathan's surprise 30th bday party, take Ty to the dentist and set up Nathan's party Friday... just not this week Keira.
I should add in that my original due date was 3/21, and that would be Saturday. They changed my due date to 4/7 after my first ultrasound.
That's it for now!

Pictures as Promised

Nate My grandmother reading cards

blowing out the candlesBrody and me 37 weeks

37 Week Update

Hello
Not too much to report as of now. I am 37 weeks and measuring around 39 1/2 weeks. Keira's head is still down. My ultrasound is a week from tomorrow, and I have my next doctor appointment a week from Wednesday. They will decide Wednesday if they want to induce me next week. I am very opposed to having pitocin, and if the decision is made that I should be induced next week, I am going to ask for them to first try stripping my membranes and see if I go on my own, and if not I will gladly head in to be induced the following week.
Or Keira could surprise us all and decide to come before next week, but I'm not counting on it.
Her heart rate did slow down a lot, it is usually in the upper 150's range, and today it was in the upper 120's as a base line. My NP said this usually happens towards the end when the baby is mature and ready to be born. We waited for her to be active, and her heart rate went right back up to where it normally is, just to make sure everything was ok. She said all signs point to her completely ready to make her entrance in the world and for her to be a big baby.
I promise to keep you updated on any news.
I will upload pics from my grandmother's 80th birthday brunch and the 37 week belly as soon as I get a chance.

Doctor Update

Hello
The boys had their dentist appointments yesterday and did great. Ty unfortunately had a cavity, and will get that filled next week. Their next routine dentist visit, 6 months from now, Brody will have his first visit.
I had my 36 week appointment today. I am now measuring at 39 weeks. They are thinking she is already around 7 1/2lbs. Her head is very much down and she seemed to think her head was pretty much going to stay there since she is so large now. They did not check for any dilation because they were worried it could start labor, and they'd like to hold off on that for at least another week.
My next appointment is Monday and I should know even more at that point.

Nine Months

Here it is... my enormous, rapidly growing belly. Nine months along. I have reached the point where little miss Keira can be born anytime. Am I ready? Well, look at my belly and ask yourself if you would be ready to not carry that weight around anymore. Am I really ready for another baby to be here? Surprisingly I think I finally am. The lack of sleep I have been getting the past few weeks has finally become a normal thing (there is no way I can get comfy at night anymore, and I toss and turn and get up to go to the bathroom and drink water constantly) so I am prepared for sleepless nights. I am now just looking forward to Keira's grand entrance into the world, as I think how a baby enters and their unique birth story says so much about the baby as a person.
Now I can't go into labor this weekend because it is my grandmother's 80th birthday, and I can't go into labor next weekend because it is Nathan's surprise 30th birthday and his parents' annual Irish/Celtic party. Any other time, we're good to go. Wish me luck in the weeks ahead!

On the Mend

"They say that blood is thicker than water. Maybe that's why we battle our own with more energy and gusto than we would ever expend on strangers."
David Assael, "Northern Exposure" 1993

After a full week of nursing the two youngest boys back to health, they are finally better, or close enough to better. We cancelled all activities last week so the boys could fully rest. I lysol-ed and bleached my house to kill all germs lingering Thursday night and Friday. Friday night we had a Mexican Food themed pot luck dinner with a few close friends. I was also surprised by some new baby gifts from them, which was so thoughtful and very much appreciated. Saturday I sent the older boys with my mom and took Brody with me to Rhode Island to my friends' daughter's 2nd birthday party. We had a great time! We crashed VERY early Saturday night (730 to be exact), so I was well rested and didn't miss that lost hour of sleep. The boys and I went for a nice walk around the lake today and even got to stop at the mini park because there was no snow! We then did a bit of shopping and I got caught up on laundry... a productive day if I do say so myself.
Hope you're all doing well! We have a few more appointments this week, and I will keep you updated.

Help?

Hello folks
I am going to be starting the process of preparing meals to freeze ahead of time next week (my hope is to make one a day) for my boys while I am in the hospital and for the weeks following when I am home and undoubtedly not wanting to cook for everyone. I am enlisting your help in sending me any good recipes/meals that are easily frozen and can just be popped in the oven when we are ready for them. Feel free to post them as a comment here, or if you would rather, send them directly to my email address... NicParrish7@gmail.com.
I really appreciate the help!!!

Pictures and Illness

"It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."

Dylan Thomas

We are recovering form a good foot or more of snow that was just dumped on us the past two days. Ty was happy to have the day off from school yesterday, and the boys enjoyed playing out in the fresh snow. (Lets hope this is the last batch of snow for the year though!)

Brody, although previously I thought was doing better, came down with a really bad cough and runny nose and back to a low grade fever. He is having a hard time sleeping. Since I was snowed in yesterday, I couldn't take him to the doctor, but I made him an appointment first thing this morning. Nate woke up around 930, and as soon as he came downstairs I knew he was sick. He has pink as can be cheeks, a scratchy voice, and a bad cough. I immediately called the doctor back and asked if there was an appointment around the same time as Brody's. There wasn't. Thankfully our doctor and his main nurse are amazing, and she "put a little whisper in his ear" that we were coming back in a few hours, so he just checked Nate out at Brody's appointment also. We are pros at doctors visits, and the kids' doctor knows them so well that we get through things very quickly. Brody walked into the chair at the doctor's office and dented his head a bit (nothing an ice pack couldn't fix) and I joked with the nurse that he will be lucky to get through life without some sort of brain damage. She laughed and agreed. I should mention that Brody didn't even cry, but trust me, this is a visible boo-boo.

Brody was definitely wheezing a lot and since he has no history of asthma, the doc thinks it is just part of a terrible cold. (Thank you again, Monkey Joe's.) Because he still has a touch of diarrhea, he didn't want to put him on any meds and upset his stomach even more, something I agree with. Nate on the other hand, has already developed some junk in his lungs (any cold does this to poor Nate) and has to start his breathing treatments 3 times a day. He advised me to give Brody them as needed, when he sounds really bad and is having a coughing fit. Wish us luck that we can get this cleared up asap. If you are wondering Ty has the world's best immune system and gets sick only once every two years or so. The kids have a dentist appointment tomorrow, and Ty has a field trip to go see the play The Wizard of Oz. Nathan also has his first physical therapy appointment tomorrow. Busy as always!The boys crowded around the DS for a game session
Ty and Nate
Brody smiling at Ty
Nate-o smiling, although he is really sick

35 weeks and my freak show of a belly

Quick Fill In

Hello folks!
Here's just a quick fill-in. Yesterday an hour before our nephew, Liam's birthday party Brody suddenly got a fever and became lethargic. We gave him Tylenol and warned everyone to stay away from him. He seemed to feel better, then passed out in my arms. I moved him to the playpen and he woke up throwing up about an hour later. Yay. (I blame that little Monkey Joe's trip for this, even though I scrubbed their hands as soon as they were done...)
He ran a pretty high fever all night and although he seems to only have a low grade one now, I know it could go back up again this afternoon/evening, but am keeping my fingers crossed it won't. Other than that we had a great time at Liam's party. I can't believe he's already six years old! I remember visiting him in the hospital when he was born, only a few months after Nathan and I started dating.
Ty had done a "character scrapbook" report for school a month ago, and got his grade on it, and got the highest score possible! I am so proud of him and all of his hard work!!!
Nate has been writing and spelling more and more lately. To add to his fun quirks, when he sees a sign, or billboard, or something similar, he now tries to spell his name or "find" (as he says) his name in the sign. In other words, he looks for all the letters in his name, and I think it gives him a sense of calm when he finds his name. More reasons to love Nate!
Nathan's back is still bothering him, and he'll be going to physical therapy to try and get as much relief as he can.
I'm trying to get as much done around the house as I can today (on very little sleep from being up with Brody) and disinfecting as much as I can. Nathan is headed to a going away party for one of our friends tonight (he just recently enlisted,) and I am having a relaxing night at home. My friend Kerrie is coming over, and I always have fun when we're together.
Oh, and I tripped and fell pretty much right on my stomach today (I braced as much as I could) but I got up and felt Keira move around. It has been quite the day.
We have another busy week filled with dentist appointments (my kids actually love the dentist) and if Brody is well enough, he is going back to get a shot, amongst other things. The light at the end of the tunnel is our potluck dinner/game night on Friday night which I am already looking forward to.
Hope you're all doing well!

Two Bad Backs

"The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed."
Unknown

I am ready for bed. Now I just have to convince the kids that they are ready for bed as well. A few weeks ago Nathan threw out his back. He has been alternating icing it and applying heat, but it has finally reached it's peak and he had me call the doctor today to get him seen. He can barely move at the end of the day. Yesterday I was in the kitchen, leaning up against my counter, holding Brody and I (although not moving) slipped somehow, and my feet went out from underneath me. I managed to not smack the back of my head off the cabinets or counter, or fall on my butt, but I basically slid very harshly down a bit, scraping my back along the counter, and since I was holding Brody, I was much more concerned about dropping him or falling with him, so I must have twisted very quickly, because today, my back is throbbing. Brody woke up in his crib at 4:40am and I brought him into our bed, but he didn't get back to sleep until 6:45am, a very short 35 minutes before I get up in the morning to get Ty ready for school. I had to leave the house by 930 this morning to go birthday present shopping for three different parties, then rush to Nate's storytime at 11. After storytime we dashed back to the house so I could feed Nate and Brody lunch and get them in the car to wait for Ty to get off the bus (half day Wednesdays) so we could head out to Ty's friend's birthday party at Monster Mini Golf in Danvers. It is an indoor mini golf place that is all black lights and actually pretty cool. I figured since it was only a little less than two hours, I would hang around. Monkey Joe's, an indoor bouncy, jumpy place, was right next door, so I thought as a special treat for Nate, we'd go there during the party. Fifteen minutes later I regretted my decision. Brody would not stay in the big toddler jumpy thing and I was bending down, picking him up non stop for the next hour and a half. Brody loved it, but it was not something that exactly helped my back pain. Nate on the other hand was sweaty and made a friend very quickly, so I am very glad that he got the chance to have fun too. A side note, because Brody had eaten not too long before that, in his excitement, he leaned in to give me a kiss and threw up on my mouth. Yummy. At 3pm we headed back into Monster Mini Golf, only to find out they weren't even done golfing. I then held Brody for the next 45 minutes and tried to keep Nate entertained while we waited. As soon as I got in the car, I wanted to cry. I put Nathan's heating pad on my back and reluctantly got dinner ready and have gotten the kids ready for bed, and am now counting down the minutes (ten as of now) before I send them to bed and go to bed myself. I am going to try my hardest to stay awake for Lost, but something tells me I won't. Tomorrow is another day, right?