Getting closer to meeting Baby Girl

Well, today is the big day.  Or rather the lead up to the Big Day.  Tonight I go to the hospital to start the induction process.  I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous as heck!  In the past two months so many "caring" moms have told me their birth stories and other peoples horror birth stories that I've got all these images in my brain that won't go away.  I mean, really, was that necessary?  Did they have to do it because it was done to them?

And to jump off on a tangent here, you know how many judgmental people are telling me that they would never have an induction?  I've heard: to many risks; it's not natural; wait for the baby to decide when she's ready; and my favorite, just relax and it will happen.  I'm 8 days past due people.  Screw relaxing, screw waiting on her timeline, and screw natural (honestly with the Femera, it wasn't really a natural conception anyway, why should her birth be all natural?).  I'll take the risks, I want my Baby Girl out!

Ok, tangent over.  Besides being nervous, I'm so super excited!  Baby Girl is going to be here soon!  I can't wait to hold her, and then scold her for taking so long to come out.  The Husband is excited too, although he's trying to hide it.  If I didn't know him better, I'd be really peeved about his attitude.  But it's the same face he presented when we were getting married: happy indifference.  Also, I think he is nervous about the labor and possible c-section.

Off to watch some Vampire Diaries to kill time until tonight.

Bullet Point Update

Have you missed me?  I've missed me!  My computer has been dead for almost three weeks, and I couldn't post at work.  So, here is a whole bunch of updates for you:

• Baby Girl is officially past due.  She is also huge.  Had an ultrasound done today to determine size, and the doctor is estimating her at 9lbs 5oz.  He said he could be off a pound in either direction.  Let's hope he's an over-estimator!
• We've scheduled an induction date.  I will go in to the hospital next Sunday the 28th and start the process.  That means by this time next week I should have a little (haha) baby girl in my arms!  It's really nice to have an end date in sight.
• However, my cervix remains relatively unchanged.  The doctor says it is not "favorable" and that my odds of having a c-section are way up.  Add that to her size and he told me to mentally prepare myself for that.  Joy.  I was really hoping to not have to cross that bridge, but I will do whatever it takes to get Baby Girl here.
• The little popsicle hoarding doorbell ringing annoyance girl next door came over to check on me last night.  She can't quite grasp the concept that Baby Girl was due Saturday and still isn't here.  She told me that as long as we were waiting, why not wait until March so they could have the same birthday?  
• Then, she asked me if I was excited to have this baby because "You used to be so skinny!"  I'm taking it as a compliment.  Someone thought I was skinny before!
• Speaking of weight, I'm down two pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Factor in 9 pounds of baby, and I'm feeling pretty damn good about myself.
• I have become addicted to The Vampire Diaries.  Net flix does not get them to me fast enough.  Stephan is cute and all, but Damon has me won over.  And the fact that they routinely make fun of Twilight?  Love it!  (I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm not a fan of the Twilight movies.  The Husband, however, is a major Twi-hard.)
• I'm also reading a ton.  I will take any and all book suggestions!  I'm currently re-reading The Wheel of Time series.

I think that's about it.  I'm off work on maternity leave (not by choice, my contract ran out of money for the fiscal year) and trying to enjoy my free time while I can.  Hopefully the computer keeps working so I can update you guys more often!

Dreams

I had an amazing, yet heartbreaking dream last night.  And it's pretty much all I can think about this morning.

I've told you that baby girls name will be Anna Beth.  The Beth part comes from my Grandma.  She was, and will always be, my hero.  She was the center of everything, the one with all the knowledge and answers.  She always had a solution to a problem, although sometimes the solutions were not practical at all.  She died in 2006, and I miss her so very much.

Last night I had a dream where she visited me at my house.  I got to show her around, and she talked to me about how proud she was that I was married and a homeowner.  We both oohed and ahhed over all the baby things in the nursery.  She told me how excited she was that I was having a baby.  She gave me a great big hug and told me that I was going to be a great mother.  I wanted to stay in that dream forever, but finally my Grandma told me she had to go, but that she would be watching over me and baby girl.

I'm not an overly religious person, but I am very spiritual.  And I know that wherever great people like my Grandma go after they die, that she's happy there.  And I'm holding on to the idea that it wasn't just a dream, that somehow I was really with her last night.  And that she will watch over me and little Anna Beth.

And I hope that someday, I can explain to my baby girl how special her name really is.

Back among the living

I am finally counting myself back among the living.  Last week was rough.  Bronchitis.  Boo.

I wasn't feeling my best last Sunday, but didn't think much of it.  I have heard, after all, about how women feel crappy the closer they get to delivery.  So there I was feeling slightly ashamed for being a "normal fertile type pregnant person". . . And so I figured I didn't need to tell anyone I wasn't feeling great.  No need to whine.

By Tuesday I was feeling pretty awful.  And decided to mention it at my checkup.  Told the doctor how I was feeling, he did his doctor thing, and told me I had bronchitis.  Huh.  No wonder I felt like shit.  And can I just say, that momentary flash of triumph that I wasn't just a whiny pregnant person?  Priceless!  So the doctor put me on antibiotics and told me to rest and all that junk.  And today?  Today I finally feel like I am back to normal.  Still have a lingering cough and runny nose, but nothing I can't handle. 

In other related news, I had my 36 week checkup last Tuesday, and baby girl has dropped.  Which was nice of her since I was having problems breathing with the bronchitis.  Had the strep b test done (why didn't any of you previously pregnant ladies warn me about this?!?) And a cervix check that showed I wasn't dilated at all and my cervix was hard.  Which is ok, because baby girl still has time left before she needs to be here.

I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow, so we'll see if anything has changed!  I'll update you guys sooner this time, I promise.