Haven't popped yet

Nope, no baby yet. I'm getting more and more anxious to go into labor, and each day that passes is so hard to sit through. I just want it to start already.

I went to the doc today, and there was zero change in my cervix, so that wasn't fun to hear. They did a fetal non-stress test (NST) to see if Baby November was as anxious as I am; nope, he's has happy as can me. I was hoping they'd tell me I needed to get induced today, instead they sent me on my way, saying all was well with him.

Originally I thought that I'd want to get induced the day after Thanksgiving, not any longer. Each day I wait is not fun, not fun at all. So, I called my doctor the other day and begged that the induction be moved up to Wednesday, the earliest possible that they'd induce me. She agreed. So now I'm just assuming I will not be having Thanksgiving at home. But it will be worth it. Let's just hope it won't come to that...

40 weeks, today is my due date!

Today is my due date. Alas, still nothing. I feel huge-er than ever, and more uncomfortable too. I want this baby to come. Now. Please.

Onto the weekly quiz-
How far along? 40 weeks. I'm ready. Let me pop.
Total weight gain/loss: Last week at my appointment they weighed me and in one week I had gained five, yes five, pounds. Lovely. I'm hoping it is all water weight...
Maternity clothes? Yep. And I forgot to mention last week that now my fingers are too fat for my rings, so off came the wedding ring. Now I look single, pregnant and uncomfortable. What an awesome combo.
Sleep: is horrible. Pain everywhere, even my ears hurt. But I'm trying to cherish these last few nights of real sleep before I have a newborn.
Movement: He's slowed down a little, but not that much. He still loves to kick the heck out of my ribs.
Labor Signs: I wish.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Yes. All of them.
Food Cravings: Nothing new. I'm trying to eat spicy food to get my labor kick started, and it tastes great, but not something I'm craving, per se. I am however really craving sushi once I'm no longer pregnant.
Belly Button in or out? Turkey timer has popped long ago.
What I miss: Walking without pain. Life without pain. (Haaha!! I sound so morose!)
What I am looking forward to: Telling Baby November how much I love him for the first time in his life. Seeing E hold his son for the first time. Just thinking about it gets me all emotional and teary eyed.
Weekly Wisdom: Having your membranes stripped really really hurts.
Best moment this week: Realizing, again, that I love my husband more every day.
Milestones: I've reached my due date! Yea me! Now get this baby out!

Weekend at home before the baby

E and I spent another lovely weekend at home. The entire time I was hoping and hoping for contractions to start, but alas, Baby November is happy where he is.

So, instead of dwelling on the fact that the little man isn't going to grace us with his presence any time soon, E and I stayed somewhat busy. On both Saturday and Sunday morning we made a big breakfast at home. This is something we hardly ever do in the warm months, but seem to really enjoy once it gets colder. E made a new recipe he's been eying called Cornflake encrusted french toast. It was amazing. First you dipped the bread in an egg, sugar and cream mixture, then into crushed cornflakes. Then he fried them in his cast iron skillet, and made eggs, hash browns, coffee, and juice on the side. The entire breakfast was divine.

On Saturday it snowed and snowed, our first real snowstorm of the year. E and I decided to trek out into the storm and visit the Free Mason Temple of Utah. As you might know, the Free Masons are a fraternal organization that try to better the world through service and such. Well they are also considered a "secret society" which is something E has been interested in since since I met him, way before it became popular. Anyway, we decided to tour the huge Salt Lake Temple for the second time, we'd visited together about eight years ago with a college class of mine. The temple was quite interesting, as I remember, and lots of the symbolism E remembered from our first tour, and could point out to me.


The rest of the weekend was consumed with a family dinner with E's family and another fun one with my family. We also packed our hospital bags, finished last nursery "to-dos" and tried to stay positive about the fact that I might be in the hospital on Thanksgiving.

And, now, two days later, there is still nothing much to report. No contractions, nothing. I'll update again tomorrow with my weekly pregnancy quiz, unless, my some miraculous event, I'm in labor!

Remember our rain chain? Well with the storm this weekend it froze, and was beautifully stunning on Sunday, when the sky turned from gray to blue. It was awesome to watch it melt slowly.

Baby update, wish there was more news

First off, no, this is not my baby, just a cute baby photo I found online thinking that it might get my labor kick started. Now, onto the real update:

I know all my wonderful blog readers are excited to hear what is new with my cervix, so I thought I'd update. Besides, who doesn't like to read about someone else's cervix on a Friday afternoon?

So today at the doc I was hoping she'd tell me I was ready to go into labor and that I should head to the hospital (haha! A girl can dream,) but instead she said it does indeed look like Baby November has dropped. The cervical exam revealed that I'm 3 cm dilated, so I'm making progress, but still not ready to go into labor.

She stripped my membranes which I guess sometimes can help things continue to move forward, but doesn't necessarily induce labor. What does "stripped my membranes" mean? I have no idea, other than the fact that it was quite painful. I'm sure an simple Google search would give me more info than I ever needed on the subject, but alas, I'm feeling tired and lazy, and not wanting to think about my cervix anymore at the moment, so I'm not going to Google it.

She guesses I will go into labor before I'm 41 weeks pregnant, but wanted to schedule being induced just in case. But, being that 41 weeks is the day before Thanksgiving, I pleaded with her to induce me early. However, apparently in Utah, you can't induce earlier than 41 weeks without a medical need. So, instead of spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, I requested to be induced the day after Thanksgiving, if it comes to that. Which, of course will mean, I'll go into labor naturally on Thanksgiving day, which is what I've been saying will happen all along.

That said, there is still hope, so send me all your happy labor vibes that I'll go into labor now, or at least soon, or at least before November 25! I want to be home, with baby on boob before the Thanksgiving holiday!

And, above, just for fun, a photo of an adorable newborn. I wonder what mine will look like...

Oh, and one last thought, if you'd like to guess when Baby November will actually arrive, please post them in the comments! It will be super fun to see who is right.

39 weeks, the countdown has begun!

Today I'm 39 weeks pregnant, only 7 days to go until my official due date!

On Saturday E and I decided to spend the day doing things that will become quite difficult once Baby November gets here. One thing that we've been wanting to do is spend the day at The Cliff Spa, relaxing in the hot tub, pool and solarium. Once we have a baby, spending the day in a spa will become much more expensive, because we'll need to also pay for a babysitter. After the wonderfully relaxing afternoon enjoying the Utah mountains we decided to go out to dinner and do a little shopping. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Desert Edge, and shopped Trolley Square for a little while. Soon these types of days, revolving only around the schedule of two adults, will be a thing of the past. Amazingly, I'm looking forward to the change.

So, here is a photo of a very pregnant spa-goer. E snapped this photo of me at 38 weeks, 3 days.
And here is my weekly quiz, and a photo of my beautiful swollen feet. Why a photo of my feet? Well for one, I'd like to remember how they looked all swollen because then I can appreciate them more when they get back to their normal size. And two, notice the awesome pedicure! More on that below!

How far along? 39 weeks. Crazy!
Total weight gain/loss: Up another pound.
Maternity clothes? Not only am I in maternity clothes, for the last 6 weeks I've been wearing nothing but "maternity shoes". Only my Crocs and flip flops fit. Lovely...
Sleep: Not fun. At all. But I'm trying to keep in mind that this is way way better than the post-baby sleep. At least if I get up now, I'm only up for a minute or two, and I can generally fall back to sleep quickly.
Movement: Yep, he is still kicking and driving me bonkers. Seems to really like to kick when I'm talking about him.
Labor Signs: I think I might have dropped over the last few days! I'll find out on my Friday appointment. Or I'll be in labor before Friday, that would be awesome.
Pregnancy Symptoms: I'm not sure there is a symptom I don't have. Even my hands hurt now. I woke up last night due to hip pain and the night before because my palms were killing me! Ah, the joys of being full term.
Food Cravings: Pomegranates. But that is not unusual this time of year, I always crave pomegranate when they are in season.
Belly Button in or out? Out.
What I miss: Drinking coffee without horrid heartburn, being able to see my toes, being able to squat.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting the little guy! I am getting so so so excited for labor to start, because that means I'll be holding my little baby soon! Also, I'm really looking forward to being able to bend over.
Weekly Wisdom: Loosing a family member, even an old grumpy one, is so so hard. Instead of spending the last few days looking forward to meeting Baby November, I've been mourning the loss of Moose.
Best moment this week: My friend Michelle is awesome. Totally awesome. She gave me a gift certificate to go get a pre-baby pedicure. I went yesterday and adored every moment. Seriously, every Mama-to-be should get their swollen tired feet rubbed. Heaven.
Milestones: Seven days to go until my due date. I have to keep in mind though, my due date is not necessarily the day I'll go into labor, we could have a late baby on our hands...

Rainbow Garden in fall

As I mentioned earlier, E and I took a stroll in Red Butte Garden on Sunday afternoon. My dad gave us an annual pass for our Christmas present last year, and we've used it quite often.

Sunday it was gorgeous in the garden. Everything has changed color, and everything is brilliant. My dad met us up there for the two hour stroll, and we had a fantastic time. I just wish we hadn't come home to discover that sweet Moosey had left us.

As I waddled around and snapped photos, I thought about my rainbow garden blog posts (here and here) and figured I could do a third, this one all with autumn colors, but still covering the entire rainbow.

I hope you enjoy.

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Purple

Brown

Goodbye Moosey

Our funny, grumpy and impossibly old kitty Moose died today. E and I went on a wonderful walk this afternoon at Red Butte Garden and came home to find a very sad sight, our kitty Moose, collapsed in the hall. We were so shocked and saddened. E stayed quiet and heroic, I burst into tears. Our other two kitties, Mabel and Rumpus, looked on, worried. We gathered up Moose's body, and took him to the pet ER to make sure he was gone, not just unconscious. Then, came home and dug a grave in our backyard near where we have the moss path. It was so sad to cover up his body with cold dark earth. I cried and cried. Next spring we'll plant some moss on Moose's spot. And next time we spot a beautiful striped rock, we'll bring it home and place it on his grave, afterall, Moosey was our striped boy.

Moose was quite old, 18 in fact, and by the looks of it he went quickly. However, it was a surprise, just yesterday he snuggled E and I when we took a mini afternoon nap, and he was chasing my hand only 24 hours ago in the kitchen. He snuggled on the bed this morning in his favorite spot, and I remember petting his head as I was getting dressed. Because it was so sudden, I can only hope he was not in pain long.

I will really miss my sweet man, my Moose.

Heaven

My favorite fruit is in season, yes, pomegranates are back in stores. Opening one to find it deep deep red, almost black, is heavenly. I can't seem to get enough.

GLORIOUS weather

Never do I remember a November so mild. Sure, we are only in the first few days of it, but many years it is cold and gray by now. This year, however, it is truly glorious. Nature must be celebrating the upcoming birth of Baby November. ;)

Every day, I try to go out for a little bit. With very little energy or motivation for much, I still try to get out and enjoy these fantastic days of autumn before they are gone. One of the things that makes these perfectly mild days so fantastic is the fact that all the leaves have changed, but due to the fact that it is not super cold yet, they have not fallen from the limbs. Instead, the leaves dance and celebrate the autumn in the light breeze. The blue sky just adds to the perfectness of it all.

The other day I decided to snap some photos of my garden. I just love this time of year.
And the view from our couch out the picture window. Glorious.

38 weeks

I waddled outside and took this. It is just too nice outside not to enjoy it.
And for my weekly quiz. Hopefully this it the last one of these I'll be doing, but I have a feeling I'll be doing these all the way up through 41 weeks...

How far along? 38 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Last Friday I was up another .8 lbs. That makes the total weight gain right about 26 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes. And this week I also purchased my first two nursing tanks. Ummm.. those things are weird!
Sleep: sucks.
Movement: Yep. In the last two days I've felt a new type of kick. A new type that is quite painful. Oh the joys of being pregnant.
Labor Signs: Nothing major, other than the fact that now I'm at the point where I can't wait to go into labor, I want this baby out!
Pregnancy Symptoms: are not awesome.
Food Cravings: Last night I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about eating a pear. After an hour of tossing and turning, I finally got up to eat one.
Belly Button in or out? Out. I'm popped.
What I miss: Movement in general.
What I am looking forward to: Not being pregnant. Not feeling so uncomfortable. And finally holding my sweet little baby! I really can't wait for that!
Weekly Wisdom: If you jokingly yell "I love hemorrhoids!" from the bathroom to your husband, your cat will promptly vomit all over the place. Yes this happened, and yes, it was hilarious.
Best moment this week: The fantastic fall weather we are having. I just love it!
Milestones: Making it through my first week of being full term. I feel so pregnant...

Annual murder mystery

On Halloween day, E and I answered the door until eight and then headed over to Logan and Brooke's house with murder on the mind. Yes, it was their annual Halloween Murder Mystery, something E and I really really look forward to each and every year.

Every October Logan and Brooke decorate fabulously, serve fantastic food, and make the entire night extremely memorable. This year was no different. This year theme was Asian, so E and I arrived in our kimono and ninja outfit. I felt quite large in a kimono meant for a skinny Japanese woman, and E looked awesome in his ninja get-up.

The dinner, as always, was amazing. Egg rolls, orange chicken, lo mein, wontons, beef and broccoli, plus other wonderful Chinese dishes filled our tummies. After dinner we started the game. Almost immediately we were laughing and playing along. I played the devilish second wife of Master Hoo, who had murdered in the past.

Three hours and way too many laughs later we all guessed who the murder was, and read the final page of our mystery notebook. I guessed correctly, Logan's brother Landon was the guilty party. Can't wait until next year.

Doesn't the house look amazing? All the light came from candles, no overhead lighting at all. It was awesome!
E is a very scary ninja indeed.
Justin, who played my husband this year, and my love interest last year (ohh la la!) and Becky.
Big pregnant lady, Logan and Brooke.

Happy Halloween from Baby November!

I got the neatest shirt about two weeks ago, and I've been wearing it non stop. The woman that cut the vinyl for Baby November's room made this shirt for me, and I have to say, I just love it. I can't believe how many nice and fun comments I've received while wearing it. My doctor had to show me off to her other doctor friends the other day, and I swear, every time I go out, I get so many smiles and fun comments.

So what is this fantastic shirt you ask? E and I went to our favorite Utah cemetery for some Halloweeny photos today so I could show it off.

Happy Halloween from Baby November and I!
Yes! It is a maternity shirt with a skeleton and a baby skeleton in my belly. Since it is very apparent that I am pregnant, this works out perfectly. I think it is so funny!

Also, unrelated side note - E took some pretty amazing photos of a juvenile red tailed hawk last weekend while we were at the farmhouse. Here is the series -

Perched so nicely on a telephone pole.
Soon after we pulled over to see him he took off. Luckily E had his camera facing his direction.
And off he goes. Love his cute fierce eyes.