Update at 7 months

I have been terrible at updating this blog, and I appologize. Things have been so busy lately and I keep intending to update, but never getting around to it. So, I figure a brief update is better than no update.

Estelle is 7 months old now. She's adorable as can be, can sit up on her own, and has recently started the army crawl. She's close to crawling like normal, but can't figure out how to lift her arms and move them forward one at a time. I'm sure she'll learn soon enough, and then what will I do? I'm not sure I want an entirely mobile baby.

Estelle enjoyed her first snow on Saturday. Her snowsuit left her somewhat immobile so she couldn't exactly crawl around or play, but she did seem to enjoy looking around and tasting the snow.

Sleep Baby Sleep

Estelle is almost 6 months old now; the age at which I planned to start getting her into her own bed and sleeping through the night. I didn't mind the co-sleeping while she was younger because she nutritionally needed to eat at night and it was so much easier for me to nurse her with her right there in bed with me. But now she's old enough not to need to eat at night and so I'm gonna start the switch. My plan is to first train her to fall asleep unaided at naptimes using the ferber method... letting her cry for 5 minutes before reassuring her, then 10 minutes and reassurance, then 15 minutes and reassurance... and so forth until she falls asleep. The idea is not to pick her up because that will train her that if she cries long enough she'll get what she wants. I will be keeping a journal/log of the process and we'll see how long it takes before she's sleeping through the night in her own bed. I do not expect it to be easy or fun, but it must be done.

Day 1:

Mid-day Nap
11:41 About 20 minutes after she ate, I put Estelle down for her nap, awake. Crying immediately insued.
11:46 I patted her on her back. Gently told her I love her. Kissed her head and left the room. She started crying the moment I left.
11:56 Now she's whimpering and hiccoughing from her sobs. I again, assured her I love her and patted her back before leaving the room again. This time, she paused a minute before resuming her crying.
12:16 It's only been ten minutes and she's quiet. I peeked in on her. Still whimpering and apparently awake, but her eyes are closed. I hear the occasional whine as I sneak out unnoticed.
12:20 She's awake and happily cooing at the teddy bears on her mobile. So much for sleep.

Estelle's first veggies

She's been eating rice cereal for a couple weeks now. This is her eating something new...carrots...

Update.

Things have been a bit crazy lately. We found a new house, put an offer on it, and have listed our current home for sale. We're signing on the new house in 5 days.

In other news, Estelle ate baby food carrots yesterday. I wasn't the one to do the feeding, but according to mom, she liked them. At first she made a funny face, but after a few bits was opening her mouth for more.

Last weekend, TJ and I photographed a wedding in Chicago. Estelle did quite well on the trip. She cried a little in the car, but slept most of the time. At the wedding, she was an angel. Slept a lot and even when she was awake, she was content to play with her toys. At the reception she decided to practice her vocal skills and spent 10 minutes squealing at rediculously high pitches. Everyone thought it was cute. TJ and I got to practice our dancing at the reception too. We waltzed through an entire song before we realized everyone else had stopped dancing and was watching us. When TJ dipped me at the end of the song, we were appluaded. And we weren't even that great! Lol.

Vaccinations - Round2

Monday 3:00 - Got her shots. The nurse was better this time and put the shots a little lower on her leg so it wouldn't be pinched everytime she pulled her legs back. She was also quick so Estelle didn't even realize she was in pain until all three shots had been administered. I was thankful for that.

Monday 3:10 - Estelle fell asleep on the way home.

Monday 5:00 - She's been whining a lot... just a low groan really.

Tuesday 8:15 - She's been crabby since she got up.

Tuesday 9:00 - Has a temp of 100. I gave her some tylenal. She's napping now.

Bottlefeeding

Before I had Estelle, I never imagined it would be a struggle to get her to drink from a bottle. Last Friday, she refused to take a bottle the entire 7 hours that my in-laws had her. So, we've decided we need to get her used to taking the bottle.

Day 1

*My first attempt at feeding Estelle with a bottle. She refused and cried... a lot. After a while, I handed her over to TJ where she cried some more while he tried. Clearly, she did NOT want a bottle and was mad at us for trying. We did not give in. She managed to swallow an ounce or so between all her crying and fit throwing.

*For our second attempt we were at Jame's house. She still refused and fussed quite a bit. Since it was getting late and we were with friends, I went ahead and nursed her a little to calm her down.

*Before leaving James' house, I tried to feed her one last time. This time she drank a little before fussing and managed to get about an ounce, just enough to keep her happy until we got home and I could nurse her to sleep.

Day 2

*After a couple sucks and swallows, she realized I had given her a bottle and began to cry. She cried and fussed for 15 minutes or so. It got to the point that she was too upset for me to even try anymore. She was kicking her legs and screaming. I simply could not get her to sit still so I laid her in her crib and let her cry for a while. When she'd calmed down a little, I picked her up and tried again. This time, the same as before she sucked for a second before realzing it was a bottle and then began the crying again. After an hour and a half of crying occasionally interrupted by short breaks she finally managed to drink about an ounce and a half from the bottle. Afterwards, she slept for almost three hours.

*This time I caught her when she was just bearly waking from a nap. She was not fully awake but obviously hungry so I got her bottle ready and gave it another try. This time she cried as soon as she saw the bottle, but shortly after I put it in her mouth she gave up crying and began drinking... gulping really. She finished the bottle off in less than a minute and cried when it was empty. I quickly pumped some more milk, but by the time I finished she was no longer interested in eating. I saved the new milk for later.

*TJ managed to feed her a little when he got home from work. She took an ounce or so, with a little fussing.

*At my parents house she fussed a little when I tried to feed her. I got her to eat just enough to keep her happy until we got home where I nursed her to sleep.

Day 3

*I nursed her for her first feeding of the day because I wasn't home and didn't have a bottle with me.

*She took the bottle without even a whimper this time.

*Nursed her again because I was at work and didn't have a bottle.

*Brought a bottle along to church in hopes that a nursry worker might be able to feed her. The nursery worker could not get her to take the bottle, but when I tried, she took it right away. She might have been upset that it wasn't me giving it to her.

Grabber

Estelle has recently begun to figure out how to use her hands. She's starting to grab things we put in front of her. The other day as I was laying in bed next to her, looking at her smiling face, she suddenly reach out and grabbed my nose!

Hot, hot, hot!

We're in the middle of a heat advisory and our AC broke. The repairman is supposed to come out later today to look at it. Until then, it's hot, hot, hot in this house.

Rolling

At around 2 months, Estelle managed to roll from her tummy to her back a few times, although probably not intentionally. Now, at 12 weeks, she's beginning to actually work at it and can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy. Yesterday she spent twenty minutes just going back and forth.

Almost 3 months.

Things have been going pretty well for us so far. Estelle has been the most talkative little thing, babbling all the time. She's always smiling and cooing at people.

Her neck has gotten considerably stronger, so she's now able to hold her head steady when in the sitting up position. She likes to practice sitting up in her boppy. It's cute. I don't think it'll be long before she'll be able to sit up on her own.

We've also found that when we hold her with her feet on the ground, she mimics walking by lifting and steping forward with one leg at a time. It's cute because she doesn't just lift the leg a little... she pulls it all the way up to her chest before stepping forward. Very cute.

TJ has found that, if he stands Estelle up on his lap, he can let her go and she'll support her own weight for a couple seconds.

At nighttime Estelle is still getting up every 2-3 hours. Occassionally giving me 4 or 5, but not often. Her daytime naps seem to be getting shorter too and she fights sleep. It's a chore getting her to take a nap at times, but at least she's taking naps in her crib or playpen now... instead of the middle of my bed. We'll have to work on the sleep thing a little more.

Hair

Estelle's hair has been growing nicely. She is no longer completely bald and now has a nice covering of thin dirty-blonde hair. I, on the other hand, have been loosing my hair. Literally, handfuls. I've heard this happens after pregnancy. If I keep loosing hair at the rate I am, I'll be bald in no time! Aaaaahhhh.

Estelle and Emilie

Estelle at 9 weeks with Emilie at 7 weeks.

Vaccinations

Estelle just had her 2 month checkup at the pediatrician and had to get her first set of vaccinations. Not fun. I felt terrible when she cried while getting the shots. Poor thing sounded so pathetic. On the way home though, she fell asleep and napped for a few hours after we got home. I thought maybe I was lucky and wouldn't have to deal with a crabby baby as I'd heard many do. After she woke up though, it was a different story. She nursed as usual but suddenly started screaming. Not her normal crabby cry but an "i'm in pain" scream. Her poor little leg was all red and swollen. After 10 minutes of her screaming, I called the pediatrician and asked if this was normal. They said it was, but that if she were to continue crying for a full hour, that I should call them back. The poor thing cried for 30 minutes before I was finally able to calm her down by laying her on my bed and letting her nurse. That was the only position I could get her in and hold her legs down so she wouldn't pull them up and irriate the spots where she got her shots. As long as her legs were securely down she would calm down, but if she moved them it was back to the screaming. For the rest of the evening she didn't have much of an appetite and would cry anytime she moved her legs.

Then I made the mistake of reading scary vaccination stories on the internet. You know, the ones that talk about babies dying the day after they got their vaccinations. NOT a good idea! For the next 24 hours I wouldn't let Estelle out of my sight. If she so much as whimpered, I was there to soothe her. Who cares if I might be spoiling her. At least this way, if something terrible were to happen, I would have no regrets about what I did. I can't imagine the guilt felt by those mothers who let their babies "cry it out" only to find them dead in the morning. Even though the crying isn't what killed them, just to think that the babies last moments were alone, crying in a crib is enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I've decided that since Estelle is in the age bracket the most at risk for SIDS, I'm going to love on her as much as I can because there's no guaruntee that I'll have her tomorrow.

Roll with it!

I have yet to catch her on video, but Estelle rolled over last night. She's only 2 months old, so it really came as a surprise to me. I didn't know the could do it that early.

7 Weeks Old

Co-Sleeping

I can only guess how many people have read the title of this post and are already shaking your heads. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's true and, honestly, I'm perfectly happy with this arrangement. For the first five weeks of Estelle's life we tried to get her to sleep in her bassinet. However, spending 3 or more hours each night trying to get her to sleep only to have her awaken crying only one or two hours after we put her down is not my idea of healthy parenting. All of us were loosing sleep and were reaching the ends of our ropes. I thought she had colic with all the crying she was doing each night. And it was more than frustraiting that I often had to be the one to put her down because nursing was often the only thing that could calm her down. So, one night, grumpy and tired, instead of sitting up in bed to feed her like I usually did, I just laid down next to me and let her nurse while I drifted back to sleep. To my amazement she and I both slept for three full hours before she wanted to nurse again. Her next sleep stretch was just as long.

So, the next night, instead of battling her for hours as we had been, I simply took her directly to my bed and let her nurse until we both fell asleep. She didn't fuss and instead went right to sleep for three full hours. And that sealed the deal. Since then I've been getting restful nights of sleep and feel great. I think that with more sleep, I'm able to function better as a parent, which, in the end, works out better for all of us.

And for those of you who believe co-sleeping is terrible, here are a few co-sleeping facts you probably didn't know.

*Co-sleeping is century's old and was always considered to be the only natural thing to do. Only recently has it become taboo. Like breastfeeding... it's making a comback.
*Co-sleeping actually reduces risk of SIDS because the baby usually rolls onto it's back after nursing and the back is the safest way to sleep. And because baby's breathing is more regular when she sleeps next to mom. (SIDS is often caused by baby failing to breathe when in deep sleep)
*Co-sleeping allows both mother and baby to get more restful sleep... especially if the mother is breastfeeding.
*Co-sleeping babies have fewer stress hormones and cry considerably less.

And finally, food for thought:
If you were a newborn baby brought into this strange new world. Would you rather learn to fall asleep in a big, lonely, dark crib or comfortably cuddled next to your favorite person in the world?

Happy Baby

Early Bird

It is currently 4:49 AM. Estelle decided to be an early bird today. She woke up at 4:15 to nurse and is wide awake and not looking like she's gonna go back down. That's ok with me though. Perhaps her getting up earlier will mean an earlier bedtime tonight. We shall see...

Sleep

Last night I got a terrible migrane shortly after we got home from church. At first it was just a headache, but after an hour or so it turned into a full blown migrane, complete with nasuea and sensitivity to noise and light. I took a couple tylenal then nursed Estelle before lying down to rest. TJ, bless his heart, took Estelle downstairs because she was fussy. He rocked her and took care of her so I could get some sleep. I woke up four hours later and felt completely better. I felt fully rested at 2:30 am. Who would've known that only four hours of sleep could do so much good.

She Smiled!

I know that babies aren't supposed to smile until around 6 weeks, but I really think she smiled today (at three weeks). I've seen her grimace from gas before, and that looks kinda like a smile, but this was different. She seemed excited and made a happy noise while she busted out the biggest smile. Then, when I smiled and talked back to her, she did it again! I got like three or four smiles out of her. If only I could have caught it on camera....

Estelle at 2 weeks

Breastfeeding

My issues with breastfeeding started immediately. At the hospital, Estelle was too sleepy after birth and wouldn't stay awake for a full feeding. (I blame the drugs) We kept trying and only ended up frustraited. Finally, before leaving the hospital, the lactation consultant gave me a "game plan" to use until breastfeeding was established. The plan was for me to offer the breast at each feeding. If she took it, great. If not, I would feed her expressed milk and then I would pump and store new milk for the next feeding if she refused again.

When I got home, the plan worked and soon enough Estelle was taking the breast only. However, a new problem arose in place of the old one. Engorgement... which is supposed to last only a day or two after the milk comes in. Well... it didn't. Turns out, I have what's known as "overabundant milk supply"... meaning I produce too much milk. Every time I want to feed her, I have to express some milk BEFORE I feed her in order to soften things up so she can latch. Otherwise, the breasts are too hard for her to get a good latch. In only a couple minutes of expressing, I'm usually getting a few ounces per side. I know it doesn't seem like much... but when you consider how often this happens during they day, you will see that it adds up... fast. I've only been home from the hospital for a week and I've already stored 17 5oz bags of milk. That's more than 2 bottles full per day! I've now started just dumping the extra milk as there's no more room in my freezer and I've already got enough frozen to last though quite a few babysitting feedings.

I'm now trying to decrease my milk supply by avoiding expressing whenever possible. I let her try to latch before I pump now.. although it rarely works. And I've given up pumping between feedings... which I occasionally did for rellief. (engorgement hurts!) I'm just hoping my supply decreases soon. I leak all the time an it's gotten to be quite annoying.

Estelle's Birth

Getting Close?

I hate to get my hopes up, but last night and today I've been having the faintest cramps. So far I've seen no pattern in my BH contractions, but I wonder if the cramps means something is about to happen. I sure hope so.

Maniac With a Broom

These past couple days I have been absolutely insane with my desire to clean.

Tuesday I mowed the lawn, although it hurt like crazy even walking so I'm insane for mowing. I must have looked pretty pathetic out there waddling around my front yard because Rose, our elderly neighbor came over to help. She actually took the mower from me and finished the lawn while I swept up the clippings. Such a sweetheart. When that was finished, I fertilized the grass. Don't worry I used the dry kind in the spreader... no harsh chemicals in the air that way.

Wednesday I got out the weed-wacker and did all the trim in the front yard until my arms were killing me, then swept the sidewalks and driveway.

Today has been the worst though. I've been working like a maniac cleaning inside the house. So far I've washed all the sheets and blankets, finished three loads of regular laundry, washed the living room windows, vaccumed the living room, swept and mopped the kitchen and bathroom, washed the dishes, re-organized the laundry room, dusted the living room furniture, and mopped the front portch. There is still much to be done, but progress is slow. I'm still in pain so it's a killer going up and down the stairs. But, I'm determined to get this place in tip-top shape before baby Estelle arrives.

PAIN

No, I haven't started labor yet, but I have been suffering from extreme amounts of pain in my pelvis. Basically it feels like somebody took a hammer and whacked me in my crotch causing shooting pain anytime I walk or lift a leg. This started a couple weeks ago and has gotten progressively worse. It is to the point now where I can hardly roll over in bed, dread the thought of going upstairs, and walk so slow that elderly folks with walkers pass me up at the grocery store. If you placed a plate full of delicious chocolate cake in front of me but told me I'd have to get up and walk over to get it, I very well might skip the cake just to avoid the pain involved with getting to it. That's how bad it is. And anyone who knows about me and my love for chocolate knows it's serious business when it surpasses my desire for chocolate.

At first, I assumed this was a normal part of pregnancy, but after a little online research, I found that this condition has a name... Simphisis Pubic Dysfunction. Here is one article I found....
http://www.minti.com/parenting-advice/3785/Pelvic-pain-during-pregnancy-SPD-symphisis-pubic-dysfunction/

And, just so you can know how serious this is, here is a picture of the chocolate cake I would deny myself:

Still Pregnant?

Every week I lead songs in the three-year-old Sunday school class. Yesterday, in class, little Josiah gave me an odd look before saying "Hey, your tummy is really big!". I smiled and asked him if he knew why my tummy was so big. When he shook his head "no", I went on to tell him that there was a baby growing in there. At that, his eyes got really big. I think he thinks I ate a baby. Lol.

I can't walk through church without being people saying "You're still here?" or "Haven't you had that baby YET?" or "Still hanging in there I see". I bet if I counted how many remarks like that I've recieved it would be close to 15 yesterday alone. It's getting a little old. Obviously I'm "still here"... you can see me can't you. And of course I haven't had that baby yet, I'm still fat aren't I? And no, I'm not "hanging in there"... the baby is. And there is one lady, I'm not going to mention names, who finds the need to laugh every Sundy morning when I first walk in, then she'll make some gesture indicating that she's laughing at my large belly. I can't quite figure out what's so funny. Ok. Vent over.

In other news, I have lost a couple pounds this past week. I forgot to mention it in my last post, but when I went to the doc on Friday I was back down to 159. It had been 161 the week before. So, that was pretty exciting. Maybe I won't explode afterall!

Oh, and I got to talk over details of my birth plan with my doc too. There was only one point that she didn't agree on and that was use of IV drip for hydration. I'd rather avoid being tethered to a metal pole and bag of sugar water but she really feels it's neccessary. I guess I can tolerate that. She is the doctor afterall. On the bright side, it was encouraging to hear that she has delivered babies to couples who have used the Bradley Method before, so she is familiar with the techniques.

Progress Update

I had a doc appointment today. Looks like everything is going well so far. Estelle is still head down and I'm 1 cm dialated. I know it's not much, but it's progress! At least I can know all these braxton hicks contractions aren't being wasted. Lol.

Late Night Scare

Last night little Estelle gave us a scare. She hadn't been moving as much during the day as she usually does, so when I laid down for bed, which is her favorite time to move a lot, and she still didn't move I started to get worried. I tried changing positions, which normally get's her going, but that didn't work. I tried to hear her heartbeat on my fetal heart monitor, as unreliable as it is, and couldn't find her heartbeat. Finally, I laid back and TJ and I tried moving her around but still couldn't get movement. At that point, we started to get worried, so I called the hospital. They told us to come in so they could do a non-stress test to make sure everything is ok.

After what seemed like forever, we finally got to the hospital where they hooked me up to an external fetal monitor. What a relief it was to hear her heartbeat good and strong. I was then instructed to mark whenever I felt movement. She did finally end up moving a bit. The test lasted an hour and everything looked good so they sent us home.

Although it turned out to be a long night for us, I did feel a lot better after hearing her heartbeat and being confirmed that all was well. I wouldn't have been able to sleep had I not gone in, so I guess it's good that we made the trip out to the hospital, even if it didn't turn out to be neccessary. Better safe than sorry.

36 Week Belly Pics

A photographer friend of mine was looking to try out some new maternity poses for display. TJ and I were obliged to help. Here are the pics....



Photos by: Gerry Frierdich of Crafty Eye Photography (www.craftyeyephoto.com)

A Birth Plan

I met with, Angela, the nurse practitioner, yesterday because the doc is out of town. The appointment went well and I got to hear Estelle's heartbeat again. That's always fun. Angela said I haven't started dialating yet, so I guess my soreness yesterday was just tired muscles.

I measured myself around my belly again... 44 inches now. And I weigh something like 159 lbs!

Also, I think I'm starting to come up with some idea of what I want for my birth. I've been reading a book about pain relief that lists all of the pros and cons of each pain relief method including side effects and possible complications of all the drugs. This has basically solidified my desire to have an un-drugged birth. I've always got the option of an epidural but I hope not to need it. There are just too many negative side effects and possible complications. So, instead TJ and I are learning the Bradly method of natural childbirth. I'm also going to ask if my doctor might be able to use a local anesthetic when I start the pushing stage. I figure I'd probably tear and need the local anesthetic during stitches anyways, so I'll just ask if she can give me the shot at the beginning of the pushing stage to ease some of the pain in pushing and tearing. I know it won't kill the pain of contractions, but I figure that small amount of relief might make a difference. I am not going into this foolishly optimistic. I know that my birth will be one of extreme pain and physical strain. That's why I am working so hard right now to prepare myself with coping methods. I also know that epiduarals and other medications have many, many longer lasting side effects that I simply do not want. I would rather endure a few hours of extreme pain than risk the potential problems involved with drugs. Not to mention, women who have natural childbirth expriences feel a whole lot better after birth and recover more quickly than those who used drugs. So that's the plan for now. It is subject to change.

Pelvic Pain

Yesterday I started feeling pain and pressure in my lower pelvic region. I'm not sure what exactly cuased it, but my vaginal area is still sore. I had two photo sessions yesterday, both of which involved a good amount of walking, and I kinda wonder if that's what brought this on. I had been mildy sore throughout the day but I was able to ignore it for the most part. Then, at the end of my second session, I had squated to take some pictures and when I got back up, it really hit me. I greatly appreciated the long drive home because it allowed me to sit and rest for a bit.

I'll deffinately be asking about this at my doc appointment tomorrow.

Good Baby

Well guys. I had another doc appointment on Friday and was pleased to find out that baby Estelle is facing head-down like she's supposed to be. My doc says that at this point, if they are head-down, they usually stay that way until delivery. So, I'll probably be able to try giving birth the natural way. This makes me very happy as I do not like the idea of having my belly sliced open.

Also, I finally managed to hear Estelle's heartbeat on my personal fetal heart monitor thingy. Those things are crap by the way. I paid $20 for that thing hoping I'd hear her heartbeat "months before my due date"... only to try faithfully with no results until I was in my 35th week! Still, TJ and I were pleased to finally hear her little heart beating away. I wanted to try to record it and post it on here, but since that morning she must have changed positions because I haven't been able to catch it again. Little stinker. I'll keep trying though and will hopefully have a recording before Estelle makes her grand appearance.

Other than that, not much has been happening. I am officially the size of a small whale, weighing in at close to 30 lbs more than my pre-pregnancy weight. Yikes! Deffinately did not expect to gain this much. I thought I would gain 20.. maybe 25 lbs. I can't say I wasn't warned though. The internet articles DID say that underweight women should expect to gain more than is normal as their body compensates. I was borderline underweight, so maybe that's why. Everyone tells me it's "all belly" though, so I guess I'm ok.

My back is killing me and bedtime involves a 4 pillow stacking ritual in which I stretegically place my pillows before carefully waddle-crawling into just the right spot. TJ finds this amusing.

Aside from that, I'm loving this part of the pregnancy. It's not hardly as bad as some women make it out to be. Before I got pregnant, I thought for sure that by this stage in the pregnancy I would have to stop doing anything and my time would be spent laying on a couch fanning myself and praying for an early delivery. So far that hasn't happened. But who knows, it could happen yet. I've still got a few weeks left afterall.....

Finally updating.

Last night TJ and I took our last "Prepared Childbirth Class". They gave us a certificate saying that we'd completed the course. My question is, why do I need a certificate? What would they do if I didn't have a certificate? ....."oh I'm sorry, you can't have your baby yet, you're not certified..." Lol. Anyways, they gave us a tour of the facilities... very nice. The labor and delivery rooms resemble nice hotel rooms... except with hard floors, adjustable beds, and spot lights. Really though, they're nice. And, we got to stop by the nursery and look at the babies on display... so cute. Makes me even more anxious for little Estelle to get here. She still has at least a few more weeks of baking time yet.

After taking all those childbirth classes, I'm officially more confused than when I went in... regarding pain killers anyways. At first I thought I wanted an epidural from the get-go, but now I'm not so sure. Aside from the fact that the list of side-effects was two pages long and ugly, there's also the required urine catheter which I dread. Then again, in extreme pain, am I going to even care that there's an uncomfortable plastic tube in my pee-hole? On the other hand, I like the idea of being able to walk around and use a birthing ball during labor. Can't do that if I get the epidural. But then again, without the epidural, there is pain.

One thing I know for sure, I am not qualified to weigh the two choices because I don't know how painful this thing is going to be. From the looks of all the birth clips I've seen, it's bad. But the question is... how bad? Is the pain so bad that the epidural would be worth it, even with all the bad stuff that comes with it? Cause I really don't like the idea of having needles and tubes hooked up to me all over, plus the extended labor time and risk of having to have induction drugs to speed things along. Plus there's a chance my baby will come out all drowsy from the drugs too, and the fact that I won't be able to leave the bed the whole time. I am going to need to do more research.

Don't even get my started on epesiotomy's.

Nursery

TJ and I finished painting the nursery this weekend. I did most of the work on Friday (with a respiratory mask on), then TJ helped me put the border up and finish the trim work on Saturday morning. Here are the before and after pictures:

25 week appointment

I had another doc appoitment today. Looks like baby Estelle is growing well and all her anatomy checks from the last ultrasound came out great. My placenta is no longer low-lying, so I may get to try for a normal birth afterall. So, all good news so far.

I asked about these Braxton Hicks contractions I've been having and she said not to worry unless they occured 4 times in an hour. As it is, they've been happening about 6 times a day. So there's nothing to worry about there either.

I'm up to 142 lbs now... an increase of 17 lbs total and my belly is measuring about 39 inches around. Here are some pictures I took last week:

I had another ultrasound this week on Wednesday. I haven't got the pictures scanned yet, but I will. Just wanted to post an update on the baby. She's growing well, still a little bit ahead of schedule. During the ultrasound she kept headbutting the wand thingy. I thought that was kinda funny. She's a very active baby and I'm loving it. It's so reassuring to feel her move. Oh yeah, and they checked her gender again... still looks like a girl. Now I think I can start working on the nursery....