The First Two Weeks

I fully intended writing after Anna's first week, but time blew by us so fast! I can't believe that our little girl has quickly passed the two-week old mark! It feels like yesterday that I was still pregnant, but at the same time, it feels like we've had her forever (in a good way). :-)

First night at home

Anna had to spend about 12 hours in the NICU after she was born because she was having a hard time regulating her breathing. She was breathing too quickly to suck, swallow and breathe, so they wanted to keep an eye on her. She also had a chest x-ray which showed a little bit of fluid in her right lung. We were able to go see her after she'd been up there for a few hours and I was also able to feed her. She was being pretty stubborn and wouldn't open her mouth, she had it shut tight, but eventually she got a few good sucks in. To this day, she closes her mouth very tight & it's very hard to get in there....even her pediatrician could barely get in there, haha.

Cuddles with Daddy in the hospital

Around 6:30pm, they brought her to our room for her to stay the rest of the time. She had a second x-ray which was much better than the first, she had stabilized her breathing and low blood sugars, so she was good to go. Our first night in the hospital was exhausting, my lack of sleep was catching up with me, but we made it through. The next day my parents and brothers came to visit before we were discharged around 5pm.

I'm going home!

When we got home, Tim went outside to take care of some things in the yard, and Anna & I went into her room to rock in her rocking chair. When Tim came in the house, it was super quiet and he couldn't find us. He checked every room but hers, and when he turned around and saw us, he said, "Where's my baby?" It was so funny! I assured him that I still had her and that we were just nursing. :)

Adorable

I'd have to say that I think Tim and I are adjusting to parenthood very well. This is something we have looked forward to for years and I feel like we welcomed it with open arms. We've also been blessed with a beautiful, easy-going baby! Anna is just the sweetest. She only fusses and grunts (occasionally it'll be a full cry) when she needs something - diaper change, to be fed or to be burped....that's usually about it. *Knock-on-wood, she has been an excellent sleeper, especially at night. We're also both getting the hang of breastfeeding. It's quite the learning experience, but we're getting better each day. Again, I am fascinated that my body is able to provide for her - its incredible.

First trip to Target & Hobby Lobby

The first week at home was so quick, but it was excellent. Tim was able to get a week off of work and it was so nice having him home. The first full day we were home, we had several visitors. A couple people from work stopped by to see Anna, as well as Tim's parents and their spouses.

My coworkers started back at school on the 14th, so Anna & I showed our
support by wearing owls, our school mascot.

We did much more in the first week than I ever thought we'd do with a newborn, but I'm very glad we did. It's not fun being stuck in the house all the time, so each day we tried to get out to do something. We took Anna to Target and Hobby Lobby at just a few days old; we went out of town to lunch and to a couple stores; Anna had her first doctor appointment; we visited my school where she was able to meet many staff members; and my favorite day was when we took her to meet her great, great-grandma who she is named after.

Anna & Anna, 100 years apart - priceless

On Thursday, at six days old, we headed an hour north where most of Tim's family lives so Anna could meet the wonderful woman she's named after - Tim's great-grandma, Anna Danner, who we all just call Danner. Danner was SO excited to meet one of her great, great-granddaughters! It was so sweet, and absolutely priceless, to see her holding Anna. Danner said she wanted to put Anna in her pocket and take her home. :)

After our visit with Danner, and great-aunt Shirley, we headed over to (great) Grandma Dorothy's house. This is Tim's grandma and the one who will be taking care of Anna when I have to go back to work. While we were at Dorothy's, Anna was able to meet several of her cousins, her Aunt Elise, and a few great aunts & uncles, too. She was immediately swarmed when we brought her in the door which just showed me how much love the family has for her already!

Anna being swarmed by her loving cousins :)

Anna had her first doctor appointment at four days old. She weighed 6lbs 4oz, which was just 3oz less than her birth weight. Her pediatrician, who we love, was very pleased with that. He was also absolutely amazed that I have CF and that I am the first CF parent he's ever met. He couldn't believe that I was healthy enough to carry her, and he is also curious how CF may (or may not) affect my breast milk. He said he's going to try to find any research on it, but we both agreed it'll probably be difficult since CFers having children is such a 'new' thing.

"How am I one week old already??"

On Monday, the 18th, Tim had to go back to work, so Anna and I had our first day together, just the two of us & we decided to stay in our PJs all day. We sent Daddy a nice gummy smiling picture to help him get through the day, and as soon as he walked in the door that evening he said, "where's my baby?" and came over to see her...it was so cute.

Poor little thing had a gunky eye, so I put some breast milk
on it and it was cleared up the next day - amazing!

Anna had a follow-up doctor appointment at 12 days old, which went very well. She was a whopping 6lbs 11oz! This means she had gained 7oz in just over a week and had surpassed her birth weight! I was so proud of her! The doctor was very pleased and again, surprised that I wasn't supplementing at all...take that, CF!

This is the BEST!

Over this passed weekend, Linda and Roger came to meet Anna and hang out with us for a few days. We had so much fun together and I'm so glad they were finally able to come down. On Saturday, we even went down to meet Alayna and see the girls together for the first time. On the way back we stopped at Scheels where Anna got her picture taken with a bear and even caught a fish. :)

Uncle Roger & his peanut

Love this!

At two weeks old, Anna is very laid-back. She nurses about every two hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. She's producing plenty of wet and poopy diapers, which have been a lovely yellow-orange color. She loves to cuddle, but also does a great job sleeping when she's put down. We

do fifteen minutes a day of tummy-time, per doctors orders, and she is so strong! Anna loves to have her hands by her face constantly, which can get a little tricky when trying to latch on to nurse, but thankfully hasn't scratched herself too bad. I think she can recognize mommy & daddy's voices because she gives us big gummy smiles when she's awake and we're talking to her. She also loves to stare at us, and will turn her head to follow our face or voice if we're up close. We've given her a few sponge baths over the two weeks. The first one she didn't care for too much, but the next ones she did very well. She was very calm while Daddy was pouring the water over her head and body and just seemed to be taking it all in - I hope this means she'll like bath time & water. She lost her umbilical cord at 10 days old, so we gave her her first real bath shortly after. She wasn't so sure about it at first, but didn't do too bad.

The Day I Became A Mother

I was scheduled to be induced at 7:30am on Friday, August 8th. Throughout my entire pregnancy, I always said how I wanted the whole "OMG my water broke, rush around the house dramatically and speed to the hospital" experience. The closer and closer I got to my due date, the farther away that fantasy seemed. I was having irregular contractions for two weeks which were slowly preparing my cervix for labor, but they weren't too promising. Tim always thought I'd have to be induced because I wouldn't go into labor on my own before 39 weeks. It sure looked like he was going to be right about that one...

Thursday evening, Tim and I went out to dinner to distract ourselves and so we wouldn't be sitting around the house just waiting to go to bed (and not sleep!) in anticipation of the next morning. Tim was suffering with his typical seasonal allergies, so he took some Benadryl to help him sleep, while I tossed and turned in bed. Around 11pm, I felt something a little weird...like I was about to pee myself, so I got up to use the bathroom. On my way, a small little gush came out, so I hurried to the toilet (because I thought I peed myself) and then a much bigger gush of something came out. It was kind of cloudy and didn't look like pee. I thought, Was that my water? Did my water just break? So what do I do - google it, of course! Google wasn't extremely helpful, duh, so I texted a friend who recently had a baby asking what it looks like when your water breaks. *All this time I'm in the bathroom, not wanting to wake Tim for nothing. My friend couldn't really answer because she was induced, so she didn't really know what it looked like. So I decided it was best to call the birth center for their opinion on what to do. The lady on the other end said she couldn't really tell unless I came in to get checked, if contractions started (which could take up to 4 hours), or if I continued leaking. I decided to just wait a few minutes to see what my body would do before waking Tim. Well, I didn't have to wait too long before I felt another small gush in my underwear. I was in shock - I couldn't believe that less than twelve hours before I was scheduled to be induced that my water broke! I was SO excited!!

I went into the bedroom and woke Tim up by saying, "Uh, my water broke!" He was so confused at first because he was so out of it. I told him that we needed to get everything and head to the hospital. Thankfully I had my bag and the baby's bag packed and waiting by the door. While Tim was packing his bag, I quickly waked around the house grabbing last minute things like chargers, filling the cats' food bowl, and getting towels for the car in case I leaked anymore. We were out the door by 11:15 and on our way to the hospital!! My contractions started in the car, so I started timing them. They were coming about every 3 1/2 minutes and lasting around a minute each. They weren't too bad, pain-wise, so that was good, but I could tell that these were "the real deal". They were nothing like the contractions I was experiencing over the last two weeks. We arrived at the hospital just around midnight and checked-in at the front desk, where they immediately made me sit in a wheel chair.

After getting checked in, we were brought up to the birth center and given a room. I was hooked up to an IV for fluids and was told they didn't like to give epidurals until I go through that first fluid bag. The contractions were manageable and I was dilated to 3cm, but it didn't take long for the contractions to increase in length and intensity. I tried breathing through them as much as I could, but

This was in between contractions, before the epidural.

they were getting more and more painful to the point where I was clutching anything within reach with a death grip to try to get through the pain. My nurse (who was AMAZING!) knew I wanted an epidural, but was waiting for the lab to go over my blood work, which was taking longer than usual. Finally, around 2:45am, the anesthesiologist came in!! The nurse asked Tim to leave the room and told him that I'd be a new woman when he came back. Of course I was told I needed to sit completely still through my contractions so she could do her job, and I tried my best. The epidural procedure itself wasn't too bad and my nurse kept assuring me that these were the last contractions I'd have to feel. Oh man....once that epidural kicked it, I was in heaven!! They checked me once it was effective and told me I was 5 centimeters now. My nurse was so encouraging and supportive the whole time. She kept telling me how great I was doing (especially before the epidural) and how quick she thought the baby was going to come.
Once I was able to relax and no longer be in pain, that's when the excitement set in. I realized that our daughter was coming sooner rather than later and that my body was doing everything right. I progressed quickly, each time they checked me I was a bit further along.At one point a bunch of medical staff all came quickly into the room and just stared at the monitors. They were all whispering to each other, but not telling me what was going on. Finally they explained that the baby's heart rate was slowing down a little (they thought she was laying on her cord), so they repositioned me to see if that would help, and it did. The awkward part...I couldn't feel anything below my belly. My legs were like jello so it took two-three nurses to move me each time I had to go to one side - I felt so helpless! Thankfully the repositioning helped and I was still progressing well. When I was around 9cm, her heart rate was still having its ups and downs, so three nurses flipped me onto my hands and knees! Talk about a weird position to be in when you can't feel the bottom half of your body! But it worked. Baby was able to make her final decent and I was starting to feel some pressure and a little urge to push. So the three nurses flipped me onto my back again and everyone started getting ready for delivery!!

It was about 5:30 in the morning when they started setting up everything - getting their gowns on, laying the tarp out and turning on the big overhead light. My nurse helped me get my jello legs into the stirrups and she held my right leg while Tim held my left. At this point, I'm pretty sure I was just grinning from ear to ear because I knew that this was it, this was the final stage, the final hurdle into mommy-hood. The doctor asked if I wanted the mirror down, and to my surprise, I said 'sure'. It was absolutely fascinating seeing the slow progression of her head appearing after each push. It was kind of hard at first to get the hang of pushing, especially when I couldn't feel much, but I really think the mirror helped. All of the staff were very calm, but very encouraging. Slowly but surely, her head started to appear. I watched it come out on the mirror and was in absolute awe. Then I looked down and saw her face all I remember saying was, "oh my god" and "awww" because I was in disbelief that she had just come out of me - it was the most rewarding and unbelievable amazing feeling!!

Anna Lily was born at 5:57am on Friday, August 8th. She was 6lbs, 7oz and 19 inches long.

She came out with the cord right next to her face (so she had two bruises on her left cheek), but thankfully it was not wrapped around her neck. Her little cries were the best sound! They took her over to her little bed to check her out and clean her up. Tim went over and got some pictures, but they did bring her back to us right away. They were just listening to her with the stethoscope for a while and whispering again. It freaked me out! I asked if she was okay, and they didn't really say much. Finally the doctor came over and said she was breathing quickly and that sometimes it takes a bit more time for some babies to regulate their breathing. Then they had a head NICU nurse come down and check her out and they decided they were going to take her to the NICU to be observed for a while and to get a chest x-ray to see if there was any fluid in her lungs. I wanted to cry, but I held myself together. They assured me that she'd be okay and that it wasn't anything too serious. Before they took her away, they let Tim and I hold her for a few minutes.

That blue box was hooked up to her monitoring
her heart rate.

They stopped my epidural, started untangling all of the cords and monitors that I had on, and I had to wait for the feeling to come back in my legs before I could get up to shower and go to the post partum room. It was strange knowing that I just gave birth, but she wasn't with us. Of course I should have used the time to rest/sleep, but there was absolutely no way that was going to happen. Tim and I discussed middle name and finally decided on Lily. It was the name I wanted all along, but we never officially agreed on it, but as soon as I saw her, I just knew that was it - she was always Anna Lily in my mind during the pregnancy, and it just fit her perfectly when I saw her.

After I finally gained the feeling back in my legs, I was able to take a shower, then we loaded up our stuff on a cart to go down to our recovery/post partum room. Shortly after, they called us from the NICU telling us that she was ready to eat and asked if I wanted to come feed her -- of course!!

Anna in the NICU

I could not have asked for a better labor and delivery experience. I was able to go into labor on my own, experience and appreciate the pain before relaxing and enjoying the rest with the help of the lifesaver epidural. I was able to give birth vaginally without any interventions (vacuum, forceps, etc) from doctors. Again, I am completely amazed by what my body can do!! It's absolutely fascinating and enjoyed every minute of it...after the epidural. :-)

Pros & Cons of Pregnancy - 3rd Trimester

I created a pros/cons list for my first two trimesters of pregnancy to help me remember my pregnancy - to read it, please click here. Here's my list for the last trimester.

Pros

• Your movements are hysterical! Since you're getting bigger, you're doing more body rolls and stretches which morph my belly into very funny and unusual shapes!
• No swelling, heart burn, or extreme fatigue.
• I still have enough energy to go walking almost everyday for 30-45 minutes. This also gives me something to look forward to each day.
• Weekly doctor appointments also give me something to look forward to each week. I love seeing you on the ultrasound each week and see how much you're growing and how squished you really are!
• Sleep! Thankfully I've still been able to sleep well each night! As I get further along, it's getting increasingly uncomfortable to stay on one side for a long period of time and to roll over, but luckily I'm able to fall back asleep quickly after the process of rolling or having to pee a couple times a night.
• Lung function: Despite my awful weekend over 4th of July (see below), at 36 weeks, my FEV1 was 83%!! That's back to my pre-pregnancy baseline lung function! Thank you Cayston & thank you, Baby Girl, for giving Mommy's lungs some relief.
• Nesting: I've been nesting basically since I stopped working at the end of May, but due to that, I've been way on top of things. The floors are vacuumed several times a week, everything is ready in your room (except your crib because Daddy's been working outside), hospital bags are packed & ready to go, your car seat bases have been in both vehicles since 35 weeks...there's not much left for me to do. :)

Cons

• It's going by so slow and I'm bored out of my mind!! It's so hard sitting around all summer just waiting for you. I know I shouldn't complain because I've had a ton of time to prepare for you, but I am so anxious to finally have you here, that by 33 weeks, there wasn't much left to do!
• Bathroom & gas issues. This started towards the end of my second trimester and hasn't really gone away. I added one extra enzyme every time I eat, which helped for about a week... I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with until you're finally out. I'm guessing it has to do with how much room you're taking up and how you're probably squishing my intestines and pancreas.
• Discomfort & Exhaustion - over 4th of July weekend (34 weeks) I went through a fever, headache, shortness of breath, and chest soreness & tightness. It felt like I was hit by a truck that weekend, especially because it came out of nowhere and came on so fast. Thankfully with a few doses of Tylenol and lots of rest, it slowly went away over the next week, but that's what happens when you're carrying an almost 5lb baby around all the time apparently.
• Weight loss: Due to the bathroom issues described above, I've actually lost around 3-4 pounds this trimester. Thankfully you're still growing well, but I worry what my weight is going to be after delivery.

38 Weeks

Friday, August 1 - 38 weeks (my last week of pregnancy!)
This is it folks, it's baby month...well, actually baby week!!! Today, I am 38 weeks, which is 9 1/2 months. I am so proud of my body for being able to take care of you and provide for you this long! This week you're the size of a pumpkin, you have a firm grasp, and your organs are fully mature for life in the outside world. You'll be making your arrival soon enough, but I am determined to have you sooner rather than later. This morning Natalie and I went on a walk, but this time we took the long trail that Daddy and I usually take. I thought since it helped me have contractions last night, it'd help me have contractions this afternoon...wrong! It was excellent exercise, but I think I've had maybe two contractions in the last five hours...oh well, I was able to get a nice little nap in this afternoon.

Got a picture with each kitty this week :)

Daddy and I have been having little date nights each Friday for a while, and tonight is our last one before we become a family of three. :-)

That's right...if you don't come on your own by next Friday, you're being evicted. I've had this induction scheduled for weeks now, but didn't want to make it public because I didn't want people bugging me about it. We're scheduled to go in on Friday, August 8th at 7:30 in the morning to start my induction. I'll be exactly 39 weeks then. We (doctors and I) agreed on 39 weeks because you'll be fully developed then and it'll take a week's worth of stress off my body. Of course as soon as they mentioned having you a week early, I agreed! As much as I'd love to experience going into natural labor, I am looking forward to the induction. I also don't think its going to be as bad as some people make inductions out to be because my body is already, slowly, starting the labor process on its own, so I'm hoping this will help the induction go a bit smoother and maybe quicker. Daddy's convinced that you're not going to come any time sooner, even with all the walking I've been doing...we'll see. It's exciting knowing there's an end in sight if you don't come on your own because I'm growing very impatient and cannot wait to see you and hold you!

Sneak preview of my maternity photos shot by my dear husband :)

Monday, August 4 - 38w, 3d
I just got home from my last OB appointment! It's so crazy to think that the next time I'll go will be for your delivery...in just four short days!! Today's appointment went well, your heart rate was 129bpm, my weight was 127.2 and blood pressure was normal. They did a growth scan on you today and you are going to be a tiny peanut! They're estimating your weight at 5lbs 15oz today, so I'm curious to see how accurate they really are come Friday. The doctor said you're on the small side, obviously, but she thinks that conventionally, you're just small...there shouldn't be any problems because my placenta looked normal, I have a good level of fluid still, you're still moving like you should, etc. She then checked my cervix and I wasn't quite 3cm, so she said 2.5cm dilated. She said my cervix is coming forward which is good, and because of these things, they'll probably just start me on Pitocin Friday morning to get the induction started.

Thursday, August 7 - 38w, 6d
This is it....we're going to meet you tomorrow!!!! Hopefully you won't make us wait until Saturday. :) I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that you'll be out of me so soon! As much as I have loved every second of being pregnant, I cannot wait to meet you finally! I have no idea how the induction is going to go tomorrow, but I'm hoping it'll be as smooth as this pregnancy has been. I'm very glad that it's scheduled for so early in the morning so that Daddy and I don't have to sit around all day waiting to go in. I didn't get the best sleep last night and I doubt I'm going to sleep well (if at all) tonight because I'm just so excited. See you tomorrow!!!!!!

I'm Going To Miss This

After carrying our daughter around for over 38 weeks, I know that I am going to miss being pregnant. Of course, I have been so lucky to have an "easy" pregnancy, which makes it even harder. These are the things that I think I'm going to miss the most about being pregnant with our sweet little girl:

• Being "the pregnant one" - From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, I wanted to shout it out to the world! I wanted everyone to know what we had finally accomplished after three long years, that I was pregnant! Of course, who doesn't mind the cute smiles from passing elderly women or people asking how far along I was. I love being pregnant!
• I'll miss feeling you move inside me. I have cherished every kick, jab, roll, hiccup, and full body stretch over the last five months. People probably thought I was a little silly for constantly having my hands on my belly, but I never wanted to miss a movement. The best part was feeling you for the first times! I'll never forget that! They were just between you and I because they weren't strong enough to feel from the outside. I felt like it was our special connection and it really helped me bond with you.
• And going along with that, of course I'm going to miss watching all of your crazy acrobatics from the outside as your slowly grew bigger and ran out of room! It was fun to share your movements with people and to see their reactions when my belly would suddenly shift or morph into crazy shapes and positions. The best was when you would make a big movement out of no where - there were so many times that I would say "woah" when you caught me off guard and then Daddy and I would watch in anticipation of what you'd do next!
• I have loved the anticipation and excitement of doctors appointments and ultrasounds. Being high-risk meant lots of doctor appointments for me and lots of ultrasounds for you. It's been absolutely amazing watching you grow inside me from the size of a poppy seed to a, now, pumpkin! Learning about your development each week and then seeing how much you'd change monthly, then weekly, through the ultrasounds has been fantastic. You've always been on the small side, but you're growing just as you should, and I know that you'll always be our little peanut.

We watched you go from this:

6 weeks, 4 days

To this:

37 weeks, 3 days

Even though I know I am going to miss all of those things, these are the ones I am looking forward to the most:

• The title of mom. I have always wanted to be a mother and you'll be making that dream come true within the next couple of days or weeks. And I know that Daddy feels the same way. After waiting three years to finally see those two pink lines, the reality that we're going to be parents in a matter of days is still unbelievable at times, but we could not be more excited!
• You're going to have the best Dad ever! I know that he already loves you SO much and is already protective of you. :) He's such a strong but gentle and loving man, and I know that you'll have him wrapped around your tiny fingers in no time!
• I can't wait to hold you, smell your cute little baby smell, look into your eyes, rock you to sleep, cuddle with you a little too much, count your little fingers and toes, and to watch your Daddy do all the same.
• I can't wait to watch you learn, grow and develop. I'm excited to see what kind of personality you'll have. Will you be more laid back and go-with-the-flow like Daddy, or always wanting a plan like Mommy? Will you love being outdoors or be a homebody? Will you love sports, be a bookworm or maybe a little of both? Whatever you decide, I know it'll perfectly fit you.
• I can't wait to introduce you to everyone, take you on walks, read to you, play with you, laugh with you, teach you to ride a bike.
• I cannot wait to be your mom. I hope that I can be the best role model for you, teach you to be a respectful, responsible and confident person. I hope that you can come to me in times of need and I promise to be there for you forever!  

37 Weeks - Full Term!

Sunday, July 26 - 37w, 2d

July 26 - 37w, 1d

Yay, you've made it to full-term!! Some pregnancy sites don't consider babies full-term until they're 39 weeks, but according to my doctors, you've hit that mark. They said that it's safe for you to come any time now...and since I'm writing this on Sunday, that means we made it through Tony and Brittany's wedding without going into labor!
Speaking of which, their wedding was a blast!! Daddy and I had so much fun with all of our friends, and I'm pretty sure you had a good time, too. I was out on the dance floor way more that I thought I would be, but how could I just sit and watch everyone have all of the fun?! I made sure to drink lots of water and take frequent breaks, and during those breaks you'd move around like crazy. Of course I was exhausted by the end of the night, but we all had so much fun.
This morning while Daddy and I were eating breakfast with friends in the hotel, I noticed that I was having frequent Braxton Hicks, but I wasn't surprised and they weren't painful, so I just assumed it was from my work out the night before. On the car ride home, I was having steady contractions about ten minutes apart, lasting 30-45 seconds, for almost two hours. They weren't super strong, but I was getting hopeful that they'd pick up during the afternoon/evening. But as soon as we got home and I started moving around and unpacking, they seemed to fade away or at least, slow down and become less noticeable. This evening, when I sat down again, I had a few more 8-10 minutes apart and a little bit stronger, but again, as soon as I'd get up to go to the bathroom or something, they'd become sporadic again or completely vanish. I'm planning on keeping an eye on them tonight to see if they return or pick up. Thankfully I have another doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I'll have to see what they say. I'm also curious if they check me again if I've dilated anymore since having all of these contractions today.

Monday, July 28 - 37w, 3d
I had a few more contractions this morning, about 8-9 minutes apart, but they didn't stick around forever. My friend and I still went for our morning walk and it was gorgeous outside. Then this afternoon I had another OB appointment. You looked great on your ultrasound, even got a little profile shot of you...but that made me a little worried that you weren't as far down as you were on Thursday. Your heart rate was a nice, strong 159bpm, I saw you kick yourself in the head, make a fist, and wiggle your fingers around a lot. My fluid level is still good, so I did not have to have a non-stress test.
I met with the doctor after and he said that we'll do one more growth scan next week which should give us an idea of how big you'll be for delivery. He was very pleased with how I'm doing (weight:128.6) and as soon as I mentioned that I was having contractions yesterday and today, he said he wanted to check me. I'm now 1.5cm, my cervix is anterior and you're still very low (yay, you didn't move), so I haven't changed much since Thursday, but he was very pleased with where I am now. He told me to keep an eye on the contractions and that I should come in if they're five minutes apart for a couple hours, so we'll see. Aunt Linda has been predicting for a while now that you'll come this week...that'd be fine with me!


Tuesday, July 29 - 37w, 4d
Not much to report, but I did want to mention that my contractions have slowed down today. Last night Daddy and I took a nice, long walk, hoping to increase my contractions, but it didn't work. I've noticed a few today, but tried not to pay attention to them because they've been so sporadic. It's quite a tease having three days of irregular contractions - its been getting my hopes up that you'd be making your arrival sooner rather than later, but I know I need to be patient and that you'll come when you're ready....but I've been waiting all summer! I'd love for you to come before Friday so I don't have to drive six hours round-trip to my CF appointment, but I doubt that's going to happen.

Thursday, July 31 - 37w, 6d

Archie & I brushing up on our
breastfeeding info this afternoon.

Well, here we are...the last day if July with no signs of you making an arrival in the near future. This means I'll be heading to Chicago tomorrow for my last CF clinic appointment before your delivery. I'm curious to see if my lung function has changed in the last two weeks, really hope doing the pulmonary function tests puts me into labor, and honestly don't see the importance of me going to clinic again, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
My contractions have been pretty much non-existent since Tuesday, although I've had a couple people tell me how much lower I look, even just within the past couple days. You're definitely in position, I can feel you. You're starting to put a bit more pressure down below each day, which is sometimes uncomfortable, but I know its a good thing. I think I lost a bit more of my mucus plug today (and I think I lost the first little bit on Friday before we left for the rehearsal). I really want to experience my water breaking (I don't know why...for the excitement of it, I guess?), but if that doesn't happen, it'll be okay because I know you'll be here so soon! :-)

Late night update: Daddy and I went on a nice, long walk this evening and while we were gone, Dr. Dowell called me. I called her back and we chatted for a while, both agreeing that it's a wise choice for me to not drive to clinic tomorrow, yay! Since I'm doing well, she just wants me to keep her posted about when you make your appearance and how I'm feeling each week after. I'll be finished with Cayston next Thursday, so the plan is to not go back on Tobi (as long as I'm doing well off it) and to start alternating Cayston each month since that seems to be working well for me.

Also, a couple hours after getting home from our walk, I started having contractions again for a few hours. At first they were about 8-9 minutes apart, then they progressed up to 5-6 minutes apart, which got me a little excited, but they never increased their intensity. I stayed up til a little after 11 timing them, but once they started to fade and get further apart, I caved in and went to sleep. I'll just have to keep up those long walks, and hopefully one of them will bring on the real deal!