Home Alone

Hi Everyone,
It's Josh again. I'm home, but Gena is still at the hospital. They will induce her in the morning if nothing happens before then. We waited in the hospital all day, they gave Gena something in the morning to uh warm her up I guess for the induction and she eventually started having some small, irregular contractions. Midwife said I could go home, they were going to charge me 50€ to sleep there, and I'll sleep better at home and with the cell phone by my head.

So, sounds like the baby should be born tomorrow! 31st!

Here's a cute picture of Gena from today. I'm gonna get some sleep while I can!

One last pregnacy post

I think this will probably be the last pregnancy update for our blog. After this it will be all baby news and maybe even something about US!

I have my last monitoring tonight for the baby and my blood pressure. If everything is fine I will spend tonight at home. I am scheduled to report to the hospital at 8 AM Thursday to start the induction process. I believe it will be a gel to start and then some medicine through an IV. The baby should come sometime Thursday or Friday, maybe Saturday. I didn't really get a clear answer on how long it will take, I only spoke with the midwife as shifts were changing. I plan to ask the doctor Thursday. I was assured once I went in Thursday I would be having the baby before going home.

Today is going to be a long, long day as I did all the last minute stuff yesterday! I am praying a lot for a healthy baby and an uncomplicated delivery. I am also slipping in some prayers about him not being TOO big! Josh is at work today but he will be with me the entire time in the hospital and then all next week. I am so happy he is able to take some time to spend with us in the very beginning.

We should be home Sunday or Monday, I believe they keep us for three days after the birth. Josh has TWO cameras, multiple batteries and thousands of pictures worth of space so I am sure he will post plenty of pictures next week.

Have a good weekend and the next post will be about the BABY!

Vraiement bien tôt!! (Really very soon!)

Hi Everyone!
It's Josh this time. No, no baby yet!
But I come bearing pictures. We did a little photo session last night (might be the last chance!) and you can see Gena, above, in between pictures. I'll also put one of both of us at the bottom. The photo shoot was a brief one and honestly the lighting wasn't excellent this time - so just a few "keepers"! Don't worry there will soon be hundreds (thousands) of baby pictures for your viewing pleasure! We'll open a new flickr account just for baby/family pics I think.

So, like Gena said, we go in tomorrow night for another blood test and baby monitoring. If all is good we'll come back home, otherwise I guess they'll induce/begin the induction process tomorrow night. Now we are REALLY close! The doctor certainly said he would be out before the weekend.

So I guess we should sleep while we have the chance! Hope everyone is doing well out there, and we'll try and keep in touch.


Josh

Finally, some baby news!

We finally have some baby news! I went in this morning to have the baby monitored and my blood pressure checked. Once again the baby was perfect, moving around a lot and with a strong stable heart rate and my pressure was 116/56 (C'est parfait, as the French are so fond of saying). While I was there I also saw my doctor who has returned from vacation. He is slightly concerned because my uric acid is higher than normal and rising with each blood test. Tomorrow we go back for another blood test and monitoring. If my uric acid is still going up he will give me a gel to soften my cervix and then he will induce labor on Wednesday. If the blood work is okay I will go in Wednesday night for the gel and he will induce Thursday. Of course I can still go into labor at anytime but no matter what happens it looks like we will have the baby by this weekend!

We are so excited at the thought of having the baby soon! The hospital requires that I stay for three days following the birth so we should be home Saturday or Sunday. Josh will take off next week to help with the baby. The following week my mom arrives for two weeks so I will have plenty of help for the first three weeks.

We do have a new problem with one of our cats, Jingle. He seems to think we have set up the babies bed for him. We keep finding him curled up asleep in the bassinet. We have had the bed set up for weeks and he just discovered it. We are now trying to come up with a plan to keep him out of the bed. Besides for that I think we have everything ready at home for the baby. He has lots of clothes and plenty of blankets and a few toys. I am sure we will have to go shopping once he gets home and we realize the things we have forgotten. We have a baby store about two doors down and another one a couple blocks up from our apartment so there should be no problem.

We will try to keep everyone posted about the birth, if I come home tomorrow night I will post. Otherwise I will be at the hospital having the baby!!

No news is good news?

We still have nothing to report in baby news. We saw the midwife this morning and had the same test as our last visit. They monitored the babies heart rate and my contractions for half an hour. The baby is perfect and I didn't have a single contraction. The midwife said this is normal for my first baby, so now we just keep waiting.

I will call my doctor on Monday when he returns from vacation and set up an appointment for next week. This weekend is 40 weeks so I figure at the very most I will only be pregnant 2 more weeks. I keep thinking this is our last weekend without a baby but then the another week passes.

I will be sure to blog with any news. I hope everyone at home is doing well!

Another week and still no baby

We are still waiting, and nothing is happening. This weekend is 40 weeks and not a single contraction or anything. I have an appointment with the midwife tomorrow, I am not sure why, I think it is to check if the baby is coming anytime soon. My doctor gets back from vacation on Monday so it looks like he will probably deliver the baby.

It is rather frustrating that I stopped exercising, working and even going outside in fear of early labor and now it looks like the baby will be late! I guess we are better safe than sorry. I have been trying to get outside for long walks but it has been pouring rain for three days. I think the last time I was outside was Monday.

Last night Josh and I inventoried our wine cave which provided some entertainment for me. Today I put all the bottles in Cellar Tracker so that gave me something to do for a couple hours. I am really getting crazy sitting in this apartment. I have spent so much time in front of my computer I think I have come to the end of the Internet. I can't think of anything to Google!

We did have a lovely weekend with Maureen. We went to my favorite vegetarian restaurant for dinner and then took a long walk in the heart of Paris. It was really peaceful because most Parisians are on vacation. Josh took some great pictures while Maureen and I chatted. It was dark so not so many people stared at my belly with shock and fear. People no longer look at my face, only the belly and then they usually look frightened. I want to tell them it is okay, I don't expect them to deliver the baby if he comes. At one point Maureen and I were leaning on the bridge looking at Notre Dame and some young boys, probably under 20 came up and said "bon soir". When I turned and they saw my belly they quickly made their exit. At least being huge is good for something!

I will post tomorrow and let everyone know what the midwife says. I will probably be sent home and told to wait but maybe, just maybe they will say it is time!

Another Pregnacy Update

I promise once this baby comes I will blog about something other than being pregnant! Then every blog will probably be about THE BABY.

I had my doctors appointment last night, the one we scheduled on the slight chance I wouldn't have the baby by August 14. The appointment was at 9 PM because my doctor was in town for only one day. He did an exam and said the baby was big but not too big (at the last appointment he was REALLY big). I have cut out sugar and tried to modify my diet after having high glucose so maybe this made a difference, I am not sure. The baby is actually measuring at 38 weeks so for the first time he is on target with the due date. The doctor also said the baby is still high and I haven't started labor yet (not dilated or effaced). So much for having the baby early.

After the exam he sent us up to maternity to have a fetal stress test to check the baby was okay because I said he wasn't moving as much as before. The test was great, they baby is doing exactly what he should. I am also great, no contractions and my blood pressure is "perfect". I think maybe I just forgot how much the baby moved before compared to know, I am not sure. I did forget to put my shoes back on after my exam so I don't really trust my memory right now.

The maternity ward is beautiful. It just opened this summer and everything is brand new and lovely. I had my test in a birthing room which has a jacuzzi tub, an lots of cool buttons on the bed and a flat screen TV. Josh was under the impression the tub was for him after he goes for a run while I am in labor, I had to set him straight about that. The test was given by the midwife who was really nice, I hope the one I get is as sweet. I am glad I got a chance to see where I will have the baby before just arriving at the hospital.

I was somewhat disappointed just to go home. I was kind of hoping they would tell me I was ready to have the baby or something. After the last appointment I really thought he would come any day but now it seems he is going to be on time. It is great that everything is going well and we are both healthy but I am so anxious to meet the little guy! I have an appointment with the midwife for August 24, I think she will check me then and let me know how things are progressing. My doctor returns from vacation on August 27 so I need to call him that day and make an appointment (if the baby isn't here yet).

In other news Kristen, Scott and Eric left this morning. It was really nice to see them and catch up after so long. We will see them again in November when we go out to California for Thanksgiving. Our friend Maureen is coming this weekend which will be great. I wish we had the baby to introduce her to but it seems like he is going to take his time. I have decided to leave the apartment more and get some exercise, I am not going too far or without Josh but I have to GET OUT! The baby is at full term so I don't think it can hurt for me to be a little more active. Maybe just a walk around the neighborhood in the evenings when Josh gets home from work.

Hopefully my next post will have baby pictures!!

Is it possilbe to be pregnant FOREVER???

Another week has come and gone and still NO BABY! I am starting to get a little stir crazy in the apartment. Thank goodness Josh and I were able to go grocery shopping and out to lunch this weekend. We even spent a couple hours walking in the park with hopes of hurrying this kid along... but no luck.

One good thing to come out of all this time home is my house has never been so clean. I am cleaning spaces I didn't even know existed, like the little space between my stove and the counter, 1/4 of an inch now clean. If I can reach it I am cleaning it. I think this is the first time in my life ALL the laundry has been done. There isn't even a sock in the hamper. I am not sure if it is "nesting" or sheer boredom but it is nice to have a clean apartment. I can only hope it lasts once the baby gets here but something is telling me it won't.

Josh's sister Kristin and her family are back today from a tour of Switzerland and Venice. It is really nice to have company to break the monotony of the day. They are here until Wednesday and then my friend Maureen might come for the weekend. She is in Brussels for work and will take the train to Paris. I wish the baby would get here so she can meet him but it will be nice to see her even if I am 39+ weeks pregnant. I thought having guests would be stressful but I am actually grateful for the company. People are also super helpful when you are soooo pregnant!

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow so I will report back Wednesday with baby news. Hopefully he will tell us it is time and to just go over to maternity. I am bringing my bag just in case, although that is probably wishful thinking.

Still Waiting

It seems to be time for my weekly blog check-in. We are still waiting for the baby,obviously. I finished my medication to stop contractions today so maybe he will arrive soon. I feel good, besides the worrying about when he will get here. I saw the anesthesiologist last week and signed all the paper work for the epidural.

The anesthesiologist explained more about the delivery in one visit than my Obgyn did in 9+ months. I used the same anesthesiologist last year when I had surgery so I trust him and really like him. He also explained a little about my elevated blood sugar which was helpful.

In other more exciting news we received PRESENTS for the baby. Our friends from Sartomer US were so nice to remember us and send us gift cards and gifts for the baby. I was really surprised and so touched they thought of us all the way over here in Paris and gone for three years. I didn't expect anything in the way of a shower but it felt like I kind of had one when I received a big box full of treats.

We also got the baby area set up this weekend. Josh was so great and worked all day Saturday to get our upstairs super clean and ready for the baby. I can't do much because of doctors orders and sheer exhaustion so he did it all. We now have a cat hair free rug and the bed is all set up and ready. I have all his clothes for 0-3 months washed and ready to go in his little dresser. We also have a changing area and all his bath products ready. Now we just need the baby!

Stay tuned to this station...

Hi Everyone!

It's Josh this time. We're still waiting.. no rush! It should be hot this weekend so maybe that will convince him it's time to escape! Also, I have some pictures I wanted to put up.

Anyhow, things here are pretty much... in a holding pattern. I'm driving to work now so I can get back in a reasonable amount of time if and when needed, and I'll be working in La Defense some also which is closer to home. Maybe I can convince my boss to "make a home office" some days, too - he gets back from vacation on Monday.

Aside from the picture of Gena above, there are a few of the McIvers visiting. But now they aren't cooperating! And I gotta go, so maybe soon you can see more!

Josh