We Are in the Home Stretch...

Well... I am 36 weeks pregnant!!! My doctor says if anything starts to happen at this point she will not stop it, so we could have our little girl at any time. We went to the doctor this past Thursday, and I think Will and I agree that it was our favorite appointment so far (they just keep getting better!). We had our final ultrasound and the tech was nice enough to do another 3d/4d for us for free. We still haven't been able to get a real clear shot of her face, but it is so neat to see her in such detail. I have the pictures on a disk, but I am having trouble loading them on our home computer. I will try to upload them from work on Tuesday (I have posted some updated nursery pictures at the bottom of the blog).

Anyway, back to the appointment... They estimate that she weighs about 6 pounds 5 ounces!!! Her heart rate was about 138bpm, her amniotic fluid looked perfect, she is still practicing her breathing, and the bloodflow through her cord looked good. They actually had to wake her up with a vibration machine during the ultrasound because she was sound asleep and they needed to see her move around, she didn't like that very much. Also, they have been keeping an eye on some brightness in her bowel that they first noticed at our 17 week ultrasound. We weren't worried about it because it never got worse and all of our testing was normal, but at this last appointment it was gone!!! So, even though it wasn't really a concern, it's nice to know that it's not there anymore and won't cause any problems. Judging by what we can see in the ultrasound pictures, I think she has my nose and Will's mouth. But, like I said earlier we still haven't gotten a really good picture of her face, so we will just have to wait and see when she gets here!!!

After the ultrasound we visited with Dr. Cottam. I had my Group B Strep test done and should have those results next week when I go for my next visit. We discussed possible induction dates, but we can't schedule anything at the hospital until 2 weeks before my due date, so we will just wait and see what happens with my body over the next couple weeks and go from there. Dr. Cottam checked me and said (much to my surprise) that I was about 40% effaced and maybe at 1cm. I wasn't really expecting to have any cervical changes at this point, so I was a little surprised, but glad at the same time. It is nice to know that my body is preparing itself and getting ready for what's to come in the next few weeks. Also, I am not going to be detailed about this (because it is slightly gross), but let me just say that something else happened on Friday that reassures me that my cervix is starting to soften and open up. So, after all this new information, Will and I are very excited and getting more and more anxious each day!!!

I have been having "false labor" contractions for the past couple weeks, but they are certainly starting to get more and more frequent. I think I probably had about 20 total yesterday!!! But, they aren't regular and definitely are not painful so I'm not too concerned. Nevertheless, all of this information and these changes have led us to really start getting prepared for the hospital. Will got a little freaked out yesterday (it is just really starting to become a realization) as I packed up the diaper bag, our hospital bags, and the other necessities we will take with us to the hospital. They are just sitting by the front door, waiting for the right time. The car seat is in place in my back seat and I have several people at work who are prepared to take me to the hospital if it is necessary.

Also, Will's foot is healing nicely. He went to the doctor this past Monday. She wasn't real happy with him after going to the Bristol race, but said everything still looked fine. He is supposed to go back at the end of September for his follow-up and should be back to full speed by then. He is already walking around really well and doesn't have any pain, so he should be just fine when Lorali Claire gets here.

School has started for me and thankfully we have gotten through the first couple weeks of chaos that surround a new semester. Everything is starting to settle down and I am trying to start working ahead for when I am on maternity leave. I really enjoy the classes I am teaching and I have pretty good students in all of them. Some of them are very concerned I am going to go into labor on them and they aren't going to know what to do :) Hopefully, nothing like that happens... I would really hate to have my water break in the middle of a lecture!

Well, I think that is about it. Like I said, I will try to upload the ultrasound pictures from work on Tuesday. We hope this finds all of you well... we will be sure to keep you posted!!! I go back to the doctor next Friday, so I will have another update after that.

Love,
Ahleasha, Will, and Lorali Claire