What a difference a year makes

One year ago I started this blog. At that time, it seemed like things were falling apart all at once.

Now, one year later, we're expecting a little miracle to be born any day now. I'm not saying that are free of any worries or concerns, but we really have an awful lot to be thankful for.

Munchkin's due date was yesterday, but like many first babies, he/she doesn't seem ready to make a debut yet. I'm remaining fairly patient. It'd be nice to know when to expect to become a mommy and all, but I expected that Munchkin would likely be a little "fashionably late." My only concern is that Munchkin and I remain healthy.

If the baby hasn't arrived by 41 weeks, we'll go in for what's called an NST (non-stress test). This is where they use fetal monitors to track Baby's movement and heart rate. Passing this test is a good indication that baby is still doing well as an "inside baby" and that there is no need to rush an induction. If Baby still hasn't arrived a few days later, they'll perform a BPP (biophysical profile). This involves an ultrasound where the baby's breathing, muscle tone, and movement are assessed, and where the amniotic fluid level is measured. Passing this is another good sign that the baby is doing well and that the placenta isn't "aging" and causing the baby to be in any distress. 42 weeks is the upper limit, though. If we haven't delivered by then, they'll induce in order to reduce some of the risks that can occur when a baby is "postmature." In most cases, babies born after 42 weeks do just fine when they are allowed to come on their own, but the risks do increase.

So, we'll see. We may meet the baby tomorrow or sometime in just under 2 weeks. Either way, it'll be soon. Our lives are about to change forever.

38 weeks and some change

38 weeks and 4 days...and holding strong. People have been telling me that I'm going to be miserable during this last month and that I'll want this child out...but I still feel pretty darn great. Granted, I'm not sleeping well, and there are some minor discomforts but they're all really not that bad. I haven't even experienced that much in the way of contractions. If I had to guess, I'd say that Munchkin will wait until at least his/her due date, maybe longer. Who knows? "The apple will fall when it's ripe!"

Emotionally, though, I'm a bit all over the place! I will have moments where I suddenly become acutely aware that we're going to have a baby at some point in the next few weeks...and it terrifies me! I mean, it's going to be great. I'm excited, and I'm so very thankful that we're going to be parents. However, knowing that this little person is going to be dependant on us for his/her survival is pretty darn heavy! Ed/Alex, on the other hand, acts as cool as a cucumber. You'd think that we were bringing home a goldfish!

Most of the time, I feel fairly ready to meet Munchkin and I feel exited that we're going to be able to get to know him or her soon. I think we're probably as ready as we can be. We may make a lot of new parent mistakes along the way, but I have a feeling that we'll ultimately turn out to be decent parents for this child.

While we're waiting for Munchkin's debut, we're staying pretty busy. Ed/Alex has been slammed at work. I'm still working and plan to continue doing so until the baby arrives. Since we'll be moving in the next month, we're packing up the house little by little. I've stocked the freezer so that we'll have some easy meal options in those first few days. We've also been looking into childcare closer to the new house. We found a great home daycare that I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll have an opening for Munchkin when the time comes. I'm trying to rest a bit, but whenever I try to just plain loaf around I get ansty and end up at least trying to do some thing productive.

So....it could be any day now, or we may have a few more weeks left to daydream about the young'un. Either way, we'll keep you all posted!