Still here

Still here. Still pregnant.

Thankfully, the ultrasound and the non-stress test that I had today went very well. Thanks to my parents who came to Noblesville this morning. Dad stayed home and watched Sophia while Mom came with me to my appointments. Brett is working this week and starts his annual training tomorrow, so he couldn't be there. It was nice to have the support while Brett is out of town. Both of my parents even packed bags in case I went in to the hospital. Gee, they're great.

Our ultrasound tech that we had was really sweet. She took all the measurements she needed and then whipped out the 4D ultrasound scanner. (I really hope I don't have to pay for a 4D scan since she took that thing out on a whim and didn't ask.) She was determined to get a shot of the baby's face, and since the little one was facing my back, that was a little difficult. This is what she got:

Check out those cheeks. Yikes. Pudgy kid. Definitely has the same nose as Sophia. I think he/she looks more like me than Brett, but how much can you really tell from these ultrasounds? Still, it was neat.

After the ultrasound, the tech hooked me up to two monitors to keep track of the baby's heartbeat and any contractions that I might have. I did have one good contraction, which was neat to watch on the monitor. The kid moved so much during the test and kept moving his/her body away from the monitor, so on paper the heartbeat line would disappear for a while and then come back when the baby moved closer to the monitor. It was fun to watch.

So all is good and healthy, so I'm thankful for that. Sort of wish that I could have been admitted to the hospital today, but that's alright. I think I've just resolved to the fact that I'm going to have the c-section on Friday. I'm still only dilated to 1 cm, so no progress there for the last 3 weeks. Baby has started its nightly contraction schedule, so I'm having those sporadic contractions - 10 minutes, 8 min, 12 min, 25 min, 6 min, 10 min, 8 min, 15 min. Ugh. It's really exhausting, especially when I can't sleep. Right now, I'm doing the contractions and baby is going ballistic. Seriously, the moving/stretching/kicking/punching is painful - so much so that when the baby finally calms down after about 2 hours, I feel like my entire belly and hip area is bruised. I'm glad we'll be done with this soon. I think we'll both be more comfortable.

On another note, my parents are awesome. Not only did they help me take care of Sophia and come to doctor appointments today, they helped take care of things around the house that need to be done before we come home with a new baby. Mom came to the grocery store with me - to not have to push a cart around was great. Dad mowed our grass. They both helped make supper. Mom baked a batch of cookies with Sophia watching her every move while she sat on the counter. And then, they both cleaned my bathrooms, which were disgusting. It was great. Other than sweeping carpets and doing some laundry, this house is totally ready. It's such a relief. Parents are great. I hope I can do that for my kids someday.

Going to finish watching the Home Run Derby and then head to bed. Hopefully sleep will come a bit more easily tonight.