Not yet...

...but soon, we hope! Vinnie has taken to calling Baby C our "little no-show" because we are still awaiting his arrival. Trust me, we've heard all of the advice about bringing on labor. And I mean ALL of it! Our son is just going to have to let us know when he's ready.

We had an ultrasound today that showed a healthy amount of amniotic fluid, and identified the culprit of my "square stomach syndrome." The tech was able to get the camera right on the apendage in question as Baby C wiggled and it is a foot! We've been right all along.

We also had a non-stress test. I had two monitors on my belly, one for the baby's heart rate and one to measure any contractions I might be having. I was also given a clicker to use each time I felt a movement. After twenty minutes, we ended up with a sheet of paper that looks a lot like a something spit out by a seismograph. It indicated that the babyis healthy and there are no signs of fetal distress. There were, unfortunately, also no signs of contractions.

The bad news is that we are still waiting. The good news is that there has been some dilation, which is a change the doctor called "fantastic." The great news is that the baby is doing very well, and as a result we can "give the cervix some more time" as my doctor put it. Right now, I am only 3 days overdue, and Monday will mark only one week. It seems like longer when you are waiting for something so exciting, but we definitely still have time. Althought Dr. Archibald will be out of town this weekend so he joked that I either need to go into labor on Thursday or wait until Monday! :)

We are scheduled for an appointment on Tuesday of next week and will see where we're at with contractions and dilation. If there isn't a change from where things stand today, we'll start the process of inducing labor. I was happy to find out that if induction is necessary, we'll start with a non-drug ripening of the cervix. I had assumed that induction would most likely mean that I would have to be on pitocin, so I was very happy to hear otherwise. The plan doesn't sound the least bit fun or comfortable, but if I'm still pregnant on Tuesday, I'm sure I'll be ready for it!

Here's to Baby C deciding to arrive on his own sometime in the next few days. My aunt Sharon has moved home from Utah, and we are so happy to have her here. I think the baby has been holding out until everyone arrived, so now the party can start. Vinnie's Uncle Nino has been requesting that the baby arrive on his birthday, which is the 19th, so it's possible that he is to blame. Vinnie said the baby is a procrastinator like his father, but maybe he just likes to make an entrance like his mother... Regardless, we are happy to know that he is healthy and strong and we are excited to meet him soon. Everyone think happy thoughts for us that include contractions, please!

Still pregnant!

I feel as though we are moving backwards, but the truth is we were misinformed last week at our appointment. Our doctor was on Spring Break with his family, so we saw a nurse that we don't normally see and she did my exam. We were so proud when she announced that I was 50% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. Yesterday when we saw Dr. Archibald he told us that he had no idea where she got that measurement, and that I am completely closed. :( This is not what a pregnant lady wants to hear 5 days prior to her due date, let me tell ya!

A couple of thoughts on this. #1 - I've been willing Baby C to hang on through all my events and he has obliged. He's been waiting and waiting and now I expect him to arrive immediately. Hardly fair, I think. #2 - He's just so happy where he is that I need to relax and trust him to come along when he's ready. I guess I should be flattered that he finds me to be such a good hostess!

Our next appointment is set for Wednesday, which is actually two days after my due date. The plan is to do an ultrasound to check for amniotic fluid volume as well as the health of the placenta. The doctor is not worried that Baby C is too big, he just wants to be sure that these two life-giving elements are still in good supply as we go into the 41st week. If not, we'll discuss induction. If everything looks good we'll ride it out for another week before testing again. I trust that he will help us make the right decision for the health of our baby. As long as he is okay, I'm willing to keep him on board a while longer.