A Picture's Worth...

Aubrey Marie Bartholomew
March 25th, 2008
8:48PM
19 and 1/2 inches
7lbs 4oz

12:05PM on March 25th, 2005

So we're still at the hospital just waiting for this baby to come out. Kristin has taken some pain medication and it has helped a lot. Pretty soon here we should have another update on how she's dilating but for now we just press on. Coach just had a sandwich at the cafeteria to help get him through this whole process. Also, coach checks to see if there are babies in the nursery but so far there were only two early this morning. That's all for now, talk to you soon!

3/25 10:03 am

We're at the hospital and I'm getting loaded up on pitocin and I'm making progress. When I woke up this morning my water broke and I lost my plug all at the same time while I was getting ready to come in anyway - good timing huh? When I got here I was 2 cm dialated still and 100% effaced. I am having contractions every 2 minutes or so and they are definitely getting stronger. This will probably be the last time I feel like updating so I'll try to get Troy to put a few posts up here.

Contractions Here We Come!

It is Monday 3/24 at 3:55 pm and I have been having contractions since last night. They are not very strong yet (if this is as mild as my Dr. said they were I am getting a little nervous!) but they are about 8 minutes apart. I am 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced so that's good news. Troy and I just finished up some last minute things around the house that we've needed to do to get ready and we are going to leave in a minute and walk around the mall to try to get this show on the road. If it doesn't happen naturally tonight then my Dr. has scheduled to induce me tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Please pray that this will happen on it's own as much as possible as I am a bit nervous about being induced. Either way, we will have a baby in no time! Yay!

It's my due date!

And still now baby... March 20th came and is quickly passing me by without a baby. I am not having as hard of a time with it as I thought I would because I went to the doctor last night and found out that the baby has completely dropped and is in the zero position which means that the next step is - out! Unfortunately I was only dialated to 1 still so he offered to schedule to induce me next Tuesday but I really felt like I should wait it out a little bit more and see if this baby will come out on her own. I did decide to do a little to help out though and went walking after work for almost 1 1/2 miles (which before would have been nothing but when you are 40 weeks pregnant it is quite an accomplishment trust me!) I am hoping that this will help get the baby moving around and some more dialating starting.

I am officially on my maternity leave now, which is fun but also kind of scary to me. I am just afraid that if the baby doesn't make her way out in the next week I will have wasted a week where I could have been making money and saving up off time for when the baby is actually here. Hopefully that won't be the case and she will come out this weekend! I think my bosses think I am crazy because when I told them that I on Monday I have a 2 hr doctor's appointment and they are planning on probably inducing me on Wednesday if she doesn't come out on her own before then I explained that "I probably couldn't come in on Monday because I will be busy at my appointment during the time I would work and I couldn't come in on Wednesday because they will be inducing me, but I could probably come and cover some breaks on Tuesday" her response was "I think if you are being induced on Wednesday you should probably use Tuesday to prepare..." Haha I guess I just feel like I can't stop working for some reason. It's just in my nature to keep going! I can't decide if I should slow down or speed up to get this baby out. On one hand people say to rest and "put your feet up" all the time to me but on the other hand walking is supposed to get things going. I guess I haven't mastered walking with my feet up yet. Maybe next time...

Today was a beautiful day in Chicago with the temp reaching about 50 degrees but tonight and tomorrow we have a winter storm warning and they are calling for 6 inches of snow! Not a very nice welcome to Spring if you ask me. I am hoping they are wrong because I really don't want to be driving to the hospital in the middle of a snow storm. Then again, it could be another week anyway.

Please pray for me because I am getting very uncomfortable all of a sudden in the last couple of days and am getting very anxious to get this baby out of her and regain some of my own personal being again. On the bright side, it looks like I'll have a baby within the week!!!

One of these days

First off, if you noticed that the countdown at the top was different it is because I have finally fixed it and put in the real due date which is this coming Thursday, March 20th. The old one was off by a week or so but now everything is up to date (it only took me 9 months). So the time is coming and coming quick! It could be any day now and Troy and I are on the edge of our seats waiting for our new little arrival. At my visit to the doctor's office this past Wednesday I was told that I am 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. The baby is still high but is slowly starting to drop and his words were "I'll see you on Wednesday, possibly before then." So I am very excited and ready for this show to get going! Like I said earlier, any day now...

On a lighter note, tonight when Troy and I were eating dinner at Burger King I encountered a first - I couldn't fit into the booth! Well, I could fit but my stomach was literally pressing up against the table so we had to move to a table with regular chairs. It really was very funny and gave Troy and I something to laugh about during this somewhat scary and crazy time.

I don't have a whole lot more to update you with. Just waiting and more waiting right now. I am still working but my hours were cut back to almost part time this coming week so I'm taking it easy and trying to walk and make this baby drop into place. I will keep you updated and if I don't happen to update you can make the assumption yourself and you'll probably be right! :)

I'm Getting Impatient!

The title says it all - I am getting impatient! I am ready for this baby to make her way into the world and stop all the waiting. I guess she's got to "cook" a little longer but I am getting more and more tired by the day. Last Friday I went to the doctor and was disappointed to hear that I have not made any new progress and the baby is still very high. I keep reminding myself that these things can literally change in a day and that she might come to us tonight or tomorrow but it is still very frustrating and stressful. I can't believe how difficult of a time both Troy and I are having with this constant waiting and wondering if today is the day. I have been working a little less which helps but I am still so physically exhausted by the end of the day it is a struggle to make it up the stairs to come home (granted it is 2 large flights of stairs, so I guess I will give myself a break on that one!) Only a couple of weeks left if I go over and less if I go on time so that's a positive thing. I guess I just need to keep waiting and remembering what all this craziness is for!

2 more weeks (at the most)

I figured that I would finally get some pictures up here to show you my second baby shower, some fun from my birthday dinner and a final pregnancy picture. Although the picture doesn't capture the rushed trips to the bathroom and the waddling that has replace "normal people walking" it does give a good view of my ever expanding belly. Can't wait for this baby to come out and play!!!

These are pictures from my birthday dinner with Troy. I feel like such a lucky girl :)





This is what a 9 1/2 month pregnant woman who is about to pop looks like





So I figure I should probably get something up here quick because I am starting to feel like this baby could come out any day now. I could very well be posting many more messages before she comes but in case I don't I wanted to give a little update. I am on "Labor Alert" as my friend called it in her blog (she has the same due date as me, how crazy huh?) and I have definitely dropped according to all of the women at my work. I do feel like things feel different now as I don't feel quite as short of breath and when I sleep or sit for a while I am noticing my hips are starting to ache a bit, which they weren't a week ago. Sleeping has also recently changed with many more trips to the bathroom during the night (I think I got up 4 times last night) and I have to rotate myself every few hours - I feel like a burger being flipped. Also when I look at my profile I notice it's not as high and "bouncy" as it used to look but rather low and kinda lopsided to the bottom. I am hoping that when I go to the doctor on Friday he will give me good news. As of 1 week ago I was 1/2 cm dialated (I know that's nothing but at least it's a start) so I am having big hopes for this Friday! We'll see!

I have been working like crazy around the house getting the baby's room ready. I have everything bought and washed and all set to be used. Troy has gotten a lot ready too. After we went to our birthing class last weekend he started the daddy-to-be freak out with packing bags and telling me not to buy milk at the store because I might go into labor that night! I couldn't help but laugh at him and his response was "you've know about the baby for 9 months now, I feel like I just found out today!" Haha, wow what a thought! Yes I have been well aware that we are going to have a baby through all of the good and bad parts of pregnancy.

The past 2 weeks have been very eventful. 2 weekends ago we attended our childbirth education class at the hospital where we watched movies showing us live births during which I sat on the floor afraid I would pass out and we also learned different breathing techniques for during labor. I was really glad that Troy and I went to this and Troy has been really great about helping me practice some of the breathing and getting everything prepared for the big day. On Sunday night after the class (during which I felt absolutely fine I must say) I started to feel a little sick to my stomach so I decided to quick eat some dinner and take a nap. During the nap I was woken up by horrible stomach cramps and ended up calling my doctor who instrutcted me to go to the Labor and Delivery department at our hospital. I was really scared and they kept me overnight on a monitor and did an ultrasound in the morning to check my pancreas, liver and gallbladder but determined that it was just the stomach flu. Take it from me, you don't want to get the stomach flu and you especially don't want to get it when you are 9 months pregnant! I took a few days off of work and and feeling perfectly fine now and I am well aquainted with the Labor and Delivery ward at the hospital A hidden bonus I suppose!

Last weekend was my third and last baby shower. A couple of my friends threw it for me and I had a wonderful time! We played some fun games where they tried to guess how big my waist was by using toilet paper (I said that was fine as long as they didn't try to guess my thighs haha!) and made up names combining Kristin and Troy, which we found out is not an easy task. I haven't decided yet completely but I doubt I will use the names Stinky or Kitten, although thank you to Brooke and Traci for the good suggestions!

I am done rambling now. You are officially updated. I know there is a request for pictures but I don't have any right at the moment. I will try to get the up here before I lose it but until then it's up to your imagination. If you need help, just try to think of me with an elephant strapped on the front of me. Ok, let's not go crazy. Maybe just a baby elephant. :)