Today IS THE Day!!!

Dear Baby Kate,

Mommy loves you with all of my heart... I can hardly wait to meet you... my miracle blessing from above!!!  

I am so sad that you will no longer be in my tummy, but as Daddy keeps reminding me, my body has done all it can... Today you are 39 weeks 6 days along... even the doctor told me you probably would come sooner... 

You are moving less and with less intensity... I'm sure you are officially out of room...

Daddy says he is looking forward to meeting you as well!!!

If everything goes according to schedule, you will be here in just over 3 hours!!!!

We love you Sweet Miracle Girl, Baby Kate!!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

39 Weeks and 3 Days...

No complaints... just trying to record everything... My body aches... feels like my innards want to fall out... keep thinking I have a really slow leak in Baby Kate's bag of water... my back is starting to hurt... and Hemmy and Roid have invited their friend Flyod to hang out... I woke up this morning just feeling tired and exhausted, then rallied, getting the kids to clean and organize their rooms...


We just got home from Christmas Eve at my Mom's House... it was wonderful as usual... we exchanged presents with my siblings and their families, and my Mom and Step Dad then had a yummy dinner... I am stuffed to the gills and ready to pass out for a long night of GREAT sleep...


I did measure my belly... when pregnant with Sarah and Anna on Christmas Eve, 2009, I was 34+ weeks pregnant and measured 46 inches...


Tonight, pregnant with Baby Kate at 39 weeks 3 days, I measured 45 inches... I just feel like I'm going to explode... even her moving hurts sometimes...


My Mom is on call tonight- in case my water breaks or I go into labor as I did not want to disrupt my friends' family Christmas morning... I haven't given up hope that Our Miracle Blessing will become our Christmas Miracle... I have her 1st Christmas Outfit ready to go, just in case... if not, I'll take it to the resell it shop...

39 Weeks and 2 Days...

Wow!!!  It is 37 minutes away from Christmas Eve... I'm stunned and thrilled Baby Kate has yet to arrive...  I have been able to get so much accomplished... still more to do, but everything can wait... I just finished wrapping all of the presents... I honestly cannot remember a Christmas Eve that I wasn't up way to late wrapping... this year I'm finished the night before!!!  Just in case Baby Kate does make her move in less than 36 hours, we decided the kids would open their present from Santa on Christmas morning and save the ones from Pat and I until Baby Kate and I came home...


Early last Friday morning around 3 am, Pat started throwing up from the stomach flu... Sunday morning, Sarah woke up with it... Monday night around 6, Anna threw up all over the two of us, then threw up three more times... William woke up around 10:30 pm and threw up... Followed by Mary Christine around midnight... Tuesday came and went with Anna not feeling well and having a runny nose as did Lizzy... Wednesday night, as I was wrapping presents at 10:30, a wave of nausea came over and I knew I was in BIG trouble!!!  I figured I might as well keep wrapping as laying in bed thinking of what was to come wasn't going to help... Around midnight hell on earth began... since Pat and the kids had it, I knew what was to come... I had three rounds of throwing up to the point of dry heaves, diarrhea, and since my stomach is huge and bladder couldn't stand the pressure... I thought my water broke... by the fourth time, I literally cried out asking the Lord to not make me throw up again... and it worked!!!!


At 9 am I knew I was completely dehydrated... Baby Kate was moving, but not as strongly as she usually did... I called the perinatologist's office and the nurse told me to go into the Woman's Evaluation Unit... We arrived about 10:30 am...


At 5:56 pm, I posted on Facebook:

‎6 hours of monitoring Baby Kate's heart rate and my contractions, 4 attempts at getting an IV started, 3 bags of IV fluids, numerous white sodas and 1 ultrasound to check Baby Kate's fluid which was 15 centimeters- 3 times what is normal... we were sent home...Baby Kate is doing great and just floating in all of her fluid... I'm thrilled to be home, but exhausted after last night!!!

Funny, I don't remember posting the following in the middle of Friday morning... I must have had a bathroom break...

3:55 am- so glad to be home!!! I feel GREAT!!! Slight headache from the anti nausea medication, but I'll take it over the night before!!! I can hardly believe how miserable I was...

Patrick went to bed early, complaining of an upset tummy, but no vomiting... so just Patrick and Jack are left- everyone else has had the flu... Lizzy complained of stomach pain, but has a nasty cold instead... Anna ended up with the flu, cold, and fever... possibly an ear ache, so I'll see how she feels when she wakes up and will take her to the doctor for an ear check if it seems to be bothering her...

I guess that explains one of the reasons I so tired!!!  

Well it's almost Christmas Eve and I better get some sleep... Baby Kate will be here 106 hours or less... wow... that is amazing... Pat and I are still stunned... reality has not set in although we are prepared... I guess that is what happens when you it takes almost 15 years for your original dream to come to fruition... 

Can't Sleep... Again...

Once again it is 2:36 am and I'm wide awake... I have a bit of indigestion, no signs of contractions, and the lack of desire to do anything productive... with Christmas Eve just 5 days away, I wish Baby Kate would break her water asap or wait until after the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning...  I really want to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family on Christmas Eve, then with our kids on Christmas morning... if Baby Kate makes her move any later than Tuesday or maybe Wednesday, we will celebrate her first Christmas at the hospital... doesn't sound like much fun to me... at the same time, I don't want her to make her move because I am really enjoying each and every move she makes inside of me... completely conflicted... well, it's completely out of my control, so why do I keep obsessing???  I am also a bit anxious about the entire C Section/Delivery process... I want everything to be perfect this time... I created a birth plan which I will share once it is complete... last time I battled nausea and it was so scary because Anna had the cord wrapped around her neck twice... I also have anxiety about being away from the kids for several days... truth be told... as wonderful as it sounds at times, I really don't like to be away from them for more than a few hours...


Hopefully the Sleepy Time Tea will kick in soon and I can catch a few winks before the kids get up for school!!!

My Belly...

I Just Love having a BIG, HUG BELLY!!!!  Just last night, Pat suggested that I retire or at a minimum take one of my few maternity shirts out of the rotation... as you can see from the the photo, I have out grown it... but with 12 days until my scheduled C Section, the last thing I am going to do is buy new maternity clothes... Pat thinks I look like a little old man with a huge belly... I have to agree... my rear is gone and thighs are in much better shape... I couldn't be happier with my new figure... hopefully I can talk the doctor into a bit of a tummy tuck after the C Section... if not, oh well... that's what the abdominal binder is for... Thanks Baby Kate!!!  I'll seriously always be grateful...


After Pat's and my conversation about my tummy, I wanted to see just how big it was on Christmas Eve 2009... I was just 34 weeks pregnant with Sarah and Anna... I measured a HUGE 46 inches...

Christmas Eve... 2009

I just love being pregnant and having a BIG, HUGE BELLY!!!

Today, at 38 weeks 2 days, with Baby Kate, my belly measures 44 inches... since Christmas Eve is 9 days away... I could reach 46 inches again... that is if Baby Kate stays put... which is just fine with me!!!!