Nothing new

Well we don't have anything new to report. The midwife I saw today said that the baby is fine, my blood pressure is fine and my weight gain is fine. She didn't check me out because I haven't had any contractions and I'm not overdue. This is fine by me really- no unnecessary poking. I feel like the baby will come this week but who knows? Two more days of work left and one week until my due date...

Plugging along

Just an update on our progress so far... we are still waiting but keeping ourselves busy. Although I am resting as much as possible to keep my swelling to a minimum, I've managed to find time to do some cooking/freezing of food, packing last minute hospital necessities, spending time with the cats and scrap booking. Iain has done a phenomenal job around the house and in the backyard over the past two weeks. I am very lucky to have a husband who has done so much to make my pregnancy such a breeze, especially during the home stretch. At the moment, Iain is trying to maneuver our car seat into the backseat of our two door Honda Accord. We were warned that a two door car might not be the best choice if we ever had a family but of course we didn't follow that wise advice! So far, I am feeling fine although definitely sore from carrying the baby around. I think I've had a few minor contractions over the past couple of days- false ones- nothing to get excited about. My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow and I'll be checked for any dilation. I'll post sometime tomorrow or Tuesday to let you know how it goes.

The Waiting Game

I enter week 38 as of tomorrow which means that the baby could really make his arrival at any time. My doctor's appointment today went well. My blood pressure is much better and I've actually lost 2 pounds since the previous week. I guess the afternoon bed rest is working. I feel about the same- swollen and awkward- but my hair and toenails look fabulous thanks to a haircut and pedicure on Saturday. Iain's officially become my chauffeur driving me everywhere other than work. I've been reflecting upon the past nine months and the waiting game that pregnancy is. Once you finally decide that you are ready (or so you think) to start a family, you have to wait to try and conceive. This takes longer for some than others, which can extend the waiting period. Once you've attempted this, you wait to be able to take a pregnancy test. If this is positive, then you wait to see a doctor to confirm your test. Many people then wait to tell others about the pregnancy and suffer through sometimes 12 weeks or more before alerting family and friends. After 12 weeks has past, you wait for your first ultrasound to make sure that the baby is okay and possibly what its sex is. After the ultrasound is done around 20 weeks, as a pregnant woman, you start waiting to show your baby bump so that everyone understands that you are in the magical pregnancy club. Then you wait to get through your long list of To-Do's around the house, and if you're anything like us, you wait for paychecks to come in to help with the cost of your nesting. Once you are finally showing your baby bump, you wait for the baby's arrival. Despite how cute you've looked over the earlier six months, these last three months involve more weight gain than probably anticipated, swollen everything and a strange waddle type of walk. In the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, you begin to anxiously wait and wonder what exactly you got yourself into concerning the whole labor and delivery piece of the baby puzzle. You also start getting questions from lots of people- those you know and those you don't- about how much longer until the baby arrives. It is nice to receive this attention because you really have been through a lot during these long months (me as a pregnant lady and Iain dealing with a pregnant lady). Anyway, the wait for Iain and I is hopefully going to be ending in the next two weeks. We will continue to keep you posted as things progress or possibly don't progress. I assume that the waiting game ends on the baby's birthday but then a new "W" word takes over. This word is worry and I believe that it stays around indefinitely. Despite the wait, I would admit that the past nine months have gone fast and I can't believe we are almost there! This is a word of "warning" to our pregnant friends. My last official working day will be next Wednesday and I'm not sure how I will amuse myself if this day rolls around and baby is not here. Any suggestions?

Due Date

My due date is May 6 and my OBGYN doesn't let pregnant woman go past 41 weeks without inducing labor- thank God. So I've set up a poll to see who might guess the arrival of Baby Burnett. You can also post your guess under "comments" if you're inclined to do so. I am hoping that he doesn't arrive before April 22 which is a week from today. *Fingers crossed* I'm packing my bag tonight just in case.

SWOLLEN

Okay folks- ankles, feet, legs and fingers don't get much bigger than mine right now. I am swollen beyond belief. I realize that most first time mom experience some edema but mine is about over the top right now. I had a doctor's appointment today and my mid-wife told me that she was impressively concerned with my swelling and most recent weight gain. I was pretty upset with the number on the scale because I have been SO GOOD with what I have been eating over the past two weeks (with the exception of wings on Saturday night!). She reassured me that the weight gain has nothing to do with weight but water. My blood pressure has also gone up which is not a good sign. Anyway, she has rewarded this pregnancy woe with half days at work for the coming week. My blood pressure will be checked again on Thursday and if it is still high, she might extend my half days or possibly full days off into next week. She did say that the baby is fine both by measurement and weight. His heart is exactly the way it should be and he is considered full term because I am now 37 weeks. This means that he could arrive tomorrow and be just fine. This turn of events definitely wasn't in the plans but fortunately I have a lot of sick leave I can use and most major projects finished for the semester. I know my replacement at work won't be thrilled with the news- sorry Emilee!- but there's not much I can do. I spent the afternoon reading about pre-eclampsia as well as catching up on some quality day time TV- Baby Story and Oprah. I'll keep you posted as the week progresses.

Family Shower

Hi everyone! I know it has been a few weeks but we have been busy and I haven't managed to make it onto the computer to post an update. Very recently a baby shower was hosted in the honor of Baby Burnett. Iain and I were extremely lucky to have family and friends from near and far travel to Shippensburg to celebrate the imminent arrival of our little boy. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone, playing games, eating and opening gifts. Iain and I received so many great things which will be used both now and in the future. Our little guy doesn't know how fortunate he is to be loved this much before his grand entrance. We'd like to thank everyone who made this possible for us and hope that we are able to continue to have you in our lives. It was such a fun weekend!