41 Weeks! Hopefully the last pre-baby post!!!

How far along? 41 weeks, 3 days!
Trimester: 3rd
Days to Go: ???
Baby size/weight: probably not yet 8 pounds but getting bigger all the time!! Approx. 20''
Sleep: Not bad, except for the whole waking up every 2 hours to pee thing.  Guess it's just getting me ready for those night time feedings!
Best moment this week:  Every moment has been great.  I love having my family here taking such amazing care of us.  Its been fun to get to just hang out and relax with everyone, especially with my hubby.  He's been so busy and works so hard.   It's been nice to have his undivided attention this week!!!
Miss anything? Lots of things.... putting on pants without grunting! Not having heart burn! Getting out of bed easily!  Not having back pain!  Not having leaky boobs! (TMI--sorry! lol)  Not taking tons of weird herbal pills!  I miss laying on my tummy! And of course, sushi, beer/wine, diet cokes, etc!!!
Movement: She's still moving up a storm in there!  I keep telling her to go ahead and come out and she'll have lots more space to stretch out!
Food cravings: Really just snowcones!
Anything making you queasy or sick: still brushing my teeth, but not every time at least.
Labor Signs: I really thought we were doing something the other night!  Carol had told us that many first time moms go into labor around midnight, and sure enough about 10:45 I started having contractions, some of which really hurt!  I had about 15 total, and they were getting closer together and stronger, but it was weird b/c they were lasting 5 minutes each!!!  I timed them till about 12:45 and figured if I really was in labor, I needed to go to sleep and get some rest, so I got up off the couch and puttered around for about 20 minutes, didn't have any contractions in that time, laid down, had one more light one, and went to sleep and nothing else happened!!! Bummer!!!

Belly Button in or out? Still in!
Wedding rings on or off? Definitely off.  Even my big one leaves a mark on my finger.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but more emotional (at least yesterday I was emotional and felt on the brink of tears all day, but I was also feeling under attack from several well meaning people sharing their opinions which weren't what I wanted to hear!) And often just sleepy too!
Weekly Wisdom: Follow your heart and don't worry about what other people think.  In this journey of parenthood, I realize I am going to have to be strong and stand up for what I believe in, b/c many people might not agree but I'm just going to have to toughen up to deal with that.  I'm a people pleaser, and so thats tough for me, but I'm first and foremost now, a mother, and what's best for my baby is what I'm going to do!!!  I know I've put in the HOURS of research and when I make a decision, it is not uneducated or unfounded.  I will have faith in myself and not let other people's feelings effect me negatively.
Current Reads: Mind Over Labor by Carl Jones and several Dr. Sears books
Looking forward to:  Seeing Tenley's sweet face and knowing that we have successfully achieved all we set out to achieve with our birth plans, etc.
On the "Honey Do" list:  Wait patiently.... ;-)  I want to write out some Birth Affirmations to have taped up around for when I am in labor, but that's really about it!  Here are a few that really speak to me:

"The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than you, because it is you."


"Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth."  ~ Virginia Di Orio


"Birth isn't just about making babies, it's about making mothers." 

The only other thing we're doing now is trying out old wives tales and tricks to get labor going!

Someone posted on my FB wall with a recipe for "Labor Cookies" --- basicallly ginger snaps with cayenne pepper in them, and they are SPICY!   The directions said to "eat as many as you can possibly stomach, lay down for a nap, and wait for labor to start!"  I ate several, but maybe not enough!  It didn't work!

Of course, people always tell you to go walk, so Luke and I have been walking around downtown!  One day, we parked at Vletas, the chocolate shop, and after we walked a mile, this was my reward:

YUM!

The next day, mom and dad and Luke and I went back downtown for more walking and a yummy lunch!  We took this pic at the little waterfall in Minter park. 

We've also been told to have sex (ugh!), try nipple stimulation (for 20 minutes!!!  argh!) , castor oil (yuck!!!), and a variety of other flukey things that people happened to be doing the day/night they went in to labor!  Love it! 

We saw Carol, our midwife yesterday, and she gave us a whole LIST of things to try!  

 I was already taking these herbal capsules called 5-W, and now we've added Primrose Oil (both orally and supposed to be inserting 5 vaginally at night, but that didn't feel so hot!) , and 2 homeopathics, Caulophyllum and Cimicifuga, plus perhaps Castor Oil mixed with frozen juice concentrate,  yuck!

We tried the curb-walking yesterday and I felt pretty silly but I do think it made a difference.  Might try out some stairs if we can find some in some serious AC!!! 

I also went to see a chiropractor and had some acupuncture done this morning!  He put one tiny pin in each of my hands, in that fatty part between your thumb and first finger, and he put 2 pins around each of my inner ankles.   It only hurt a teeny bit, not too bad at all, and then they used a cold laser to help stimulate the pins.  He said that it usually works on about 85% of people, and then said that it didn't work on only like 2 people in his experience, and he said they may have been just too early.  He said I should have a baby within 12-24 hours, so we shall see!!!!  I don't want to get my hopes up too much, but it was exciting to hear!!! ;-) 

Here's hoping some of these crazy things help get things going!

:-)