Official c-section date is set!!!!

Barring anything unexpected, Gabriel Michael will be delivered via c-section on December 2nd. Since I am on anticoagulants, I will be admitted to the hospital on December 1st so they can give me the meds to reverse the anticoagulant effects. After that has taken effect, they will do something called a bleed time test to see if my clotting time is back to normal. If it is, then I will have the c-section with spinal anesthesia. If for any reason the clotting time is not back to normal, I will probably have to be put under general anesthesia (WHICH I REALLY DO NOT WANT).

My blood pressure was still excellent at today's appointment. Also, I have finally gained back some of the weight I lost. In two weeks, I gained about 5 pounds. Since I am not retaining water or do not have any swelling, the nurse thinks they just misweighed me by a couple of pounds at my last appointment. I am still 7+ pounds below my starting weight so all is good.

My next appointment is in 2 more weeks and we will start the non-stress tests then (for no reason other than I am high risk).

Tell me which is worse to hear...

when someone looks at you and says "Are you having twins?" (when I was pg with Marty, my oldest, at about 30 weeks)

or

when someone says "If you hadn't mentioned you were pg, I wouldn't have known." (this was only last Friday)

The first comment came from someone who lived near me and KNEW I was only having one. The second comment happened when I was at the post office. I was right up at the counter and the woman was trying to figure out why I looked different. I said it might be because I'm no longer wearing bangs or it might be because I weigh a lot less despite my big preggo belly. Her response was the second comment above.

Ugh...hearing that was enough to deflate my ego...and here I thought I was looking pretty good. It felt like she was saying I just looked fatter. You decide...here is the picture I took on Sunday, September 25th.



Also, I finished a shower gift for another friend who is also due December. The blanket is receiving blanket size...perfect for the car seat or stroller. The hat and booties should fit the average baby up until about 4 or 5 months old. Would you like this for your baby?

My luchadore kid...and his stitched birth announcement...

Joey came out the other night wearing underwear on his head like a luchadore (Mexican wrestler) mask. He also had a pirate bandana on his head and the eye patch over his mouth. I decided it was the better part of valor not to ask why and I just took a picture.



And, I decided I really needed to stitch Joey's birth announcement before Gabe is born in Dec or it might never get done. I finished it today.



Life is certainly never dull with my boys.

I had a really good appointment today...

I'll be 28 weeks tomorrow so today I got to do the GD test...and, no, that wasn't the good part...LOL. The GD test was tolerable. I should have my results back either later this afternoon or early tomorrow.

The good part is that I still haven't regained any of the weight I lost...so I am still 13 lbs below my starting weight. Also, my bp was only 110/74. I guess they really believe me now when I say the early high readings were entirely stress related.

In two weeks, I see my regular OB again and will get to schedule the official c-section date. Woohoo...I am pushing for a c-section date of Dec 2nd which would mean only 11 weeks 2 days until Gabe is born.

Also, simply because of my high risk status, they are talking about starting non-stress tests somewhere between 32 and 34 weeks.

***got my GD test results and, even after drinking all that crap, my blood sugar was only 102.

New Belly Pics...

I was informed I was being sorely negligent in my duties when it came to providing pics...so here they are...

The Battle of "Stallingrad"...or putting my kids to bed...

My kids, like all kids, seem to pull our the stops when it comes to delay tactics at bed time. The usual tactics include, hunger, thirst, being cold, being hot, and "just not being able to go to sleep". However, Joey has added a new and interesting twist to the nightly stall and delay tactics. Joey has mastered the ability to keep microscopic amounts of poop and pee inside his body thus necessitating at least two (sometimes more) post bedtime potty breaks. From the amount of time he sometimes spends in the bathroom, you would think he would produce massive, adult-sized poops. But noooooooo, during these post bedtime bathroom trips, the poops are invariably itsy bitsy specks in the toilet. How he manages to retain just enough to "have to go" is beyond me. Do you think this might qualify him for a spot on David Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks? Aaaah, what a claim to fame.

On the baby front, all is going well. The u/s last Monday was perfet. Gabe was measuring slightly bigger then the 50% and he had plenty of fluid (but not too much) to swim around in. His head was measuring a little large but it was still within the normal range. Considering my hubby and I both wear extra large hats and that Marty's head was off the newborn chart at birth, Gabe having a biggish head does not surprise me. Based on measurements, Gabe's weight was estimated at 874 grams which is equal to 1.92 lbs...not bad for 25 1/2 weeks. The u/s tech says that based on the current growth pattern she would guess he would be a little above average size at birth. This comment produced a disbelieveing laugh from me. Up through about 25 weeks or so, both my boys measured about average. It was during the third trimester that they both became big babies...Marty was almost 9 lbs and Joey was 7 lbs at 36 weeks. I fully expect Gabe to be on the large end of things but I will be happy no matter what the size as long as he is healhty.

And, a special THANK YOU to my mom. She just offered to buy my nursing bras for me. Considering I have a mammoth rack and I have to get my bras custom made at about $75 a bra, this is a most welcome gift!!! Woohooo MOM!!!