38 week appointment and MORE!

Yesterday I saw my OB for my 38 week appointment. Everything is going fine except for the fact that I am STILL PREGNANT! The baby sounds great and is continuing to grow which is good. I am having contractions and my doctor thinks I may be in the early stages of labor because of the tightness of my belly. Lets hope, but I am not optimistic. We will be scheduled for an induction the week after Labor day weekend if I do not go into labor on my own before then.

On another note. My sister had her baby girl yesterday evening around 5pm. She weighed 5 pounds and was 18 inches long. Her name is Isabella Leigh True Kami and Isabella are both doing great and plan on going home from the hospital on Sunday evening.

The irony in all of this is that I have been having contractions since May 4th and my due date was a week earlier than my sisters. Yet, she still beats me. I really do not believe my body knows what it is doing when it comes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. We do, however, have an end in sight. Woot woot! And I slept well last night which allows me to have a way better mindset today.

Sophia is doing fine. She regularly tells me "Mommy, I am so mad that the baby isn't here yet". I hear you sister! She is heading to a birthday party today and is super excited.

Until next time......

38 week ultrasound

So today was broken up a bit with an ultrasound appointment at 11:00am. Everything with baby Suri looks great. She weighs approximately 6lbs and 7 ounces (Sophs was 6lbs 9 ounces at birth). Her heart rate is strong and she was making it very difficult for the ultrasound tech to get a good picture. She did finally end up snapping a few for me to take home. She has big fluffy lips and chubby cheeks. Unfortunately for me, the tech said that it did not appear that her head was engaged. Now, I just have to be patient. My next appointment is on Friday with my regular doctor. Until next time......

Friday Fun Night

Yesterday Josh and I picked Sophia up from school to surprise her with an evening full of fun. We first headed to the park and had a picnic and Sophia played and played. She was so excited when one of her classmates showed up and they played for a good hour together just chasing each other around. Once it started raining a little bit we headed to the gymnastics center tootie packed along. Sophia played on the trampoline, the zip line, and the monkey bars. Josh was shocked to see that Sophia can do a seat drop now and with just a tiny bit of help make it across the monkey bars. After "snacks snacks" we headed to taco bell (I was hungry again and who wants to argue with a pregnant lady) then headed back home for a slumber party. Such a fun night. My feet are killing me. Until next time......

Meet the Teacher night

Last evening I attended "Meet the Preschool Teacher Night" at Sophia's school. I was excited to be the normal mother and attend this. I spoke with her teachers about what Sophia is interested in at school. Ms. M and Ms. L said Sophia really enjoys the sensory table (table full of rice or water that the kiddos can do experiments in), but that she really sort of divides her time evenly between the "dramatic play", "arts and crafts", and "construction" centers. She has started writing her name, however will only do it on her terms or with a bribery of candy. I was informed last evening that the kids will start having a little homework on Fridays (of course optional though). The only downside of last evening was that I had to sit on a preschoolers chair. Not a pretty sight.

Our most recent "SOPHIA-ISM":

Me: "Eeeew-weee it is hot out here"

Sophia: "Is the baby still cooking in your belly?"

Me: "Yes, she is still cooking."

Sophia: "Like a pizza?"

Me: "Right Sophs, just like a pizza."

Until next time........

37 week appointment

I had my 37 week (actually 37 weeks on the 20th) appointment yesterday and the baby sounds great. My belly is still measuring a little small, but the doctor doesn't seem too concerned. I will have an ultrasound next week at my 38 week appointment (if we make it to then). So, we have officially made it. This baby has made it to full term. WOOT WOOT! Now, we have to get her out. I am sure I will go past 40 weeks. Can you imagine? 14 weeks of bedrest to slow down contractions only to go beyond your due date. That is just my luck. Anyhow, it feels nice to be able to get out and do things. I have taken a few walks and gone out with Josh and Sophs for some family time. I just have a few things left to do around the house to get ready for baby Suri, but mentally we are all ready. Sophia has run through the whole scenario with me. Here is our conversation:

Me: "Okay Sophs, what happens when it is time for mommy to have this baby?"

Sophs: "We go to the hospital, and I won't be in the room when you are having the baby, but I will see the baby right after the baby is born."

Me: "Where will you be when mommy and daddy are in the hospital room?"

Sophs: "In the TV room watching cartoonies."

So, we have it down. So, Pamela, Dale, Boo, and Papi be on your toes because it could be "go time" any day. Lets hope sooner than later.

Until next time........

Family Fun Fair 2009

Sophia had a ball at Greenwood Christian Church Family Fun Fair today. Josh and she went around to nearly every station bouncing in jumpers, playing carnival games, train rides, boat rides, and even face painting. It was a beautiful but hot day. Until next time........

36 week Belly Picture

Getting bigger and bigger!

36 week appointment

We have made it to the 36 week mark (Friday)! The baby continues to sound great. My belly is measuring smaller than it had in previous weeks but my doctor said that she probably dropped. On Friday I am allowed to start doing a little bit more and next Friday I can go about life as normally as possible and if I go into labor that weekend it is fine. Lets hope this baby wants to come next weekend because I am ready. We have decided on the name Suri Jean. We were trying to keep it a secret but Sophia let the cat out of the bag. God love her. I put the bassinet together the other day and last night I went to look at it and Sophs had put her baby doll in it. She is too sweet. I have been able to pick Sophia up from school the last two days and it is like a foreign world. I had to introduce myself to her teachers so they knew Sophia wasn't going home with a stranger. It is nice to see all those little ones again. It is crazy how much toddlers/preschoolers grow in 4 months. Until next time.....

Wingin' It

Who would have thought that Sophia would be such a huge fan of hot wings. It is pretty pathetic when a 3 year old can tolerate spicy wings better than her momma. Her flavor of choice: Hot Boston. I will say that they are delish! Until next time..

Big Brother

So, Josh and I have been dedicated "Big Brother" watchers for a few years now. I have loved watching all of the drama and silly games that the house guests are required to do. That is, until this season. Now, maybe it is my negative mindset with this pregnancy, okay pretty sure this is the culprit. Anyhow, I started enjoying this season when it happened. Yes, IT happened! Here comes Julie Chen, all perky, gorgeous, and here is the kicker..... PREGNANT! She did not have any dark roots, or obvious saddle bags, or even swollen cheeks. You tell me how a hostess of a reality show can show up 3 days a week looking so not...REALISTIC. Oh no, she had perfect makeup, a cute, guessing size 6, outfit (with only a slightly visible baby bump), and perfectly coiffed hair. If they wanted a reality show hostess they should have called me. I could have given them reality. White trash hair, puffy face, frumpy clothing, dark black framed glasses (not for style, strictly vision), and a bad attitude. Now, that is reality. Any takers? So, the moral of this story is...............I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. I am no longer likable and I can hardly stand the look of myself in the mirror. Doesn't my husband sound like a lucky man? Until next time......

Wild Wild West Part II

Wild Wild West

Tonight Sophia, Josh, Boo, and Papi headed to Sophs school for a hoe down. They ate bbq, pet animals (bunnies, chickens, rooster, goats, Shetland pony), and Sophs got to ride on a pony. Sophia looked like she had been a cowgirl her whole life when I checked out the pictures.

Boo and Papi graciously agreed to help us out this week as Sophia does not have school Thursday and Friday and I am still not allowed to get out and josh has started his 2 a day football practices. It sounds s though they have a few busy days planned that may include a trip to the zoo, gymnastics, and maybe even a do it yourself pottery studio.

As I mentioned, Josh has started his football practices for 8th grade. He is pretty excited for this season. He says that this years group is one of the best he has had since 2004 (that group won the state championship this past year as seniors).

Nothing new for me. The kidney stone seems to have settled somewhere, so the doctors are letting things be until after delivery. I will be having a CAT scan in October to hopefully resolve this little issue. I am feeling a little better lately, just looking forward to seeing this little girl who has been giving me so much trouble. I will tell everyone this. We DO have a name picked out and are pretty well set. It starts with an "s" and will roll off of your tongue just as Sophie Sabol does. We are so looking forward to introducing this little munchkin to the world.

Little Monkey

Okay, so I broke all rules today in hopes of saving my mental status. I went with Josh and Sophia to Independence Park. I did, however take a pillow and camped out on one of the benches. I really thought I may burn the house down if I spent one more minute in it so I thought it best I remove myself from the situation. Anyhow, it was so nice to get out and get some fresh air, but more importantly to watch sophia be a kid and run around. She is able to swing on the big girl swings, climb on the monkey bars, and she measured 40 inches on the height chart at the playground (that is big enough for Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror at Disney). She is really becoming a "kid". Unfortunately I was only able to tolerate about 35 minutes at the park until I had enough. Sophia decided that next time we should bring my bed so that we could stay "all day long". I asked her if that would be weird and she said "yes, but that is okay". Until next time........

What is next?

So, it has been a rough couple of days and I have had a hard time not feeling sorry for myself and asking "so, what is next?" I realize things could be so much worse and I should be grateful to have a healthy baby in my belly, a healthy 3 year old, and a wonderful husband, however, I am tired of pregnancy complications. I always wanted to be that pregnant lady that looked so cute in all of her maternity clothes, who "glowed", who continued exercising throughout her pregnancy, and who was able to go about life without skipping a step. This, unfortunately, has never been the case for me.

I had a doctors appointment last Thursday and was telling my OB that I had been feeling so much better and that I had had a pretty good couple of weeks. I knew as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I was setting my self up for something miserable. And the following is a rundown of our latest pregnancy related issue.

On Wednesday, I was awoken by strong contractions and severe back pain (which I attributed to back labor) at 2:00 am. I tried everything to get things settled down before I started timing the contractions (dose procardia, bath, position change, walking, back rub). Unsuccessful in my attempts, I then pulled out the cell phone to start timing, as a 32 week 4 day pregnant lady should not be having more than 4 contractions an hour. So, timing began at 2:15ish. Sure enough, contractions were coming every 5-6 minutes and seemed to be getting stronger. GREAT! So, I phoned the on-call doc, which I am sure they love the 3 am calls, and she wanted me to head to the hospital. By the way, I am sure my poor OB is so over me and this pregnancy. So, with it being 3 am we had to pack up a sleeping Sophia and head in. Once in the hospital and hooked up to the monitors, the doctor came in and checked me (1-2 cm dilated), so not a huge concern. I was given Terbutaline in two doses which seemed to settle down the contractions , however the back pain continued and seemed to be getting worse. Clearly, the back pain was not back labor, so now this became our next issue. I had an OB ultrasound and the doc wanted an ultrasound of my kidneys. Sure enough, increased fluid around my kidneys, more so on one side than the other, blood in urine....All indicative of a kidney stone. So, Wednesday afternoon, after many hours of extreme discomfort I was hooked up to a morphine pump. It seemed to help quite a bit and I was able to stay lying down in order to monitor the baby's heart rate (I couldn't lay down for more than 2 minutes prior to pain meds). Pamela and Dale came down to help us out with Sophia, thank goodness! On Thursday morning at 7:30 am the urologist came in to speak with us. The original plan was to place a stent in to make it easier to pass the stone, however the urologist was reluctant due to me being so close to full term. Instead of risking early delivery he decided to treat me with oral pain meds, antibiotic, and hope that I can flush the stone without any "procedure". So, that is where we are now. I am home in bed, back pain continues though not as severe as Wednesday, and the baby is still moving a lot.

The good news:

On the OB ultra sound the baby was measuring 34 weeks (By my calculations 33 weeks)

She weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces, which is great.

Her heart rate has been awesome.

The nurses at the hospital were awesome and did everything they could to get me more comfortable.

So, here we are between 33-34 weeks. The baby looks good. I will just have to endure a few weeks of discomfort and then hopefully we will be a healthy and happy family of four. Until next time........

Sophia-isms

Sophia: "Why is daddy sick?"

Me: "Oh, he has a little stomach bug."

Sophia: "Daddy has a bug in his stomach? Ewwwwwwwww."

Me: "Sort of."

Long night

Oh my, last night was a rough one. Not because I was having contractions but because I was completely in charge of everything at the house and of meeting all of Sophia's needs. Josh got a major case of the flu bug. Poor guy was super sick, and I knew it wasn't a good idea for me to get anywhere near him. That is all we need is for me to get sick and dehydrated, with him sick, and to have a 3 year old fending for herself. (Although, I think she could manage). So, I slept upstairs with Sophia in her full size bed. I have done this before in my pre-pregnancy days and it was a little short on space. But, last night, it was a LOT short on space. My big self didn't seem to even have enough room to turn over. We had installed side rails on Sophs bed and I couldn't remove the rail on my side without straining myself sooo.....I had to leave it on. The good part is, I didn't fall out of bed. The downside, lack of room. Anyhow, we made it through. Josh still isn't feeling great and I might have slept 2 hours total. Sophia is doing good though and she looks refreshed. We just have to make sure that Josh is the only one that gets sick so needless to say i have been carrying around hand sanitizer and cleaner. Until next time......

"Snacks-snacks"

Today, Josh and Sophia are headed to what Sophia refers as "snacks-snacks" aka gymnastics open gym. She was so proud to put her sparkly tootie on and go swing on the monkey bars and play in the ball pit. Until next time...

32 weeks

Well, we will have made it to the 32 week mark in this pregnancy this upcoming Friday. Much, much better than 21 weeks when these preterm labor issues began. I realize this blog was designed to inform family and friends about the goings on in Sophia's little life, however i feel it necessary to include information on this pregnancy as it has had a major impact on our family and our daily lives.

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday and everything looked really great. The babies heart rate was in the 150s and I am measuring just a bit shy of 32 weeks. The doctor doesn't expect that this will be a very big baby. Sophia was only 6lbs 9ounces. Knock on wood, but I have really been feeling pretty decent. I still have contractions but I must be getting used to them. What I notice more now is the back pain. Now, I am sure a lot of this is due to the years and years of running up and down a basketball court. I am sure the excess weight gain isn't helping things either. I will not say how much weight I've gained, but lets just say that those women who only gain 20 pounds during their pregnancy would not allow me in their group. Oh well, I can worry about that after we have a healthy, full-term baby girl. I think I have been going through my "nesting" phase the last week or two. I have washed probably 100 newborn-3 month sleepers and onesies, I have washed car seats, swings, crib sheet, diaper bags, and I even took a stroller apart to wash the fabric overlay. Thank goodness we have a heavy duty washer and dryer. My doctor did tell us yesterday that I will continue taking Procardia (for contractions) until I reach 37 weeks. I stopped taking this medication with Sophs when I was 38 weeks and ended up walking into my scheduled OB appt dilated to 6 cm. So, history known, she wants me to stay on until we are sure this baby will be full-term. That is an easy assignment. I am hoping however that she will allow me to maybe get out of the house around 35-36 weeks. I am in desperate need of a Wal-Mart run for baby essentials.

Sophia has been doing great. She is such a little mommy. Since we have brought the swing into the house, Sophs has been putting her baby dolls in it and swinging her "softly". Sophia makes sure to give her baby sister kisses every time she leaves and before she goes to bed at night. I do have to remind her to be gentle. She is going to be such a great big sister. She wants me to "hush" (push) the baby out soon. I regularly remind her that the baby has to cook a little longer.

We are getting closer and closer to completing our little family. We just pray that everything will continue to go smoothly and that all of us will stay healthy and strong. Until next time.....

SHOOTER!!!!

This summer sophia has really developed a fondness for her miniature basketball goal. She and Josh play a game where if she can make three in a row he will twirl her around by her arms (I know, real safe, right?) Anyhow, Sophs just loves it and gets so excited when she hits that third shot. After the final shot she runs over to Josh and yells "SHOOTER" while slapping him a high ten. Now, I realize that it is the coach in him that is loving every minute of Sophia wanting to shoot hoops. Josh's tactics didn't work as well when he attended summer practices for the High school girls. He coaches on the high school team and they are holding daily summer practices. Anyhow, Josh was asking who got extra shots in the day before and nobody answered. He then told them, "Sophie Sabol got 100 jumpers in and she is only three years old". I think his comment was met with a few smirks and a few rolled eyes. His following comment cracked me up. He then told his high school girls "If you make three in a row I will spin you around by your arms". He cracks me up. Can't you imagine a bunch of 15-18 year old girls listening to this story. Josh definitely knows how to lighten the mood.

Back to Sohps. Now, I know in previous blogs that I have explained Sophia's affinity for "tooties". This hasn't been a fleeting phase. She continues to strip her shorts and t-shirts off as soon as she comes home from school and put on a "tootie". After donning the "tootie", activity may range from dancing, to riding the four wheeler, to shooting hoops. These pictures capture the essence of Sophia Sabol perfectly, a little princess-a little tomboy.

Until next time....

July 4th weekend

Sophia had a great 4th of July this year. She got to spend some quality time with her "boo" and "papi" (Matt and Karen, aka josh's folks). So many nicknames! Anyhow, she was home from school on Friday and woke up super early and the the first words out of her little mouth were "Boo and papi coming today?"....Matt and Karen made it down on friday afternoon so Sophs was stoked. Karen was sweet enough to make me a birthday cake (I'm 29 now!!!scary...). We also set off some fireworks in the backyard. Now I am a bit skittish when it comes to fireworks so I wasn't so sure this was the best idea. My only comfort was knowing that we had a trained fire chief right there if something went wrong. I did not expect however for one of the fireworks to shoot up in the air 200 feet and explode (as in professional fireworks size). The police were not called, thank goodness.

On Saturday, Josh, Sophs, Matt, and Karen headed off to the Children's Museum (Not me, still on house arrest..I mean modified bedrest....whatever, same thing.) They had a great time. Josh, being the history nerd that he is was excited to see the king Tut exhibit. Sophia, not so much...She did have a great time at the children's area and she even brought some moss back home that she cloned. Hmmmm...where can I put some cloned moss????? Unfortunately it rained most of the evening on Saturday so we held off on fireworks. (Are you sensing my disappointment?)

Boo and Papi headed back home on Sunday morning. Sophia wanted them to stay for "5 months". She loves spending time with them.

As for me, nothing new. A little Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights, TLC, sudoku, reading....BORING!!!!! But, I am almost 31 weeks so in the big scheme of life, I am doing pretty good. The baby is moving like crazy and I think that Josh and I are going to have our hands full if her activity now is any indicator of how she will be when she is out of my belly. Sophia has found a baby in her belly as well and she will tell you that "when I am awake the baby sleeps". Josh says "That is cute now, but not so much at 16."

Until next time.....