A Week behind Schedule

Between my hectic schedule at work and trying to finalize everything at home, I barely had a chance to write last week so I thought I would combine week 38 & 39.  Our medical camp program at the hospital is in full swing and it’s been a blast working with the kids – we even had a local TV station come out and film a few different camp sessions. I’ve also been in the process of training someone who will be taking over for me while I am out on maternity leave. It’s been so awesome working with her and knowing that I’m not leaving my co-workers in a bind while I’m gone. My evenings have been consumed with last-minute appointments and quality time with Evan and Tom. I’ve been trying to savor every moment of it being just the three of us.

Well, I can finally say that baby girl’s room is officially ready! I had so much fun working it, spending countless hours searching Pinterest for ideas. It took a crew of our family to paint and hang wallpaper to make my vision come to life. Hubby teases that her room is nicer than our room – and I have to admit, he is right. Now if only I can convince him to let me redecorate every room in the house. :)

Our weekly check up with Dr. Hodgson went well. He told me to relax and try to rest. My due date is still August 2 – we haven’t changed that – but I have been consistently measuring a week behind, so that does mean that my due date is probably off by a week. I feel slightly better knowing that I have more time before I have to decide how far past my due date to wait before scheduling a C-section. The only problem is that Dr. Hodgson is scheduled to be on vacation when I’m 40 weeks, so there is a possibility that he could be on vacation when I go into labor. I’m trying really hard not to worry about this, BUT I’m really hoping he’s here for her delivery. I feel comfortable with his partner, Dr. Lorraine Chun -- she’s great – but Dr. Hodgson has been there with us every step of this journey, and I’d love it if he was there with us to welcome baby girl into the world. 

I’m looking forward to my doctor’s appointment this Friday. We should find out if baby girl and I have made any progress. Look for an update in next week’s blog. She is definitely lower and I’m feeling more pressure -- hopefully she’s planning her escape.

Full Term Baby

It’s the little things that excite me now, like still being able to tie my shoes or knowing that baby girl is considered full term. I can’t believe she could come at any time. Overall I’m still feeling pretty good, but I’m slowly starting to feel impatient for her to be born. I have been having contractions pretty regularly – not like I’m in labor, but often and almost every day. They usually subside after a while. A few nights ago I had them for about an hour and they kept up even after laying down. It definitely had me beginning to wonder, but I kept it to myself. I didn’t want to send Tom running for the car keys. I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to keep up with my normal routine throughout this whole pregnancy. It makes me wonder where I’ll be and whether I will recognize it when labor starts in earnest.

Our check up this week with Dr. Wesley Hodgson went well, not a whole lot to report other than I’m not dilated at all yet. He told me not to be disappointed, that it’s still early and that some women do not dilate in advance. Naturally, I was disappointed anyway. Even though being somewhat dilated wouldn’t guarantee I won’t have a c-section, it would give me some sort of comfort knowing that my body is at least working on doing what it is supposed to. I guess I just have to wait it out and be patient – difficult after being pregnant for so many months.

Did I mention that the weather wasn’t so bad last week? Well, this week is a whole other story. It is absolutely unbearable outside right now. Between carrying extra weight and the added heat my body is generating, even taking the short walk from my office door to my car has me out of breath. Yuck, I’m hoping this heat wave doesn’t last too much longer, because I don’t think I can handle much more! Even a pool doesn’t provide relief because the water feels like bath water. Now I know why people say it’s hard to be pregnant over the summer!

Head First and Ready to Go

Its official. She is head down, Yay! We did a quick ultrasound to check and baby girl is ready to go – although I’m hoping she’ll hang in there for a few more weeks. My appointment this week went just as it has in previous weeks, everything is looking and sounding as it should. Tom and I are pretty much ready at this point, we have a few finishing touches to put on the nursery and some loose ends to tie up at work but we’re confident that if she’s early, we are ready. It’s been fun these last few weeks to cross things off of my to-do list. We’ve done quite a bit of everything, from assembling her toys to ordering the last few needed items. We are so blessed to have such caring friends and family to help. Nursery pictures are coming soon!

I’m really enjoying these last few weeks of my pregnancy. The weather has been on the warm side, but it hasn’t been unbearable – yet. I feel like it’s impossible for my stomach to expand any more than it already has. When baby girl decides to stretch out you can see her butt on one side of my stomach and her little feet poking out on the other – it’s the coolest and strangest sight. Everyone tells me that since I’m still really peppy and wearing high heels that I’m not quite ready. They say I’ll know when I’m ready – I’m hoping that’s the case because I feel a little bit in denial about it all!

Boo-Boos, Giggles and “Oh My” Moments

Sharing a life with a child brings about many things including boo boos, giggles and “oh my” moments.  Anything from scraped knees to giggles on Christmas morning.  But, the “oh my” comes from watching your child grow into a beautiful young lady learning and growing from her life’s journey, becoming a loving and nurturing daughter, wife and mother.  Now that’s an “oh my” moment!

Life is full of ups and downs but a family’s love and support are gifts that keep on giving (in many ways).  Having Tom as a part of our family, has been a true blessing.  He is truly an awesome husband, father and son-in-law.  Evan and baby girl are so fortunate to have such warm and loving parents.  As grandparents, it brings us great delight to be a part of the next cycle of boo boos, giggles and ‘oh my” moments.

We love you Brittany, Tom, Evan & baby girl! We are here for you all; cheering, loving and praying for you every step of the way.  We are so excited!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Sandy & Scott Merriman

It seems as though it was only yesterday when our children were enjoying an autumn afternoon as kids; and now in the blink of an eye Tom is poised and excited to be a Father of a newborn! We, as his parents, know what a wonderful father Tom will be as he has many of the natural qualities that come with being a great dad and devoted father. He has always been a great role model for his younger siblings. Together with Brittany they will be wonderful parents and we can’t wait to share in their joy!

 Mike and Sam

Loves and Dislikes

As the days pass by I can’t help but feel mixed emotions about my pregnancy being almost over. I am so excited to meet baby girl and there’s a part of me that can’t wait for it to be over. Another part of me is really sad it’s almost over because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant. I’ve compiled a list of loves and dislikes during my pregnancy.

Loved

• I’ll miss the random kick or knee poke that she gives me when I’m rushed or stressed and haven’t felt her in a while. It’s like she’s telling me, “hey mom, don’t forget I’m here!”
• Feeling her move in general – it’s so reassuring and so fascinating.
• The sense of purpose that comes along with being pregnant.
• Seeing the joy on strangers’ faces when they notice my pregnant belly.
• Being able to eat a few extra calories each day.
• Sharing the excitement and joy with my husband.
• Prepping the nursery :).

Disliked

• Having to use the bathroom ALL THE TIME.
• Having to use the bathroom every time I visit the doctor.
• Having to sleep on my side – I can’t wait to sleep on my tummy again.
• Not being able to eat sushi (raw fish).
• Not being able to run – I’m really looking forward to good hard workout.
• Feeling huge and out of shape even though I’ve been going to the gym consistently.
• Maternity Clothes – I’m tired of wearing the same clothes week after week.

Despite the dislikes, I have been blessed with a very easy and healthy pregnancy. I’m going to miss being pregnant but I cannot wait to meet baby girl. Our check up with Dr. Lorraine Chun went as smoothly as all of the other appointments – she is very sweet and outgoing. Baby girl’s heartbeat sounds strong and I’m measuring fine. Next week we’ll find out for sure if she is in the head down position – the first step in what will hopefully lead to a successful VBAC. Fingers crossed!

Baby Shower

I owe a huge thank you to my family and friends who worked so hard on my baby shower! My mom, mother-in-law, sister and sister-in-law along with a few of my close friends did an amazing job. I seriously can’t thank them enough for all the hard work and effort they put into making sure I had a great time. Baby girl is one loved and spoiled little girl already, and she hasn’t even been born yet!

The shower was held at the Piedmont Club. All of the decorations were hand made by my sister-in-law Emily and my friend Miriah – the two craftiest people I know. My sister Jenna and my friend Danielle worked together and came up with a bunch of really entertaining games. We played baby bingo, were asked to guess what melted candy bar was inside the “dirty diaper” and the very tricky game where you can’t say the word “baby” -- just to name a few!

While we women were busy inside, the man were outside playing golf. When they finished, they came inside to a table of their own, complete with chicken wings, quesadillas and beer. We ended the day with dinner for both of our families and friends who drove all the way from West Virginia to be with us for the day. Tom and I are so appreciative of all the sweet gifts we were given and for everyone who took the time to come and celebrate with us. :)

The nerves have definitely set in now that we’re less than 45 days away from her birth! Our weekly visits with the doctor begin next week. I just know these last few weeks are going to fly by…. I’m so excited!

Sigh of Relief

I feel like I’ve made it! I know that I’m not exactly full term, but this week was a huge milestone for me. Evan was an emergency c-section at 33 weeks, so to make it through this week was a huge relief!  It’s almost as if I’ve been holding my breath for eight months without realizing it, and now I can breathe easy. To top it off, we had a great check up with Dr. Wesley Hodgson. My measurements are as they should be and he was not concerned about an early delivery. We were able to listen to baby girl’s heartbeat and I even gained a half a pound. We will have our next check up in two weeks with Dr. Lorraine Chun, another obstetrician in the Fauquier Health’s OB/GYN practice. This appointment is sort of a meet and greet, just in case Dr. Hodgson is unable to be at our birth. She’ll do the check up and answer any questions we have. After that appointment, we will begin our weekly visits until delivery.

One of the items Dr. Hodgson discussed with us this week was our birth plan. He wanted us to think about it so when we see him again in three weeks we can discuss our thoughts. Most importantly, since I have had a c-section previously, he wanted us to consider at what point we would want to opt for a c-section. In the event that I reach my due date and baby girl is happily hanging out with no intention of making her debut, he wants us to decide how long after my due date we would want to wait.

I’m more worried about this than Tom because I would so love to have a vaginal delivery. He’s leaving this one up to me, so my thoughts are to wait at least one week past my due date. Since that would be a Friday, I’m hopeful that Dr. Hodgson will allow me to wait through the weekend. I can picture us that weekend trying all the well-worn methods of bringing on labor -- massaging pressure points in the hand and foot, deep tissue massage, long walks/exercise, spicy food and pineapple. If all the myths that supposedly bring on labor fail, I’ll have a c-section that following Monday. (Because I have had a c-section already, being induced for labor isn’t a good option for me.) Fingers crossed that baby girl decides it’s time on her own!