On our way - Continued

We're done with our walk, and now the contractions are increasing in their intensity, not incredibly painful yet, but moving in the right direction.

Taken moments ago; the picture below shows Erin's belly lowering and shrinking. She must've lost half a gallon worth of fluid by now, but don't worry, she's making more.

I had to get in on all the picture fun too. I'm wearing a boring white wrinkled shirt. Erin didn't want me to wear one of my favorite striped shirts on the baby's birthday. Boo.

I'll forgive her, though.

Now, off to the hospital...

Stay tuned...

Baby Day - Continuation

It's now 10:30am and the contractions haven't quite picked up since early this morning. We made an agreement with the hospital that we would head their direction if there's been no progress by noon. We're trying some techniques to start labor at home: walking, squatting, cleaning chores. If something doesn't happen soon it'll be "tune in Tokyo" time.

Today feels like one of those days when you are going on vacation, but your flight doesn't leave until late afternoon. Most of your morning is just filled with anxiety and boredom. We're all packed and sitting, twiddling our thumbs waiting for departure time to come. It doesn't really matter when we get to the airport, the flight will be delayed anyway, then we're just waiting at the airport instead of at home.

It's said that the breaking of water precedes labor in only 10 to 12 percent of all pregnancies. I say those 88 to 90 percent of women should count themselves lucky, we've gone through a whole roll of toilet paper since 2am.

More to come...

It's Time!

It was 2 o'clock in the morning when Erin turned the lights to the bedroom on, and in the sweetest morning-scratchy voice says "Good morning, honey." She paused to make sure that I was awake. "Are you ready to have a baby today? My water broke."

It's 6am now and her contractions are only 5 minutes apart. They don't have much pain yet, but she is feeling them in her lower back where she's supposed to.

Since 2am was still pretty early, Erin wanted to get more sleep. Besides, who knows when we'll get another chance at sleep again? I placed a plastic bag and towel on the bed for her to sleep on in case of any more spilling.

We haven't called our doctor yet. Actually, our doctor is going on vacation today for a week. So we get to have an on-call doctor, which we're fine with because we didn't feel too connected to our current doctor.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the rest of the day for more updates on baby Hardwick.

What's next:
Hospital Arrival Time
Doctor's name
Baby Arrival Time
Baby Stats
Baby Name

The Latest

Do you ever feel like you have to ask a zillion questions to get a straight answer from your doctor? Maybe it's just me. Anyhow, I went in for my non-stress test today. Baby has flipped sides and the nurse must have seen my panic at the thought of baby being breech or backwards. So she had one of the midwives come and check me out. Baby is still head down, s/he just has his/her back on the opposite side. Phew! While the midwife was there, I told her that my other doctors and support team were asking about my cervix, but the doc had not checked. So she did and my cervix is softening but not dilated yet. She asked if the doctor had scheduled me to be induced and I told her all the very limited info I had. She went to talk to the doctor and came back with this report: The textbook solution with gestational diabetes is to induce at 38 weeks. Since my sugar levels are OK and baby is doing well, she has decided to wait until she comes back from vacation to induce. That means unless baby comes on its own, I will be just about 41 weeks along at the time of inducing. Part of me is thinking "Hooray! I did NOT want to be induced and now baby has some time to finish cooking!" And the other part of me is thinking "Yikes! This baby had an estimated weight of just over 6 pounds three week ago! This kid is going to be enormous!" But, there you have it. Sorry Lighthouse friends, it looks like I could have finished out the year after all. All that thinking has worn me out. It must be time for my afternoon nap. :)

The Nursery

I know you can't see much of the room in this picture, but quite frankly, there isn't much to see. It's a very small room. But, here is the crib with the Winnie the Pooh bedding (I can't decide if the bumper is inside out or right side in - does it really matter?). The wall to my left is a pale creamy yellow (it's the wall with the window) and the other walls are a pale minty green. I put myself in the picture only because I really like that shirt and wanted a picture in it. :) I won't scare you this week with a profile of the protruding belly. Speaking of that, my father in law told me it looks like I have a tumor or a serious need for colon cleansing. Thanks a lot Dad! Soon enough it will be back to normal -with any luck and a lot of sit ups.
Today is Joshua's first Father's Day. Since it is sunny (finally) we are headed to the beach for a family BBQ and play day.
My wonderful husband, you are going to be the best Daddy ever! The baby already knows your voice and the feel of your strong hands and soft kisses. He or she will soon know the smile you have in your eyes and the optimistic outlook you have about everything around you. Baby will see the way you love me and make your family a priority in your life. I can't wait to watch you with your little one. Happy Father's Day!

Great News!

Sorry folks, no baby yet. And the great news is we still don't know when baby will arrive! At our appointment this morning, the doctor said that since baby and I are both doing so well, we do not yet need to be induced! Hooray! She scheduled my regular twice a week non-stress tests and an appointment next Friday to see how things are going. She also said it would be a great idea to start working with the naturopath to see if we can get baby out sooner than later. I will go see him on Monday, and he says that if baby is ready, I could go into labor right away! Joshua is hoping for a very special Father's Day gift, so come on out by Sunday baby! I'm sure none of our doctors will mind.

The End

Today was the last day of school. I thought it would be fun to dress up to say good bye to by first grade friends. They all agreed that the baby had grown bigger since they last saw me. :) We had a little awards ceremony in our class and then the staff had a luncheon. It was sad to say farewell to those who are not joining us next year (wait a minute ... I may not be back next year either ...) but I am so glad I was able to attend! Lighthouse has been such a blessing to me from the very beginning. When I was offered the job I had another offer at the same time. I was seriously leaning toward taking the other job and can't imagine my life if I had! From the HR director praying for my decision about what job to take, to one of the teachers inviting Joshua and me to a Bible study group, to the other first grade teachers dismissing my class so I could leave early for doctor appointments, to kindergarten teachers coming to watch my class in the afternoons so I could go do blood tests, to students coming to pray for the baby and me, (I really could go on all day ...) Lighthouse has become a family to me! My wonderful class and their amazing parents have helped to restore my love for teaching, which I thought had gone completely after my burnout in California. Although there is no position for me yet, I have such a peace knowing that God will provide one way or another, and I am quite hopeful that it will be at Lighthouse in some capacity. So no good byes from me, just a see ya later!

Ahhh the Weekend

This is how my boys like to spend their Sunday afternoons.

My Poor Baby!

Yesterday Joshua came home from work looking like this:What in the world happened you ask? He fell. That's right, just plain old slipped and fell. He was moving the bar stools back after having had the carpet cleaned over the weekend and while maneuvering very carefully on the just mopped bar floor, he lost his balance. On the way down he hit his face against the wall. Luckily, what you see seems to be the bulk of his injuries. His hip is a little sore too, but it could have been much worse! He got some extra special attention last night. He was exhausted after a long day, so I set him up on the couch with a pillow, blanket, movie, and leftover pizza. Now you will know in advance why all the pictures of Joshua with his new baby will have that red spot on his cheek.

Still pregnant

Here we are at 37 1/2 weeks. The doctor says baby is quite content and not showing any signs of wanting to come out. So, next week I go in for my twice weekly non-stress tests, and on Friday the doctor will make a date for me to be induced. I am not looking forward to her drug of choice, and she does not seem willing to try anything else. As a back up, I have planed to go see my naturopathic doctor the day before the induction is scheduled for a more natural approach. I have to keep reminding myself that God has perfect timing for this baby and s/he will be born in the way that He has planned! It just isn't the way I had planned. It doesn't seem fair that baby has to come out so early when s/he could safely be in there for another 5 weeks. Sorry kiddo, diabetes hasn't been any fun for me either!

Just passing the time

Since I have had this week off from work I have been busy relaxing at home. A typical day for me includes 2-3 loads of laundry (this baby has a ton of stuff to wash!), a doctor appointment, 3 insulin injections and 5 blood tests (I think we have finally found a good amount of insulin - my sugars are much better lately), a couple hours organizing baby things, a movie with an afternoon nap, way too much time checking out Craig's list and blogs, an hour or so of school work (I turned in report cards today - phew!), reading parenting books, and running errands. It seems silly, but Joshua gets home after work and I feel like I was so busy all day! I know this is only a taste of what busy will feel like in a few weeks. :) At least for now I can still get 8 hours of sleep at night. I've been having lots of contractions, but nothing strong enough to push this baby out yet. I get to see the doctor again tomorrow so we'll see what she says about how long baby can stay inside.

Mom's 68th Birthday

It was my mom's 68th birthday yesterday, and we celebrated her special day at my sister Pattie's house. We had barbequed hot dogs and rhubarb pie with ice cream. Pattie's husband Jim (as well as the rest of the family) has built a large backyard railroad which we spent the evening watching G-scale locomotives chug in circles around infinite lengths of track.

It's always fun to see the new additions they add to the layout. An out-of-work clown with hobo friend camping on the edge of the forest, crime scene in motion as a cop stands nearby facing the opposite direction while eating a donut, and a countryside wedding can all be seen upon closer examination of their mini-world. Also included is a re-creation of the house that our family used to live in when Jim was dating Pattie only 25 years ago (pictured below, along with the car Jim drove).

As the sun set on our day, we closed the evening with a bon fire, s'mores, and relaxing in the hot tub. At 10:30pm, before the twilight ended, my tired Dad and Mom left for home. A half hour later I dragged my own sleepy and pregnant wife home for the night.

We love you, Mom. Happy Birthday.

Showered with love

I am not really as tired as I look in this picture, but I wanted to give you another baby belly shot. Here we are at 36 1/2 weeks. Only 2 more days until full term. (Did you hear that baby? Two days and you can feel free to come on out of there!!) Friday was my last day of school and the wonderful moms had planned an end of the year party at one of their houses. What I didn't know was that they also had planned a baby shower! I am telling you, this child has been so showered with love we may have to move to a bigger house to accommodate all the new things! It's a good thing I don't have to work this week. I have some serious nesting to do!

Baby Stats

According to today's ultrasound, baby is still on target as far as size. Baby weighs about 6 pounds 1 ounce (I was 6 lb 6 oz at birth) and has a normal head size (52nd percentile) Hooray! It is always a relief to see and hear that baby is doing well despite the diabetes. The doctor increased my insulin dosage again today, and all 5 of my blood tests were in range! Hooray again! In five more days baby should be ready to enter the world. After the appointments we stopped by a boutique today that I really enjoyed. I got two diaper covers, two snappis, and some baby bum cleaner. All we need now is the baby!

Testing 1 2 3

My doctor has ordered twice a week non-stress tests to make sure baby is doing ok in there. I went in for my first test yesterday and had no idea what to expect other than a non-invasive monitoring. They walked me back into a little tiny room with a bookshelf, leather recliner, coffee table, and lamp. I got very cozy on the chair while the nurse strapped a couple of monitors on my belly. Then she handed me a chapstick-sized tool with a button on one end. I was instructed to press it every time I felt the baby move. She turned on the machine which blared the sound of the baby's heart beat. Baby was taking a nap, so she rang a cowbell over my belly. That did the trick! So for the next 45 minutes I got to relax in the recliner, listen to baby's heart, and feel for baby's movement. This was indeed a non-stress test! We get to go tomorrow for another NST, an ultrasound (this will be number four and I don't want to look at the screen at all in case baby decided to reveal anything), and another appointment. My blood sugars are still wacky. The endocrinologist has increased my insulin every other day and I'm sure he will again tomorrow. We are praying that baby decides to come out early - any time after next Tuesday - so I don't have to be induced. My final countdown at work: 2 days!!

A state of crisis

The image above is an excellent portrayal of our current problem. I especially like the gas attendant heading up the ladder to raise the price another 7 cents while the family is still fuelling up. At Christmas our prices were at 2.99/gal at every station around us. Erin got tired of me telling her it was a cartel. Now, 5 months later, it's up more than a dollar with no end in sight. Where's the relief? Decades went by without prices ever going above even one dollar. The summer blend was only ten cents more than the winter blend of fuel. If you're gay or pro-abortion, now is your time to pass some laws, because the rest of us are standing agog at the rising prices at the pump and grocery store.

A decade ago GM came out with the EV1 and paved the way for a whole new line of Electric Vehicles, but now is but a distant memory. After watching the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car?, it wasn't discontinued for a lack of interest. GM and Ford still have on their websites information about the future of automotive advances, but it is too little too late, even hybrids are a joke. Rumor has it that a barrel of oil will cost $200 by veterans day and gas at $8.00/gal. I'm not buying a new car anymore. Gas-only cars are a relic from the past, no longer providing the value they once had. What are the alternatives? If you have a lot of money you can get a Tesla Motors Roadster, one of the only completely manufactured electric vehicles around, or you can pay $50,000 to convert your car to electric. Or convert your hybrid to a Plug-in Hybrid and get over 100 MPGs. Hydrogen fuel cells, I think, are a waste of time and are a major distraction, because of the need to create the infrastructure, shorter fuel capacity distance, high price, and climate restrictions. For more information on these cars: http://www.eaaev.org/eaaevsforsale.html

Is this an environmental issue that I'm talking about? No, it's a cost of lifestyle that I'm talking about. This is America and we're being priced out of our homes. I went to breakfast today, and the restaurant was packed, but only had one server. Ten percent of the people that walked in the door, walked out without service after sitting at their tables for 15 minutes. The place is known for the "Best Breakfast in Town", but I didn't see it with my overcooked bacon and over-buttered eggs. The owners are certainly trying to reduce their costs by shorting their labor, and several menu items were crossed out with a Sharpie (didn't even reprint the menus). How did this happen? Why is the dollar decreasing in value so quickly?

What is the Federal Reserve up to? Like Federal Express, it is not a government agency, yet they control so much of our lives. Why are we paying them to print our money? Soon we'll owe them so much money that they'll print their own. Talking about control, how about this war. Is it real? I have seen no benefit to my lifestyle. Let alone gas prices, visiting somebody at the airport for a relaxing afternoon is a thing of the past, now you have to arrive two hours early for your turn to be strip-searched in front of the general public.

I think this war is more about improving on technology to control and track people. I have read in the paper about how we are trying to stop terrorists by finding their funding sources and stopping them. Which leads me to think that we're moving towards a cashless society pretty quickly. Without cash there is no anonimity. If everybody became chipped, and trackable, (there's even talks about instaling tracking GPSs in cars--to pay taxes on road mileage used) then there would be less crime. Therefore if a chipped person committed a crime, they could be "shut off" and thus be punished. However, if you refuse the chip, you must be a terrorist. The general public would demand it, because they are getting more scared of others. They get more scared because they aren't leaving their house as often because of fuel prices, watching more television and becoming more frightened by the stories they see on the news.

Am I too off with this sort of social entropy? I hope I am, but looking at $4.00 a gallon is pretty depressing and makes me concerned for the world that I'm bringing my new son or daughter into. It's not the same world that my Grandfather lived in, which seems to me to have been the best years to be alive. But, as a Christian, I have faith that the best things are still yet to come.

Well that part is good news

So today I went to visit the endocrinologist and got my prescription to help control the diabetes. Since my levels have gone so high, I am no longer eligible for the oral meds and require insulin injections instead. Injections?! I know!! But, insulin IS safe for baby and the oral meds are only "probably" safe. So that part is good news. I get to take 3 injections a day in my belly and increase my blood testing times to 5 (or more) times a day. If this baby had any idea all the poking I am doing for him/her ... So far I have made it through 1 injection with Joshua at my side comforting me and encouraging me and telling me how proud he was when I managed to actually do it. I don't know how I would ever get through this without him! Also, I have decided to end my school year a little early and am calling it quits as of May 30. The doctor today said they wouldn't let the baby stay more than 39 weeks, and that is just 4 short weeks away! We are meeting with our new ob this Friday, and she may have a more specific plan in mind after monitoring the baby. We'll see. We will now have visits every week and lots of extra monitoring to make sure baby is ok in there. It amazes me that the human population has continue to grow with all the complications that can come with pregnancy!

A Losing Battle

As many of you know, I have been fighting with all that I am to control this diabetes with just diet and exercise. It has been a difficult battle, and until this week I was putting up a pretty good fight. But I am sorry to say that the diabetes has won. My blood sugar is completely out of control no matter what I eat or how many miles I walk a day. It is too high when I roll out of bed. I have tried multiple supplements from my naturopath to no avail, and so on Monday I will call my endocrinologist and get my prescription for drugs that will certainly lower my sugar levels and "probably" not harm the baby. Next I will call and cancel my appointment with the midwife and try to reschedule with a doctor. Last, I will call the hospital and request a tour of their facilities. I am so bummed about this whole ordeal, but trust that it is the Lord's plan and am peaceful knowing that it is what is best for the baby.
Today is a rare day in Washington ... the sun is shining brightly over the 80+ degree day. So we are off to enjoy it and forget about the stinkin' diabetes for a while!

Eight month baby belly and Joshua's first baby shower

I know it's been a while since I've shown off my baby belly to the world, so here it is! 32 weeks and a few days along. Please ignore whatever it is I have spilled on my shirt and the sagging non-maternity sweatpants. We were on our evening walk (gotta keep the blood sugar down!) and we decided then and there it was high time for a picture.
After the amazing day of yard work fun, our home group threw a lovely baby shower. We were showered indeed with everything from a money tree to be used for diaper service to a round trip airline ticket so my mom can be here when the baby is born! Thank you everyone!

I get by with a little help from my friends

Joshua and I joined a home group through our church before we even began attending the church. I knew several of the couples (or halves I guess) from work. What a blessing this group has been to us! We were looking for a service project to do together and someone came up with the brilliant idea to serve each other! Our turn was first, and what a service it was! We spent the day working in our yard and the evening was a BBQ baby shower! I am so thankful to have found a group of couples our age who serve the Lord in tangible ways. What an honor to be a part of such a group!!