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December 24, 2001
38 weeks, 1 day
Well, I honestly can’t believe that I made it this far. I’m officially full term. No more worries about preterm labor. No wondering if Ethan’s lungs can handle life on the outside. No worrying about whether or not he is too small. He is a full term baby now. I am so thankful that he is healthy and safe to come out now. I am so thankful that we made it to this point. I love my little boy so very much and I just KNOW that that love will grow by leaps and bounds when I see him for the very first time.
Physically, life is still challenging. My mom has been here and we have been doing quite a bit of shopping and going out and walking. I’ve been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. It’s funny because each day, the time I can be up walking gets shorter and shorter! There have been a couple of days when I have just plain over done things and have suffered terribly. Other than the usual back, groin, hip, and pelvic pain, not much has changed. It has definitely gotten harder to get up and go to the bathroom in the night. I told Mike for the first time the other night that I might even to wake him up to help me because lately, I’ve been afraid that I will fall and I DON’T want that to happen.
No other signs of labor really. I haven’t lost my mucus plug. My water hasn’t been leaking at all. No real timeable contractions. Nothing. But, that’s okay. We still have lots of time. I told Mike yesterday that I am going to just enjoy what precious little time I have left with Ethan. Right now, he is MY baby… he goes wherever I go. He sleeps with me. He is all mine and I don’t have to share him. He relies on ME for everything. Soon, I will be sharing him with the world. So, for now, he is all mine and I am enjoying the time I have with him.
I had my doctor’s appointment on Friday morning. I had my Group B strep test that day. My weight is up by another 3 pounds in one week. ARGH. I am not real surprised though. My feet and ankles have been very puffy lately and I know that I am still retaining a lot of fluid. It’s so hard to eat low-sodium foods during the holidays… seems as though everything is soaked in sodium! And WHAT are we having for Christmas dinner tomorrow? Black forest Ham… yummy! And yes, I WILL be participating. I just have to be real careful about drinking lots of water! My blood pressure was up during Friday’s appointment. It was 132/94. I am to watch for blurry vision, an increase in swelling, severe headaches and nausea/vomiting. If I develop any of those symptoms, I am to call. He made it very clear that I should call for anything at this point. It made me feel good. My next appointment is Wednesday, the day after Christmas. I’m glad it won’t be a full week between this appointment and the last… I really want to keep a closer eye on my blood pressure.
Well, my brother flew in on Saturday afternoon as a surprise for my mom. She had been a bit depressed because he is the baby and she’s never really been away from him during the holidays. Mike and I picked him up from the airport and we went home. When we got home, he hid in the garage behind one of our cars. I then went in and said to my mom, “Mike needs help with something in the garage and I just can’t lift right now. Can you come help?” She was happy to oblige… she got to the garage door and my brother popped out from behind the car… you should have seen the look on her face. She was so totally shocked and amazed and happy and got ALL excited. It was definitely a classic moment! It’s been so nice to have him here. The three of us haven’t been together at Christmas since 1997. Because my brother will be leaving for a couple of years, the earliest we could possibly spend Christmas together again is 2004. So, this is wonderful to have our family together.
We’ve been having fun together. Tomorrow is Christmas. We plan on spending a quiet day here at home. We will be making a nice Christmas dinner to share tomorrow evening. All in all, we will be keeping things simple. My brother leaves on Thursday afternoon. My mom will also be leaving that day. She is going to visit a friend temporarily and will be back the beginning of January. She knows she could very well miss Ethan’s arrival, but it doesn’t really matter to any of us. She will be back soon enough. It won’t bother me if she isn’t here the day he is born. Mike and I actually want that moment to ourselves anyway.
So I guess that is my entry for this week. Right now, we are just enjoying our time together, the holiday season, and playing the waiting game! It’s very fun to have so much to look forward to!
Ethan can come at any time now. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, you can assume that he has arrived. I am very good about updating my diary, so if it doesn’t get updated, it’s probably because I’m out of commission! Somehow, I think he is pretty comfortable inside me and you’ll hear from me again before he decides to make an appearance! I’ll let you know though!
Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a joyous new year!
~~Christina & Ethan
EDD 1/10/02
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