oh hai.

It has been so crazy busy around here. It looks like we landed ourselves a new apartment. It is great: high ceilings, LARGE, extra room, balcony off of kitchen. It is not fitted with a kitchen (which I am actually excited about) so we get to put in our own, brand new, and I GET TO DESIGN IT!! It is a dream come true. A new baby AND a new kitchen all in one month. Winner!

The only downside is, well, moving and having a baby in the same month.  This is my husbands opportunity to shine. I am putting my faith in him and hoping that he can take the wheel for a while and make it all come together while I am in recovery mode. Dear God, give him the strength and the focus (or else) so that I don’t go completely postal on his ass.

The place needs work. We are redoing the floors, and , of course, the kitchen. I am also having chair and picture rail molding put in throughout the entire unit in addition to having it painted. Quite a project but I think we can get it all done in a week if everyone (cough *my husband*) stays on task and doesn’t piss me off.

Aside from that fantastic news I have had a handful of Dr. appointments. Well, midwife appointments actually.  Despite my slight increase in appetite, I lost about 2.5 pounds putting my total weight gain, thus far, at 27 pounds. Not too shabby.

I began acupuncture. I had one series for swelling, and since I am not really swelling I can’t really tell you if it worked or not, and I began the labor prep series which I am supposed to do once a week, however, I may discontinue it due to what happened on Monday. Basically, I went in, they hooked me up to the CTG and once the midwife inserted the needles the baby’s baseline heartrate soared, going from her normal 140-ish to 170.  I normally have my CTG scans lying on my side, so being on my back was not the issue. I switched from right to left, no change. I drank a ton of water, no change. The only thing that brought her heart rate back down was removing the needles. Coincidence? Perhaps but I had a follow up CTG yesterday and it was perfectly normal and since the only time this has happened was during the acupuncture  I am a little hesitant about having any more. Additionally, the acupuncture is supposed to thin out my cervix, but as of yesterday it’s done nothing. In fact, that 1cm of dilation that the midwife told me I had going on was wrong, my Dr. checked me yesterday and I am fully closed and my cervix is long and strong.

The CTG also records uterine activity and I am having none. Flatline. Not even a little gurgle or a skip. Nada.

I had another ultrasound yesterday to check the placenta, blood flow and growth. Placenta is now officially grade 2, meaning that it’s starting to age, which is normal this late in the pregnancy. Blood flow is still great and while the accuracy in regards to of fetal weight prediction via ultrasound at this stage is really inaccurate, she is plumping out nicely, growing like a fat little weed. According to the calculations, which are based on various measurements , she has gone from being in the 29th percentile for weight (less than three weeks ago) to being in the 75th. Her femur is still measuring really long so I am thinking that she grew lengthwise and is now starting to fill out. Doc things she is measuring around 53 cm at the moment, based on her super duper long legs, which have measured consistently long since she was a wee 20 week old fetus.  Her weight was estimated to be around 3300 g, which is 3.3 kg, which translates to about 7.3 pounds (I think). So despite me losing, she is gaining and that is reassuring.

The next appointment I have with the Dr. will be on my due date!! Pretty exciting!! She will most likely do another sono to check the placenta and then decide how much longer they will allow me to go before we  begin to discuss inducing, which I’ve already told them I do not want to do. I want things to happen at their own pace,  National Geographic style with as little intervention as possible. I am in no hurry, really.

Aside from all that, we are already planning a few vacations in the upcoming months (am I crazy?!). In October we will be in London for a few days, in November we are going back to Paris to visit my good friend and then, in late November, or December, we are off to spend a week or so in Italy with some friends, who have some friends, that own a vacation home which they are letting us use.  I am not worried about traveling with the baby. She will be small enough and the flights are short, less than 2 hours…and I think we are driving to Italy.

Anyway, a lot is going on. Despite being a bit more tired I am feeling great, energized. I am ready to move and get settled. Totally excited about everything. I can’t believe my due date is in 16 days! Nuts! I will try and get a video up today. I have another apartment to look at (just in case this other one falls through, you never know) and so I am not sure if I will get to it today, but for sure tomorrow, or Friday .

Happy Wednesday!