False Labor or Is It?

So, last night I awoke with contractions, around 1:30 AM. I had already been awakened by the HORRIBLE thunderstorm that was raging outside our windows, especially after the power had flickered three times! It was the same scenario that transpired with Cooper..."David, I'm having a contraction" to which David rolled over and gave me his hand to hold. This was it! He was coming, we just needed to time them and then call the doctor. TONS of things were going through my mind- do we go ahead and call someone to come over and stay with us until we go to the hospital so that they can stay with Cooper? Do we go ahead and call family so that they are on alert? Do we call the doctor yet? Oh crap, there is a thunderstorm! What if we get struck by lightening (I never said these were all rational thoughts)? Then, about 4:00 AM the contractions died down and eventually stopped. I drifted off to sleep, somewhat thinking that they might come back at any moment, but woke up later this morning disappointed. I guess he was just making a practice run. It is funny how you forget about what labor feels like until it happens again- there was a moment of panic- with the first, I didn't set myself up for any expectations, didn't worry about the pain, just went with the flow. After having done it natural before, I now know what to expect and I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared. But, no need to worry. I did it before, I can do it again- just waiting on the real deal to happen.....

2 cm and Holding...

So, the trip to the doctor yesterday was NOT as eventful as I had hoped. I really had hoped that when she went to check me, all of a sudden my water would break and I'd be rushed over to St. Marys. Didn't happen. The good news is that I am at least making some progress of 2 cm. Now, I know that folks have stayed at 2 cm for weeks, so please do not share those stories with me. I am really hoping to not be induced, so we'll keep praying that he comes on his own BEFORE Monday June 22nd. It would be sweet if he came on Father's Day, but I'm ready NOW!!! I think the worst part of this time in pregnancy is underwear. My underwear have just now started to roll under my belly- one of my biggest pet peeves!! He's just so out there and normal underwear simply won't stay in place. I cannot stand anything to be under my belly but I hate to invest in new underwear just for a few more days!!!! Anyway, I digress; we are just waiting for any sign that Zachary is ready to meet us! Hopefully it will be soon!! Stay tuned...

Waiting on the World to Change...

Que Milagros! What a miracle, I am actually blogging!! I have been on hiatus for some time now, but I feel as though I might have more time soon to post updates to this site (but let's not hold our breathe; i have resigned myself to not being a great blogger). I am now 39 weeks and holding steady. We are definitely in a state of 'hurry up and wait'; we know our world is about to change, and oddly we're ready for it! I'm really not feeling a thing that would indicate labor is on the way...maybe a back pain here and there, maybe one contraction every now and then, but otherwise, Zachary appears to be safe and sound in my belly. He is probably scared to come out because Cooper is so LOUD, but if he only knew how much fun his big brother was...

Cooper really has no idea about what is going on. He knows to be 'easy' with Mommy's belly (and rubs it ever so gently; it's precious) and he can say 'brodur' and 'Zach', but that's about it. I vacillate between being confident that Cooper will handle this well, and worried that he won't. Time will tell. I can't wait to see Cooper's reaction to the first encounter in the hospital!!

We have the bassinet set up and ready in our room. The car seat is in the car, the double stroller has been assembled and taken for a test drive and everyone is on alert. Two of our close friends in Athens have agreed to be on baby-watch duty with Cooper in case we need to leave in the middle of the night- they will stay with him until our family can get there. There is really a lot of planning when it comes to the second child. What if we go in the middle of the night? We need a backup plan to take care of Cooper. What if he comes in the middle of the day? We need to know that Chu Cha can keep him until some member of our family gets there. What if he comes at dinner time? Lots of scenarios and lots of decisions to make so as not to totally disrupt Cooper's routine and scare him half to death!!

I'm looking forward to maternity leave. I have a whole new approach this time. David will be home most of the time (accept for when he has summer school classes- gotta finish that doctoral degree!!) and I'm not going to worry about work AT ALL (okay, that might be a big statement to live up to).

So, we're just sittin and waitin. I'm still at work; might as well be productive since the little guy is still cooking. The office pool on when the baby will come has lots of entries; the person who won last time picked Wednesday of this week...we'll see if she is right two times in a row!!! Below is a pic of 39 weeks today. Not the best outfit to show just how pregnant I am; I'm wearing one of those dresses that just hangs, it doesn't even look like i have a butt. Anyway, hopefully the next time you hear from us, we'll be at St. Mary's!!!