Doctor's Appointment 36 weeks, 3 days

I'm a little behind, since my appointment was Monday! We did the fetal heart rate monitor for 30 minutes again (but it seemed like much longer this time!) and Hayden's heart is pumping away. No contractions, and I'm starting to like this 30-minute relax time.

We did a quick ultrasound and found that he's measuring about 6 lbs, 7oz right now, so he's right on track. "Not too big" was the word on his head size, which is good news for me! He was very active for most of my appointment, as he usually is while I'm laying down. Quick check of the cervix (no dilation yet) and swab for Strep B and we were all done. No ultrasound pics, because Hayden has pretty much settled into a head-down and turned-around position, but he's doing fine in there.

I'm getting very excited and also feeling very unprepared at times. This weekend Jay has a four-day weekend so we'll be getting more organizing done, and maybe putting the car seat base in the back of the car. I'd like to get some packing done for the hospital, since our time is running out. It's not easy when Hayden wants me to sleep, but only at weird hours of the day and NOT at night when Jay sleeps. In my "fun time" these days I'm reading, but also catching up on the scrapbooking I'm SO far behind on. But it's moving quickly, and would move a bit faster if the post office would ship my stuff as soon as I order it. The things you don't get used to here, even after 2.5 years...but it's a lot of fun looking back at the fun stuff I did last year with some of the great people who have come to visit.

Now it's off to clean while I still have the energy!

What a productive weekend!

Well yesterday Jay and I decided to tackle our crazy messy house and get down to business. We're in one of those catch-22 situations where it seems like we can't do one thing before doing another, but something else has to be done before we can do that. So, like any expectant parents, we've just been doing nothing :-) I did tons of laundry for all of us while Jay got to work on his and Hayden's collective room. Our chair we ordered three months ago FINALLY got here on Saturday, so we got that set up and half of Hayden's room is now ready. Pictures forthcoming, once we turn the dresser into his changing table. We also finally got his humidifier, the cutest little frog you've ever seen, and tried it out last night. It's a shame we didn't purchase one for ourselves, with our stuffy noses in this dry German air!

This morning I spent some time shopping online for some of the smaller, essential items we haven't yet procured for him. Time is coming fast (four weeks left!) so I figured we should get it all ordered and here. I was very excited to compare consumer reports and customer reviews for things like thermometers and playpen sheets. It's funny how impending motherhood changes things. I remember the same excitement for a sale at White House Black Market, and how my shoes used to be so cute. Now it's all about soft blankets and little socks!

We still get a kick out of watching him move around in my belly, and are getting more and more excited about meeting this little fellow who has already changed our lives so much. Doctor's appointment later today, and maybe some packing of diaper bags and whatnot. We'll see!

Busy busy!

We're pretty busy in the Rogers house these days! Last week I had a mini-baby shower lunch with some of my favorite ladies and it was fabulous! We're pretty stocked on diapers for awhile, and my ever-so-crafty friend Susie made my nursing cover and matching burp cloths. Hayden will be so stylish in his green stripes! A lot of our friends are moving to new duty stations in the states, so we're in the midst of saying goodbye, seems like every week!

Last Saturday we had an adults-only Halloween party so as not to interfere with trick-or-treating this weekend. We had it at the same pub we did my baby shower at, and it was tons of fun. I was a lady bug, as one of the only costumes that would accomodate my belly, and Jay was the super creepy puppet from the "Saw" movies. We ended up in the emergency room for a short stint, as one of the boys cut his fingers pretty badly, but other than that it was a good time had by all.

Today saw our first snowfall of the year in Germany! It didn't stick of course, and it only lasted a few hours but it was still exciting! Oscar loves the snow, so I let him chase snowflakes for awhile before we were both too cold to stay out any longer. Looks like we might share our first White Christmas with our baby! It's gearing up to be a cold winter over here, so I'm glad we're stocked up on warm blankets, super soft snow bunting, a snowsuit and baby thermals. A few more hats and socks and we'll be good to go! Cold-weather babies make me a little nervous, especially since Jay and I are so warm all the time. Looks like we'll be getting used to warmer temperatures in the house! We did order a wipes warmer since Germany is colder than where we usually live, and will use it at our downstairs changing station (if it ever arrives, that is!).

This weekend we are trick-or-treating with our friends on Friday and hopefully spending some time organizing the house and basement. We've gotten a little slack on the cleaning this week, and our basement is a wreck from digging stuff out for some of our friends that are moving. I'm very anti-clutter these days, so hopefully we'll make some progress! Four weeks left and we can hardly believe it!

Thanks, Jen!

One of my friends from college is a crafty girl, and made this sign for Hayden's room! It matches his bedding (once it's out of the package and in his crib, which we won't have until we get to the states) perfectly, and we LOVE it!!

Once we get his room cleaned up a bit, I'll be able to show you what it looks like on the wall. For now, Jay's holding it up right after we took it out of the box, in our dining room.

Doctor's Appointment, 34 weeks 3 days

Seems like I'm always going to the doctor now! We showed up a little early, I peed in a cup and sat in the waiting room for only a minute until they told me to go to the "first room". I've never been in there, usually I'm in the second room (for ultrasounds) except for my first two appointments when I was in the third room (for exams). Turns out they wanted to hook me up to a fetal heart rate monitor, which they'll do for the rest of my appointments. It takes 30 minutes, which we weren't expecting, but it was fun laying there listening to his little heart beating so fast! I had to lay on my side with the monitors on both sides of my stomach, with my head on what looked like a giant Boppy. The FHR monitor measures his heart rate and my contractions (if any, but none yet!) to make sure we're both doing well.

After that, we went into the room I'm used to for the rest of my appointment. Weight (not much change from my last appointment), blood pressure (a tiny bit high but nothing to worry about) and ultrasound. I think Hayden had just shifted that morning into a more vertical position, because my belly felt not so lopsided for the first time in awhile. He's settled a little more with his head down near my pelvis, but continues to move like a little wiggle worm with what room he has left! He's about 5 lbs, 7 oz right now and is growing just fine. Heart rate, amniotic fluid, blood flow to the umbilical cord are all fine, so we're just trucking along. He wasn't in a good position for an ultrasound pic for us, neither the regular nor the 3D. So no pictures this time, but it's just as well since our master scanner, Dandy, has already shipped her household goods including her scanner!

Today I'm having a mini-baby shower lunch with some of my fun ladies today and I can't wait! Jay should have a long weekend so we're ready to relax and have some fun. We also have a halloween party this weekend and can't wait to wear our costumes! Oscar's been a little sick lately so I think we're all ready for a little break.

Crazy? I might be

So I'm having a huge internal debate about getting an epidural when Hayden makes his entrance. If I were in the states, the question would be less difficult, and I would just make the judgment call when I needed to. But here it's different.

Most of my friends who have delivered in Germany and have had an epidural say that the pain was only slightly dulled, and that basically it was turned off at "crunch time". I know that the epidural basically slows down labor, and the Germans are nothing if not efficient. My friends who have had babies stateside speak lovingly of their epidurals, that allowed them to only feel a slight pressure when the baby was delivered.

By now you probably also know I have a fear and hatred of needles. I was never a huge fan of the idea of a giant needle being pushed into my spine. Now I'm starting to think that it's a risky procedure that just may not be worth it if when I need it most, it's turned off. I think it will turn out to be a decision I make in the moment, but for right now I think I'm going to try it without the epidural, and see how it goes. Then again, the best laid plans of mice and men...

Doctor's Appointment, 32 weeks, 5 days

What an exciting appointment! We did the usual pee-in-a-cup, weight, check blood for iron, blood pressure. Everything was fine. My blood pressure was a little low but the doctor wasn't concerned so we aren't either.

He spent a lot of time on the ultrasound, measuring and whatnot. Hayden is already 5 lbs! Hard to believe because for so long he was just a wee little thing and now he's almost a real baby! Well, you know what I mean :-) Our doctor said he's a little bigger than average, by about a half pound (I blame Jay) and is measuring about a week ahead of my due date. So he may come a little earlier than November 30th. It was hard to get a good 3D visual this time, but it was fun for Jay and I to see him in there.

After we finished up, we headed to the hospital. The hospital where I'll give birth, St. Joseph's, is about a 3-5 minute walk from my doctor's office. That's good news, because if it's in the middle of the day my doctor can just walk right over when Hayden's ready to make his entrance. He showed us where to go in and where to park, where to check in and into the maternity ward. It's a lot different than I thought it would be! The ceilings are high and lofty, so the whole section of the hospital seems very roomy. He showed us the two rooms where I can hang out when I'm still a bit away from delivery, to relax and listen to music or watch tv. The maternity unit is staffed by nurses and midwives, who will examine me to check dilation, contractions, etc. But the whole thing seems pretty laid back. He showed us a delivery room, which is very un-hospital like to me. It's not white and sterile looking, but has dimming lights, a bathtub (not for birthing, but just relaxing) and a bed, monitors and a scale. He said after delivery I'll spend about 2 hours there to make sure the baby and I are okay.

After that, there are the rooms I'll spend the rest of my hospital stay in. The rooms are set up for single or double occupancy. We have the option to reserve a single room when we get there, for a small fee that our insurance doesn't cover. In addition, we can also pay out of pocket to have Jay stay the night. We discussed it, and think we'll reserve a private room, and have Jay stay the first night. After that, we figure he can be at home with Oscar and getting us the things we need and visiting us, but sleeping in our bed. Basically they prefer to have the baby in the room with the mother for 24 hours a day, unless mom needs a break! Then the midwives will take them to the nursery and bring them for feedings.

The midwives are also staffed to help assist mothers with nursing and other new-baby things. Typically, if everything goes well with the baby and the mother we'll spend about 2-3 days in the hospital and then head home. If we have an unscheduled C-section we'll be there about 4-5 days. Europeans do not favor the c-section or the epidural, and seem pretty laid back about birth in general. Now that we've seen everything, it's even more exciting, and definitely more "real" as Jay pointed out.

We have another appointment in two weeks, where we'll continue to see how Hayden is growing and where we stand. It's getting close!