44 days

I know sometimes several days pass between posts, mostly because we are in a waiting phase. The doctor's who rotate weekly seem pleasantly surprised to see me still here when they come in. Several nurses tell me they check the patient list when they come in to see if my name is still on the list. Today Dr. Goodman said she was happy I didn't go into labor with the weather change today (apparently that is common around here). I told her that this boy doesn't want to be born just because everyone else is!

I have continued to have normal braxton hicks contractions. They aren't of concern to the doctors unless they progress. A few days ago the baby was having variable decelerations in heart rate. They were concerned I may be contracting and compressing his cord. They confirmed I am not dilated. Their conclusion was that instead of him having a high baseline with dips down, that actually his baseline was lower and he was having huge accelerations. So he was wide awake, happy, and having a ball in there. Once again, he's over performing :) I think it's because it was late at night, when he seems the most active. I will have another ultrasound to measure his growth on Wednesday. I'm really excited to see how big he's gotten because I may not have another ultrasound before he's born.

I've realized there are several questions I get asked regularly. So here they are:

* How long will we have to stay in OK after the baby is born?

- We have no idea! It all depends on his condition when he arrives. If he's doing great, it could be a week or two, or if he needs more help or if his lungs are immature, we could be here until his due date. If he gets stick, it could be much longer. It's a wait and see.

* Will I have to have a C-section?

- If the baby stays head down, I should be able to have a normal birth. They will only do a C-section if absolutely necessary. This labor may take longer than previous ones since I'm not term. Please pray for my strength and an uncomplicated delivery! Also pray that I don't go into labor before the 30th so Chris has time to here from Michigan.

* Am I going crazy in the hospital?

- I'm not really a person who gets bored, it makes me uncomfortable. I create things to do. So I've got a "to do list" like normal that's been filled with things like asking questions to the medical staff around here, making arrangements needed back in MI since I'm absent, house hunting, researching school districts (Ava starts Kindergarten this fall), dealing with insurance, booking plane tickets, visiting with people who stop by, etc. Once I ran out of important things to do I read three books in three days, learned how to crochet and made a blanket for baby (it's a little crooked but cute), scrapbooked and watched some chick flicks and TV series online. I've enjoyed having more time to spend in prayer with God over this baby. I've kept myself surprisingly busy. Thank you to all the people who've brought me things to pass the time. Now, I'm looking forward to doing nothing but holding my sweet baby in 11 days:)