Wishful Thinking

Well, I was wrong. The medication is not really helping the contractions. I am still having lots. However, I have not noticed any other symptoms, which is very good.
So, our new prayer request is that Baby Seymour wait until July 27 to make his entrance. At that time I will be 37.5 weeks pregnant and he is safe to come.
Why this date? Well, we have a baby shower today, one June 30, one on July 9, 11, and 12th; and then Jonathan is in a wedding in NC on July 25 (his birthday). So if this baby can wait until then, we won't miss any of the fun stuff on our schedule and he should be plenty healthy enough to come. So please continue to pray with us! Just 30 more days and he can come!

Contraction Update

I called the Midwife yesterday and she was out so I spoke with one of the OBYGN's. I let her know that the contractions were no better (I had about 30 from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM an stopped counting after that). She agreed to let me double the medication to help stop the contraction as long as my blood pressure remained high enough and I didn't have side effects (dizziness, headache, etc). So I have doubled up and it seems to be helping. I have only had 6 or so contractions since 6:30 AM and it is now 11:00 AM.
So...with all the prayers and the medication things seem to be getting better. Please continue to pray. We believe wholeheartedly prayer is amazing and works!
Yesterday I started to get discouraged and frustrated so I turned the best source in the world for advice...the Bible.
Here is the scripture God brought me to:
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ."
Philippians 4: 6-7
I have repeated this over and over and any time I start to worry I remind myself to pray instead. Thanks again for your continued prayers and support. We are blessed to have friends and family like you!

33 weeks!

33 weeks today! Can you believe I have been pregnant for 8 months? Crazy!
Well I am still having contractions. On average I have about 4 an hour. The medication is starting to help I think. Today is only the second day of taking it. I go back to the Nurse Midwife in two weeks.
The midwife wants me to make it to 35 or 36 weeks. I want to make it at least to 37, but really 38 weeks, because that is considered full term. Jonathan and I have believed and prayed for a full term baby since the get go. I do not want a NICU baby. I want to take Baby Seymour home when I go home from the hospital. Please pray with us that despite these contractions, my cervix is not changing and that Baby Seymour is growing more and more healthy each day.
He sure feels like he is healthy. He moves less often now, but when he does it is like he is doing aerobics and it goes on for 45 min to an hour. He is definitely developing sleep wake cycles. This, of course, is a good thing. He has hiccups all the time, which make me laugh. This is also good because it is developing his diaphragm so he will be able to breathe effectively when he gets out.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We will continue to keep you updated.

Crazy Day!

Well....today starte out rough. Actually it started last night. About 4:30 yesterday I started having a lot of contractions. This is really the third episode I have had, but this was slightly worse. This morning I went on to work, but the contractions continued. So I called the Nurse Midwife and she said I needed to be checked. So...Jonathan drove me to the appointment where they hooked me up to a monitor that tracked contractions and the baby's heart rate. I was having quit a few contractions, some of them very strong. She then did a test called fenobronectin. If this test is positive it indicates a likelihood of me going into labor in the next two weeks. Luckily mine was negative, praise God! She also checked me and said my cervix is still closed and still long, but is as soft as a marsh mellow. So we are safe for the most part but not completely out of the woods. I have started a medications called Procardia. It is actually a blood pressure medicine (my BP is fine) that stops contractions. I have to also cut back my patient load significantly at work and lay down for an hour at lunch.
Not exactly fun, but way better than the other alternative.
So....our request is that you pray for a full term baby with us. We are believing that Baby Seymour will be safe and healthy and that things from here on out will go smoothly.
We'll keep you updated.

32 weeks!

Only 8 weeks to go! I hope! Jonathan and I started birthing classes on Tuesday that we are very excited about. Jonathan actually enjoyed the class. I was surprised. Anyway, the only "negative" thing that the instructor had to say, in my opinion, was that first time baby's have an average gestation of 41 weeks and 1 day. That is 8 days over my due date. Now, this would put the baby coming on my mom's birthday, but I would really rather give her an early present by having this baby on my due date or before.
I am starting to live life even more day by day. Some days this baby cooperates and I am fairly comfortable. Other days (like today) I feel like he is going to pop out through my skin because he is pushing on me so much. I am not sure if my right ribs will ever be the same.
I am going to the Nurse Midwife every two weeks now. My next appointment is next Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes and what she says.

Best Anniversary Ever!

All I have to say is that I have an amazing husband. He whisked me away from work Friday and took me Chateau Elan near Atlanta. This is an amazing resort I didn't know existed. We had a wonderful dinner, a relaxing evening, an amazing breakfast, and a fun day of antique shopping. I could not have asked for anything more. Plus, the best part......he actually surprised me!! That is not an easy feat.
Also, when we got home the house had been cleaned (by Jonathan), and my mom-in-law had put the baby's bedding on the crib! What a wonderful family I have! I am so beyond blessed! The nursery is coming along great. Almost done. We got a foot stool today to go with my grandmother's rocker and a side table. Now we just need a chest or cradle for the toy box. It is starting to get very exciting! Can't believe it's less than 9 weeks until Baby Seymour comes.
My grandmother sent me the cutest happy anniversary email. It said that this year was going to be very different than the rest. I told her she ain't kidding!
Lot's of new things to come this year with a new baby! I am so thankful for what the Lord has blessed me with. A wonderful, loving husband, a great family, and a little miracle on the way!

Single Digits!

31 weeks today! That means 9 weeks (or less). Things are staring to move right along. The nursery is painted and the chair railing up. It looks wonderful! This weekend we will put the crib together and put the furniture in the room.
We will be starting child birth classes next Tuesday. I have toured the hospital and will take Jonathan to see it in a week or two.
I had my first appointment with the new Nurse Midwife and she is so great. Her philosophy about pregnancy, labor, and delivery is almost identical to mine. Our prayer is that she is on call the day/night I go into labor!
We are starting to get very excited!! Can't believe it is almost time for Baby Seymour. At times this pregnancy seems to have flown by. Other times it seems to be crawling. Overall it has been a wonderful experience and I am so very thankful!
We'll continue to keep you updated.

30 Weeks!

Well... only 10 weeks from today and we should have a baby! I certainly hope and pray that it is no more than 10 weeks. I am actually praying for 8-9 weeks, but I realize God has a plan. And I certainly want Baby Seymour to get here strong and healthy. I really do not think we have to worry about the strong part. He has given me a handful of kicks in the ribs that has been slightly more than uncomfortable!

He has found that he can stretch out a little more if he lays sideways in my abdomen. This means his head is in my left lower abdomen, his back and rearend are across my belly into the right abdomen, and his curled legs are literally on my right side. It is very weird to feel a baby kicking near your back!

We start painting the nursery this weekend! Very exciting. I'll post pictures as soon as the computer decides to cooperate and let me.

Water Aerobics

I did water aerobics tonight for the first time. It was great. I certainly didn't feel weightless, but it was nice to work out and not be sore afterwards. The water felt great and I still got my heart rate up and used all my muscle groups. This will certainly be a part of my workout routine for the remainder of this pregnancy.
Now if I could just figure out a way to sleep and not be sore in the morning. I feel like someone pucnched me in the ribs all night. Jonathan swears it wasn't him, and the baby's kicks don't hurt, so I'm not sure whats going on. I'm up to five pillow. Two to prop me up, one in between my legs, one under my belly, and one behind my back. Only 10.5 weeks left though. Then the sleeplessness will come from having a newborn, but at least I'll be comfortable. He is completely worth it though!

Baby's Growing

Today I woke up feeling like this baby had settled in my lungs. Of course I know he can't grow in my lungs, but it is hard to take a full breath. I usually feel this way every few weeks as he hits another growth spurt. I am all about him growing and getting strong, but I wish I had about five more inches of verticle space in my torso! I've been told my many that it really wouldn't help much though.
Things are still going great. 10.5 weeks to go. Thursday I will be 30 weeks pregnant. We will paint the nursery this weekend. Then the following weekend we will assemble the crib and put the beautiful bedding on it that Jonathan's mom has so lovingly made. We are really starting to get excited.
Jonathan grins and laughs when he feels the baby move.....I just grunt and groan :).