The final countdown...

34 weeks! This is the biggest pregnancy milestone yet! This means I WILL NOT be hospitalized before delivery. At this point, if something happens (ie my water breaks, baby looks bad on ultrasound, I can't stop contracting and my cervix is changing) I would just get delivered. I will NOT get magnesium during this pregnancy! My goal for today is to pack a hospital bag...It's said this needs to include an outfit for the baby to come home in! To come home in WITH me...like I'm not coming back in 5-10 months to pick her up! I need to keep reminding myself to stock up on my sleep in these next two weeks...I hear there is no "sleeping when the baby sleeps" when you have a 2 year old!
oh and baby weighs in at 4#9oz! (50%) perfect.

You're going to do WHAT??

I'm going to change Caroline's name. Don't get me wrong, I love love love the name Caroline. I don't like when 75% of people mistake it for Carolyn. This causes me to have to repeat myself. Often. In addition, Carolyn is my ex-mother-in-law's name. (I don't think I need to blog further about that one!) Those two factors together, I have found a new name. Because there is so little time left with this pregnancy, I'm going to wait to announce the name until the birth...So from now on the "fetus formally known as Caroline" will simply be called "baby". (poll to the left)

OK...time to exhale!

32 weeks! In the world of preemies 32 weeks is a huge milestone...If born today, Caroline would not need a level 3 NICU..a level 2 would do...This means I get to deliver at Community South with my own doctors. I dont, however, feel comfortable with Caroline at CHS until I pass 34 weeks. So, if for some reason I need to deliver in the next 2 weeks I will insist of delivering at Community North. I know they have a great NICU. I know most of the staff and protocols. Plus, I'm sure Alex would love to see old friends.
In preparation for delivery, I did steroid shots at 32 weeks to make my amnio more likely to be mature. Delivery really feels close. I just realized that I have a bunch of things I need to get done before she comes home. Setting up her crib ( we cant find the bolts from LAuren's crib is anyone knows where they are!) I'm in no rush to really set up the crib because I plan to use a co-sleeper next to me for at least 6 months. I need to change out all the batteries from all the infant swings in the basement. Set up the pack and play. Figure out the car seat situation. Find the bottles (again, if anyone knows where these are tell me!) Luckily, I've already gone through all the baby clothes in early November when I found out gender. I have SO MANY girl clothes that Caroline doesn't have to wear the same thing twice. ..until she is 3...Caroline doesn't really need anything..Only her own baby book (which my mom is getting) and I already bought her her own lovey.
I've started struggling with weight gain... I had a goal of hitting 150# by the end of this pregnancy. I got to 141 at 26 weeks and everyone in my office cheered....now I weigh 139 boo! I'm telling you...very few pregnant people have the problem of TRYING HARD to gain weight! I've actually lost 2 pounds in the past 6 weeks. Urgh! Luckily, Caroline found those 2 pounds and measured in at 3#11oz...this is more than both Alex and Lauren weighed TOGETHER at birth.
In the world of Alex, he is FINALLY really to take off with his speech. First he mastered gross motor skills, then fine motor and now he's on to speech! I finally took another video of him where it took him almost 30 seconds to realize I was taping him and attack the camera..He also got a new haircut from a friend of mine who said he couldn't handle looking at Alex's mullet anymore!

Best big brother!

Alex is going to be the best big brother! We've had a 2 month old baby visit us a few times and Alex is so interested and gentle!
I've had a really hard time getting good pictures of Alex in the past few months. As soon as I see an opportunity, Alex sees me and the camera then stops whatever he is doing to grab the camera. Then, I mostly get a picture of his thumb, or half his face.
We made a change to increase his calories and we've really struggled. The increased calories have caused some delayed gastric emptying. After an hour long session with a dietitian, I think we've come up with a good plan...one that hopefully involves very little vomiting.
Also on a good note...I'm on the books for an amnio done by MFM (the high risk docs) on April 16. My doc felt uncomfortable doing it based on where my placenta is...Then those results get run stat and I SHOULD be good to deliver the next day (the 17th!) which I'm scheduled. If lungs come back immature we will repeat that whole thing the following week. I've gotten a bunch of questions about what the deal is with the delivery at 36 weeks.
It is all risk vs. reward.
Risk of 39 week delivery? If I kick into labor before that point my uterus has a vertical incision on it which is much more likely to rupture (read :death)
Risk of 36 week delivery? Breathing problems for Caroline if her lungs are not mature.
So if lungs are mature at 36 weeks the safest option for both of us is delivery.
If not mature we wait a week.

a week beginning with 3!

It's official, I will deliver Caroline in a week that begins with the number 3! I'm over a month past where I delivered the twins. Caroline did so well with her monitoring last week I get to drop down to once a week monitoring. I cant wait to get to 32 weeks. At that point babies have a pretty uneventful course in the nicu. At 35 weeks she would have a shot at coming home with me. That's the goal, a take home baby. A fully breastfed, eating, breathing baby that any teenager could raise. One that doesn't need monitoring , oxygen, wires or extensive training. I dream of the take home baby and cant wait for that day..actually, I can wait 6 weeks!