Due Date Come and Gone...

Mama's belly is proving to be quite the party palace for Tanner. My due date has come and gone and besides my sudden spike in blood pressure (again), everything seems to be remaining safe for him to stay in there a bit longer. We thought that his big size would make for a different story, but amniotic fluid is good, his heart rate and movement patterns are healthy, and blood work all came back normal today. Back home we go!

We have scheduled an induction for this Sunday, May 22nd at 8pm. I will go in that night for my first dose of medication, then sleep on it, and start Pitocin Monday morning. Bryce and I are both so excited to have him in our arms no matter how he finally makes his world debut!

Sagging belly 2 days past my due date :)

Banshee showing us all his sagging belly...2 much food.

Blood draw, blood pressure...

Baby heart rate monitoring, ultrasound...

With my partner in crime...

Cradle made by Tanner's great Grandpa - also where my brothers, cousins, nephew, and I all slept in our wee-days!

Mother's Day 2011

May 8th, 2011 - Mother's Day

Busy day! 1st stop: my parents house for breakfast. 2nd stop: Uncle Will & Aunt Shell's for family fun. 3rd stop: Bryce's parents house for more food and Jeff's birthday.

Surprised in the A.M. with an Almost-Mom's Day gift from Bryce

We'll see if this holds true...

Yummy smelling candles...my fav! And another cute outfit for T.

Thank you Bryce. I love you.

We went to my parent's house for breakfast. Wondering why Bryce & my Dad are sitting so close together on such a big couch. Hmm...

1 Week To Go! 39 Weeks...

I am SO SO ready for Tanner to make his world debut! Bryce and I are both anxious and looking for any sign of the onset of labor. I am officially on maternity leave, so the extra time at home only makes the anticipation that much more!

Dear Tanner, 
        If you are waiting for Mommy and Daddy to get everything ready to go, you don't have to wait any longer. Our bags are packed for the hospital stay, we have washed Dad's old baby blanket and it's waiting for you in your cradle, car seat is tight and secure in Daddy's truck, and your 2 biggest fans can hardly wait love and hold you. We are ready when you are. Love you!
Love, Mom & Dad

A quick video of Tanner wiggling around in Mama's belly

39 Weeks LARGE!

Labor bag and baby bag - ready to go!

The dueling piggy banks. Mom's is the silver pig and Dad's is the fire truck. Who can earn more money for Tanner by Christmas???

Big cousin Logan playing with one of Tanner's tractors :)

Holy COW! And 2 more weeks to go...

"Holy COW" are the only words that come to mind today.

8 1/2 Months Pregnant (37.5 weeks)

Tanner: What a character! Our little boy is getting big, bIG, BIG! Our latest ultrasound shows that he is still in the 87th percentile in size and weight. He was estimated at 7lbs, 7oz last week, and may gain almost a pound per week from here on out. The ultrasound tech was also very impressed with his LONG eyelashes. From what she said, eyelashes are rarely even seen on ultrasound. Tanner was flaunting his luscious lashes for the camera, however :)
Bryce: Though no belly to contend with himself, Bryce has been losing a little sleep with thoughts of parenthood running through his mind. We have spent several nights awake together talking and getting excited about our little man. Going to birthing classes gave him the opportunity to talk to other first time dads about their thoughts and worries, which he was happy to have experienced. Bryce will be able to take about 4 weeks off of work for paternity leave :)
Cara: Check up appointment and imaging this morning shows that he is in a transverse (side-to-side) position in my belly.  Instead of worrying about the endless possibilities this means for birth, I have decided to embrace the journey and trust that the best decisions will be made when the time comes. I can hardly wait to hold Tanner is a couple short weeks...or sooner? :)

Showing off the big belly at 37.5 weeks along

Tanning the belly, relaxing, and reading in the sun on Beaverton's first sunny day in months!

Tanner's profile all scrunched up - 36 week ultrasound

Thoughts About Nesting Behavior

You know how cats find a nice quiet, comfy, and cozy place to give birth when the time draws near? Well, this same "nesting" behavior obviously applies to human mama's as well. I can't think of a recent day that I haven't dusted the furniture (ya know, 1 spec of dust will turn in to 1,000,000 specs in no time!), re-folded baby blankets, re-arranged living room furniture (no worries, Bryce and other recruited friends did all the lifting!), re-alligned baby book on his shelves, and organized kitchen cabinets to accommodate bottles and sippy-cups. I feel so much better knowing the house is in order and things are clean and organized. A big thanks to Bryce for helping me out with my neurotic behavior. Love you!

Also, a big thank you to my father-in-law who is totally re-modeling our master bathroom. It looks great and SUCH an improvement!

The Crib...ready to roll!

Thank you Lindsay's mom for making us such a precious gift!

Bryce playing along with my picture games :)

Our dumb cat pooped in the bathroom...thank you B for finding your gas mask and being on poo-duty.

Painting the master bathroom

An unfinished new shower- lookin' good!

36 Weeks!

8+ months (36 weeks) pregnant with a terrible head cold. :(

Wow, what a ride this has been! I can't believe that I am finally weeks away from my due date. It seems like just yesterday that I was calling Bryce at work to tell him that the pee test was positive!

At 36 weeks, baby Tanner is still moving around like crazy inside my belly. Bryce and I could spend hours watching him roll around in there and trying to guess which alien-like lump is which body part.

Next week I will be considered "full term pregnancy" which basically means that he could come at any time. Our last ultrasound, however, showed that he is not very organized when it comes to being ready to go in time (Ahem...might have picked that trait up from Daddy...) He is still in the breech position (head up-feet down) which is cause for considerations in how I might give birth. I could go in as early as next Monday for an External Cephalic Version (ECV) where the doctors manually try to flip him by manipulating my belly. I have heard that this procedure can be very painful, so I'm really hoping that he will move during my daily baby-flipping exercises that I have been assigned. A c-section birth might be the answer if this is unsuccessful. We will know more this Thursday when we go in for our final scheduled ultrasound. Fingers crossed! Head down baby!