38 wks 1 day

Still pregnant!  Last night I had some action. Although Baby Moore has been riding low for a while, last night I think he further dropped into my pelvis...causing a lot of pain. I had some contractions, and for a little bit I thought we were going to be going to the hospital, but the contractions subsided and we were able to go to bed. It was an uncomfortable night of sleep, but still not in labor! When I came downstairs this morning Sean so kindly looked at me and said, "You look more pregnant than ever today." Which I admit is much better than, "WOW, you look so tired, swollen and fat!"

I have been waking up every day and discussing with Sean if I think the baby will be born that day. Today I really think it could be possible. (Or he might need a couple more weeks, haha) I get a daily email of a Brian Andreas quote and today's was:

I think that is a good sign :) We will see what happens, and if nothing else, I have my next appointment with Dr. S. tomorrow. I am curious if there are any differences from last week!

37 wks 2 days

Things are stable, low risk and NORMAL for us now. Every day is a little more cooking and growing still, but Baby Moore is TERM! Who would've thought that I would be driving myself to my doctor's appointment in which I am treated like a normal, very pregnant woman.

This week was busy. I am definitely getting back into shape. Don't get me wrong, there is no running, weightlifting or burpees being done, but I can go up the stairs and grocery shopping now. Speaking of grocery shopping... I had an awesome (note the sarcasm) experience while shopping with Sean. Last weekend we were very busy and I overdid it. I was exhausted by the time we were waiting to check out at Copps. Bonus- Game of Thrones was on the cover of a magazine, so I grabbed that sucker and leaned on a Pringles display to gaze at Jon Snow and rest my weary butt...Only to tip the display over and knock all of the Pringles cans on the floor. I am not sure who was more embarrassed, Sean or I. At least it is obvious I am pregnant so Sean said I get a free pass.

So I had my appointment with Dr. S. today and it went well. I went from 3 to 3 1/2 cm dilated. He also said that Baby's head is "a lot lower" than it was last week. We could go into labor today, tomorrow or in a couple of weeks.

Sean's entire family is leaving for Japan on Saturday so it would be nice if the baby would come in time for them to see the baby before they leave...but we will see! His mom and brother Greg will be back in the states in just 10 days, but Matt and Clare won't be back for a month (lucky!). In the meantime I am trying to just really bask in my pregnancy and enjoy the freedom I still have. Being in public finally has been fun. I have the luxury of actually liking to have strangers comment on my belly and ask me if its a boy or girl...the stereotypical stuff that I didn't know/believe really happened until now.

It was my Dear Ol' Dad's Birthday yesterday. This is me, my Dad and his Dad...the genes are strong! 

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

36 wks 2 days- Warning- (bloody procedure details below)

The stitches are out! During the procedure Dr. S. said, "oh you are bleeding a little bit"...but by the end, the room looked like a war zone! The stitches prevent bleeding and with them out, the blood came! A dropped utensil made things worse too. I even stained his white coat...oops. Taking the stitches out didn't hurt too much, but the manipulation was pretty uncomfortable. I would say it is comparable to a pap smear, but worse. It made me realize that I think I will probably be interested in an epidural :) As soon as Dr. S. started digging around, the baby began moving like crazy! I can only imagine what he was thinking. It was like we were knocking on his door!

After the 2nd stitch came out, Dr. S. proclaimed, "You are officially a low-risk pregnancy now!" He even said we can go back to our original OB, but we decided to just finish with Dr. S. It will only be a few appointments, at best. As for the stitches, the thread just looked like dental floss...very magical dental floss that saved our baby's life!

I am dilated to 3 cm at this point, but not having any more contractions than I had been having, so I think I just might be able to keep this little guy in for a little while longer!

Sean and I went to Madison Sourdough for celebratory breakfast and now I am back on the couch, sore but pregnant :)

36 wks 1 day- Ditch the Stitch/Team Moore

Tomorrow is a day we thought would not happen. I am "Ditching the Stitch," as I like to call it. We really did not think we'd stay pregnant long enough for a planned removal. (Nor did our doctor!) In celebration, I baked chocolate chip cookies for the staff at the clinic. Its a small thing, but being a nurse myself, I understand the appreciation for all forms of sugar. I thought it would be fun to make cookies that matched the "stitch" theme, but decided any form of vagina cookies would be gross :) The staff has been so wonderful to us throughout this whole process. While having a good relationship with a high-risk Perinatology Clinic is not something anyone wants to have, it is good to have when you need it!

A recent study showed that only 11% of women went into labor within 48 hours of the stitch removal. http://www.synergymedical.org/acog/2010/19560112.pdf It seems like having a rescue cerclage (like I did) makes me more likely to be in the 11%. I have been feeling a lot of movement very low and sense this little man is getting ready to come soon. Sean has an exam at 5:45 tomorrow night, so hopefully we can hold off labor at least until he gets home from his exam! It is ENTIRELY possible that I will stay pregnant for weeks more, or have him tomorrow. We will just have to see what our little man has planned.

We have been thinking a lot lately of the journey we have been on, and realize that we owe so much to our amazing support system. One such example is "Team Moore." My coworkers made t-shirts to show their support and we were able to get shirts for our families too. I have absolutely LOVED every time pictures were posted on facebook, emailed or texted to me. Many happy tears followed those pictures! Here are some examples:

Coworkers in the NICU

Sean's brother Greg sent his support from Paris!

My brother Sam wore his shirt to work too!

More coworkers

Lots of Team Moore peeps at my shower!

Sean's Mom wearing her support!

I will let you all know how things go tomorrow. Either way, thanks for reading and sending us your support over the past 4 months. One way or another, we will be introducing our little man very soon!