Ahhh...the million dollar question that I was asked by just about everyone I work with yesterday. Followed up with the "I thought you were having a baby this weekend." I kind of wanted to say "Yes, I'm still here, you're looking at me and obviously I did NOT have a baby this weekend." But I bit my tongue and laughed along with them. I know my coworkers mean well and I know that most of them are just as anxious as I am.
So here's the update....we went to the doctor yesterday where I had a somewhat painful procedure performed (I'll spare you the details) that if it works, helps to start labor within about 24 hours. It hasn't quite been 24 hours yet, but I'm going to work and I feel fine...so I don't think it did anything. We made an appointment for next week. If Cate doesn't arrive on her own by then, we'll be scheduling an induction for sometime next week (so much for the spontaneity of "honey, it's time"). She's got to come out sooner or later.
~Melody
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. - I Thessalonians 1:2
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Cate didn't get the memo....
...that she was supposed to come out today. Granted, it is only about 3:30 and there are still 8 and a half hours left today. However, given the way I'm feeling (perfectly fine other than some Braxton Hicks that pop up every now and then), I'm thinking that Cate is going to stay in there for a little bit longer. This thought has been slightly depressing me all weekend. My doctors will let me go a maximum of two weeks past my due date depending on how big Cate gets before they will induce me. So that's still another two weeks of pregnancy...you've got to be kidding.
I'm trying to look on the bright side of things though. The whole month of January has been kind of a "wait and see". Cate was considered "full term" a few weeks ago which meant I could've had her at any point in time. So every day there was that little bit of anxiety....will she come? Will I start having contractions at school? Will my water break? Now I know there are definitely only 2 weeks at the most left. The end is a lot more in sight. Also, when I put in for my maternity leave, I decided to take an extra two weeks unpaid leave (for a total of 8 weeks). If everything would've gone as planned and Cate would have arrived this weekend, this would've put me coming back to school the day after spring break. While that's a nice transition time for my students, I now see that every day I'm late is an additional day beyond spring break that I'll get to spend with my daughter. Which may mean we'll have a few warmer days together to hang out before I go back to work and will save Eric and I on a few days worth of a sitter.
January has been a hard month...I'm not gonna lie. I've been the most uncomfortable I've been the whole pregnancy (probably because I'm huge at this point), can't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time, and the waiting has been killer (especially when the women due at the same time as me at work are already at home with their precious new little ones). The end is coming though. I really feel like God has been speaking to me this weekend and reminding me that I need to be patient. He'll bring Cate to us when he's ready and we need to be okay with that. It could still be tonight...it could be two weeks from now. In the meantime, I just need to sit back, relax, and let him work on preparing me in this final phase of pregnancy for the new role of becoming a mother.
~Melody
I'm trying to look on the bright side of things though. The whole month of January has been kind of a "wait and see". Cate was considered "full term" a few weeks ago which meant I could've had her at any point in time. So every day there was that little bit of anxiety....will she come? Will I start having contractions at school? Will my water break? Now I know there are definitely only 2 weeks at the most left. The end is a lot more in sight. Also, when I put in for my maternity leave, I decided to take an extra two weeks unpaid leave (for a total of 8 weeks). If everything would've gone as planned and Cate would have arrived this weekend, this would've put me coming back to school the day after spring break. While that's a nice transition time for my students, I now see that every day I'm late is an additional day beyond spring break that I'll get to spend with my daughter. Which may mean we'll have a few warmer days together to hang out before I go back to work and will save Eric and I on a few days worth of a sitter.
January has been a hard month...I'm not gonna lie. I've been the most uncomfortable I've been the whole pregnancy (probably because I'm huge at this point), can't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time, and the waiting has been killer (especially when the women due at the same time as me at work are already at home with their precious new little ones). The end is coming though. I really feel like God has been speaking to me this weekend and reminding me that I need to be patient. He'll bring Cate to us when he's ready and we need to be okay with that. It could still be tonight...it could be two weeks from now. In the meantime, I just need to sit back, relax, and let him work on preparing me in this final phase of pregnancy for the new role of becoming a mother.
~Melody
Monday, January 21, 2008
Patience is a Virtue . . .
And it is one of the most difficult traits we can ever attain. I ask that you pray for us in this time, but mostly for Melody. She has been amazing through this entire pregnancy and has shouldered the pain, the discomfort, the lack of sleep and all other aspects of the pregnancy with such resilience that it is inspiring. It is also a bit disheartening to me when I am completely helpless. I know that the waiting is tough for me, so I can't imagine how difficult it is for her, especially when all of her pregnant friends have had their babies. Pray for ease of pain, pray for a safe and speedy delivery, and pray for patience if there is any left to be had. We appreciate all of your prayers so for, and we covet them even more. Thanks for supporting us, but mostly Melody, through this time. We hope that the next post will have pictures of our daughters bright, shining face. Till then . . .
- Papa E
- Papa E
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
You know the saying....
When it rains, it pours. Actually, I have a lot to be thankful for and a little rain never hurt anyone.
On my way home from school today, I was rear ended getting on 71. For those of you that have ever tried to get on 71 South at Western Row (coming from Mason), you might agree with me that the yield sign there for the on ramp really needs to be a stop sign because of the traffic coming from Kings Island Drive. Anyway...I stopped because of the cross traffic that had the green light and the woman behind me kept going and hit me.
It was kind of embarrassing. Not only did a few coworkers drive by and see me, but when a pregnant woman is involved in a car accident they always send the life squad (especially when you're at 39 weeks). The squad actually suggested having them transport me to the hospital just in case (sometimes the stress sends women into labor even if the accident wasn't that bad), but since I was on my way to the doctor anyway and my car was still drivable, they let me go (after signing several waivers of course). I'm just fine and baby Cate is great too. I'm hoping that since the stress of a car accident (even a minor one) wasn't enough to get her going, that this means she'll be a pretty "chill" kind of kid. We'll see.
My car is a different story though. It happened in the new one...our Caliber. But I keep reminding myself, it's just a car. It can be fixed. It's not worth worrying about. Thankfully the woman who hit me (who I probably made feel horrible because I freaked out when it first happened, mostly because of the baby thing) is insured. So it's just a matter of working with her insurance company to get my car repaired and a rental car to use in the meantime (we're talking the whole back bumper is going to need to be replaced).
But...as if that wasn't enough for one day, Cate's namesake, my sister Catherine, was injured at basketball practice. It turns out that she has an infusion sprain which means that there is fluid in between her bones and tendons. Nothing is broken, but because of the fluid the doctor can't tell if there are any torn ligaments or not. She was put in a boot, given some crutches, and told not to put weight on it for two weeks. So the end of her senior year basketball season is not looking so great, but I'm praying that her injury won't affect her track season too badly. Track is her love and what she is good at and I know she is looking forward to what will hopefully be her best season yet.
I think that's enough excitement for today! Although I will tell you this...we found out today that we're at one centimeter dilated. So my body is definitely preparing itself for labor. Cate's still pretty high up in there, but the doctor could touch her head today. She couldn't make any promises as to when Cate would arrive because babies are so unpredictable. I can be at 1 centimeter today and go into labor tomorrow. The sooner the better though...I'm ready to meet her!
~Melody
On my way home from school today, I was rear ended getting on 71. For those of you that have ever tried to get on 71 South at Western Row (coming from Mason), you might agree with me that the yield sign there for the on ramp really needs to be a stop sign because of the traffic coming from Kings Island Drive. Anyway...I stopped because of the cross traffic that had the green light and the woman behind me kept going and hit me.
It was kind of embarrassing. Not only did a few coworkers drive by and see me, but when a pregnant woman is involved in a car accident they always send the life squad (especially when you're at 39 weeks). The squad actually suggested having them transport me to the hospital just in case (sometimes the stress sends women into labor even if the accident wasn't that bad), but since I was on my way to the doctor anyway and my car was still drivable, they let me go (after signing several waivers of course). I'm just fine and baby Cate is great too. I'm hoping that since the stress of a car accident (even a minor one) wasn't enough to get her going, that this means she'll be a pretty "chill" kind of kid. We'll see.
My car is a different story though. It happened in the new one...our Caliber. But I keep reminding myself, it's just a car. It can be fixed. It's not worth worrying about. Thankfully the woman who hit me (who I probably made feel horrible because I freaked out when it first happened, mostly because of the baby thing) is insured. So it's just a matter of working with her insurance company to get my car repaired and a rental car to use in the meantime (we're talking the whole back bumper is going to need to be replaced).
But...as if that wasn't enough for one day, Cate's namesake, my sister Catherine, was injured at basketball practice. It turns out that she has an infusion sprain which means that there is fluid in between her bones and tendons. Nothing is broken, but because of the fluid the doctor can't tell if there are any torn ligaments or not. She was put in a boot, given some crutches, and told not to put weight on it for two weeks. So the end of her senior year basketball season is not looking so great, but I'm praying that her injury won't affect her track season too badly. Track is her love and what she is good at and I know she is looking forward to what will hopefully be her best season yet.
I think that's enough excitement for today! Although I will tell you this...we found out today that we're at one centimeter dilated. So my body is definitely preparing itself for labor. Cate's still pretty high up in there, but the doctor could touch her head today. She couldn't make any promises as to when Cate would arrive because babies are so unpredictable. I can be at 1 centimeter today and go into labor tomorrow. The sooner the better though...I'm ready to meet her!
~Melody
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
So we're down to two weeks (or there abouts) with the whole baby thing. My actual due date is two days from tomorrow, but close enough. And all I can say is that these last few days have been the hardest in my pregnancy so far. I am a little uncomfortable, but that's not what is making this hard. It's hard because I've always struggled a lot with patience and I'm really ready for Cate to just be here. At this point, she's fully developed and would be considered full term if she was born (even if she came before her due date). Right now she's pretty much just putting some meat on herself and trying to get a little bigger.
Going back to teaching after two weeks off for Christmas was a nice distraction this week, but this morning is when it really started to hit me. It is a beautiful sunny January day (cold, but not too bad) outside. And I was bored out of my mind. If I weren't pregnant, I would've killed the boredom with a run or at least a long walk (with coffee in hand). Or maybe headed out to Perfect North to ski. Or taken my rock climbing gear over to Climb Time with Eric for a few hours (I'm dying to use it again since I only got to use it a handful of times before my waistline started expanding and climbing was temporarily out). Skiing and running are out right now for obvious reasons too and a long walk for me anymore is about a mile or so before I start to get pretty winded. And even then I'm going at a pretty slow pace.
Now I realize that once Cate gets here, I won't have time to do these things either. And while I'm in recovery mode after delivery, most activity is going to be pretty limited anyway. The difference is that Cate will actually be here. I'll have her to keep me busy. I'm so excited for her to be here and I hate being in this limbo period where there's not much I can do to occupy my time (trust me, I even already made the pages of a mini-scrapbook for her so all I have to do is fill it with pictures and captions once she gets here). Waiting for her to come, knowing labor could start in 2 hours, 2 days, or 2 weeks, is by far the worst part of the pregnancy thus far (although there weren't really many bad parts...I was lucky in that regard).
Next weekend we have at least a few more things (tentatively) planned. There's a huge TNT Alumni party on Friday night and we're getting together with some of the people Eric went to Tucson with on Saturday night. It might be enough to distract me. And the weekend after that is the weekend I'm due. There is definitely a part of me that wishes she would just come now and a part of me that understands I need to be patient and wait for her to come into the world on her own time. I've got the rest of my life to enjoy her and I need to be looking for the joy in these last few hours, days, or weeks, that it's just Eric and I at home. So I'm praying for patience (along with labor to not start while I'm teaching...so between 7am and 12:40 Monday through Friday). Cate will be here soon enough and I know my life will never be the same once she comes.
~Melody
Going back to teaching after two weeks off for Christmas was a nice distraction this week, but this morning is when it really started to hit me. It is a beautiful sunny January day (cold, but not too bad) outside. And I was bored out of my mind. If I weren't pregnant, I would've killed the boredom with a run or at least a long walk (with coffee in hand). Or maybe headed out to Perfect North to ski. Or taken my rock climbing gear over to Climb Time with Eric for a few hours (I'm dying to use it again since I only got to use it a handful of times before my waistline started expanding and climbing was temporarily out). Skiing and running are out right now for obvious reasons too and a long walk for me anymore is about a mile or so before I start to get pretty winded. And even then I'm going at a pretty slow pace.
Now I realize that once Cate gets here, I won't have time to do these things either. And while I'm in recovery mode after delivery, most activity is going to be pretty limited anyway. The difference is that Cate will actually be here. I'll have her to keep me busy. I'm so excited for her to be here and I hate being in this limbo period where there's not much I can do to occupy my time (trust me, I even already made the pages of a mini-scrapbook for her so all I have to do is fill it with pictures and captions once she gets here). Waiting for her to come, knowing labor could start in 2 hours, 2 days, or 2 weeks, is by far the worst part of the pregnancy thus far (although there weren't really many bad parts...I was lucky in that regard).
Next weekend we have at least a few more things (tentatively) planned. There's a huge TNT Alumni party on Friday night and we're getting together with some of the people Eric went to Tucson with on Saturday night. It might be enough to distract me. And the weekend after that is the weekend I'm due. There is definitely a part of me that wishes she would just come now and a part of me that understands I need to be patient and wait for her to come into the world on her own time. I've got the rest of my life to enjoy her and I need to be looking for the joy in these last few hours, days, or weeks, that it's just Eric and I at home. So I'm praying for patience (along with labor to not start while I'm teaching...so between 7am and 12:40 Monday through Friday). Cate will be here soon enough and I know my life will never be the same once she comes.
~Melody
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Happy New Year
Now that the holidays are over, we pretty much just have Cate's arrival occupying our minds. Melody had a full two weeks off of teaching that she enjoyed spending with family, friends, and our pets (who haven't seen her home this much in awhile since she worked all summer). Cate probably also appreciated her mom's much slower pace. Eric had some extra time off of work too during the holidays and a bonus snow delay last Wednesday (so he didn't have to go in until noon). Besides hanging out with family, friends, and the pets, he learned how to put together a multitude of baby things (the pack n' play being his greatest challenge). Anyway, we thought you'd enjoy a few pictures of the holidays.
We'll start with one of Melody with Emily and Jenny. We got a new griddle for Christmas and were dying to try it out, so Jenny, Jimmy, Emily, and Ryan helped us eat a few pancakes one morning.
A few days after Christmas, Melody's family came back down to Cincinnati for the UC/Miami basketball game. We thought Miami had a pretty good chance given that they beat Illinois and Xavier (and Xavier beat UC in the Crosstown Shootout). They played okay, but the game went to the Bearcats, 56-50. There's not much you can do when UC puts in their 7-footer. Melody's whole family rooted for the Bearcats though. Melody's sister Catherine has applied to UC and it's her number one choice. We're hoping she'll join us in the 'Nati this fall...although her niece Cate will only wear Bearcat apparel when they're not playing the Redhawks. Mel's dad also went to UC.
We'll end with a picture of us ringing in the New Year with Andy, Jane, Ryan, Melissa, and Emily. 2007 definitely exceeded expectations. We both ran our first marathons, raised over $5000 combined for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Melody finished her Master's degree, Eric got out of retail and into a job he is way more passionate about and that he absolutely loves, and we got the good news about baby Cate (who will definitely start off 2008 on a great note). The Lord has certainly blessed us this past year. We've learned a lot about grace and a lot about letting go and giving it all to God. He's got a bigger picture in mind for all of us that sometimes is hard to see, so we just have to trust Him.
Happy 2008!
~Eric and Melody :-)
We'll start with one of Melody with Emily and Jenny. We got a new griddle for Christmas and were dying to try it out, so Jenny, Jimmy, Emily, and Ryan helped us eat a few pancakes one morning.
A few days after Christmas, Melody's family came back down to Cincinnati for the UC/Miami basketball game. We thought Miami had a pretty good chance given that they beat Illinois and Xavier (and Xavier beat UC in the Crosstown Shootout). They played okay, but the game went to the Bearcats, 56-50. There's not much you can do when UC puts in their 7-footer. Melody's whole family rooted for the Bearcats though. Melody's sister Catherine has applied to UC and it's her number one choice. We're hoping she'll join us in the 'Nati this fall...although her niece Cate will only wear Bearcat apparel when they're not playing the Redhawks. Mel's dad also went to UC.
We'll end with a picture of us ringing in the New Year with Andy, Jane, Ryan, Melissa, and Emily. 2007 definitely exceeded expectations. We both ran our first marathons, raised over $5000 combined for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Melody finished her Master's degree, Eric got out of retail and into a job he is way more passionate about and that he absolutely loves, and we got the good news about baby Cate (who will definitely start off 2008 on a great note). The Lord has certainly blessed us this past year. We've learned a lot about grace and a lot about letting go and giving it all to God. He's got a bigger picture in mind for all of us that sometimes is hard to see, so we just have to trust Him.
Happy 2008!
~Eric and Melody :-)
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