An update on Patrick

or is it Patricia?

Well, we still don't know. We ended up going to the hospital last night after my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, lasting 55 seconds for over an hour. I thought for sure "THIS IS IT" and was so afraid of delivering the baby at home that we got out of bed and headed to the hospital around 1:45. After checking me thoroughly (and by thoroughly I mean very painfully...when my mid-wife checks me it doesn't hurt at all but it felt like the nurse was trying to check to see if I had strep throat via my cervix), we discovered I was still only dilated to a 1. I was one of those women that was so convinced I was at least a 3. Nope. Just a 1. The good news is I'm 80% effaced and the baby has dropped to a -2, which is better than where I was at my mid-wife appointment last Tuesday.

After walking the hallways of Labour & Delivery and then Postpartum for almost an hour, she roughed me up again and discovered no progress had been made. So she called my mid-wife who gave me 2 options:

1. Go home

2. Get a shot of morphine and go home

I chose option #2. The pain of the morphine shot (my first ever) was totally worth it, slurred words and all. We got home around 4:30 and I slept until the phone rang around 9:00 and then drifted in and out of consciousness until 12:30.

So now my contractions are 45-50 seconds long every 10 minutes. Some of you experienced this for days before your child finally came along and if I have to endure this for more than a day, well, I'll probably go crazy. CRAZY I SAY. And the hospital said I cannot come back unless my contractions are 60 seconds long, 2-3 minutes apart for an hour and so painful that they are unbearable. Can't wait for that!

By the way, Avatar was amazing. Pat either really enjoyed it or hated all the noise because s/he moved so much the entire 3 hours. But we certainly enjoyed every minute of it and recommend seeing it in 3D in the theatre. I just don't think you'd get the same experience watching it at home, no matter how large of screen you have.

I'll update you if anything changes. In the meantime, I'm hanging around the house going crazy (but at least my suitcase is now packed for the hospital!).

S/he'll be comin' round the mountain when s/he comes

For some reason this song is in my head these days. I guess it's because I really feel like Pat is coming sooner than later. I've had a lot of activity "down there" in the last 36 hours or so, starting with contractions at 12:30 a.m. on Boxing Day (12/26). They lasted less than an hour so I just rode them out. Funny, I thought I'd been having contractions for the last week but once you have an actual contraction, you realize quickly that those haven't been contractions--they were more like cramps. BIG difference.

Then last night I woke up at 2:00 a.m. not feeling quite right and realized I was having more. They lasted until this morning but again, the duration and frequency haven't been cause for concern. What has been cause for concern is the blood. Sorry to be graphic but at 2:00 a.m. I discovered blood and called the hospital where I'm due to deliver. I explained everything to the nurse and she told me that if it got heavier or if Pat stopped moving or if my contractions got stronger and longer, then I needed to come in. But none of those things have happened. Pat is moving around just as much as normal. The blood flow is the same and the contractions have eased off. I do feel like Pat has dropped a little though as I'm starting to feel uncomfortable and walking isn't as easy as it was when I got up this morning.

So we're going to go see Avatar in 3-D this afternoon and then come home and make pizzas. I'm guessing Pat will hold off on making it's appearance anytime in the next 24 hours, giving us enough time to get that suitcase packed for the hospital and all of the other little nitpicky things we need to do.

We'll keep you posted.

A paradigm shift

As recently as 2 weeks ago, I had strangers coming up to me telling me I was the cutest pregnant woman ever. Trust me, I have loved comments like this. I am the baby of the family and have always loved the limelight so all the attention I've been getting the last few months has been wonderful. There's nothing wrong in admitting that, is there? And when Pat is born, all of the attention shifts from me to Pat, so I've been trying to store up all of the kind words and attention because pretty soon I will play second fiddle to someone who will be far cuter than I ever was.

I don't know what's happened in the last 2 weeks but now I have strangers approach me EVERY day saying things like "You look like you're about to pop!" or "Your due date must be soon!!" I just smile and say "Yep, pretty soon" but what I really want to do is shove them into a display of some sort, or kick them in the shin, or say something nasty like "And when are you due?". I like attention, but when you're implying that I'm of Shrek proportions, I'm not so cool with the attention then. And I really don't think I'm that big. I mean, I'm 39 weeks along but at my mid-wife appointment this morning I was measuring at 36 weeks. But clearly I must be ENORMOUS since everyone keeps telling me I am.

Everything is good with Pat. Heart rate was 146 as Pat was moving around a lot. Dilated to 1 cm, still 50% effaced. Pat hasn't dropped yet and my mid-wife said a lot can happen in a week, but if Pat doesn't drop within 2 weeks (1 week past my due date) then I will probably have to have a C-section. She didn't say it to worry me but to prepare me just in case. That is the last thing I want, so if you're looking for me, I'll be out walking, trying to get gravity to force Pat down where s/he needs to be.

Well, my friend is on her way over to help me put up all the artwork in the nursery and finally be finished with Pat's room. Photos posted soon.

Mommy, why does everyone call me Pat?

We were talking the other night and it came up that some of you who call our fetus "Pat" might be tempted to call the baby Pat when it arrives. And just so you know, you have full permission to, although we think the names we've chosen are a little better than Pat. But we wonder if little Rachel or Cohen will ask us in a few years why everyone keeps calling them Pat. We'll just shrug our shoulders and say "Maybe they have you confused with another goofy 4 year old."

Anytime Pat. Anytime!

Just a quick update for those of you wondering how little Pat is doing.

Pat still hasn't dropped, as evidenced by my 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. heartburn attack. Pat woke me up with a lot of movement and I realized my throat was on fire. I went upstairs (remember, I'm sleeping in the basement like a dog) and took my heartburn pill and went back down to sleep. Well, the burn was so bad that I couldn't lie down. So I sat up reading until 5:00, waiting for the burn to subside so I could get some rest. I can't wait for Pat to drop to ease the burn. I know this will bring a bunch of new issues (like the waddle) but I really can't wait to be done with heartburn 24-7. I really don't know how my husband lives with heartburn every day of his life. I would jump off a roof if I had to deal with this forever. The benefit of these 3 or 4 a.m. wake-ups is it's getting me ready to not sleep very much. I'm so glad I'm not going from getting 8-10 hours/night to zero, but have had a few months of transition. I now get between 5 and 6, which I think is more realistic for when the baby arrives (right?).

Last night we videotaped Pat moving around. We were watching Saturday Night Live and Pat was busy wrapping gifts or making cookies or something that required a lot of movement so I put the remote control on my belly. It was dancing around and Christian and I were laughing so hard at it. We'll see if we can edit it down and put it on here.

We also got the car seat ready and in the Subaru yesterday, with the help of our friend Greg who has 2 kids. We could not have done it without him. Well, we probably could have but it would have taken us most of the day and a lot of frustration and name calling. Today I am putting the final things in the nursery, like the humidifier, the breast pump, diaper bag, etc. We're also getting my suitcase packed for the hospital, just in case.

We've had yet another busy week of dinners, lunches, getting together with friends, and a lot of running around. Got to take advantage of it while we can.

Here's another one of the hilarious fridge magnets we have. Darn it! We were planning on picking up one of the panhandlers and have them look after the baby in exchange for some loose change and a granola bar.

And one final shot of my friend (and former roommate) Brandi. We went over to her house for dinner last night and had a lovely time with Brandi, her husband Edward and their gorgeous daughter Zoe.

Probably not going to have the New Year's baby

At my 38 week appointment this morning, I found out I'm still not dilated. 50% effaced though, so there's that. Pat still hasn't "dropped", which means my heartburn continues. I thought that drinking copious amounts of eggnog would help put out the fire but it only helped on the scale. My mid-wife said if she could predict an arrival date, she said the first week of January, BUT, she also said things could happen so quickly that I could deliver this weekend (but she's hedging her bets on January). I'm still REALLY okay with not giving birth anytime soon. I still need to buy a nursing bras or two and some other necessities, and once I get my family's Christmas gifts shipped this afternoon, I'll be able to start getting those things done.

The crib bedding is done and in the crib and I love it! I think Pat will love it too. The nursery will be pulled together next week when my friend comes over to help me hang the artwork.

We have big plans this weekend. Getting the car seat in the car. I'm sure that will be loads of fun.

For your viewing pleasure, a photo of Pat's parents taken last weekend at my book club Christmas party. I have THE best book club in the world and had a wonderful time with them (and their significant others) for one last hurrah before I probably won't see them for a couple of months. It's so weird to think that the next time we're all together I will be a mother. I think that every time I hang out with people and start to freak myself out.

Ma & Pa Hancock

THE best book club minus Val (who just had a baby herself). Everyone looks great in this photo except yours truly, who's staring off into the distance (or probably eyeballing some food). 

A letter of introduction

Oh, I hope you don't think that Pat has arrived (based on the title of this entry). Pat is still safe and secure in it's aquatic home inside my uterus. Hopefully Pat isn't going anywhere soon.

I wanted to share a gift I received from my mom at my Salt Lake City baby shower. She sent it down with my sister and when I read it, I got all teary-eyed, as did some of the women in attendance. Without further ado...

B is for boy which I might be.

A is for another possibility.

B is for blue, a colour I'll wear.

Y is for yelling - I'll do my share.

H is for Hancock, my last name, it's true.

A is for aunties, of which I have two.

N is for Nana, who loves me so.

C is for Christian - that's my dad, you know.

O is for oodles and oodles of love.

C is a creation of my Father above.

K is for Kristyn, my mommy so dear, who'll love me completely, year after year.

And so with these words, not just a few, I've introduced myself to you.

Good thing there's no "D" in "Hancock" because you can probably guess which word I would have begged her to include.