NST and CST and another NST- oh my!

Yesterday was the completion of my 38th week of pregnancy. Holy cow. At my doctor's appointment the routine non-stress test showed the baby to be very sleepy so the doc put me back on to see if he/she'd wake up and show more activity, which is normal for this stage of the game. I am getting so used to these so I came prepared with a book. At this point, I am also used to the fact that I'll be there all morning (my doc's a talker- God love her!) so I don't mind. Plus it beats waiting in the stuffy Wartezimmer (waiting room)!

Well early on the 2nd NST there was a dip in heartrate of the baby. It wasn't during a contraction or anything so the doc was a little concerned. The ultrasound showed the baby as fine, moving around, good blood flow and oxygenation. She said the HR drop could have been a fluke, or maybe Hansel/Gretel was playing with the umbillical cord, who knows. Since I have been fighting my death cold it could also be related to that. But also, if the baby was truly in distress, a C-section could have been indicated. Being the great OB/GYN she is, she sent me to the hospital to follow up with the head doctor there.

So, Jason came home from work (he gets to stay home another 2 weeks, yippee!), we loaded up my hospital bag just in case, and we went to St. Elizabeth Krankenhaus here in Mayen. This is where I'll be delivering- any time now. The midwives in L&D hooked me up to the machine and did another non-stress test for about 45 minutes. Everything looked normal, so the next step was to see the doctor there. He did a quick ultrasound and just like the morning's US, everything was a-ok. So, we went back to L&D (called Kreißaal) and the doc set up an IV with oxytocin or something to start contractions. The contractions were pretty light (not at all painful), but increased as they upped the dosage every 10 minutes to see the baby's reaction. By the end of the nearly 2 hrs I felt like I'd done 1000 crunches!

Baby is already making his/her mommy and daddy proud--the contraction stress test showed absolutely no signs of distress! We had a follow up this morning, too, and again, he/she had a completely normal heart rate. PHEW. I really would prefer not to have a c-section so keep your prayers coming that he/she will continue to stay healthy--and that I will kick this cold so I have the energy to do the pushing when the time comes!!

Nesting ..zu hause

The nesting instinct has definitely kicked in. Yesterday I made a changing pad cover. I had planned on just using a towel or burp cloth under the baby's bum, but a wave of creativity swept over. I used some of the leftover fabric to line the basket containing diapers and such.

Kona is doing his own form of nesting...with his tongue sticking out!

Also this weekend was the children's parade in Mayen. Karneval season is a big deal in the Rheinland-Pfalz, which is fun for me having lived in NOLA. Last year I went up to Cologne, where the people go crazy, but this year the small town festivities are more my style.

That little devil being carried (in the middle) is my friend Heather's little boy- he's so cute!

My revellers! Kona's happy to be on the way home, and soon to be out of his costume!

Graduation Recap

I finally received my diploma last week...

37 week update

Pregnant? or just plain ol' FAT? I may be busting out of my winter coat, but at least I can still zip it up!

I saw my doc today. Everything's good. For about 20 minutes I was having regular contractions so lucky me got an hour long NST. The nurse who checked on me from time to time commented on the nice peaks (indicating contractions) I was getting on the print out. The last 30 minutes or so was uneventful and boooring- I just tried to keep my mind off the baby pressing on my bladder! We'll see a BABY in there in a few short weeks!!

36 weeks..and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!

Happy birthday to Jason today!

This week's update: baby is good and continues to grow right on track. He/she is still moving around a lot and gets the hiccups pretty often. I feel good, though acid reflux sneaks up on me here and there. It's been snowing here and Jason's been wonderful about taking Kona out for his walks so I don't slip. Even the other morning at 4am-- if this is any indication of what kind of dad he'll be, I think Hansel/Gretel (and myself) will be pretty lucky :)

I tried acupuncture today. NOT for me. Yeah, I almost passed out. The midwife said that sometimes happens (not so much the passing out, but the blood pressure drop) or there can be other adverse reactions, but I figured I'd at least give it a try. I'm glad I did, but I think I'll stick to the red raspberry leaf tea to prepare my body for birth! Besides, with the GD I have had my fill of needles.

I also got to meet the Anesthesiologist at the hospital today. He is a really nice doctor and explained everything about the epidural. I am hoping I won't need it, but at this point I'm not ruling anything out. I would like to try a water birth. We'll see how it actually goes when this baby is trying to make its way into the world!

That's about it. Less than a month to go...

BABY POOL!

I set up an online baby pool for anyone who wants to join in. You enter when you think the baby will be born (date & time), it's weight, length and gender. I set everything in english units and will post the winner once the baby is born!

Click here: http://www.expectnet.com/games/BavaricanBabyWagner

34 weeks down...6 weeks to go!

I can't believe how fast my due date is approaching! My tummy continues to get bigger and I'm up another kg. My appetite has also increased but of course all I am really in the mood for are sweets. I'm trying not to overdo it because of the (supposed) diabetes (I'm still not convinced) and also because I don't want to have to work it all off this spring and summer! Though I am looking forward to being able to work out again. I get huffy-puffy just walking Kona around the neighborhood and up stairs! I started a prenatal water aerobics class in Koblenz a couple weeks ago and it's a great work out for this stage of pregnancy. It's 45 minutes long and only 6 other ladies. The water is nice and warm; I wish I could go every day.

As of this week's appointment the baby is measuring about 2kg (4.4lbs) and is quite the active one. He/she was moving nonstop during the Non Stress Test, setting the bell off 3x in 30 minutes! The doctor said she wasn't concerned because of all the activity, but I felt bad that the nurse had to keep coming in to reset the button. Baby is in the right position: head down with the back to the left. He/she's been that way for the past couple months- I can tell because I only get kicked in the right side of my ribs- OUCH. Baby also gets hiccups at least daily and they seem to last forever. I just have this one 3D picture to share:

We've been busy preparing the necessities like a place for Baby to sleep, a place for Baby to sit safely in the car, a place for Baby's clothes.

Today I made a crib skirt. It was kind of a pain dealing with all the fabric (and my 1st attempt at a ruffle), as most of my projects have been very basic and small, but it was fun. I am happy with how it turned out:

I am debating making cafe-style curtains out of the same fabric.

Tonight I leave you with a small tribute of our "favorite" soccer player for FC Bayern... the Italian Luca Toni!

Christmas, Baby Shower and more

Me, freezing at the Bonn Weihnachtsmarkt.

We're finally back home in Germany after a long holiday season. We spent a few days with Jason's family in Bavaria before heading to the US to visit my family. We didn't get to as many Weihnachtsmaerkte (Christmas markets) as we had planned, thanks to my pregnant self. My doctor instructed me to take it easy after she found out I'd been ice skating and galavanting around Frankfurt. Hey, I was feeling good and seizing one last chance at a girls day out- can you blame me?!

This is Straubing's gigantic Advent Calendar.

We spent New Year's in WI for a friend's wedding. Note the lederhosen- there was a wardrobe change for the groom and the german groomsman shortly before midnight.

BABY SHOWER

The Saturday after Christmas my Grandma (with many helpers) hosted a baby shower for me. It was a really nice afternoon with home cookin', good company from in and out of town, and cute baby things! I will post more pictures another time, but here are a few highlights from the day and of the nice things I received.

Our chic stroller!