35 Weeks!

Today is a major milestone- 35 weeks!  Now, whenever I go into labor, I'll be able to deliver with one of the midwives.  Just two more weeks to go until I can also use the Alternative Birthing Center at West Suburban.  I would love to make it past 37, but I think Baby Girl will tell us when she needs to come out, and whenever that is- now it will be okay!  

At 35 weeks, the Baby Girl is likely between 5 and 5 1/2 pounds and up to 20 inches long.  Her brain and lungs are still receiving some fine tuning, but most of her development is complete, including her now fully-functioning liver and kidneys.  My goals for this week are to research and hopefully choose a pediatrician, and to pack a bag for the hospital.  That, and rest enough to keep Baby Girl inside! Knowing that I could go into labor at any moment is a combination of scary and exciting... like I would expect to feel right before jumping off the plane to skydive.  I am looking forward to meeting Baby Girl more than words can explain, but I really want her to be strong enough to thrive once she's out, even if it means she needs to stay inside longer (that's that part Tyler is having trouble with!).  We just have to trust that Baby Girl will let us know when that right time is, and we'll meet her then.  

Wish List

Check out these beautiful, organic hand-made wooden toys and teethers made by Little Alouette out of Columbus, Ohio.  They more than caught my eye.

Mail Call

Checking the mail can be a bit of a gamble.  Tyler loves checking the mail, always hoping for the best- something exciting addressed directly to him.  Most days, there's nothing in the mail box but advertisements for mortgages, Comcast, and telephone service.  There are also the regular catalogs that arrive, some useful (Crate & Barrel), others not so much (Smith & Noble window coverings, any clothing catalogs since the bump).  We also receive plenty of requests for donations from U of I, Cornell, JCFS, the Autism Society, and any other association to which we have been related in the last 20 years.  A few days each month, bills arrive.  And then there are the surprises, such as this one that arrived today:  

Inside:

Yup, that is a jury summons.  For me.  A summons for jury duty now?  I was extremely relieved to see the date, though- November 4.  Before my due date.  I'll have a doctor's note!  I even called my midwife office to confirm.  Thank goodness!

Some days, atop our mailboxes, there is a nice little package waiting for me (or if it's a big package, it waits patiently on the floor).  Today was one of those days.  I saved the package for after the jury summons in case I needed a pick-me-up.  Mico investigated thoroughly to ensure the safety of the package.

The contents of this package were definitely good.

A soft, plush, warm and cozy new bathrobe!  I've had my old bathrobe for 10 years now.  It's traveled with me to undergrad dorms, the sorority house (where I slept in it most winter nights in the cold dorms, hood up), several apartments, Germany, Ithaca, and Chicago.  The once soft polar fleece is now thin and pilling the high-friction areas (like around the legs, where my lack of consistent shaving some years may have taken its toll).  The occasional rips and tears provide natural ventilation, I suppose.  But really, if there is ever an excuse to invest in a new bathrobe, knowing that plenty of people will see me in it in the hospital and anticipating living in it for several months post-partum are two excellent reasons.  And so, I ordered this, a luxury full-length bathrobe if I've ever seen one.  Waffle-weave cotton on the outside, soft terry on the inside, thick and heavy all around.  It just happened to be on sale, 60% off for Columbus Day at Macy's, which helped when I brought the idea to Tyler's attention.  Actually, he was so excited for me to be rid of the old bathrobe, I don't think he would have blinked at the full price, but I feel better.  (Sorry, Macy's is sold out already- I would have posted the link.  You'll just have to drool with envy when you come over to visit Baby Girl and see me enveloped in a vanilla-colored cloud.)

I anxiously unfolded the robe.  Beautiful!  Slightly overwhelmed by the new-clothes smell, I threw it in the washing machine.  It's now clean and dry and waiting for me on the back of the bathroom door.  Oh, the small luxuries in life.

Is it normal to get this excited for a bathrobe?  

Chicagoans are...

I'm not sure I agree with all of these opinions from Travel + Leisure magazine.  Are people allowed to vote if they have never been here?  At least they think the food in Chicago is good.  Thank you, Rick Bayless!

Travel + Leisure magazine poll: Readers peg Chicagoans as ugly, surly and not too bright

City ranks No. 1 for skylines and views, dead last in weather

Phil Vettel, October 9, 2009

In Travel + Leisure magazine's annual poll, in which readers rate American cities in myriad categories, Chicago is No. 1 (skylines and views) and dead last (weather) for the third straight year.

This year's poll, which compared 30 cities (up from the usual 25), pitted Chicago against the likes of New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Denver, but also against Honolulu, Santa Fe, Kansas City and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Wait. We've got worse weather than Minneapolis? So say the voters, who also ranked us No. 14 in intelligence, No. 19 in friendliness and No. 20 (out of 30, remember) in attractiveness.

T + L readers sum us up as ugly, surly and not too bright. Who voted on this, the IOC?

More insights: Within the category "type of trip," Chicago was ranked 22nd as an active/adventure vacation destination, 23rd for its relaxing resorts and 18th as an affordable getaway.

But in the "food/dining," "shopping," "people" and "culture" categories, we were No. 2 for big-name restaurants, luxury stores and theater; No. 3 for ethnic food; and in the top 10 for neighborhood joints, cafes/coffee bars and stylishness (homely but well-accessorized, that's us).

For complete rankings, go to travelandleisure.com, or check Travel + Leisure's November issue, on newsstands Oct. 23.


Taken at Chicago's free Blues Festival during BB King's performance last summer.  Take that, Travel + Leisure!

34 1/2 Weeks

Bump pictures at 34 1/2 weeks:

And pictures of my bed rest companions, who are keeping me company:

Yup, bed rest....

Yesterday evening I had a midwife appointment.  Tyler actually got to come to this one, the first he's attended since I switched midwives.  He really liked Amy, the midwife who saw me.  He asked lots of really good questions about the birth and my limitations on bed rest, and his evident concern was really sweet.  After telling her about everything that went down at the hospital this weekend, Amy agreed that bed rest is the best option for me right now.  We talked about when I should call the midwife group since the normal guidelines of "regular contractions" doesn't really apply to me any longer.  Amy's explanation was to call either a) when my water breaks, or b) when the contractions are so strong that I'm squeezing furniture until my knuckles are white.  So, I guess that's what we'll look for- should be hard to miss either!  

34 weeks-- and bed rest...

Tyler and I spent yesterday in the hospital because I was having contractions.  Saturday evening, I had quite a few contractions, but I had half a beer (midwife-approved method for slowing contractions by calming the body) and the contractions slowed down.  It was such a sight to see me with a beer that Tyler took a photo of me.

Saturday night, I had four contractions that woke me throughout the night, which had never happened before.  Beginning at about 10 am Sunday morning, I was having contractions about every 10 minutes.  We finally went to Rush hospital at about 2:30 pm.  When the nurse hooked me up to the monitors, I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes, though I wasn't feeling all of them.  

(That double chin is NOT always there, by the way....)

The doctor took samples for quite a few tests, mostly to check for infections, which can cause contractions or preterm labor.  She also did another fetal fibronectin test and an ultrasound.  I was one centimeter dilated and 25% effaced (meaning my cervix was 25% thinned out- but that's exactly where it was at 25 weeks, so no change, thankfully).  All of my tests results came back negative, including the fetal fibronectin.  With all of the test results, the doctor concluded that with no additional stress, the chance of me going into labor in the next week is 1.7%-- excellent news.  I was discharged from the hospital but because I was still having contractions ranging from every 3-14 minutes, I was put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Because all newborns have to stay in NICU until 35 weeks, it's especially important that I not go into labor.  Before I was discharged, I was offered a steroid shot, which would help prepare the baby for preterm delivery.  The shots are only administered through 33 weeks because at 34 weeks, the risks outweigh the benefits.  Also, the benefits only last about 24 hours, so if I don't go into labor in 24 hours, there would be not real benefit.  I told the doctor I wasn't interested, and when she asked why, I told her that I'd rather continue with as little intervention as possible (thinking the whole time, I'm one day away from the risks outweighing the benefits and only have a 1.7% chance of delivering in the next day anyway- are you kidding?!?).  Tyler summed it up well by quipping, "She's a hippie."  Somehow, that explained it all to the doctor!

So here I am, on bed rest.  I'm SO grateful to have made it this far in my pregnancy.  I've had warning that I may be put on bed rest eventually, so I don't feel like it's a complete shock.  I've had two weeks to overlap with the new teacher in the classroom, so I feel like the students and my coworkers are in good hands and ready to keep moving on.  Tyler is likely in Chicago for most of the week, and when he goes out of town, I can stay at my parents with Mico.  Tyler's mom has also offered to come up if needed.  Matt, Tyler's best man, recently moved into an apartment less than a block away from us and is in town this week to help with anything.  Along with Mark and Todd and Sara and Traye and Liz who are always around, I feel like I'm in good hands.

I have a midwife appointment scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be able to talk to someone else and get another professional opinion.  Even though it will likely be the same opinion, it will be nice to hear it from one of the midwives in addition to the doctor at Rush.  I'm grateful to have made it this far in my pregnancy and I'm thankful for every day that Baby Girl has to continue developing from the safety of my belly.  According to the ultrasound yesterday (which can be pretty inaccurate this far along), Baby Girl is 4 pounds 13 ounces- way too little to be coming out yet!  She's continuing to add fat to her body that will keep her warm once she's out, and her lungs are still developing.  Tyler is so excited to have a baby, part of him was hoping that I'd deliver yesterday.  Knowing Tyler is emotionally ready for fatherhood is wonderful.  I'm hoping Baby Girl and I continue to test his patience a little bit, though!