Cash Update :: wasn't there as long this time, thank goodness! Got on NST machine and, of course, Cash decided it was a good time to go to sleep! He had just been moving around a ton in the car on the way there, too, what a stinker! So I had to try eating my banana, drinking really cold water and, finally, rolling onto my side with the midwife holding the sensor worked. Every time he'd move, he'd kick the sensor off so it didn't record his heart rate while moving (which is one of the things they're looking for during this test) -- it was like he had a reverse magnet attached :-) During the time she was holding it, the midwife noticed a tightening in the top right section of my belly -- usually where his butt is stationed -- and said I was having a contraction. I was certain that they were happening, but they have always been more one-sided, which is not an indication of a true contraction (more Braxton-Hicks-ish). She said it was probably happening throughout the uterus, but since a lot of fluid is over my top left, it is deeper and I wouldn't be able to feel the tightening with my hand). They tend to happen most when I stand up from sitting or from bending to pick something up off the floor....either way, definitely need to breath through the uncomfortableness sometimes. His fluid was back down a little to 20.4cm, good stuff. She said if it gets too full, big babies tend to break the bag of waters -- don't need to worry about cleaning up that mess right now, I've got things to do before he comes still!!! Went to physical therapy afterwards (it had felt like someone took a baseball bat to the top of my pelvis in the back). She said there is a ligament going from your uterus to your sacrum and mine is fully stretched with a big kid pressing it to its max, so it's then pulling to cause muscle spasms. She did some soft tissue massage and some point-release stuff that took some of the tension off -- just going to have to deal with the rest -- for now, ice and heat rotation.
James keeps telling me to "show more Brother" :: I showed him the video of the NST test from the last post and he thought it was so cool. Made me make my belly button available to him so he could put his finger in it and "talk" to Brother while he kept asking for more of the video :-) He continues to love every baby we see -- loves to honk their noses though, gonna have to squish that tendency early -- but when asked what we should name the baby, his answer is still : "Sister!" haha, reminds me of the Johnny Cash song "Boy Named Sue." More to come later this week -- a final ultrasound for growth along with another NST! Hopefully I will get a chance to back track through the past few weeks and update the other things that have been happening in the Montalbano household!
All dressed up and ready to get his bug spray (these mosquitoes are ginormous this year! Of course, the village took spraying for them out of the budget)!
Helping Daddy mow the lawn
James loves to climb up and lay with "my Daddy" -- going through a phase where he's very protective of his Mommy and Daddy
He was also ecstatic to pretend to be a firefighter!!! Here, the only picture I could get of him and Jillian "playing together" :-) She's in the green, and, believe it or not, 2 months younger than James! I'm going to start teaching her volleyball now!
Our Fireman!
Water war with Abby
Both Mommas with version 2.0 on the way! Katy is due about a month ahead of us (although at time of this posting, she has yet to deliver and we're probably being moved up, so they may only be just over a week apart)!
Even Cash got to go swimming :-)
My Momma and I
Silly James had to put on the goggles like his Daddy :-D
Great picture with Uncle John
Getting water dumped on his head....could have been a disaster....
...but he was a good sport about it (considering he was dumping it on every one else before this)
Giving GG kisses before she left -- we love when they visit!
Some loving for Pops to take home with him -- we'll see them again soon though to meet their newest grandbaby!
The Group of Celebrators :-) Even Aunt Lu made it....and it may have been Sofia's first party!
Grandmas
Laura, Dani and Jamie
Got the hook up for some new Illini gear!!! He'll be here just in time for football season!
James came to hang out with Uncle Ed and keep him out of trouble ;-) Daddy and Pops were working in the basement re-doing the closet where we had the flood, which wasn't exactly a James-safe environment
After eating some Goldfish (during which he needed to watch "Nemo") and playing in the basement, James and Uncle Ed went on a fly hunt outside -- better watch out, bugs, you're no match for these two!
James wanted to hold Fia, then said "Take Picture!" when he knew just how cute they were together :-)
I couldn't help but post this picture of Sofia -- LOVE her facial expression and the tongue out
Above :: light vs. dark colors
Daddy making a James burrito with my yoga mat -- James thought it was a riot!
Trying to get a picture of him and Brother -- of course, kept missing the extra cute photo ops. I think I was about 34 weeks pregnant here.
"No pictures, Mommy"
Playing around with Dad
Back for another NST -- was there for +3 hours! Got back to the NST room late, was hooked up to it for almost 45 minutes, talked with physician assistant (PA) for my appointment while hooked up....then had to wait for quick ultrasound for fluid check. He was moving around a ton and had good accelerations of his heart rate when moving on the NST. We could see him moving on the ultrasound and all looked good except they couldn't find his stomach "bubble" -- stinker had probably just peed and flattened out, so I had to go in waiting room and wait for another 45 minutes to go check again! They had already seen his stomach before but needed to make sure it was still filling up properly to indicate he was eating and using his lungs fully. Fluid was up to 24cm!!! Big babies tend to have more because they need to inhale more and, thus, excrete more; and one of the quadrants was completely all fluid, he had crammed himself totally in the other 3 (HELLO, uncomfortable, child)!
