amber & josh: Update

Well it has been a very long time since I posted last... I am now 37.5 weeks! This fall has been crazy busy with full time school, work, and being pregnant! Josh and I are just trying to finish up our classes early (Josh's finals week isn't until the middle of December) so we can focus on getting ready for Kambree. I should be done with most of my classes by December 1st. I am so lucky that I have had such an easy pregnancy. Other than pretty bad hip pain, I really have not been sick and didn't start having major heartburn and insomnia up until a couple of weeks ago. I am also lucky that I am healthy and have been able to keep working full time, 12 hour shifts, on my feet all day and still be comfortable and functioning. If I wasn't working or was put on bed rest, I might rip my hair out and go crazy.

I was lucky enough to receive three baby showers for little Kambree. One from my sister-in-law Tawni for Josh's side of the family, one from my sister Calaigh for my side of the family, and one from my coworker Nikki for my work. Kambree has plenty of clothes and diapers thanks to all of the generous people who gave her gifts. Her nursery is mostly complete, all I have left to do is hang her name above her bed with the wood letters that I bought. Other than that it is complete. We got everything we needed from the baby showers except for a few bigger items: pack n play, baby swing, and baby monitor. We just used gift cards to buy her pack n play and then just bought her baby swing. We are planning on waiting to buy a baby monitor until I go back to work in a few months because she will be sleeping in our room anyway and there really is no need for one right now.

I started my weekly checkups last week, at 36 weeks. To my surprise I was already 90% effaced and 1.5cm dilated. Although I am trying not to get too excited about her coming early, my doctor basically told me there was no way that she would make it to her due date. Once you efface, you can dilate an in instant. Effacing is the hardest part because you cannot dilate fully unless you are effaced. That is why a lot of people have such long, hard labors is because their body is trying to dilate with contractions but they are not effaced yet. So being effaced first means that you are more than likely going to have a shorter and easier labor because half of the work is already done. Yipee! At my 37 week appt this week, I was still 90% effaced but I have dilated to 2.5cm. My doctor said that she is on call for Black Friday and she wants to see a baby then... two days away! We will see!