Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock…… you get the point.

Speck is in no hurry to vacate the premises, so we must continue to wait.

Speck, Mommy and Daddy went to see Doc Jeanie today for what would have been the last appt before speck’s arrival, but don’t hold your breath Doc Jeanie said nature has finally started to take it’s course. Progress is being made and we thank the powers that be for it. Doc Jeanie was very glad to see the progress and allowed for Speck and mommy to wait it out till next week, if nothing happens before then. Doc Jeanie ordered a couple of tests for mommy to take before she left the hospital. (Secretly mommy was very glad about this, as mommy was rather nervous about going into the hopsital to be induced.)

One was a Non-Stress Test which is done to assess the well-being of the baby in utero if there is reason to suspect that the baby may not be thriving. Non-stress testing involves monitoring the fetal heartrate elctronically for 20-30 minutes and seeing how the rhythm changes in response to stimulation such as fetal movement, sounds and vibrations, or uterine contractions that normally occur in late pregnancy. Nurse Laurie said Speck passed with flying colors. Speck is doing well in her current home and is very comfortable. During this test mommy actually got to differentiate between a contraction and the urge to run to the restroom. It was actually quite exciting.

The other test was an AFI. Amniotic Fluid Index is an estimate of the volume of amniotic fluid within the uterus. It is performed via ultrasound. AFI is believed by many doctors to be a good indicator of placental sufficiency. It is also used to assess fetal well-being since amniotic fluid is primarily made of of fetal urine. That also came back with good results.

Mommy was allowed to go home after she passed the tests and just wait on speck to arrive when she is ready. Mommy has her bags packed and is ready to go to the hospital any day now. We are all waiting so anxiously.

1 Mississippi, 2 mississippi, 3 mississippi…….38 mississippi, 39 mississippi, and we’re almost there.

So we had an ultrasound today to check for fetal positioning. Speck is “seated” in the right direction and all vitals seem good. We almost got a picture but then speck got ancy and decided not to pose for the camera anymore. No worries because speck will be welcomed into the world pretty soon.

After the ultrasound we headed to Doc Jeanie’s office. All of mommy’s vitals were checked and they seemed good. Blood pressure was 124/60, weight a bit high, but we’ll worry about that later, and of course Sugar levels looked good too. Speck’s heartbeat was measured in the 130 bpm.

Now when Doc Jeanie “checked” mommy (so to speak) she said that speck doesn’t seem to want to leave on her own and so the verdict was, if mommy does not go into labor on her own before monday Doc jeanie suggested coaxing speck out of her quarters.

After a little back and forth with Doc Jeanie it has been decided that the fateful day mommy goes into the hospital is gonna be 06/07/06 Wednesday.

Next scheduled appt is Wednesday 06/07/06. Speck and mommy will be admitted into the hospital soon after.

And we begin counting down. Not too many of these appointments left.

Appointment went very well as usual. Heartbeat in the 130 bpm range, measuring right, sugar levels are still awesome, and blood pressure looks right on target. Mommy is as healthy as can be. Woohoo!!!

Doc said she could feel the head, so that means speck is in position but she ordered an Ultrasound for next week to get a handle on the specs of SPECK. (heh okie i came up with that one all by myself) Doc Jeanie also said that speck will prolly be about a 7 lb plus baby. Right on target so they say.

Oh yeah i almost forgot, mommy did not put on any weight this past week which is a sign also. (dunno for what but it’s a sign) Doc Jeanie said mommy has done pretty well in the weight gain department throughout the pregnancy. (gracefully accepting the words of encouragement.)

Next appointment scheduled for May 31st 2006. We will also have an ultrasound on that day.

Appointment went well as usual. Knock on wood we haven’t had a bad one yet.

Blood pressure – normal, Heartrate in the 140 bpm range, Weight is looking good. Stomach measuring just right.

Speck still hasn’t moved into the arrival position, and so we are just going to wait it out. There is no dialation at all. I guess she likes where she is.

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday 05/24/06 for our 38 week checkup. Doc Jeanie will then know the true position of Speck. And will then decide what needs to be done.

Things are well as reported by Doc Jeanie. Speck’s heartbeat measured at 130 bpm. Blood Pressure and sugar levels reported normal also.

Doc Jeanie did say that she was unable to feel speck’s head via a “physical exam” so we’re to assume she has not, as you say flipped over yet. I believe we will have an ultrasound at 38 weeks if Doc is still unable to feel speck’s head. But mommy was reassured that there is nothing to worry about. After all babies are always on their own schedule.

Next checkup is scheduled for May 17th 2006.

All things well at yet another regular check up. Speck and mommy are apparently doing very well according to Dr. Jeanie and Nurse Veronica. Blood pressure, Sugar levels, heartrate among other things look good.

Mommy learned something new today about the correalation of the size of the belly to how far along in the pregnancy she is. Apparently the length (buldge) of the belly (top to bottom) measured in centimeteres is same as your progress in weeks. Mommy measured at 34 inches and some and mommy is 34 weeks and 2 days along. Isn’t that a neat little fact.

Next check up on Wednesday 05/10/06.

Speck is doing great and growing per schedule. Speck’s heartbeat measured in the 140s. Mommy is still not feeling the speck as much as the doc would like but alls well for the most part.

Dr. Jeanie did a quick ultrasound again to reassure the mommy, that speck was doing fine. Mommy saw speck move her legs around and also saw the little speck’s heart beating. Everything looked perfect. Speck will be in the apple of mommy’s eye for a lifetime to come.

Mommy is getting so excited about speck meeting everyone in the world. Well okay not EVERYONE, but atleast the people anxious to meet speck. And the people that mommy and daddy approve of.

Next followup – 4/12/06

Speck and mommy went in for a scheduled checkup today and got some awesome news. We learned that speck is doing extremely well. Growing perfectly, and is gonna be ready to make her big entrance as scheduled. Speck’s heartbeat is being measured in the 140s right now which is where it needs to be.

At the last ultrasound speck weighed a full 12 oz. She seems to be very active.

Mommy talked to Doc Jeanie about making sure speck was not born on June 6th 2006, and Doc Jeanie said she would try her best to make sure that didn’t happen.

Next scheduled visit is 03/02/06