The Day After the "Due Date" To Do list

First of all... does the little baby floating in my sidebar know something I don't know? It now says that I am 1 week and 1 day away from my due date! Weird! We'll see if the little floating baby is right.

Yesterday I spent most of the day just sitting... waiting... it was a VERY long day. So, today I decided to be pro-active and hopefully the day will pass a little more quickly.

So on to my "To Do" List

1. Wash dishes ~ check
2. Clean windows in the girls' room with the "help" of the girls ~ check
3. Have contractions ~ NOPE
4. Wash curtains in girls' room and living room ~ check
5. Vacuum blinds in girls' room ~ check
6. Have contractions ~ NOPE
7. Change Gracie's sheets ~ check
8. Wash Hannah's sheets ~ check
9. Have contractions ~ one... better
10. Write a random blog ~ in process
11. Think up more things to do today ~ in process
12. Have a baby ~ wishful thinking, but maybe
13.  

The Day Before the "Due Date"

Well, we have reached the day before the due date and I'm battling ANOTHER bad cold, Grace is in the midst of that same cold and Hannah is 5 days into a round of antibiotics for strep... really?!?! Last night was one of the longest nights we have had for a while. Hannah woke up just before midnight having to go to the bathroom and complaining of her leg really hurting her. Well, complaining may be a bit mild, she was WAILING. We got her back to bed and she fell back asleep with me rubbing her leg. Two hours later she comes out of her room frightened because of the strong winds and asked to have me or daddy sleep with her. This is not an easy task for me the day before the "due date" so she got daddy for a while. She began to be upset about her leg, so we gave her some motrin and brought in the fan to block out the noise of the wind. After a little while she settled and gave daddy permission to leave.

Ahhh, finally, we can sleep in peace... well, 3 of us can, the fourth one... the one who is the day before the "due date" begins to have contractions which were uncomfortable enough to keep me awake, but not really long or strong enough to move things along. After an hour and a half of wondering if this was "it," they began to subside and I fell back to sleep.

So, we are the day before the "due date." Daryl is working from home "just in case" and to give me a break if I need to go back to bed. The girls just want to do "something." Sigh... we will be all better soon, right?

Preparing

Today I was packing little Olson's bag for the hospital and Hannah wondered what I was doing, so I told her. I said that I should also pack one for myself, which sent her anxiety through the roof.

H: Mommy (through her teary eyes), who is going to stay with me?
M: Well, it depends on when it happens. Maybe Uncle Jim and Aunt Amanda or Aunt Leigh or Aunt Ann. Maybe you will go over to Abbie's house.

At this, Hannah proceed to bounce around the house, off walls, couches, around the living room, YELLING: "I'm going to Abbie's house! I'm going to Abbie's house!" She then proceeded to run back to her room and stuff her Dora backpack full of clothes and her lamb.

Tonight I prayed with her about the safe arrival of the baby. She told me that the baby is coming tomorrow. (Does she know something or does she just want to go to Abbie's house?)

Later as one of her "stall" techniques, she came out to the living room and told me she was sad. I asked her why and she said that she wants to meet the baby tomorrow. I told her that she should probably get some sleep because new babies take a lot of energy. She responded, "It takes a lot of energy to push the baby out. Are you going to push the baby out for hours and hours?" Oh child, I hope not.

Nesting?

OK... today (which is 2 weeks and 1 day before the due date) I FINALLY went up into the attic to pull down the newborn clothes so they can be washed before this little one makes his/her appearance. In the process of doing that I had the BRILLIANT revelation (not really... this should have occurred to me MUCH sooner) that I have mostly SUMMER newborn clothes. I knew I had neutral colors, so that baby Olson #3 would not be dressed in pink (should said baby be a boy and not a girl), but for some reason I failed to recall that we are in a COMPLETELY different season. I get it... I have pregnancy brain, but you would have thought that June/August and FEBRUARY would have made an impact.

So I should probably go out and get some warmer clothes for this little guy/gal. If anyone out there had a winter baby and is looking to get rid of some clothes, let me know!

Here is the latest picture of our munchkin.

2 weeks... 2 days and counting

Baby #3 at 38 weeks!

Wow... am I getting uncomfortable these days! I don't really remember feeling this way with Hannah or Grace this "early," but I have to remember that pregnancy brain is often selective. With Grace, Hannah and I were at the beach the morning I went into labor with her. I can't imagine going to the beach these days, although that MIGHT have something to do with the 45" of snow on the ground (with another 14 to 20 predicted this week!) in addition to just feeling BIG.

Things have been going well for the most part. We are (hopefully) getting through our month-long bout of colds. Daryl and Hannah are on antibiotics. I've finally stopped coughing. Grace decided to pick up another cold. We'll see if we need to put her on antibiotics too. I'd rather not, but I'd also like to be well before the baby comes.

Tomorrow I'm going in for an ultrasound. There was some concern that I have measured small (really?!?) the last 2 weeks. It is most likely due to the baby being very low in my pelvis, but the midwives want to make sure my fluid levels are good. I'm hoping we can make it through the ultrasound without finding out if we have a boy or girl.

Speaking of boy or girl, Hannah has made a drastic change in her prediction! For most of the pregnancy she has INSISTED that it is a girl. She would get upset if Daryl or I mentioned the possibility of it being a boy. Last week, I asked her why she wanted a girl. She said that she needed a girl so she could play princess. I said, "Well, who will be the prince?" She thought for a moment and said, "Mommy, we need to have a boy and we need to go out and buy some prince clothes." So now, according to Hannah, we are having a boy. Should I mention to her that we might have a girl:-)?

Hannah's imagination amazes us. Today she was playing photographer. She was telling daddy and Grace how and where to sit/stand. She had a blanket as the camera (with dominoes as the batteries). But what really amazed Daryl was the fact that she drew a picture of him and her standing in front of a tent. She stuck the picture into the blanket and then told Daryl that they needed to stand in front of a tent. She then "took" the picture and pulled out the picture she had drawn! Tonight she wanted to take a family picture and kept running back and forth to the camera and moving us into different positions. We were teasing her that she was turning into Grandma Olson!

Grace was being so sweet tonight with her baby doll. She was kissing it and bringing it over to Daryl and I to kiss. Then she was putting it to "bed" in her pack and play. Maybe we will have a good transition with Grace and this new baby.

Well, I should head to bed. My nights of uninterrupted sleep are numbered, I believe.

Finding myself...

Recently I've been doing a lot of thinking about who I am again. It has been a process full of more questions than answers and honestly, I really haven't spent much time doing it. Between being exhausted as a 23-week pregnant woman chasing after a very adventuresome toddler and a very talkative preschooler, there doesn't seem to be much time in the day for deep thoughts.

So what has prompted my journey down this trail... I'm not really sure... restlessness? boredom? wondering if I'm measuring up... as a mom... as a wife... as a human being? and the follow-up... measuring up to whom? the sometimes/often monotony of the day? the realization that a third child is coming and I'm barely holding my house together with two? wondering if I'm missing something?

The other week our pastor preached a sermon from Hebrews 12 about running the race marked out for us. One of his challenges to us was "whose race are you running?" In the midst of the sermon, I realized that some of my dissatisfaction was because I was "looking over the fence" at the lives of other people and deciding I wasn't doing enough. I am not doing all kinds of neat, crafty things with my girls. I'm not buying/cooking organic. I'm not using cloth diapers. I'm not juggling a career and raising my children. I'm not keeping my house showroom perfect. I'm not selling everything and spending my days with those less fortunate. I'm not... I'm not... I'm not.

So this prompts the questions... what am I doing? Who am I? What does it mean to live my life as authentically me... Dana Olson... and not someone else? What does it mean to be called by the One who made me authentically me? I don't know right now... but maybe that's ok. Perhaps the questions are a good place to start.

The Due Date

Yes, the little floaty baby on our sidebar is still floating even though the countdown says ZERO! Why do they give us due dates when (apparently) only 4% of pregnant women deliver on that day. I'm definitely an advocate for the due month. Although in this case (and with Hannah) the possibility exists that baby won't come during that month. They will let me go another 2 weeks! Go check your calendars... yes... that is correct, if this baby waits, he/she could be born in SEPTEMBER!!!!! (insert sigh here)

No, I'm not impatient... ok, well maybe a little. I went to the midwife yesterday and the baby is slightly posterior (just like big sister Hannah), so that may be the reason I'm not progressing. Please join me in saying "turn baby turn!"

So, no news to report yet. I spoke to a friend tonight who said the new moon is as effective as the full moon at bringing on babies. She's predicting if not before, then on Thursday (the new moon) and definitely by the weekend I should have a newborn. We'll see if she's right. Until the next edition of "Olson Baby Watch." Good night!

Could it be?

Yes, it is after midnight and I am up with mild cramping on and off for the last 2 hours or so. The last couple nights this happened earlier in the evening and by the time I laid down to sleep, they went away. This time... still at it! They aren't really painful, but distracting enough that it is hard to fall asleep.

So I'm up browsing the internet. It feels kind of like TV... so many places to go, so little that is truly of interest. I suppose that should be a sign of just go lay down again. I suppose that is best. We'll let you know if anything more happens!

Hannah cracked me up tonight! She was heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth, but very clearly stating that she wanted mom to help her and not daddy. Here is the exchange.

H: Not daddy, mom. Daddy, you can watch.
D: Are you a Prima Dona?
H: No, I'm the Vice President.
(At this point, mommy cracks up, so of course she repeats that.)
M: So, you're the Vice President. Who am I?
H: No, you're the Vice President. I'm Obama.

Crazy kid!

How many pictures does a pre-born baby need?

Here we go again... only 3 official weeks to go and another ultrasound scheduled. This baby is going to have a full photo album before he/she takes his/her first breath! This time the reason for the ultrasound is that the baby (or rather my uterus) is measuring small for gestational age. The midwife wasn't overly concern because she could tell that the baby's head is pretty low, the heartrate is strong, and the baby has enough fluid to be very active (believe me... I know!). But, they want to be sure, so here we go again.

Can we make it through another ultrasound without finding out if Baby Grover is a boy or a girl? Hope so!

Contractions? Already?

No, no, no I'm not in labor. At least I don't think I am:-). However last night I was awaken on 2 separate occasion with a very strong and painful contraction. I mean, it woke me up from what I thought was a deep sleep. It really is true... you don't remember pain (of labor or anything really) until it happens again. Ouch!

Can someone tell me where summer is? We are looking at another day of rain today. Poor Hannah (and poor mommy)! We had tentative plans to connect with a friend, but that fell through. We had another opportunity to go to another friends house for a playdate, but today was a no car day. SO, what did we do? Waited until the rain died down some (it was still extremely windy and a bit misty) and then walked to McDonalds (or as Hannah says "Old McDonalds") for lunch. Is that a sign of desperation or what?!?! Daryl said we survive the New England winters in anticipation of a fabulous summer and then we get rain:-(. On a positive note, the temperature has been perfect for this momma to be.

SO, if you have some sunshine to send (without the extreme heat, please), I would be so grateful to receive it!

One month and counting

I had every intention of documenting this pregnancy in pictures, especially since I only got 2 pictures during my pregnancy with Hannah. But alas, it really is true, the second child doesn't get the camera time the first one does. I did manage to take this one at our 1 month until due date mark. Of course, there are no guarantees that the due date means anything more than a slight possibility, but its all we got. The time feels like it is picking up faster and faster. I don't even have my list together of what I would like to have done before this baby is born. I guess that is probably a reflection of what I will actually get done before the baby is born. Oh well, I'm taking each day as it comes.
This morning Hannah wanted to wear my sandals to church. She actually did a good job of walking around the house without falling. It was very cute. And yes, mommy got a hold of another pair of scissors. Her bangs are a bit short, but she can see again!Hannah was all curled up with her Winnie the Pooh friends. I think at one point she even had a book that she was reading to Tigger. I love seeing her share her love of reading with her friends.

Naps do happen sporadically. I think I took this picture to remind myself what it is like when she does sleep. Thank goodness she is a good sleeper at night. So although we might have some grumpiness going into the evening when she doesn't nap, we do get a solid night of sleep out of her. So, kind of a random post, but that's life at the Olsons right now!

Pregnancy and Birth Blessing Bracelet

My friend Amanda just sent me a picture of the bracelet she created with the beads from my blessing party a couple weeks ago. I'm very excited about it. It will be the first item into my hospital bag as we prepare for Baby Grover's arrival. Less than 2 months to go according to my "official" due date, although I'm trying not to get too fixated on the actual date.

Thanks Amanda and thanks again to everyone who contributed.

A Special Blessing

Today my mom and sister-in-law surprised me with a pregnancy blessing party. I don't know if that was the official term, but that is what I am calling it. While my mom was in Pennsylvania last weekend, she asked my aunts, girl cousins, and grandmothers to select a bead from the collection my mom had and write a special word of blessing or encouragement for me. Today mom and Maureen gathered several of my friends from here and surprised me at my favorite Tea Shop where my friends added their beads and blessings to the collection. My friend Amanda is going to create a bracelet or necklace with the beads for me to have as a reminder of the love and encouragement surrounding me going into the birth of my second baby.

It was such an incredible blessing to be surrounded by many of the women I love in my life. I had NO IDEA that my mom and Maureen were planning this. Thank you to everyone who touched my life in this way. It meant so much to me.

I really needed to hear all the words that were shared. I especially needed to hear that I really will love this baby as much as I love my little Hannah. I have no idea who this little one will be, but I look forward to meeting him or her.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my special day!

100 day mark

Can it really be? My baby ticker on this very blog tells me that it is true... we've reached the 100 day mark. That seems like a not so far away date! I can hardly believe it.

Baby Grover is growing and moving and doing well. I had my follow-up ultrasound and received the "all clear" from the perinatalogist. She spent about 5 minutes with us and wished me well on the rest of the pregnancy. The baby is right on target with growth and everything looks great. Grover's little foot measured about an inch and 3/4. Wow!

We took Hannah with us for this appointment. She was very interested to see pictures of baby Grover... well for a little while. Then daddy was distracted as he tried to entertain her in the exam room without letting her get into too much trouble. She was chattering away and it was so cute to see Baby Grover "responding" opening and shutting his/her mouth like he/she was talking back to his/her big sister. I suppose quiet times in our house will be few and far between once this wee one arrives and begins competing for air time.

Tonight Hannah was being so sweet to baby Grover. She put her hand on my belly to try to feel the baby move. Then she bent over, gave my belly a kiss and then a hug. It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to Daryl's face.

Growing up and Grover

My little girl is growing up. In one month from today, she will be 2 years old! Where did the time go? How is it possible that time could be going by so fast?!?!

There are never days that I want her to grow up faster, but there are moments. She is once again in a "mommy, hold you" phase. At those times she wants mommy to carry her around outside, to be the one (not daddy) to give her a bath, get her dressed, read her a story, do things HER way... Some of those moments I just need her to let daddy... it is getting exhausting to be pregnant and carry an almost 2 year old. But then, I realize that my little girl is not going to be so little for so long. She's going to stop asking mommy to "hold you." In those moments, I just want to wrap my arms around her, feel her little arms wrapped around my neck, and STOP TIME! Maybe it does... for a moment, but then I watch her run off and know that's my privilege as a mommy to watch her grow up, hugging her every step of the way.

Who's Grover, you may ask. Well, for some it is an adorable, fuzzy, blue monster on Sesame Street. Lately, in this house, Grover has become the new name for "Baby Boo." Daryl and I were looking over the SS list of names from the last century trying to settle on a boy's name (we think we are settled on our girl's name). He jokingly said we should call the baby Grover. Hannah picked up on it and now that is the baby's name (not for real!). It is so cute watching her "talk" to the baby. She will talk to my stomach saying "Baby Grover is sleeping" or "Baby Grover roll over." She did happen to feel the baby move one time and I think it kind of startled her. I don't know that she "gets" it, but it will interesting to see what she thinks when baby "Grover" really moves into her world.
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I had to add a final Hannah story to this post. We have been going through a bit of an "attitude" phase with Hannah. We ask her to do something and she responds with a very saucy "no." Sometimes Daryl or I will sternly say "Hannah" and she will say "yes" and come do, reluctantly, the thing we asked of her. However, we would prefer that the saucy attitude would not be her first response, so she has had to sit in "time out" a couple times. Today, she was playing with her stuffed animals and we started to pay attention to what she was saying. She said (to her rabbit), "Rabbit said no" and with that she marched rabbit into her room and sat him on the chair. "Say, yes, rabbit." She told him. We had to chuckle. What a girl!

The Latest with Baby Boo

Everything is looking good! Praise God for the ability to be able to say that. I had my regular check-up with the midwife today. Can I just say how much I LOVE the midwives!?!?!? Erica was such a calming influence after such a stressful month. She agreed with us that a repeat ultrasound so quickly after the first one was probably not going to be very helpful. It would be better to wait until Baby Boo was a little bigger that way we could see if the cyst on the brain (not really a concern, but present) had resolved itself and there would be a better opportunity to get some pictures that were unclear at 18 weeks (apparently the health of the toes were undetermined, most likely because Baby Boo wouldn't like the tech take a good picture). So, my Monday ultrasound has been cancelled and a repeat level 2 will be scheduled in about 4 weeks.

Baby Boo wanted to make sure I knew he/she was ok. The baby was moving like crazy this morning. Now I'm starting to feel the movement that has been so obvious on the ultrasounds. It was kind of funny, the baby settled down for nap at the same as Hannah. Is there hope for same nap times after the baby is born? I won't hold my breath!

Here is another clip of Hannah. This was again taken after Levi's birthday party. As you see, the cake was coursing through her veins!

Thanking God for a Healthy Heart

We so appreciate the love and prayers that have been sent our way over the last 2 weeks by blog comments, email, facebook, phone calls and cards. The first week after we heard the news of the possible hole in our baby's heart was tough. Last week was better, largely due to the prayers of our family and friends. In fact, I even got a decent night's sleep last night!

The appointment was this morning. Here is the email that many of you received already...

Thank you so much for your love and prayers over the last 2 weeks. We had the echo cardiogram this morning at 9:00 and saw the pediatric cardiac specialist. One of his first questions to us was... “why were you sent to us?” They examined the baby’s heart and found a perfectly healthy heart (and a very active baby!) He said that he always has to caveat that with... There is a POSSIBILITY of a tiny (millimeter sized) hole that they are unable to pick-up by ultrasound, however a hole like that would close on its own. I asked if we needed to mention this possibility to the baby’s pediatrician. He said, “no, why worry about it.” So I guess we stop worrying about it! The other blessing is that we were able to move the follow-up ultrasound (which we are not sure why we need it) back out to Beverly which is a 15 minute drive instead of an hour+ in traffic. I will also have my regular check-up with my mid-wife before that ultrasound, so I can get some clarity from her as to whether or not it is needed at this point. Thank you Lord! So, again, your prayers have blessed us over and over again. We are thanking God for His mercy to us and in our baby’s life. Love, Dana, Daryl, Hannah and baby Olson

For your enjoyment... Hannah high on sugar from the yummy cake at Levi's birthday on Saturday.

Update on Baby Boo

I'm not really sure how "Baby Boo" became the nickname, all I know is that Hannah laughed when I was saying it to her. Something about that little girl's laughter... I would do just about anything to hear it over and over again!

Well, another ultrasound and another request for prayer... it is a little different in that the first ultrasound brought us comfort (at 11 weeks) and this ultrasound is making us concerned (at 18 weeks). On Monday we went for our level 2 ultrasound and for a number of reasons, it was a really tough afternoon. Bottom line, the perinatologist is concerned that our baby may have a hole in his/her heart between the left and right ventricles. If this is true, there is also a possibility that this is a marker for Down's Syndrome, although my blood work has revealed that right now that possibility is small.

So, we ask for your prayers for Baby Boo for healing, if needed. We also ask for grace and wisdom to make good decisions in light of more information. I will have a fetal echocardiogram and another ultrasound in Boston in 2 weeks. We will need to know at that time if we will want more tests, especially an amniocentesis.



Hannah loves looking at pictures of her little brother or sister. She truly has been our ray of sunshine and joy in the midst of a difficult week for us and for some close friends of ours.

Hannah's News

We'll let Hannah tell our latest news!

And we are rejoicing... yesterday my midwife was unable to locate the baby's heartbeat, but an ultrasound this morning confirmed everything is A-OK! Our #2 is a busy little one and was showing off his/her two arms, two legs, two eyes, nose and mouth to mommy and daddy. (Mommy was weeping with relief!) We are 11 weeks along. Mommy has been feeling sick so far, although Sunday and yesterday were a little better. It's hard to believe we will be a family of 4!