36 Weeks and A Roadtrip

36 Weeks

Haddie is the size of a Honeydew

It is hard to believe in just a few days, Hadley will be FULL TERM! She could come anytime. Ed's parents will be out of town from the 30th until October 9th, so I have some prayer warriors sending prayers that she doesn't come then. Even though it would be totally OK with me if she was a "Birthday Present!" In all this baby hustle and bustle, I have just realized my birthday is in 2 weeks (October 8th)!

I dont know why, but I am still strangely calm. Throughout this pregnancy, I kept thinking once I hit certain milestones, I would freak out. None of them have had that effect: Completing the Nursery, Baby Showers, the Hospital Tour, Pre-Admission Paperwork, Packing Bags and Loading the Car, etc. They have all been exciting, but I just figured I would be nervous/panicked at this point. Like I have said, I just hope that doesn't mean a complete meltdown is on the way. Let's recap the week....

I am REALLY starting to feel pregnant. Bending over to put on shoes, or anything similar, is becoming nearly impossible. Getting comfortable when laying down or sitting is a little tricky these days too. I have had about two nights this week were I have gotten up in the middle of the night to potty. But, it was my fault for drinking a gallon of liquid right before bed. It also probably doesn't help that when I do get up to potty, I always stop at the fridge to take a big swig (from the jug!), of whatever I can find. Still not too much swelling. Although this will be discussed later in the post. Heartburn is easing up, it seems. Still no noticeable contractions. Back pain has been easing up, as well. I really can't complain!

Thursday, I had my 36 Week checkup. I had heard mixed reviews on the possibility of an internal exam. So, I prepared myself none the less. Bets were made as I left work: Nothing or 2cm seemed to be the favorites. To everyone's dismay, no exam. The first thing she asked about was movement. I told her very much and that there was always something sticking out right at the top point of my rib cage. She exclaimed that "It better not be a head!" So, she felt around my lower abdomen. Seems Miss Haddie has "assumed the position" and is head down! Yay! She even showed me where to mash so I could feel her little head. Felt like a little melon! It was still pretty high. So, I am guessing this is why she spared me from the internal exam. No dropping, no pressure, no contractions = probably no dilation. I did have a Strep B test done. Which is not done the same as the "other" Strep test, by the way!

Then, we listened to her sweet little heart. However, this time it was a little somber. I had noticed there was a different atmosphere in the office and there had been quite a crowd out in the parking lot. Apparently, a mother had just found out she lost her baby. When she listened to Haddie's heart, Mary turned the speaker on the Doppler way down. I can imagine hearing a baby's strong heart beat from another room would be heart breaking when you didn't have your's anymore. I remember from the beginning when we weren't sure we had a viable pregnancy, hearing another mother's Doppler was depressing. I can't even begin to imagine the feeling after you had grown to know and love your growing little one.

Everything else checked out fine. I still keep forgetting to ask what they are checking when I give them my "specimen" from the potty. Does anyone know? My blood pressure is still normal. I did gain four pounds in two weeks! Ahh! I knew it would pack on at the end! That puts my grand total to 20 pounds, I believe. Next appointment is Thursday. I am now going weekly! I also got permission for a last minute trip....

On Wednesday, we were told a friend of one of Ed's co-workers had some Alabama tickets he would not be using and we could have them. Being the Debbie Downer that I am, I was excited, but I was not getting too worked up until the tickets were in my hand. I got permission from Mary on Thursday and we got the tickets on Friday! Neither Ed nor I, had ever been to an Alabama game, or any major SEC game for that matter. The biggest game we have ever attended was when JSU played at Mississippi State while I was a Ballerina at Jacksonville. Due to my current state, I did quite a bit of research on travel, parking, and surrounding hospitals. We decided that the cheapest and easiest parking would be Downtown and then ride the Tuscaloosa Transit to the stadium. And just in case, there was a hospital within three miles of the stadium.

Before we left out Saturday morning we packed up the car and I did a quick clean sweep of the house. I guess it comes with the nesting, but it has gotten to the point that I can't stand to leave the house with a mess! After 220 miles and only two pit stops, we made it to T-Town! Traffic was pretty great considering it was Gameday. We found the parking area and bought round trip tickets for the bus. It was only $2 per person roundtrip. Not bad! And the buses were air conditioned! After we were dropped off, we walked around the stadium a little. We popped in a bar for a quick drink. No beer for me, of course. I was pre-gaming with Dasani! Then we made our way to the stadium. We knew our seats were in the top of the stands. Thankfully, Bryant Denny has huge spiral ramps leading up to the top instead of only stairs. Our seats turned out to be amazing! We were only yards away from restrooms and concession. On the 40 yard line. On the West side of the stadium (No sun in our face). And we had chair-backed seats, not bleachers! Not too shabby for Free!



We had a great time! The Dreamland BBQ concession stand was directly behind us. I had the BBQ Nachos, which were AMAZING! On a sidenote, I had left the camera in the car. It was an early Birthday Present from Dad! We didn't have a decent camera and I didn't want all of Haddie's first pictures to be on a camera phone. I had packed it in my Hospital Bag and locked it up in the car! So, we didn't get many pictures of our adventure.

We left at the beginning of 4th quarter. It obviously wasn't a nail-biter and we wanted to beat some of the crowd. However, the Tuscaloosa Transit line was quite long. We decided to eat the $2 we paid for the ride back and walk. It was a little less than a mile back to the Parking lot. It wasn't too bad, but by the time we reached the car, I had Hobbit feet (minus the hair) and cankles. I guess between all the riding, sitting, walking, and salty stadium food I consumed, it was inevitable. Thank goodness it has gone down this morning! Traffic on the way out was a little different. We did have a couple miles of stop and go on the Interstate, but it really wasn't that bad. Finally, we made it home around 1:30am, and I crashed! I am glad we got to have a little fun, last minute trip. I know those will be few and far between in a few weeks.

Wow! I did not intend for this post to be so long! It just happened! By the way, this is my 50th Blog Post! Wow. Never thought it would last this long! Hope everyone has a great week!