I still can't believe it, even as I sit here nearly 36 weeks pregnant, that we're going to be parents in a very short time. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and the most uncomfortable, at the same time. Last summer, Josh said it was time to have a baby... I was shocked but didn't disagree. He always said he'd let me know when he was ready and he did. I just didn't think he'd be ready that soon. Three months later out of boredom I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. It felt like it took forever at the time, but that's nothing. Of course, Josh was on his way to Columbia to take a class and had left his phone at home so I had to wait all day long to share the most exciting news.
We've had a good journey through the pregnancy so far although I'm not sure if Josh would say the same thing. I still have food aversions to chicken, pork, carrots and many other vegetables. When I was 29 weeks I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which has restricted my diet even more. Josh is the cook in our family and has been very creative in ways to keep his own likes and dislikes while helping me with my challenging diet.
In February we found out that we're having a girl. Josh had a hard time believing this and remained in denial for a long time. As we registered for our baby gifts we registered for a lot of "gender neutral" items. For Josh it was "just incase they're wrong" and for me it was "so we can reuse everything". Our nursery is green and yellow Winnie the Pooh and all of our big items are neutral. We had a 3-D ultrasound in April and Josh is now convinced that we're having a girl. The image on the ultrasound screen was unmistakable. Definitely girl parts! Now he's coming up with ways that him and Mackenzie will be creating trouble together.
June 5th, 2009 on my way to work I got into a car accident on I-26. It was the scariest moment of my life. All I could think was "My baby!". She did a good job of letting me know she was there between kicking and contractions but this was the worst feeling ever. As I sat in my car waiting for EMS all I could do was cry hoping that the worst wouldn't and didn't happen. After an hour I found myself rolling through MUSC's doors on an EMS stretcher. Not for work today although I was supposed to be there 30 minutes earlier. It was so hard to see everyone's faces not knowing what was in store for me. The OB and NICU team was at my bedside before I was even registered. They did an ultrasound and put me on the monitor and assured me that everything looked good. I spent several hours in labor and delivery hooked up to a fetal monitor before being released. I am so thankful for the excellent care that I received that day and that I am lucky enough to have had nothing happen to our baby. We truly are lucky.
I went to my 35 weeks OB appointment and had a surprise internal exam. I thought that all started at 36 weeks. After doing my Group B Strep swab she offered an cervix check and I said sure, why not. Found out that I'm 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Both exciting and scary but realistically I know I could be stuck like this until she finally comes out. It was not expected because I had shown no progress when they checked me after my car accident only 3 days before. Everything is ready for her arrival: the bags are packed, the nursery is workable and we finally got the bassinet in our room. Now we just wait.
