Well, I'm still at work and will be going home in an hour or so. I've had lots of Braxton Hicks tonight as well... I recorded 12 in one hour and 11 in the next hour, then stopped keeping track so I could take a nap. Woke up with them a few times. At least they're not painful, just uncomfortable. I do have a bit of a backache now which hasn't been a problem before, (except for my lower left hip pain) and anyways this backache is a kind of all over thing. I'll go home and try to sleep until at least 1 or 2pm... Noel works today, so we'll see if I have to call him later. If my contractions are still hanging on when I get up, I'll call mom and hang out with her today. How exciting! Even if labor doesn't start, I have the satisfaction of knowing that they are getting my body ready for labor.

So I've had lots of Braxton Hicks lately... last Friday we almost went to the hospital because they were 3 to 5 minutes apart, but never stayed consistent. Eventually they went away. Then last night at work, I had on average 12 an hour, which I kept track of, but again, not consistent. I went to an appointment today where he checked me and I'm dilated almost a finger width and effaced to about a 1/2 inch. So all these contractions are doing some good! It's nice that they aren't too painful... just uncomfortable at this point. I'm on night shift now, so since it's nice and slow I'll have plenty of time to record contractions again tonight! Anyway, just wanted to give everyone a heads up. My due date is the 2nd of October, and the doc says he'll give me until the 11th or 12th and if no baby by then, he'll induce. I'm praying not to get induced... I want to do this all on my own. Okay, later everyone! Thanks for the support!

So I'm bigger now... having gained 15 pounds throughout the pregnancy. I've got an aching groin and hips, and a lovely waddle, but other than that not doing too bad. The last week or so I've been REALLY tired. Just mentally and physically wiped out. The physical therapy probably isn't helping that, but it's helping my pain (which really isn't a problem at all anymore) and soon I'll be done with the PT. McKenna isn't moving as much anymore since it's getting cramped in there. The one thing I can really feel is a little heel or knee poking me on the right mid part of my belly occasionally. We had the last ultrasound last week and she's head down facing to the right side of me, so hopefully she'll turn the right way when I go into labor. I want to avoid a posterior presentation (face up) and back pain. I've got a therapy ball that I've been using for exercises and have been taking it to work to sit on. It's gotten a few comments and raised eyebrows, but most everyone thinks it's neat! It certainly is comfy, anyway. I go back and forth between it and a regular chair.

So mom and dad are up in the area now, and have been hanging out at the house; dad doing internet and mom making some curtains for the babys room. We're also going to learn to sew some baby/kid clothes and we've been doing some beading too. Pretty cool. For my birthday on the 22nd Noel and I got full body massages, which was AWESOME and then went to dinner at a Basque restaurant (that culture is located in northern Spain/southern France) and the food was just exquisite. Dad and I had Lingostinos, which is are tiny lobster tails, mixed with pimento, garlic, and mushrooms... and somekind of whitish sauce. Mom and Noel had filet medallions with a bernaise sauce. They also brought out tons of other stuff, we had bread, salad, and two side dishes that just appeared, one being a few long sweet green peppers that were flash fried and sprinkled with salt. They were very good. Lot's of garlic in the food though, so beware is you ever decide to try it. The hostess said they had a good track record for their food causing full-term pregnant women to go into labor because of the spices. She really wasn't joking, either! So it's been fun. It'll be even better when I can see my daughters face here soon... I can't wait! :D

Okay, well I'm starting to offically feel pretty tired and achey. This last month I've had a ache in my groin that's really not TOO terrible yet but it still a bit irritating. My Physical Therapist gave me exercises to do with Noel that will help that, but they don't help. I've got my therapy ball that I bounce on and do some exercises on, but that's more or less for my sacroiliac joint dysfunction which I've picked up from carrying this load! haha... but actually the pain from that is pretty much gone except when I lay flat on my back on a hard surface. But other than that, everythings pretty rosy. I did start getting some brief sharp vertical pains running through my belly button but they were very short, and I'm thinking it might just be due to all this stretching that my belly is being subjected to! Luckily, no stretch marks though! And no hemrrhoids, swelling ankles, or back aches! Plus not a lot of weight gain, so I'm hoping to lose it pretty quickly once McKenna is born. I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks lately, but not enough to send me to the hospital. The last couple of days I've had roughly 4 an hour. And they are getting stronger. Some say that means I'll have an easy labor. Hmm, if that is so, then I'll be pretty happy! Okay, well I'm starting to repeat myself, so I'll move on.

Noel finally got the hutch part of his computer into the computer room. He had to do it via an outside window, and we now have a broken pane which will need fixing, but that shouldn't be too expensive. We also have a lot of empty boxes cleared out of the living room, so we can actually walk in that room now!

Well, I've got an ultrasound coming up this next thursday so I'm hoping to get some pics of that to send out to people... I'm realizing that many can't access my photos for some reason in their email accounts, so I'll try attaching here on my blog. Later!

Hello all! So what's new? Well, I'm just getting over a severe head cold. Didn't get much sleep the last couple days due to 1) a sore throat and 2) a drippy nose. I finally gave in and called the doc (due to Noel telling me in a not so nice way I was being stubborn!) Actually, it was kind of cute... but I hate bothering people for such a little thing. Anyway, I was told to take regular Sudafed and to come into the hospital if I spiked a fever. No fever... but today I'm feeling better... still congested and starting to cough, though. I hope it doesn't go to my chest because I have missed already half a week of work plus my friend Patty is planning a get-together on Saturday that I REALLY don't want to miss. I also wouldn't want to get her kids sick, so I'm crossing my fingers.

So babywise, nothing new. I'm in my 9th month... had a couple of infections that the doc cleared up for me, and I've noticed something else weird. I've never had a problem with drooling in my sleep, but this last month, I've been doing a lot of it in my sleep... it's pretty disgusting and I'm hoping it doesn't continue after the baby is born. I think I read somewhere that pregnant women produce more saliva, so that might be it.

Okay, other, more interesting, things... hmmm... oh, I've gained 13 pounds in this pregnancy. I talked to the nurse and asked if that wasn't a bit low and she said, "no, because you've still got a month to go and will put on a few more" So I'm eating as well as I can, (excluding the maple sugar that I picked up at Cracker Barrel)!! and hopefully, our daughter will want to pay us a visit here soon. But not until mom and dad get back into the state... Mom said she'd be back to Idaho by my birthday which is the 22nd, and last I knew they were in the Dakotas (that was last Tuesday) Noel and I have also got the nursery pretty much ready to go. The bassinett will go in our room, and we've got a crib, dresser/chaning table, rocking chair with ottoman, and all other other little things so necessary to raising a baby.

So that's the long-winded version. Sorry for the bad punctuation, but I've got a Physical therapy appointment to get to and then on to work for a couple hours... mainly I need to get my time in so I can get paid next week!