Update on what's been going on

Dear Flash,

Lots of stuff has been happening in the last few weeks, and luckily you have decided that you don't want to be part of it. That's fine, as we have a New Plan for your birth.

We moved into our new apartment, and it's wonderful. Ok, the layout is kinda weird, and really inconvenient for doing laundry, but everything's shiny and new and clean, we have a dishwasher, washer, and dryer, and plenty of room for all three of us, plus the occasional overnight guest. All the grandparents came over the day after the move and helped us unpack. By the end of that weekend, the entire kitchen was unpacked and finished, and the bathroom and our bedroom were about 98% done too. I've been working pretty hard on getting your room ready, and the office....well, that's still a work in progress, but we *are* making progress. Just very slowly.

You're still breech. We even tried to get you to turn with an external version, where the doctor tried to push your head and butt around so you would be head down, but you weren't having any of it. Dr. Kueny said that he could only move your head about 5-10 degrees in either direction. He and the nurses & midwife all agreed that you were a very happy baby, based on your heart rate monitoring, and that everything is going right except you were upside-down. My belly was sore to the touch for a few days after all this went down - not fun.

All this means that we had to choose a date for a planned c-section. Our choices were a weekday between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7. We chose the 7th to both give you more time to develop and to give me more weekdays in the hospital where we will have more regularly-scheduled staff instead of on-call people to help with recovery and nursing and everything. So, we have a date and time to expect you. Assuming, of course, that you don't decide to come early or turn head-down before the 7th.

This past Thursday, you and I drove an hour and a half out to the Berkshires so I could compete in a speech contest. I was nervous because that's far from our hospital, and at 38 weeks, it was possible I could go into labor. Also, snow was in the forecast, which confounded a lot of people, as it's still October. It did end up snowing, which I didn't mind, as I love snow, and I got to and from the contest without incident. (I placed third and got a little trophy. Not my best speech, but at least I did it.)

It was my first time this season wearing my winter coat, and guess what? Even with you sticking out way ahead of me, I could still button it! I think I'll be substantially thinner after you're born and I've recovered from the surgery. Going to a personal trainer for this entire pregnancy has helped me on so many levels.

It's snowing again today. A lot. Like, a Nor'Easter level of snow. Your Daddy and I slept REALLY late (we're stocking up before you get here) and now he's out buying curtains for your room. We're both so excited for you to be here! (But, please stay in until the 7th. As much as I love snow, and as cool a birth story as it would be to be born in an October blizzard, I'd much prefer a calm, leisurely surgery as opposed to a mad rush to the hospital and into the OR.)

Relax, hang out and enjoy the hospitality of my uterus for another 9 days, and we'll see you very soon! Daddy and I love you very much!

Love,
Mommy