September 29, 2008
Elaine's doctor wants to induce labor later this week if Stormie remains stubborn and doesn't come on her own. We are scheduled to check in to the hospital on Wednesday night and begin the actual induction early Thursday morning. Unless labor begins naturally, our next update will be from the hospital on Wednesday night.
September 28, 2008
Stormie has decided to postpone her appearance for a while. As of Sunday night, we still have no signs of labor. We'll be sure to post something here when anything develops.
September 25, 2008
We're simply waiting for Stormie to arrive now. Elaine is feeling occasional contractions, but they are irregular and there are no other signs of labor yet. We have included some pictures of Stormie's room below.
September 19, 2008
We're certainly counting down the days now—only 8 days to go until Stormie's due date, although she is now considered full term and could come anytime between two weeks before or after this date. The nursery is completely ready for her arrival and we're keeping hospital bags packed and in the car at all times. The hard part is not knowing when she will arrive! Unlike many other major life events like a wedding, vacation, or surgery, we have no idea when she will make her appearance. This can make the planning on our end (especially for Chris's job) somewhat difficult. Perhaps it's a way of preparing us for the uncertainties and chaos that parenting may bring.
Elaine's last official day with STG/NCDC was Monday, although she is continuing to work from NCDC or home on her NCDC-sponsored dissertation research. The flexible hours are greatly appreciated during these last few weeks when she tires easily. Chris is continuing teaching at UNCA and has lined up several guest speakers for his courses during the week after Stormie's due date, so hopefully she'll come soon.
Physically, Elaine and Stormie are both well and check out fine at each week's OB appointment. Unfortunately, Elaine has lost the ability to move easily, sleep well, or get comfortable, which can be tiresome for both of us. It's amazing how much the human body can change and adapt in preparation for giving birth. Hopefully it won't be long before we'll be holding little Stormie in our arms!
September 5, 2008
Tomorrow marks three weeks until Stormie's due date, making her full term in case she decides to come early. Hopefully she won't come either too early or late! We had another doctor's appointment this week and everything is looking fine so far. Next week we'll have a size-estimating ultrasound, which we're looking forward to. The nursery is nearly ready and we finished purchasing the last of the baby gear and equipment last night from Target.
Last week the remnants of tropical storm Fay brought some rain into the front half of our basement, delaying the progress of the nursery while we cleaned up the mess of soggy boxes. Thankfully, nothing was ruined by the rain. We spent Saturday evening with Elaine's parents in Greenville, celebrating the end of her dad's big project at work. On Sunday afternoon we went to the Hendersonville Apple Festival, which was a lot of fun despite the heat. Next year we hope to bring little Stormie with us. We bet she'd enjoy the homemade applesauce Chris prepares from the delicious local apples.
Elaine is having difficulty sleeping and walking, helping her appreciate the ease of the first eight months of pregnancy. Stormie is so large now that nearly every little fidget or wiggle is visible. She can really make Mom's belly move when she tries to stretch or roll over! It won't be long before she'll be wiggling in our arms.
Metamorphosis
At some point, hopefully soon, we will paste together our weekly pictures of Elaine as she grew with Kathleen.
