The Scoop

Sofie passed her non-stress test with flying colors again today. She was wiggling around like a crazy woman and the heart monitor kept losing her heartbeat, which was a little aggravating, but all in all everything looked great. One of the midwives came in to check the printout and said, "Has anyone said anything to you about stripping your membranes?" Well, I had asked about stripping my membranes or breaking my water as more natural options for starting labor a few weeks ago, but I was told that because my Strep B test had come back positive those would not be options for me. She said, "That's not true, I keep trying to tell everyone!" and offered to do it for me today. Of course, I was all for it. So she went ahead and did it, and while she was at it she let me know that I'm almost four centimeters dilated now, and Sofie has come down to a -1 station. She gave me a few instructions regarding how to spend the rest of the day (mostly resting and some other...ahem...things) and said she's be surprised if I didn't go into labor tonight.

So keep your fingers crossed, maybe Mr. Psychic Lube Stop man was right. I'll be sure to put a short note up before we leave for the hospital!

Patience...

...is apparently a virtue I'm still working on!

We're scheduled to be induced on Tuesday morning at 8 AM. We decided if there's still nothing brewing by Saturday night we'll try the castor oil route...ugh.

I have another non-stress test tomorrow afternoon.

Dichotomy

Funny:

• Ben trying to convince me that the color he painted Sofie's letters is BABY PINK!
• The guy at the Lube Stop who thinks he's a psychic. He told me that Sofie is a girl and that I shouldn't make any plans this weekend because she's going to be born on Saturday around 2:30 AM after a labor that only lasts 1.5 hours. And by the way, according to him only 1/2 an hour of it is going to be hard labor...don't I wish!
• The look on the faces of the bank tellers when I told them I was 8 days overdue!

Not Funny:

• Being 8 days overdue with absolutely no signs of labor.
• Weighing the pros and cons of castor oil...
• Ugh!

Loot!

We took a slight detour to West Point Market after my appointment today and now I've got a nice start on my stash of things to eat once Stubborn decides to vacate. I think all that's left is warm scones (Aunt Barbie!) and dark chocolate (Heidi!) I found out today that I could've been eating stinky cheese all along, apparently most of it is pasteurized, but what's stinky cheese without a good glass of wine!

Mom and Grams met me at my appointment today and sat in on my ultrasound and non-stress test. Everything came back swell, and Sofie is still hanging out quite contentedly. The ultrasound was a little bit disappointing because she is so smooshed up in there now that you really can't see much of anything. We did catch a quick glimpse of her chubby cheeks (and man are they ever chubby!) and she was sucking away on the back of her right hand. The ultrasound lady said, "You'll have to check her hand after she's born and see if she's got a sucker mark!" Apparently she's got a lot of hair, which I can't seem to digest...I really thought this kiddo was going to be a baldy like Ben and I were, and they estimated her weight to be 8 pounds 2 ounces.

I really haven't made much more progress this week...dilated about 3, effaced about 70%, and still at a -2 station. They're setting me up to be induced either on Monday or Tuesday next week. Hopefully I won't have to keep that appointment! This Friday I have another non-stress test, just to keep an eye on her in the meantime. Heck, hopefully I won't make it to that appointment either!

What a Guy

Sofie, I picked one heck of a papa for you! He came home one day with letters to spell out your name on your bedroom wall, complete with Pepto Bismol pink paint. (That's right, your papa set foot into a genuine craft store without me!) Interestingly, he believes that everything you own should be pink and that you should be dressed head to toe in pink at all times because you are a GIRL for goodness sakes. Of course, that doesn't mean he thinks you should be limited to girly things. He's campaigning hard for a pink, glitter-laden, five-year-old sized dirt bike, for instance.

Your papa reads you a book every night. I know he's reading to you, and not just to appease me, because sometimes when I fall asleep halfway through he keeps right on reading. He calls us his "girls" and he'd do anything in his power to keep us safe and out of harm's way. He fights me tooth and nail when I talk about piercing your ears, because how dare I willfully hurt his precious little baby! Oh Sofie, what a lucky little girl you are...

...and what a lucky grown-up girl I am. I love you buddy!

Desperate!

Thought a bumpy bike ride might do the trick...no such luck. Sofie you've been upgraded to Stubborn with a capital S!

Don't Let This Happen To You!!

This is what happens when you've been cooped up in the house for two days without emerging even for a quick breath of fresh air. You start to get a little loopy and think, "Hey, maybe it would be fun to play hairdo parlor!" Do you think that counts as nesting? Wouldn't it be funny if I ended up at the hospital with this crazy bouffant hairdo?