Induced!

We're getting induced today! Heading to the hospital this afternoon. Hopefully by the end of the day or tomorrow, we will have a baby!! Please be thinking of us. We'll update again when we get home!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our followers. No baby so far today. Hoping for sometime today or this weekend though. Would be nice for Joe to have a week home with the baby before he has to go back to school! Wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas day! Pray for our baby to come soon!

Due Date

It's December 22, and we have no baby. My appointment was typical today; weight (ugg), blood pressure (fine), heart beat (140 something), etc. Requested that she not check for dilation...what's the point? The baby will come when it comes, and why torture myself with that! My next appointment is scheduled for 8:30 am on December 30. Then she'll check, do a stress-test to check on the baby, and if we request, we could be induced. Let's hope and pray that baby comes before that point!

Day before

Day before due date and still no baby. He/she is destined to either be always right on time or totally late. God certainly does not give you patience, he gives you an opportunity to be patient in. This is my opportunity, and I'm pretty much failing. I'm so anxious, and every different little pain, twitch or movement, I'm thinking "it's time," and it's not. Oh well, I've got to look on the bright side of things. At this point, it can't possibly be any more than 2 weeks away, or maybe we'll even have the first baby of the new year and get lots of freebies! I'm ALWAYS up for free stuff!

Shopping

We enjoyed a nice little trip to Moline today. Walked around South Park Mall and picked up a few gifts for the baby. Now he/she has presents under the tree! It's 3 days until our due date, and we thoroughly believe that the baby is due to arrive anytime soon. I just know that my positive thinking will send me into labor! My parents are set to arrive December 23, that is if the baby doesn't come sooner. Hopefully we will be delivered and recooperated, and can be home by the 25th and can celebrate Christmas the right way, and not in a hospital!

TGIF

I never knew how slowly a week could go by until this week. I had hoped that the baby would give me a few days to get things organized, but five is plenty! I am well rested, that is for sure, and eager for labor to start. Scared, but eager. I am definitely going to ask for a little bit of something in my IV to take the edge off. Joe made it through his last week of school, Christmas party and all. He has 2 weeks off now to spend with me, and the baby that is supposed to be arriving any day. I told him to prepare plans for the first week back in January, just in case baby decides that he/she likes it a little too much in the womb. Hopefully it doesn't take that long, but my midwife said that she won't induce until we are about 2 weeks late, which puts us into the new year. I want my December 2009 baby, NOT a January 2010 baby. I started reading the first book of the "Twilight" series. Joe made fun of me when he saw me reading it, but so far it is quite good. I am ready for the weekend, and glad to have company at home. I'm considering a trip to the mall tomorrow to help things progress. Old Navy is having a sale!

Cabin Fever

Day 4 of being at home, and I am ready for the baby to come to keep me entertained! After scrubbing toilets, cleaning out closets, dusting, and everything else in between for 3 days, I am ready for baby's arrival. You can only organize so much, and then you're done...and I'm pretty much to that point! Last night I made Joe go to County Market with me so I could get out of the house and walk around. Thank you to Heather who visited me today and gave me more than a dog to talk to. I was told by my mother last night that I need to make cookies so that, "I have something to eat with my coffee when I come to visit." So, today I will make sugar cookies and those ever-so-fancy Ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in chocolate (seriously, they taste gourmet and are SO easy!). Joe keeps expecting a call at school to meet me at the hospital. No such luck for him at this point! Oh well...I am still not at my due date, so who knows, it could still be 2 more weeks! PLEASE pray that is not...

Waiting

No baby so far. Last night at my 39 week appointment my midwife checked to see how things were progressing. Despite my best efforts, the discomfort was overwhelming and she wasn't able to get a good measure if I was dilated at all. She did, however, feel the head, which she said meant that the head was down, engaged, and that was all a good thing. Things are all ready at home for baby to arrive...Christmas presents are wrapped and under the tree, nursery is all settled & organized, house is clean, and the fridge and cupboards are stocked with the essentials. Joe is very anxious, I am very nervous, and Mac is very crazy. Mac is our terrier-chihuahua, and he is not used to having me at home all day long. He is now exercising his bark for no apparent reason at all; any outside noise at all is sending him into cahoots! Hopefully he adjusts better when the baby arrives.

Almost time

It's only a matter of time before this baby arrives. Last night I was having stronger contractions, an aching lower back, and lower abdominal pain. I thought "this is it...," but obviously I'm still here, so it wasn't. I'm praying that I am fortunate enough to inherit my mother's labors and will be done in about 4 hours. I can last 4 hours...now 24, that would be a stretch. Luckily, Joe is a big guy and withstand my punches and "why did you do this to me" comments. I do have to keep in mind that it's just one day, and then we'll have our baby. He/she is well worth the pain. Today we have our 39 week appointment with our midwife Amy. One more week and we will be at our due date. However, we are seriously hoping to have the baby between now and then, and that we can be home for Christmas.

First day off

Today was my first official day off at the Y, but I still woke up worrying about something at work and had to remind myself not to worry. I did cater the YMCA board meeting, and unfortunately, I am not an expert at cooking baked potatoes. I had this elaborate plan for a wonderful baked potato bar, but my potatoes didn't get fluffy despite an hour plus in the oven. You'd think they would be easy! Oh well, I'm thankful for the extra money it brings me and the leftovers!

For some reason Joe thinks that the baby will come tomorrow or Wednesday. Not sure if he has some father's intuition or is just hoping to have an extra long Christmas vacation. His last day at school is this Friday, then he has two weeks off. I am still having Braxton Hicks contractions, lots of lower back pain, but luckily had a burst of energy today to get things done. Maybe that means we're close! The nesting instinct is certainly not a clue of labor for me, as Joe would say I've been nesting since we met. Regardless of when the baby comes though, we are ready!

Mary & Me

Today is the day that I was hoping to get to before the baby came. It's our last scheduled event (Pilger family Christmas) of the season, and then we are just waiting. Waiting with eager anticipation...I almost feel like Mary. Here I am, with child, not knowing what to expect, with a husband named Joseph. The only difference is that I'm not a teenager, I'm certainly not a virgin, and I truly hope that I don't have to give birth in a barn. But if Mary can do it without an epidural, I think I can do it too!

First post

Today is my first day as an unemployed soon-to-be, stay-at-home mom. What does it feel like? I suppose it hasn't hit me yet that I don't have to go into work on Monday. One part of me is elated that I no longer have to be connected to my cell phone, worry about a lifeguard not showing up, and happy that if I wanted to, I could sleep until noon (yes, I know, I'm sure the baby will NOT allow that...). However, the other part of me is sad to leave everyone at the Y behind, and every bit of authority I used to have.

But I'm also worried...scared...eager...excited (choose from one of the following), about what my life will be like when baby Pilger decides "it's time" and arrives. Will it be everything I had hoped it would be? Or will I regret the decision to stay at home full-time. Will we starve because we aren't making enough money on Joe's salary? Or will we just eat alot of tuna casserole and spaghetti. Regardless of what happens, I know that this is right. I know it will be hard and there will certainly be times that we are struggling, but I know that God will provide what we need and that this is the best thing for our child and our family. Do I sound confident enough? I'm trying...

So I am excited to start this blog. It's a chance for me to exercise my mind and keep all of you updated. It's my journey into motherhood, our trek into parenthood...this should be interesting!