Things work out

I'll be full term tomorrow!  Here is how I looked before church yesterday.

Don't be fooled, that's not how I usually look.  Most days I look more like this: 

No make up, hair pulled up (that's how I've been able to stand growing it out), yoga pants, and a shirt that hopefully covers my belly (I only have about 5 that still do.) 

I wouldn't say these past 40 weeks have flown by, but they have seemed to go by rather fast.  Last night I was re-reading the post where I announced I was pregnant with Baby D.  When I found out I was pregnant I had three main concerns that scared me:

1. I was going to have FOUR children under the age of three for at least a couple months, 

2. We needed to buy a new car, and 

3. This baby would be born after Brandon was deployed to Korea.

Over time each of these concerns have been resolved.  

1. I'll still have 4 kids under 3 years old for about 6 weeks, but at least I wont have 4 babies. The kids have all grown up a lot since the beginning of the year.  The three older kids are all bottle and binkie free.  They all sleep through the night (most nights).  They all walk.  The girls speak in mostly full sentences and can carry on conversations.  The girls aren't fully potty trained, but they are getting there.  Overall having 4 under 3 should be a lot easier than 3 under 18 months was.

2.  We bought a second car, which we probably would have done anyway.  We live in kind of an isolated area.  The only way out of our neighborhood is a huge 75 mph highway.  I need a car of my own to run errands and take the kids out of the house during the day.  Also when the jeep broke down last month it was only a minor inconvenience instead of a huge catastrophe.

3. Brandon didn't get deployed to Korea!!!!!!  I am still so grateful for this.  I don't know what we would have done if the deployment didn't get cancelled.

All weekend long I had to keep reminding myself to be happy that Brandon wasn't in Korea - other wise I would have been upset because he was scheduled to go back out into the field for a week long training starting today.  

We'd thought he was going to get out of the EIB training and testing the next two weeks because of his overextended foot/my due date.  But on Thursday he was told that he still had to go.  I was not looking forward to being alone, in charge of 3 kids, and 40 weeks pregnant.  I also was really nervous about the fact that Brandon would be bused to the training site.  That meant if I went into labor he would have to depend on someone else to give him a ride back to his car.

So we spent the weekend trying everything we could to put me into labor.  Walking, vacuuming, picking up toys while doing squats, sex, getting a blessing, calling Cheysi (talking to her kicked off labor with the girls), asking family members to pray, and even something called "curb walking" (walking along a curb with one foot on the curb and the other in the gutter.)  

Nothing worked and so late last night Brandon sadly packed his bags for training.  Early this morning he kissed me good bye.  It was the first time I've ever been upset that he had to go do an Army thing.  

I had a Doctor's appointment scheduled for later today, and our plan was that I'd ask for an induction.  That way I could make sure Brandon was available when I went into labor.  I wasn't thrilled about the idea of an induction, but I was even less thrilled about going into labor and not having Brandon around.  

Fortunately things turned out a little differently.  Brandon decided to try to remind his supervisors again that this was not a good time for him to be going into the field.  Two minutes before he had to get on the bus he told his Sergeant that I was due TOMORROW.  His sergeant acted like this was new news, but he also told Brandon to go report to the "Rear Detachment" (the group of soldiers who stay behind and take care of things at company headquarters.)  Needless to say, Brandon was thrilled at this news. (And so was I when he came back home and surprised me.)

So later when I went to my doctor's appointment I didn't need to ask about being induced.  The doctor actually asked me, and I told him we could talk about it next week if I was still pregnant.  I think he was happy about that because everybody else in the office seemed to want to be induced today.  (One couple had a father who will be leaving for basic training soon and they are hoping to have the baby before daddy leaves - I don't want to even imagine what that kind of pressure would be like.)

I'm dilated to a 3 (at least I have SOMETHING to show for this weekend besides an extra clean house.)  They had me do a non stress test and I didn't have a single contraction the entire time, so nothing seems to be happening - for now.  I'm feeling okay.  Even though I would LOVE to have this baby soon, I'm not super anxious for it to happen.  I'm still just so happy that Brandon will be nearby every day and home every night.  

In related news, we sold the triple stroller.  I've had it listed on Craigslist for about a month.  On Saturday a lady texted me with an acceptable offer.  We met up and she bought the stroller.  The lady that bought it runs a daycare so I know the stroller will get a lot of use. I was sad to see the stroller go, but it just wont work with the cargo space of the Honda/four kids.  Lydia was very sad to say goodbye to the stroller, but once I told her that we will get a wagon it was all she could talk about.  She even yelled out of the car, "I go buy a wagon now?" while we showed the stroller features to the new owner.

And here are some pictures that were on the camera.  Brandon spent some time on Saturday fixing furniture.  He tightened screws on the toy room storage shelves.  When he was done Lydia moved in and turned it into her territory.  This is what I saw when I walked by.     

Like I said I vacuumed a lot this weekend (Derrick was so happy.)  When I was done Charlotte took over the vacuum and pretended it was a playground for a little dinosaur that she'd been playing with all weekend.

And finally here is a little picture of something I found in the toy room after the kids were asleep.  I call it, "Even Santa needs a break."