One week left???

I had my 39-week appointment this morning and the doctor said I'm dilated "a good two" centimeters. Still no effacement or contractions of any sort. He did say that I could still go into labor this weekend or next week; that my slow progress now doesn't necessarily mean I'm weeks away from Baby making the grand appearance.
I have another appointment Tuesday...

two weeks and counting

It's now less than two weeks until Due Date, or D-Day, as the case may be. At my appointment Wednesday, Baby's heartbeat sounded very strong, but Baby hasn't dropped yet and I'm dilated only 1 cm. So it appears that delivery isn't imminent yet.















With our spare room becoming a nursery, we bought a new couch with a pull-out bed. It arrived today...

End of Era

Friday was my last day at work as a full-time reporter for the Antelope Valley Press. Though I am pregnant enough to need a break, and have lots of little things to do before Baby arrives, after more than six years it was quite strange to pack things up and clear off the desk. I've greatly enjoyed my time as a reporter and have made a number of good friends, including Allison, who sits near me. I can only hope to enjoy this next "job" as much.

Harsh Winter

Santa Clarita was greeted Wednesday by hail and snow. For several hours - well, minutes - the Arctic storm wreaked devastation across the Valley. Ordinary life came to a standstill; work at HR Textron came to a screeching halt as the work force rushed to the window to take in the shocking sight.
Here you see our balcony, bearing the brunt of the devastation. Luckily no one was hurt.

Winter Golf

Playing golf in Southern California is not all shorts and suncream you know.
Today it was -4 degs C (25 degs F).
Out came the 4 layers of clothing, thermal socks and wooly hat. I was still cold!
It was just like being up at Windwhistle in the winter, apart from the rain and mud.

Here we are all together, Me, Brad, Larry and Scott.
Larry and Scotty feeling the effects of the cold.
I know it looks sunny......it was, but it was bloody freezing.
I used to play in the cold all the time, even the snow on a couple of occasions, but not since I've moved over here.
I have to admit it. Today I turned into a Weather Wimp.

36 weeks

I had my 36 week checkup on Wednesday, this time with an honest-to-goodness doctor (the medical group I use has you see a nurse practitioner until 36 weeks for low-risk, normal pregnancies).

The doctor was very pleasant and professional, and explained everything she was doing - I had to have a certain routine swab taken and she was very kind about it. I'm measuring right on schedule for my due date, and she felt around my stomache and said the baby's head is down where it should be.

I would say I'm definitely feeling very pregnant these past few days. I'm swelling a lot more in my legs, feet and hands (but my blood pressure was fine, so it' s just normal late-term swelling). My hands hurt when I wake up because of the swelling, and my contacts don't seem to be fitting as well as they used to. Things are blurry, which makes driving at nirght interesting. That's another normal problem, according to "What to Expect When You're Expecting." The left hip pain and occasional morning sickness are still problems, too, and I'm not sleeping very well. Neither is Stace, for that matter.
It's all God's way of getting mom to the point of readiness for labor, I guess. (As in, Get this baby out of me!)
I'll see the doctor again next Wednesday.

Morro Bay

For my birthday, and for a last getaway before we're not willing to be more than an hour from Henry Mayo Newhall hospital, Stace and I went away for a night in Morro Bay, up on California's Central Coast just north of San Luis Obispo. Morro Bay is a beautiful, quaint fishing town with its landmark volcanic rock. We enjoyed the town, and later checked out San Luis Obispo for a few hours on Sunday. We saw a number of sea otters, sea lions and even five wild (I think?) turkeys!
It was a great little trip, and we felt a long way from home (which we were - it was nearly 200 miles up the coast).

I'm now 36 weeks along, and see the doctor for the first of my weekly appointments on Wednesday. I'll give a pregnancy update then...

Morro Bay

Stace in Morro Bay State Park, with the Rock in the background

Lisa in front of San Luis Obispo Mission