L had her check-up today: 2 cm dilated / 90% effaced.

Contractions are still 12-24 hours apart. The doctor seemed to suggest it could be today, tomorrow, or next week. Thus, the waiting continues.

We are starting the process of getting her scheduled for an induction sometime late next week or early the following one. Hopefully it won’t come to that. But, at least we have a finish line in sight.

Emerson as a ‘girl name’…

Despite my public comments about not giving a crap about people’s opinions that ‘Emerson’ should only be a boy’s name, I actually had someone post a comment making that claim on my blog today. Unlike some bloggers, I have a track record of allowing free speech in all cases, including when I disagree with the views expressed or when it is not favorable towards me.

Frankly, I think too many bloggers are wimps when it comes to dissenting opinions.

Nonetheless, I will always give as good as I get. Consider that ‘fair warning’ from me.

Click here to see the exchange (scroll down to review the comments).

We’ve reached Week 38!

Since there’s nothing else to report on (just waiting!), I’ll provide a few health updates:

How’s Libby doing?

As I’ve mentioned, L’s had a (blissfully) trouble-free pregnancy. But, the last couple of weeks have started to wear on her.

She had some sort of weird rash on her back and upper chest (which is finally getting better) – that the doctors thought might be fungal but didn’t want to prescribe anything due to her advanced gestational state.

Her voice sounds like she has a cold. However, she’s not sick. We think this might be related to heartburn or reflux.

Speaking of heartburn, she’s had a lot of it lately. Indeed, she was up a good bit of the night dealing first with heartburn and then some sort of pain in her upper back. This is starting to become a recurring theme.

She’s also taken to calling herself “Momma the Hut.”

Needless to say, she’s ready for Emerson to arrive.

Biopsy results

Yesterday, I learned via a voicemail that I have a “mildly atypical (dyplastic) nevus” which Dr. Google tells me is pathology-speak for a “slightly funny looking mole.” The good news is that this isn’t cancer. The (slightly) bad news is that it means I will need more investigation and biopsies (mostly precautionary, I assume). And, I’ll likely need to remain under the observation of a dermatologist for the rest of my life, as I’m now twice more likely to get melanoma than a typical person (though it’s far from a foregone conclusion and far less likely than someone with a history of melanoma in their family).

I’ll find out more details today when I speak to the doctor’s office.

On Tuesday, L and I went for her weekly check-up and a sonogram to see if Emerson had turned (she’d been transverse previously). She’s now heads down and looking good, as well as estimated at a weight of 6 lbs 3 oz. We also learned that L was about 1cm dilated and 50% effaced.

I wasn’t sure what that really means. After further research, I learned it has no predictive value with respect to when Emerson will make her appearance (other than sometime in the next few weeks).

So, we wait.

Baby Shower

Yesterday, L had a baby shower hosted by the teachers and fellow administrators at her school. They really did a great job of organizing things—especially a teacher named Allison, who I think could become a professional shower planner—and it made for quite the haul of (mostly useful, thankfully) gifts.

Here’s a photo of a diaper cake (very creative, I thought):

Not to be excluded on my side, a good friend and co-worker of mine sent a really nice gift (Fisher Price’s “Rainforest Open-Top Cradle Swing”). I have to imagine Emerson will love that… sweet!

Biopsy

So, I went to the dermatologist on Tuesday for a “skin check.”

I have a couple of friends with melanoma. Not fun. Given my increasing penchant for hypochondria as I grow older, I thought it better to be safe than sorry.

It turned out that most of my moles, spots, and whatnots were fine. However, I was also told that I had “one lesion that might look suspicious” and that they “wanted to perform a biopsy—just to be safe.”

Holy crap!

I’ve talked in the past about my other psychological tick: occasional (mild) panic attacks. This news brought one on. Although, unlike the usual chest pains (which I’ve grown accustomed to), this time I starting sweated like a pregnant nun on her way to confession and then suddenly lost most of my ability to hear. Can you imagine?

Dr. Google tells me this is called “psychogenic hearing loss.”

Thankfully, it passed quickly. I get the biopsy results in two weeks. Perhaps, I’m just jealous of all my IVF sisters who’ve gone through the “two week wait” (2WW).

However, this time I’m really hoping for a BFN!

Well, it’s been a little while since my last update. As I seem to suck at keeping up this blogging thing, I thought I’d share a few recent “news” highlights.

Nursery Progress

I’ve finally finished the “construction work” in the nursery. It’s now painted and ready to fill with decorations / furniture (of which we’ve started… I just lack photos). Anyway, here are a few photos:

4D Ultrasound – Take Two

Last week, we did another 4D ultrasound at 29 weeks. We did the $100 “peek-a-boo” session. It was fun to “see” the baby again and reassuring to know that everything looks great. But, in all honesty the “wow factor” was kind of gone, because we’d already seen 3D images and (advice to those behind us) 29 weeks is a little late to get great pictures.

A little late? Huh?

Yes, a little late. You see, by this time, the baby is so large that there’s relatively little room free space in the womb. As a result, it’s difficult to get a full shot of anything without other structures/anatomy in the way. So, my advice would be to do a 4D ultrasound earlier even though the baby won’t be quite as baked yet.

Minor Crisis Averted

One morning this week, L freaked because her hands had starting swelling to the point that her wedding ring no longer fit without marked discomfort. She concluded that she simply couldn’t wear it to work. She was really upset. (Strange? Perhaps. But, she’s invested in these things.)

Anyway, she sent me a frantic text message later in the afternoon, confirming her worst fears. Apparently, some moron at work asked her “if something was wrong with Paul” based on the missing ring. Really? Who notices these things, on a pregnant woman nonetheless, and on the first day that the ring was “missing”? Get a life!

Fortunately, being the Greatest (and most modest) Husband in the History of the World, I’d already gone out that morning to a jewelry store and purchased her a “temporary” wedding ring (which is reasonably nice and just enough “non-wedding-bandy” that she can wear it decoratively on a larger finger on her other hand later).

Major bonus points, baby. Major points.

And it’s a reminder of my “Golden Rule of Pregnancy for Men”:

It’s been a while since my last update.

As usual, I’m started writing this from 36k feet. Airplanes seem to be my one good source of downtime. Thankfully (or not) I usually spend a good deal of time on them.

Most of my “blogging” efforts of the past few weeks were reading and responding to posts over on Myndi’s site. In case you haven’t seen, she got the news we all wait for in the IF community: a BFP! L and I are so pleased for her. Congrats again, Myndi!

More shots… this time for the dog!

Back on the home front, one of our other “children” has become ill. Our male (nine year old) Min Pin, Harley, was diagnosed with diabetes. So, instead of being free from of needles and syringes, we now have an insulin dependent doggie that requires a special diet and shots twice per day. The good news is that the “training” for us was negligible—we’re shot giving experts. The biggest issues are his need for a very regimented feeding schedule (thankfully my Mom provides great assistance as our schedules are often hectic) and the fact that he can no longer sleep through the night without having to go outside. So, L and I are getting training for the sleep deprivation that will come along with the baby.

Checking out hospitals…

Last weekend, we started the process of touring birthing and delivery centers. We’re looking at two centers: St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and University Community Hospital. I’d personally prefer Tampa General (where I spent many a summer interning with their trauma team)… but Libby’s “for chicks, by chicks” OB/GYN practice only serves the aforementioned medical centers.

Overall, St. Joseph’s seemed alright. It’s a bit farther from the house. They’re very big on keeping the baby and mom close together following the birth. That means the kiddo may never go to the nursery (which is very tiny) unless they’re premature or ill and need to go to the NICU (which is very large and well-equipped as a Level 3 center). It seems like the downside of this is that L won’t have much time to rest following the labor and delivery… of course, I’ll be there to help.

We see UCH on the 14th.

Nursery updates

Last weekend, I also picked up the crib from Babies ‘r Us (pic below from Babies ‘r Us web site). It comes in a HUGE box… I had to rent a truck at the Home Depot to get it. It also weighs 150 lbs. So, lugging it off of the truck and around the house was a fun activity for me, myself, and I. My plan is to set it up next weekend.

This past weekend, I also started “construction operations” in the baby’s room. I’m preparing for painting (a lot of work, as I’m hand painting strips below the chair rail on the wall) and then will be installing the aforementioned (custom built by me to match the rest of our woodwork) around the room. All in all, this work will be more time consuming than anything else.

In search of hauling capacity…

You’ll have to humor me on this one…

I also started to grow increasingly frustrated by the our utter lack of hauling capacity. Libby has a large sedan, which is decent for many objects. But, I drive a small two-seat sports car, which is utterly useless for “practical work” other than shuttling me to and from the airport. Plus, the only way for me to even drive the baby in my car is to get an (overpriced) “Genuine Porsche Child Seat” (otherwise, they won’t deactivate the passenger-side air bag).

So, we went out this weekend and got an SUV that provides a bit more… well… utility: a Porsche Cayenne S. Ok, sure, it falls a little short of earning the title “most practical choice.” But, it is both sporty (with the S’s larger V8 engine) and utilitarian (indeed, it’s larger and has more towing capacity than many other SUVs). Besides, it’s the one way I could justify a second Porsche after spending all of that money on the IVF treatment.

I suppose I’m nothing if not goal-oriented…