Baby Appointment: 37 weeks

I had my baby appointment yesterday morning. With having concerns of my amniotic fluid possibly leaking, I was anxious to see what my Doctor thought. I am so excited to be back with MY doctor, but there is a huge set back with seeing him~ I waited for an hour and a half before I even saw him! Long wait, he is a popular Doctor, but so worth the wait because he really truly cares!
He checked my stats, baby is not dropped down into the pelvic region, yet. I told him how uncomfortable I have been lately, and how hard life is. Then, I melted down and cried. I know I am emotional right now, but really my pains have been absolutely unbearable at times~ day or night! I told him how sleep is tough, laying down and getting up. That Sciatic nerve is the worst it has ever been. He said he was sorry that I was going through all that pain, and he would love to have me fitted for a special pregnancy belt thingy, but they are expensive. Yeah, for approximately $150, I could have some relief for the next few weeks. Umm, no, we have no extra money, so I just have to suck it up for the duration. Yippee! Can you sense my excitement?
The Doctor said that I am carrying this baby so differently and so low...even though it isn't "dropped" yet. I told him I was surprised that the baby hasn't dropped, because sometimes it feels like the baby could just fall out, or that he/she kicks so low sometimes. However, none of my baby's have dropped until I was in full blown labor. So, it would be kind of a shock if the baby was dropped right now.
I am not dilated and my body isn't doing any changes in preparation for delivery day, yet. I do have 3 weeks yet, so really it isn't time yet. He said he didn't think I was leaking any fluids, and that my water wasn't broken. He did want me to get an ultrasound to see if baby was in the head down position, though.
I didn't get to see much on the ultrasound, because baby is so big right now. Heartbeat was at 147 at the time of the ultrasound, and baby was head down. The amniotic sacs looked great, and the technician said the placenta and heart looked good. One great thing I got to see was a head of hair. That is so exciting. Just seeing our little baby on the screen gave me an added boost of encouragement that this pain really is worth it~ even though some days I feel like I just would rather die.
So, onto another week. The next few weeks will go rather quickly in time, but seem long with the pains and aches. SOON~ I just have to remember that blessed word.

Open House

Tonight, Nathaniel had his Open House for his 4th grade year. He is so excited about getting back into school. On the way to the Open House he said, "It is going to be so great walking the halls of ****** again!" I am glad he enjoys school, and loves to learn. His teacher seems nice. I am not sure what any of the teachers are like. I did homeschooling for 3 years, and this is his second year in the school district. I don't know too many parents of the school kids, so I am not sure of the "inside" news. His classroom is upstairs this year, so that is a change for him. He said it was the art room last year. I know that the school is a little cramped, need more teachers, and more space. I asked his new teacher how many are in his class. She said there was 30 kids! I really struggle with wanting to take him out to give him more one on one teaching, but I know he thrives so well in the school setting.
I got his MCA test results back from the spring testing. I am so proud of Nathaniel! He is very smart and tries really hard to keep learning. He highly exceeds the standards. I am not over exaggerating, he did score extremely high...like only missed less than 15 questions. I hope he keeps working hard, and striving high in his studies. I like to think that homeschooling him for 3 years had a huge affect on his high scores. I think any homeschooling mom would agree with that. :)
His Dad came with to the Open House. I am glad that his Dad makes the efforts, but these events are always a little weird. I guess awkward would be a better way to describe it. It went well, though. It is good that he drives the 2 1/2 hours to come to Open House and conferences.

Nathaniel played with his friend today. He found out that his friend is moving to Colorado in 4-6 weeks. He is sad about this and he is bummed he won't be here anymore. I have to admit, I am not entirely upset about it. This is the friend of his that I blogged about awhile back that was rude to my kids when he was at our house for a visit. I am not so sure his influence is what I desire for Nathaniel. I feel bad that Nathaniel is sad, but I am a bit relieved.

So, now Nathaniel is with his Dad for the weekend, and he starts up with school on Tuesday morning. I have to get in some last minute school shopping this weekend, and make sure he is set.

To Drano, or not to Drano...

I know this may be a little weird, but it has worked a few times. You ever hear of taking the Drano test while you are pregnant? No worries, you don't ingest it, inhale it (please don't do that), you just add a Tablespoon of it to your urine sample. Well, I am not exactly sure if timing is a crucial issue with this test, or not, but I have done this with 2 of my pregnancies, and it was accurate. I know my friend Lisa has done this test with me when we were both pregnant this last time, and it was accurate. Here is what you do, when you are in your second trimester (for sure):

Pee in a cup.

Take the pee in a cup outside (for good ventilation) or, have someone else do step #3.

Add 1 Tablespoon of Crystal Drano to the cup.

Stand back, way back, and watch for the reaction it causes.

The results (usually) mean boy or girl. If there isn't much of a reaction, it is supposed to mean you will have a boy. If it has a big reaction and fuzzes up, it would mean you were carrying a girl. Here are the results from my test when I did it with Lisa.

Lisa had the one on the left, and my test was the one on the right. I didn't know if I was having a boy or girl, but Lisa knew she was having a boy. Obviously, we both had different reactions. She was having a boy. Well, a few months after she had her little boy, I had a girl. Having done this test before, and the results showing a boy (with having a boy), I was sold on the idea that this test works! Well, I have a friend that did this test when she was about 4-5 months along. She didn't get much of a reaction, so we thought for sure she was having a boy. Well, she just had her baby...and SURPRISE, SHE is a girl! Wow...so, maybe that Drano test isn't so accurate, or could the timing be a factor? Could our diet be a factor? I guess that is what we get for trying to figure out if she was a she or a he. :) Maybe God was teaching us a lesson. Who knows??