We'll Blame it all on Irene

 Well, it was business as usual this past weekend, as Scot made plans to stay with 13 other guys for a fun filled Fantasy Football Draft at the lake house he and his friends had rented. We had made arrangements for him to be gone Friday and Saturday night, while I stayed at my moms house. I encouraged him to go and have fun, as I knew that this was his "guy" time, and that I would have my turn at "girls" time soon enough. I know a lot of co-workers and friends must have thought I was crazy to give the green light to have my husband away for the weekend, with just weeks away from my due date, but I didn't give much thought to the idea, and was excited at the weekend plans of my own I had in store.

Things were going along as planned, until Friday morning when my Blackberry stopped working and then decided to give me an ugly error message. I googled what to do, and with no luck getting it to work again, decided to have it looked at during my lunch break. I got through most of my day, and with still had no luck at the AT&T store, started to get discouraged that I would ever get my phone working again. It had been an especially long day at work, and I was having a lot of miserable back pain and thought that I had even lost my "mucus plug" (sorry for TMI) while I was at work, and I was worried about not having a phone just in case I needed Scot for anything, so I gladly spent the night at my mom and stepdad's house that night, to be on the safe side. As fear heightened for Hurricane Irene to make her debut along the Eastern coast, so did my fears about not having a phone to reach Scot in case I went into labor.

Throughout the night, I continued to have persistant back pain, and a lot of strong Braxton Hicks contractions. I tried not to think about the "what ifs" and enjoyed my time at my mom and stepdad's house instead. After a long night of tossing and turning, I woke up feeling weird, and decided to just take it easy for the day, and I was relieved to be in the company of my mom rather than staying at my house alone, watching Ryder. As planned, Mom and I looked over the onesie dress tutorial, and practiced using her sewing machine to get the look we wanted. It wasn't long after we began, that her sewing machine started acting up, and before we both knew it, had a tangled mess from the thread that was everywhere! Both getting discouraged, we decided to take a break from our onesie dress project, and enjoy our day instead. The day couldn't have been prettier outside, so while my mom and stepdad attended a birthday party for a few hours, Ryder and I took advantage of the breeze that was blowing in from the storm, and my mom had left me her phone just in case I needed her. Ryder loved being outdoors and the weather was perfect! Of course we had to bring "baby" the Penguin along for the walk too!

photo courtsey of Google Maps

As the hurricane trudged along the shores of the Eastern coastline, we got the news that my Grannie's beach house on Holden Beach, NC had not been affected by any of the damaging winds. This was good news, as we had all feared the worst, and we prayed for the people along the way that the hurricane was headed for next. Ryder and I continued to play outside, all the while I was having stronger, more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions and sharp back pain.

 There was a lot of jumping,

                                                                             running,

 bubble chasing,

 and friendly kitty petting going on the rest of the afternoon, as we explored my mom and stepdad's neighborhood. It was refreshing in a way, to be back "home" where I grew up from highschool to college.

 I took time to take this picture of our feet next to each other. As you can see, my normally fat and wide feet have gotten more swollen as the pregnancy weeks go along, but I thought it was worth noting. Once Ryder and I got back home to my mom and stepdad's house, I noticed that my back pains seemed to intensify, and being alone in the house with Ryder, for even just an hour, started to make me nervous. I was glad to hear that my brother and his wife were in town and were planning on stopping by to see us. I knew this would put my anxieties aside, and I would have company to reassure me. I was upstairs building puzzles with Ryder when I just got a sense of flu like symptoms in addition to my back pain, and that was when I started to get a little worried. I told Ryder to come downstairs with me, and we colored quietly until my brother and his wife got to my mom's house. It was a breath of fresh air to see them, and right away, my sister in law hugged me and rubbed my back, and told me it was okay. I felt MUCH better to have them there with me.

 and Ryder was very happy to see his Uncle Eric, as you can see.

 Within the hour, my mom got back home, and I told her the symptoms I had been having. She told me that it sounded like I was having back labor, and to start timing what I assumed were Braxton Hicks contractions. After an hour, we learned they were coming every 10 minutes, and intensifying, so my mom called Scot and he said he would meet us at our house. My mom and sister in law drove me home, while the guys stayed behind to watch Ryder just in case I was truly going into labor. My sister in law suggested I take a hot bath to relax, and then offered to dry my hair. She helped to relax me, and gave the moral support I needed to get through each back pain and contraction. Being 36 weeks, and after having some of the symptoms that I felt I'd been having, I started to get worried, but continued to seek comfort in some of the bible verses I had found, in preparation for labor.

Phillippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God"

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you and peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 16:21

"A woman when she is in labor has sorrow because her hour has come; But as soon as she has given birth, she no longer remembers the anguish, For joy that a child has been born into the world."

Once we got back to my house, Scot was there ready and waiting on me, and I cried as soon as I saw him. I was so glad to see him, and relieved that I was now back in the comfort of my own home. I had so many things running through my mind. With Ryder, I was induced at 40 weeks, so I never got to really experience "natural" labor pains and contractions, and didn't have much to compare to, since everything was monitored the minute we walked in the hospital. This was all new territory for me, and being just 36 1/2 weeks pregnant, I wasn't even sure if I was really experiencing true labor or not. Regardless, we got things ready and packed, and set up Brynley's pack and play just in case she was in fact on her way. My mom and sister in law spent the night, just in case I was truly going in labor. I tried getting sleep, but I was awakened with really strong contractions, and after awhile, began to expect them in waves. I closed my eyes and imagined waves washing along the shore, and they strengthened, and then decreased in intensity, and I was able to get through them. By this morning, I was convinced that I was now in full on labor, and so I made a call to my midwife to see what she thought I should do. She advised me to call when my contractions were unbearable, and every 5 minutes, lasting for one minute each time. This proved to be frustrating, so I decided to enlist my mom and sister in law's help, and we got to walking! I got to where I felt back labor and cramping, getting stronger and picking up intensity, just as Irene was making her way through the Northeast. I decided to give my midwife another call, to see what she recommended next.

 Here I am posing by my luggage, ready to head for the hospital to be checked. Among the things racing along in my head at the thought of having a baby today were: I wonder how to break the news to my work that I won't be there this week, Is the labor going to hurt since I'm not being induced with pain management right away, How long will I be in labor for, What if I go in just to be checked and released back home. Again, I tried to think back to some of the Bible verses I had found, and hoped for God to provide comfort and peace during each contraction, putting my fears and anxieties aside.

We got one last picture before heading for the hospital. As Scot and I headed there, we both got emotional at the thought of having our sweet baby girl by tonight, and the tears started to flow. Happy tears of course! My midwife had called the hospital to let them know we were on the way, and after being admitted and changed into my gown, waited on instruction from my nurse on what to do next. I truly thought the time was now, but was given the unfortunate news that I was only at 2 cm, and still had a ways to go before I was dilated to 5 cm (where the "real active" labor begins).

And just in true hurricane fashion, after days of preparation, it looks as if the storm is packing less of a punch than expected. Just as the hype of the hurricane intensified, so did the thought of being in actual labor, just to be dropped like a sack of flour. The nurse gave me a printout of symptoms and what to look for, and advised us to return should we experience anything further. I broke down in tears, feeling much like a failure, that I had wasted most of the day by thinking I was in actual labor. My mom and sister in law hugged me and everyone told me not to be upset, that it was better to be checked out than to constantly be in wonder whether or not I was in true active labor. Scot and I grabbed lunch, as I was starving by this point, and that's where my current status stands. I am just trying not to get discouraged, and I'm hoping Brynley will make her debut sooner than later. I am continuing to feel pressure and cramps, and stronger contractions, and will keep ya'll updated as things progress, but just as the nurse suggested, my labor pains could all just be contributed by the "elements". In other words, "We'll blame it all on Irene".