Christmas and Baby Countdown Is On!!!

Ok, so I've been thinking in my head that the countdown to baby #2 arrival is on...

I know Riley's due date is officially January 13 (was January 1, but we weren't sure, so an ultrasound early on was needed, and thus: January 13th).

About 3:30am yesterday (Thursday) I woke up and couldn't get comfortable and fall back asleep.

Usually getting up to pee, then drinking some water, and getting back into bed to lay on one side or the other does the trick, but not yesterday...

I thought, hmmm... maybe something I ate?

Maybe bloated or gas?

Being extremely tired, all I could do was toss and turn...

I found myself trying to stretch out my legs, my hips, my back, anything to relieve the pressure,

but nothing helped.

Our one cat Stinker just sat there staring at me, softly meowing, and pawing at me...

By 7:30am I got my butt out of bed and into a nice warm shower.

By then I knew something was up...

Mind you, in my last pregnancy I was induced, then had an epidural, so this kind of cramping is not "that" familiar to me.

It had to be contractions...

My entire stomach was seizing up, and it would last, then stop, then start up again...

So Dave and I frantically (I think he was the frantic one) got things together for Chloe and the cats...

He took a small amount of time to let work know he was going to be busy for the day, took a few calls, and then dashed about getting Chloe to school while I just sat and dealt with the contractions.

When we got to the hospital, they monitored me to see what was going on for a while...

And it turns out that I am slightly dilated, 40-50% effaced, and was having irregular contractions.

The doctors seem to think that I may be delivering early again - around 37 weeks, if not 36 weeks (36 weeks is next Wednesday).

Just not right now... 35 is too early... We want a baby with developed lungs and as little complications as possible.

I know I am getting tired of being pregnant, but yesterday was a big wake up to me thinking that he may arrive early. So now I'm really just taking it easy and drinking lots of water in hopes of holding onto the pregnancy for at least one more week, if not a little longer...

And of course, a picture of our little Chloe with her countdown to Christmas all over the world calendar (from her Nonna... it was Dave's favorite thing when he was young). I loved that she had her little slipper/boots on, and still decided to step into my shoes to try to reach up even further.

So if you don't hear from me for a few days and have emailed me, there is a good chance I may be in the hospital with our newest little one...

We've got up to a month to go... But we'll see...

Hope you all have a Great Holiday Season!