We have a boy! I am no longer pregnant! Woohoo!

August Arthur was born at 5:08 a.m on August 12, 2007 after nearly 3 days of being induced. He must have been pretty comfy inside as he just didn't want to come out. Actually, August was in fetal distress, so our birth plan of having a natural labor and water birth went right out the window. The midwives tried every possible method of avoiding a C-section but August was unable to tolerate the induction any longer as his heart rate was dropping with every contraction. Needless to say, we are thrilled to finally meet him and that he is a very healthy baby.

Week 41, also known as Someday I Will See My Toes Again

Well, according to the midwife, all systems are go according to how my body is doing and where the baby is positioned. So why am I still here, you ask? Good question. As my friend who texted back to me put it, "Good Christ, what a lazy baby you have! :)"

This is my last week of keeping all fingers and toes crossed in regards to hoping labor starts on its own as opposed to going in for an induction a week from today. 42 weeks is the longest they (the midwives) feel I should go before the baby is at risk for decreased oxygen and nutrients.

Almost at week 39!

We made it out to Cannon Beach for one last getaway before Pinky arrives. Luck was on our side and we had two days of stunningly beautiful weather. Paul surprised me with getting pretty much the best room in the whole hotel, as you can see from the photo here. We could see the ocean from bed, it was really amazing.

All is well, pregnancy-wise--it continues to be relatively easy, aside from trying to get comfortable while sleeping and experiencing round ligament pain every day. At our last midwife visit this week there was some concern with Pinky's heart rate and we were asked to eat lunch and come back in 30 minutes for fetal monitoring and an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid. Luckily all was well above normal so that was a huge relief. The midwife is guessing Pinky weighs about 6 lbs. and that I will go into labor early. Both would be fine by me, especially if the kid has a pin-head and very narrow shoulders :)

The obligatory pregnant-woman-eating-an-ice-cream-cone shot:



The view from below, looking up:



Yes, I am making a doofy face on purpose:

34 weeks

This is the only photo I was able to take this week before klutz mode set in and I dropped my camera on the hardwood floor. Now the lens won't retract and I have to send it into the Canon service center in Illinois for a "minimum" $150 repair. Note to self--next time plan on dropping the camera before the two-year warranty expires (it expired May 24, 2007---damn!).

Roughly 6 weeks to go, give or take a few depending on how things progress. I had an appointment with the midwife last week and everything is going well. So far my appointments have been pretty uneventful, not like I am complaining!

There is a new system in place at the hospital where patients are given a user ID and password which allows you to log on to their website and view all of your medical records, set up appointments, email questions to the midwives, and look up general hospital information. I tried out their system when I got home last week and had to force myself to not click on the tab that was labeled "Labs" as I knew the results of my amniocentesis would be right there, which would essentially tell me the gender of the baby. It was so unbelievably tempting to find out that I made myself shut down the computer and go do something else. Of course I have come this far without knowing and it is no big deal to wait a little while longer.

Some New House Photos

As of May 22nd, we now own a 102 year old house in NE Portland! Too bad we aren't moving in for at least a year, but it is going to be a fun project to work on.

Kitchen, looking out the front door:


Kitchen, looking out the back:


Standing in the back bedroom/office:


Living room fireplace:


Looking up to the second floor: