It's Been a While

We are in our 27th week now and I realized I haven't posted an update in a while. Here are some highlights:

At the end of June, I left for a retreat in Vermont. I spent some time with family prior to entering into the retreat. All in all, it was a fabulous time with wonderful people, great energy and amazing food to nourish baby. For about seven days, I lived in a little yurt, spent time in meditation, ate locally grown meals, and sent good energy to our baby.

After coming home, Todd and I celebrated our third anniversary. We spent the night among friends hosting a going-away fiesta for Vanessa, who is moving to Ithica.

On August 14, we celebrated Emerson's birthday. We spent the morning reflecting on where we were a year ago. The excitement followed by the trauma and fears and the unimaginable. During the afternoon, we went up to Hyalite Reservoir where the family had said goodbye to Emerson. We read some of the readings we read as a family. We talked with Emerson and let her know how much we love and miss her. Rain sprinkled on us and thunder clashed. I thought she must be bowling with Tootsie.

We have had great checkups and Casper has been keeping a close eye on me. I had my glucose test last week and got the call that it came in a little high, which means I have to go back for the dreaded three hour test. For those of you who have never had a glucose test, you drink a pint of horribly sweet liquid and wait an hour until they can pull your blood. During that hour, you feel as though you have bugs in your skin trying to jump out. Not to mention, the baby goes nuts. For the three hour test, you fast for at least 12 hours before (which they actually told me I had to do for the one hour test too, so I did that one on an empty stomach). Your drink even more concentrated syrupy liquid and have your blood pulled every hour for three hours (still fasting). I will need strength for that one.

I have been having some weird cramping and poor circulation. The cramping seemed to be getting worse on Friday and then pretty regular and painful yesterday. A group had gone out to a ranch near White Sulphur Springs, and when we got back I told a couple gals about the cramping. They said just go to the hospital and they'll check it out for me. Todd had left for Colorado and I knew I'd be worried all night, so I thought, this time I probably should. I called Casper at home and told her what was going on - she said, "Frances, it's really easy to look and see if it's contractions. I'll call the hospital and let them know you're coming."

Marisa and I went to Labor and Delivery. They took me into the Triage room, I provided a urine sample, and they hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor. Baby was moving all over the place, which made it hard to follow her heartbeat, but it was looking good. Minutes later, there was Casper, just what she wanted to do on a Saturday night. She looked at the strip, ran more tests, and waited with us until the tests came back. Everything looked just fine - cervix is closed and high, baby is moving and has a great heartbeat, and I tested negative for everything she thought it could be. She's thinking it's scar tissue stretching, as well as just my uterus growing. She is so calm and proficient and attentive. During the waiting time from the lab results, I went through a bunch of questions I had been thinking about. She was so thorough and always listens to my concerns - never taking any question lightly. She is definitely my partner though all of this.

I took Marisa home and came home and had a PBJ at 10pm. I drank a bunch of water (she was also worried about me being a little dehydrated), lotioned the sunburn I seem to have acquired that day, and crawled into an empty bed with Grady already asleep in his.

I've started a prenatal yoga class that I'm really enjoying. It's kundalini yoga with movement, meditation, singing and all in all great energy. I'm reading the book "Beautiful Bountiful Blissful" which is inspiring me in so many ways. Although I know I am not going to have a "natural" childbirth, I still need positive energy, strength and endurance radiating through me. All in all, I feel more connected and alive. Blissful.