The Week Before Arrival

On June 19th I had my last regular OB checkup. The week leading up to that appointment was spent in full nesting mode. We prepared several freezer meals, I finished up decorating Ellie's nursery (that's up next in a post!), we cleaned, got the hospital bag packed, we cleaned again, I did a million loads of laundry (or so it seemed), and even though my body would hate me for it I also worked outside pulling weeds in the flowerbeds.

I was seeing a new OB because mine was still out on maternity leave. At the appointment before he had told me if Ellie wasn't here by the 19th he would schedule an induction for the next week. I was dilated to a 3 and had a favorable cervix condition for inducing, so he gave me a choice of the 24th or 25th for the induction. My original OB was on call for the 24th (her first day back from leave), so I opted for that day. Woohoo! An end date was set and I had a renewed sense of energy knowing I wouldn't be big and miserable forever.

After our appointment we (Casey, the boys, Bryson, and myself) took a little tour of the labor and delivery wing at the hospital. It was quiet and empty as we toured the rooms. The nurse was super friendly and I left feeling very excited about returning the following Tuesday.

On Father's Day I had Casey snap a belly pic for me. Please excuse my farmer's tan I earned while sitting at a Royals game.

Miss Ellie in all her 38 1/2 weeks of glory.

I was feeling big and waddle-y and oh-so-sore in the hips, and ready to be DONE. Sleep was nearly non-existent and managing the boys (well, Barrett) was increasingly difficult. The end of this pregnancy was just plain hard. In the end, though, I know the effort is well worth the reward. I used that to boost my mental state in the last days, and also the fact I knew she'd be arriving by the 24th!