37 Week Update...

Well, we have made it to 37 weeks :-) We also had a trip to the hospital Tuesday night....I was having consistent contractions every 10 minutes for an hour & they were painful. So, I called the OB doctor on-call & she suggested we go to the hospital. They hooked us up to the NST machine to monitor our contractions & also checked to see if we were dilated. We were there for a little over an hour & ended up going back home. We were dilated to 1 cm & having contractions....but, they weren't "labor" contractions. The nurse said that when we are having labor contractions we'll know they are 10 times more painful. My eyes got really big & I just said, "I can't wait." Haha. We now have our route to the hospital & everything is in the car now just in case ;-)

Yesterday I had 2 appointments for myself....fun filled Doctor day. In the morning I had to see the hemo doctor (blood guy) one last time to see if my platelets were above 100,000 in order to receive an epidural. I just passed & will be able to get an epidural. Problem is though that they will retake my blood when we arrive to deliver & go off of that amount, so we are hoping it stays above 100,000!

In the afternoon I went to my OB office/work :-) We saw Dr. Holbrook this time (she's our favorite) she measured my belly & we are measuring at 38 weeks. She said wow, this baby is going to be a big girl. We were smiling....we are so happy to have made it this far & finally have good news coming! The doctor rechecked my cervix & we are now dilated to 2 cm & 80% effaced. She had us schedule another appointment for next week, but she didn't think we'd make it that far. She sees us delivering way before next Wednesday. Also, I now weigh 171 lbs...YIKES!! I have gained 41 lbs....it's amazing how easy you can gain weight. It's going to be fun trying to lose it....but, it's all so worth it.

So...now we just sit & wait. Jordan has a mind of her own & will show up when we are least expecting it I'm sure. We can't wait to meet her. Her Princess room is all ready for her arrival & Doozer is checking everything out wondering what is coming to our house soon. We would also like everyone to know that we would love visitors at the hospital & once we get home w/ Jordan you are welcome to visit then too. We just ask that once we get home if you could call first. This way we can still get into a routine & have company too. Thank you ahead of time for respecting our wishes. It's already going to be a mad house. Haha.

On another note....Nate returned to work full time w/ no restrictions on Tuesday. He said he's in no pain, but physical therapy is killing him. He never realized how awful some of the exercises he's doing could make him be in so much pain. His calf muscles are killing him! We also met with a lawyer yesterday to get what money we didn't receive from workmans' comp. They have shorted Nate on a bunch of "regular" pay & we are looking to get what is owed to us. The lawyer doesn't get paid unless we collect & if we collect he gets 20%....so, we figure it's a win situation either way.

Well, the next update may be the arrival of Jordan :-) We will of course keep you posted & have lots of pics to take. Jordan's daddy has his camera all ready for her! Thanks again for all the thoughts & prayers. We are so thankful for all the love & support our family & friends have given us through our journey.

Love xoxoxo,
Nate, Rachel, Jordan & Doozer