I can't believe it has already been 3 weeks since I last posted anything. Time is flying by! Let me fill you in on the past several weeks...
Week 35 was chaotic. I finished up my Medicine 2 rotation, so I was studying for the shelf exam most of the week. I found that my motivation to study was significantly diminished compared to several months ago. I guess stacking my rotations back-to-back makes you burn out a little easier! I ended up with my first full weekend off in a long time, and spent it enjoying the beautiful weather and getting the house ready for baby. It is incredible the amount of junk that piles up in every crevice over a relatively short period of time!
On August 12th, the Schroll ladies threw us a beautiful baby shower at their house. We spent the evening laughing with friends and talking about the significance of our names and funny baby stories. As usual, these ladies went way above and beyond everything I could possibly expect, and the shower was amazing! From the adorable onesies spelling out "baby boy" to the themed cookie favors, they were so thoughtful and must have worked so hard to put it all together. Also, so many friends and family members were there to celebrate with us, which was amazing! It is nice to get to see everyone and catch up, as time gets away from me so quickly these days, and I just feel like I don't get to see them very often. The shower was also wonderful in the fact that it helped us completely finish off the baby's room! Our amazing friends pitched in to buy us the most beautiful bedroom set that is all in the jungle theme! We love it! To top it off, we got some amazing gifts from the Brennan side of the family. All of the Brennan ladies pitched in to buy us a rocking chair and our stroller! We have been so blessed by everyone! I am so grateful to everyone for going out of their way to celebrate our new little guy with us! We are so blessed to be able to bring him into a world with family and friends who will surround him in love, as they have already without him being here yet. Thank you to all of our incredible family and friends!
At 36 Weeks I started a new rotation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Taking care of premature babies that are born at 23-24 weeks, as well as babies will all kinds of congenital malformations and other issues really makes me grateful that I have been lucky enough to carry our little guy to full term. I cannot imagine facing the long hospital stays and the outcomes that many of these little babies will face for the rest of their lives. It is a blessing to get to take part in the care of such fragile little lives. It really reminds you how precious life is, and how miraculous it is that we can even grow these tiny babies from just a few cells all the way to intricate and functioning babies that will grow and flourish into children and adults someday.
Mom and I went to our 36 week appointment on August 14th. The doctor said that everything was going fine, and told me that I was 60% effaced but not yet dilated. I think this was a little nerve-racking for my dad, who happened to be leaving for China for 9 days the next day! But luckily, you can walk around for weeks partially dilated without having the baby, so things were looking right on track.
During week 37, I started taking overnight call in the NICU. It had been a little over a month since the last time that I had to spend the night in the hospital, and yet my emotional status feels like it has changed so much. The first day that I was supposed to be on call, I felt down all day about staying in the hospital, and ended up calling Derek to tell him that I was sad and wanted to come home. It seemed so silly in my head, but yet I feel so home-sick. Really, I just wanted to sleep in my own bed with my husband and kitty. Lucky for me, I have an amazing husband who decided that he would try to make it a little easier for me by driving down the the U of M to sit and have dinner with me so that I would get to see him before I went to bed. We enjoyed a nice little dinner at Davanni's and were able to sit and chat for a little while without my pager going off. It was so sweet of him, and it was amazing how much it made a difference in making time go quicker for the night. Also, Derek has been really helping me getting things done around the house. Last night I came home to the recycling and garbage cans outside, the cats litter box cleaned, and the kitchen clean. Its amazing what a difference it makes to have these little jobs done. As I get larger, each little job seem to take just that much more energry!
Derek and I went to our 37 week appointment yesterday (August 22nd), and she told us that I am now mostly effaced and am dilated to 0.5-1cm. Really minimal dilation, but things are moving in the right direction.
Here I sit, on call again tonight, also lucky enough to have my amazing husband meet me for dinner again tonight! The night is flying by, 2 new babies stable so far. Im hoping for a little sleep and then anticipating a wonderful weekend with our families. My dad gets home from China tomorrow, and he will be glad to know that the baby has not come without him here. Vicky also gets home on Saturday, so when the are both home, I am considering it fair game for the little guy to get here. I am feeling about ready for him to come... maybe not so excited for the after math and the fact that I will literally be tearing myself apart to bring him into this world, but I know that getting to meet him will be completely worth it! Hopefully that moment will be soon!
