He's Here and He's PERFECT!!!!!!

I know that Jaden is over two months old, but I've had other things on my mind than keeping up with my blog, namely the most perfect little boy ever! :) Better late than never, here is the short version of his birth story...

Matthew and I checked into the hospital on Wednesday night July 21st. The doctors were going to perform cervical ripening that night and then induce me Thursday morning. However, the cervical ripening jumpstarted my labor, and I didn't need to be induced after all. I got an epidural at about 4 am when my contractions became unbearable (I was dilated to 3 cm). My water broke on its own at 5:20 am, and I was dilated to 4 cm. The next time I was checked was at 7:30, and I was already at 10 cm and plus 2. Matthew quickly called our parents to come to the hospital, and the doctors stalled until they got there. I started pushing at about 8:40 am, and Jaden Asher Gallagher was born at 9:09 am on July 22, 2010. Jaden was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 22 inches long. It was the most amazing feeling to finally meet my precious son! I was so happy and proud and in love!! :)

Induction...

I went to the doctor today (40 weeks and 4 days), and I am still not dilated more than a fingertip. Because I am overdue, my doctor wants to induce labor. We will go to the hospital Wednesday night for cervical ripening, and then we will induce on Thursday morning. We chose Thursday, July 22nd for Jaden's birthday to coincide with my Grandma's birthday and Matthew's Great-Grandma's birthday. We are excited for him to share his birthday with two such special people. :) Please keep us in your prayers over the next few days. The next time I write, I will officially be a mommy!!!

Due date is tomorrow!!!

Jaden is due to arrive tomorrow. However, as of Tuesday my cervix is still closed, so it's looking quite possible that I will be induced late next week. We will just have to wait and see if he wants to come on his own or with a little help from the hospital.

Here are some pictures of the completed nursery and of my belly (gray shirt - 37 weeks, pink shirt - 38 weeks, black shirt - 39 weeks).

37 week appointment

Yellow shirt - belly at 32 weeks
Purple dress - belly at 35 weeks

I went in for my 37 week appointment (it was actually at 36 weeks and 6 days), and the doctor said that everything looked great. My blood pressure was good, Jaden's heartbeat was good, etc. She also said that I am measuring at 37 and a half weeks, he is already head down, and he is probably between 5 and a half and 6 pounds right now. Very exciting! After our doctor appointment, we went to the hospital to preregister and take a tour of the labor and delivery department. It was good to find out where to go when I'm in labor (we learned not to go through the ER because they will charge us in addition to the normal L&D charges), to see the room where I'll be delivering, and to be able to ask our questions. Last week we put together the stroller and put the carseats in the cars. The nursery has been done for a few weeks, too. So, now we are just kind of waiting for Jaden to arrive. At my 36 week appointment, she said that I'm far enough along so that if I go into labor they won't stop me. Some websites say that 37 weeks is full-term and some say that 38 weeks is full-term, and I of course want him to be full-term when he is born. However, I do kind of hope he comes a little early (maybe a week?) so that I have extra time at home with him before going back to work. As a teacher, I am pretty lucky with the timing. My 12 weeks of FMLA won't start when he is born; it will start my first day back to work in the fall (mid-August), so no matter when he is born I will go back to work on November 8th. At the very most, it will be 4 weeks until Jaden is born (my doctor will induce if I make it to 41 weeks), and I can't wait to meet my sweet little boy! :)

The painted nursery and my belly at 31 weeks

31 and a half weeks

I went to the doctor today, and she said that everything still looks GREAT! :) I'm feeling pretty good. I'm just tired a lot, have round ligament pain, and still have occasional tummy aches. It's also getting harder to walk, bend over, etc. because my belly is growing so much, but the doctor says I'm measuring exactly where I should be. Jaden is very active, and I love feeling him move around. I still can't get over how cool it is to feel his little hands and feet.

We put together the nursery furniture on Sunday, and it looks really nice. We still don't have the bedding in there yet or anything on the walls. Hopefully, we will do that soon.

I had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day thanks to my AMAZING husband. He gave me an early gift in April of granite counter tops, travertine tile back splash, and a new sink and faucet for our kitchen. It looks so good!!! I wasn't expecting anything except for a card on actual Mother's Day because of my expensive gift. However, Matthew got me a bookstore gift card because he knows how much I LOVE to read. Isn't he the best?

I have only 13 days of work left until summer...

Gray/multi-color shirt - Belly at 29 weeks
Camouflage shirt - Belly at 30 weeks

30 weeks and counting...

I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks along! It has gone by so fast, and Jaden will be here before we know it! We painted the nursery on Saturday, and I LOVE how it looks. We painted three of the walls blue and the fourth wall brown. Now we just have to set up the furniture and bedding. I will post pictures once the nursery is finished. :)

There are just three and a half weeks until summer!!

Here is another picture of my belly. This one is at 27 weeks.