Induction, Labour and Delivery

1 Day Before Induction

I am 41 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Excited, anxious and scared all wrapped up in one emotional package. Last night I was exhausted but at the same time felt the overwhelming urge to double check our hospital bag and ensure everything was easy to find and access in case we were leaving in the middle of the night.

So I turned up the crazy and ran around (when I say "ran" I actually mean slowing waddled) the house grabbing all the little things I still needed to pack. I made a snack bag for Steve (since I won't really be allowed to eat at the hospital, although I may sneak an apple sauce in). Then when I felt satisfied I snuggled into bed feeling a bit crampy on the front of my abdomen (near my belly button) and tried to relax.

3:26 am

I wake up with a contraction. I harness my yoga breathing techniques and a few moments later the contraction subsides. I'm a freaking physic! Of course there was a reason I HAD to pack a bag. Orrrrrr not. 

3:51am

I get a second (less painful) contraction and that's the end of that excitement. No more contractions, no more excitement.

This is the second time this has happened to me in the middle of the night and what a disappointment it is! You finally think labour is going to begin and instead its just some random contraction leading to a whole lot of nothing!

Preparing for Induction

Preparing yourself for labour striking at any moment is an entirely different thing than preparing for a scheduled induction. For the past 4 weeks (maternity leave) I've wondered when labour would start. The fact that it could be literally any moment, carried it's own set of anxiety but somehow it seems easier to me to just act in the moment and figure it out. Knowing I'm going into the hospital for them to start labour seems much more daunting. I know for sure that sometime between 8am and midnight I'll go into labour. It's happening, one way or another and that is kinda scary.

We chose to delay our induction by 2 days, giving labour an extra chance to start naturally. Since my pregnancy has been completely unremarkable and I am very healthy my doctor felt it was a very reasonable change of plans. I will say I was much more nervous for induction last week, now after delaying it and having a good discussion with 2 medical professionals in the maternity clinic about induction I feel much better about the whole process.

The scary part is wondering how I will respond to the induction. Will I react and have immediate contractions? Or will it be a slow annoying process of having to have the induction redone a couple of times.

Induction Day

Rise and shine! We woke up early and call the hospital to find out what time we will go in to be induced. 10:30am. Ok it's go time! Baby is officially going to be on his or her way! We load up the hospital bag and all of our goodies and head into the maternity ward at the hospital. We are put in a room and we wait for my doctor to come over to assess me. He comes and after my usual internal he says I have progressed enough for a sweep, which is completes and honestly wasn't so terrible. Just uncomfortable. After a discussion we decide that Cervidil is the best induction method for me. It is a wafer thin tab loaded with prostiglandin that they insert like a tampon. It can be left in for 24 hours and if you react to it it can be pulled out and the contractions should stop (let's emphasize SHOULD).

After an hour of observation of both me and baby we get sent home. Now what. Waiting, more waiting. It was a nice day so Steve and I go for a walk and sure enough that started contractions. By 5pm my contractions were regular and painful. By 11pm we were calling the hospital talking about coming in. They advised I could stay home longer if that's where I was comfortable. 30 minutes later my contractions had increased in frequency and pain to the point where I was no longer comfortable at home. The drive to the hospital was the fastest in history. I was contracting for 30 seconds every minute. 

Once in the hospital they began to monitor my contractions and the baby. 1 1/2 hours later they finally pulled out the Cervidil and waited to see how my contractions slowed. Except they didnt. They still came fast and furious. At this point, my "natural" labour plan went out the window and I opted for a shot of morphine. What a saviour! It took the edge off just enough so that we could go home and I could "sleep" for a few hours. I spent 1 1/2 hours in the tub that morning, falling asleep floating in the water then waking up to breathe through a contraction. 

Labour time!

As instructed, we called the hospital in the morning and went back in to be reassessed. I had progressed to 3cm dilated and had effaced some more as well, enough that my doctor decided to break my waters and admit me. Talk about an odd feeling. No pain, just a whole lot of fluid.We were moved to our labour and delivery room (where we would spend the next 5 days).

My timeline from here gets a little fuzzy but at some point the contractions came on hard. We tried the hot shower on my back and belly, although it felt nice, it didn't do much for pain relief. I'd had enough of that and wanted to get out. As soon as I had dried off the contractions ramped up to a whole new level. I could hardly stand or breathe through them. It got to the point where the contractions were 2 minutes long and close together. Too much to handle. I tried to suck on the gas, that did a whole lot of diddly squat. Then we tried the morphine again, absolutely zero pain relief. On to the next thing, an epidural. Ahhhh finally, some relief. The only trouble the the epidural was that it took more to one side than the other. And depending how I was laying down the pain relief would shift and leave some parts of my body. It wasn't perfect but it was so much better than before. 

Hours and hours pass by and I slowly progressed but then I started to run a low grade fever and although I was 8cm dilated my cervix was beginning to swell. Our sweet baby was essentially hitting it's head on my cervix and making it swell. Those 2 factors combined brought my doctor and the OB to advise a cesarean section would be best. NOT in the plan. But hell, this whole process wasn't planned. I went from no pain meds to trying every kind.  At this point I was so exhausted I just wanted our baby to be here and to be here safely. The prep began for my c-section. 

The great thing about c-sections at Langley Hospital is that they keep you, you partner and baby together at all costs. Even though I was strapped to a bed and being sewn back up I was still able to have our baby layed on my chest. It was a challenging surgery. Although you are numb from the tits down you can still feel whats going on in terms of pressure. The spinal tap (numbing) makes you shake uncontrollably and makes you nauseous (in my case, made me vomit). Steve watched mostly he entire surgery (being in the medical field he is far from sqeamish). My only wish was that he didnt have to have a mask on, I could only watch his eyes to see his reaction when he realized we now had a beautiful baby girl. Naturally I started bawling. He was able to cut the cord and the pediatrician on staff in the OR took some lovely photos of it all. 

By the end of it all, 32 hours of labour (from the start of my regular contractions) and a birth plan flipped completely upside down we finally had Wiggles in our arms. Our baby girl, Ella, perfect in every way, and just as wiggly as she was inside me.

My REAL Life With Baby

14 days late, 32 hours of labour (from the start of contractions) and an unplanned c-section later we finally welcomed a beautiful little girl into our family.

And then REAL life set in, and set in hard.

Here's the snapshot of what my actual life looks like on a daily basis now that our lil wiggles is here (and by the way, she is just as wiggly as we thought she would be)

Personal Hygiene

What is that again? I do manage to get a shower in everyday but that's about as far as it goes. On a daily basis I can be found walking around the house in my massive black granny panties with a huge ass pad strapped to them. Undies pulled up all the way to my belly button and covering a remarkable amount of real estate on my back side. I pair with that a sports bra and a tank top that is usually accessorized with wet spots on my boobs. I am sweaty the vast majority of the day and often forget to brush my teeth.

Sleep, Or Lack Thereof

How many times have you heard someone say "enjoy your sleep now" to a pregnant person or expecting couple. We heard that a lot and its obviously true but could you be any more vague? The real version of lack of sleep (at least for us) is the fact that from about 10pm - 3am she loves to feed and hates to settle down. There are nights where she cannot be settled down enough to actually sleep for more than 15 minutes. Steve and I essentially trade off when she can't be settled and eventually she tires herself out and will sleep. So yes, for a good portion of the night we are lucky to get 30 minutes of continuous sleep.

Buddha Belly

I never should have had high expectations for immediate weight loss after birth. Even after having an 8lb baby, all the fluid being drained and the placenta being removed I still only lost about 10lbs in the first week. We were in the hospital for 5 days after surgery, not because of me but because Ella wasn't getting enough food and was dropping too much weight.When we got home I got on the scale and found myself disappointed by the number. Numbers aside the shape and squishyness of my belly is probably the worst part. When we are driving and turn a corner or hit a bump my whole belly jiggles and wobbles. It's super lame and I cannot wait for it to tighten up. The reality of a post pregnancy belly isn't pretty. For me, I have multiple "rolls". From my lady bits to my incision is one lump of swelling, from incision to a couple inches below my belly button is another roll then from there up to my boobs is one big soft and squishy buddha belly. When I lay on my back it goes pretty flat (albeit still really soft) but as soon as I roll to a side it all falls to the side. I'm actually dealing with this no problem because I know its normal but I am dying to get my tight tummy back.

On the way...

I will be doing an entry regarding my induction, labour and delivery but my time to blog is few and far between. 

Week 41: Woah Now! What was that gush!?

Quick Recap: Still pregnant. What? You're looking for more detail? Big, more stretch marks (ugh), puffy feet again, walking a lot and eating lots of spicy food.

Peanut's Progression: Just growing. Doc estimates about 8.5 lbs. Still happy and healthy.

So I'm Over Due... Now What?

As per first baby protocol, our little wiggles is taking their sweet ass time arriving. Good thing I was SURE I would be early! No offense to my doctor, because I love him dearly, but I am SO sick of seeing him! At this point I see him every 3 days or so. Everything measures normally, baby's heart rate is strong and normal, and my good old cervix is still stuck at 1cm (although it is thinner).

I've become much more emotional after my appointments now because I am so desperate to have made more progress and for him to think I'm on my way to labour. The best cure for this has been to get my butt outside and run errands or go for a nice walk, mostly anything to keep my mind off going into labour.

As for technicalities, once you reach 1 week past due you should go in for an ultrasound and an NST (non stress test). I had both of mine today. The ultrasound is very fast. They are simply checking to ensure baby is surrounded by enough fluid. They often also check that your placenta and cord are still functioning well and supporting baby. The NST monitors baby's heart rate for 20 - 40 minutes and you push a button each time baby moves. They then compare the heart rate and the movements. Each time the baby moves the heart rate should increase and then reduce again.

Wiggles was good on both accounts. Really good NST and there is lots of fluid.

OMG What was that gush!?

What exactly does it feel like when your waters break? Who knows!? I sure don't but I certainly had a moment today thinking mine may have ruptured. We left the doctors office and before we even drove out of the parking lot I felt a small gush of fluid followed by another. I probably could have assumed that it was from my internal but the sensation didn't sit quite right with me.

Close your eyes, too much information coming your way.

On top of the fluid feeling, it was also bright red. If it was indeed my waters breaking that could have indicated bleeding of the placenta. So, I decided to wait until I was already at the hospital to ask about it and my short appointment turned into a couple hours. The trouble with doing this in the hospital is that there are only so many maternity doctors and well, babies come first. Of course while I was waiting someone else's lil munchkin decided to arrive so I had to wait for the delivery to finish before I could see the doctor. How jealous was I!?

If you are unsure if your waters have broken they have a couple different methods of checking. First is a paper test, it changes colour to indicate amniotic fluid (the problem here is that other things, like blood, can cause a false positive.) So the second option is to take fluid directly from your cervix, just like in a pap, and look at it under a microscope.

My test came back negative and I was sent home.

Early Labour Perhaps?

The doctor as the hospital left me with one thought, "I'd be surprised if we didn't see you back here this weekend"

Music to my ears! This morning I was woken up twice with a single contraction. At 6am, after waking for the second time, I couldn't get back to sleep because I was sure there would be another contraction and I wanted to time it. That contraction never came :(

After my appointment this morning, I began to have low back pain. That, coupled with the contractions and my possible "bloody show" today gave the hospital doc the idea that I may be entering early labour and would likely have the baby before my induction date! I don't dare hold my breath but that would be lovely!

Week 40: Yup, Still Pregnant

Quick Recap: 166lbs. Up 41 lbs from pre-pregnancy. Bit more pressure on pelvis from baby. Same ol Same ol for the most part. Still at 1cm dilated. Effaced to 2cm (I'll explain that later). Lots of braxton hicks when walking.

Peanut's Progression: Should be around 20inches long. Doctor estimates baby weighs about 8lbs. Heart rate was 136.

Dilation vs Effacement

Everyone always talks about "how far are you dilated" when really that actually doesn't matter nearly as much as how much you have effaced. I had no idea but your cervix is actually about 5 cm long (or thick, depending how you think of it) and before you give birth it completely thins out which means it is easier for it to stretch. Makes sense if you think about it. If you had two stretchy items, one 5cm think and one less than 1cm, it would be MUCH easier to stretch the thinner one.

So, that being said, my doctor is much more focused on how effaced I am. At this point I'm measuring about 2cm. Again, moving in the right direction but in his words "I'll see you next week" and he didn't mean in the hospital.

Maternity Leave in BC

What a process!!! If you happen to be a salaried employee consider yourself incredibly lucky! Applying for your EI will be much simpler. For me, I work part time and do a fair amount of overtime/fill in work. My paychecks can vary quite a lot. Services Canada made a change to EI as of last April which causes more work for your when applying but means you will get more money from them. Well worth the extra effort.

For Vancouver, you are able to enter in your 22 highest paid weeks (not pay periods) and that will bring up your average income and help offset any of the weeks where you may not have made very much money. Now here comes the annoying part. I would say 99% of employers don't pay you weekly so figuring out how much you made each week takes a bit of time. I had to go back through all of my timesheets to add up the hours, over time and holiday pay manually and then sort it from highest paid to lowest paid. Then adding into the system when applying is a whole other project.

I'll be happy I did it when we have more money coming in though.

The Hardest Part

Today is my due date, as if that means anything. No sign that labour is near. I am coping well but I would be more than happy to have contractions start at any moment. Before I actually say what the hardest part is let me preface it with a disclaimer. I am SO thankful for the large support group I have, so many family and friends are beyond excited for baby to arrive and are really involved in a great way. That being said, every day that goes by I get more and more messages asking if baby is here yet.

No matter how many times you tell friends and family "I will text you if something changes" it is still impossible for them not to ask. I have been that person so I understand it comes from a place a love. They are so excited to meet the little one and want to reach out to see how you are feeling. The trouble is, they don't realize that several other people are doing the same thing everyday and that almost every morning and night I feel frustrated that nothing has changed and baby is still stuck inside. I want nothing more than to be able to send that text and say "we are at the hospital, we'll let you know when baby arrives".

Now after all that, don't you dare stop sending me texts and messages and calling. I want to hear from you and I love to hear from you, just don't take it personally if I come across a bit crabby when I respond.

Week 39: I'm Not Nesting, I'm Bored Out Of My Mind!

Quick Recap: Weight has plateaued. Been sitting at 165 for a few weeks now. Belly is about 42 inches around. ALERT ALERT! Too much information coming at you in 3...2...1... Cervix is soft and dilated about 1cm. Lots of braxton hicks. Sleeping kinda sucks. Peeing way more than last week. Found more stretch marks.

Peanut's Progression: At this point Wiggles is just hanging out and enjoying the ride. More neural connections are made everyday but let's be real, he/she is just fuckin around in there, punching my cervix and kicking my ribs. Happy as a clam. And the lil bugger hasn't really dropped deep enough into my pelvis to start labour. Maybe tomorrow?

Maternity Leave = Bored as Hell = Nesting (or so I'm told)

Saturday marked my first day of maternity leave and naturally I found a million things to do! While I was still working I cherished my couple days off and chose to do little to nothing, now that I have literally nothing to do except relax I clearly have to do anything else BUT relax!

I managed to clean the whole kitchen, which doesn't mean put away dishes and wipe the counters. It means wipe all the cabinets and handles, wash and bleach the garbage bin, reorganize some cabinets, wipe down every appliance etc etc etc. Then of course there was laundry to do. And while I was at it I made sure to vacuum and then obviously noticed that the hall closet was in disrepair and would not function with our winter coats front and center. I refolded every towel and sheet, and reordered our coats for spring.

So tell me again what this nesting business is? Ok ok I know I'm nesting but part of this really is because I'm so bored. People keep telling me to rest but c'mon do you really expect me to park my ass on the couch for 12 hours a day watching tv or reading? That is NOT going to happen. Besides, I'm pregnant not sick. I may be slower and walk more like a penguin than I did before but I'm feeling great and may as well take advantage!

Cook, Cook, Cookin up a Storm!

What else do you do when you're bored and cleaning doesn't sound appealing, COOK! Make a crap load of freezer meals for those days when you aren't functioning well enough to even boil water.

For about $100, I made approximately 15 servings of meat lasagna, 6 servings of chicken cacciatore and 8 servings of beef chili. So that averages about $3.50 a serving. I'm sure if we added coupons to the mix we could have made it cheaper but I'm just happy to have a stock of food that just need to be defrosted and put in the oven (not the chili though).

Just today I made some healthy muffins too. Loaded up with zucchini and carrot! We'll pop those in the freezer too and will be great for a quick snack. 

Mirrors Are NOT Your Friend

I haven't seen my lady bits in months nor can I see my belly below what used to be my cute innie of a belly button. Which by the way, is SO popped that its actually flat now!

So before you get this visual of me trying to see my lady bits, that isn't where I'm going with this! I decided I needed to know for sure if I also had stretch marks (as I suspected I did) below my belly button. Since my skin is so stretched right now it's tough to tell but the stretch marks are shiny so if you get the light right you can see whats going on. I never should have grabbed that mirror. Of course I was right and I have a whole bunch of shiny squiggly lines below my belly button. I'm only left wondering what they will look like once my skin isn't a taute as a face lift gone wrong.

Breastfeeding Class

Fraser Health offers a 2 hour FREE breastfeeding class. It fills up quickly so I would recommend booking yourself in a about 3 months ahead of time.

It is super informative and full of great tips and tricks and really explains all the benefits of breastfeeding. My one criticism is that it really pushes only breastfeeding and discourages any kind of supplementation including breast milk in a bottle.

Obviously a breast feeding class is going to push "breast is best" and push it hard however I do think it can put some unnecessary pressure on Mom to feel like she has to be exclusively breast feeding for at bare minimum 6 months and if she doesn't then she is failing her baby. I hope to avoid formula at all costs because I would rather feed my baby what she/he is meant to have from nature. That being said, I also want the freedom to have a break and for Steve to enjoy feedings as well. I fully intend to pump so that we can share the responsibility of feeding and so that if I want to do back to back yoga classes I can do that because there will be a bottle of breast milk for the babe at home with Daddy.

I suppose I would leave you with one thought, sign up for informational purposes but in the end take it all with a grain of salt and remember, you need to do what is best for you and your baby and your family as a whole. And if that isn't what 1 person preaches, that is ok!


8 days left, but who's counting?!

Week 38: Counting Down!

Quick Recap: Uber emotional. No weight gain. Grease monkey hair. Car seat installed.

Peanut's Progression: Doc estimates the baby is about 6.25lbs. Should be around 19-20 inches. Still just getting chubby and bigger each day.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

Oh! Hi there pregnancy hormones! I've missed you! NOT!!! On Monday, for absolutely NO reason, I could not contain my tears. Any remotely sad song, cry. Think about our baby, cry. Something good happens, cry. Something not so good happens, cry. Cry cry cry cry cry!

This whole week my emotions have been quite topsy turvy. Happy one moment and depressed the next. Thankfully the happy moments outweigh the sad ones.

Give Me My Old Clothes Back!

I just want to wear my old clothes again! I've been wearing the same 5 tank tops for the past 6 months and I am SO OVER IT! Leggings, while SO comfortable. OVER IT! Give me back my skinny jeans!!! Maternity clothes are some of the most comfortable items I've ever owned but I can't wait to go shopping in my own closet again! There are so many great dresses and tops and JEANS I want to wear again.

Obviously I know that it will take a bit more time after baby arrives for those clothes to fit again but it will be nice to be one step closer.

Just a Grease Monkey

I'm not sure if its a weather thing or a hormone thing but for the past week I can no longer go more than 1 day without washing my hair. I'm assuming that using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner is completely unnecessary since my body is secreting more oils than usual. I have really noticed in the past month or two the lack of shedding as well. I read early on that you don't lose hair while you are pregnant but it took a while for that to happen for me. Now, I quite literally do not lose any hair! Steve even commented that he's noticed it missing from his clothes.

Itchy and Numb

The worst thing ever when you are itchy is not being able to feel a scratch. The numbness probably started 2 weeks ago but I just started really noticing it this week. Back when I was 15 I had my appendix removed, after the surgery I was left with some minor spots of numbness on my stomach that eventually went away. Until now. Although this time around it has nothing to do with surgery and everything to do with this big round belly!

As your belly grows your spine curves more to offset your posture so that you don't fall over. This correction can sometimes pinch nerves and cause numbness. The area around my bellybutton is now completely numb and let me just tell you, when my skin gets itchy, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to feel a nice scratch sensation to relieve that itch.

The Glider Fiasco

Finally our glider chair has arrived. The first one we ordered came very badly damaged so we sent it back. Sadly the colour combination is out of stock everywhere, even directly from the manufacturer. We settled on a light denim cushion and white wood. It's a bit more blue than I would have liked but at this point I am just happy to have something comfy to sit in for future feedings and cuddle times.

2 weeks left.... c'mon lil baby time to get out!

Week 37: Wow! This Baby sure is Loved!

The favour I made for the Baby Shower

Quick Recap: 164lbs (up 39lbs from prepregnancy). Feeling big and awkward. Group B Strep negative (whoo!). Labour and delivery class. Hospital tour. Baby Shower!! :)

Peanut's Progression: Officially full term (ok time to come out now!).19.25 inches. 6.3lbs. All organs ready for the outside world.

Labour and Delivery Class

The only thing my doctor has really hounded me about is signing up for a labour and delivery class. At $50 a couple I was hesitant because I figured I could just read it all on the internet. I ended up signing us up for the class and it was well worth the $50.

If you will be delivering at Langley I highly recommend you take this class (I'll put the contact details below). Two nurses (Trudy and Sandra) teach it and they are just fabulous! They have both been working in the maternity ward of Langley for 10+ years and are very funny and sweet.

A lot of the information given I already had a good idea about (mostly because of my pregnancy app obsession) but it was a great refresher and reminder that all my questions and concerns are totally normal. The most impactful part of the class was learning that my goals for birth are very closely aligned with those of the hospital. They want to keep baby and mom and dad together as much as possible. They even wait for the cord to stop pulsing before cutting it (I was shocked that they adopted this idea and it seems to be a more midwife/naturalistic viewpoint).

You will leave with a much clearer understanding of what to expect and probably feel more confident too!

If you are interested in taking their class (and are delivering at Langley Memorial Hospital) their number is: 604-229-2241

Hospital Tour

This was mediocre. It started off with a bitter taste in my mouth because of a nurse in maternity. I was told when I booked the tour to go to the maternity ward, so I did. I was greeted not so pleasantly by a nurse who told me (as if I should know) I needed to go to the basement. Well I don't know about you but thankfully, I haven't been in that hospital for 8 ish years, and I have no idea what floor you consider the basement. Sometimes I think staff at hospitals forget that this is a place most people (hopefully) don't have to visit very often and they probably have NO idea where anything is.

Anywho, once I finally made it to the correct room the nurse leading the tour was, well, more like one of those teachers you hated in high school. Instead of telling you what you needed to know, she insisted on asking everyone. "Who knows when to call the hospital?" "Do you swaddle babies still?" etc etc... It felt like high school all over again. I was more annoyed than usual because, well, let's recap... I'm 164lbs of big bulging belly, in short shorts because I can't help but sweat ALL THE TIME, I'm sticking to these vinyl seats because I wore shorts, my boobs are itching and I sure as hell won't be scratching in front of these strangers and my brain hardly functions regarding topics I know like the back of my hand. And you want me to answer questions about something YOU are the expert on?! Don't waste my time, just tell me what I need to know and show me where to waddle myself to.

The GOOD part about the tour was, well, the tour! It was nice to see the actual ward (even though its under renovation and could look totally different when I get there). We were shown really helpful things like where to keep our snacks and food, where hubby can get extra linens and ice packs for our tender bits after birth. Seeing the rooms was great too. I was surprised how spacious they are and I was SO excited to find it had a bath tub. Momma loves herself some baths so you best believe I'll be in that tub during labour. Now if only we could add a glass of wine to the mix!!

BABY SHOWER!!!

WOW! That is the only way I can start this section. I have never felt so loved or so special (except when Steve proposed of course). Until the past couple years I've always struggled to keep friendships alive. I didn't try very hard to keep in touch and also never felt that they put the effort in either. Something switched when I moved away and I got so much better at keeping in touch, maybe it was because I was so lonely living in a city where I knew no one. It was a change for the better and I must admit I just can't get over how much support I really have in my life.

As a self professed control freak it was SOOO hard to ignore the planning process and just let my girls take over. My bridesmaids took care of everything with some help from the grandma's to be and a few others. I can't express my awe at everything they did for me and baby. They remembered how much I've loved sour keys and used them as part of a game. They had a custom cake made with the PERFECT elephant to go on top. Filled the room with balloons and streamers and had so many delicious things to eat! Even got a whole pile of classic kids books and had guests write message in them.

Speaking of guests, I had no idea so many people would want to come and celebrate our little baby with me. I was truly touched by how generous our guests were and how truly thoughtful their gifts were. My only regret is not being able to talk to everyone more. I sat that night reading through the messages guests wrote in books for Wiggles and felt guilty for missing out on some of our guests. I can only reassure myself that there will be plenty of visits once the lil monkey is here and lots of time to talk then.

I've entered the last 3 weeks of this journey with a very full heart (and belly, that cake was SO yummy!)