Down the Stretch
Hey y'all, so sorry it has been a while. Things go a little slower when you're carrying an 8lb+ baby on your sciatic nerve who also loves to squish that "gotta pee" nerve.
That's right, 8lb 5oz at the latest ultrasound estimate which was Tuesday. Had both appts w/the maternal-fetal medicine doctor who i guess is a perinatologist who does the biophysical ultrasounds and the regular OB. We asked when they thought we might be delivering this big boy, and the OB said Nov 25 or 28 was his guess, the peri said Nov 30 if we could stall that long so he could have ample time to develop (big babies like that need more time to develop in the womb), but he is already so big, it would most likely be a c section if we waited that long.
Want more news to make it even more finger-nail biting? DH got his green card interview date scheduled in London. We applied for this thing 3 and 1/2 years ago, actually a little longer than that. He has been here on a temporary visa made just for spouses of US citizens who have to wait on the green card processing b/c it takes so damn long. Don't ask me why they created another visa to create more work for the same people who could just be working harder and faster on the green card applications - but that's what they did. Anyway, it is scheduled for Nov. 23.
It gets better (really, worse, depending on how you look at things).
Our friend and Rector of our church got DH's plane ticket to England since he has so many air miles and we have so little money (and just short on the air miles). Because it is around Thanksgiving, the only dates he could go are from Nov 20 to 30. But hey, it's a free ticket. We're crossing fingers and praying that DH will get his visa and be able to somehow get an earlier flight if he begs at the airport, even if we have to shell out a little more money, so he doesn't miss the baby's birth.
But, another snag. The embassy requires a medical exam and a police clearance/certificate at the green card interview. Without those, DH gets no visa. We have his medical scheduled for the day he arrives, the 21st, but they warned him it normally takes 3 days to send the results to the embassy. Not too bad, it would just take an extra day. They'll do the interview w/out the medical results and just wait for them to come in and issue the visa then if the interview and results are all good. But it's that darn police certificate/clearance that we're worried about. Minimum time it takes to get - 6 weeks. I have heard reports of some getting theirs in 2 weeks or even 10 days, but others have taken a month or more. Fingers crossed.
That's what could hold him up. He could not only miss his flight out on the 30th by not having the visa by then, but may miss the birth, and I'll be stuck alone with a newborn that doesn't come with a manual and probably having to also recover from major surgery (the c section, apparently it's hell to recover from, and I didn't recover quickly at all from my last surgery which was the gallbladder removal - I don't do recovery well). I do have my family here, but my mom works 12 hour shifts at the hospital and will most likely be there most of the time, my sister just got a new job where she isn't able to take off work, and my dad calls being productive going out and playing 18 holes of golf. He also can't even turn on the oven without my help (it's digital) and it has taken him months to realize that I can't bend over anymore to empty the bottom rack of the dishwasher, nor lean over and stretch enough to put most of the dishes away. He also forgets my diabetic diet constantly.
So, next week and the following week will be interesting to say the least. I'm trying to convince the boy to stay in, and pray that the police certificate comes at a miracle pace, and that DH can fly home earlier than his ticket is planned. Is that too much?
I've been having some practice contractions, or Braxton Hicks as they like to call them. But Doctors seem to be mistaken about these. For some reason they seem to think they're not painful at all. I think it is b/c most of them are men and don't get that menstrual crampy feeling and basketball tummy tightening and extreme lower back pain all at once. I almost had us on a hospital run, but called the Dr first who calmed me down and I made it through the night and saw him the next day. I'm dilated just a fingertip with a very soft cervix. But the good news is that I haven't had another night of contractions like that since. Just a few moments, but nothing that bad. Maybe Toby will wait for Daddy. Let's hope. Daddy has waited for Toby for a long time and I think will be heartbroken to miss his birth. Everyone who talks to DH tells me just how lucky I am, they've never seen a father-to-be more excited and informed about pregnancy and childbirth.
Trust me, I know how lucky I am. And I'm even luckier and more ecstatic that we're going to have a little mini-DH as well. What could be better than that?
That's right, 8lb 5oz at the latest ultrasound estimate which was Tuesday. Had both appts w/the maternal-fetal medicine doctor who i guess is a perinatologist who does the biophysical ultrasounds and the regular OB. We asked when they thought we might be delivering this big boy, and the OB said Nov 25 or 28 was his guess, the peri said Nov 30 if we could stall that long so he could have ample time to develop (big babies like that need more time to develop in the womb), but he is already so big, it would most likely be a c section if we waited that long.
Want more news to make it even more finger-nail biting? DH got his green card interview date scheduled in London. We applied for this thing 3 and 1/2 years ago, actually a little longer than that. He has been here on a temporary visa made just for spouses of US citizens who have to wait on the green card processing b/c it takes so damn long. Don't ask me why they created another visa to create more work for the same people who could just be working harder and faster on the green card applications - but that's what they did. Anyway, it is scheduled for Nov. 23.
It gets better (really, worse, depending on how you look at things).
Our friend and Rector of our church got DH's plane ticket to England since he has so many air miles and we have so little money (and just short on the air miles). Because it is around Thanksgiving, the only dates he could go are from Nov 20 to 30. But hey, it's a free ticket. We're crossing fingers and praying that DH will get his visa and be able to somehow get an earlier flight if he begs at the airport, even if we have to shell out a little more money, so he doesn't miss the baby's birth.
But, another snag. The embassy requires a medical exam and a police clearance/certificate at the green card interview. Without those, DH gets no visa. We have his medical scheduled for the day he arrives, the 21st, but they warned him it normally takes 3 days to send the results to the embassy. Not too bad, it would just take an extra day. They'll do the interview w/out the medical results and just wait for them to come in and issue the visa then if the interview and results are all good. But it's that darn police certificate/clearance that we're worried about. Minimum time it takes to get - 6 weeks. I have heard reports of some getting theirs in 2 weeks or even 10 days, but others have taken a month or more. Fingers crossed.
That's what could hold him up. He could not only miss his flight out on the 30th by not having the visa by then, but may miss the birth, and I'll be stuck alone with a newborn that doesn't come with a manual and probably having to also recover from major surgery (the c section, apparently it's hell to recover from, and I didn't recover quickly at all from my last surgery which was the gallbladder removal - I don't do recovery well). I do have my family here, but my mom works 12 hour shifts at the hospital and will most likely be there most of the time, my sister just got a new job where she isn't able to take off work, and my dad calls being productive going out and playing 18 holes of golf. He also can't even turn on the oven without my help (it's digital) and it has taken him months to realize that I can't bend over anymore to empty the bottom rack of the dishwasher, nor lean over and stretch enough to put most of the dishes away. He also forgets my diabetic diet constantly.
So, next week and the following week will be interesting to say the least. I'm trying to convince the boy to stay in, and pray that the police certificate comes at a miracle pace, and that DH can fly home earlier than his ticket is planned. Is that too much?
I've been having some practice contractions, or Braxton Hicks as they like to call them. But Doctors seem to be mistaken about these. For some reason they seem to think they're not painful at all. I think it is b/c most of them are men and don't get that menstrual crampy feeling and basketball tummy tightening and extreme lower back pain all at once. I almost had us on a hospital run, but called the Dr first who calmed me down and I made it through the night and saw him the next day. I'm dilated just a fingertip with a very soft cervix. But the good news is that I haven't had another night of contractions like that since. Just a few moments, but nothing that bad. Maybe Toby will wait for Daddy. Let's hope. Daddy has waited for Toby for a long time and I think will be heartbroken to miss his birth. Everyone who talks to DH tells me just how lucky I am, they've never seen a father-to-be more excited and informed about pregnancy and childbirth.
Trust me, I know how lucky I am. And I'm even luckier and more ecstatic that we're going to have a little mini-DH as well. What could be better than that?
<< Home