Happy Birthday, Baby Crosby!

After multiple text, emails, and phone calls from friends and family wondering if Crosby had made a healthy appearance into this world, I have finally found a free moment to sit down and update the blog...and my handsome little man is already a week and a half old! My sincere apologies for such a delay in his birth announcement!

Crosby Quincy Curtis

Born on Friday, February 7th 2014

9:11 PM, 8 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches

12 hours of labor, 10 pushes!

Crosby's labor in some ways was very similar to Carson's - started at the same time of day, (Carson 8:30 AM, Crosby 9 AM) and lasted 12 hours, both ending with just 10 pushes. But in other ways, it was a completely different experience!

I had had a week of "prodromal labor" which had left me utterly exhausted by the time we made it to that Friday. Contractions around the clock had kept me awake most nights, and by the time I made it to the hospital for the induction, I was looking forward to an automatic epidural and escaping any feeling in my body for a little while. And maybe even a few naps on and off as I waited for the baby's arrival!

We texted all of our family to let them know that we had arrived at the hospital, and eventually got a text back from Ryan's mom saying "I'm at the hospital too - I had my appendix out last night!" We also later learned that Ryan's family dog, Jessie, had passed away that same day. Between those events, and trying to fix our septic situation back at the house, Ryan did his best to keep his head in the baby game!

As soon as my doctor arrived, she checked me to see how dilated and effaced I was. I thought for sure after a week of intense contractions, I had to have progressed passed 3 cm and limited effacement...no such luck! I asked my doctor if she could try to break my water before she started pitocin, in hopes that it would kick start my prodromal labor into "for real" labor without needing the powerful labor inducing med. She tried her hardest, but was unable to access what she needed to in order for my water to break. 

Next she started the pitocin, and asked how long I wanted to wait before requesting an epidural. I said, wait? I have to wait? They put the order in right away, but just my luck, someone needed an emergency C-section, and the anesthesiologist quickly became otherwise occupied. I had about an hour of pitocin inducing contractions that rocked my world until I was relieved finally with an epidural. More power to women who choose to go without pain meds...but I am not one of them! Shortly there after, my water broke on its own.

While waiting for an epidural, they began pumping me full of saline, standard procedure for an epidural/pitocin combo.  6,000 ml of saline to be exact over the course of my entire 12 hour labor...I thought I was swollen and puffy before I arrived at the hospital...wait until you see how puffy I became over the course of labor! Luckily, most of the puffiness went away within 24-48 hours of Crosby's birth, except for my elephant size cankles...I would say as of today (a week and a half later) they are finally shrunken back down to normal size! I do wish I looked a little more dashingly beautiful in my post birth photos like most celebrities do following the grueling birthing process...but alas, I digress :) 

Lets get this party started!

Last photo as parents of only one kiddo!

So from about 10 AM until 8 PM, I felt like I just relaxed and enjoyed the ride! I snoozed on and off all day (I was exhausted when I arrived at the hospital!) watched some Olympics on TV (score for perfect timing of the start of the games with my labor!) Chatted it up with our awesome nurses, and visited with my mom who spent much of the day at the hospital with us helping us sort out our septic contractor issues! (THANKS, MOM!) I also ate a bunch of cherry Italian ice, which you will note on my lips in many of the pictures! :)

Both our nurse and doctor said that my contractions and Crosby's heart rate were textbook perfect through out the entirety of my labor, which was great news as pitocin can often be touch and go during inductions. Eventually around 8 PM, I had reached 10 cm and was fully effaced and it was show time! This is where things played out quite differently between my two labors! With Carson I remember having lots of adrenaline, lots of cheering and coaching from Ryan and nurses, the mood was GO GO GO! With Crosby, I was so sleepy I literally started dozing off in between contractions. My doctor was tied up with some other critical situations that evening in labor and delivery, so no one seemed to be in any rush to have this baby, including myself! 

Pushing kind of went like this:

Nurse: You are having a contraction, do you feel like pushing?

Susie: Nah, I am kind of tired, I think I will sit this one out.

Nurse: How about this one?

Susie: Alright, I'll give this one a try!

After about 8 pushes throughout 15 or so contractions, the nurse called my doctor into the room, and after two more relatively easy pushes, out came Crosby! The first thing I noticed was how blue he was! I don't remember Carson being that blue! Next we waited for him to cry for what felt like an hour...but was probably more like a minute...nothing...literally five minutes later all we heard were small whimpers, not big cries. The nurses began cleaning him off and vigorously rubbing him and massaging him, and he finally let out a big scream! What Ryan will tell me later was that Crosby had the cord wrapped around his neck multiple times! This most likely caused his blue color and lack of deep breathes immediately following delivery. 

And the rest is history! Here are some raw and beautiful pictures capturing such a special event!

Hi, Baby!

Finally a scream!

So nice of the nurses to round up to 8 lbs 4 oz!

Welcome to this world, Crosby!

Happy, tired, and puffy Mama!

I know you!

 

Getting pink!

First bath!

Swaddled...our favorite state of being!

Its cold out here, can I go back in?

Proud Daddy!

Crazy to think that Crosby weighed more then 2 lbs heavier than Carson at birth...its like a whole different type of baby to handle! He has very long fingers and very long feet. Perhaps he will have some Moffitt height just like his Grampa Moose! His feet are so big that they did not fit on the stamp pad for his footprints, therefore his toes do not appear on his birth record!

Big feet just like his Mama!

Because Crosby was born after Carson's bedtime, Carson came to meet his new baby brother first thing on Saturday morning. It was super cute as Crosby was resting in his hospital bassinet which is above Carson's eye level. So when he walked into the hospital room, Carson was so confused as to where this infamous baby was! Carson insisted on bringing a birthday gift to Crosby (a yellow ducky rattle) and Crosby returned the gesture by gifting Carson three new trains (Henry, Gordon, and Edward) for Carson's already massive train collection, which made Carson's day! He wanted to hold Crosby (so cute) which lasted for all of 30 seconds before he announced that he was ready to go to music class with Grammy. Grammy was able to get a few snuggles in before they had to leave. Overall, it was a great introduction and debut between big and little brothers!

We stayed at the hospital from Friday to Sunday, and enjoyed bonding with our boy, as well as visits from lots of friends! On the last night we were there, the hospital served as a "stork dinner" which was delish! I had filet minion, and Ryan had scallops! It was so romantic, especially since Crosby slept through the whole thing! 

Hi Debbie!

Future friend, Mason with his parents, Michelle and Darryl

Friends Jess and Stephanie (hiding from the camera!) meet Crosby!

Fabulous final dinner!

Eventually it was time for us to leave the hospital. The going home outfit I packed for Crosby barely fit him! Loved his elephant hat though...

And with that, we were off to start our lives at home as a family of 4! Special thanks to my mom for taking such great care of Carson while we were at the hospital, it was so comforting to know he was safe and secure while we took our time getting to know our new little guy!

More posts to come about our first week home when I find a few free moments of time...Ryan goes back to work tomorrow and Grammy leaves on Thursday! (eeeeek!)

38 Weeks - Final Weekly Update!

A lot has gone on this past week, too much to fit into my normal blog format! In fact, this will be my last weekly blog update before Crosby is born!

I went to my 38 week appointment this past Friday which lead to some unanticipated events! My blood pressure was measuring high, I was very puffy and swollen, and apparently my reflexes (when they bang your knee with the hammer?) were not up to snuff. This caused my obgyn to be concerned about pre-eclampsia. She decided to send me upstairs to labor and delivery to be monitored for a few hours and have some labs done.

Before I went up, she checked me and determined that I was still 3 cm dilated, and had not progressed much in the effacement department either. She explained that if I did end up having pre-eclamspia, I would be induced this weekend, so she might as well strip my membranes to get the ball rolling. So she did! And it hurt…a lot…

I went upstairs and was hooked up to the fetal monitor for about 2 hours. During this time, I started having mild contractions which were apparent on the screen. All of my labs came back normal, and my blood pressure eventually dropped down back into the normal range. They couldn’t discharge me until they confirmed that Crosby had a normal resting heart rate…the only problem was Crosby didn’t feel much like resting! For the entire two hours I was there! My doc eventually gave me the ok to head home.

So with the threat of early induction off the table, it was time to wait the 24-48 hours after a membrane stripping to see if I went into labor. Into labor I went…but not in the way you might imagine! I started a vicious cycle known as “Prodromal Labor” which by definition is:

1. “Pre” Labor that may begin hours or days before active labor.

2. Contractions may feel like Braxton Hicks but sometimes they can be much stronger.

3. Unlike true labor, where contractions usually become longer, stronger and closer together, prodromal contractions are irregular in duration, length and intensity.

Basically, I have had contractions, sometimes extremely painful ones, around the clock since last Friday. Today is day 6 of wondering if it will ever develop into the real deal! Last night, my contractions were so strong and painful and about 7 minute apart that I thought for sure we would be heading to the hospital.  But alas, they eventually tapered off.

In general, I would consider them mild to moderate in intensity, and occur between 15 to 30 minutes apart…all…day…and…night. Needless to say, I am exhausted, as sleeping has not been great! Having had my membrane’s stripped on Friday, my mom ended up flying in this past Saturday, which has been amazing. Not only has this allowed Carson the opportunity to warm up to her prior to our hospital stay, she has been a huge help while I have been feeling less than human these past few days! Thanks goodness I stopped working last week…I am not sure how I could have managed!

I called my doctor yesterday just to give her an update on my perpetual labor, and she recommended that we move my induction date from Tuesday February 11^th, to Friday February 7^th. I will be 39 weeks that day, and my doctor feels that a week of almost full blown labor physically and emotionally is enough! So we have a new potential birth date! 2/7/14! A good date, as 2 x 7 =14! In less than 48 hours, Crosby should be making an appearance….eeeek!

Some other crazy things have happened this week while I have been on the verge of legit labor. Some of you may remember when I was pregnant with Carson, our septic system blew back into our house and flooded the basement, less than 24 hours from when we were to go to the hospital for his induction, thanks to a crack in the septic pipe that lead from the house to the leech field. HORRIFYING! The septic people made the repairs while we were at the hospital. Well…Wednesday night, I decided to take a bath to try to calm my crazy intense contractions, and when the tub was draining…the same exact thing happened again! Septic water spewing back into the basement in the same manner! Poor Ryan was up until 1 AM cleaning up. The septic people came first thing this morning, and determined it was just a simple blockage, so we are now all set. Phew! But unbelievable that it happened yet again right before our child’s birth!

The other crazy event this week was the huge snow storm that occurred today. We were projected to get about 14 inches! I think we ended up with around a foot. Ryan worked from home for the day, and Carson’s daycare was closed so Ryan, Susie, Grammy, Carson, and Chomper were all snowed in together…and survived! For once I was actually willing the contractions away, instead of hoping that they ramped up into active labor. The last thing I wanted to do was make my way to the hospital during the storm! Luckily, the contractions stayed pretty calm and manageable today.

So there you have it! Ryan and I are scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 7 AM this Friday! We hope to keep everyone in the loop via the blog as things progress…here’s hoping for productive labor that results in a healthy baby in our arms! 

Last Bump Pic!

37 Weeks!

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Baby Size: a Beach Ball for the rest of the pregnancy! Tell me about it!

Current Symptoms:  Contractions! The real deal! All the time! Only problem is that they seem to come and go...I have them pretty much every night but they never stick around. Sunday I had them on and off all day long. This was somewhat exciting as I was 3 centimeters dilated at my 37 week checkup last Friday! I know that some women have walked around for weeks at 3 cm…but the fact that I went from 1 to 3 cm in one week was a fast pace! Regardless, as of today I have two weeks or less before we meet Crosby, as I am penciled in on the hospital calendar for an induction on February 11^th, whooo hooo! I think my mom is chomping at the bit! She was ready to fly in last week when I called to tell her that I was 3 cm. I think she is leaning towards arriving sooner rather than later, since Crosby appears to want to arrive sooner rather than later as well.

What's Different: Sometimes I forget that for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy with Carson I was on bed rest. Although bed rest seemed boring at the time, it sounds pretty awesome right now! I am utterly exhausted by the end of the day, and feel as though I am providing mediocre clinical insight to my clients at this point. I am not sure how some women work all the way up until they go into labor, its exhausting just to think about! I have two days of work left before I terminate with my last client, and then I will have a little self-imposed bed rest (or running around like a crazy person taking care of last minute things!) before Crosby decides to arrive. I will say that it is nice to be able to wrap things up at work, unlike last time. I wasn’t able to terminate with any clients when pregnant with Carson since my bed rest was so sudden. Tying up loose ends and saying goodbye to many kiddos that I have worked with for the last few months/year has provided me with some nice closure!

Carson Comments: This past week, Carson’s perspective on this pregnancy has turned from pure excitement to exhausted anticipation. We have been talking about his baby brother coming for what must seem like his lifetime at this point, and he is beyond ready for him to arrive. He has gone from saying that Crosby will come in “three more days!” to “five more minutes?” I think he is over me being pregnant just about as much as I am. I am borderline worthless to him at this point. I can’t pick him up. I can’t play on the floor, I am tired all the time, I am often grumpy and short with him, and he is so ready for the old Mommy to be back in action. The other night when I was tucking him in to bed he asked “Mama, when that baby comin’ outta your belly?” followed by a big sigh. Poor buddy! Can’t wait to scoop Carson up and spin him around again. Soon!

Daddy Updates:  Ryan has consistently been attentive and focused on Carson’s needs throughout this pregnancy, especially when it comes to what will happen with Carson (and Chomper!) when I go into labor. Best case scenario, Grammy will be here and all will be well. In the last week especially, Ryan says that he has been overwhelmed and grateful for the number of people (both good friends as well as new acquaintances) that have volunteered to be “on call” for Carson and Chomper in the event of a 2 am water breakage, to cook a meal after the baby is born, or to host Carson for a playdate after we are home from the hospital. The outpouring of generosity from our NH supports has been amazing! Thank you to all who have reached out to us. Since we have limited family supports close by, it means more than you know!  

Baby Prep: I think the baby prep was complete when we finally dragged out the diaper genies! Carson has been potty trained for about 6 months, so they have been “airing out” in the garage for quite some time. There are always little things I think of each day that need to be done, such as some tweaks to the nursery, getting ready for my mom to arrive, etc. but I think we are in a good place in terms of the “must have accomplished before baby arrives” type of items. And my hospital bag is officially packed! Its sitting down by the basement door, ready to grab in a moment's notice!

Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to seeing how all of this plays out. You can only plan so much before just letting go! I definitely have anxiety around a handful of things. I don’t want Carson to see me in pain. He tends to be very sensitive when I am upset or hurt and often starts crying himself. I am hopeful that he is either sleeping or at school when I go into labor!  I am dying to know if Crosby will come early or on time, and if my labor will be long or short. I can’t wait to meet this baby! I can’t wait to see how big (or small) he is compared to his brother. I can’t wait for him to meet his amazing brother! Will Crosby look like a Moffitt like Carson, or more like a Curtis? I can’t wait to see Ryan snuggling with him as we all get to know each other at the hospital. So much to look forward to!

36 Weeks!

 

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Baby Size: a Ukulele

Current Symptoms:  Heavy Breathing! I don’t remember this being a noticeable issue with Carson, but Ryan has been commenting on how loud my breathing has become.  He notices the most when we have gone to bed, right before falling asleep. I knew it was really bad when both Ryan and my friend Stephanie noted that I sounded like Darth Vader while watching the Patriots/Broncos game this past weekend. I don’t even notice it happening, but I guess I do need to exert more effort these days to get a good breath in! Stephanie joked that she hoped I didn’t have to sneak up on anyone anytime soon! I wonder if my clients notice during sessions…

Overall, I am just feeling huge and sluggish. Doctor confirmed that I have indeed dropped, and that Crosby was essentially ramming his head into my tailbone, causing me a great deal of lower back pain. When I went to pool based PT last week, I begged the guy to just let me float on a noodle for a half an hour, giving me some much needed relief…until I got out of the pool! Today with my land based PT, she attempted to pop my pelvis back into its correct position, however Crosby literally started to battle with her. With one swift movement that she could observe herself from the outside of my stomach, Crosby would pop it right back out of place! She tried this three times before admitting defeat!

Other things I learned at my 36 week appointment last Friday…I am 1 cm dilated, and tested negative for Strep B. This is good news as it means I don’t need a round of antibiotics during delivery. My doctor and I came up with a sort of timeline/game plan for delivery. Our game plan takes into consideration the hope for my mom to make it to NH in time for delivery as well as not wanting me to have to endure this extreme pelvic discomfort any longer than necessary, while also wanting Crosby to be as healthy as possible. My mom flies in the evening of Wednesday, February 5^th. I will be 39 weeks as of Friday, February 7^th and have a checkup with my doc that morning. The doc plans on stripping my membranes at that time in hopes of moving things along naturally. She said that labor will start in 24-48 hour after a stripping for 50% of women. Basically, if my body is ready, it will work. She wants me back in her office on Monday morning, February 10^th if I do not deliver over the weekend to check my status. If Crosby still is not budging, then I officially have an induction scheduled for Tuesday, February 11^th, which is the date closest to my due date (2/14) that my doctor is On Call.  Realistically, Crosby could come any day now, no matter how much planning I try to do! J But I will say its nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel.

What's Different: Over the last week, I have experienced something with Crosby that I never noticed with Carson and its AWESOME! Normally, feeling the baby move has been cool…but also, annoying, awkward…and sometimes painful.  I never went gaga over it like some other women do. The other night I had my cell phone resting on my stomach and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the phone ever so slightly moving up and down in a rhythmic motion. There was no way the baby was kicking in such precise increments. It was too slow to be a heartbeat (such as my own) and too fast to be hickups. I couldn’t really feel it, just see it. I held my breath to see if it was my own breathing, nope! 

After doing some googling, I determined that I was witnessing the baby “practice breathing!” SO COOL! Apparently if the baby’s back is pressed tightly up against your stomach, you can actually see its rib cage moving in and out taking practice breaths of amniotic fluid. The articles I read said that it is not a common thing to see, and can usually only be seen in thin women (whooo hooo??). I notice it a few times a day at this point. Apparently it is a sign of a very healthy baby if you can actually see them practice breathing from the outside! Usually you can only see it via an ultrasound.  It honestly was the first time I have felt super connected to this kiddo in a gushing, warm all over feeling kind of way! Only took 36 weeks! J

Carson Comments: Carson has become increasingly aware of the physical detriments of being pregnant, particularly if I grab my lower back in pain, or need to sit down because I am dizzy, etc. Lately he has been taking note of when I have a contraction, which seems to happen a few times an evening these days. He asks all sorts of questions such as “why you makin’ that face?” “You want a blanket for your belly, make it feel better?” And his most recent addition is to go up to Daddy and do a full on impression of what I look like during a contraction including the facial grimace, grabbing of the belly, and moaning! He cracks me up because he is so spot on!

We talk a lot about the day that Crosby decides to come, and refer to it as Crosby’s birthday. This past weekend, Carson became a bit anxious about the fact that he did not have a birthday present for Crosby. Makes so much sense! So we took him to Babies r Us and let him pick out an item to bring to the hospital for his little brother. He chose a very nice ducky rattle, which I am sure Crosby will love! He is so proud of his choice!   

Daddy Updates:  This week, Ryan is focused on some major future planning for both of our kiddos. He is currently as I type at a town meeting regarding the future of the high school in our town. The current high school is literally falling apart. There is a proposal for plans for a new high school being discussed this evening, which the town will vote on in March. We are all for a new school for two reasons. First, we are not sure we will live in this town forever, and feel that a newly built high school would be a good selling factor if we were to ever put our house on the market. Second, if we do end up staying in this town, we want our children to have the best education and resources at their school possible! I am grateful that Ryan has been involved and interested in our town deliberations during this process!

Baby Prep: I spent a decent amount of time rearranging Carson and Crosby’s massive walk in closet this week, as now it houses two kids worth of clothes! I also sold some unneeded baby items on eBay…made $53, not too shabby! Last night I googled a bunch of different websites and made an ultimate hospital bag packing list for both Ryan and I. We didn’t bring any snacks to the hospital when we had Carson….what were we thinking?? We will definitely be stocking up on snacks this time around. I sanitized a bunch of bottles and new nipples. Put a new breathable crib bumper on the crib. Lots of little loose ends being tied up during the last few weeks!

Crosby Clothes!

Breathable Crib Bumper

Looking Forward To: Physically, I am honestly looking forward to not being pregnant! I know all women feel miserable in the last few weeks or pregnancy, but I feel like I can play the “I have a pelvic issue that most pregnant women don’t experience that causes pain above and beyond the norm” card. I miss picking up Carson, or playing with him on the floor, or chasing after him. I miss pain free sleeping. I miss being able to snuggle with my husband, among other things! I miss not feeling like a beached whale. So for the reasons mentioned above, I am looking forward to having three weeks to go (or less!) from today!  

Just for fun, here is a comparison of Carson at 36 weeks and Crosby at 36 weeks...talk about a difference in size! I am going to put my guess in now that Carson may have been 6 lbs at birth...but Crosby will be closer to 8.5!

 Carson at 36 weeks

Crosby at 36 weeks

35 Weeks!

How Far Along: 35 weeks

Baby Size: a Ukulele

Current Symptoms:  I am SWOLLEN! I feel like the Pillsbury Dough Mama. By the end of the day, my hands and feet are definitely puffy. Once or twice a week I am super puffy, like can’t fit my already large feet in shoes, puffy. Thank goodness for moccasins! You’ll probably note from my bump pic that even my face is looking a little puffy these days. My wedding rings came off months ago, but I have been wearing a nice ring since then that I gifted myself when I was pregnant with Carson. My ring size is normally a 5.5, but this preggo ring is a 7.5. Well guess what, even that doesn’t fit anymore! I am trying to drink as much as possible to help with the swelling but sometimes it just doesn’t work. Fortunately, I have not developed any other symptoms that might be red flags for pre-eclampsia. Thank goodness it is winter, I can’t imagine how puffy I might be if it was summertime!

Another possible pregnancy development is that I have had a total of 4 people (one being my physical therapist) comment that it looks like I have dropped! I can’t really tell by looking at myself, but when I am sitting in a chair or driving my car, it feels like my stomach is now resting on my lap, something I did not feel last week. I get a similar feeling when walking up the stairs, my thighs seem to be marching into my stomach, which perhaps is laying lower! I am curious to see if my doctor notices anything at my 36 week appointment this Friday.

What's Different: Size continues to be different. I hope I don’t sound like a broken record! It is becoming an issue this time around because pretty much none of my maternity pants that are work appropriate fit anymore. Today I wore yoga pants to work, I don’t think the kids cared! I have also been rocking my maternity leggings as frequently as possible – a fashion trend that I feel I can only pull off while pregnant!

Carson Comments: Carson had an absolute blast this past weekend attending our hospital’s Sibling Class. We mentioned the class to him early in the week, and he misunderstood believing that we were going to go “pick out” Crosby at the hospital on Saturday. We had to tell him over and over that it was just for practice! At the class he learned how to hold a baby, how to swaddle a baby, and how to change a baby’s diaper. He also was shown examples of the hospital bracelets that Crosby will wear, the clip that goes on baby’s bellybutton, the knit hats, hospital bassinettes, and many more items! His absolute favorite part of the class was the tour they gave of the Family Center. He got to see what a hospital room looks like, where the nursery is, got to meet a few nurses, see the waiting room, and most importantly the snack room! The class was totally worth taking, and I think Carson was the perfect age to grasp what they were teaching. Perhaps the funniest moment is when we exited the parking lot, Carson stopped and asked “Why isn’t Grammy here to pick me up?” He is so down with our birthing game plan, and ready for his baby brother to arrive!

Daddy Updates:  Ryan says that he is trying to get in as much “Carson Time” as possible these next few weeks, and running Mama ragged in the process! Last week we started up our music class again, as well as took Carson ice skating for the first time. This weekend, Ryan wants to take Carson to an open gymnastics group for toddlers, get him a haircut, go to church, as well as take him swimming.  I am crossing my fingers that I will have enough energy to make it through this weekend’s worth of activities! Ryan appears to greatly empathize with Carson’ last moments as an only child!

Baby Prep: Many of the final touches of baby items that I ordered last week have been delivered this week. Its been fun sorting through the new items, as much of Crosby’s baby gear is a hand me down from Carson. We installed the car seat and base in Ryan’s car, so that is good to go. I have started to assemble my diaper bag for the hospital little by little. I am winding down with my clients in the next week or two, which feels surreal! We have somewhat entered into “waiting mode”. If this baby came tomorrow, I think we would be pretty much prepared!

Looking Forward To: My 36 week checkup this Friday.  I am curious to see if my obgyn agrees that I have dropped. I think she will be doing my Step B test to see if I need antibiotics during delivery, which means while she is “down there” she may be checking to see if I am at all dilated or effaced. Any little hint that suggests that this baby is on its way in the near future would be very exciting! Today is January 14^th, so I am officially one month away from my February 14^th due date….but here is hoping that he decides to arrive sooner! J