Started August 31, 1999 If you are interested in following a do-it-yourself pregnancy and birth through from start to finish, bookmark this page and come back to check the updates. My husband and I are expecting our 8th baby. We have 5 boys and 2 girls so far, so I would really love to have a few more girls to try to even the numbers a little. We had our last 5 babies at home as unassisted births, meaning there was no doctor or midwife present. We did our own pregnancy care and birthed at home. At the bottom of this page, you can find a "netmind" link, where you can give your email address and you will be notified by email every time this page changes.

My Pregnancy Journal - Due mid-to-end of May, 2000

July 4, 1999 - first day of a normal cycle, lasting 31 days.

August 5, 1999 - LMP - It was a normal period, lasting approximately 6 days.  Nothing out of the ordinary that I can remember. Had a negative PG test on August 4.

August 23, 1999 - I noticed that I had had to get up out of bed to go pee three nights in a row. Curious, as that is my first pregnancy symptom, but it is only 18 days into my cycle. Hmmm. Pregnancy is possible, but I won't have a + test for at least 2 weeks, since I have had negative tests until 5 days late for a period most of my pregnancies.

August 24 - Again, I had to get up to go pee during the night. Also, I noticed I needed to pee frequently during the day. (This is my only EARLY pregnancy symptom!!) Really wondering now, and even mentioned the situation to dh earlier in the day. Later on in the day, as I realized that I needed to pee yet again (!) and I had not been drinking anything more than usual, I decided to use one of the pregnancy test strips that I sell on my web site. I certainly did not expect to have a positive result, as I was only 19 days into my cycle, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to see what would happen. IT WAS POSITIVE!!!! I could not believe my eyes!! I was not really expecting it to turn positive. I was only 19 days into my cycle!!  

This is too weird, I thought. Maybe the test is wrong! So I did another test with a new sample. STILL POSITIVE!!! Hmmm... these test strips are really super-sensitive to detect hCG at only 19 days since LMP!! But then, as I thought more about this, I began to wonder if perhaps I was pregnant during my last period on August 5th. I have heard that some women do continue to have periods for 3 or 4 months into a pregnancy and wondered if perhaps I had (that has never happened to me before, but anything is possible). But from what I have been able to find, these "periods" are not the usual "period," but more like heavy spotting. (If someone reading this has more info about this phenomenon, please email me.) Later on, as I continued to think about what could be going on, I remembered reading somewhere that one reason pregnancy tests might have a positive result early is because the hCG level could be elevated. One reason that hCG levels could be elevated is that there are 2 or more babies!! (There are other reasons that hCG could be elevated, but I like the twin aspect the best!!) Several times over the last few months, I had prayed that God would bless us with twin girls since I had been anticipating a pregnancy for sometime.

When dh got home that evening, I handed him a note which read: "Congratulations on your Promotion!!! It has been recently decided that you will be receiving a promotion. You'll still be working in the same area, but with increased supervisory and quality-control duties. You are to be congratulated for being considered faithful and being singled out for this great honor. Your responsibilities will increase and so will your benefits. You can begin training for this new position immediately, but the job change will be considered official around the middle to end of May 2000. Your new job title will be...Father of Eight!!" He read it, then asked me if his promotion also included a raise! I laughed and said, "Yeah! A raise in the number of gray hairs on your head!"  Then we hugged and he said "Congratulations." Later on, he told me that he should start calling me "Ovary."  "Why", I asked?  "Because you get pregnant so easy, you might as well be a walking ovary!" he said.

August 25 -   After some thought, I wanted to get a blood test done to get a better idea of how far along I may be.  I called a local lab about having one done, but, just as I expected, they said I needed to have a doctor or midwife order the test. I called a couple of midwives in my area and they both told me that the blood test wouldn't be very good in this case, because the result is usually so wide-ranging that it is hard to pin-point a date anyway. They both recommended an ultrasound as the best method of figuring a more accurate due date. I told them I would not be having an u/s done (not for fear of exposure, but for cost, as we do not have insurance and will not be applying for any medical aid). So their next best advice was a bi-manual exam, which is a vaginal exam where the midwife puts one hand in as far as she can reach and lifts the uterus up, then feels from the outside with her other hand how big the uterus is. You can usually estimate, within a couple weeks, how far along a woman is by doing this kind of exam. Well, this is not for me, either. I have had 7 babies now and have acquired quite a considerable paunch in my lower abdominal area, so I know they would have a very hard time feeling my uterus through it anyway. So I have decided to just wait and see what happens. We have done our own prenatal care for the last 5 pregnancies, why should we do anything different now?? I am prepared to just go with the flow. If things look like I am further along, or if it appears to be multiple babies, we will decide what to do then (our plan is still UC). Otherwise, I will just go about like this a normal pregnancy and try to keep this journal updated at least once a month or so, until toward the end when I will write more often.  Okay?? God bless! 

September 2 -  As I approach the day I would have expected my period, I worry that it will come anyway. I have never had a miscarriage before. Don't want one now. This is one reason I hear people give for not announcing their pregnancy early. If you lose the baby, you don't have the added grief of being reminded with cards and emails if nobody even knew! I am not having any problems to make me feel this way, just general dread.

Anyway, the only thing close to morning sickness that I get is loss of appetite. I could be really looking forward to a particular thing for dinner, then after a few bites... blah. I don't want anymore. This is good, in that it helps me to lose all the extra pounds that I added between pregnancies! I also lose my taste for coffee. I know caffeine is not the best thing in the world for the baby, but I have enjoyed coffee through most of my pregnancies and have had no problems. I just don't drink as much (instead of 2 cups a day, I only drink 1 a day!). I am not addicted to coffee, that's for sure!

The kids have wasted no time in telling the whole neighborhood that we are having another baby. The lady across the street is nice to me, but I have heard, through her grand daughter, that she thinks we have way too many kids already. I wonder what she said when she heard the most recent news? Another neighbor said she wishes us luck for another girl. Yeah!  I agree!  Make it two girls, please! LOL!

So, one sister not happy about my pregnancy, but you know what? I DON'T CARE!!! God sees us as fit enough to bless our home with another of His precious babies. Who am I to refuse it. I will love and cherish him/her all the days of their life. And lots more, too, if God blesses. Even if it means I never get to spend another day with my sister. With that kind of attitude, why would I want to spend any time with her, anyway? Enough rambling for today. I've got things to do. Bye.

September 7 - 33 days since LMP. No signs of my period, so I guess I can stop dreading. The other day, while cooking breakfast (fried potatoes and fried eggs), I had the biggest episode of loss of appetite I have ever had. I still didn't feel any nausea to speak of, but did not really want to finish cooking the food. After I served everybody, I left the room. It took several hours before I felt hungry, then I was ravenous!

At first I couldn't find anything that I wanted to eat. Then I spotted the "Lucky Charms" (well, actually, it was the store brand of that cereal), and I knew that was it! It definitely hit the spot. Not even an hour later, it was lunch-time, so I ate a tuna-fish sandwich, too. YUM! Lots of protein, something I should eat more of.

That night (or early the next morning- 3:30 am), I woke up feeling like I was starving to death! I never eat in the middle of the night, but I needed to do something to stop the pangs. I got up and put Kenny in the crib (we have been "helping" him learn to sleep in his crib over the last week or so), then went to the kitchen to see what I could have. Nothing looked appealing, so I just went back to bed. My stomach felt like it was eating itself!!

Then I remembered there was more cereal and I knew that was what I wanted, but now I did not want to get up again! So I laid there trying to sleep, but could not sleep because of the hunger. Finally, about 4:15, I heard Kenny beginning to stir in the kid's bedroom and I knew he would start crying any minute. I got him and proceeded to the kitchen where we both enjoyed a big bowl of cereal. I slept great after that. And when I prepared breakfast (fried potatoes and eggs again) in the morning, I did not lose my appetite. 

September 21 -  2 more days until I am 7 weeks. I feel great. No complaints, except for the constant need to pee and the fatigue that hits in late afternoon. I try to take a nap when I can, but that doesn't happen very often. I have been trying to be more faithful with my vitamin and herbal supplements. I need to get drinking the pregnancy tea, but have decided to buy the herbs in bulk and mix them myself. It is so much cheaper to do it this way, but there will be the initial expense to buy the herbs. I'm hoping that dh will hurry up and bill a company he has done a lot of web work for. They owe him a lot of money. And I hope that they pay right away. Then I will be able to place my order.

The kids and I spent a few hours at my sister R.'s house today. They purchased their own place several months ago and I had yet to go over and see it. She was very tolerant of having the kids around, but I could tell she had reached her limit by the time we left. We watched a really funny Tim Allen movie called "Jungle 2 Jungle."  We had never seen it before. The funniest thing about the movie was watching my kids laugh so hard at the various parts. They were practically rolling on the floor. We have chosen to not have a tv in our home, as we have proven to ourselves that we are couch potatoes when one is available. The only time we see a movie is if we go to someone elses house.

Kenny is back to our bed full-time. He just did not take to the crib like I had hoped. I'm not worried about it. I have plenty of time before the new baby comes to get him to sleep with one of his siblings. Maybe after he is weaned, he will no longer feel the need to sleep with momma. I have never tandem nursed (nursing a newborn and a toddler at the same time) and don't intend to this time either. We are in a queen-size bed and dh only just tolerates Kenny's presence, as long as he does not wake up with an arm in his face or an elbow in his back.

October 21 -   Today I am 11 weeks since LMP. I received an email last week from someone wondering if I was doing okay, because it had been some time since I last wrote. I am doing great!  The reason I have not written earlier is because we have had some computer problems, which are still not fully resolved, but at least I have access to the internet again.

Our computer is nearly 3 years old and has been giving dh fits for some time. It really needs to be replaced and we are praying God will meet this need soon. Last week, the day after I was 10 weeks, I found that my uterus had risen up out of my pelvis. I was very excited because, normally this is not supposed to happen until around 12 weeks.  

After mentioning this to the ladies on the UC Forum, I got an email from someone who is due around the same time as me, and who has also had several babies.  She said that the same thing has happened to her and that she doesn't think it is twins as much as she thinks it is just that the uterus has stretched out so many times already, it just naturally gets bigger faster. Hmmmm. Could be, but still, this is my 8th pregnancy.  It seems like this should have happened in at least my last pregnancy. If I am remembering right, I was not able to feel my uterus until around 13 weeks or so.  

Needless to say, I am anxiously awaiting some tell-tale kicks. Well, during the past few weeks that I was not able to write, I had many things come to my mind that I wanted to tell you, but now that I am actually here writing, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY WERE! Bummer! Must not have been very important, right?

Oh, yeah! I was finally able to order the herbs that I wanted to make the pregnancy tea.  This tea is loaded with lots of vitamins and minerals that nourish both me and the baby. It also has lots of Red Raspberry Leaves, which is an herb that has been proven to strengthen the uterine and pelvic muscles and make for an easier and quicker labor and birth.  I drank these same herbs as a tea during my last pregnancy and it was my fastest, easiest birth.  I bought a large batch and am selling some, if you or anyone you know may be interested. Blessed Beginnings Herbal Tea for Pregnancy  You can buy a very similar tea called Traditional Medicinal's Pregnancy Tea at most health food stores, but it is so expensive! It costs over $4 an ounce! I am selling this tea for $8.50 a pound. Big difference in price, here! Well, this is all the time I have for now.  It is getting late and I need to get the kids to bed.  Until next time, then! -Oct 21

November 12 -  Well, I have received a few emails saying I need to update this, so here goes: I am now 15 weeks as of yesterday. I think that if I were having twins, I would have felt some movement by now. The earliest I have felt any of my babies move was 17 weeks. That was a date that I happened to write down, though (I may have felt movement earlier, but I can't recall off the top of my head.). And that baby was born at only 41½ weeks gestation! I have felt nothing yet, except for some bowel movement.

At first I would get my hopes up of it being a kick, but it soon became evident that it was not. A few weeks ago, I did "The Famous Bob & Tom Draino Test" and it said that I am having a girl. I will not get my hopes up TOO high, but it is nice to think about. I know that it can't be very accurate, but several ladies said that it was right for them! We shall see! I can now feel my uterus at my belly button. This is not supposed to happen until much later (usually around 20 weeks), so I still have the hope that I will have the baby closer to 40 weeks instead of my usual 42-43.

Kenny (my 16 month old) is now nearly completely weaned. He nurses only once or twice during the day (but even that will be cut out here within the next week or so). He was to the point of wanting to nurse the entire night through and my nipples were so sore! I finally have him starting the night out in his sister Sally's bed. Then he wakes up sometime around midnight-1 am and I bring him to bed with me. I give him a bottle so he will not be rooting on me. I will gradually work him into remaining in Sally's bed the entire night, but I have several months to work on that.

This is all I have time for right now. I will update when I feel definite movement. I guess there a lot of you reading this journal now. I get several emails a week from different ones. That's neat!! Just realize, though, that I am having limited computer time, so if I don't respond right away, I'm not just ignoring you! Thanks for your encouraging notes. I like to hear how my pregnancy is similar to yours. Love to all, ~ Charity

November 22 -  Okay! I only have a couple of minutes, so I'll write fast. I felt the baby move last Wednesday night! I'm so happy, because I usually get real worried as the weeks go by and I don't feel anything. This is earlier than I normally feel movement, but not much. It was the night before I was 16 weeks. I was lying in bed while dh was reading one of his computer magazines. While I was lying there, I was poking and prodding my belly, just to see if I could feel anything going on in there. Suddenly I felt 3 sharp pokes (kicks, really). I exclaimed to dh "I just felt it!" He said, "What?" He didn't even know what I was doing (he must have figured I was trying to go to sleep). "The baby! It kicked me!!" "Good!" then he went back to reading! I am really having my doubts as to any possibility of twins now. Even though this was a little early, I think I would be feeling lots more movement.  

This morning the baby was very active. Must have been doing somersaults in there, because I could feel it real good without even poking. We ordered a fetoscope to listen to the baby's heartbeat and are awaiting delivery. I can hardly wait to get it, because we have always used a stethoscope in the past and it is hard to find the heartbeat until late in the pregnancy. Well, I need to go get the kids some dinner.

Oh, yeah. There are a lot of you reading now, and someone asked if we home school. Yes, we are a homeschooling family. Until next time! ~ Charity

December 9 - Okay, I have a few minutes to update (there's not a whole lot happening, but I got several emails telling me I need to update more often!), so here goes: We got our fetoscope last week and have listened to the baby's heart several times. We didn't count or anything, just listened for for the fun of it. Dh got it out one evening and let the kids listen. They thought it was really neat!

The pregnancy is becoming more real to them all the time. I am showing more now and some of the kids have felt the baby kick. They liked that. My son, Nathan (4 years old), says I'm fat.  He's so funny. Abby (3) is not really interested in what's going on.  Kenny (17 mos) hasn't a clue (poor guy!). But Roy (11 on 30th of Dec.), Sally (9½), Jason (8), and Jonny (6½) talk about the coming baby all the time, especially now that it is more obvious that I am pregnant.

I have wanted my own doppler for several years, but could never afford to get one (they cost upwards of $500 brand new!). So I have been watching eBay and finally won a bid for one! YEAH! I don't have all the money right now, but the seller is allowing me to make several payments until it is paid for, then he will send it to me. I don't expect to use it often, but it will be nice to be able to find the heart tones quick if there is ever a need to.

There are over 66 people reading this journal. Most of you are interested in birth in general, while some of you know me personally and just want to keep tabs on my progress. I was told that I need to update more often, but I don't know what I would talk about if I did. I could just ramble about my thoughts and feeling, I guess, but I feel like that would be a waste of all of our time. "Just the facts, Ma'am!"  Plus, I don't always have much time to sit here and write. I have several book ideas I would someday like to start, but just the thought of the hours that would take really puts a damper on those ideas real quick.

Well, I should get to bed. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention how Kenny is doing sleeping with his siblings! I have him totally out of my bed now. He has been starting the night with either Sally or Jason, then coming in to my bed later on in the night. But the last couple of nights, I just put him back in their bed and he would sleep for a little while longer before trying to come to me again. The first time it was 5 times I took him back, and last night only 3. So we'll see how tonight goes. As long as I never give in and let him stay, he'll eventually catch on that he is supposed to stay in the bed the whole night! Okay, now I think I am finished. Until next time, then! ~Charity

January 8 -   Tomorrow it will be a whole month since I last posted! Guess I better get busy! I am past the 22 week point. Baby moves quite a bit and the kids love to feel him kick. I have a hunch it's another boy, but hope I'm wrong! Sometimes he rolls over with his knee or elbow sticking out and I can feel the whole pointy lump move across my belly. It's usually pretty neat (when it doesn't hurt!).

He's had hiccups several times already, and I have begun to feel Braxton Hicks contractions more frequently. I am still waiting for my doppler and hope to have it by the end of next week. It will be fun to hear the heartbeat over a speaker rather than through ear pieces. Its so hard to locate sometimes, then when we do locate it, its so faint you have to really strain to hear it. Also, with a doppler we will be able to know whether there are two separate heartbeats in there. I am not expecting there to be two, but I will definitely check very carefully. I have heard of doctors and midwives missing twins even though checking with a doppler, so I will probably have to check several times before I am *really* sure. I'm pretty big, but haven't measured my fundal height for a couple months. My fundus is a good 4-5 inches above my umbilicus, though.

Dh likes to mention how there is someone between us again. And when he hugs me, he mentions something about the "bump". We will be taking my blood pressure reading within the next couple of weeks, so we can have a base-line reading to go by as we approach the end of this pregnancy. Then if I have any swelling, we can check to see how my BP is doing. I have never had a problem with high blood pressure, but realize there is a first time for everything!

We will record my fundal height, too, while we're at it. I need to be more faithful with my vitamin and herbal supplements. I always have this problem. Even though all the bottles are sitting in a neat little row on the counter top ("so I will see them and remember to take them every day"), I still manage to forget most of the time. I usually get better at remembering as I get closer to the end, when I suddenly realize that they can't give any benefit if they are not being used.

That's about all I have time for today. I will try to update a little more often as we approach the end. I'm over the halfway point!! Yeah! It's all downhill from here! I hope the time goes quickly, but then slows WWAAAYYY down when the baby arrives.

February 4 - TRYING NOT TO GET MY HOPES UP, BUT... we found a heartbeat in 2 different places. (I finally got my doppler earlier this week - what a long wait!) At first, when I pointed out to dh that I was picking up 2 heartbeats, he said I must be aiming it at the same spot, so it would be the same baby. Then he tried it and we found that it was NOT aiming at the same spot. He is trying to be VERY optimistic, saying that it was probably only the cord that was being picked up, as the second spot was not as crisp sounding as the one side (lower right) where we are sure the (one) baby is. I am just huge.

The other day when dh mentioned something about my belly being in the way, I told him to take a good look at my belly, then realize that I supposedly have over 3 months left to go. His eyes got big (he never pays much attention to my pregnancies until I announce "The baby is due in about 2 weeks" -then he starts to get real nervous and act real paternally) and he said, "Wow! You'll end up being out to here!" (hands about 2 feet in front of me). LOL!

I am 26 weeks yesterday and 32 cm. I have been consistently large for dates, showed early, felt movement early, tested positive early. I would really love to have twins, but it all seems so weird that it *might* be a possibility. A few months before I conceived, I prayed one of those selfish-type prayers that you really don't think God will answer, that He would bless me with twins. Hmmm... AND... I do have a way to find out for sure!! An acquaintance of ours used to work for a place not too far away (well, an hour and a half drive) where they manufacture ultrasound equipment. They offer *FREE* ultrasounds to pregnant women, so they can test the equipment to make sure it passes quality checks. I am hoping to do this. I called the place today to try to get an appointment, but they didn't return my call yet. My mom is so anxious to know, too, that she even said she will take me there and we can make a day of it.  We might as well check out the sex of the baby while we're looking, too. But I might have to keep that a secret so you'll all have something to look forward to.

The only MD I found that would do an ultrasound for me (with no obligation to continue care) wanted $300. AACKK!! Not!  I'd rather wait and be surprised! I figure getting the US will also let me know where the placenta is, since I could hear it low down near the cervix on my left side. It takes about a month to get an appointment with this place, so by then the placenta will have moved more toward where it will end up being at labor time.

I stopped at the local pharmacy's blood pressure machine the other day and it registered my normal, healthy 106/70 reading. So far, everything is normal (well, except for being so BIG) and I am feeling great.  I'll write more when I know what's going to happen! 

February 18 - I am now 28 weeks as of yesterday. In my last update, I said I had found possibly 2 heartbeats with my doppler and that I was going to try to get an ultrasound so we could know what we are dealing with.

Well, I finally talked to the lady in charge of scheduling appointments for that ultrasound manufacturing company and found that they will not do one for me without what basically works out to be a "permission slip" from my doctor. Something to do with not wanting liability if they found anything wrong. They would want to be able to call my doctor to let him know there was a problem. So I called another place I learned about that does $75 ultrasounds, just so the mother can have pictures/video and find out the sex of the baby. But this place would not do one without a "permission slip", either. This really bothered me at first, but I have come to the point of accepting this as God shutting the door. If He wanted me to have an ultrasound, it wouldn't be so hard to get one. Maybe someone will rear-end me in the car and then I can go to the ER and have their insurance co. pay for me to see my baby? I'm not worried about it either way.

Dh was feeling my belly last week and there is a lot of space around the baby. I think if there were 2 babies, there wouldn't be a whole lot of room like that. Also, I am not really growing anymore, centimeter-wise. I am still 32 cm. at 28 weeks. I really think I just have a lot of water. Dh thinks I am a month further ahead than my dates indicate, as he says the baby is a pretty good size already, but I will not count on this too heavily. If I am, then I will get to hold my baby sooner than I originally thought. If I'm not, then dh will have a very long month waiting for me to pop.

March 14 -  In two days, I will be 32 weeks. YEAH!! Time is going fast now! There's not much happening. I'm still big, and feeling bulkier all the time. When the baby stretches, I get a foot all the way up on the outside of my rib cage. I feel lots of pressure against my cervix sometimes, too; almost like the feeling just before the membranes break. I just noticed this evening that my ankles are starting to swell a little. Its the end of the day, so that's not surprising. This always happens near the end of my pregnancies.

We'll be sure to keep tabs on my BP and if it is high, we will get some dip-sticks to watch for protein in the urine. I haven't measured my fundal height yet this week, but at 30 weeks it was 36 cm.  We are pretty sure I am going to have this baby "early."  It wouldn't really be early as far as the baby is concerned, but it would seem early to me. Particularly after always going late! If my guess is right, I should really be almost 36 weeks right now. So taking into account my tendency to go 43 weeks, I might be having this baby within the next month and a half! That would be wonderful!

I'm really trying not to get too hopeful about this, but I can't imagine going another 2½ months when I am as big as I am already! In a way, its kind of neat to not be real sure when this baby will decide to show up. It is a fantasy of mine to have this baby when I am alone. Not that I don't want to share this joyous moment with my hubby, but there's just something about being alone and nobody there to "take turns" holding the baby. Nobody to say, "Don't push yet! You don't want to tear!" That's always very annoying!

Dh is real paranoid about me hemorrhaging after the birth (this is my eigth baby, after all). He wants to be there, if only for the help he would be should I bleed too much. I can understand this. But still, with me not knowing for sure when to expect this baby, and seeing as my last labor went so fast that my mother and sisters did not get there in time to see the birth, dh might not be home when I go into labor! I could very well have that solo birth! I don't think I would intentionally not call him if he were away (he has a cell-phone), but he could be so far away that he wouldn't make it back in time! Could happen!

Anyway, I haven't given another thought to seeking an US. I am almost positive that there is only one baby. I will be just as surprised as everybody else if there turns out to be two babies. I'll go for now.

April 13 - Well, I have received several emails saying I need to update. I know, but it is so hard to find the time. It is 11:15 pm right now. I should be in bed, but I need to get this updated. I am 36 weeks today. I have not measured my fundal height this week, but last week it was 39 cm. I have been consistently measuring ahead and dh is convinced that I am off on my menstrual dates. I know I am not but do agree with him that I will probably have the baby by the end of this month.

I was so uncomfortable about a week and half ago that I was almost in tears at one point wishing this was over already. I always get a really bad pain in my left lower rib every pregnancy (I think I might have injured/fractured the rib in a bicycle accident I had when I was about 11 years old. If so, it was never discovered). I couldn't get comfortable in bed for several nights and almost went to sleep on the couch so I wouldn't disturb dh"s sleep.

Anyway, this pregnancy has been the worst yet. I cannot bend over very far without wincing in pain. I have given up even trying to tie the kids shoes (have that task to my older 3 kids). I have to get right down on the floor with Kenny to change his diaper so I won't have so far to bend over. But I am not as uncomfortable anymore, and I believe that to be because the baby has dropped down further. I still get a lot of pushing up against the ribs, but it is not constant like it was a couple weeks ago.

Several ladies at church have mentioned that it looks like the baby has dropped. I certainly feel like it has! I got the baby clothes out of the shed today and washed and organized them. It was so fun pulling each item out of the laundry basket and the kids exclaiming, "Ohhh! Look how tiny!" and "Did I wear that?" They are really getting excited now. Even Abby (3½) has been talking about it - "when the new baby comes, it will be this tiny!" (hands about 5 inches apart, LOL!).

I got my birth supplies ordered and delivered a couple weeks ago, so now we are ready! I have been taking my herbal supplements to prepare my body and build my blood supply. Dh is always worried about a post-partum hemhorrage, so I like to do everything I can to build my iron stores. I have been taking Evening Primrose Oil orally for a couple of weeks. I will begin inserting them vaginally starting tonight when I go to bed. It is supposed to soften the cervix in preparation for labor.

Who knows! Maybe my next update will be an announcement! I'm trying not to get my hopes too high, but I know with all the differences this pregnancy has had compared to my previous ones, I really think I am due soon.

April 27 -  Had the baby yesterday!

May 13 -   I haven't gotten the birth story done yet. I hope to get it finished by the end of next week. Keep checking back. I *will* get to it.

Aug 30 - Due to some major computer and various other un-related problems, I am unable to add the birth story at this time. I am fine, baby is GREAT and growing- 19 lbs. at 4 months now.  Sorry. I did want to get the story up in a timely manner, but circumstances have prevented this.

Feb 9th - Charles is now over 9 mos old. He weighs about 24 lbs and is still mostly breastfed. He is gradually getting more and more table foods and is crawling around, getting into anything and everything.