I am happy to report that I am now at the 36 weeks mark!  I am thrilled to have made it this far in Aaron’s pregnancy.  So grateful.  Although I must report that there has been a slight bump in the road, you could say.  Turns out my blood pressure has been especially high this past week.  I am in the “stage 2 hypertension” range.  That’s not good.  They say that high blood pressure is “the silent killer” — well, how is that fair?  Silent?  If you’re going to try to “kill” me then at least make yourself known!  I feel totally FINE!  I mean, I have the usual tiredness and aches a pains of the last weeks of pregnancy, but I don’t feel much different having “high” blood pressure than I do having “normal” blood pressure.

Because of the possibility of toxemia (aka preeclampsia) I had to do a 24 hour urine collection on Sunday, and I had to bring the jug into the lab today.  That’s right.  A jug of pee.  Fun stuff, I tell you, collecting urine for 24 hours.  Well, it could be worse, right?  I could have been hooked to a catheter in the hospital.  But instead I was at home.  No catheter.   See?  There’s always a bright side to things.

After dropping off the jug at the lab, I went upstairs to my OB appointment.

waiting to be seen by my OB 

They checked my weight and blood pressure, and sure enough my blood pressure was high.  So they did a stress test on the baby just to be sure the placenta was holding up.

I have never had a stress test before (this pregnancy is just full of new experiences for me!)  and I’m happy to report that Aaron passed that stress test with flying colors.  His heart rate was great and he was moving around being active just like he always is.  So that’s a good thing.

Tomorrow I get the results from the lab.  If there is a lot protein in my urine, then I believe I will be admitted to the hospital for monitoring because that would mean I have preeclampsia.   And then I might have to deliver Aaron within the week, for my safety and his.  Although he is 36 weeks and a typical baby would probably do well if they were born at this stage, for Aaron it’s best that he stays inside for a little while longer.  So I am hoping that the test comes back negative and that it’s just plain old hypertension, in which case I just would be put on a mild dose of medication to control blood pressure.  And I would be ordered to stay in bed as much as I can.  Not “bed rest” per se, but just….in the rest mode.  Hard to do with a house full of kids.  Thankfully my mom flew out to stay with us until the baby is born.  She has been cooking and driving all the kids around, and doing all that I normally do around here.  And that is a HUGE job, let me tell you.  And because of this, I have been able to stay off my feet.  Thanks, mom!

So yeah…36 weeks and a little bump in the road, but I am doing okay.  This little boy of mine is a fighter, and I am fighting right along with him.  And I’m still celebrating everything about him.  This weekend, I celebrated his “first” Halloween.  My daughter Afton came home from college, and she painted my big belly bump (aka Aaron) as a pumpkin!

I had so much fun walking around that night Trick or Treating with the kids.  Aiden was my little sidekick. I dressed him up as a pumpkin, too!  We made quite the pair.

                                                           Me and my two little pumpkins!  

Aiden touched my belly before it could dry and he smeared the mouth a little bit, and I was a bit bummed about that.  But then someone pointed out that the smear could be Aaron’s cleft lip!  And that made me smile, because yes, it does look like a cleft lip.  Aaron actually has a bilateral cleft (one one both sides) so a more accurate portrayal of his cleft would be a smear on both sides of the pumpkin’s mouth.   But still.  Close enough!

Early that day the kids carved pumpkins.  This has always been my favorite part of Halloween. The carving of the pumpkins!

But now I supervise the kids instead of carving my own pumpkin.  It’s not quite the same, but it’s necessary — just a part of being a mom and “safety first” — so far no one has ever gotten hurt while carving their own pumpkin.

But of course the little ones do the scooping, not the carving.  I’m no fool.

I forgot to mention that my c-section date was moved from November 25th to November 23rd.  Just two days earlier.  The reason is so that all the specialists who need to be there in the delivery room can be there, and the day before Thanksgiving didn’t work out for all of them.  So, if all goes well and as planned, Aaron’s “new” birth date is Monday, November 23rd.

Just 20 more days until I meet my “pumpkin” —  time is flying by super fast now!

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New here? Click on these links to read more about Baby Aaron and our choice to Carry to Term