Baby Update and More Pictures (not of me...)

So, had another Dr´s appointment Thursday morning. I actually gained 2lbs in the last 2 weeks. Still trying to figure that one out, as I think I did everything the same as always, and last appointment I had lost weight. Basically, I´m saying I don´t get how weight works when you are pregnant :)

Considering that at our last appointment, my little daughter had put on 2lbs in 3 weeks and totaled 5lbs 12oz (by ultrasound estimates, over a month before the due date), you can imagine that I was a wee bit nervous about her growth rate quickly putting her into the huge category. But this time she appears to have only gained 13oz in 2 weeks, putting her at an estimated total of 6lb 9oz. That´s not so bad. Of course, she could be in there for another month or so...

Everything the Dr checked looked good, healthy, normal. Amniotic fluid, placenta, baby´s heart rate, my blood pressure, etc.

He also did an internal exam. Now, Americans most likely read that and figure I got a run down on things like centimeters dilated and percentage of effacement. I did not get any of that information. I did get comments like, ¨this is a very good pelvis¨ and ¨the cervix is smooth, which is to say it should open easily¨.

I´m not sure if I have mentioned here how they seem to be much more C-section prone here in Mexico. As in, if there is anything out of the ordinary, they opt for the C-section rather than work with it. So at today´s appointment, everything the Dr checked, it was like he was looking for something out of the ordinary that would warrant scheduling surgery. Thanks be to God, he didn´t find anything. And told us he feels about 95% sure that I am headed for a normal delivery. Considering how surgery-happy they seem to be here, I am very happy to have been given that high of a chance to let things happen naturally.

Assuming I don´t go into delivery before then, the next appointment is in 10 days. The Dr seems to think I´ll make it that long, although I am not really sure how well a Dr can predict anything at this stage of the game. In the meantime, I am trying not to overanalyze every little change or oddity I feel in my body. I am not desparately waiting for labor to start in the sense that I can´t stand being pregnant any more (I´ve actually heard myself tell a couple of people that I feel great, if you can imagine saying that at 8.5 months pregnant). But I don´t like the unknown of it, the waiting game - and in that sense, I´m hoping for sooner rather than later.

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On to pictures. I promised Carole I´d try to get these up pre-labor, so here we go. The first picture is a typical view you might happen upon here, and the 2nd is the view from my in-laws house. In the 2nd you can see how we´ve had an unusual amount of rain the last month or so - it isn´t usually so green.




These next couple are the views from my house. As I am sure you can imagine, I am looking foward to the day that the construction is done, and keep (maybe foolishly) hoping that they are going to do something with that triangle of dirt in front of my house. But the mountains are forever beautiful, regardless.




And finally, here are a few pics of my house. The first shows it from the outside - the right-hand half is us. They like to build rows of houses or at least build a couple attached at a time. Then you see my living room and kitchen (the view of one is taken from the other and vice-versa) - which is what you see the second you walk in the front door. The front door, by the way, is the one by the stairs and living room furniture. The door in the kitchen opens to our walled in alley/patio like space where my laundry is. I included one of the kitchen that shows off my ´cabinets´. Houses here don´t come with built in cabinetry - everyone has to come up with their own solution. My is on wheels. What doesn´t fit in there is on a table by/under the stairs.







I was gonna post a few others, but the computer I am on today apparently is quite old, as it does not have a USB port. Maybe next time. But I figured better to post something than nothing.

Just to fill out your sense of the house...The stairs lead up to our bedroom and a 2nd bath. That´s all there is up there. We also have 2 more rooms (meant to be bedrooms) on the 1st floor - one in front and one in back. All 3 bedrooms are pretty small, as you´ll see when I get a chance to post a few more pics. I also have a couple of new ones that I took of the view of the mountains from my house when the lighting was better.

Oh, and to clarify - I keep using the phrase ´my house´- but we rent it.

Can you tell I´m trying to catch up on things I´ve wanted to post before the baby comes? I have no clue what kind of cyber time I will be able to finagle with a newborn! It really will depend alot on her personality and sleeping/feeding routines (since cybers are only open certain times of day...).