"Red Alert"

May 9th, 2012....sounds like a great birthday to us :)
Here is my first picture (7 weeks) and my most recent picture (36 weeks).....wow :)

At our 37 week appointment on Friday we talked with Dr. Welch after she said no more real progress has been made...meaning my cervix is still at a 1, soft, and 50% effaced that induction may be necessary. Our main concern is the swelling in my extremities mostly my ankles and feet. She said I am retaining fluid but my blood pressure is still doing great. Not sure what is causing the swelling at this point besides the fact that this little guy is "like a plug" according to Dr. Welch especially for my lower half. He should weigh at this point anywhere between 6lbs and 7.5lbs, he is also about 19-20inches long. It is still hard to believe all that is in this enormous belly of mine :)
Back to the "RED ALERT" or induction decision. I expressed my concerns with not wanting to initially be induced and would love for active labor to just come along any day, but she brought me back to reality and said "if you can learn to walk on your hands, I'll let you go" haha. I love her sense of humor, honesty, and support she is a one of a kind Doctor.  She asked if there were any days in May we did NOT want to be induced...Jared and I immediately said at the same time, "the 13th". It is Jared's birthday and Mother's day this year so we wanted to leave that date as independent from the birth as possible. Just our personal choice :). This meant we were looking at sooner than later because that is a Sunday...Dr. Welch pulled out the calendar....looked for a minute and said, "well the 9th it is" (I'll be 38.5 weeks on induction day for those of you counting only 10 days prior to our original due date of 5-18-12). Dr. Welch is going out of town on the 10th and wouldn't be back until the 14th....I froze and didn't know what to say...all the while my brain was on red alert....he'll be here in less than 2 weeks...oh....my...goodness....he'll have a single digit birthday (for some reason my prego brain has been set on 5-double digit-12....who knows why).....how is this going to work with the work responsibilities Jared and I still have until that day....are we really as prepared as we think we are....I went from thinking 23 more days til our little man arrives to....13 YES 13 days....only 13 more days of carrying this precious little man...what a journey it has been...all of this going through my "red alert" brain in about a 2 minute time span...I said ok....she left the room and went to call and see if anything else was scheduled that day and it was all clear so we were put on the calendar at the hospital. Jared and I walked out of the room...my first words were "Do you think we should wait until that next week?" :) she smiled and again said "only if you can learn to walk on your hands in the next few days". She is so calm, kind, and has a true picture of the craziness that was going through my brain I'm sure... Her smile helped sooth my nerves but I have to say I was a bit out of it the rest of the day. Jared and I talked through all the "options" at this point...there really aren't any options besides well you know what to get labor started....I just keep telling myself I know so many beautiful strong women who have done this in the same way I will and we have a FANTASTIC doctor who only wants the best for us.
This is where that flexibility part should kick in that I use each day with families, children and students....but IT hasn't. I keep thinking wouldn't a "planner" like me LOVE this situation...I mean really...we KNOW the date he is going to arrive... Maybe my patience and flexibility is all used up....maybe I am just overwhelmed knowing I will be caring for another human being in less than 2 weeks...maybe it is just the fear of the whole labor and delivery process itself...WHO KNOWS!! Again now you know why this is my "RED ALERT" post :) With that I must go get many things accomplished this 1 of 2 Sundays I have left before baby Elijah makes his grand entrance into this world. 
Keep an eye out for our posts as the progress continues here at The Meitler Minute, through email and facebook!

With Love & Laughter
Beka