AIRPLANE BABY NURSERY

Patrick stayed home with me yesterday to accompany me to the doctor's office - as we were hoping (foolishly so) that we could convince the doctor to induce me this morning. She basically laughed at me and said "no, not this week." She said we could discuss it next week after weighing the risks (lung maturity, etc.). In the meantime she suggested that I walk as much as I could to try to get things moving naturally. Lady, I've been walking so much I can no longer feel my toes.

I noticed that I'd been feeling Julian move a lot less lately. I thought that perhaps he was just running out of room due to his large size, but it was concerning. I mentioned it in passing to the doctor and she said she wanted me to have a non-stress test in the office before we left. So they strapped me up with the monitors, and started the test. The readout you see there is one that Patrick snapped with his iPhone of the baby's heartrate and my uterine activity. The baby was sleeping - I guess - because he wasn't very active. The nurse brought me a package of shortbread cookies, and asked me to eat them - hoping it would wake him up a bit. It didn't. Next was a giant bottle of ice cold water which... also didn't work. Finally, they gave me some apple juice and that also didn't seem to stir him much. In total, he moved twice in about thirty minutes. The nurse looked at the readout and said that it looked good, but that she wanted to show it to the doctor.

Thus, we were a bit surprised when the doctor came back in and said "I need you to go to the hospital for more monitoring." I laughed - thinking she was teasing as the nurse hadn't seemed concerned. I asked "what day do I need to make the appointment?" She said "Today. I need you to go now. You'll be there quite a few hours. I need you to go right now - as soon as you leave this office. I'll call them and tell them you're on your way so they're ready for you when you get there."

The floor started feeling woozy beneath me, and I (partially trying to get a sense of how serious she was - and partially because I hoped to find a way to wake the baby up and make him more responsive) asked "well can we stop for lunch on the way over there?" She replied "only if you stop somewhere with a quick drive through." For those that have already heard this story and have teased me incessantly about stopping for a burrito (i.e. my Mom) when I was told to rush to the hospital - the hospital told me that it was a very smart thing to do - as the food woke him up. So pffffft.

We rushed out of her office (incidentally, she has three separate offices - and we were at the one the furthest away from the hospital) and drove the 45 minutes or so to the hospital (in about 20), with me panicked all the way. Patrick was surprisingly calm and told me that we'd be fine. That everything would be o.k.

We made it up to labor and delivery triage and they sent me down for a biophysical profile of the baby via ultrasound which showed that he was practicing his breathing and was moving fine. Then I was sent back upstairs for another non-stress test. Julian's heartbeat was between 145-150 with dips as low as 130 and as high as 175. He didn't move that often, but he was far more active than he had been at the doctor's office.

The nurse hooked me up to the monitors, and began the recording session. I had a little clicky button thing that I had to press everytime I could feel him move. She put a blood pressure cuff on me and after awhile asked if I wanted anything to drink to try to get his movement going - as he still wasn't terribly responsive. She said she'd be right back with some ice water. An hour and twenty minutes later, she hadn't returned and I was still hooked up to the blood pressure cuff. Thankfully, it had deflated on its own. I didn't take it off because there were a lot of monitor-y looking wires that were connected to the machine. The room was swelteringly hot - and poor Patrick was bored out of his mind and sitting in what looked to be the most uncomfortable chair in the universe. As it turns out, there were two deliveries back to back which is why the nurse disappeared on us for so long.

All in all, there was far more excitement in the day than I'd hoped for - er, at least not the same kind that we wanted.

But he's o.k. and that's what matters.

But seriously J, when you get here, you are so grounded.

The silicone in my 20 gallon tank is peeling. I got this tank used, and I have no idea how old it is, what all it's been used for (It has a sealed hole in the back so I'm pretty sure it was a salt-water set up overflow tank thingy.... thing... at some point) or how many times it may have been re-siliconed prior to this. Hermies will put anything they can get their claws on into their mouths, so I don't feel safe keeping my babies in this tank.

I need a "new" 20 gallon tank. Anyone in the WNY area have one they're looking to get rid of? I have a stand so I need a regular 20gal tall, not a long. Cheap would be awesome (that between jobs thing) and free would be even better ;-) Does not have to hold water. Just needs to not be peeling ;-) Crablettes like to CLIMB the silicone, so it should be firmly in place and not in danger itself of peeling anytime soon. Also, no holes. 'cause they do climb and they will escape...

For International Pet Appreciation Week over at ITBAW.

SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 + 8mm extention