Pronounciation

Gemma= Jem-a
Mei= May

More Pics...

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Gemma

Happy Birthday!

Sorry it took so long to get the news up here. But here it is....

Name: Gemma Mei McKenzie (Mei is pronounced May. It's Chinese for Beautiful)
Weight: 6 llbs 8 oz/ 2970 g
Length: 20 inches/ 51 cm
Time of Birth: 12:14 am November 28th
Eye color: Dark Blue
Hair: Light Brown

She is a beautiful girl. Hasn't cried at all...yet. She loves to eat. She looks like daddy...we both agree on that. Mommy is doing great, just a bit tired and sore. Daddy is exhausted and feeling sick...so please pray for him (me). We should be back home Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Here's a few pics:

The end is near

No I'm not preaching some Revelation sermon...we went to the doctor just now and he said we should be having a baby tonight or tomorrow. Nevada's definitely feeling it in the last couple hours...the pains are sporatic but consistent. The doctor said she is effaced and the cervix is thin....in lay terms: the baby is coming. We'll probably head to the hospital sometime in the next couple hours although we don't want to have to sit around there for too long. Keep checking in for more updates...

Not yet...

...but getting closer (I think). Really, though, what do I know? I woke up this morning with cramps, they've been coming and going since 5 but I stayed in bed till 6:30, then up to go give my keys to the school for the sub, then decided to go for a walk and see if that helps things. So I walked aroung the university campus close to our house for an hour, then came home and went to the library at school for some reading material. Now it is 9:30 am, the cramps have gotten worse but not so major. We'll go to the doctor this morning and see what he says.

Due Date

Well, there are 4 hours left on the due date, so we'll see! I know the stats are something like 20% chance of being born on the due date, and as silly as this is I do feel like we're narrowing things down: she's not coming before the due or on the due date, so she must be coming after the due date. It's the process of elimination!

No new indicators or feelings or whatever. Just another day in holiday paradise!

Update for Shelen

Ok this update is for everyone but specifically requested by Shelen. As of 12:34 am Sunday, November 26th (Taiwan Time) there is no official baby action. Nevada is more and more crampy as the days go by but as it stands it looks like we'll be making it to our Monday appointment time. Although we have a whole Sunday ahead of us....maybe she will be a Vanier Cup gift! Go Huskies!

Vacation

I love vacations from school! It's been a relaxing 2 days so far, just sleeping in and scrapbooking, putzing around the house, doing thank you cards... So I am pretty chilled about the baby not being here.

Thanks for all your advice and comments; hopefully we will be prepared to make a good decision when and if the time comes to make that decision!

No new symptoms, feelings, etc... My back was cramping up two nights ago, but that seems to be gone and I am just same old me. Same old me pllus big belly. But even the thought and sight of that makes me giggle; when I catch glimpses of myself in store windows walking down the street I can't help but laugh at my humpty dumpty figure.

We'll keep you posted!

It's finally here!

That's right...Thursday is finally here. And still no baby. We're anxiously awaiting the baby's arrival. It's so strange, it's like being on a plane and being in a permanent holding pattern. You can't go anywhere or do anything but you also can't get to your destination without the pilot's say so. I know we're supposed to enjoy our last weeks and days of babyless freedom but the stress is overwhelming me...there is no enjoyment in the waiting for this guy. I'm ready. or as ready as I can be. Hopefully the next post will bring THE news.

still nothing...

Everyone was surprised to see me at school again today. Well, sort of, I mean my due date is still 5 days away. But it could be anytime. It's funny, in my Bible reading I've been in Jeremiah and he mtnions a few times about this or that coming on 'suddenly, like the pains of a woman in labor". Well, we'll see.

Dr.s report... She is definetely lower, but everything is still closed up tight. He didn't say it won't happen this week, but he wouldn't be surprised to see us again next Monday. Our formerly little baby doesn't even fit on the screen anymore, and no average date measurements show up because she is bigger than the average 39 week Chinese baby, weighing in at about 7lbs 1 oz. He said that if we haven't had it by Monday we'd talk about induction...Thoughts and info? What's the standard waiting period at home to be induced? He is mostly concerned because he knows I don't want a c-section but the longer she stays in there, the bigger she gets... I was reading Heather's comments (friend from here in Taipei) and the hospitals she's looked into have a 40 week 2 day limit, and then they induce. Sorry, Heather, I don't know ShinGuang's official policy, but my doctor is ready to do it at 40 weeks 2 days, too, so... My doctor has been pretty accomodating with things like that, as far as enemas, rooming in, breastfeeding right afetr the birth...

Other questions for you pros out there:
1) to enema or not to enema... The Dr. said they usually do it, but if I don't want it they won't.
2) Chicken pox; we've had a major chicken pox epidemic at school. When it first broke out I looked it up quickly online and saw that after 20 weeks the baby should be fine, but then I checked the section in one of my books and it didn't give any time limits, so now I am a bit worried. Will my baby be born with chicken pox? I hope this doesn't freak people out or get me a huge lecture but we've had 20 kids (out of about 200) out with pox in the last two weeks. I think it's almost done, most of the kids are returning but we sent another one home today so... (in my defense, by the time I knew there was pox I had been exposed, because I teach every class, so I didn't knowingly expose myself...Another oops for the book.) And please be praying for a friend at school who has just recently announced her pregnancy...Not only has her daughter been home all week with chiken pox but she is also older and so there are already of risk factors in play.

Talk to you tomorrow!

not yet

Sorry to disapoint, I know what empty blogs could mean... We have fortunately made it through our major events (concert and 2nd anniversary party for church) and even had today to relax so it has been a good weekend.

Feeling fine, no new symptoms or indicators to report. Dr. appointment tomorrow so maybe we'll get some feedback. (Although Chris was right, last time was soo disapointing!)

The wait continues

Last week when we went to see the doctor he seemed pretty confident that the baby was coming early. He all but said it would happen this week. Needless to say we were both anticipating some exciting news today when we went for another appointment. To our dismay he said he would more than likely be seeing us for another Monday check-up. That means unofficially no baby this week. Of course it still could happen but not with the certainty we were feeling before. The wait is killing me...I'm all flustered and can't seem to focus on anything else. Please pray for me as I try to tackle work tasks and volunteer tasks in the next little while. Also, continue to keep Nevada in your prayers as she fights the belly battle. She's tough and hasn't been affected much by this whole pregnancy but it is getting more difficult in these last days.

Belly shots-37.5 weeks

Clinic visit

Here are some pics from our last trip to the clinic. Haven't had a chance to put them up yet. We weren't sure how many more visits to the clinic there would be so we decided to record the event in photos.

37 weeks...

...and counting! Weekly doctor appointment was today. I like our doctor more and more every time we see him. Now that we know him a bit more and he knows us its cool, and as we get closer to the time he is getting more excited. Our enthusiasm is contagious, and I think he really likes what he does. Also, he is always very calm and mello, a lot like my dad. You can tell he's done this about a million times and could probably deliver a baby in his sleep, and his whole attitude is 'no problem'.

Our baby is no longer a little baby! In fact, she has jumped ahead in some categories; head is at 37 weeks 6 days, belly was 38 weeks 5 days, and femur is 36 weeks (remember, compared to average size Chinese babies) She weighs 5.85 pounds. You can tell on the ultrasound every week how she is filling out. Her little face gets pudgier and pudgier, and her cheeks get more and more chipmunk each week. This week the doctor said that he doesn't think she'll go the whole 40 weeks, and next week when he does the pelvic exam he'll tell us exactly what day she'll be born on. :) Since we have the whole guess book thing going on, I'll have to get him to write it down and see how the pro does.

The school is having a shower for us on Thursday, a Jack and Jill shower. Chris was supposed to have basketball practice (he's coaching grade 9 boys) with another guy teacher and so the two of them were trying to figure out an alternate day, and the principal was listening to their solutions and finally was like, 'Why do you need to go to the shower? Its a baby shower, like for women and babies and stuff...' And so Chris clued him in to the meaning of a Jack and Jill shower. He was like, 'Ohhh, I just thought that was a cute theme or something'. It should be loads of fun. There are lots of fun people at our school.

In other baby prep, all the 0-3 month clothes have been washed. We got two more bags of stuff from a friend who was cleaning out from her little girls and there was some sweet little stuff. It is SOO hard to concentrate on school and everything with the thought of this baby coming, she is on my mind all the time. The distraction of work was good because it made the time go faster but now its like, 'You really want me to go in and lesson plan today? I'm going to have a baby here!!!'.

36.5 weeks

Here are the latest photos. At this point you never know when the last photos of this belly will be taken. We're hoping to get out and take some printable ones this weekend. It's been fun talking to a belly and loving a belly but I think we are both ready for the full meal deal baby to be in our arms and getting our kisses. It's funny how the belly becomes it's own entity...the other day I giggled about something I thought in my head. Nevada said, "what's so funny?" "I almost asked you if you could take some good pics of me and the belly," I responded with a grin. I totally seperated the belly from Nevada in my head...weird.
(by the way, that's our awesome new stroller that the church people gave Nevada at her baby shower)