The 3 Aube girls go to an appointment

Another appointment...feels like 1/2 my life is spent driving to Portland and in doctors offices, hospitals, funeral homes and cemeteries.  I guess this makes me almost 36 weeks.

Today was a special day though - Desirae came with me!  She wasn't too happy about how long the appt was, but we had a great time together on the way there and back.  I love our conversations...and although I would never want to go back to just one child, man, is that easy! 

So let's see... what happened today...  well, apparently they took my emotional break down on Friday to heart because today they went out of their way to take time with me and give me pictures.  There weren't any pics of her face that really did her beauty justice, but here's her 10 fingers and 10 toes.  

She had her hands together as if she was praying...holding one hand in the other right before this pic.  You can also see part of her face.  And her feet, of course, we're kicking away at the top of my belly.  You can see one of them resting on my uterus...

  I love being able watch her in real time as I feel her dancing around.  I think she's picking up on some of Desirae's Irish dancing steps by the feel of it!

                                          
The sonographer also took time to measure her, even though "it was too soon" - she went ahead and did it.  I was so thankful for this cause on Friday they told me she weighed 3 lbs 11oz, which was only up 2 oz in 2 weeks and that worried me.  Today they said she was 4 lbs 7oz...  I don't think she gained 12 oz in 5 days, so maybe they were off on Friday, but either way, she's bigger and that is good.  She has to get to a certain weight in order to donate her heart.  They haven't given me a specific goal because she won't have the weight of her head, so the normal 6 lbs requirement doesn't apply to her...but the bigger she is the more likely her valves will be able to be used. 

I have hoped all along that she would make the 5 lb mark... I've never had a little baby, so this still seems tiny, but again, that's not including the weight that her head would normally add to it.  It might sound like a silly thing to be hoping for, but I'm holding on to whatever "normal" I can - and having my "normal" big baby would be a blessing.  She will be considered full-term, so it could happen. 

My fluid is the same as it was on Friday and other than my back pain, everything else has subsided.  I know I could be a lot worse off physically.  I've also stopped losing weight, which is good.  I'm feeling pretty good about how everything went today.  What a roller coaster this has been!

I have one more appt on Tuesday, which is a pre-op appt to meet the doctor that will do my c-section.  I had planned to go alone since Matt only has one day of vacation left and we need it for Rachel's birthday.   But it turns out Matt has to work Saturday morning (4 hours) and whenever he works a Saturday, they send him home early another day so he doesn't get overtime.  My appt isn't until 2:00 and he will need to leave 4 hours early to go with me... works out perfectly!  God is absolutely in the details.  I wasn't supposed to have another ultrasound, but I asked if we could do one more that day and they scheduled it.  Maine Medical has been very good to me.  I'm excited about another chance to see her.  9 more days and I'll be holding her in my arms.  I can't believe it is coming so quickly.  I am so excited to meet her, to hold her, to kiss her and to pack as much love as I can into whatever time we have.  I'm scared to let her go, but I know she's going to good hands.  What more could a mother want for her child?