Good night, waiting for the full moon

 Just wanted to give another update. Natalie had a great day, went to get snow cones with Sheridan and the girls. Baby is moving like crazy.  No labor happening. 

The temperature outside is cooling down and the weekend is upon us. 

I saw that the kids and friends have made a bunch of great labor flags with inspiring notes and words of encouragement, along with a few superhero drawings and modern art pieces.  The flags are being hung in strategic places to help Natalie focus and feel supported as she approaches the day.

For those of you tracking Melissa's progress. She is doing great, her house is undergoing a remodel, so the demo is a bit of a mess. She gets a nice break three mornings a week when her two little ones go off to pre-school.  She is not sure what to do with her extra time, but in a few weeks the baby will fill the hours quite nicely. 

I am hoping both babies don't choose the full moon to make their move. 

Keep up your kind thoughts and send positive energy for my girls. 

Carol

Good morning, still pregnant

House cleaner got the house in great shape. Moved the birthing tub into the kitchen. Went Country Western dancing with Craig, while kidos hung out with Ama and Pappa. 

It was a great day. 

September 16-

Greetings from Carol,

A beautiful and cool day today. Talked with Natalie this morning and all is perfect.  Baby is happy just  hanging out. And Natalie's blood pressure, etc is all good. 

Nat's goal over the next weeks is to just enjoy the magic of her pregnancy and let her body and the baby decide when they will activate labor. 

Midwife Karen reminded Nat, and I am reminding everyone else,  her "due date" was a guess. She only had one period following her last miscarriage. 

She has decided to move the birth location into the house, opposed to the Carriage House, since the Carriage House still smells and feels new and no curtains. And perhaps a bit of nostalgia surrounding having all four births in the kitchen.  

There are always mind games playing in our heads as the birth becomes more imminent.  Luckily, Natalie has a great midwifery team to guide her.  

 I'm off to play!! 

September 14 -41 weeks plus 2 days

Natalie went to her chiropractor appointment yesterday.  She is hoping it will be her last. The temperature is climbing towards 100 again. Every day we hope to see the end of our Summer and on to cooler, signs of Fall.  Maybe the baby is waiting for a crisp Fall morning to arrive. 

Carol

September 13 Update

 Hi from Carol,

Gene and I helped Nat move attic stuff this morning, glad she is willing to ask for help and stands back while we do the heavy lifting. 

No sign of baby. Natalie is full of "nesting" energy. Managing the attic clean up, checking in on a Plexus call, and hosting Sheridan and kids for the morning school session. 

A very busy house and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Baby Johnson 4.0. 

9 days past due date by my calculation. 

Welcome Back

This is Carol, translating Natalie's Instagram posts so you can get daily updates about her progress.

September 4, 2021

Due date!  Luckily, my little one decided to be "late" so I could do a photo shoot on my due date!

September 10, 2021

Wild time at the pool today. Thunderstorms, a couple episodes of downpour, and crazy wind. It was the most unique swimming adventure I have had in a long time and the kids loved it!!

Fun way to spend the afternoon when it is over 100 degrees and you are 5 days past your due date. 

September 11, 2021

Date night with the hubby. Such an amazing routine we have been in for over a year now, swapping date nights with the Ards every weekend!

We enjoyed Thai food, a sour snow cone and uninterrupted conversation. Wondering if it was our last date night before our rainbow baby arrives??

September 12, 2021

My nipples still hurt like crazy when Wes latches, but I know powering through will be worth it when I get to nurse both of them together. 

Also... nipple stimulation does not always put you into labor, trust me, I'm nursing him like crazy and I have had zero contractions! Once my body and baby are ready for labor and the oxytocin receptors are active, then nursing him will help encourage contractions, but until then, we are just soaking in the last moments of him being "the baby". 

September 12, 2021

Did you konw that induction is not alwasy successful?? But why??

Simply put, your body and baby might not be ready. The baby and body have hormonal shifts that happen before labor and if those have not happend, the body will work to keep the baby inside. 

At this point, I have not tried any forms of induction. Kylie came 12 days "late" and Cooper was 10. So I figure my body and baby are simply not ready yet. We will see how it feels as the week progresses, but I am not counting on anything working until my body is ready:)

 

Note from Carol:  Melissa is now 37 weeks and Gene and I are wondering if we might have two grand babies born on the same day. 

I am packing the car,  and emotionally preparing to welcome baby girl in Redlands and leave ASAP to welcome baby boy in Sacramento. It is both magical, wonderful and a bit surreal. 

41 and 1 still pregnant

 Here we go again!!