Faith or Fear - Part 2

36 weeks with Monkey! (There's a contest at the end!)

Remember this post? I have once again been battling with a teeny tiny bit of fear regarding Monkey's delivery. First, a bit of background...

I went into labor with Gator at 35 weeks 5 days and delivered him at 35 weeks 6 days. I checked with my midwife earlier that week to be sure that I could still travel that weekend, and she gave me the green light. We went to my husband's hometown for a massive baby shower. On Friday night, my water broke. Just about the time I would have been opening presents at my shower on Saturday, I was having my baby. While Gator's delivery had the potential to be very harrowing, it really wasn't. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared though. However, he was healthy! His only complication was jaundice.

My pregnancy with Bull was hard on me physically. I was very sick, and Hubs was out to sea for the first part. I'm so glad that I was living with my parents and sister at the time. I don't know how I would have done it without their help. We moved to Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina took all of our possesions. Then, we moved to Tennessee 6 weeks prior to Bull's birth. It's not easy to move when you're that pregnant, especially considering the circumstances under which we made the transition. Medically speaking though, Bull's birth was very easy and very fast and only 5 days early.

This week last year, I found out I was pregnant with #3. Four days later, I miscarried.

Of course, this pregnancy has had its ups and downs. I was very sick again and we had to deal with the possibility of having a child with special needs. But we had the joy of finding out that Monkey is healthy and will make us a three-of-a-kind family (actually, this is the first time that we found out the sex of the baby before birth).

I had been anxious that Monkey would come while Hubs was gone to Fort Hood and Arlington. Because the hospital here on post doesn't have a NICU, if you go into labor before 36 weeks, you are automatically moved to the closest big city which is an hour away (or 18 minutes by helicopter - so I've heard). I am breathing easier now that I am 36 weeks. I am officially in the clear!

So, to celebrate...it's time for another contest!
Whoever can guess the birthday, birth weight and length of Monkey will win a fun prize! I'll allow anonymous comments on this one post only so that everyone can participate! You have until the 28th to enter. Happy guessing!