Proposed 05/13/03 Announced 06/19/03 Gender ID 11/29/03 Due 02/01/04 Born 02/19/04	Still Pregnant 02/17/04
Read Molly's Birth Story

Last Update: 02/21/04 - 11:35 am Molly and I slept peacefully last night (the first night was a much more difficult adjustment!). I wrote a first draft of our birth story (link above), and we'll get some new pictures on the website later. We're open to visitors and phone calls now, but don't expect much southern hospitality!

02/19/04 - 10:05 pm Molly was born today!!! - 12:05 pm - 8lb. 13oz. Thanks for all the wonderful kind thoughts and prayers. We're all healthy, happy and .... pooped!

02/19/04 - 6:31 am If you're reading this, you may be one of the first to know that I'm actually having REAL contractions! Surprise, surprise! I've been up since 3, though ... contractions started around 4 ... don't know how imminent things really are, but there's hope yet that this baby will be born before March!

Good Golly Miss Molly Creedence-Clearwater-Revival Lyrics Good golly miss molly, sure like to ball. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call. From the early early mornin’ till the early early night You can see miss molly rockin’ at the house of blue lights. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call. Well, now momma, poppa told me: "son, you better watch your step." If I knew my momma, poppa, have to watch my dad myself. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call. I am going to the corner, gonna buy a diamond ring. Would you pardon me if it’s a nineteen carat golden thing. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. Good golly, miss molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call.

(1) Hugs & Kisses From Annie 01/18/04
        (2) Bigger 02/17/04
                (3) Anatomy Lesson (feet) 02/17/04

What is Molly waiting for?? Valentine's Day?? Grandma & Papa's Visit on February 20?? To be a Pisces (starting February 20)?? Pops to return from Europe on February 21?? Baptism on February 29?? The next Full Moon on March 6?? Spring?? Send your guesses & predictions to Janis:   jrabbit@pigvig.net (We'll probably be rescheduling the baptism date after all, but we'll make that decision later.) Monkey Chinese New Year: 01/22/04 People born in the Year of the Monkey are the erratic geniuses of the cycle. Clever, skillful, and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original and can solve the most difficult problems with ease. There are few fields in which Monkey people wouldn't be successful but they have a disconcerting habit of being too agreeable. They want to do things now, and if they cannot get started immediately, they become discouraged and sometimes leave their projects. Although good at making decisions, they tend to look down on others. Having common sense, Monkey people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent memories. Monkey people are strong willed but their anger cools quickly. They are most compatible with the Dragon and Rat. Mommy: Horse Daddy: Dog Annie: Rabbit Chinese Zodiac Source Aquarius January 21 - February 19 Traditional Aquarian Traits: Friendly and humanitarian, Honest and loyal, Original and inventive, Independent and intellectual On the dark side: Intractable and contrary, Perverse and unpredictable, Unemotional and detached Pisces February 20 - March 20 Traditional Pisces Traits: Imaginative and sensitive, Compassionate and kind, Selfless and unworldly, Intuitive and sympathetic On the dark side: Escapist and idealistic, Secretive and vague, Weak-willed and easily led Zodiac Source

Sally: "Maybe you'll have a Valentine all your own." Stephanie: "This is priceless!!! My vote is for the 16th. That is the due date of a good friend from High School who is also having a girl. Good rationale, huh?!" Debbie: "I'm still hoping for a Valentine's Day baby." Dottie & Claude: "Our vote is for Wednesday, February 18th; that's our wedding anniversary date. But I also hope you don't have to be pregnant four more days." Angel: "I vote for Valentines! (for your sake and cause its sweet)" Marjorie: "I vote for the Feb. 20 visit of the grandparents. What a wonderful coincidence this would be!!!! My grandmother was present when I was born and it really made a special bond between us for life." Nana & Pops: "Now that Pops is out of the country, Molly can be born - perhaps that's what she was waiting for! (Pops was in Canada when Annie was born, and now he's on his way to England & Germany.)" Pam & Richard: "February 16 is Richard's birthday." Maria: "Robert was born on the 22nd of March, so perhaps Molly's waiting for Feb. 22." Dottie & Claude: "Maybe this will be a ten-month pregnancy and you will have Molly on Paul's leap year birthday (the 29th). Maybe that's what she's waiting for -- it's a birth date people will remember." Tammy: "I believe Molly is going to wait until the 29th. So she can have a special day of her own every 4 yrs." Tom & Cindy: "My guess is Feb. 21."

02/18/04: "YES, I'm STILL pregnant! Not even a HINT of labor! I slept pretty well last nite, at least. Yesterday's ultrasound & midwife appointment (results below) gave us a huge sense of relief, but it also added some frustration: we're thrilled that there is no reason for concern at all, but a bit dazed that nothing seems to be ready to happen. I was born 3 weeks late, and my brother was late, too. Daughters do tend to inherit pregnancy traits from their mothers, so it's not absurd to think that I would deliver this baby late, too. So, all I can do is take things one day at a time! We went to dinner in Galveston. Annie played on the beach for a little while (wasn't long enough for her, of course), then we stuffed ourselves at Benno's. I tried the "spicy food" approach to induction ... we'll see ... and now, it's time for bed!" 02/17/04: "You guessed it ... I'm still pregnant! My sense of humor is rapidly fading. Results from today's ultrasound: Biophysical score (breathing, heart, amniotic fluid level): 8 out of 8 maximum (100%) Weight 7#4oz - apparently, she just wasn't ready before now! We're greatly relieved that all is well, and we're glad she wasn't born earlier after all. Midwife appointment: Everything is normal. Cervix is softened but not really dilated. No reason to think delivery is imminent, but no way to know for sure! That's the funny thing about childbirth - things can change really fast (I had PROM for Annie 2 days after a totally normal exam). Today is the exact same moon-phase as when Annie was born - could that mean something? I'm adding the herb cohash today, which could help things along or do nothing! So, the consensus is: there is nothing to worry about, and nothing to do but relax! Basically, if Molly isn't ready to be born, nothing will make it happen." 02/16/04: "To answer the questions: being 42 weeks isn't a concern to most midwives. I was supposedly 3.5 weeks late! We listened to Molly on the monitor last week, and all is exactly fine - no decelerations in the heart rate, lots of activity to indicate good oxygenation. My weight hasn't changed in 2 weeks. I go again tomorrow ... probably do an exam this time (2 & 3 weeks ago, cervix was "soft" with no change) and another monitor check. We will possibly also schedule an ultrasound just to err on the side of caution. Extra mucus over the last 2 weeks, but no "bloody show". Braxton Hicks off & on. What's frustrating is that Annie was born at 37 weeks!~ so, I feel like I'm more than a MONTH overdue! It's a truly different experience, one that I'm not all that thrilled about most of the time. My most common word is "ouch", activity is peeing, and noise is "sigh" or "pbbbbbbbb". One of our cats has taken an active interest in my bathroom habits and can hear me get out of bed every 30 minutes at nite: I hear him thundering down the stairs as I walk to the bathroom, where he greets me. He's going to be a terror during the birth, I sense! I try to keep an open mind and a good sense of humor, but this is starting to feel like a cruel practical joke. I am in pretty intense pain most of the time. Carpal tunnel braces on my arms help a lot, but support hose & maternity belt aren't really "fixing" the pelvic pain. Molly dropped WEEKS ago, but I swear she's sinking further down ever so slowly." 02/15/04: "No baby yet. Beautiful sunny day here ... great day to be born. (are you listening, Molly?)" 02/14/04: "No labor still, but I need to go to work today (my 2 Saturday employees are sick or having car trouble!) ... then a nice bath & a Valentine's massage this evening! Maybe all these plans will encourage Molly? ......... The massage was great! Phil got take-out from our new favorite restaurant: Hollywood (Vietnamese). I then took a nice long soak in the bathtub before bed ... Great Massage, Great Dinner, Great Bath - Great Valentine's Day, even if I am 10 months pregnant! I am exhausted from working all day, though. If Molly isn't born soon, I have to work again on Monday! Please send birth-day vibes! (or rent-money!)" 02/13/04: "Gross, yucky, rainy, dreary Friday the 13th. Good day 'not' to have a baby ... Molly has shown some good judgment today, at least. Yesterday's appointment was uneventful. Molly looks great on the monitor - her heart rate + my blood pressure are perfect, so there is no cause to be nervous, but I am growing more anxious to hold our baby. I'm adding the herb Evening Primrose to my daily regimen now in hopes that it might trigger 'something'!" 02/12/04: "Who'da thunk I'd still be pregnant? Certainly not I. So, to answer the eternal questions: all is well. Baby is fine. Mommy is fine. We are now 11 days overdue. I won't be 'induced.' I have another midwife appointment in an hour - we've decided to look at things on a monitor today to see if there are any contractions happening. (I keep thinking there are, but they go away, so it's pre-labor, if anything.) Our credibility is totally shot, though - even with Annie - so I don't react so much to the 'contractions' anymore. Each day, Annie asks (or begs) for Molly to be born. Yesterday, she offered her advice: 'Mommy, you just have to push, push, push ...' She rubs lotion on my belly each nite - this was her idea, and while I was already fortunate not to have an itchy belly, it certainly feels wonderful! She gets tremendous joy out of watching Molly move (albeit much less often now that there's not so much room to move anymore). She peeks into my belly button to 'see' Molly, sometimes complaining that Molly 'kicked' her (oh, joy, sibling rivalry already)." 02/09/04: "I'm so tired of everyone asking when I'll induce! My baby is healthy - she'll come when she's ready - I may be grumpy about still being pregnant, but that's not enough reason." 02/06/04: "We met with the 'backup' midwife this evening ... she's very very nice. She has a gut feeling that she'll be delivering a baby this weekend - could be ours or one other client of Pat's who just reached 37 weeks. As much as I'd prefer to have 'my own' midwife, I'm getting a bit anxious about having a baby, so I think I'm content with the possibility that we might have to use someone else. I've been having braxton-hicks contractions this evening ... Plus, it's a full moon - who knows!? ... I am going in to open the store tomorrow, but I don't intend to work all day. I did today, tho ... and boy do I feel it. Closing the store was a good move, I decided (in spite of feeling like it might have been a bad idea since I haven't had a baby yet)." 02/03/04: "Today was my 40-week midwife appt. Midwife doesn't think we're really all that close to delivering ... could be next week still! Heartbeat is strong, movement is slowing down, but not of concern. (There's not much space in there to move around anymore!) My measurements, blood pressure, and weight gain are all fine. I've got some bothersome circulation problems in my arms & legs - but I had the same with Annie. I'm wearing my wrist braces, and that's helping me sleep somewhat better. I'm hoping to get a prenatal massage this week, which should make me feel better all around. We're all surprised that the baby hasn't been born yet and have concluded that something odd must have triggered early labor with Annie. Of course, the assessment of how "close" we are to delivering is all subjective, so it could happen tomorrow!" 01/30/04: "Molly sure is turning out to be cantankerous and stubborn! I can't believe that I was having contractions for 3 weeks, and now nothing for the past week. Midwife does think she'll be born before next Tuesday appt, but I am now 39.5 weeks, so that's not too surprising. Annie is anxious for her to be born, too - she wants me to be able to pick her up again. I suppose she's also tired of hearing that our baby will be born soon, but nothing ever happens." 01/27/04: "I just decided that today is my last day to work at the store - this exhaustion isn't doing anyone any good." 01/22/04: "I decided to close the store today because I really thought I was starting labor. Left a note of apology. Made all the necessary arrangements. Labor didn't progress, of course. I'm still grumpy, so I didn't open the store anyway. I would have been by myself, and I just didn't have the energy to do it! I've shortened my hours to close at 3:30 - that's better than closing altogether, I decided. I'm taking very very limited consignments and working as hard as I can at other projects: rearranging for a cradle behind the counter, purging junk, reducing prices on winter clothes, and putting out store-owned spring/summer clothes. I only hope I'm not hurting my store in the long run by being so out of sorts and tired. I just can't be super-woman anymore with a 4year old and a big belly! So, send some vibes my way for a healthy delivery as soon as possible so I can finally close the store without guilt!" 01/19/04: "No baby yet, but I'm feeling worse every day." 01/15/04: "Due any day now ... I don't want to jinx it again, but I'm feeling those early contractions again tonite." 01/12/04: "I've been feeling early "maybe it's labor" pains for a few days. I don't think it's braxton hicks, but I could be wrong. I'll be really surprised if she's not born this week ... but who knows! One day at a time. So, call before you come. I'm expecting to be open til I go into labor, but I'm considering closing at 3:30 starting tomorrow because the long days are killing me." 01/10/04: "Still pregnant ... but having early labor pains ... May be time, maybe not ... I put a sign on the store that says 'If I'm closed, I'm probably in labor' - I have a banner all ready that says 'Closed for Baby', but I need to wait or I'll jinx it and not have the baby for two more weeks!" 01/07/04: "Well, I have a hunch this baby will be here soon ... She dropped on Sunday, and I’ve been feeling some 'different' pressure, not what I’d call labor yet, but ..." 01/04/04: "My body signals are implying that I’m about 2 weeks away from delivery - legs just started swelling last week, which happened about 3 weeks before Annie was born and lasted only a couple weeks. Of course, it could just be coincidence, and I may last longer! Other than that and just being tired, all is going well." 01/01/04: "This baby will probably be here in about 3-4 weeks - or less!"

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