Update @ 37.3 weeks

I'm uber crazy at work trying to prepare to be out when baby Daniel makes his appearance, so this update will be brief...and bulleted...

• I feel humongous. I'm definitely out of that "awww, I like being a cute prego!" phase and onto "awwww, I love my baby but really wish shirts would cover my belly" phase
• I had to buy new tops to make room for my hugely-growing belly (and ps if you're expecting: Target is having a huge clearance on their maternity clothes AND the Moss.imo regular tanks are AWESOME during pregnancy--just buy a L or XL and they'll fit the whole time!)
• Dr. N. thinks Daniel will be between 7 and 7.5 pounds
• Today I was FINALLY dilated (1cm) and effaced (50%)
• Bad news: Daniel is face up...which means we will have to turn him once I go into labor.  I knew God was preparing me for a long labor with all these workouts I've been doing during pregnancy ;-) Dr. N. says it's not necessarily a c-section, but I will have to push a lot. I'm ok with that, but I'll do whatever it takes to get baby here healthy and happy.
• We are installing the car seat tonight. Promise.
• Shooting pains down the chacha = baby's head dropping.  At least there's a reason I cry out in shocked pain at random points in the evening.
• Sparky turns 30 next week...I'm hosting a 30th birthday party for 20 people on Saturday. At 38 weeks pregnant. 

I think that's it for now.  Happy Tuesday!

So that's what "Labor and Delivery" is like

Well Mr. Daniel and I had quite the interesting day yesterday.  "We" (can he be considered a we with me yet?) had yesterday off for MLK day.  Woke up with Sparky, got an early start to the day and then...a little gush down there. After our birthing class on Saturday, I really know what to look for in terms of labor signs.  The "gush" didn't smell like pee, didn't look like it either, but it was only a little and then stopped so I just went on with my day.  Then the pelvic pressure increased and I had an excruciating (read: pain enough to make me nauseous) around my right rib through my back.  I am TRYING not to freak out about things, but I thought the pain was probably enough to at least call my nurse.

After a car wash, a pedicure, and grocery shopping, my nurse called me back and asked me to come in for some bloodwork as sometimes that kind of pain can be linked to the liver.  Thank goodness my dr/hospital is only 15 minutes from my house.  Upon seeing my wonderful nurse, I told her about the fluid and about the pressure and about the contractions I was sure I'd had the day before--and they were actual contractions, according to the nurse.  Dr. N. sent me immediately to Labor and Delivery.  When the doctor tells you to do something, you do it.  I had not wanted to end up here until I was actually in labor...I felt like an intruder, or an overreacting momma, neither of which I really was given my doctor's strict orders to go down there.

Sparky left work and met me there; by the time he got there, I was hooked up to the baby heart monitor and the contraction monitor.  The nurse was excellent, and Sparks was quite entertaining with rubber gloves and peeking through the curtains to see the new baby next door (there were no private rooms at the time). 

After about two hours and a BPP (biophysical profile) of Daniel, we were released.  The fluid was not amniotic fluid and the bloodwork from the liver test should be back today.  Daniel's heart was great and he was moving like a crazy boy, and while I was having tiny little minor contractions, they were incredibly sporadic and nothing to worry about.  We did get to see our boy on the ultrasound, though, something we haven't seen in 20 weeks.  He is freakin adorable.  He was grabbing both feet with one hand, wedging all those fingers and toes into my left side. He's head down and was sucking when we got to see his face.  We can't really tell what his nose looks like, but I think it looks like his dad's. 

The nurse told me never, ever to wait to come in with fluid.  That made me feel better, a little less chagrined for being there before I was in actual labor.  I couldn't have imagined having baby boy yesterday.  The car seat isn't even in my car yet!  After that, both Sparky's car and my car will have car seats by Friday.

It was an interesting day, to say the least.  Seeing the baby and knowing he's ok made everything worth it...even the bills I know will be in the mail!

And to DD, I'm so sorry if you read this before I had a chance to talk to you :( It was too late (and I was too exhausted) to call you last night and too early this morning.

ONE MONTH

(ok I started this post yesterday on 1/16, so it was a month, yesterday) Seriously.  We are ONE MONTH from my due date!!  I can't believe we're allowed to actually be having this baby, not because we're going to be bad parents, but because this day felt like it would never come.  There were points in the last year where I felt as if we were in an endless maze with no foreseeable way out.  Looking back, I know why we were in that maze, but at the time, seeing an end (taking home a baby) seemed an impossibility.  And now, after everything, after learning to be patient and learning to accept Malachi's loss, we're finally almost there.

Last Wednesday, Sparky called me and asked quite seriously if I was going to have the baby this week.  I told him I doubt the baby will come this early...and then he told me his boss wanted him to take a last minute trip to Finland to take care of some issues.  So, off Sparks went to Finland this past Sunday to return tomorrow (yay!).  He missed one doctor visit.  We didn't think she'd do my first internal exam this week, but she did, so he did miss that which kind of sucked.  But Mr. Daniel (as Sparky calls him) is just happy as a clam.  He's head down but Dr. N. can't feel his head yet and I'm dilated maybe 1 cm, not effaced at all.  I'm not surprised that he hasn't dropped as I still feel his butt in my ribs all the time.  Daniel just doesn't want to leave his warm home yet.  Dr. N. will let me carry until 41 weeks (please, please come before that) and I will be induced after that.  I'd like to NOT be induced if we can avoid it, but I will do whatever is safest for the baby. 

I admire women who have all-natural births.  While I think I'm a very strong woman and have a very high pain tolerance, I will be getting an epidural, for many reasons.  As long as I'm not in danger and the baby is safe, Sparky is fine with whatever decisions I make regarding the birthing process.  He's been like this through the whole pregnancy and it's been lovely that he trusts me so much.  He has done his share of reading baby books and talking to his BIL about their experience three months ago with Elyse; we discuss everything, but I know he definitely respects all of my opinions and desires in regards to the birthing plan and immediately afterwards.

I love having Daniel so close, but given that he's a quiet and quite stubborn baby, I'm ready for him to be here. I'm ready to stop worrying about how many movements he's had in the past hour or two.  He has NO PATTERN. That's his pattern.  This is very, very frustrating.  I've consumed more real Coke in the past few months than I have in years, and ditto the eating sweats.  Yesterday he was trying to punch his way out of my belly, and today, I think he's been sleeping all day.  Sparky is definitely ready to meet his little boy and have me stop worrying, at least about this :)

I started my second semester of grad school this week AND I found out that I have been invited to read at the national Advanced Placement reading this summer!  This is a HUGE deal for an AP Language teacher; I've applied three years now and I finally got accepted! I will spend seven days grading essays in Kentucky.  Sparks and the grandmas will watch Daniel who will be about four months old at the time.  It's not ideal timing (as I'm also taking summer school for grad school) but this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Sparky is thrilled for me and so supportive.  I of course asked him if it would be ok before I even applied.  I get paid to do this, and that will pay my summer tuition for grad school, so really it's a great situation. 

I guess I've rambled on enough for one day.  We started our weekly appointments, so I will keep updating about those and hopefully we'll have a lil baby Daniel picture within the next month :) 

Baby Boy's Nursery

I've been meaning to post pictures of the nursery since it's been done for several weeks now.  When I started planning the nursery, all I had in my head was a picture that one of my BFFs had pinned on Pinterest.  There were stripes on the wall and a monogram over the crib.  I showed that picture to my dad (who's a contractor and general amazing house guy) and he made it happen.  The nursery is more than I could've ever expected.  I think it's my most favorite room I've ever had.  Once we had the design down, I spent weeks (or months...) scouring Pinterest and and Etsy for prints that I thought would be nice for Baby Boy.  I wanted them to be different and unique.  I finally pieced everything together for a photo/collage wall.

Our furniture is Suite Bebe, Dakota collection, and driftwood is the color.  The rocker is a Shermag glider, espresso wood with tea fabric.  The little sports dresser I found at Homegoods before we knew for sure we were having a boy, but it was so cute I had to have it. The shelves on each side of the window were on clearance at Target ($2.68 each!) and then I bought brackets for the shelves at Home Depot.  The light blue rug, baskets, and little toy chest are also from Homegoods, and the bookshelf/sling I found on Amazon.

I wish I had a better picture of all of the different prints and pictures on his wall. They're all so unique!




The blank picture slot is for a picture of Daniel
(the top pic is Sparky as a baby and the bottom pic is me as a baby)

 




Baby Boy's full name. Jerred is a combination of our dad's names
Sorry for the crooked picture

 

Parenting "Decisions" and Lists

I am an avid (read: obsessive) list maker.  I think I've even made a list of lists to make.  I love crossing things off lists probably more than I like making lists.  I have a daily to-do list, a bi-weekly budget/money list, an on-going grocery list, a list of dinners for the week.  And those lists are just my usual lists.  Right now, I also have a hospital bag list and a to-do-before-baby-almost-gets-here list. 

The hospital bag is an interesting thing.  I can't quite pack it yet because I want to wear my slippers and pj pants between now and the time I go to the hospital.  I obviously can't pack my makeup either for this reason.  So, when/if I go into labor, will I be scrambling around my house, yelling at Sparky to find my slippers while I pack my travel makeup bag? And, if I go into labor at work (as one of my students asked yesterday), does the hospital bag get rendered useless?  AND truthfully, labor takes a while, so even if I do go into labor at home, won't I still have time to put my makeup bag together?  What is the other option--travel sized everything in a separate makeup bag? That sounds rather expensive and unnecessary.  (YES, I will be one of those women with makeup on in the delivery room--if you know me in real life, you know this is true).

About that to-do-before-baby-almost-gets-here list...I don't know when Daniel will make his appearance.  My goal is to have everything done by the week of Jan. 21. So what does this list encompass? Oil change, windshield wipers, carwash, boil pacifiers--is that what you do to sterilize them?--wash bottles and their million little parts, buy changing pad, buy pads and lotion for boobs, buy breast pump stuff, talk to boss about maternity leave again, lesson plans for maternity leave, clean house, get wax, get hair done, buy cheap underwear for hospital bag, finish hospital bag, oh and install carseat base in my car.  Seriously, this list makes me tired. And the kicker--how much of this is really necessary?! 

Being this far in pregnancy is interesting.  I finished my first baby book (Happiest Baby on the Block) and I'm reading What to Expect the First Year.  Thanks to Kathleen @ Boring Blog, I just purchased another book on my N.ook to read on the treadmill.  I feel like parenting is a combination of other people's good ideas with what works for your child, and this is the approach I'm taking.  There are a few things that I will be adamant about (like no pacifier at the hospital), but other than that, I feel like I just want a whole bunch of ideas, tips, and strategies in my head that I can mentally flip through once we meet Daniel.  I was stressing out for a while about all of this, but I feel much calmer now.  Sparky and I are still on the bunny slopes of parenting, so I'm sure we will look back on some of our attempts at scheduling/baby calming and laugh (or cry), but I think this approach will work for us at first.

Speaking of baby calming, Sparky and I are babysitting our niece this Friday!  We gave SIL and BIL a night of babysitting and a restaurant giftcard for Christmas; Sparky is a little nervous, but I think we'll be fine.  Trial by fire I guess!  She's 14 weeks old this week, and my MIL is only five minutes away if things get way out control, but I don't foresee that happening. 

I've learned over the past weeks that Sparky will be the more, well, cautious parent.  We set up our baby swing and turned it on and he immediately said "it's too fast! we can't put the baby in that! he'll fly out!"  Oh man.  And so it begins...

33 Week Photo

Now for a "bump" picture. I'm pretty sure it's more like a basketball than a bump at this point, and I definitely don't feel as big as I look. The scale isn't horrible, but it definitely has me plotting my post-baby workout plan already.

This picture is from last week. One if my high school friends turned 30 and had a party at her house, complete with the most adorable champagne bar I've ever seen. She had six or seven different types of mixers, including cotton candy which I suggest you try immediately. Anyway, I found a non alcoholic sparkling wine which was awesome with the mixers. I felt great and really enjoyed the excuse to get dressed up. I had a black maternity halter in some of the clothes I borrowed so I figured this would be the occasion to actual wear it. Sparky was at his friend's diaper shower so I had to take a mirror pic.

Update and Photos!

As promised, I am going to finally update my blog!!  I know you have all been waiting with breath that is bated (as said by Professor Behr in Little Women).

First, the baby news. I'm 34 weeks pregnant. Well into the third trimester.  I'm still not sure if I believe this is all happening.  I definitely have moments of panic wondering how different our lives are going to be.  I feel so selfish, but I love my alone time with Sparky.  Some of my favorite times of the day are cooking dinner and relaxing on the couch together.  We've had so much time together over the holidays--he took off work for almost two weeks and I've been off as well.  I've definitely been greedy about my time with him and I don't feel sorry for that.  I know after a couple of months with baby we will have a little routine and hopefully more time together, but I'm definitely scared about how to figure out these routines, and quite frankly, how to figure out baby.  I've been reading Happiest Baby on the Block and I am truly loving the book.  I know there's no prescription for baby happiness or baby crying, but I like that there are steps I can take to help calm baby.  This makes the control freak in me feel a tinsy bit better!  And then I realize I have no idea what to expect.

Our last visit with Dr. N. was Monday.  Baby Boy is measuring just a couple of days ahead.  My internal exams will start at week 35.5...and she seems to think he will be early, given that I was 12 days early, my sister was more than two weeks early, and my mom was 80% effaced with me at 35 weeks. We'll see I guess.  Predicting this would be nice, though, given that Sparky turns 30 on Feb. 7!!! 30!!! AHHH!!!  I have his 30th birthday planned for Feb. 2, so I'd like Baby Boy to stay put at least until Feb. 3...because his party is going to be really awesome.  I'm sure Sparky would not like Baby Boy to be born on Feb. 3 as it is Superbowl Sunday, but at least his team isn't playing.  Anyway, I've started making plans for my substitute teacher while I'm out on leave.  I hoped to have that finished by this weekend, but I've enjoyed my time off from work wayyy too much to actually do work at home! 

Since I last posted, I hosted a lovely baby shower for my BFF, DD and hosted Christmas!  We were not planning on hosting fourteen people on Christmas Day, but after the power went out at my in-laws and a grassfire started across the street from their house, we evacuated to our house as we are the only other ones that can fit 14 people comfortably.  Minus my father-in-law leaving the ham on their driveway, we really had a smooth Christmas dinner.  Everyone seemed happy and comfortable and full of good food, after the ham was rescued. 

I really don't feel that I've done anything too memorable over the past two weeks, but I've enjoyed relaxing, walking every day, sleeping in, and getting things done without rushing around.  Our Christmas decorations are already stored away and we've gotten everything ready for Baby Boy.  The stroller and carseat we tackled today, and as Sparky said, now we're ready (AHHH!!! scary, scary).  We put together the swing and the vibrating chair and the pack n play, finished the nursery, installed a shelf in Baby Boy's closet, unrolled the diapers from the diaper cake, and we actually organized our game room/media room.  The game room has nothing to do with the baby, but it still needed to be done.  I started packing our hospital bag, but it's really hard to pack things you're going to need in the next five weeks!!!  I am the queen of list making, so I have a "hospital bag" list on top of the hospital bag, and a to-do before baby list on the coffee table. 

In case you were wondering, I've also done the most important things--made a hair cut/color appointment, a pedicure appointment, and a wax appointment.  And booked a hotel for a night for Sparky and I. 

On that note, I hope you all had a lovely holiday.  Happy New Year.  I hope that 2013 brings each of you joyous surprises. 

And now some pictures...




Callie knowing there's something in her stocking



Daniel's first Santa present (Baby Boy's name is Daniel)



Christmas morning tradition with new stem glass koozies



some of my decorated packages-I LOVE wrapping gifts. Theme was polka dots and stripes

  

I'll post nursery pics within the next few days. I think they deserve a post of their own

I'm still here

Hello my long lost bloggy world! I am still here, just haven't posted in a while.  I do promise a post soon replete with Christmas and nursery pics.  Third trimester is kicking my butt with tiredness, so I will blame my ho-hum blog existence on the baby whose butt is currently lodged in my ribs. 

Sorry for the absence.  I have no real excuse! I have still been reading all my blogs, but commenting doesn't work from my phone so I am definitely lacking there as well.

Until I have the energy to post again...