James Michael's Birth Story

My poor blog has taken such a backseat in my life the last...like..year that I didn't even blog about my pregnancy with Baby J!! Basically:

•  I got huge and everyone always said I looked like I was having twins or about to pop (which, you know, feels awesome). 
• I worked out until the third trimester and couldn't anymore. 
• I was more sick in the beginning this time than I was when I was pregnant with Emily. 
• He kicked less and stretched more than Emily. 
• Not as much heartburn until the very end. 
• I get really bad pelvic bone pain that makes it hard to walk or move or do anything while pregnant and it was worse this time than when I was pregnant with Emily. Therefore, I was MORE THAN READY to have him whenever he felt like coming.

 Luckily, he did decide to be nice to me and came ten days early!! Here is my labor story!

My due date was May 11th. That's today- Mother's Day! But we've been blessed enough to have had James since May 1st. What started out as a normal "I'm so uncomfortable, get this baby out of me now" day turned into an exciting day we didn't expect! I had an appointment on Wednesday, June 30th to go to my weekly OBGYN appointment to see how baby was measuring, hear the heartbeat, etc. Before I left for my appointment I took this belly picture. It was my 38 week picture.

At my 11:15 am appointment, I basically had a mini meltdown and was crying to my nurse practitioner about how miserable I felt physically and how the waiting was killing me. She was very nice and understanding. I told her that I didn't want to have her check to see how dilated I was this time because it hurts and doesn't even mean anything as far as when the baby would come. Then I told her that there was a slight chance my water might have been leaking (it wasn't obvious) since the night before and so she took two samples, tested one that was positive, then left the room to check the other one (leaving me freaking out and getting excited because if they were both positive for water leakage I knew they would send me to L&D to have the baby). She came back in the room and said "It's your water leaking, you're going to head to L&D now!" I was shocked and so thrilled. I left the appointment with a huge smile on my face. I had just, that morning, run this scenario with Michael as a "what if" because I had our one car with me.

So anyway, I called Michael and said "Remember that scenario we talked about this morning? Well...it's happening. We're having the baby!" And he didn't believe me at first. Then he started freaking out. I called my mom to tell her so she could start heading out because she was going to watch Emily for us. Then I called my friend Heather and she was nice enough to drive Michael and Emily to the hospital, drop off Michael, then turn around and take Emily back to our house because by then my mom got there. Crazy!! During all that, I was checking into L&D and getting my hospital gown on (my nurse called it my Victorias Secret gown and undies or something haha). I snapped this picture in the bathroom.

I look happy here because I was! I was so thrilled to be finally having him and that it was early! Emily was five days late. Also, my contractions hadn't started so I wasn't in any pain as far as labor goes.

Michael got to the hospital just after I was checked to see how dilated I was. I was only 2.5 cm dilated so they had me walk the halls of L&D for an hour to try to get my contractions going and I only felt a couple in that hour. During my walk I was sneaking bites of a sandwich I made Michael get from the hospital downstairs because I was starving and labor hadn't even really started yet but I wasn't "allowed" to eat since I was admitted already. I hadn't had lunch yet.

When they checked me again I was somewhere around 4.5 cm so the walking moved things along but as soon as I layed down again I didn't progress much at all for several hours.

I was on a constant penicillin IV and then they started talking about giving me pitocin since my water had leaked the night before and they were worried about infection if I didn't have the baby soon. I had already been thinking I would probably get the epidural this time around (I did it naturally with Emily) but when they said that about giving me pitocin I knew I wanted it. I had heard how much more intense contractions are with pitocin and I wanted nothing to do with that!!

So they hooked up some liquids to my IV before I could get the epidural, then when I was getting the epidural I was shaking so bad. I am sure it was nerves, not cold. I got the shakes several different times in the hospital. Anyway, the pressure of the epidural actually did hurt but once I was hooked up I was fine. The nurse who put my catheter in was in serious danger of getting punched in the face. I hated her. She had no bedside manner, didn't wait until I was numb enough, then had to check it again to see if she put it in right. I was cranking up my epidural so I wouldn't feel it. I used that as my numbing guide. If I could feel my catheter, I cranked it up. I LOVED the epidural. I didn't mind one bit being numb down to my feet. After being in pain and so uncomfortable for nine months, I welcomed this break. It was awesome to see my contractions on the chart get closer together and more intense, feel the pressure in my belly, but not be in any pain. I was watching House on my phone and Michael was watching The Godfather on his lol. We couldn't sleep (sleep is near impossible in hospitals because of the constant coming and going, questions, etc.) but we rested well into the night in our dim hospital room.

At some point, probably around 3:00 am, they checked me again and felt that I had more water that needed to break so that the baby's head would come down more and then I would dilate quickly. They popped the water (another reason to be grateful I had the epidural) and then left this thing in me that better tracked my contractions. The pressure of THAT was weird. Every time I had a contraction it moved. So weird. The pressure of that got more and more intense but it didn't hurt so I didn't think much of it. When they checked me again (probably around 3:50 am) they freaked out because apparently the pressure was THE BABY'S HEAD. I was crowning!! They started frantically telling me not to push, I told them I wasn't but he was coming anyway. They were waiting for the midwife to come in who was delivering another baby next door. She came running in a few seconds later, they put my feet up in the stirrup things (ouch...), told me to push..I gave half a push and he came FLYING OUT. I didn't even really need to push! I couldn't believe it. They exclaimed, "he's huge!!" and the midwife said "it's a girl!"...we had a second of panic until they double checked and said "no, it's a boy" hahaha! They put him on my chest for a couple of minutes, then they asked if I wanted to see how much he weighs. I said yes and they took him for his measurements.

James Michael was born at 3:53 am on May 1st (my brother Brian's birthday too!) weighing 9 lbs and 21" long. I kept saying I couldn't believe I had a nine pound baby!!! And he was early!

We love our little boy so much. He's seriously the sweetest, most mellow baby ever. He barely ever cries and he is totally fine with cuddling, sitting in his swing, or laying in his bassinet. He's just such an angel and a total blessing. He's the perfect addition to our little family.

A Baby Announcement!

I can't believe my blog is the last place for me to announce this. That shows how blog lazy I've been. Anyway, here's some good news!!!

We're going to be welcoming our second little pumpkin in May 2014!

I'm due on May 11 (Mother's Day!) but we all know those due dates are really just a guestimate. Emily was five days late so I'm just assuming baby #2 will make an appearance sometime in May ;).

We are so excited! I'm 12 weeks and I'm actually going to be finding out the gender REALLY EARLY.

Next Monday we will be finding out if Emily will be having a little sister or a little brother.

Crazy. 

I started showing a lot sooner this time! Here is a picture of me last week at 11 weeks. 

I still can't believe we're going to have CHILDREN. It's both terrifying and thrilling to add to our family. I've been a lot more sick with this pregnancy than I was with Emily and it's also a lot harder to be sick when you have a toddler. So, it's been rough. But we are still very grateful for this baby! It was very much wanted and I think we are still trying to wrap our minds around it. Emily is our whole world right now! She knows I have a baby in my tummy. She pats my stomach and says "Hi, Baby". She also gives it kisses sometimes. She's going to be an amazing big sister!

Let's Be Honest: Baby #2

I had a dream that I was pregnant. I haven't had one of those in a while. In my dream, I went into labor and then woke up, and BAM my baby was there. It was another little girl and she was like the size of a 3 month old. I couldn't get over how BIG she was. And I felt disconnected. I couldn't remember giving birth to her. Like I had blacked out or had a surgery or something. Not remembering giving birth to her and then seeing how big she was made me feel like she couldn't possibly be mine. I didn't feel a connection to that baby and it made me both sad and scared.

I think those fears probably stem from my fears of having another child. I would love more kids eventually but at this point I am terrified of how I am going to handle it. It's already so hard with just one! I think about this all the time. The logistics of it all. Then there's the fact that both of our cars are so small that we have to fit the carseat in the middle of the backseat because there is no room behind the seats. We need a bigger car! I also think about how babies cry a lot and what if the baby wakes up Emily in the night? I also think about how at least when Emily was up all night I could sleep when she slept. How will I ever sleep when I have Emily to take care of and can't take naps?? These may seem like such trivial worries but it's just some things I can't help think about.

Of course there are also the fears of being pregnant and actually giving birth. Oh and the beginning stages of breastfeeding when it makes you want scream/curse because of how bad it hurts to nurse until your you-know-what's get used to it.

Am I scaring anyone else? Haha. I know it all works out in the end. The pregnancy is also a beautiful and fun time. Labor/birth is just one day. You can do anything one day. Breastfeeding is hard in the beginning but it gets easier and then it's a wonderful experience. I breastfed for over a year!! Somehow it's all worth it when you look at your tiny, precious, baby that you love more than you could ever have imagined.

You would think that since I've done this all before that I wouldn't be so scared. But...maybe it's BECAUSE I've experienced how hard it is that I'm dragging my feet. It's also because my husband works 12 hr shifts at night. Plus commuting.

I want to be fully ready to do it ALL- the good with the bad- before we have another baby.

But then I look back at old pictures of Emily or baby pictures of Michael (thanks a lot, Diana!!!) and I start to think "Maybe I could do it...."

P.S- Michael makes comments all the time about how we should have another. Pretty sure he would freak out if I actually said "Okay!"

Emily's Birth Story

**I'm not really going to filter what I say in this, so if you don't like the details which can be TMI, feel free not to read it.**

On Saturday, Sept. 24th, my parents were at our house visiting for a while. Michael had just left to go to the gym and I was (of course) whining to my parents about still being pregnant at 40 weeks and 4 days. I hated that I couldn't do anything but wait for my little girl to enter the world on her own time. I had to continue to try and be patient and in the meantime deal with the discomforts of being so far along. My mom recommended that I take a nice, long, hot shower to relax. I took her advice and got in the shower.

When I got out of the shower at about 4:45 pm and put my underwear on, I noticed...wetness. I was pretty sure my water broke. I had my mom come in my room and I showed her. She was pretty sure it was my water too. I called the Labor and Delivery line and asked them what I should do. They told me it sounded like my water broke and that I should come in to be safe. I called Michael to let him know he needed to come home because my water broke and we needed to go to the hospital. I went to the bathroom and lost my plug. Soon after that, my contractions started. I hurried and got dressed (in my moms dress- the only thing that fit me since my clothes were in the dryer) and my mom insisted on taking one last belly bump picture as well as a picture of how many inches around I was. As if I could ever forget. Ha! I grew a lot in the last 4 days of pregnancy.

I remember being sweaty from my nerves. This is pretty much what was going through my head. "I'm finally in labor! Why wasn't Michael home yet? Am I going to be able to do this? How long will my labor last? Am I really in labor or is this another false alarm? Why is Michael still not here?! Did I remember to pack everything? Poor Jexi. She is going to worry and I'm going to miss her while I'm gone. What is taking Michael so long?!"

Meanwhile, I was having consistent contractions at about 5 minutes apart. Finally, about an hour after I had first called him to come home, Michael walked in the door. He was surprised that it was the real deal, not another false alarm. He hurried and got in the shower, we packed the car, and headed to the hospital. The contractions were now 3-4 minutes apart as we were driving the 20 minutes to the hospital. I felt the pain in my lower belly and in my back. I wasn't expecting that. I thought it would be just in my belly. It hurt so bad to sit there in the car! Longest drive ever. Michael was driving like a maniac to try and get me there faster. Don't worry, he was being careful. Careful but fast and efficient.

When we got there, Michael wheeled me in in a wheelchair. I was so emberassed. I hated how people stared at us as Michael ran through the doors of the hospital. I was hoping and praying I could make it to L&D before I got another contraction so I wouldn't have to have one while people watched. I can't remember now if I did or not. I do remember how long it seemed to take to get situated in our room. Do you know how hard it is to try and pee in a cup for the nurse while having contractions? Ugh. Finally I was able to lay down and relax a bit in between contractions while answering their annoying questions like "Do you smoke? Drink? Have any allergies? Any complications?" The list of questions was endless. Another problem? I was already hungry and labor had just started. It was going to be a long night since they don't let you have anything but ice chips while you are in labor. I was able to convince Michael to let me have a bite of his granola bar though.

When they checked me to see how dilated and effaced I was, I was told I was practically at 5 cm and "paper thin", which I assume means fully effaced. I was already halfway done! Nice! The pain in my hand and arm from my IV with the penicillin hurt worse than the contractions, even though they tried to dilute it for me. It literally felt like my arm was on fire. I had to have it though because I tested positive for Strep B. They asked me if I wanted an epidural and I told them that so far the contractions were manageable but I might change my mind later on. I met the anesthesiologist when he came in the room to say "hi". I tried to be as pleasant as possible with him, just in case I needed him later. :)

The contractions at that point felt like the really bad cramps I get the first day or two of my periods. Do they hurt really bad? Oh, yes. But could I handle it? Yep. My nurse was awesome. She fully supported me the whole time. They were impressed with how tough I was and how well I handled labor. Thank you, thank you. It was awesome feeling like I could do it without the epidural. I might get some bragging rights after all! It's an empowering feeling.

When I reached the point in my labor (probably around 7 or 8 cm and about 4 hours into it) that the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and excruciatingly painful, I told Michael I might need the epidural after all. Then after each contraction I would say, "Maybe I don't need it, I don't know. I don't know what to do!" Then I would change my mind again. And again. And again. My nurse said she could put some pain meds in my IV to help me relax and be able to handle labor better. I was in so much pain I was starting to hyperventilate, which was bad because baby and I both needed more oxygen and when you get that worked up, it kind of stalls labor. She would make me look her in the eye and breath through it. When I would scream at her that I was trying, she stayed calm. Michael was also an amazing, supportive labor couch. He was right there next to me the entire time. When I wanted silence, he would be quiet. When I didn't want to be touched, he left me alone. Whatever I wanted, he did.

After I got some pain meds through my IV, they turned down the lights and put a wet paper towel over my eyes to help me calm down. I still felt the awfulness of the contractions, but I was able to kind of moan through the pain instead of scream, haha. I was able to handle it better, like she promised. The best part was the minute or two break in between contractions when I felt like I was high. I was so relaxed I could almost sleep. It felt good to have my mom, Michael, and the nurse, all talking gently and lightly stroking my legs and stuff to soothe me.

After a while, it was time to push. My mom left the room, my midwife (who was really great, too) came in, and we got started. It took a long time. I think maybe an hour and a half to two hours of pushing. I kept pushing my legs against them so they made me hold my own and pull them toward me so I wouldn't waste all my energy on the wrong thing. It was so hard to focus and do it right. I also had to keep trying to figure out how to not gasp for air after running out of it at the end of each contraction because when you gasp, the baby goes back in a bit. They kept telling me to breath slowly. It was near impossible to get it together enough to breath right, push right, and hold my own legs. I was thoroughly exhausted. They brought a mirror to show me Emily's head to help motivate me. They even put my hand on it once. I was too tired to fully grasp what was going on. All I could focus on was getting her out.

I don't really remember this, but my mom said that there were a lot of nurses in the room that were pretty much my own personal cheer squad. I do remember hearing about another girl in labor who had been there since midnight the night before and she was finally pushing too. The race was on. A little spark of competition was enough for me to give a few last pushes and out she came! Oh, the stinging pain! But who cares?! It's over and she was finally here!

While it did hurt to get stitched up and have to do all the other afterbirth things, I was able to overlook it because in my arms, I held my beautiful daughter for the first time. Michael cut the umbilical cord, which surprised me. He isn't normally one to even be able to talk about things like that without the blood draining from his face. But he was able to flip a switch and watch labor with ease and then cut the cord. He stepped up into his role of fatherhood immediately.

Emily was born on Sunday, September 25th at 1:14 am. She weighed 7lbs. 3 oz. and measured 19 3/4" long. She was the perfect size and had a beautiful round head and minimal bruising and swelling. It was amazing to see how beautiful she was from the start.



Happy Due Date To Me! 40 Weeks!

This is it! I'm officially 40 weeks, which means today is my due date! I know now that having a "due date" doesn't actually mean much as far as whether the baby will actually come on this day or not. It's just nice to hit yet another milestone!! 

The doctors will not be letting me go further than 41 and a half weeks so if she doesn't come before then they will induce me. I don't really think that will be necessary though. I'm betting she will come sometime this week. It's hard to imagine actually having a daughter but we are so excited!

According to babycenter.com, most babies at 40 weeks gestation weigh about 7 1/2 lbs and are about 20 inches long. I have to admit that the longer she is in there, the more worried I become about how big she will be!

It was nice to get out with the family last night and enjoy dinner together. Olive Garden is so delicious! I got the eggplant, just like I had been planning on. Yum! 

After dinner, we watched Thor with Michaels brother Tyler and his wife Sarah. I think it's pretty awesome how they have been making all these Marvel movies and connecting them so that they can combine the characters and their stories into the new movie Avengers. If you haven't been watching Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, and the rest of those movies you really should!

This, That, And Cupcake Cravings

Heeeey! It's Monday, and yep I am still pregnant!! I've been trying really hard to distract myself and just be *okay* with waiting it out. Some moments I am good and feel at peace with Baby Girl coming when she wants to come. Some moments I want to scream out of frustration at this seemingly never-ending journey! Right now? I'm alright! It really helps to have things to look forward to besides waiting for labor.

Michael and I decided yesterday that it would be fun to get the family together (both sets of parents and any available siblings) and go out to dinner as a sort of last 'Hurrah' so tonight we will be going to dinner at Olive Garden. It's been on my mind lately. The breadsticks with marinara sauce, the salad, and I think I will be ordering the eggplant. I've heard rumors that eggplant can start labor and so I will give it a chance, since I've tried just about everything else! I might as well, right? I'm not actually believing any of those wives tales anymore though. Nothing works on me! Oh well. Eggplant is yummy anyway :).

Tomorrow is my due date. I don't expect to go into labor just because it's my due date. But it is nice to know I will have reached 40 weeks! I feel like I have been pregnant for SO LONG. I think it will be strange at first to adjust to not being pregnant. I'll probably be feeling the baby move in me even after she isn't there anymore. Like when you get off of a boat after a long day of riding on it and you still feel the movements of the boat over the water. Except imagine riding that boat for 40 or so weeks! Ha. We'll see! Mostly I just can't wait to be able to MOVE without struggling. I'll be able to roll over in bed without it being a big ordeal.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend!! Don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway!!

And um, P.S? I want these. Like, badly. Who wants to order a pregnant momma cupcakes?! :) Kidding...kind of.

"It's Ok" Thursday

You know what today is, right? Today is Thursday, which means I get to ramble about what's "OK" with Neely and Amber! Feel free to link up too! It's fun!

It's Ok....

To whine about still being pregnant. Every day. I'm so glad my husband, family, and blog and twitter friends have let me vent and continue to encourage and support me!

That my in-laws have a bet going for who will be right about what date I will have the baby. But anyone who dares breath a word about how I will probably go past my due date because it's my first time better watch out. Michael made that mistake. Once. I don't need those kinds of negative thoughts!

That I go into the babies nursery and look at her things to feel closer to her.

To worry that nobody will want to enter my giveaway even though I think it's a great deal!

That I don't get what the big deal is about Targets' Missoni collection.

To have a sleeping schedule that isn't the norm.

That I love to smell candles but have to resist the urge to buy all of them!

To look forward to cooler weather so I can wear my new boots!

To love to read books over and over again. I'm in the middle of rereading the Hunger Games series and Breaking Dawn! I'm preparing for the movies coming out!

That I keep begging Michael to let us get a DVR so I don't have to worry about missing all the shows I love when I'm taking care of a baby I love even more. 

To eat. A lot. And then worry about your weight. But still eat. A lot. I can lose this weight after the baby gets here, right?! Ugh. Sometimes I can't help but just have one more snack before bed...okay then another and another.

That I love obsessing over TV series that I can watch to my hearts content because there are tons of episodes on Netflix. Right now my current obsession is Desperate Housewives. I'm pleasantly surprised with it! I've watched five seasons so far!

Still Pregnant at 39 Weeks

According to Babycenter.com, baby girl weighs a little over 7 lbs. and measures about 20 inches during week 39. Of course, just like every week, I'm hoping this is the last weekly pregnancy update. I'm still trying to stay positive because I am grateful to have her safe and healthy in me, but it's getting harder and harder to "hang in there". I know she will be coming soon. They won't let me go past 41.5 weeks, but even that seems so far away right now.

It seems like every week there is a new problem for me to handle with being pregnant. I take comfort in knowing that my moodiness about still being pregnant is totally normal. Nobody likes the last weeks of pregnancy because you feel so ready to just HAVE your baby already and be done with pregnancy.

I started having sciatic nerve pain down the back of my left side pretty consistently. Nothing I have tried has worked to put me into labor and it's hard to just helplessly wait for nature to take its course. I know it's in Gods hands when she will come into this world. I just pray that things go smoothly and that she will be healthy and adjust quickly to life outside of the womb.

Here is Babycenters picture for this week and it's pretty much right on point. That's about how big I am. I don't think I can get any bigger and baby girl is not really growing anymore either. Just taking her sweet time! ;-)

38 Weeks

 Yucky feeling momma= Bad quality picture.

My 38th week of pregnancy has been...interesting?

1. For the last few days I have been nauseous. Especially for the first hour or two after I get out of bed. I've gotten some shooting pain down the back of my left leg once in a while. Might as well throw in some new hip pain too.

2. Pregnancy brain is worse than ever. The other night, I almost put deodorant on as chapstick. That would have been BAD.

3. I've been trying different things to try to get baby girl here faster. Raspberry leaf herbal tea made me have some contractions but nothing else happened so then I started trying other options. We've been walking around the block more often because that seems to work the best.  I tried having Michael help me push on different pressure points on my feet, legs, hands, neck, and shoulders that are supposed to help induce labor and make contractions more intense. Michael wasn't into it, so we stopped. Then I turned to shaking it. Shaking it? Yes. I tried to dance my baby out of me. I was watching all these videos of pregnant girls dancing and it was hilarious.  This is one of my favorite videos...



So, of course I had to try it. I got contractions, but it stopped at that. It was amusing to try to dance with a big belly and not having done it in months. Out of practice and out of shape? Yeah...probably not going to post a video of me doing that ;-).

37 Weeks and Trying To Be Patient

I'm now 37 weeks along and that means I am officially full term! Less than 3 weeks now until my due date!! Michael and I are anxiously waiting but are trying not to expect an early arrival...just hope for one :-). I've been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and so hopefully that is moving things along.

Okay, that's all I have to say for now. I pretty much said all I wanted to say in my last post. Have a great day!

Early Is On Time, On Time Is Late!

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback on our baby name!! We love it too! :) It's been nice to not get any negative comments about it. Nobody likes having someone stomp all over something they are happy about, am I right? So, once again, thank you all for being so sweet and supportive!

At this point, I am literally either on the couch or in bed for the most part. It hurts to move. I can barely get up from a sitting/laying position and walking is pretty much impossible without feeling like my hoo-hoo is going to split in two. (TMI? Sorry! But, not really because I'm the one who has to deal with it!) Therefore, sitting/laying is the most comfortable. Reclining my feet helps keep the swelling to a minimum. The last couple of days have been especially hard. Not only does my body feel just plain old done, but baby girl has apparently decided to let me know she is tired of being cramped up in there. She's been adamantly kicking and stretching, probably trying to get comfy. I told Michael he should shine a light in there to show her the way out. Kidding! Kind of.

We had an appointment with my midwife on Friday and she said I'm still about 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Here's to hoping she "sees the light" sooner rather than later! 3 weeks until my due date and I don't think I will be able to keep my sanity if she waits until then! As my junior high choir instructor would always say, "Early is on time, on time is late!"

Baby Girls Name Revealed!

One night while I couldn't sleep, I began thinking about baby girl names, other than the one we had already picked. This new name came to mind but I didn't think Michael would like it so I let it go and fell asleep. The next day Michael and I were talking and he mentioned that he had been thinking about a new name too that happened to be the same one I thought of! He said he had forgotten to tell me about it until then!

It was decided.

Emily Joanne would be her name! Emily is the name we were inspired to give her and Joanne is my moms middle name.

36 Weeks and Anxiously Waiting

At 36 weeks, the baby weighs almost 6 lbs. and is about 18 1/2 inches long. She' pretty much just plumping up now, getting ready to make her appearance. Mommy and Daddy can't wait to have her here! Since our adventure in the hospital on Saturday night, we have been anxiously waiting for the "real" labor pains to happen. Everything is prepped and ready for her! The car seat is in the car, the pack n' play up in our room, the hospital bags packed, laundry washed...basically we have done everything we can to prepare for her and now we are just waiting! (And waiting, waiting, waiting...)

I'm trying to remind myself I still have 4 whole weeks until her due date but it's hard to imagine it being that long before she comes. Especially since I have been having pretty much nonstop contractions since Saturday night. We will just have to wait and see what progress has been made by our appointment on Friday!

Come back tomorrow to find out what we are naming our baby girl! I decided it's probably not going to change at this point, and I can't wait to share the name any longer!

Late Night At The Hospital

On Saturday night I was having a ton of contractions that would each last a while and they were only about 5 to 10 minutes apart. They weren't painful, so I wasn't too worried about it being real labor. I called the Labor and Delivery nurse and told her about it and she said to rest and drink a lot of water. If it continued for any longer than that I needed to call again. I did as she said, but waited two hours instead of one just to be sure they weren't going away. When I called back (around 2:00 am), I told a different nurse about it and she said I should go in to be checked.

I hung up and then began to freak out. It was late, I had not packed anything yet, and Michael was at work. I called him to let him know I was going to the hospital, hung up, took a warm shower to calm down, and left for the hospital. Michael was able to get off work and meet me there.

Once we arrived, they set us up in a room and monitored our heart rates (mine and baby's), as well as the contractions. The nurse, who was really sweet, asked us some standard questions just in case it was go-time. Like what pain level I was, what level I think I would be able to handle before wanting meds, etc.

After about an hour (like 4:00 am by this time), a doctor came in and took a look at the record of what they had monitored. I have great blood pressure (the nurse said Lance Armstrong would be proud, lol), the baby is perfect, and the contractions were sporadic. Some were 2 minutes apart, some 5, some 7...just all over the place. She did a pelvic exam (um...not exactly pleaseant in the LEAST) and determined I was 1-2 cm dilated. I was happy to hear this. However, since my contractions were not hurting and they were not consistently a certain amount of time apart, they decided it was safe to send me home. She said it could be a matter of hours, days, or weeks for me to actually go into active labor.

We got home around 5:00 am. Totally exhausted. It was nice to hear that my body is working towards labor, kind of preparing for the big event :). I have an appointment scheduled on Friday and I'm hoping to hear a little more progress will have been made by then. I'm still having tons of contactions, I'm just grateful that they aren't the painful kind...yet!

35 Weeks, Nursery, Keeping Busy

Michael and I have been busy doing things to prepare for the baby! It's really beginning to sink in that we could have Baby Girl any time now so we are doing everything and anything we can to get ready now.

Here I am at 35 weeks...

This is what we've been able to get done with the nursery so far....

I don't know if you can really tell what the colors are from these pictures. The walls are a mint green and my mom made the valance...

She also quilted this blanket! We are now waiting for her to finish the bumpers that match the two. I am soooo in love with the colors and patterns! Pink and green with flowers and polka dots.

I'm keeping my eye out for a good, inexpensive, comfortable chair for the nursery too. I also want to put up some maternity pictures and possibly have a friend paint something pretty on a wall.

We are almost completely ready! The rest of what I want to do is just extra stuff. We have everything we need to have. I just washed and organized all of her clothes and blankets with her special baby laundry detergent. I will be getting my hospital bag ready to go this week. Doing things like this get me so excited to have her. I'm ready! I'm hoping for an early September baby :).

Other than doing all that baby prep stuff, we have had some time to do other things on Michaels days off this week. I used that thing called an oven a little more.

Some examples...

This is a potato cheese casserole.

Chocolate cake with ice cream.

We went to see The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was intense and we liked it!

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I finished reading Hunger Games to Michael and now we are well into the second book of the series. It's fun to read them to him.

Went to the chiropractor for another adjustment. Seriously? Best thing I've done to keep my sanity through the aches and pains of pregnancy.

We visited family in OC on Wednesday night and then Thursday night I hung out with my friend Kambree.

We've been so busy this week, I haven't had time to blog until now! I hope everyone had a great week and that you have an awesome weekend!

34 Weeks: Yes, It's Still a Girl!

34 Weeks!

Why is it that when you are pregnant, people think that it's okay to touch you without asking and/or make comments that are totally inappropriate?  Just because I have a pregnant belly, it does not mean I am public property! I haven't had to deal too much with people touching me, but the comments really get to me!

True story:

Yesterday as I was walking through the doctors office, a man stopped me to ask me if I am having a boy.

"Nope, it's a girl," I said.

"Are you sure?" He asked. I looked at him, wondering why he thinks I wouldn't be sure about the sex of my own baby.

With a hand over my belly, I replied, "Yes, I'm positive."

Then the man had the nerve to say, "Your belly looks too pointy to be a girl".

I'm pretty sure my jaw fell to the floor as I said, "Well, everyone is different!" 

I then proceeded to walk away quickly before he had a chance to say anything else.

Really, dude? I'm pretty sure that the ULTRASOUNDS I've had and the TRAINED PROFESSIONALS know more than you, who are only going by the shape of my belly. Plus, my belly looks pretty round to me!

Anyway, the nurses and my midwife got a kick out of my story. They agreed that it was strange he would say that. 

I'm measuring and weighing right where I should be at 34 weeks. And pointy or not, I'm pretty sure we are still having a girl! ;-)

"It's Ok" Thursday

 This is my first time linking up for this meme with Neely and Amber!

It's Ok....

If I love my pup more than a normal person does...and let her sleep in our bed. Under the covers.

That I never do my hair anymore. I'm pregnant, uncomfortable, impatient, and hot. No need to do my hair and make it harder!

"To have a friend who lives over 1000 miles away" :-)

That I waddle when I walk.

That I love to have PB&J pretty much on a daily basis.

To not constantly check Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter. Sometimes I like the distance from social media! Especially after long stretches of not seeing Michael. Then my attention is on him, not the computer or my phone!

That our "date night" this week was Michael BBQing steaks and corn on the cob and then eating at the table instead of on the couch, watching tv. 

That I am gaining weight. I am pregnant and it's what should be happening. I tell myself this every time I see the number on the scale.

To let Michael pick things up when I can't bend over to get it myself.

That sometimes all I can talk and think about is being pregnant or having this baby!

To sleep with a million pillows to be comfortable. 

That Michael and I have a strange sleeping schedule. Pretty much 2 or 3 am to late morning. It works for us.

That I'm going to a two year old girls birthday party tomorrow. Alone. I do what I can to support friends and I feel that that's how it should be! Unfortunately there are those "friends" who are only there when it's convenient for them. I try to always be a good friend. It's important to me and it really bums me out when it's a one way street.

That lately when Michael is playing his video games, I sit in the room with him and read The Hunger Games to him. He likes it.

Our Baby Shower

This past Saturday was our baby shower!! My sister pretty much rocks. She put it together for us and it was perfect! Things I requested: Co-ed, casual, outside, and no games. I'm not a huge fan of the typical shower. I really wanted our shower to be more of a get together with friends and family to celebrate. My sister respected my wishes and did a great job!! It was at a beautiful park, in the shade with a breeze. There was a playground close to where we were so the kids could go play.

She made this cake and these cupcakes, herself! There were also sandwiches, salads, and fruit.

 My two mommies! Michael's mom and my mom.

My amazing sister and myself...

My mom wanted a picture of all the preggos that were there. Meagan (due in..November?), Rachel (due a few days before me), me, and Wendy (due about three weeks before me- she also is the talent behind Love Mae Photography).

Kristen and me! We finally got a picture together!! Whenever we see each other we forget to take one. Our babies will be just about exactly one year apart. She had her first, baby Sammy, last September.

Michael and me opening some presents...

 Michael with Andrew and Lynelle.

 A blinking Michael with Patrick and Ashley.

There are a lot more pictures, but you get the idea! It was such a great shower!! I'm so grateful to my sister for working so hard to throw it for us and for those who came to support us! We got a lot of great gifts for Baby Girl and we can't wait to use them!