Smiles and laughs. What more could I ask for?

Yesterday Caiden smiled at me for the first time. Sure he's smiled before. He smiles when he gets excited or when I use my high pitched squeaky voice. But yesterday was different. Yesterday I was making faces at him and he was staring at me, and each time I would make a face he would smile. It melted my heart.

My happy baby

Even when I am completely exhausted, seeing him smile makes it all worth it.

15 things I've learned about my son:

1. His poop squirts usually come in 3's and happen right after I change his diaper
2. He is happiest when he wakes up first thing in the morning
3. No matter what his sleeping hours are like, he always wakes up between 5 and 7 and stays awake for a couple of hours
4. He loves rides in the car and in his stroller
5. He loves being outside
6. When he cries "Nah" he wants my boob
7. He likes to snuggle against my neck
8. He will get hiccups at least twice a day
9. He's happy to see me when he wakes up
10. He loves touching his face
11. He will stick out his tongue at me if I stick mine out at him
12. He tries to eat my face when I give him kisses
13. He spends several minutes stretching and grunting when he wakes up
14. He likes bath time
15. If he's sleeping, there is a 99% chance he will wake up the second I'm about to take a bite of food

Meeting an Angel

Caiden met his great-grandmother, Helen, about a week ago. Brian and I took him to visit her just in time. She passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer and a failing heart. I feel very fortunate that she was able to meet him and love him before she moved on to bigger and better places. She was a wonderful woman who is very loved and will be missed.

The first days home

I still can't believe we have a baby. Sometimes I just stare at him like a creepy mommy and admire how perfect he is. He loves kisses and tries to eat my face when I give them to him. He is a little snuggle bug and likes to cuddle up against my chest. Caiden is a champ at eating, pooping, and peeing. He's peed on Dad three times already mid diaper change. Luckily breast feeding has been going really well because it seems like Caiden has been living attached to my nipple. He loves to touch his face so we have to put little mitts on hm so he doesn't scratch himself. If we swaddle him we have to make sure his arms stay outside of the swaddle or he gets grumpy. I made the mistake of swaddling his arms one night and was woken up by a series of grunts. Just as I looked over the side of his bassinet I heard one giant grunt and his fist shot straight out from the blanket. He was happy after that. Caiden rarely cries unless he wants something. He's always so happy and such a joy to be around. He contorts his face into all kinds of expressions and I could be entertained for hours by them.

Brian and I are pretty exhausted but we wouldn't trade this little guy for all the sleep in the world. He is such a wonderful little boy. I've never loved anything so deeply.

Caiden Michael Sedler has arrived!

Here's his natural (med-free, epi-free) birth story:

I had my regular OB appt. on June 8th, Caiden's due date, and didn't figure on anything happening that day. I had had a few contractions but thought they were going to be false labor just like everything else. I was wrong. Contractions began at 2:15pm and continued to become closer together and more intense. In general they ranged anywhere from 5 minutes to 4 minutes apart. We decided to go to the hospital at 11pm and were given the okay by the on-call delivering doctor.

By the time we got to the hospital I was already at 4cm dilated and my water had a tiny leak. I labored for 4 hours and went from 4cm to 8cm. The contractions hurt but were bearable especially since I had the world's best husband coaching me and supporting me through it all. Brian was amazing. He reminded me to breath and would breath with me, he rubbed my back, helped me with hot packs, gave me ice chips, and was at my side doing whatever it took to make me as comfortable as possible. I couldn't have done it without him especially when the next part of labor came.

At 3:30am the doc. came in to check on my progress and realized that my bag still hadn't broken, so she did it manually. The following sets of contractions came on so strong and so close together that I could barely shift to attempt and get comfortable before I'd have to start working through the next contraction. I was vomiting when they peaked, so that didn't help to relax me at all. I started to lose it, but Brian talked me through everything. It also helped to visualize all the people who told me I wouldn't be able to do a natural birth and that I would be screaming for an epidural. Neener neener, I DID IT! The only thing I ended up using was an oxygen mask for the last part of labor just to make sure that baby was getting the oxygen he needed. In about an hour I went from 8-10cm. When it came time to push, I was so relieved.

Pushing feels like you are taking the world's largest crap, no joke. The doctor and nurse were even telling me to push towards the cloth they had stuck right at my butt hole. I pushed with all my might and while it felt good to push, a new sensation came over me. I could feel the skin around my vagina tearing. The doctor was reaching in and trying to stretch me out and it felt horrible. It was as though everything was on fire. The doc. set up a mirror so I could see my progress and be motivated by it. It was amazing to see Caiden's dark head of hair crowning. It helped to fill me with the strength I needed to finish the job. I pushed for only about 20 minutes and then there he was, plopped up on my belly announcing his entrance into the world with his small cries and alert eyes.

He scored a 9 on the Apgar Scale (his first A!) and the nurse and doctor were raving about how great he looked. He weighs a healthy 7lbs 13oz, slightly above normal. He is 20 inches of perfection. He's got his dad's chin and my nose and we can't wait for him to rest up so we can get a real sense of his personality. Dad also got to witness Caiden pooping like a champ.

We are so in love with this little guy. I just sit and stare at him and every little breath he takes is amazing to me. Each yawn fills my heart with happiness and every tiny snore makes me smile. We've had the chance to witness a true miracle. I can't even begin to thank God enough for bestowing this blessing on us.

Inductions and exits

Just got back from the doc. We are now about 90% effaced, 3cm dilated, and still -2 station. My membranes were stripped again. I'm hoping this does something because if he doesn't come on his own this week he will be induced on Tuesday (the 15th). I'm not really thrilled about an induction. I really want to be able to have a natural childbirth but inductions increase your chances of having a c-section. Since I don't want pitocin, they would probably have to break my bag in which case they want to see a baby within 24hrs or they do a c-section to avoid risk of infection. I'm praying none of this isn't even an issue and he just comes on his own.

While we're planning the arrival of baby, I'm preparing for the death of my grandmother. She was admitted to the hospital today for a bad case of jaundice. She was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and now her pancreas is effecting her liver. Her body is slowly being poisoned and she doesn't want to do anything about it. After 91 happy years, she's ready to meet her maker. I just wish she would have had a chance to meet her great-grandson in person before then.

Today is the big day!

Well...second biggest day. Today is our due date and I'm sitting on the couch without a baby in my arms. Yeah, it's more common than not when 40 weeks rolls around, especially for a 1st time mom, but I'd still like to be holding him. Maybe I should go buy a doll.

I've felt like crap all of yesterday and what has begun of today. I had bad cramping all of yesterday peppered with back pain. The back pain started to get worse. We went to bed and I woke up several times with contractions, but nothing panned out. My back is still killing me today and I feel like I could vomit up all the Outback we had last night. Oooh, that leads to a story!

I post on thebump.com which is a forum/website for moms and expectant moms. Brian knows this. Yesterday I texted him to see what he had for lunch so I knew what to avoid making for dinner. He said he thought he would take me to Outback for dinner because he read on thebump that someone went into labor the night she had Outback. Okay, so maybe he was grasping for straws but I thought it was cute. I asked him if he had been on thebump lately and he responded "I was perusing the birth stories. It gives me confidence that our time is near." It was the LOL that I needed. It's nice to have a husband that is interested in the pregnancy and involved in doing research (besides thebump of course). It makes me feel like I have a strong, competent partner to share the experience with.

I have my 40 weeks appt. today. Thanks Doc. White for taking this week off for vacation! (sarcasm). We're going to be seeing the OB we had our 1st appts. with. She's really nice but kind of a spaz. We'll be getting a biophysical profile done to make sure my amniotic fluid levels are normal and that the baby is still thriving. If he's determined to stay in here, they've got to make sure he's safe.

What is it about "I'll call if anything happens?" that people don't understand

Seriously? Friends and family, I love you dearly, but if I get one more phone call asking if there's any news I'm going to shoot myself in the face. When I say "I'll call you if anything happens", I promise I'm not lying. I truly mean it. Also, I don't need lectures about how I need to make sure I take it easy. I'm not restoring the Sistine Chapel. It's just laundry! I don't need to be coddled and told how sorry you are for me that I haven't had the baby. Yes we were told he would be early, but in reality he's not even due for another week. He'll come when he's ready. I don't need sympathy. Please, just let me have peace!

Contractions and anniversaries and membranes...Oh my!

So....Brian and I have walked so much in the past week that I had to go in and get another pedicure. All the walking brought on timeable contractions the other day. They were lasting about 45 seconds and were coming n every 5-7 minutes. However, after almost an hour they ended up going away. We were both hoping it was finally time for the big event, but I kept all my wishful thinking at bay because we had been disappointed so many times earlier in the week.

Our 2nd wedding anniversary was on Monday (yesterday). We kept it low-key this year. No cards, gifts, or anything. Instead we went out to lunch, spent the day lounging on the couch, and ended the evening going out to dinner with our parents. It was a relaxing day which is exactly what we both needed.

I went to the doctor again today. I'm still about 75% effaced but I'm between 2cm and 3cm dilated. It doesn't sound like much progress, but she assured me that my cervix is extremely soft, so I should be able to dilate pretty quickly. We'll see.... She asked if it would be okay to strip my membranes to help to me move from early labor to active labor. I agreed. I've had cramping and some spotting since the appointment. I'm not sure what the typical post-stripping spotting should look like, but I lost a lot of bloody, mucousy discharge. It looked kind of like my mucous plug, but with more blood. I'm hoping it's my bloody show *keeping my fingers crossed* With any luck we'll have a baby in the next couple of days. Again, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Maybe yesterday's walk helped just a little

I started having contractions last night around 9pm. Brian and I were sitting by the fire when the contractions started. They were only lasting about 20 seconds max, but they were moderately intense and close together. I was getting excited because I thought we were starting the real deal. After 10pm nothing happened. I felt crampy and my back was sore, but I wasn't having any more contractions. The only thing that seemed to have been accomplished was that the baby moved down. His butt was now at my belly button. I was tired, so I decided to go to bed. I woke up a few times in the night from sporadic contractions, but again it was nothing to phone in about. I woke up extremely nauseous today, and everything from my belly button to my vagina was sore. I decided to take a long bath. The water helped with the soreness, but the bath seemed to excite the baby. He started moving around quite a bit. When I got out of the bath, I was hit with a 5 minute period of lightning crotch which prohibited me from moving at all. I just sat on the toilet lid and breathed through it. The pain only let up a couple of times and the relief was momentary. As soon as I was able to I got up and started getting ready. I thought "this is it!" It wasn't. I've just been taking it easy around the house. Nothing new to report other than some more spotting and a sore back.

Made some progress

I had my weekly appointment yesterday. The doctor said I'm now 2cm dilated 75% effaced and still -2 station. According to her, I'm ready and Dino is ready but we just need him to come out. I ate some spicy food last night hoping that would kick start the process (I'll take any old wives tale at this point). All it did was give me heartburn all night. I went on a long walk this afternoon and that seemed to be helping for awhile. My back was aching and the baby kept settling lower. I had a couple of small contractions too. Alas, when I got home the only thing that happened was a good poop. I guess I should be thankful, but I'm not. Maybe if it was diarrhea, which to my understanding is a sign that your body is cleaning itself out for labor, but it wasn't. *Sigh* Too bad we don't have any stumps to dig up or broken cars to push down the street. I guess I'll have to settle with doing laundry and emptying the dishwasher for manual labor.

Here's a couple of diagrams that help explain dilation, effacement, and station:

Still no baby : (

I know we're only 37.5 weeks, but I'm getting impatient. My body keeps sending mixed messages about when he will come. I've had a lot of back pain, cramping, painful contractions, nausea, increasingly leaky boobs, missing mucous plug, effacement, dilation, a low baby (who keeps pushing himself lower)... and still nothing. I don't want him to come early if he's not ready, but my body keeps telling me that it's almost time. It's hard when my doctor and my body are telling me one thing but another thing is happening. I'm tired of being pregnant and I just want to hold my baby.

The booger that came from within...

I lost my mucous plug this morning. It was a nasty little bugger, or should I say BIG bugger? We went to a dinner party last night and I was having some contractions and big movement from the baby while sitting at the table. I think all the activity has opened me up some more and jarred it loose. Or maybe it was from my internal exam yesterday. Although the exam didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as the first one, I guess it still could have irritated things. Either way, I lost it.
I'm 1cm dilated, 50% effaced and at -2 station. My OB was saying that my body is reacting to this pregnancy much more like it were a second pregnancy rather than a first. That's wonderful for me because hopefully things will run smoothly for the natural birth. We got back the results from my Strep B test and it was negative. Hooray! That means I get to labor longer at home and I don't have to get a Heparin Lock when I get to the hospital. No tubes or IV's for me. I get free movement!!!

My mother-in-law threw my last baby shower this past Saturday. It was so much fun and I was really impressed with the job she did. Hardly anything was bought off of the registry because almost everything was purchased from the registry at the last two showers. It was a fun surprise to see what people came up with on their own. Chris' friend is an OB nurse and she put together a mommy goody basket with a Sitz bath and Tucks Pads. I was so excited. The day you open a Sitz bath and Tucks Pads are are elated about it is a day when you know your life is changing!

My body is doing great, Dino has everything he needs, and his room is ready. Now we just need a baby...

He's coming early!

We saw the doctor today and had our final ultrasound. The baby looks perfect, as usual. The doctor commented on how fat the baby's cheeks are while he was eating his little baby fist. He's too big now to get a full picture of, so we had to settle on a partial profile. She also got another shot of his "manly bits" and with gaping eyes proclaimed to Brian that there is no mistaking this baby is a boy and he should be a proud papa. Brian immediately fist-pumped the air. I'll never understand the pride associated with the size of male genitalia.

I had my vaginal exam as well today and was thrilled to find out that I'm already one centimeter dilated and the baby is head down. He's far enough down that our doctor could feel his head. She told us that he won't wait for his due date and she expects him to come two weeks early! Yay! He's also currently about 6 lbs but is expected to be about 7lbs when he is born.

I talked with our doctor about doing a natural childbirth. She was completely supportive and said that I was in perfect condition to go that route and she had no doubt I would be able to do it successfully even though I hadn't done any classes to prepare for going natural. I'm in perfect health and shape and have had a flawless pregnancy. After not even flinching during the vaginal exam, she said I would be amazing during a natural birth. I explained to her my reasons for wanting to go that route, and she said I had my facts straight and was in the right mindset. It was really a relief to hear all of that from her because I was scared I wasn't going to be prepared enough. I came home in the evening to find a thoughtful email written to me by my cousin which answered a lot of questions I had for her regarding going natural. It was just another boost to my confidence (thanks Brandy!). I know I can do this and I'm going to do this. That's really all there is to it.

I still have a lot to do before the baby arrives: get window treatments, find area rugs, pack my hospital bag (I keep procrastinating), find a nursing bra that is comfortable, get some PJ's for the hospital, finish unpacking the upstairs, catch up on laundry, and I'm sure there's more and I just can't think of it now. The most important thing is the baby's room, and that is done, but for some reason that doesn't seem like enough. I want EVERYTHING done! 14 days (give or take) left to complete everything. I'm ready!

Au Natural

After getting a lot of information about different drugs and interventions given during labor, delivery, and postpartum, I've decided to go natural. I'm a little bit scared, okay maybe a lot scared, since I'm jumping on the med-free ban wagon a bit late in the game. We didn't hire a doula or midwife and I feel like we are completely unprepared for a natural birth with the information we have from our birthing classes, but I figure women gave birth for thousands of years without preparation or meds so I should be able to do it, right? None-the-less, I'm searching Google, Youtube, and books for any information I can get my hands on. I guess I'm hoping that some knowledge is power and will translate into a more confident Me when labor begins. More confidence=better success at going natural in a world where medicating seems to be first option recommended by so many doctors.

Brian has offered me extra incentive for going natural that will hopefully motivate me. Yes, I'm lame for actually seeing it as an incentive, but here it is anyways: Brian says that if I am able to go completely natural I will be allowed to groom his crazy eyebrow hairs whenever I want to for the rest of our lives. He's got a few hairs that are completely out of control and I've only managed to get him to agree to having me trim them a few times. Those few instances were after months of pleading. Sometimes I can't help but stare at them. It reminds me of the Austin Powers mole clip.



So, as I said the extra incentive is really ridiculous but completely motivating. Those hairs will be mine!!!!

Another note worthy happening...today is Mother's Day. While I don't consider myself an official mom yet, I did get some mother-to-be cards to celebrate the day. My father-in-law surprised me with flowers yesterday and Brian had flowers, a balloon, a couple of cards, and some muffins for breakfast set up for me this morning. I went to have lunch with my mom and grandmother and my step-dad bought us each a corsage to wear during lunch. It was nice to be recognized, but I don't for a second think that I deserve to be celebrated yet. Sure I'm about ready to have a baby any day now, but I haven't experienced any of the real sacrifices of motherhood yet. The sleepless nights, barf shirts, trips to the doctor, constant concern, etc. etc. have yet to be part of my every day life. Next year I will be a real mom. Today I'm just a mom-in-training.

I'm done being pregnant.

I'm officially ready for Dino to get here. He's dropped over the past couple of days and has been using my ribs as leverage to push himself further down in my pelvis. Between the cats meowing to wake me up for food (they don't like their new diet regimen/eating schedule), peeing non-stop and getting beat up from the inside, I've hardly gotten any sleep. I know I'm in for sleepless nights in a few weeks, but is it too much to ask for sleep before the baby makes his debut? Standing is uncomfortable because it makes my feet and back hurt. Sitting is uncomfortable because it makes my sciatic pain worse and I've got a baby head wedged between my pelvic bones. Lying down sucks because my acid backs up into my throat. I can't win. I'm over this, but I know baby Dino needs to brew a little longer. For him I'll hang on. I'm 35 weeks along today with only 35 days to go until his due date. I'm praying it goes by fast.

Heading down

Our little one was super active last night, and when I woke up this morning he felt like he was sitting really low. I haven't felt his feet in my ribs yet today, so I'm hoping all the evidence combined means that he's moving head down. We have an ultrasound at our next appt. to check his positioning and effacement and everything else. Only 38 more days until he's scheduled to arrive. We can officially say that we're having a baby next month. If he decides to arrive 8 days early, then we'll be having a baby this month. I can't wait to meet him.

6 more weeks!

Only 6 weeks left until our due date. I can hardly believe it's just right around the corner. In just a few days I'll be able to say that we're having a baby next month.

We will have our first birthing class tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. It's something Brian and I can do together to prepare for the baby. As I get bigger and our due date is more imminent, he seems to be more excited.

I've had 2 of the 3 baby showers. This kid is set for life! Friends and family have been very generous and all the big stuff has been purchased. It's all put together already and waiting to be used.

The house remodel is done minus some touch ups here and there. I'm having my step-dad build a mantle and built-in bookshelf around the fireplace. Once that goes in I can start unpacking some of the boxes that have our photos and trinkets. Dini

ng room furniture gets delivered on Friday. Our bedroom furniture is still MIA. It's now 2 months late. I think Russells Furniture has a picture of me on a poster that says: **WARNING disgruntled customer. Talk to at your own risk. ** I've been over there several times and have made numerous phone calls for furniture updates. I think they're sick of seeing me, but too bad for them. Until they produce our furniture they are going to feel my wrath. I've already demanded they credit me for the cost of delivery. It's only fair seeing how they haven't delivered anything when they are supposed to. Bastards. Whatever...

My belly feels really big now compared to before. It just hit me these last two weeks. I felt fine before that, but the belly is now wearing me out.

Here's my most recent belly pic at a couple days shy of 34 weeks

I wonder how many more posts there will be until he arrives? I guess we'll see....

Dear Armpits,

Please stop sweating. It's not even hot out right now.

Sincerely,
All the shirts in the closet

Nothing much to update

A lot has been happening, but it's all the same old stuff. The house is 3 weeks away from completion. The kitchen cabinets are completely installed and granite is going in as I type. The granite guys look like they are doing lunges because they have to push the granite pieces together as they wait for the sealer to dry. The only things left to do in the house are base boards, crown molding, cherry floors, tile, windows, the fireplace bookshelves, and appliance installation. While it seems like a long list, the final stretch is moving quickly. I can't wait to get the furniture in the house and start putting all the rooms together.

We are in the single digit weeks before the baby arrives. 8.5 weeks left. My friend Katie M. announced to me that she's calling him Dinosaur because of a song I sing, and I think it's a cute idea. I get tired of calling him baby, and since his room is a dinosaur room and I sing him dinosaur songs, I will be calling him Dinosaur from now on since his real name is still a secret. Dinosaur is doing well. Our OB appointments are only 2 weeks apart now. I'm exactly where I should be in terms of weight gain and he's measuring right on track. My OB says I'm one of her easiest patients because everything is always perfect with both of us. My sciatic pain is still really bad, and I now have some pretty terrible round ligament pain, but it's a small price to pay for the prize at the end.

I have 3 baby showers coming up and the first one is next weekend. I'm so excited I can hardly wait. I'm trying to soak up every little moment and celebration before the pregnancy ends. As we're nearing the end, it feels like it's flying by.

Our lovely baby bumps! Check um out!

Here's a picture of my friend, Meghan, and me at her wedding. I've decided to call this one "Lovely Baby Bumps" because she found out she is expecting too!!!!!!
It was honeymoon magic ; ) I can't wait for our kids to be able to go on playdates.

3D ultrasound

I am so glad I had a 3D ultrasound done yesterday. I debated doing one and finally bit the bullet. It was completely worth it. I can't believe how perfect he looks. I have a hard time doing anything but stare at his pictures. Here are a few...

The bumpy waves on his head are hair!!

It feels impossible to love anything this much, but I continue to fall more deeply in love with him each day.

Nursery progress

Brian and I put together the nursery furniture the other night. We have a complete bedroom set that includes: a lifetime crib, a changing table with hutch, and a dresser. I still need to get myself a rocker for feedings. The decorating is slowly happening. I still need to order some big letters so I can spell his name above his bed. Here are some of the progress pictures...

Baby furniture comes today

I can hardly wait! It's been tough to be confined to the bedroom during the remodel, and as it is I can't unpack anything. I need SOMETHING to do at this house. The baby's furniture is exciting because not only will it give me something to do, I will be able to set up his room. I'm going to wash his clothes today and get them prepared for the drawers and maybe I'll get some curtains. Since we are replacing all the windows, which will come in a few weeks, I'm not sure if I can put up curtains yet.....

Okay, so the electricians shut off our power so I didn't get to finish writing this this morning. The plumber is here now and has informed me that he will need to shut off the water for the rest of the day. This means I can't wash the baby's clothes and bedding : ( The new plan will be putting all the clothes away just so I have something to do and then undo all my hard work and wash it when the water gets turned back on again. It'll be fun!

Childbirth classes and other stuff

I just finished registering for our 3 session childbirth class! I can't believe preparation time is already upon us. He's scheduled to be here in only 96 days!!! I feel like there is still so much to do in terms of getting his room ready but the nursery furniture won't be delivered until the 12th of this month. I can't really get anything done in his room until after that. Now that we're at the new house, I guess I can at least start washing all his bedding and clothes and get them all hung up, but I'll probably unhang most of the clothes and stick them in drawers once the furniture gets here. Let the nesting begin!

In terms of other stuff, we are finally moved over. I have to make one last trip to our old house to drop off the keys and do a last minute walk-through. Everything with the house happened so fast (the prep., selling, moving, etc.) We will no longer own the house after 5pm today. It makes me sad because I love that house. Everything about it is perfect except the size. Unfortunately size is a big deal when you have an expanding family. The new house will be great once it's finished. It just feels like such a long road ahead with this remodel. I hope it's all done before the baby gets here. I hope the "remodel smell" is gone in time too. We spent our first night at the new house last night and all the prolonged exposure to the new materials smells set off a migraine. It's almost gone today.

Noted last but not least, my grandfather passed away last night. It was only a couple of weeks ago that we had my grandmother's services. I always thought he wold go fairly quickly after her, but I expected he would be around for at least a couple more months. I guess God intended for it to only be weeks. I feel like I should be more emotional about it, but to be honest, I think I'm just so exhausted physically and emotionally from everything that has happened this past month that his passing hasn't really sunk in. Or maybe I'm just happy he didn't have to be apart from my grandmother for very long. That's the way I would want it to be.

When it rains, it pours

I need a break. From everything. I am physically and emotionally exhausted. In addition to all the house stuff (we need to be out by Wednesday) and my grandmother passing, I just got a call that my grandfather is in the hospital for septic poisoning in his intestines and groin. He underwent the surgery, but they have to keep him sedated for several days because they can't sew up his body. Apparently he has to heal from the inside out. The survival rate is 50% for a healthy young person. Keeping my fingers crossed that an 80+ year old man has a chance. Why did it happen this month?! I know that sounds really selfish, but I just feel like I'm completely depleted. Selling, moving, remodeling, death, and pregnancy should not all be a part of a month time span.

We've picked a name

but we're not telling! I made the mistake of discussing possible names (before we had decided) with a couple of family members. Big no no. I don't know what it is with people, but they seem to think they have cart blanche to say whatever they want to pregnant people. It's as if they know what is best for OUR kid and what names would be acceptable for OUR kid. The unsolicited advice on naming was really annoying. "Don't name him that because people will call him ___", "When *I* was naming my kids I made sure to think about X,Y,Z" etc. My mom made some comment to me and I said "I guess it's a good thing you had seven chances to name kids. This is OUR kid and we're naming him what WE want to."

The baby is kicking really hard now. I have fun watching my entire tummy shake when he kicks. I can see a giant bulge wherever his feet make contact. I haven't thrown up this past week from brushing my teeth. Knock on wood that this trend continues. Boobs feel massive. Hair feels oily. Back pain is horrible. I spoke with my doctor and she said I've done everything she would recommend to help the pain. She's going to write me an order for physical therapy if I want it. I would love to go and get stretched out by a pro, but the only problem is that we are still so busy with the move and remodel that I don't have time to go. Hopefully things will slow down a bit when we are officially moved (out by the 4th!!!!).

That's all for now. Back to packing...

I. Am. Exhausted.

I'm taking a quick break from the packing and house stuff that is my life right now. I wish I could go to sleep and wake up and have February be over with all the remodel decisions made and the house packed and appointments attended. There's just not enough time in the day right now. I'm sick of people telling me that I need to make sure I relax and that stress isn't good for the baby. Well DUH! Unless you are volunteering to do all this crap for me then shut up! I guess that's it really. I just needed to vent.

Nothing really new on the baby front. He's discovered that he really likes kicking my ribs. My belly button is in limbo between being an inny or an outy. I discovered a really long arm hair the other day. I thought it was a white cat hair, but when I went to remove it I found out it was attached to my arm. I feel like it was award worthy. There are awards for growing giant gourds, so why not have one for record long arm hair?

I guess it's back to packing now...

So much to update...

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of baby decisions, house decisions, and family stuff.

After doing much research on crib safety, I finally found a crib/bedroom set I like. It was really pricey, but Brian and I figured that it would be used by all our kids so it's worth it to invest in a set that is really nice and durable. My in-laws told us they wanted to buy the crib for us, which was an unexpected surprise. When I went into the store with my mother-in-law, she announced upon paying that they wanted to buy EVERYTHING

! I was shocked and argued for a bit, but she was relentless and we could use the money for all our house stuff. Here's the set I chose...

As I said, we have a lot of house stuff going on and the extra money saved, thanks to my generous in-laws, has bought us new lighting for the entire house and a new bedding set (the bedding set has yet to be bought, but I'm just thinking ahead about where the money will go). The new house is a mess. Both contractors are living there, which is okay because they work for our family exclusively and we know them well, and are working 24/7 to get the upstairs finished before we move in on the 26th. The popcorn ceiling had been taken down, the walls and ceiling are retextured, new drywall has been put up in some areas where we had it torn down to inspect suspected termite damage (luckily it's not extensive everywhere), and prepping for upstairs painting has begun. It's going to get a lot messier before it gets better. Wood floor carpet, and slate tile samples are on their way, paint is in the process of being picked out (hopefully I'll finish today), all kitchen remodel materials have been chosen (minus appliances) but the floor plan still has some minor modifications to be made, windows are all being replaced, furnace and air conditioning are being replaced, and I'm sure there's more and I just can't think of it right now. I ordered our master bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, and living room furniture. Finally, all adult furniture that matches!!! I never thought the day would come!! Needless to say, between dealing with all this in addition to termite and appraisal appointments I am burnt out.

On a higher note, to me at least, my amazing grandmother passed away on the 10th. After over a decade of dealing with heart failure and three recent strokes, God finally brought her into heaven. Our whole family was at the hospital on Saturday to say goodbye to her and comfort each other. It took her several more days before she was finally freed of her worn out body. I always wondered how her larger than life spirit was able to be contained in such a small vessel. Our entire family feels relieved that she is now an angel, but I suspect she always was.

So on to today's agenda: order more light fixtures, finalize paint choices, send in termite work order contract, send in loan papers, and *hopefully* start the baby registry. I've been dreading the registry. I hope I find the time to breathe.

My boobies are functioning

I've noticed colostrum leaking for awhile now, but that was all that was coming out until a couple nights ago. I was cleaning my nipples before bed and all of the sudden clear fluid started coming out! I had predicted this would start happening soon because my boobs have been growing so much that they've been itching like crazy. Luckily I emailed my cousin to ask about what to do when the leaking begins and she emailed me back immediately with a lot of awesome information (thanks Brandy!). The message came just in time. I find each new change of my body completely fascinating. Well, everything except the grinding I feel in my tailbone. That part pretty much sucks.

Brian and I picked out the bedding for the baby. I can't wait to start putting everything together when we get to the new house.

The baby has been really active the past couple of days. Brian got to feel him kicking again which made him happy. He was kicking so hard tonight that I was able to lift up my shirt and watch my belly shake whenever he would kick. Can't wait to see what he does next!

House update and other baby stuff

Our house sold in only 5 days which was a huge relief. Keeping everything pristine for strangers gets old real quick. Not only that, but my phone was ringing off the hook with agents calling to come see the house. Sometimes I just wanted to be able to take a relaxing shower without the worry of someone knocking on the door to view the place.

Our OB is out on maternity leave so we switched to a new doctor. I like her a lot! When I told her about the conflicting ultrasounds regarding vag or weenie she immediately grabbed the ultrasound cart to take a look for herself. Despite the baby moving around like crazy, she was able to see a penis. It took a while of her chasing the kid with her ultrasound wand but sure enough she got the money shot. Let the baby boy shopping begin! Side note: we have had an ultrasound done at every appointment. Between switching doctors, the NT test, having a 'sub' doctor when our normal OB was out for training, and the initial ultrasound we've managed to have several opportunities to see the baby via ultrasound. I'm going to go into withdrawal when they stop!

Money Shot

Heartburn is killing me. I think a hole is about to be eaten through my chest. It doesn't help that I'm craving spicy and acidic foods. God help me.

I've had really long farts lately. They don't stink, they just go on forever. When I came out of Safeway today I had one that began at the exit and continued all the way until I got in the car.

Lastly, my ass is disappearing. I'm hoping it's not completely inverted by the time the baby arrives.

That's all for now.

Not baby related

We put the house on the market friday and had an open house on Saturday and Sunday. The were roughly 60 groups of people and 10 real estate agents that came through for the open house. Today Brian and I haven't been able to get anything done because people keep calling to see the house. It's only 2:30 and we've had 5 calls so far. This whole process has been crazy. It was only a week ago that we decided to get all our crap out of the old house and into the new house and begin the whole sale process. Our agent is under the impression that we will have multiple offers (we start accepting them today). We'll see what happens. *Keeping our fingers crossed*

Just kidding! We're having a BOY!

The first ultrasound tech rushed us last time and didn't do a very good job. She couldn't even get any pictures so I'm not sure why we believed her when she said it was a girl, as she was rushing us out of the room mind you. Todays ultrasound tech was amazing. The appointment lasted an hour and she pointed out all the parts on the baby including the weeny clearly hanging between his legs. What a shock! A good shock, but a shock none-the-less. Brian and I are both very excited and I guess we won't have to buy a shotgun for protecting a girl. At least not for awhile anyways....

It's a girl!!!!!!

She's still a stubborn girl though. We went in for the big ultrasound and the tech(s) couldn't get the measurements they needed because she had her head buried way down in my cervix. She was completely vertical! They had me get on all fours for 5 minutes to try and get her to swim free, but she didn't. That would be too easy. Then they were going to send us out to reschedule the appointment. I said, "Wait a minute! Means it's got it's butt in the air can't you at least tell us what it is?!" The tech took a quick look and showed us a picture of wide open legs with nothing between. "Looks like a girl", she said. So there you have it. We have a beautiful, stubborn little girl on the way.

Trying to get the baby to move up.

I peed my pants

I didn't completely lose it, but it was more than a tiny tinkle. I coughed and my bladder just let loose. I didn't even feel like I had to pee! Luckily I was home when it happened. When I told Brian he just laughed. I'm prepared to change baby diapers but I had no idea I'd have to start changing my own pants!

A little of everything...

We got back a couple of days ago from our trip to Puerto Rico for our friend's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was a blast. I danced my heart out despite having aching feet after a several mile walk earlier in the day. The baby was moving a TON the entire trip. It's nice to finally have some indication that there is a baby inside of me and it is alive.

Unfortunately morning sickness has reared her ugly head again. I experienced a bout of it during breakfast when we were on vacation and then again today. However, today's vomiting episode was accompanied with a bleeding nose and a massive headache that was still present from the night before. Sometimes I think the baby hates me.

I ordered a Baby Plus Prenatal Education System last night and it is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. It was recommended by a cousin. The hundreds of reviews overwhelmingly state that after using the system, the babies had much better sleeping patterns when born. We'll see. It's worth a shot.

Lastly, my body has been undergoing some serious changes. My belly seems to get bigger by the day and my boobs are busting out of the new bras I bought. I've noticed increased hair on my stomach and some of it is kind of dark. The peach fuzz on my face seems more abundant too, but luckily it's still blonde, for now anyways. My mind is weird too. Some days are total brain farts and I can't articulate anything. My vocabulary is probably rivaled by a 13 year old. However, on other days I impress myself with the words that come out of my mouth. I have no idea where they came from, how I remember what they mean, or how I know how to use them in the right context. It's like my IQ jumps. It's awesome! And then it's gone....*sigh*

I think that's about it. Or maybe it's just all I can remember....