Trick of the Day

You haven't lived until you've sneezed repeatedly with a full bladder when you're nine months pregnant.

Making progress!

As of my appointment today, I am 1 centimeter dilated and 70% effaced! I am so excited. With everything I've been feeling lately, I had thought that there was really no way that we wouldn't have made any progress, but I was still bracing myself for disappointment. Not so! My doctor said that I'm right on track, but he also said that I might well go early. I have another appointment on Monday (only 5 days from now), at which point he said we will be able to see where we are and check out how much longer it will be. He wants me to make it to at least 39 weeks, which will be next Tuesday. He really sounded like he wanted to take me in if I hadn't gone on my own by the week of my due date. Sounds obvious, since a due date is, well, when the baby's due, but considering my family's history of waiting until weeks after their due dates, that was very exciting news.

Scott and I are so excited. I just kept clapping and saying, "YAY!" when we left the office. It's so exciting to know that I'm progressing on my own, and that everything I've been feeling has been for a reason. I've been having lots of contractions, and while they're not painful or very significant, they are uncomfortable enough that it makes me happy to know that they're doing something.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to keep drinking lots of water and stay off of my feet as much as I can. I'm so excited!

37 Weeks

We're definitely almost there. Things are feeling..........different.

I've been having more and more contractions. Call them what you will - Braxton Hicks, practice contractions, whatever - but they're happening a lot more frequently than they were. There's no consistency to them, though. One here, one there, two here....... I'm entertained by them right now. I have a feeling that's going to change all too soon.

I'm completely exhausted. I sleep and sleep, and I'm still sleepy. Walking to the bathroom gets me out of breath and ready for a nap. It's strange - obviously this hasn't all happened at once, but it feels like I've all of a sudden taken to carrying a bowling ball around. It's like the weight has just now caught up with me. It's tiring!

My back is killing me. It's no surprise to me that it hurts - everyone told me it would, and common sense says that of course it would hurt my back - but what is surprising is that it's my upper back that's causing me problems. I think it's because of the posture change that comes with all of this. The really bad thing about it, though, is that normally when I get one of these nagging backaches I ask Scott for a back rub (and he eagerly complies) but it's a lot harder when I can't lay on my belly. That definitely restricts the back rub possibilities. My heating pads are my friends.

I'm in the bathroom constantly, it seems. It's definitely reminiscent of my first trimester.

This week has been a virtual calorie-fest. I'm eating everything in sight! I haven't had cravings for anything in particular, really, but the power of suggestion is really strong right now. Watching TV with me has to be really fun - every commercial that comes on inspires a comment such as, "Oohhh......that sounds really good," or, "Oh, yum. Can we go there?" As soon as another commercial comes on, that whim is gone. Whatever the last one was, though, sticks around. Unfortunately, this interest in food does not - I repeat, does not - extend to health food. Cookies, cakes, ice cream, potato chips, french fries, pizza.......those, on the other hand, carry particular appeal.

My hips are out of control. Aside from popping a lot, they feel downright disconnected. I'll move to the side and look down at one leg like, "All right, now. When I move, you have to come, too." My legs feel like they're just dangling there sometimes. It doesn't usually hurt, but sometimes it does; one time yesterday I nearly fell down because it was as though my hip just decided to stop working. Very interesting. It has Scott worried about me being out and about on my own.

The itching has subsided some. Still here, but definitely better. I'll take it.

My hormones are definitely revving, too. I'm crying so easily (poor Scott) and my face is breaking out. It's like my body is saying, "Whoa....wait a minute......something's going on here...."

Since things are getting so close (Scott still thinks this might happen before the end of the year), we've gotten things as ready for the "honey, it's time" moment as we can. My suitcase is finally completely packed (I worked on it a couple of weeks ago, but was missing a robe and a couple essential toiletry items) and is in the car now, and last night Scott installed the car seat.

All day today we kept looking in the back seat of my car and going, "Hey....what's that, honey? Why's there a car seat in our car?" It's the little things that make this real at times. The car seat seems so tiny, too! I put one of those little head support thingies in there, and I couldn't get over how tiny she's going to be to fit in there!

I'm officially full-term now, so it could literally happen at any time and everything would be fine. I always wondered how it would feel to be walking around knowing that "it" could happen anytime, and now that I'm here I'm still not really sure how I'm feeling! We're definitely excited, but we're definitely nervous, too. Someone asked me in church this morning if I'm ready, and I said, "I can say without hesitation....yes and no." Right now the most nerve-wracking thing is just not knowing when it could happen. I have a lot of peace knowing that God does know, though, and that He is in control of all of this. It's pretty amazing to think about, knowing that God knows the instant that she's going to arrive here. None of it is a mystery to Him.

Tears are cleansing for the soul...and the sinuses.

She's holding out for a photo op.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and everything looks great. According to my doctor, the baby isn't really "showing any interest yet." That's a good thing. I want her to be as healthy as possible, so I'm content to wait. I go back to the doctor next week.

It's strange seeing the doctor so often when everything is fine!

My doctor talked again about how I've blossomed over the past few months. He actually said I'm prettier now than I was before. I told him that's what every woman wants to hear at 37 weeks. Later on, I asked Scott if he thought that was true, and he said, "Of course, sweetheart. You're more beautiful every day." How sweet is that?!

Tonight Scott and I are going to have a family friend take some maternity shots of us. I'm really excited about it, though I have a nasty head cold. I told Mom this morning that I'm up for having my picture taken as long as I look better than I feel and sound.

Showered

Friday night I was surprised with my baby shower! If I'm honest, I knew a little something about it, so it wasn't a complete surprise. (A couple of people had dropped hints, and one lady even called beforehand to apologize for not being able to come. Oops.) I didn't know what was going to happen, though, so I was still surprised when everyone showed up at my front door with food and gifts and games Friday evening. And - smart as my friends are - they came in pajamas, too, because they knew I'd be in my pj's and didn't want to make me feel bad by showing up in normal clothes when I.....wasn't. It was great. So, so sweet.

Shauna, the mother of two little girls (and two little boys) gave us an adorable little floral top (in 12-month size.....she's a smart lady)....

......and a little tutu skirt! How great is that? We were all saying that this should be the baby's going home outfit. Can you imagine? (Totally kidding, by the way.)

Vickie, Shauna, and Michelle

Mom-in-law (or Mom 2, as Scott and I say about the other's mothers)

Mom, Ashley, and Ashley Marie (Ashley Marie was quite the partier)

The only picture Scott got of Rachel from where he was sitting. I think there are other pictures floating around from other cameras. That's her little boy, Isaiah. He is so precious!

In keeping with tradition, Ashley made some framed pictures for the baby. I think they're going to go in her bathroom. One says "love," one says "imagine," one says "pray," and one says "smile." They're too cute.

Vickie gave us an adorable little outfit.....

.....and a sleep sack. I love those things. We all agreed that they should make them for adults, until we realized that we'd have to hop all over the house like it's some sort of sack race.

Rachels' mom gave us baskets for the nursery. So excited to have those!

A funky glitter ball from Scott's mom. It was very entertaining.

His mom gave us our baby monitors, too! Hurray!

Isaiah was very entertained by everything.

Mom embroidered this blanket for us - she did such an amazing job on it. She said I have to give it back to her at some point so she can put the baby's name on it, since I won't tell her.

She also blew up a picture of Scott and me for the baby's room.

AND found the most perfect book ever. It's about a little kid and his blankie. I love it.

A little bunny rattle, which Isaiah loved.

See?

Michelle got us a goody bag of various baby-care things. You can never have too much, I'm told.

Michelle made a little Valentine's Day dress for the baby, too, and it's ADORABLE. She's going to make one for Ashley Marie, too, so the cousins can match for pictures. (The first of many matchy sets, I suspect.)

Rachel and her husband gave us our bouncer!

It was such a great evening with lots of friends, lots of food (yay!) and lots of laughter. We had a wonderful time.

By the end of the night, I got a little punchy. Of course. I was told this looked like a lion's mane.

36 Weeks

When people asked me at church this morning how I'm feeling, my response was simple: "I feel 36 weeks pregnant." I struggled to get going this morning - bad pressure, for one thing, but I didn't sleep well at all last night and was so tired I couldn't bear the thought of a long morning at church. Scott suggested an abbreviated version of our Sunday schedule for me; I left after I did the welcome at the second service and came home and laid down.

I was told this morning that I'm waddling way more than before. I told them that I realize that every time I get up to walk somewhere. "It's right there! Why is it taking me so long to get there?!" It's fun to get comments and reactions from people at church who only see me once a week.

I think I mentioned that I've only been working half-days at work. I do what I can from home in the mornings and head to the office in the afternoons. That lets me keep my feet up as long as I can, while still being productive and doing my job.

I'm really, really emotional. REALLY EMOTIONAL. Last night I was trying to do something on the computer with my pictures and it wasn't working. Scott had his hands full as he tried to figure out why the computer wasn't cooperating while trying to calm down his weeping wife.

I definitely am feeling more uncomfortable. Nothing I hadn't expected, and nothing I can't tolerate, but it's very clear that I'm nearing the end. I have mixed feelings about everything right now. I am really, really excited about meeting this little person - seeing her face and touching her little feet and caressing her little head. I cannot wait until she is real to me. At the same time, though, I'm getting more anxious. I'm getting nervous about labor and delivery, since I just don't know what to expect, and I'm nervous about all the stuff that's going to happen with my body after the fact. Not so much that my body won't be the same as it was before I got pregnant, because I'm actually kind of glad about that. (I like my pregnant body more than I liked my nonpregnant body!) I'm more nervous about the temporary "my body's recovering from this superhuman feat I've just accomplished" sort of effects. I am excited, though, even if it's not completely real to me yet. I don't know how it's still not real, but I really don't think my mind has completely wrapped around what's happening. Can it, really? I don't think so, until she's in my arms. We don't have to wait much longer!

Hmm.

I saw this on display in Kroger today. Somehow made me raise my eyebrows a little and even inspired me to dig around in my purse and get my camera. Interesting, no?

A Tribute

This is Scott's truck.

Or.......this was Scott's truck.

It was with this truck that Scott taught me of the bond between a man and his truck. While I may never fully understand it, I do know that the relationship between a man and his truck is a strong and beautiful thing.

It was this truck that carried Scott and me on many dates.....many trips to the lake.....many trips to different spots in the woods for bike rides.

It was the rumble of this truck that I heard approaching as I anticipated many dates and evenings at home with my new husband....and that I heard fading into the distance as he left for the night or to work for the day.

He loved that truck, and I came to love it, too. Not so much because of the truck itself, but because of the memories it carried.

Recently, though, we have made some adjustments in our garage in anticipation of our new familial addition. We bought a small SUV for the baby and me, and knew that either the truck or my car would be leaving us. I assumed it would be my car, but Scott thought otherwise. After doing some work on the truck and getting it ready, Scott put the truck on vehix.com. He was soon told, though, to take it off the market because - of all people - my parents wanted to buy it. This was bittersweet. It meant that it was officially leaving us, but at least we knew it would be well taken care of. Scott handled the idea better than I did, actually.

My parents were serious, so one night last week Scott and I went by there on our way home from work for the transaction.

Dad trusted Scott so much that he really didn't even know that much about the truck, so Scott took some time chatting with him about it. There were no deal-breakers. In fact.......

.......Dad got really excited when he found out that the truck has 4 wheel drive. He made a great face that cracked us all up, but couldn't hold it for the camera.

Dad has the truck now, which Mom says is pretty weird, and Scott's still driving around in the Cavalier until he finds a truck with fewer bells and whistles. Then he'll work on selling the car. He's a man with a plan.

I'll miss that truck, but it's all in the name of progress. As our family grows and changes, other changes will inevitably follow. Some will be good, some will be bad, and some will be neither. As Scott says, it was just a truck.

That may be, but it held a special spot in our hearts. Overly dramatic? Probably, but it's little things like this that move us through life.

Office Crush

Fear not - the office crush I'm writing about is not my own, nor do I think anyone is crushing on me. (Something about the Buddha belly isn't necessarily inviting to those looking for someone on whom to crush. Not even Gus.) Since I share an office with 3 other women, I get to see a lot. One of the things I'm seeing is........a crush. She may be oblivious, but oh yes - he is crushing hard.

He comes into our office for no apparent reason, multiple times a day. If she is not here, he leaves as quickly as he appeared.....unless we say that she should be here any minute. In that case, he won't leave until he sees her smiling face. If she is here, forget about it. No one will get any work done for awhile.

It's cute, really. I don't think she has any idea that this is going on. She would probably even deny it if someone were to call it to her attention. I like watching it from the outside. I'm content to not be involved, though.

Oh, the questions I have.....

Taken from TODAY.com:

The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart — according to Burger King — may be through a new meat-scented body spray.

While fast-food chains aren't exactly best known for selling signature fragrances, on Sunday The Home of the Whopper rolled out a men's body spray called Flame by BK. The 5-ml bottles are available for sale in Ricky's stores in New York City and on a dedicated Web site, firemeetsdesire.com.

If you're salivating for a chance to marinate yourself in flame-broiled flavor, relax: The experience can be yours for just $3.99 — a small price to pay for some seriously mouthwatering mojo.

"My assumption when I heard about it was that it would smell like french fries and burgers," said Luis Bejaran, 24, who manages a Ricky's store on Eighth Street in Manhattan. But, he said, that wasn't the case. "It's a combination of Axe body spray, TAG and this YSL cologne I have. It's one of those scents that's not sweet, and light at the same time."

While Bejaran said he would be certainly be willing to set his body a-Flame, his female co-workers were not so sure about its meaty merits. "It's not the best choice for a man," offered one.

Still, as of Wednesday afternoon Bejaran says the store had sold at least 10 bottles, and plenty more people had stopped in or called to inquire about it. Many were drawn in by the store's window display, which currently features "the Burger King guy, half-naked," said Bejaran. Only four Ricky's stores were lucky enough to get the "King" special window treatment, however.

On firemeetsdesire.com, Burger King takes pains to make satire of the "sexy is serious" stylings of other fragrance campaigns, offering this description of the scent against a chic black background: "The WHOPPER sandwich is America's favorite burger. FLAME by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat."

As with any decent marketing stunt, the whole Flame campaign has stoked the embers of opinion among fans and critics alike.

"I would not wear it out of principle," said 23-year-old Mike G., after seeing the slim silver package sporting art of a flaming heart. "It's from Burger King. I would never wear a cologne from a fast-food restaurant. It actually angers me slightly. I mean, the packaging says heartburn — what are they trying to say?"

Perhaps that beauty — as they say — is in the, er, nose of the beholder.

Supply Request

Dear Gus the Custodian,

The ladies' room needs both toilet paper AND paper towels. Neither is a very good substitute for the other. I applaud your attempt at resourcefulness, though. Really, I do.

Sincerely,
Me

Cousins Bonding

This was after church this morning. As Ashley said, it's sort of a logistical challenge to hold Ashley Marie right now. She kind of has to perch on top of my belly any way she can. She was pretty content like that, though.

Aunt Jess was, too.

35 Weeks

First things first: My appointment this week went really well. I'm not dilated or anything, which is good. I think it was a little surprising, though, because everyone has seemed so convinced that I'm dilating and that the baby's coming any time now. My doctor said that she needs to incubate for at least another 3 weeks for him to be happy, so he doesn't agree with the common prediction that she'll make her debut on Christmas. He said "not before the first of the year." He also said he thinks she will be no more than about 7 pounds. My weight is good, and blood pressure is good, though rising a little (as can be expected). I've been seeing some "sparkles" in my peripheral vision at times, which my doctor said is due simply to changes in my blood pressure and suggested that I drink more water. (He said this just seconds after he told me I'll be using the bathroom a lot more now that she's down so low. As if I hadn't noticed.....) I see him again on the 23rd.

My joints are going crazy. My hips are popping all over the place and even feel a little disconnected. My back has been popping a little, too, which is welcome.....but it's not nearly enough to relieve the ache that's been coming more often. Even other random joints are popping a lot: knuckles, elbows, and ankles.

The pressure is still here (duh) and getting worse. I'm also understanding more and more why it's always suggested for people to put their feet up. It feels DIVINE to have my feet and legs up. I don't have any swelling, but goodness. It feels so good to get them up.

I'm getting anxious to get the nursery finished, and we're getting closer to that end. I packed my hospital suitcase today, too, which was a relief. It wasn't urgent, really, but it was on my mind...and now it's one more thing I don't have to worry about.

I've been having a lot of dreams again, and they're getting more disturbing. They're not baby-related, but they are strange and upsetting. I think my general level of anxiety is going up.

All in all, I'm doing well. I'm really feeling a lot better than I would have expected to feel at this point, so I have no complaints. As my doctor told me this week, I've had a great pregnancy and we should expect nothing different for these last few weeks.

34 Weeks

Methinks we're getting closer. One day this week I had the first inklings that I might not make it to my due date, which lots of people have been saying for, well, months now. I just had this weird feeling that's hard to describe; as I told Mom, though, what do I know? I've never been 34 weeks pregnant before, so I don't know what I should be feeling right now.

What I am feeling, though, is PRESSURE. Lots of pelvic pressure. She's bearing down pretty hard, even though I'm still feeling her way up high in my diaphragm. It's downright painful in the pelvic area, though - I have a hard time walking most days. Not that my walking is pretty even when I feel good, though. I'm told I definitely am walking like a pregnant lady, and a quick glimpse in the mirror in the hall at work verified that the waddle is in full force and my back is arching in ways I never thought possible. Needless to say, too, then, my balance is a little off. I'm walking into doorframes more than normal and am depending on any available furniture items to get me where I'm going.

The itching persists. I don't know what to make of it, since the splotchy redness is gone but it still is as obnoxious as ever. I did discover a miraculous wonder called BioOil this week, which has made me much happier over the past couple of days. I take baths with the wonder oil and slather up afterward, which might actually be helping. One other - more unfortunate - discovery I made this week was.......a couple of stretch marks. *sigh* I thought at first that they were actually spots where I had bruised myself scratching myself....but no such luck. Sad times. These were my first, and I had actually been naive enough to think I might make it through this without any. Oh, well. No biggie.

Indigestion? Check. Newfound, strengthening friendship with Tums? Double check.

I'm very, very emotional. It doesn't take anything to make me cry, and once I start there's no stopping me.

I'm also getting anxious about stuff. I find myself wanting to get a sonogram at my appointment this week not just because I want to see her again, but because I'm getting plagued with the concern that something might be wrong with her. Rationally, I have no reason to think that; irrationally, though, having no reason to think that only opens up more possibilities. Something more to pray about.

I have also begun nesting. Officially. I want to turn my house upside down, shake it, and start over. The clutter is making me nuts. Neither Scott nor I are big on clutter anyway, so it's not like I'm inundated with it, but it's seriously making me crazy. Fortunately, Scott is understanding and even helps. Last night he put the crib together!

It looks so good, and now it's starting to look more like a nursery!


While he was working, I sat with him and watched. (Well, I helped a little. I held one of the sides up while he bolted them in place.) I took a couple of pictures of my warping and rolling belly. Here's a pretty good one:

That's her little butt! I've felt an elbow or a knee or a little foot moving here and there, too. Pretty amazing.

We have an appointment this week, at which we're planning on asking questions like, "Who do you want us to call when we have to head to the hospital?" and, "Is it too early to pack the hospital bag?" and, "How much do you think she weighs?" I'm also more than a little curious to see how much weight I've gained in the last two weeks!