Baby Bump Progression — 39 WEEKS

Well, this is the last one in the "bump" series. That bump better turn into a baby OUTSIDE the womb in the next few weeks or I am in serious trouble!

I went to the doctor this morning and my dilation is the same as the past 2 weeks and I am 75% effaced. Once again, the baby is measuring small...35-36 cm this morning, so I am going to have another ultrasound on Friday morning. So, I'm excited that we'll get to peek in on the little guy one more time before he arrives....it's been 19 weeks since I've seen his little face! (Not to mention, if for some reason the ultrasound tech. got the sex wrong at 20 weeks, we'll have a few days to turn "his" room into "hers"....) The doctor didn't sound too alarmed about his size so I am not overly concerned. He mentioned once again that the kid is very "low" but I can't feel any change and if he is so low, then why is he still hanging out under my ribs half the time?!

So, my next regular appointment is on Tuesday...my due date. Although I am very ready to not be pregnant any more, I also do not want to be induced if at all possible. Doc told me that he wouldn't even bring it up until I was 1 week overdue...that is September 2. So, we shall see.

In the meantime, hopefully he will "bake" until at least Thursday so my dad has a chance to get back to Georgia from a business trip. It will be less complicated if my mom and dad could just drive up together. :) After that....bring it on.

Let me also note that I am probably very stupidly not anxious or nervous at all. There is plenty of reason to be (although I know I can't do anything about it) but I think now that I'm not expecting the kid for another week, I don't even really think about going into labor. I just hope that if something does happen before then that it doesn't catch me completely off guard and scare the crap out of me!

Ok, that is all the baby news. I'll post a few of the ultrasound pics after the appointment on Friday.

My Favorite Things — FOOD

"Raindrops on roses....." Well, not so much raindrops on roses but I do love whiskars on kittens! As I mentioned in my last post I thought I would share some of my FAVORITE THINGS! I'm not sure how I am going to categorize everything, but I can tell already that this will be added to over the next couple of days as things occur to me....so look for edits. Besides, this is a good excuse to add pictures of items that don't include me, the baby or anything to do with the kitties. :) Just keep in mind, as I mentioned previously....it doesn't take much to make me happy. But don't expect this to be anything like Oprah's list...I'm way too cheap for that!

I will start with FOOD. (Hey, I'm pregnant....that is to be expected, right.)

ARTICHOKES....steamed in lightly salted water (sometimes with a little lemon), these were a treat growing up that I still love just as much to this day. (I remember having a tough time scraping all the goodness off the leaves when I was a snaggle-toothed little kid.) Now, I am almost willing to venture all the way to Trader Joes (over 30 min. away) just to get a 4 pack of the globes for $2.99. They are little, but that way Brian and I get 2 each. Oh, and that reminds me....for those of you that have never tried a steamed artichoke....the "heart" is the best part, but watch out for the choke! (When Brian had his first artichoke ever I didn't realize he had eaten as much as he had until I saw him struggling with the little hairs or the "choke" before he got to the heart....oops...)

LEAN GOURMET frozen dinners. I like these for several reasons, but I'm not going to lie...the fact that they are typically $1 is a big factor. The calorie count is low and although I'm sure they have more salt than I need, etc., it makes a great lunch or a snack that is speedy and more healthy than a bag of chips! I try not to call these "dinner" for Brian very often, but it has happened before and they are good enough that he doesn't complain. The only ones I really don't like are those that try to be Chinese food....everything else, especially the lasagna is good stuff!

CRYSTAL LIGHT or any generic version of the same concept. I think I started drinking this stuff by the gallon when we lived in Maryland. I can only handle so much water before I get completely sick of it and this is a great way of adding flavor without too many calories. I'm sure if I drank too much of the stuff the aspartame would probably kill me, but I can almost always guarantee that there is a big pitcher of it in our fridge at all times. Hey, it beats drinking something carbonated. Oh, and although I like the "On-to-Go" packets and the bottled Crystal Light, I've been drinking mine a little more diluted for so many years now that full strength is really too strong for me. Also, I just tried out the Giant Eagle version of Crystal Light in a flavor called "Green Tea with Honey and Lemon" and it is awesome...will get more the next time I'm at the store!

TAKE5. This is my favorite candy bar....hands down. How can anyone resist the combination of pretzel, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.? Brian loves them too and whenever we catch them on sale it is a dangerous time because we tend to stock up. The only sad thing is that for some reason they are becoming more and more difficult to find in stores. Halloween is typically an excellent time to stock up on the snack-sized variety, but it is only Halloween once a year....what are we supposed to do in the meantime?! I still love gummy bears and Skittles too, but my lovely little jaw condition prevents me from eating anything too chewy, so chocolate it is!

CHICK-FIL-A Of all the foods I missed the most while we lived in Germany, chicken biscuits and chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A were at the tippy-top of the list. I am typically a girl that likes all kinds of stuff on burgers or sandwiches...give me the works. However, with these items, I am a purist. I don't even need any honey on the chicken biscuit...as long as it is warm and fresh. I do add Chick-fil-A's "polynesian sauce" or their brand new "Chick-fil-A sauce" to the chicken sandwich, but that combination with the 2 dill pickles found on the sandwich is all I need. I appreciate McDonald's attempt at a "southern style" chicken biscuit and sandwich, and I admit that they aren't bad, but the key is the sauce....which McD's just doesn't have. Besides, who can top Chick-fil-A's waffle fries and even their awesome diet lemonade and an "Ice Dream"?! The only thing Chick-fil-A needs is a value menu...that and a location closer to my house! (I LOVED living within walking distance of Chick-fil-A when we lived in Williamsburg!!!)

SKINNY PANCAKES with PEANUT BUTTER and SUGAR-FREE SYRUP. I can at least attempt to makes these less horrible for me by using sugar-free syrup, right? :) I realize that this is an odd combination to most people, but you should try it...it's good. Although it was very long ago, I think I learned this trick from my friend, Tobie Bittle when I lived in Missouri as a little kid. The key is to make the pancakes more like thick crepes and to use peanut butter instead of regular butter...and then the syrup is key.....otherwise you'll look like a cat with peanut butter stuck on her tongue. I don't treat myself to these very often because Brian and I like different kinds of pancakes, but just thinking about it now.....sounds good to me.

BISCUITS and CHOCOLATE "GRAVY". This is much less disgusting than it sounds....in fact, it is awesome. Think chocolate sauce instead of gravy.....it reminds me of a homemade chocolate frosted donut with a little salt from the biscuit. This is a treat I always get to have when I visit my Granny out in west Texas. My dad grew up eating this concoction and although unique, it is fantastic. Again, not something I eat all the time (or I would weigh 200 lbs.) but I really do love it....probably partially for its uniqueness and partially because of the nostalgic association. I don't have a picture of the actual meal, but it is important to use Grands biscuits and Hershey's cocoa powder......and if you are a little kid....the biscuits have to be torn up before the "gravy" is added on top. I just started eating them in "halves" a few years ago. :)

G2. I can't believe I forgot about this yesterday! I know it is a beverage and not a "food", but neither is Crystal Light...so shoot me. :) I absolutely LOVE orange Gatorade, despite the fact that it was developed to help fuel athletes at the University of Florida. However, until discovering G2 this summer I hadn't had regular Gatorade in forever because the sugar content is so high and I'm sorry to say that if I'm going to work out hard enough to burn off all of those carbohydrates, I'd much rather get them via pasta than in a beverage. However, G2 is a low calorie version! It tastes fantastic. Right now there are only 3 flavors (to my knowledge): Orange, Grape, and Fruit Punch. Lemon-lime is my second favorite flavor so I hope that that one is in the works.

Ok, that is enough food for now......I'm making myself hungry. Oh, and these are in no particular order....just as they came to me. :)

A little consistency please....

Ok, so I had yet another doctor's appointment today. I was very anxious to see if there was any change from last week. Well, after a week of waiting to see if anything happened, I found out that things are exactly the same.....awesome. Well, not exactly the same.....I lost weight, my blood pressure is lower (normal for me) and the baby gained 3 centimeters of belly space! However, keep in mind that for some reason last week I was swollen and retaining lots of water, I felt heavier than usual, my fingers were tingly and the baby was positioned completely on the right (normal for him, but it causes him to measure small....34 cm last week).

I asked the doctor if he still thought that I wouldn't make it until my August 26th due date. I obviously know that there are no guarantees, but today he told me he thought I'd make it or even go over since it is my first baby. Again, awesome. Then why in the world did he have to open his big mouth 2 weeks ago and tell me the kid would come early?!? All I'm asking for is a little consistency, please! And then the fact that it was confirmed by a different doctor next week didn't help my mind set at all. Prior to 2 weeks ago I was going to be happy if he decided to come before September, but because of those comments I've been anxious for a week already just waiting around for something to happen!

At this point I am thankful that his little heartbeat still sounds so good and he is obviously happy in his current home. I'm not too uncomfortable and thank God for the cooler weather we've had here for the last week. I don't think we've had the A/C on in 2 weeks or more! My sleeping has been a little bit rough, but no worse than the past few months. I do think I'm starting to walk a little weird, but after this past Saturday evening/Sunday I'm thankful to be able to walk at all. Something happened (he obviously shifted) and hung out right on top of a nerve to my left leg. I couldn't put any weight on my left leg, so I just stayed laying down for bout 18-20 hours only getting up for necessities...and then I used the walls to help me walk. Thank goodness it got better!!! I just hope it doesn't return! Oh, and of course I'm thankful for the Olympics! What an absolutely wonderful distraction! I really hope Connor decides to be born while they are still going on just because it would be a fun thing to remember about his birth, but he'll have to be 2 days early to make it before the closing ceremonies.

I will add a new picture to the right side tomorrow. I am getting my hair done and am very excited. I don't know if I'm going to get it cut or just highlighted. Once again I am trying out a new person....oh the joys of moving. Regardless, I am looking forward to a little pampering....I just love it when people mess with my hair.

On that note, I think I am going to start working on a "favorite things" post. One of the things I've realized about myself more and more is that I really am pretty easy to please. Many of the items are inconsequential and cheap and perhaps they will make you happy too....it really is all about the little things. Check back for progress.

FULL TERM!

So, I hit 37 weeks yesterday! Technically, 37-41 weeks is considered "full term". I went to the doctor on Monday and he gave me "permission" to have the baby anytime now. :) I'm slightly dialated and the baby has already "dropped" so the past 2 doctors that I've seen don't think I'm going to make it until August 26th. My next appointment is on Tuesday, at week 38, so of course I'm anxious to see how much of a change has taken place. All of this was news to me because I still feel really good. No contractions that I can feel and although my sleep is not great, this is nothing new. Although I'm doing plenty to stay busy, it is an extremely weird feeling to know that at any point my water could break or I could start having contractions. Just the thought of that makes all of this seem very real and less like pretending. :) I know you'd think that feeling him move around inside me would make it real, I still don't know that it has really hit me that he is almost here!

I know that we don't have much control over when he decides to be born, but in case it matters, I'm hoping for the 15th. :) We have a company cookout with Brian's job on Friday, a baby class on Saturday, a family function on Sunday, I'm getting my hair cut on Wednesday and Brian has to teach a class at a hospital on Thursday! So, the 15th would be great!

By the way, I am SO excited that the Olympics are going to be on in just 2 more days! I LOVE the Olympics anyway, but now I know there will be something decent on TV while I'm in the hospital! woo-hoo!....not that I'll be doing a lot of watching, but hey, it could take a while.

I'd also like to take a moment to congratulate a lot of new moms and dads that have happened over the last week or so. Not that any of them check this blog (who knows, maybe they do?) but in case you know these people, you can know their news. Russ and Christine Mills welcomed their little girl, Charlotte Grace on July 31. Mike and Tracy (Wozniak) Ayvazian also welcomed their daughter, Brooklyn Nicole on the 31st. And the latest new addition is Meagin and Greg Miller's new daugher, Baylee...born on August 4th. So, just when I thought everyone was having boys, here are 3 girls to balance the world! I saw in the paper that we are kind of in the middle of a second "Baby Boom". I guess it only makes sense since all the folks around my age are products of our baby-boomer parents. I guess I just thought I knew a lot of people having kids because we are now having one, but I guess it is like that on a much larger scale than I thought.

On a different note....as soon as Connor is born I am going to change this blog from being "public" to "private". Although you currently can't search for it on the internet, we don't want any psycho people that we don't know able to access information about our family and in particular our new little man. So, I will be sending out "invitations" via e-mail after he is born. If you don't think I know that you check the site or if I don't have a current e-mail address for you, please send it my way so you can continue to keep up with our exciting lives! (heheh) As long as you get an invitation, you should be able to view the blog like normal. And of course, if you know of someone else that wants to see....no problem, just give me their e-mail address and I'll pass on an invite. Ok, I guess that is it for the blog "housekeeping".

Pictures of Progress

These will give you an idea of what the nursery looks like now. I moved the furniture around, moved a bookcase in from the office (and the cream, tall one into the guest room), I added a cork/picture board (this was originally all in baby blue tones...found at TJMaxx...but nothing a little spray paint and specialty paper from JoAnn's couldn't fix), and a long horizontal frame with mat to hang in the hutch while the dresser is a changing table (it needs pictures still), then finally I painted 9" letters --- originally I painted them different colors, but should have known I wouldn't like the rainbow look...navy it is. I still think there needs to be something above the letters, like a neat quote or something, but I'm not going to rush into anything. It is fine for now. I also think I might have to bite the bullet and spent $20 on the lampshade that matches the bedding set at Babies 'R Us. The white one is fine, but how cute if it all matched?!It is way late and I need to be sleeping. So much for that. :)

Nesting....

Ok, so I haven't quite gotten in the mood to completely clean the house from top to bottom (I'm sure Brian wishes I would...) but I think the "nesting" part of the pregnancy has really started to set in.

Today I had a fun time running all sorts of errands. I started the trip by filling up my empty gas tank. Normally, getting gas is not worthy of mentioning in a blog, but it is when you get it for $1.53/gallon!!! For those of you not in Ohio, we have a grocery store here called Giant Eagle. For every $50 you spend in the store (and you scan your Giant Eagle card) you get a credit of 10¢ off per gallon of gas. I managed to rack up $2.20 of credit, thus making my $3.73/gallon gas only $1.53! The best part about the whole thing is that I didn't even have to spend $1100 to get it! They have a ton of gift cards for different stores you can buy and those give you credit (we got our patio umbrella with a Sears gift card we got at Giant Eagle) and last week there was a promotion on 27 different kinds of cereal....they were 4 for $10 and for every 4 you bought, you got an extra 20¢ of gas credit! Yoo-Hoo! See, it doesn't take much to excite me! Anyway, enough about gas....but I was "pumped".....hehehe.

I haven't been content with the way the nursery has been looking. Although Brian and I moved the furniture all around the day it came in, it just wasn't working for me. I had a new idea a few days ago and I needed a few more items to make it all come into fruition. This involved a trip to Michael's in Cuyahoga Falls. I also went to Target while I was nearby and TJMaxx (can't resist) and used my coupon for a free Chic-fil-A sandwich for lunch! (LOVE free Chic-fil-A!!) I hit up Wal-Mart for a can of spray paint, a bigger, better, trash can for Brian, a tension rod, and a few other odds and ends before I went to JoAnn's on the way home. I got a piece of 2" foam to cover our shoe bench in our room so it is padded now. I've been meaning to do it for a while and now it is officially done.

So, once arriving home, I was all set to work. Brian had a dinner in Sharon, PA tonight so it was actually nice just being able to work at my own pace and get done what I needed/wanted to do without worrying about him.....not that he needs supervision all the time or anything, but I'm sure you married folk know what I mean. :)

The bottom line is that although I almost melted in the process, I am much happier with the nursery now. I have to paint the letters, hang them, and then take pictures before you can see the final result. I wanted to get Brian's all-clear before I painted anything. I'm still not exactly sure what color I'm going to go with, so it might be a few days, but I'll likely be excited and jump on it in the next day or two.

The next room that needs some major attention is the room I'm sitting in right now...the office. I got a "spice" colored paint for the walls and I tested it out...but that is it. I've been stalling because I have a lot to move off the walls before I can really get going. But right now it is somewhat of a disaster area and it is starting to drive me nuts.

To polish off the nesting of the evening, I did deep clean the kitchen and cleaned all of our gazillion glass-top tables that are in our living room...and I vacuumed. Overall, a very productive day. I did end up turning the a/c on at around 7:30 because I just couldn't take it anymore. We've had it off for the last week because it has been tolerable, but after a very heavy rain today it was just too too sticky...even for me!

———Change of Subject———

My first weekly Dr.'s appointment was yesterday and after my appointment last week, Dr. Ferris wanted to keep a close eye on my size. See, last week (week 35) I only measured 32 cm...this was the exact same as I had measured two weeks prior at week 33. I've typically been 1 cm under my number of weeks since they started measuring around 20 weeks. He thought it was just his position (completely on the RIGHT....you thought I was kidding...look at the picture I took of my belly when we went paddle boating last Friday...not the prettiest thing, but you can tell how lopsided I am!) I was very anxious to get measured again to make sure our little guy is still growing like he should be. Well, yesterday I measured 35 cm, so I guess I'm back on track with the 1 cm under the number of weeks. I go back again on Monday...sure am glad the Dr.'s office is really close to our house! I also solidified our pediatrician yesterday so I got all pre-registered with the hospital. Hopefully that will make things easier when the time comes.

Overall, life is good. I still feel pretty good, but because of his position, the left side of my pelvic bone hurts most of the time...urg. But I'll take that over horrible back pain or all the other horrible things I've heard about. It just takes me a little longer to roll over or stand up than most people.

Pictures to come soon and I'll try to take a progression picture for the right side of the blog tomorrow too.

Oh, and Toonces has also found the crib to be a suitable place for her to sleep.....again, glad I haven't washed the sheets yet. I'm sure she will be more hesitant to sleep there when Connor is in there too, but it is tough to be mad at her when she is so stinkin' cute!

Tschüss

Ridiculousness

Yesterday, Toonces discovered that one of the built-ins in our living room that we've made into a changing area makes a great bed. She obviously remembered, because she is sleeping on the changing pad as I type this....she is ridiculous. I'm glad I haven't washed the cover yet. I might as well wait a while longer if she is going to continue with this pattern.

Of course I couldn't post only a picture of Toonces. Mitsy is the ever-obedient one and is taking a nap on the rug....paws tucked. They both came in from outside a while ago.

On a random note, let me just say how much I have enjoyed the weather the past few days. We've turned our A/C off and opened all the windows! It is currently 72.3º in our house and it feels wonderful! I hope it stays like this for a while!

Something else I thought I'd share... You'd think that at 35 weeks, a moment wouldn't pass that I didn't think about being pregnant or remember that I have a kid the size of a honeydew inside of me. Well, most of the time I do remember, but for some reason I forget that other people can tell too! For the past 4-6 weeks I've found myself being surprised when strangers make comments about the baby or offer to help me in some way, shape or form. I'm not surprised that people offer assistance, and I always appreciate it, but the surprise comes in that I forget that other people can see that there is a kid growing inside of me too! I realize this is stupid and I obviously look pregnant, but every now and then I guess I forget that the whole world can tell what is going on. It just happened again this morning with the FedEx lady...why am I continuing to be shocked by this?! I need to snap out of it...

7.25.08 — Okay, I'm adding this after the fact because it falls into the "ridiculous" category and because I don't want you people to think that I have absolutely no life by posting something basically every day.... So, in case any of you were wondering....my cyst is still here. Over the last 7 weeks or so, the cyst has come and gone. Well, it doesn't really ever "go", but it goes down significantly and doesn't bother me. Then, if I do anything that requires a twisting motion of my right wrist, then --- voila--- it rears its ugly little head again. The weird part is that it usually moves and doesn't come back in the exact same place. This was a blessing the 2nd and 3rd times it returned because it wasn't on top of any main tendons, so even though I noticed it, it didn't hurt nearly as much. Well, after a little gardening with my mom, it's BACK and this time it covers a lot more surface area, but isn't as tall. It has also shifted closer to my thumb and this time I am not so lucky that it doesn't hurt....it is killing me....and I just managed to accidentally hit it on a doorknob, thus intensifying the pain like you would not believe. Every Dr. that I've talked to has said I have to wait until after the baby is born to address this inconvenient issue. No Dr. wants me (or Brian) to hit it with a Bible or pot or whatever because it is too close to my wrist bone and I could shatter it (not good). I might try taking a sterroid for it before I go straight to injections or surgical removal, but I can't do that until after Connor is born too. So, we shall see. I know you were all wondering what was going on with my lovely cyst....and probably even thought that it was gone....but no....it is not. I just hope I don't have a bad flare up when I need to be holding a tiny baby! URG.

(Both pictures taken on my laptop with Photobooth, so flip them in your head.)

Connor's Room — details

I thought I'd post a few more pictures of the nursery now that we've got the dresser set up as the changer. I still have some more organizing to do, but you get the idea. I took a picture of the opposite wall with the quilt and bookcase. We are going to put a wooden rocker and/or Brian's navy blue cadet trunk (from school) in front of the quilt and put the new swivel/glider and ottoman in the living room where it will likely get more use for feedings and storytime! (ordering it today!.....thanks Nealons!)

The first picture is of the tiny Air Force Falcon mascot, this one is named "Swoop". I had no idea that Brian even ordered it, but now he is insistent that it be Connor's favorite stuffed animal! The blue/gray elephant was a gift from Connor's "aunt" Meg. The "Baby's First Teddy Bear" is a gift from cousin Kerri Kronz, and the list goes on and on....I thought I'd only list the pictured animals....please don't think I'm appreciative of EVERYTHING! Oh, and in case you are wondering I can't wait to use the sports themed "Pee Pee TeePee's" given by Aunt Carrie...I'm sure these will come in handy to avoid getting sprayed during diaper changes!