38 Weeks, 6 Days — Bump Progression

How can it already be October 7th??

I've only had 2 kids for 11 days, I've had extra help (Nana, Monte-D, Gramma & Chief (last weekend), and Jill & Chris (this weekend). How am I going to make it when everyone goes home?!
I will do my best to keep up blog posts, even though they have been lacking in the past few months anyway...

Here is the last pregnancy progression picture. I didn't quite make it to 39 weeks...38 weeks, 6 days and he was ready to be born!

I will post another, like I did with Connor when he was 4 weeks old. Let's see how much weight I can lose in these first 4 weeks. So far I am down to 153... I'm hoping to get to 130...a little less than before I got pregnant. We shall see.

Declan coming today??

I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep at about 5:30 am. I went downstairs to print a shipping label for a set of invitations, banner & stickers that I finished last night. (20 pennant banner....turned out so cute!) Anyway, while I was sitting there there was a small gush. I know I didn't pee.

I've had a steady "leak" since about 6:00 am now. My mom was in the room right next door so I gave her the heads up. Then came upstairs to get a pad and tell Brian.

I am currently having mild contractions...nothing major at all...at least I don't think so. I'm sitting on a couple of towels in Declan's room while packaging up mechanicals (book covers) in progress to post to the company ftp site so they can make corrections as needed while I'm in the hospital.

My plan is to finish those up, take a shower and then head to the hospital I guess.

This is what I wanted to happen, so I'm happy. :) It all seems a little anti-climactic without a huge gush of water breaking, but I have absolutely no doubt that it is ambiotic fluid. I think he will be here today!

A few more family pictures. :)

Granny,  these are high resolution so you can save them. :)

38 weeks + 1 day

We got back from my last OBGYN appointment this morning.

My uterus is measuring at 38 cm, which is exactly what it should be. Doc thinks my fluid levels are fine based on my size and my blood pressure is excellent. So, he doesn't think there will be any baby action before Friday morning.

I haven't really been having contractions. Just a tightening every now and then, but as long as Declan and I agree on his position and I'm not on my feet too long, I'm pretty comfortable....today....and it is only 11:15 am.

It is nice to think that this time next week I  will hopefully be holding a brand new little man in my arms. 6 more days!!

I've been sleeping on the basement couch most nights. It forces me to stay on my right side, I don't disturb the guys when I wake up in the middle of the night and if I can't go back to sleep, I have a tv to watch. :) I did add a TwinXL foam topper and sheets so it is a little bit more bed-like for me.

I am currently battling with Connor over him putting all of his kitchen toys away. He and Lucy brought them out of his playroom and into the living room yesterday. We are supposed to go out to lunch with Ryder and his mom Amber and then to open gym at For the Kids. But that will not happen if he doesn't get on it. It looks like he is making progress...I think we will make it.

He knows that I can't/won't/don't want to help him because it is so hard for me to bend over these days, and hey he is 4...he can do it himself. He reminds me that I "can't really bend over" because of my "giant belly". Yep, so don't give me push back when I ask you to pick up after yourself!

We got out autumn decorations this morning. It makes my masculine man/autumn smelling house seem a little less bizarre. I don't go for sweet scents, especially from Bath & Body Works, so I thought I'd give a couple of their new fragrances a try. I currently have a Mahogany Teakwood candle burning and it definitely smells like man. It is combined with Marshmallow Fireside in wallflowers plug-ins (I have a candle too, but haven't lit it yet.) I also got one wallflower plug in of Black Pepper Bergamot (I had no clue what to expect) and I like it. It smells like man too, so it is in the boys' bathroom. I will probably move it when baby smells need to take over that space. :)

Ok, I think Connor has gotten everything put away that he got out...at least that is out in the living room. Better go get ready to go. I don't care that I'm going to wear short sweatpants, a pink tank top and navy blue shrug. At this point I look ridiculous regardless of what I have on, so I might as well be comfortable!

Oh, and one more Connor funny.
I wasn't feeling well last night so I promised Connor we would make cookies this morning. I'm talking about pouch cookies...nothing from scratch at 8:00 am. My supplies are a little low so it was either Molasses cookies or Pumpkin Spice. I just decided to go with molasses. He said he didn't like those. I said I thought he would and let him smell the mix. He told me is smelled like ginger. Seriously kid??! How does he even know what ginger smells like?!

Ashley Henderson Huff — in memoriam

This was sent out to all Sigma Kappa alumni today in honor of Ashley. Although we were not very close friends, I was the one that "preffed" Ashley back in 2000. I do NOT claim to be a reason why she became part of our sorority, but I am so glad that she was. I was and am very proud to call her a "sister". I'm also thrilled that the anniversary of her death has not gone unnoticed.

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Ashley Henderson Huff, Epsilon Epsilon. She was the 53rd woman to die in combat in Iraq, and is the first known sorority casualty.   At the time of her death on September 19, 2006, Huff was due to return home in six weeks and planned to buy a house in Savannah with her husband.  The couple had been married for 13 months, but she had been deployed for most of that time.   Before leaving for Iraq, she didn't have time to replace her maiden name with her married name on her uniform, and had told her sister that she couldn't wait to come home and greet her husband with Huff sewn on it.

Her husband said the couple talked by phone every day. Even separated by thousands of miles, he felt their relationship was going stronger because of those conversations. "It was a difficult thing to spend your first year on the phone, but I felt like this situation did more to bring us together than anything could," he said. "She was always so strong, the strongest person I have ever met.”

"She could do it all," said Ashley Klanac, Henderson Huff's roommate at the Epsilon Epsilon house.  

"She could do everything from riding horses, to being a sorority girl, to being in the ROTC. Anything she pursued, she excelled at."  Klanac recalled how the events of September 11, 2001 affected her roommate and sister.  "She said, 'If we go to war, I will go.'" Two months before Huff shipped out, Lt. Noah Harris, a close friend from her ROTC program, was killed during fighting in Baquba, Iraq.  She fought back tears as she spoke at his memorial service on the University of Georgia campus.  "Noah made me realize how important it is to see my friends and value my relationships," Huff said, according to an account of the service in the campus newspaper.

"I think everyone should do some time in the military, because only when you are separated from something do you know how much you've truly got," Huff wrote to her husband.  She advised him not to postpone simple pleasures waiting for her to come home.  "Don't let life pass you by, just because we are apart," she said.

The Army posthumously awarded Huff a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. 

You Can Honor Her Memory:

Since learning of her passing, the Sigma Kappa Foundation has been raising funds to endow a scholarship in Huff’s memory, and needs continued support in order to reach the fund’s goal.

Please consider making a gift today to celebrate her life and her ultimate sacrifice.

Instagram Pics

I love Instagram. I do wish that I could just edit the picture sometimes and not "post" it anywhere...even to Instagram itself, but oh well.

Also, I've seen people do collages and include multiple images in one Instagram frame. If you know how to do this...please share. :)

Oh and a quick Connor "funny" before I forget about it...
When I picked up Connor from school on Thursday, I saw his teacher, Ms. Mary in the hall. She told me she had to share what Connor told her that day because it was so cute:
"Ms. Mary!! When, I turn 5, I'm going to go to flower garden!"
Ms. Mary was puzzled, but smiled and nodded. Classmate Bennett approaches and says,
"Yes, when I turn 5 I'm going to go to kindergarden, too!!"

Kindergarden will now be known as flower garden. :)

Here are a few Instagram pictures I've taken in the last couple of weeks.

The petunias in our window boxes still look decent even in September. Several days later, (after not watering) they weren't looking so nice, so now they are mums...dark purple and magenta mums to be exact.

Connor and the "family" of pumpkins he selected for us at Countryside. The "giant" one was only $7, so I snagged it up while I had the chance. Connor's favorite is the one he picked out for Declan. :)

This bizarre photo was taken just 2 days ago...37 weeks + 1 day. Yes, that is my belly and yet it looks like some giant arm or leg. I was trying to show how lopsided the child is inside. I'm pretty sure that the pointy part on the left side of the picture is his little butt... The kid is out of room and I'm ready for him to come!

Ok, not an Instagram picture, but a random one that Brian took of Connor wearing the new Ergo that I got for D, but with Jingle the dog in it instead. Then there is me in teh background with a lovely round belly.

This photo was when Brian was still in CA and Connor wanted to have a "movie night" and watch it from his "tent" in the basement. he just looked so stinkin' cute...always with his legs crossed.

Connor has a recent fascination with super heroes. This was the very first time he ever asked me to make him a "cape". We simply tied one of his baby blankets around his neck and he was thrilled. My favorite part however is that he told me that I couldn't fly because I didn't have a cape. Therefore, my only option was to "flap my arms like a chicken". Lovely.

37 weeks...all is well.

Went to the doctor this morning. Only 1 more weekly appointment left!!!

Measuring 37 cm.
Baby's heartbeat 140 bpm.

No cervical check...I'm guessing this is since I'm having a c-section.

The burning pain I'm experiencing is because each baby is carried lower in the "pelvic floor" and it is likely that as my pelvic bone has separated, it is pinching a nerve on the left side. Doc said it would probably get even worse in the next 2 weeks, but that icing should help (need to get more frozen peas since the last time I used actual ice it made quite a mess).

He also told me to sleep on my right side to alleviate the pressure on the left side. I'm already doing this..specifically by sleeping on the couch so I don't try to roll over...because that tends to be excrutiating.

Anyway, all is well.

Brian got a message from Danny Votruba yesterday that their baby was on the way!! I know our due dates were very close together, so maybe D will decide to come a little earlier too....???

p a i n . . .

I am just hours shy of being 37 weeks pregnant, so I think it is an okay time to compain.

Today has been ROUGH.

The burning sensation / pain that is extremely concentrated in my left groin has become so intense it has taken me to my knees several times. It used to only happen when I was standing or walking for a while, but now I will get a shot of the pain when I haven't moved at all...while sitting and I almost have to hold my breath until it is over.

I just wrote my doctor a facebook message to make sure I am not losing my mind. I know I limped when I was pregnant with Connor and even remember having to drag my left leg sometimes, but this is ridiculously excessive. I seriously don't know if I can handle this pain for another 2 weeks and 2 days...

Of course, I didn't help matters much yesterday. My brain completely jumped out of gear. That is really the only explanation I have for my sheer stupidity. If today is described as painfully "rough" then yesterday was a breeze. I was really pretty active and we went on a little family bike ride after dinner, before Connor's bathtime. At the temporary end of road there is a little off-roading dip that Connor has been anxious to try out. (I think he did it with Jaxson when they went on a bike ride when Brian was in CA). I've been telling him he has to wait for daddy.

Well, he tried it and wasn't going fast enough. There is also some sand at the bottom of the ravine that makes things tougher. After several minutes of riding in circles waiting for the shenanigans to be over, something came over me and obviously I forgot that I was 9 months pregnant and on a "loser cruiser" and NOT a mountain/off-roading bike. I decided that I needed to be the one to show Connor how to do it. WRONG. Idiot move, really. 1/2 way up the second hill, my chain came off. I don't know if I hit the seat weird or if my inner right thigh hit the bar on my boy bike. Either way, the pain on the OTHER side of my pelvis became intense...but this time it was my own damn fault and completely stupid. Now I get to go to my appointment on Friday for my cervical check and I am sure to have a god-awful black/blue bruise on my right inner thigh. Lovely. Who knows what in the world my doctor is going to think about that!?! So, combine a deep tissue bruise with the burning in my left groin and I am just about the most pathetic looking person you've seen in a while. Oh yeah, and add in some heartburn at the moment too....and it was 85º today.

Tomorrow is sure to be a better day. Connor is at school all day, I have a prenatal massage at noon and I have to go to the printer to have no less than 6 jobs printed. So, I need to go to bed. However, I think I am going to attempt to ice my left groin to see if that helps anything. Now there is a pretty picture for ya...

Seriously, if I start to change my mind about only wanting 2 kids in about a year (I really don't think I will)...please remind me of this day. I'm pretty sure the symptoms get worse with each pregnancy...I cannot even fathom it being worse than today.... No more babies for me!