Update on us

Getting on the laptop has been quite the chore lately, so I haven't been able to blog. I am lucky if I open my laptop once a day... and when I do I check my necessities and then close it.  (Although I was able to do some cyber Monday/Christmas shopping, got my Mom a camera because her camera sucks and she wants to take million pictures of her grandson and I got Colin a play mat that we registered for, but didn't get and I got me... hey I deserve something... some cute little boots... not that I needed more boots, but whatever. :)  )

Sleeping :   Was going really good at first. He hated his bassinet, but I discovered he liked his crib. So, he was sleeping in his crib for the first week or so. He was sleeping 1-2 hr stretches in his crib... until the other night and then he decided he didn't like his crib anymore. He only wanted to sleep on someone. I would try like hell to get him to sleep in his crib or bassinet. Feed him, put him in the one of them and then he'd wake up... sometimes less than 2 minutes after putting him down and he'd wake up and be starving again and we'd rinse and repeat. I got NO sleep one night and thought, this HAS to change. The other night we retried swaddling... he HATES it, I swear. He hardly ever cries, and last night he screamed trying to escape his swaddle. I was tired so i laid in bed trying to console him... and I fell asleep. I woke up with him in my arms THREE... count them... THREE hours later.  I hadn't slept a 3 hour stretch since before he was born! We fed and then I went back to bed with him... and he slept another 3 hours. Daddy's alarm went off and I couldn't believe I had only gotten up once in the night.  Since then we've been co-sleeping... because that seems to be the only way I get sleep.  I really hate co-sleeping. Our bed sucks, it is old and really squishy and I feel like Colin is going to suffocate. So I hold onto him all night. He is a squirmy sleeper so I wake up a lot... but still not as much as before. I am still not sure this is right for us because I am soo paranoid about it. I will continue to try to put him in his crib and bassinet and hopefully he will out grown this whole only sleeping on someone deal.  Right now he is sleeping in a vibrating chair... better than me! :)

Breastfeeding:   This has been a huge challenge for us. We've been using a nipple shield since my little breakdown. Honestly, I don't think we'd still be breastfeeding if it weren't for the shield.  I was starting to feel some more pain the other day, so I FINALLY called a lactation consultant. I should have gotten help weeks ago, but I didn't. She gave us some really great tips and breastfeeding is definitely more comfortable than it was before. I am hoping that was the stepping stone in the right direction for us and hopefully breastfeeding will only get better. I am still using the shield, but I just want my poor nips to heal a bit more before I go back without it.  :)

With Colin sleeping more at night, he is MUCH more awake during the day.  We've been doing tummy time and blanket time on the floor and yesterday we had a MAJOR photo shoot so I could get a photo for our Christmas cards. :)  He was quite the little alert boy during his photo shoot and I got lots of good pictures! He is such a good baby, we are really lucky!  No crying unless he is hungry or if the diaper wipes are exceptionally cold!  I love him so much! I can't believe it has been 3 weeks already since I had him!

Here are some pictures from our photo shoot!! :)

2 week Dr. Apt

Went for Colin's 2 week check up. He had gained a pound since his 5 day checkup! :) And didn't even cry when they took his blood from his foot! Yay!

I was kind of disappointed because our normal Dr. wasn't there so we had to see a different pediatrician. I really wanted some answers with Colin's tongue tie and was hoping they would clip it or at least talk about that as an option. The Dr. told us that in all his research tongue tie does not cause pain to a mother while nursing and that we just have a bad latch. He also said research shows there isn't clear evidence that clipping a tied tongue has any positive change to anything and he wants to let it be. I cried. And then the stupid guy asked why I was crying. Lol.

Everything I've read online says that tongue tied babies are given bottles sooner than other babies and mothers have a really hard time breastfeeding them. I just wish my suffering was justified through this and it seems like it was no big deal. I feel like I've failed all over again with this, but I know it is just one person's opinion.  He said just to keep trying to breast feed and pump if I have to. Sigh. I am going to call tomorrow and see if our other Dr. is there or can talk to me. :S

In the meantime, I am still breastfeeding, but with a shield, which is working really well! No pain and I feel like it is letting my nipples heal a bit! And now I'm off to take a nap!

Tongue Tied??

Well I called my breast feeding support system... and we think little Colin might be tongue tied. Which would make all of our issues make sense. He has a heart shaped tongue, it looks like the tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of his mouth is close to his gums and tight... plus tongue tie can cause major nipple damage to momma and lots of pain.  Of course we will see what his doctor says on Monday... but I feel soo relieved knowing I am not doing anything wrong!!

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/tongue-tie

Breastfeeding blues

Breastfeeding is literally the hardest thing I've ever done. I know I said labor was bad... and it was, but at least it was temporary! Lol.  I've almost quit out of frustration several times now and if you knew how important this was to me, you'd know how big of a deal almost quitting is!

Colin is a great latcher, latched on right away at the hospital no problem. I left the hospital with sore, bleeding, scabbed and chapped nipples... but from what I've heard that is fairly normal. The initial latch hurt a little bit, but I figured as my boobs toughened up it would get better.... it hasn't.

I have like chunks of my nipple missing now. :) Sounds grand, huh? Where he sucked some of the scabs off... I have like holes. The initial latch is VERY painful, but I figured with time, as that healed it would get better. So even though the initial latch sometimes brings tears to my eyes, it is over in a second and bearable.

Then my milk came in. The engorgement made it hard for him to latch and just made everything worse. This was the first time I almost gave up. I pumped to help with the engorgement, but I felt like it wasn't really helping and was engorged for like 5 days. When I thought maybe I was pumping too much and kind of quit cold turkey. My breasts felt normal again and were still producing milk  and we had a couple days where he'd latch first try and although it was still terribly painful it was over fast and I thought maybe this was the beginning of breastfeeding getting better.

Then yesterday happened. It seemed like he was having a hard time getting my milk to come down on my left side (which has always been my good side, not as painful and when I pumped always had the most milk). I thought maybe since I wasn't engorged anymore that maybe I had a longer let down process and that was frustrating him. He would latch, let go, latch let go, latch let go... over and over and over. And with painful latches that left me and him both crying!  Last night we tried to latch and get milk to come down for over an hour once and then again for like 15 or 20 mins before I almost quit for the second time.  I ended up giving him the other boob and pumping the left one and giving him a bottle because it was just soo sore. I was shocked when I pumped and barely anything out. So now I'm thinking my supply has gone low on that side?  I don't know.

Everyone says the first 2 weeks is the hardest... and well... Monday is 2 weeks and by golly if this gets any harder I may be a damn quitter!

I suppose I should ask for help, but I am kind of stubborn and wanted to just figure it out on my own. lol

Colin has a Dr. apt. on Monday and I think my infected nipples with chunks missing might be cause for concern enough to ask the Dr. about.  Sigh.  I just wish it was easier and I pray everyday that it gets easier.

One week post pregnancy

Here is the belly one week post pregnancy! Honestly I am a little shocked at how much it has shrunk! Lol But I still have quite a ways to go before my pre-pregnancy weight. I think I've lost about 15 or so pounds and I still have at least another 15 to go. Not that I'm doing anything to loose the weight, just getting the milk sucked out of me for now! Maybe when i get more sleep (Ha!) I can start walking or something... but now I don't really have the energy... I've been trying to post this for like 3 days and some days I'm lucky to even open my laptop! Lol 

Colin's birth story

What a time I had delivering Mr. Colin! 

So as most of you know from my previous blogs, I went into labor Sunday, 11/6/11 at 3 am. I had contractions all day, but they weren't very painful until the afternoon/evening.  I went to the hospital Sunday night at 8 pm. They checked me and I was only 2 cm. so they made me walk around the hospital for 2 hours. I walked and  walked through some terrible contractions and they ended up sending me home because I was still only 2 centimeters dilated... even though I was having terrible contractions. The nurse told me to come back when they got worse or closer together... I asked her how they could get any worse! Ha! She told me I hadn't seen anything yet... she was right.   That was the longest night of my life. I didn't sleep a wink and spent my time crying, walking, taking warm baths and doing anything else I possibly could to ease through the pain of contractions. It was terrible. I held out as long as possible at home, but came back in to the hospital about 11 hours after the first visit, at 7 am with horrendous contractions. This time I was NOT going to let them send me home! Lol Thankfully I was 4 cm dilated and finally admitted!

 I labored for 2 hrs  at the hospital before getting an epidural because they were monitoring Colin's heart rate because it kept dropping when I'd contract and the Dr. was worried I'd have to have a c-section. After his heart rate picked up and everything was good, I got the amazingly, wonderful, best invention on earth ever... epidural. It is THE MOST AMAZING thing... trust me on this. I know for many woman getting the epidural can slow labor down, but for me it did the opposite. Because I had been in labor for so long it relaxed my body and helped me dilate rather quickly! 3 hours with an epidural and I had dilated to 7! And 2 hours later fully dilated! 

For some dumb reason I thought pushing would be the easy part... I know... I'm retarded.  I pushed for an hour and a half ... it sucked! Lol I could feel lots of pressure and it felt like my epidural was wearing off and I was pushing and pushing as hard as I could... I was soo tired from laboring for over 30 hours and then Colin's heart rate started to get erratic so the doctor had to step in and help get him out faster. She ended up using the suction on his poor little head and I ended up with a 2nd degree tear! I had no clue pushing was going to be so hard... guess Colin has a big ole head! I am soo glad he is here... but after a labor like that, now I know why I am an only child! Lol.  My doctors and nurses were amazing and encouraged me the whole way... I remember telling them a couple times while I was pushing that I just couldn't do it anymore, it was so hard and I wanted him out so bad!

Ryan held my leg while I pushed and he got to cut Colin's umbilical cord! They took Colin right away because he was gasping a bit and they wanted to make sure his lungs were ok. After some time in the nursery they brought him back and the doctor told me, he was trying to latch onto everything including his oxygen mask and would have no problem breastfeed... she was totally right! :)

He was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and it was love at first sight... for both Ryan and I! :) He looks JUST like his daddy!

I could stare at his little face... and every other part of him all day long. I think his ears are the cutest thing, his head the cutest... feet legs... everything. He is perfect.  Ok. I could go on forever.  But that is Colin's birth story and I have many more blogs to come!

Right after he was born!

After his first bath at the hospital

He is here!!

Colin Ryan Waggoner was born on 11/7/11 at 5:55 pm.  He weighed 6 lbs 13 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long!  It was a LOOOONNG and hard labor and delivery... I will write about it once my life gets a bit normal! But he is here, healthy and beautiful!

Contractions SUCK

Labor/Contractions are pretty much the worst thing on earth and I don't wish them on anyone! Lol My word, these things are no joke. I don't think I've ever been in so much pain... and I actually thought I had a pretty high pain tolerance before this! I am timing my blog around them so it might be short. Yesterday my contractions were very sporadic all day until after we went on a walk they got worse and more frequent. by the time we left for the hospital they were 2-5 minutes apart and that was at like 7 or 8 at night. I freaked out the Labor and delivery nurse because when she hooked me up to the monitors they were 2 minutes apart and she thought she was going to have to deliver a baby by herself.... contraction time... hold on. But surprisingly, even though I'd gone through contractions all day I was only 2 cm dialated and that isn't considered active labor... they had my walk around the hospital for 2 hours and then rechecked me... only to find I still hadn't dialated anymore.... so they sent me home. I was so upset and in so much pain. They told me to get some rest, but really how can you get any rest when I've gotten woken up every 6 minutes in dire pain that lasts for over a minute. Sigh.  They said that even though I'm having crazy contractions it might not be active labor and that some first time moms can go days or weeks in this state.... Lord help me.   I have 2 minutes until my next contraction so I should probably wrap this up. I may try and see if my doctor can squeeze me in tomorrow morning so I can cry to her about how miserable I am and let her check me. But I really don't want to rush things either and end up with a C-section because the baby isn't ready, but these contractions are horrendous and I'm not sure how many days of this I can handle. :( The end!! :) Send prayers!!   And in 25 minutes it will be 24 hours since I started getting bad contractions... Longest day ever.

False Alarm...

I'm thinking that was a false alarm... My contractions went from 5 mins apart to 8 mins apart to 15. Glad I didn't wake Ryan! Lol.  I took a shower and now I'm going back to bed! :)

Labor?

So I've been having what I call cramping for a week or so... but nothing painful, just uncomfortable crampy periodically.   Yesterday I had cramping a lot. Most of the day. But still nothing painful, just uncomfy. We went to dinner at some friend's house last and that is when I noticed that it was more difficult to walk when I was getting these "cramps" and kind of when I realized they were probably contractions and not so much cramps.  I timed them a bit, but they were very sporadic, so I ignored it and went to bed.

I woke up at 3 in the morning with painful cramping... or contractions that I couldn't ignore. So I started timing them.  They were between 2 -10 minutes apart, so I tried to go back to sleep. I woke up an hour later to pee and I lost my mucous plug! It was definitely one big plug of bloody show mucous...  Sounds wonderful, huh?

Here is some Internet research on this bloody show for those who are like, what the heck... :

Bloody Show — What It Is"Bloody show," a pink- or brown-tinged stringy mucus discharge, is a sign that your cervix is dilating and/or effacing. This is a definite signal that you're well on your way toward labor and delivery.

Bloody Show — What Causes It

This "passage" means the blood vessels in the cervix are rupturing as the cervix begins to open up. (This is a good, normal thing.)

Bloody Show — What You Need to Know

If you've experienced the bloody show, you can usually expect to go into labor within the next several days — unless you're a fast starter, in which case you could be going into labor within the next several hours. (Nice and predictable, right?) In general, though, bloody show means you can hurry up and wait. And you won't know for sure that labor has arrived until you feel those first real labor contractions. So when you see that bloody show, get ready — but don't head out the door just yet.

So as you can imagine, I've found it hard to go back to sleep since then. I'm now in the living room on a birthing ball listening to country music and hanging out with the cat... timing my contractions. They are lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to a little over a minute and happening 2-8 minutes apart.  I'm thinking of eating some cereal... although I'd really like to vacuum and take a shower... but don't want to wake up Ryan unless it is the real deal. :)  So there you have it... I think I'm in labor!

Good News for the Day

Even though I am totally still pregnant and have no signs whatsoever of Colin coming anytime soon, I just realized something awesome:

Our doctor, who has been on vacation for over a week, came back from vacation today! Which means she will be here to deliver our baby! Yay! :)

Ok, Colin.... Dr. Vitale is back, feel free to come out whenever you'd like! Everything is ready! :)

Last night

My night last night was rather interesting.  I blame Ryan for working super late and leaving a 39 week and 2 day pregnant lady home alone for hours after she'd worked all day.  So what does a 39 week and 2 day pregnant lady do when she is home alone for hours?  Orders pizza, walks on the treadmill until the pizza arrives, watches Parenthood while eating pizza and sitting on an exercise ball, decides to do online shopping because she doesn't know what else to do, orders several fleece jackets for Colin because he doesn't have a single jacket to his name... and cute hat and a cute onsie..., and then the 39 week and 2 day pregnant lady cries because she is still pregnant with no sign of an end in sight!  Lol  Oy! 

Today I am trying to be more positive. I woke up and thanked the Lord for giving me another day with this blessing growing inside of me. I know I need to cherish these moments before he arrives, like last night when he had hiccups for 15 minutes straight and my entire belly was wiggling or this morning when there was a knee poking out of my side... or even just the peace and quiet in my house when the only one crying is the cat when he is hungry.

I am off to work and today I will see only coworkers who know better than to ask me about when I'm due, instead of visitors at the visitor center who asked a good 10 times yesterday when I was due and then took turns giving me looks of shock that I was still working.  :)  Or didn't ask and just stared at my belly.

AND here's the link to the jacket I bought Colin... soo freakin' cute, right?
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=73896&vid=1&pid=857621&scid=857621012

Patience

I need to learn how to be patient... I'm not sure how to do that, because my patience is wearing thin! I know that this is all beyond my control, I just need to accept that!  I am just soo anxious to meet Colin and to not be pregnant anymore that it is soo hard to be patient for a couple more days or weeks.

By the time the evenings roll around I am so tired from working all day and carrying a baby and my back and hips hurt that I just want it to end! Lol It sounds so terrible, but I'm sure it is just the end of pregnancy and my body is just tired.  I need to suck it up, accept it and be PATIENT!

So if you have some spare patience, feel free to send them my way! :)

Waiting Game and Waiting pain

Yesterday I was feeling something terrible. I woke up with terrible hip and back pain and it got worse throughout the day. I am betting it was from my chiropractor visit on Monday because she said my hips were out and she adjusted them.  (She also said my pelvis was WIDE open and ready to go for delivery time! :) )

 However, I was hoping it was something else and not just my chiropractor visit.  In the evening yesterday I was also really crampy and my back and hip pain was much worse. I was really hoping that was a sign that labor was immanent.  In fact I kept teasing Ryan about it.... :) 

I really wanted to wake up in the middle of the night with contractions...Unfortunately I woke up this morning feeling fine.  :(  My hips and back still hurt, but not as bad as they did yesterday, which makes me think it was just from my chiropractic adjustment. Bummer! Lol

The baby was going nuts last night too. I swear it was like he was trying to come out through my belly! I don't think I've ever felt him move around so much.  Maybe it was all the Halloween candy I ate... or the spicy Mexican food I had for lunch... but he was just moving all over the place and it was creepy because my whole belly was moving around. He did it ALL evening long and I was worried he'd keep me up all night, but I slept grand!  Oh well.

And the waiting continues!

39 weeks

How far along?: 39 weeks

How big is baby?: According to Baby Center, little Colin may measure around 20 inches and be about 7 pounds.

Weight gain/loss?: I *think* I am pushing 30 pounds. My weight goal for myself was about 30 and I think I've hit it. Although some days it is more and some days it is less than that. I am hoping I don't gain much more, but this damn Halloween season isn't helping!  Pumpkin ice cream, Pumpkin blizzards from DQ, Candy corn... and now Halloween night... it is like oh hey kids, one candy for you and one for this ginormous pregnant lady,  thanks, Bye! :)

Stretch marks?: I have some on my thighs, not bad though and some very light ones on my love handles. I was very lucky! I am hoping my boobs don't get any when my milk comes in!

Maternity clothes?: Of course I am in maternity clothes... but I must say some of them that fit me this whole time no longer fit me. I pretty much am only wearing one pair of maternity jeans, the full panel stretchy ones. The others that are just stretchy around the waistline are very uncomfy and dig into my wide belly. Really I am ready to not wear maternity clothes anymore... because I feel pretty huge and only the biggest things fit me.  :S

Sleep?: This past week my sleep has been pretty horrendous. I went from getting up once a night and sleeping relatively good, to get up 2-5 times a night and sleeping very restlessly. I think most of that has to do with anxiety and I've found that if I tire myself out I sleep better... so there will be lots of long walks in my future!

Food cravings?: Still Raspberries, I've been on a pumpkin kick because of the season and also a cinnamon toast crunch kick... mmm....

Gender?: Boy

Movement?: Hiccups almost everyday and just within this past week a limb of some sort keeps poking out on my side. It is the first time I've felt a limb because he's been facing towards the inside and it is pretty cool. The Dr. said it was an elbow at our visit last week, but I think it is like knee or something. It feels so weird when you feel it poking out and then it moves away from your hand! Creeepy!

Belly button: I have an innie belly button and that is how it will stay! Yay!

What are you looking forward to this week?:  Hopefully having this kid! Lol We are going to have a long talk tomorrow because come November first his eviction notice is in effect! ;) 

Dropping

I have been dropping the past couple weeks. Funny thing is I first noticed I had dropped when I sat down one day and my belly was touching my legs. I've never had my belly touch my legs before!  I was like, what the heck is this! Ha! 

Another thing I noticed was my belly was hanging lower. Some of the shirts I have worn this entire pregnancy all of a sudden don't fit. Not that they are too small, BUT my belly hangs down to far. It is like an old fat man's belly that hangs down below his shirt... you know what I'm talking about! Yeah....

Even at work one of my coworkers was like, wow, you are having some serious hang over with that belly! Lol Thanks.

I have been feeling more pressure when I sit down. I've been sitting on an exercise ball at night and doing stretches on it for my back and hips and if I sit on it too long I feel a lot of pressure. Hopefully that is a good sign! :)

Now lets see if this droppage shows up in pictures so I can have proof!  Will hopefully take my 39 week (gasp) pictures today after my parents leave! 

A letter to Colin

Dear Colin,

I prayed for you for a long time and loved you even longer. I've always known that I wanted to have kids and when your daddy and I decided we were ready for a baby I thought it would be something that would happen to us right away. When it didn't, I prayed everyday that the Lord would bless us with a baby and I knew he would in his own time.  And low and behold, he did. He blessed us with you and I don't think I've ever been so happy. We feel very lucky that we get to have you as our son. Knowing that we get to be blessed with a baby has made me feel very greatful and I will do my best to treasure every moment with you because I know how lucky I am that you are here with us.  You are a gift, a miracle and absolutely perfect... and I haven't even met you yet. You make our days brighter already. Always know how much we love you and how much we wanted you to be a part of our life long before you were. I pray that you are strong in body, mind and spirit. I hope that we will be able to show you and teach you to have faith, to love unconditionally, and to always follow your dreams.
 
We will always and forever love you and you will always be our baby.

Love, Mommy  <3

Maternity Pictures

Got my maternity pictures yesterday!  We got some really great ones and here are a few of my favorites.

Not going to lie, I feel huge and some of the pictures actually made me feel even more whale-ish. (none of the ones I posted of course! lol)  Holy love handles and triple chin! After seeing some of these pictures, I CANT WAIT to get my body back! Lol  I know this will be the most important thing I can do in this world, is to carry a child. BUT, I am ready for my face not to be swollen, my chins not to be soo... multiplied and for these love handles to disappear!  13 days til my due date! (Not that it matters, cause I feel like little man will be late! Ha!)

38 weeks

We had our 38 week appointment today. Not going to lie, I left feeling a little frustrated. :(

First of all our doctor was running very late... like over an hour late. She was very rushed and trying to make up time.

Our last appointment was very different. She dropped the bomb on us that she going on vacation, discussed with us induction and said she would check me this week and and we'd make a decision about induction.  Even though we'd already made our decision last week, she didn't know that.  She came in today, asked me if I had any questions, checked Colin's heartbeat and then was on her way out the door. I freaked out a little on her and was like, umm... aren't you going to check me? She said she wasn't planning on it, but if I wanted her to, she would.  I told her last time she said she would check me... she said she didn't think she needed to, but if I wanted her to she would.  Needless to say she gave me a gown, let me change and checked me. 

Much to my dismay she said I wasn't even slightly dilated, my cervix was closed shut. She said I might have been some effaced, but she couldn't tell.  I am supposed to see her every week from now on, but since she is going on vacation the next time I will see her is on my due date.  :S  She didn't even mention induction, which was good because we didn't want to do it anyway. BUT not so cool,  that she would bring it up last week and then totally dismiss it this week because she was rushing. What if we'd decided to do it and then she would've just brushed us off about it. I don't know.

Anyway, it looks like little Colin is comfy and not coming out any time soon. I am thinking he is going to be late.  I shouldn't be upset over that... but part of me was hoping that after all the pain I've had in my darn hips and back and the general uncomfortableness of being 9 mos pregnant  that maybe he'd make his appearance early so I could get some relief.  I don't think that is going to happen! :)  So, time to suck it up and deal with it. :) Nothing else to do!

Anyway, Colin's heart rate was right around 140. He was head down and kept poking what the doctor said was his elbow out on my side! He has been moving around a bunch today, a lot more than usual, but it has helped my mood incredibly because at least I know he is a happy camper in there! :)

Here is my 38 week picture. My mom showed this to one of her old lady friends and they told her that I looked like I was having a 10 pound baby. :( 

BFing

One of the most important things that I want to do for baby Colin is to breastfeed him.  I'm not going to lie I am a little nervous about it, because I really want to succeed. What makes me feel good about it is knowing that women have been breastfeeding FOREVER!  However, just because people have been breastfeeding forever doesn't mean it is something that is easy to do. As one of my friends recently told me, if it was easy there wouldn't be books and lactation consultants just for breastfeeding! As my doctor told me, not only are you learning how to breastfeed, but so is your baby. Some babies pick up on it easily and others take a little big time and need a little bit of help. So really I am aware that it can go either way and that we may have a hard time with it.

I've read books... but I know nothing will compare to actually trying it and experiencing it for myself.

I am hoping that Colin and I will be a natural at it... Ha! One can hope, right?! Lol  But if we aren't, I am going to try my darnedest to being successful at it and sticking to it.  One of the things I'm doing is not keeping any formula in the house... I know that might seem crazy or silly... but if it isn't there then I won't be tempted to use it and I will be more likely to stick it out breastfeeding. Or at least that is my thoughts. The other thing is, my breast pump. We just bought a Medela Pump in Style. I figure... if we are really truly struggling breastfeeding... I can always pump and give him a bottle. Which I know would be a major pain in the rear to do on a regular basis, but I feel like breastfeeding is what is best for the both of us and as long as I could come up with a good routine it would be worth it.

I will be sure to update after we have Colin on how we are doing with it!! :) I think my biggest problem will be relaxing when I am frustrated with it. I am already looking forward to some skin to skin contact with my little man and I think that in itself will help the both of us and will definately relax me!  We shall see!

Maternity Pictures

I have been on the fence about getting maternity pictures done. I was very excited about them in the beginning, but now, closer towards the end... I just felt big and swollen and not cute and pregnant anymore. I was almost going to call off taking any pictures... but I had a change of heart. 

It is a  pretty momentous occasion and a memory that I am sure I would love to look back upon later on in life. So I went through with them, even though I feel like a swollen whale! :)

We went up the mountain this evening with my photography friend Caryn and took some pictures. The leaves were changing up there and it was very beautiful. I know we got some great shots and I am really excited to see them!  She said she'd be done editing them by the end of this week... and I am very anxious to see them! :)  She also really likes me without glasses so she kept encouraging me to take them off.  I have a glasses issue and am now totally used to myself in glasses and think I look weird without them... where as a couple years ago I was the exact opposite. So it will be neat to see how I look in the pictures with and without glasses!

I will be sure to post some of my favorites when I get them!

Mentally Ready

I feel like I am mentally ready for baby Colin to make his appearance. I know, deep down you will never be 100% ready for a new baby, but I feel like I am as ready as I will ever be. I have read book after book for 9 months.  Which I know is just a crazy first time mom thing to do... but it has helped me feel more prepared. I know that most of the things I will learn as I go and I am ready for that challenge.

Although I must admit I am thinking this kid isn't coming anytime soon. I don't feel ANYTHING or anything different. No signs of labor. I think we have awhile.  We should find out more at our appointment on Tuesday when I get checked. However, I wouldn't be surprised if she said nothing was going on! Lol 

When he does decide to come, I think we are ready for him!  Hint... Hint... Colin.  16 more days until my estimated due date!  :)

Really?

There are some days... most days... that I still can't believe I am pregnant.

Today I was working and some visitor asked me when I was due... and I was like,  Oh Yeah, I'm pregnant. I still can't believe it... I am pregnant and not only that I am going to have a baby within the next month. Oh my goodness!

37 weeks

I am officially 37 weeks pregnant. Which crazily means that I have only 3 weeks left until my due date! wow. Soo cool! Lol.

We had our 37 week apt, which was also our very last bi-weekly apt and now we get to go every week. I had taken some blood work since my last visit and everything came back normal. My blood pressure was the best it's been since June! :) Don't really know how, but it has been borderline high and yesterday I was like 123/82!  I was kind of excited about that, its the little things people!  I also, miraculously hadn't gained any weight since my last 2 week apt. I have NO idea how that happened, but I was STARVING while we were there, so maybe I was just on empty and that is why the scale said I hadn't gained any.  Total weight gain is 27 pounds.

My Dr. dropped a bomb on us yesterday that she is going out of town Oct. 29- Nov. 4. Darn her! Pretty much, she said if we wanted her to she could induce me and make the baby come early so she could be the one to deliver, or we could just wait it out and if I go into labor while she is gone some other lady will deliver Colin. Ryan was soo mad that she was leaving and it is frustrating that someone you've gotten to know over the past 9 months to deliver your baby might not be there, but I don't believe it is worth an induction. To me, I'd rather let the baby come when he is ready to. I don't want to force him out early just because a doctor is going on vacation. Doesn't really make sense to me. Although, I see why people would be tempted, as the last weeks of pregnancy are pretty rough and it would be oh so nice to have a definite date as to when you'd deliver, but I think the ends out weigh the means.

This morning after digesting this information, I am more bummed out about the fact that my doctor will more than likely cancel my 39 week apt because she will be gone, than I am that she is going on vacation.  But in the end it is just another bump in the road on the journey to a healthy baby boy!

On a side note, the doctor told me I was ALL baby yesterday and I got a haircut and the hair cutter was one I hadnt' had before and she said she didn't think I even looked pregnant... Ha! Lol But it made me feel good! :)

37 weeks:

Stressin over work and labor....

Ryan started a HUGE work project today. It is a month long project and considering I am due in 22 days... there is a pretty good chance I will go into labor while he is on this project. It is safe to say that he is a little stressed out about that.

He works 45 minutes out of town and there is no cell phone service out there. The project has him out of the office and in the field, which means if I am in labor, I can't even call him at his office.

I figured it is no big deal, because the average first time mom is in labor for at least 15 hours... but I have to be honest, I am a little bit nervous as well. I'd hate to go into labor while Ryan is working and end up at the hospital without him. I am hoping that I have some warning signs, so we know and can prepare to let him take the day off or at least know to be by his phone that day... but lets be honest, that might not be very realistic.

I *plan* to stay home as long as possible and try to labor at home as long as I can handle it. I just hope I don't have have to do all of that at home alone while Ryan is at work... waiting very impatiently for him to come home. It is times like these that I wish we had family in the same town.

Luckily we only live 2 short minutes from the hospital. :)  I guess we will just have to burn that bridge when we get there.  But boy is it nerve racking to think about.  Sigh...

Pain...

First bit of uncomfortableness hits at 36 weeks.
 I had a rough day on Friday. Ryan accidentally took my car keys to work with him and I didn't have a way to get to work. I could have taken the Jeep, but the seat was stuck and I couldn't move it at all. I tried for like 10 minutes before I cried in the driveway. Luckily I have awesome neighbors who drove me to work and awesome friends that took me to lunch and of course my poor hubby who came and picked me up at the end of the day and then took me out to dinner to make up to me! Lol

BUT, I either woke up with pain, got it on the treadmill during my morning walk, hurt it trying to push the jeep seat or it was all the baby's fault... but I was in pain ALL day. I thought it was more of a back tweak than  anything else. Every time I took a step with my left leg... Pain.  Saturday was more of the same, but by the end of the day it was like MAJOR hip pain on both sides.  I am thinking my hips were widening and moving and that was some of the pain... but it wasn't very fun.

I felt MUCH better today, until about an hour ago when I lifted something heavy and then BAM hip pain again... soo bad I can barely walk.  Not cool.  Guess I will be going to the chiropractor manana and see if she can fix my hip.

But I imagine the uncomfortableness will only get worse over these final days/weeks. I guess now I understand why some women take a couple weeks before they are due off of work. But hopefully it was just a fluke and I will be feeling better after the chiropractor tomorrow!  Fingers crossed!

What will Colin look like?

Every mother I am sure wonders what their unborn child will look like. I have been thinking about this waaay to much lately! I can't wait to see him for the first time!

I assume that since Ryan and I are both whities with blonde hair and light eyes that little Colin would come out looking just like that! I am probably not too far off, but I stumbled across both of our newborn pictures and there was quite a difference between the two of us!! 

Granted one thing to keep in mind is that Ryan was well over 2 pounds heavier than me...  so I kind of look like a little monkey and he looks like a one month old kid... but he is wearing his hospital bracelets... so I guess it is a legit newborn picture! Lol

Now after seeing these two pictures... I am soo intrigued about what Colin will look like!

 I can't wait to meet our little man!

Ticking Time Bomb

I think this is the hardest part of pregnancy... the last month. Anxiety is high. You are starting to feel more uncomfortable. And the worst part... You have NO IDEA when you are going to go into labor, like a ticking time bomb.

 I am a planner by nature.  I plan everything, all the time... so I knew this part would be hard for me. I have told myself many times that it is ok if baby comes late, because if he does then I will have enough leave for the full 12 weeks that I'd like to take. BUT, what if he is early? How early could he come? What if it is any day now? I was born early... so was Ryan. Does that mean anything?  Yeah... that is what I mean when I say anxiety is high!

Everyday you wake up wondering... is today the day?

It is so hard not knowing when you are going to go into labor. Every night I look around my house and think, ok if I go into labor tonight is my house clean enough? If my parents come tomorrow will I be embarrassed about dishes in the sink or underwear on the floor?  So I run around and try to pick up before I go to bed. Which I guess is probably good practice, because then my house looks cleaner! Ha!

Every time you get  a weird pain or a new feeling or sensation, you wonder... could this be it? Maybe? And don't get me started about every time you go to the bathroom, worrying what will happen if you push to hard or if you might wipe to find you've lost your mucous plug.

But there is nothing you can do about it. (I am hoping my Dr. will check me at our apt. on Tuesday and tell me if there is anything happening down there... but I doubt she will.) So now I just sit back and wait... and try to ignore the constant ticking of the time bomb that you are.  tick... tick... tick... tick...

Maternity Underwear

Yes, I am going to write a blog about underwear. :)  Why? Because ladies need to know these things and I was completely in the dark.

When some one first told me I needed maternity underwear, I laughed. Really? You need special underwear to be pregnant. Not possible. Why on earth would you need different undies. Your belly grows... how does that affect your underwear.  I was kind of offended and intrigued at the same time.

When I first starting buying some maternity clothes at the Motherhood store, I glanced at the maternity underwear. It looked just like regular granny panties. I was shopping with my Aunt who told me that I should get some. I asked why. She told me that your regular underwear wouldn't fit after awhile and would start rolling down at the top from your belly.... and like usual... she was right. :)

I bought a pack that day and ordered another pack a couple months later. They aren't cute and they aren't sexy... but by golly, they fit you. They don't dig into your widening hips and they don't roll down from your ginormous belly like the rest of your undies do.  My life would be a little less comfortable without them.

So, just so you know... and I am only saying this because I had NEVER heard it before... pregnancy undies are REAL. You will need them and you will learn to love them. 

The end. :)

36 weeks... and ramblings

Really? Did I just type 36 weeks?!  I can't believe I am 36 weeks, in fact I had to double and triple check because I couldn't believe it really was 36 weeks!  It is very unbelievable how close we are to meeting baby Colin and how fast I feel like this pregnancy went!!


I am *almost* 100% ready for him. I finished the nursery, have all of his clothes washed, the bassinet is ready to go and there are diapers and wipes under the changing table!  I also think I am almost done packing for the hospital.  I have a couple outfits for Colin, one outfit for me (I might just live in the hospital gown... lol) and slipper socks and socks for me, a change of clothes for Ryan, even though we are only 2 mins away and he could always run home, but just in case,  I also packed small size toiletries for both of us, our phone charger and snacks. I am also bringing the boppy pillow, my camera and possibly some makeup. I know... why would I need makeup?  Well, I am not going to go all out, just some face stuff and mascara because you know your picture is going to be taken! Lol  If I forget anything I can always send Ryan or my parents home to grab it, we are only 2 minutes away from the hospital!

Yesterday we ran to the big city to buy a breast pump and to return some duplicate gifts we got from our showers and get Ryan's much requested Diaper Genie.  He was very cute yesterday... I was looking at baby clothes (shocking! Like this kid needs anymore clothes, but I wanted to find a cute going home outfit... you know for our 2 minute drive from the hospital... makes perfect sense! Plus, I wanted something for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Found a cute turkey bib, but nothing for xmas... I thought all the little boy xmas outfits looked like old man clothes! lol) and Ryan went and picked out a couple outfits that he liked!  He got an outfit that had a crane on it. (Heavy equipment, not the bird.) He was really excited about it!  :)

I believe we are officially done buying things... or at least the necessity things.  Now just playing the waiting game! :)

Here is my 36 week photo... I look HUGE. Funny how I still feel small and then I see these pictures and I'm like, Dear Lord I am Ginormous!! Ha! :)  Also I feel like I've dropped... When I sit down my belly hits my legs. Don't recall that happening before, so I think it is new!

DONE Decorating the Nursery!!!

I do believe I am officially done decorating the nursery!  I haven't really done much on it the past couple of months, but I finally put the finishing touches on it today!  The last thing I hung up was a beautiful round mirror my parents got for me and painted to match the nursery. I hung it up above the changing table. I had an empty space on the wall above the spare bed and had been trying to figure out what I would put there to make it not blank. At my shower my Aunt had these adorable little lanterns that matched the nursery and she gave them to me to take home. I messed with them most of the morning and came up with a nice way (I think anyway) to display them!  Here are some pictures!  Also, note the beautiful new fan we put up in there that ties everything together!

I think you can click on the pictures to make them larger.

I thought about changing the bedding in there to match the nursery a bit more... but I got lazy. :) I think it is close enough that I probably won't end up changing it... for now, anyways.

Showered with love

It's official... I have the BEST friends and family in the world :)  The past 2 weekends we had 2 baby showers. One was a small family shower with some of my closest friends and the other was a more casual pamper party here in Grants with the boys included with our Grants friends. Although we both had an amazing time at both the showers and could not be more thankful of our loving and supporting friends and family....  My showers have caused lots of controversy because I didn't invite everyone who wanted to attend or everyone who other people thought I should have invited.  Other than that... it was grand!  I don't really care, call me a crazy hormonal pregnant lady... but they were my showers and I invited whoever the hell I wanted to and if you don't like it you can get over it or throw me another shower and invite who you want! Lol.  :)

Any who, despite the controversy I caused they were both fabulous. My wonderful Aunt loves to party plan and her and my mom I *think*  had a blast working on our shower. Her house was decorated to the max and looked awesome! Right down to the candy and balloons everywhere! My mom and I made cookies for the shower that were all baby themed... and totally awesome! My Aunt and Uncle slaved over the stove the day before and made lasagna and meatballs (a good ole' Italian baby shower!) The food was fabulous, the company was even more awesome and we got so many gifts it was ridiculous... in a good way!

My mom, myself and my Aunt Carla

When we got home it was late so we threw all of the gift bags on bed in the nursery. I was so overwhelmed with the bags, there were so many! But I spent the ENTIRE next day breaking down the bags and putting things away! I didn't leave the house or even shower! Lol  But by golly, I got everything put away! :)

This past weekend our friends here in Grants gave us a pamper party so we could stock up on diapers! We had the party at our house since we have a big house with a pool table so the guys could be distracted! My friends were so awesome! I came home from work and they had all the food set up already and the my made a TON of food and even more dessert! Mmmm... I am still eating the dessert this morning! Nobody was allowed into the house without some diapers and we ended up with quite a load of diapers! I have them all stacked up and organized by size in the baby's closet! :) I hope they last us for awhile!

My good friends Coral and Kelly and I at our Grants party!

And yes I wore the same dress both weekends... :)

1 month

I can NOT believe it... but there is only 1 month left until my due date! Eeek!!  I know it is just a date and the baby can come any time around that date, early or even late. BUT the fact that the date is soo close is just crazy!

That is all.  :)

35 weeks

We had our second to last 2 week apt today. I must say it went VERY well. I gained 2 pounds, since my last 2 week apt. Baby Colin had a nice strong heartbeat and I asked the Dr. to tell me where his head and stuff were located... if she could tell. Sure enough he is head down! I had thought that his back was facing out and his little butt was under my ribs and I was right. She felt his back near the middle of my stomach near my belly button and she felt his butt up high where I always feel it. So I'm not crazy!! No wonder I don't feel little feet, hands and elbows... they are facing inside. Don't worry I still feel them kicking things on the inside! Dr. said everything looked good and I was measuring right on target at 35 weeks. But I did have quite the growth spurt from last week. I will post the 2 pictures for comparison on the bottom!  But for now....

How far along?: 35 weeks



How big is baby?: According to Baby Center, little Colin is 18 inches long and weighs 5 1/4 pounds!! That is almost as much as I weighed when I was born!


Weight gain/loss?: The Dr. said 26 pounds today...

Stretch marks?: I don't *think* I've gotten anymore than the few that popped up on my thighs.... I hope it stays that way!


Maternity clothes?: Yes, everything I wear is maternity except for dresses and my stupid work uniform shirt... although the mens size I've been wearing has been getting tighter!


Sleep?: Still get up every night...er morning at like 3 or 4 to pee... But other than that, I've been sleeping with extra pillows and sleeping ok.

Food cravings?: Still Raspberries and Steak and dairy, especially milk and ice cream.

Gender?: Boy


Movement?: Yes and LOTS of hiccups.

Belly button: Still an innie!! But it is getting flatter.

What are you looking forward to this week?: Our pamper party and getting to hang out with all of our friends here in Grants... and more organizing of the nursery. I can't believe we have 5 weeks left.




34 weeks





35 weeks

So either everyone was REALLY anxious to see what the baby's name was... or everyone was bored on facebook yesterday, but after I posted my blog link on facebook I got 80 hits! 80!! My word! I usually average like 1-5 views a day. So 80 is pretty extreme.  That is all...  lol.

And the Baby's Name is....

Colin Ryan Waggoner


We announced the name to our family and friends this weekend!  We've actually had the name for quite awhile, but have kept it a secret. It was a fun little secret to keep and even more fun to announce!  So how did we come up with it?

Well, VERY early on in my pregnancy before we even had the first ultrasound I had a dream (or nightmare... lol) I was having boy/girl twins. In my dream I named them Clara and Colin. That name had never even popped in my head before that dream.  Then a couple months later Ryan and I were at our friend's house looking at a baby name book and he actually said he liked the name Colin. It was one of the only boy names he liked. I was stuck on another boy name, but after that day Colin became the front runner and it just stuck.  We knew Ryan would be the middle name and I think Colin Ryan fits very well together.   And Dr. Colin Waggoner, Pilot Colin Waggoner, Engineer Colin Waggoner and professional soccer star Colin Waggoner all sound good! Lol

So there you have it. Our baby boy, Colin will be here soon!  :)

Final Birthing Class

Last night was our final birthing class.... are we supposed to feel ready after that? Ha!

The class was very much like the first one we had, a big lecture of information. I was hoping to maybe walk around the hospital a bit to see a Labor and Delivery room, but no such luck. But I know our hospital is rather small... so I imagine there really wouldn't be much to see.  The good part about the class was that yesterday we were the only people there! Just us and the nurse. So that was kind of nice, we got to ask her a bunch of questions without feeling awkward.  I also asked her some things I would need while I was there in hospital and have a longer list to add to my hospital bag!

I timed our drive to hospital... just to see how long it would take us. I knew we were close, but didn't realize we are exactly 2 minutes from the hospital!! Lol Can't beat that!   UNLESS of course school is letting out or starting, then we will be driving through a school zone and may opt for another route! But either way... we are pretty freakin' close!

I am soo excited for this weekend, we will be spending it with our closest friends and family members for a small shower. I am not the biggest fan of baby showers, but I know a lot of time energy went inot this one, so it should be excellent! Plus, it will be soo nice to hang out with our loved ones and perhaps the most exciting part is we are telling everyone the baby's name this weekend!  Don't worry, I will blog about the name probably on Monday and post some shower pictures too.  :)

34 weeks

34 weeks! I can't believe how close I am getting!!  According to the baby center's website, Baby boy Waggoner should be around 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long! The next couple weeks the baby is filling out his fat layers to help regulate his body temperature when he arrives into the world! I think they said he is supposed to gain a half a pound a week, bulking up on his fat layers!

I have been looking at pictures of newborn me and newborn Ryan and we looked sooo different as newborns! I am really curious as to which of us the baby will look like or if he will look like both of us!

I have been having some more aches and pains this week. I imagine these are only going to get worse. I just think the baby is starting to run out of room and is taking over more of my space! (who would've thought, right!?!)  

And hiccups have been really regular, like a couple times a day! I like them... I think they are funny!  :) 

Here is the photo:

Well... That's never happened before.

Yesterday I had an embarassing moment.  I am going to blame it on the pregnancy.... because I can. Plus, it has never happened to me before this, so yeah.

I ripped my pants.  Right over one of my butt cheeks.  Full on rip. Did I mention they were black pants... and I was wearing bright WHITE undies.  :) Yeah.  Fun stuff.

I had a bunch of errands to run yesterday and was going to end my day at the soccer field. I looked in my closet and saw a pair of maternity black capris that I've never worn before that someone had given to me. I thought, I should wear these before it gets too cold and I never have the opportunity to wear them. So I pulled em on and didn't think anything more about them.  I did notice they were a bit snug, but didn't put a second thought into it.  I ran some errands and I remember hearing a ripping sound everytime I sat down in the car, but it wasn't that loud so I just ignored it!  I got to the chiropractor (one of my last errands of the day) and  I sat down in the chair to wait for her, when I noticed that tearing sound again...  this time much louder in the quiet room of the chiropractor and I felt some air sweep into my backside.  Low and behold I felt the back of my pants and there was a GIANT tear from the waistline all the way down past my underwear at this point!!   Lol.  I have no clue how long it had been torn and if I had walked all over town with my white undies showing under my black capris.... and no, my shirt wasn't very long.  My chiropractor (who thankgoodness is a woman) got a great laugh out of it!   And needless to say I went home to change my clothes before I finished up the rest of my errands.   :)

That's Swell...

It's official... I've started to swell. :(  I first noticed it last week when the air conditioning in our office broke and it was like 80 degrees out. I don't have a window and I was majorly overheating. I looked down at my feet and my toes looked like little sausages.  Not cool.  

I thought it got a bit better, but then I went down to Socorro to visit my parents. Socorro is always at least 10 degrees warmer than it is here and my parents like their house warm.  YUCK!  I was having a hard time with that and I felt like my feet were on fire and my joints felt all stiff... and swelling ensued. :( 

Yesterday I went to get a pedicure and even the little Asian lady doing my toes said that my feet were a bit swollen. LAME!

BUT I think they look better today. I can see all my toe bones when I wiggle them... which is normal and when they are swollen I can't. Hopefully it was just a fluke of being overheated and as long as I stay cool, I will be fine.  :)  Hopefully.

Family dynamics

I often wonder how our animals will handle a newborn baby...

For years our animals have been our babies. I got our cat, Eric Cartman when I was in college. I lived alone in my apartment and he was my little buddy. Over the years he has had a lot of transitions, some of which he handled well, others not so much. I've moved him.... 4 times. Some of which he took well... others not so much. I moved into a place with Ryan, which he wasn't so happy about and peed on the only piece of furniture that Ryan brought with him... a couch.  Then we got a puppy... which he actually transitioned to quite well... mostly because he could beat her up because he was much bigger than her (for awhile... now she has a good  20-30 pounds on him... but she is still afraid of him!). When we moved to our current house, the cat was in heaven... until we got our 2nd dog. That dog didn't like the cat and would try to kill him any chance he had. The poor cat has had litter box issues ever since. This is the dog we recently gave away and the cat is still having some litter box issues... but he is also still scared and always looks around for the dog before he goes to the litter box. So I'm hoping it will pass.  BUT I do wonder how he will handle not being my baby anymore. He is a giant momma's cat(boy) and loves to snuggle with me and follow me around. It should be really interesting to see how he reacts to sharing my time with a real baby. I hope he doesn't pee on the baby or try to smack him. But I am thinking he will be scared of the baby, but you never know.

Our dog I'm not so much worried about. She is a very sweet girl and loves EVERYONE... even her cat brother. But I am curious as to how she will react and what she will do. I am betting it will be lots of smelling and licks... but I could be wrong.

It shall be very interesting to see how everyone adjusts and I just hope that they all get along!

Just ordered the print collage for the baby shower that has the baby name on it. EEEEEeeeeeek.  I think it came out good (I photoshopped pictures at work all afternoon for it!). I am so excited and even more nervous to share our baby's name. I just hope that people like it as much as we do, but I know it really doesn't matter because we like it... and so does the baby! :)  And if they don't like it... I sure hope they fake it to my face! (Hint hint... to all those reading this!) Lol 

That being said I am getting really excited for my shower. I just got a new dress to wear for it and I am really excited to see all of my friends and family and have them all be together!

Sleep. Friend or Foe.

Usually sleep is my friend. Last night it was my foe.

I know when baby boy gets here my sleep will be even less, but I think last night was a quick preparation for that! 

I went to bed at 11. Woke up at 2 to pee and to lock the cat up in the den. Ryan's alarms went off at 4 (he is working out of town and forgot to turn them off), and then I got up a little after 6.

 That my friends is every 2-3 hours.  Which will be my life in a couple weeks... only difference is I will be woken up by the cutest little baby boy ever and not annoying alarms and such. :)

Our apt. yesterday

The appointments are definitely getting more boring! Lol. They called me in soo quickly and I feel like they kicked me out just as fast! BUT we did have a nice little chat with my doctor, which was good. I am getting so good at peeing in cups it is ridiculous... Anyway.

My blood pressure was a little high when I went in, so they re-took it after my appointment AND after I got a flu shot. I expected it to be even higher, but it miraculously dropped down to 124 over 80! Lol  Guess I should get shots before I take my blood pressure everytime! Ha!

The Dr. found the heartbeat right away and said he was a strong happy baby in there! :) We talked to her a lot about delivery and we had a nice conversation. We both asked her questions about random things and logistics about when we go into labor.  She said we have 2 more apts like this... and then we just wait for the baby!  I can't believe it that time almost here!

Other than that everything looks good. I did have a bit of swelling yesterday, but I blame it on the fact that our darn air conditioning broke at our office and it was 80 degrees yesterday... I WAS DYING!  Lol. Thank goodness I got to leave work early for the apt.  My dr. wasn't worried and said a little swelling is normal for pregnancy.  :)

33 weeks

33 weeks and I am seriously nesting. I don't think my house has been this clean in months... and by months I mean since before I was pregnant! Lol

I have to clarify that  haven't been a slob I just let the little things go... like dusting and scrubbing the bathrooms.  Now every little dirty thing bugs me and I HAVE to clean it. The fans, the baseboards, the grout in between the tile in the bathtub... you name it... gross.... and needs to be cleaned!

Today I cleaned for hours. I bought one of those magic eraser sponges (it works good by the way, but falls apart easily) and scrubbed the crap out of my bathtub... it just might be the cleanest its ever been. Then I moved to the bedroom. I did LOTS of organizing and vacuumed and dusted EVERYTHING. Not including 2 loads of laundry and dishes. Yesterday I swept and mopped the rest of the house. Yay for a clean house!

Anyway, 33 weeks.  Baby is the size of pineapple. Weighs a little over 4 pounds and is 17 inches long. They also say that the baby's skeleton is hardening... so maybe that is why all I want to do is drink milk?

We go for an OB apt. tomorrow at 4! I am excited to hear the baby's heartbeat again and see how I'm measuring. I thought I had dropped a bit... but when I compared my picture to last week's I think I just grew, instead! Lol

According to my scale here I have only gained a pound since my last apt. 2 weeks ago... which is a good thing! :) But we will see what the Dr.'s scale says!

Here's my 33 week picture (excuse my hair... I had a busy day cleaning):

Hiccups

I felt the baby have hiccups for the first time last week.  Today I felt the baby have hiccups twice and one of those times Ryan got to feel it too! It was the neatest thing!

Usually in the mornings the baby is VERY active. I was laying in bed, trying to get motivation to move and enjoying the baby wiggling, when I felt it. A constant, every couple of seconds hiccup or movement in my belly. I actually started laughing because it was really strong. Ryan put his hand on my belly and couldn't believe how strong it was and that he was able to feel it to!

So there you have it. Another milestone: Hiccups! Lol  :)

Birthing class #1

Well, we've been debating on attending a birthing class for months. When we finally decided to look into it, I didn't think it would work out with our schedules, especially Ryan's work schedule.  Luckily I called the lady who is teaching the class and she was very flexible. We can only make 2 of the 4 classes and she is going to give us all the materials she hands out  during the classes that we miss so we will be all caught up.

The class wasn't exactly what I expected... more of a lecture class. I guess I watched too many tv shows or movies where they have people like sitting on the ground with their partners and stuff. Definitely not this class! The information she gave us was very informative and answered a lot of the questions that we had, like when do you go to the hospital, when do they contact your doctor... and some other basic stuff.  Interesting enough she said it typically takes first time moms 12 - 24 hours to have a baby. That is a long damn time! Which makes me want to stay home while I'm in labor for as long as I possibly can. I don't want to spend 24 hours in the hospital in labor when I could be in the comfort of my own home.

I asked her when was too late to get an epidural and she said technically it is never too late to get one. I don't know how I always hear stories about people being too dilated for an epidural, but maybe each hospital is different? But she said it is never too late. So I guess that is cool.  She taught us some breathing techniques and gave us some handouts for different positions you can use while you are in active labor.

I am excited that I got some handouts to read about breastfeeding. My Dr. never gave me any and that is probably my biggest worry.

The best part about the class was the fact that the teacher/nurse lady was from New York. You could tell she hadn't lived there in awhile, but she still had an accent, just like my family does. After the class I asked her where in NY she was from and we had a big ole conversation about where my family was from and how they got to NM.

Anyway this is long and I'm sure most people have stopped reading by now....

pregnancy love

I think... (so far anyways), that I am one of those women who enjoys being pregnant. I have been VERY lucky this pregnancy and feel very blessed that so far I've been very healthy. (Maybe this is premature to write! Lol)


But really I've enjoyed it so far!

I still don't feel THAT huge. It is nice not to have to worry about having a perfectly flat stomach, sucking it in all the time or trying to fit into skinny jeans. Pregnancy is the only time you can proudly stick out your gut and say, look what I have.... A Big ole' Belly!

Maternity clothes are not that bad... and rather comfy! I know, I sound crazy! BUT next time you try to squeeze into a pair of pants or jeans that are a bit to snug... imagine getting to wear pants everyday with a stretchy waist... and then you will know my love. :) Also, I've discovered a whole new appreciation for dresses and if I could, I'd wear a dress every single day... too bad I have to work and wear a uniform! Lol


Another amazing thing about pregnancy is to feel the baby moving inside of me. I always refer to it as kind of like your own little secret. Only you know and can feel when the baby moving. Nobody else has a clue and you can enjoy it all on your own! I wake up to him wiggling every morning and although I realize I will still probably wake up to him for a long time, it won't be the same and I am going to miss it.

Also, I've noticed people (mostly strangers) are a lot nicer to me, pregnant! Lol I get more doors opened for me, people offering to carry things for me, hold things for me, offering me seats, etc. It is rather nice. I wish people were that nice all the time! Lol

There are the occasional stares that I dont like. There is a little girl at church who, whenever she sees me just stares at my belly. It is rather annoying. She is older so it isn't like she doesn't know any better. I just feel like telling her, what the heck are you looking at little girl! Lol But other than that, no real problems with people being mean or rude to me. In fact a couple weeks ago, I had a stranger come up to me in the store and tell me I looked beautiful. :)

So yeah... So far, I rather LOVE being pregnant. I know there are uncomfortable moments, but all the good moments waaay out way the bad.


Wonder if this will mean I will be anxious to be pregnant again after this one is over and will have a million kids because I enjoy being pregnant? Lol I guess only time will tell.

32 weeks

32 weeks... wow. 

The highlight of my week last week was getting an order of Carter's clothes in the mail. They had a big sale (70% off) so I got suckered into buying some.  We literally didn't have any clothes yet... I know, I know, we haven't even had our showers yet. But it is nice to have SOMETHING to put in our drawers for the little guy. It seemed like I got a ton of stuff... but really I just got like 2 or 3 outfits in each size... NB, 3 mos, and 6 mos.  And they are sooo freaking adorable. I can't wait to put our little man in them!

Also our other set of curtains came in. It is amazing how dark that room is now!  I actually have to open them a bit otherwise it looks like it is night time in there! Hopefully it will be easy for baby still in that pitch black room!



How far along?: 32 weeks



How big is baby?: 17 inches long and 3.75 pounds!



Weight gain/loss?: I think I am still at +19 pounds, BUT I just made some oatmeal cookies and Ryan is gone until Wednesday... sooo it could be more pretty soon! Lol


Stretch marks?: Sadly yes.  On my thighs, but not yet on my stomach. :(

Maternity clothes?: Yes, everything I wear is maternity except for dresses and my stupid work uniform.


Sleep?: Not so much. I have been getting more uncomfortable at night. My back, legs, stomach.... different things wake me up.  I typically get up once a night to pee and if I don't get up to pee, I get up because I am thirsty... always around 3 or 4.


Food cravings?: Still Raspberries and Steak. But now anything with calcium is added to the list. I had 2 LARGE glasses of milk in the past hour. Ice cream, cheese, yogurt, milk... you name it. Mmmm... My new favorite is chocolate milk! Lol 



Gender?: Boy



Movement?: Oh yeah! All the time! At church on Sunday, he was sticking either his little butt or his legs out on the very top of my stomach and uterus. I kept pushing it down and he kept pushing it back up! It was actually rather painful



Belly button: Still an innie!! Take that haters who said it would pop out! :) Although... I know I still have 8 more weeks... Lol  But it is still pretty far in there!


What are you looking forward to this week?: More movement! I love feeling his little wiggles!

I also got brave and took a bare belly shot. Not sure if I'm brave enough to post it on here... BUT if you are my friend/ family member and would like to see it, send me a text.... lol  :)

You know you're in the 3rd trimester when...

I know lots of people do this list, but I thought it'd be fun to do my own version, because lord knows I have one!

You know you are in the third trimester when :

Wherever you go, someone asks you when you are due.

You get up at least once at night to pee... if not more

Sleeping at night requires many position changes to get comfortable many different times throughout the night.... and not very much sleep.

At the end of the day, especially the end of the week all I can think about is going home to either take a nap or put my feet up!

Eating has somehow become a difficulty. I don't know how, but food ends up everywhere. On your belly, on your boobs and down your shirt. I don't know why or how, but 3rd trimester makes you a slob.

Getting in and out of low chairs or even my low car is like an athletic event. Seriously, it is hard to get in my car or even into bed.. not to mention getting out!  I am opting to drive Ryan's big ole truck because I can get in easier, believe it or not!

Walking around and thinking it is awful cold and then looking down and realizing your are leaking! Not something I expected! Lol

Shaving is another athletic event. I am going to have to ask Ryan to help me with this before the delivery... otherwise I will be a woolly mammoth by then!

And forget about cutting my toenails! I am like a couple inches away from reaching them... soo frustrating. The ladies at LA Nails here in town are going to become my best friends before this is over!

Having hot flashes is a common occurrence. I am so thankful for the 70  and 60 degree weather we've been having, but I still have bouts of heat flashes!

Dropping things on the ground makes you debate on whether or not they are important enough to even try to pick up. Luckily I have monkey toes and have been resorting to using them to grab things that have fallen.

Anytime you have a free moment you nest!  That's right. I've been nesting any free chance I get. Today I took the carseat out of the box and learned how to tighten and loosen the straps and take it out off of the base! Lol

And you have a countdown (58 days!) until that big due date... even though most kids aren't even born on their due dates!

Thats all I can think of for now... but I imagine I might add more later!