32 hours

That's the number of hours Ava has to arrive before we lose out on using her as a tax break. ;o) Ah well. Whatever...I don't care anymore, as long as she's not past her due date. (I realize I just jinxed myself by saying that....wonderful.) In the meantime, I'm just trying to enjoy my vacation. Making a real dinner tonight: rosemary pork chops in the crock pot, green beans, wild rice, and apple cobbler. Good stuff!

Not much to report...

...I just had a rough night of anxiety, sleeplessness, nausea, pain, etc. I got up and walked around the house and goofed off on the computer for awhile but it didn't help much. Almost too tired to drag my sorry butt around today. Still making plans for the upcoming week in an attempt to trick the kid into coming early by making it "inconvenient" but I really don't think it's going to work. Hmmmm. (Oh, did I mention they found me another maternity leave replacement? Hopefully this one sticks around and hopefully I'll have a chance to at least meet her before I'm out of the game!)

Craig did a little nesting of his own and bought a file cabinet yesterday, and sorted/filed a bunch of junk that had been in his office closet (yay!)...then he installed some new lighting in there too. It's looking good! I think he needs a small area rug and a few distinguished-looking pictures for the wall, but that's just me...a couple of years ago I painted the room a shade called "Cosmopolitan Olive" (yeah, that's fancy speak for "dark army green") hoping it would look like an elegant executive office, but really it just looked stupid (that's my opinion, Craig likes it)...the lighting has gone a long way to improve the appearance.

All right. I'm rambling. I really have nothing to say but am trying to kill time until I either doze off or decide it's time to look for food.

Still not laughing.

That is the understatement of the year...I'm so cranky right now that if I were to meet someone I'm not fond of in a dark alley right now, I'd probably rip their head off with my bare hands, just to give me something to do. (No, I'm not insane, why do you ask?) Not only did the doctor tell me today that I haven't changed from my previous 3 centimeters, apparently being dilated in the first place doesn't mean CRAP. So, all of my preparedness, all of my tension, all of my excitement that the spawn will soon be vacating the premises....ALL FOR NOTHING. I wanted that baby to come today...I just liked the 27th for some reason. (I have really weird issues with numbers...if I'm counting a group of objects, I like even numbers; preferably with many factors. For birth dates, I am partial to odd numbers. I like odd composite numbers the best....27 would have been PERFECT. Yes, I have bizarre, obsessive number issues.) Anyhow, someone else who was due nearly 3 weeks after me had her baby today. Yes, there were different circumstances and it worked out for the best and I'm nothing but happy for her, but it just rubbed it in that my kid has apparently sunk her evil little hands into my uterus and is hanging on for dear life. COME ON!!!!! YOUR LEASE IS UP!! OUT ALREADY! We have a gorgeous cradle and a crib with the softest sheets imaginable out here for you, it's much better! I have a stabbing, searing pain in the right side of my ribcage if I don't sit/lay/stand the exact right way. If the baby turns a certain way, she presses a nerve that sends pain down one or both of my inner thighs and makes my leg(s) give out. If I get up in the middle of the night and have a drink of water--WATER!!!--I get acid reflux. I am so done with this. (Oh, and the person who said you can't have I.V. drugs while actually delivering is right, so I guess I'll be going with the epidural at some point for sure. I'd just like to make it as long as possible without.)

On that note, here are some Christmas pictures! I know I said I'd edit and post them in the last one but I didn't. They're right here.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Cheap Hotels Vegas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! I'll edit and add pictures later...Craig hasn't even gotten out of bed yet. :o) Still holding out hope that maybe we'll have an early arrival as a gift!

(Not likely, though.)

And it keeps getting even not funnier...

Apparently it is my destiny to have a heart attack before the age of 30. Between the stress of pregnancy and anxiety of childbirth/bringing home a helpless creature I have to keep alive and happy, an ongoing issue I'm having regarding a nutcase parent of a student, and the fact that MY MATERNITY LEAVE REPLACEMENT HAS JUST BACKED OUT, I don't know how much more I can take. I wish someone would stick an epidural IN MY HEAD.

Oh, yes...Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!

This is so not funny.

My mom said she talked to a friend of hers who's daughter was dilated to 3cm for TWO WEEKS before she had her baby.

I am not amused.

GET. THIS. THING. OUT. OF. ME.

Well, I just got back from school...went in to get the classroom back in order. It's a good thing I did because apparently the cleaning crew waxed the floors (I thought they were just getting washed) and the entire room was in disarray....the sub would have had a heart attack. (Actually she's more mellow than I am, she'd have just had to arrange the room however she thought it should go...but then it would not have matched the seating charts, etc....so it was better for me to have it ready for her.) Anyhow, Craig came with me because he was pitching a fit about me moving desks (for heaven's sake, I can slide lightweight desks across a floor!) so finally I told him if he didn't want me moving things by myself, he was welcome to come with, but I was going either way. So, we had a nice lunch at a deli up in Wake Forest, got my room back in order (it was actually really nice having him help, it was done very quickly) and here we are.

I have to make a trip to the grocery store because we're supposed to go to my aunt and uncle's for dinner tomorrow and I'm bringing a dessert (trying something new...some angel food cake thing that looks GOOD) and if I make it until Christmas, we'll be going to MJ's and bringing dessert for that as well. At home, Craig still has to put up a shelf in the nursery closet and the house needs vacuuming but that's it! Each night before bed I'm making sure the litterbox has been cleaned and any trash taken out, the cats have full food bowls, and the last odds and ends I'd need for the hospital are in a pile so they can be thrown in the suitcase at a moment's notice (things like makeup, my phone charger, etc....things I can't pack ahead of time because I'm using them every day).

So last night I had a dream that I was being pursued by an individual I know who shall remain nameless (I'm quite certain nobody reading this blog knows this person but still)...she's notorious for being a huge advocate of breastfeeding (which is fine) and forcefully shoving it down the throat of everyone she knows (no pun intended...and her pushiness is NOT fine). She has yet to do so to me, but I don't think she likes me much and I'm quite all right with that! In my dream she was trying to corner me so she could give me the whole breastfeeding spiel and I was NOT having it. I don't like being told what to do...by all means, share your insight and advice and experiences, but don't act like I'm beneath you if I do things my own way...at least not to my face. Just look down your nose at me behind my back, please. ;o) Personally I'm only planning on feeding the baby that way because it's cheap, easy, and best for the kid...it's not exactly an experience I'm looking forward to...no offense to anyone out there who found it to be a lovely bonding experience, it just kind of creeps me out. (The entire reproductive process is making me feel like a farm animal.) I love that I'm going to have this baby but the events leading up to her arrival and the ones I'm anticipating immediately following, I'm finding a little less enjoyable than, say, a Caribbean cruise. (Oh my goodness, I would do anything to be on a tropical island, with a tropical drink, laying ON MY STOMACH out in the sun! They need to invent a labor and delivery drug that doesn't just take away the pain but makes you hallucinate so that instead of giving birth, you think you're on vacation.)

That's it...during the day I keep it together pretty well but I'm nervous now when I go to bed at night, wondering if I'm going to be jumping up at 3am and making a trip to the hospital. It must be on Craig's mind more than he'll admit because I got up to use the restroom last night and he was like, "WHAT? WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S GOING ON? ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Obviously he was still half asleep but it was pretty funny.

I WANT THIS ONESIE!!!

Okay, my kid has been notorious for kicking the heck out of me these past months...recently, it's gotten kind of painful. (Still humorous though, to see a lump that's obviously a foot suddenly poke out and then start traveling across my abdomen!) Anyhow, I found this online yesterday and it keeps making me laugh...not only is it funny, I've always found it amusing when moms sit around and talking about, say, percentile ranking of their kids' head sizes, etc. (I know, I'll probably do it too, but it's still amusing!)



I'm also feeling like a big moron because at the beginning of my pregnancy, I would read about or hear people talking about "pregnancy brain" or being super clumsy while pregnant, and I thought they were probably full of crap. The humidifier I broke last night suggests otherwise...and I'm keeping my mouth shut from now on!

0 to 3 in seven days

Yes, that's right...since my last appointment, I have dilated 3cm! We're on labor watch! Of course, the doctor seems pretty confident that it'll still be at least another week, but whatever! I'm just excited things are happening! (So, you all thought I was a basket case before, huh? I'm about to go into REAL psycho mode now!) That means that tonight I have to finish cleaning the house, I have to groom the cats, hang up the pictures Jamie made us for the baby's room...oh, and I guess I'll be shaving my legs every night too, just in case. I don't want to be stuck in the hospital with stubbly legs...yes, I know the doctors don't care, but I do. Stubble drives me nuts. If I'm not in labor tomorrow morning I think I'll go get a pedicure, too...the swelling in my feet is pretty much gone AND since my previous trip to the doctor I've lost two pounds! Yay! And I guess I should go to the school tomorrow and set up those desks too...

Also--this baby better know how much I love her--today I actually consented to receive a flu shot. I know, you would assume someone who was going to give birth at any given moment would be less of a wimp about needles, but not me, shots scare the daylights out of me. The nurse did an AWESOME job...I hardly felt it at all! It's a little sore now but I don't care...it's the actual process of receiving the shot that freaks me out.

So. That's that. I'm off to clean!

The Mixing Bowl (A.K.A....the Freezer Bunker)

I went to the Mixing Bowl today and have added six more meals to the collection already in the freezer: beef stew, pork loin with cranberry stuffing, mini pizzas, mexican lasagna, herb stuffing crusted chicken breasts, and balsamic plum glazed pork chops. It wasn't as fun going by myself, but I wanted the meals so it was fine...plus, there's something relaxing about just being silent and putting the meals together. Ahhh yes...the freezer bunker is fully stocked! (I know, I'm so weird. It's not as though once the baby is born, all the grocery stores will disappear or Craig and I will be physically incapable of buying or making food, it just makes me feel better to be ridiculously prepared. I'm like this when I travel, too...making sure I have everything I could possibly need. Riiight....as though forgetting my toothbrush on a trip up to my parents' house would be a real disaster, they *do* sell those things in Chicago! ;o)

I also went back to work to serve the last hour of my workday, but of course, they were getting ready to clean the floor in my room so I could not put it back in order. I swear, this happens every single time I go in...I really have a way of being inconvenient I guess! I did work for an hour but I'm going to go back in a few more days so I can put the desks back where they belong so my sub doesn't have to do it if I go early.

That is pretty much all that's going on here...slept horrible last night, but it was just because I was irritated by work-related things and not cramps, so that's both good and bad. Craig comes home tomorrow and I can't wait to see him again! I can't believe I've been without him for nearly a week, and over a vacation too...it's gone by remarkably fast, and I've been able to stay fairly busy the whole time. Ava's moving around has gone from cute and amusing to downright painful...poor kid is so squished. Not much longer! I've decided that when I go into labor, I'm going to try to stick with I.V. drugs for awhile and avoid the epidural for as long as possible. It has nothing to do with being noble and tough and wanting to go as natural as possible, and it has everything to do with wanting to retain my mobility and avoid tubes up the urethra and needles in the spine for as long as possible. ;o) Maybe I'll last five minutes, maybe five hours, who knows? It's worth a shot...the anesthesiologist is there 24/7 so the option is there whenever I want to take it.

All good things must come to an end.

Last night I slept like crap...I think I'm fighting a cold and I had cramps on and off all night (that was kind of scary, as much as I've wanted the baby to come early I've been praying that she doesn't come in the next two days while Craig is gone). Oh well, at least I'm on vacation and don't have to throw work on top of everything else! Off to the pediatric urologist and the eye doctor today, then I'm spending the rest of the afternoon on the couch, in front of the fire, pretending it's not 23 degrees outside. :o)

What did I do to deserve this....

For once, I'm not complaining...I have now racked up not one but TWO good nights of sleep! I've slept at least nine hours each the past two nights, with only two bathroom breaks each night...and each time I've fallen right back asleep. It's been WONDERFUL. I think my body knows that it needs to go into hibernation mode while it still can. Anyhow, today I also--miracle of miracles--actually made it to church! I have the best of intentions when it comes to going, but while my heart is in the right place it's hard to get the rest of my body to follow. I was doing pretty good in the spring until I got knocked on my butt by the morning sickness from you-know-where, and would like to get back in the habit. So consider today the first step...I wish I'd been going the past few weeks because the pastor was apparently doing a series on having a good day every day, and today was a really good sermon: just one little point he made about finding the positive in every situation really meant a lot to me. I'm trying to apply that to my fear of having the baby, so that I can try to get myself to focus more on the fact that when it's all said and done I get to meet the little person who's been kicking my guts these past nine months, and focus less on the fear of the unknown, the pain, and the lack of dignity of the situation. It is NOT easy to not be afraid of what's coming, and I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by being afraid, but I don't want that to be all I am thinking about.

Anyhow, after church I went to Target to stock up on more things we don't really need--the bunker is filled to capacity but I can't help it! I'm probably prepared not only for a baby, but for any number of natural disasters or nuclear war as well. Aside from my outings, I've spent the rest of the day relaxing on the couch. Tomorrow I'm taking in the car for the yearly state inspection, an oil change, and a much needed wash. That's about it! My dad sent a few pictures so here's one of Craig and I at Thanksgiving....the original picture has my brothers in it as well but I cropped them out so it could fit...and because one of them was making a really weird face. ;o) My face just looks exhausted. Carrying around the spawn will do that, I guess....

Vacation Day #1

I've had some cramps today...feels like normal monthly cramps only sharper, and they last for a little while and then go away. From what I've read, it's just my body warming up and practicing for the real thing. Interesting.

Went in to work today and got one of my inservice days out of the way (and put the finishing touches on my maternity leave preparation), still have swollen feet though not as bad, and my hands started swelling more. Thank goodness for vacation! I'm just taking it easy from now on...I have one or two things planned for each day while Craig is out of town, such as getting the car inspected and the oil changed, seeing various doctors, etc. Slept very well last night so that is definitely helping, and I guess I'll just make sure to keep the house clean from now on so that at any given moment I can leave for the hospital and not feel that there's unfinished business to take care of. :o)

0 cm and counting

Went to the doctor yesterday for the first of my once-a-week appointments...he checked to see if I was dilated and though things are progressing, nothing yet. Not that I expected anything this early...but I have decided it's about time to get this thing over with. The baby can come next Friday or later, that way Craig will be home from his business trip and the few things I have to do will be done. Oh yeah, and apparently my birth center does not do the walking epidural. So, if I get one, I'm confined to the bed and doomed to be catheterized. You know, these options are not very appealing...basically I'm being told that I'm going to be in such excruciating pain, that a needle to the spine and a tube up the urethra are going to be preferable to it. WONDERFUL!

Ah well...it's not all bad. The doctor *did* say that with way I'm built, I shouldn't have trouble with the labor or delivery (doctors aren't allowed to lie, right?). And, today kicks off track-out! Woohoo! I can turn off the alarm clock, put my giant swollen sausage-looking feet up, and relax! Even if I don't deliver early and return in January, it will only be for a few days and then I'm out until April...and sleep deprivation and dirty diapers seem a LOT more appealing than dealing with a couple of the parents I've dealt with lately. (Come to think of it, the excruciating pain/needle in the spine/tube up the urethra all sound more appealing as well....) Seriously. I'll keep out the details but I have a few suggestions:

1.) If you have an issue with something, please speak to me about it when it happens. Not months later.
2.) I am so organized it's almost pathetic. If your child is not, and something goes missing, guess what probably happened...
3.) I'm not speaking Chinese. I can assure you, I am speaking in plain English. So when I explain something to you using that plain English, please pay attention so I don't end up repeating the same thing over and over.
4.) Taking on a bossy, entitled tone and giving me orders gets you nowhere.
5.) Neither does going above my head (especially for something petty)...I am a cautious person and I cover my butt, which means before I've made a decision, I've already talked to the powers that be about that decision.

I should start teaching orphans...that would make my job so much easier!

um....duh....

So the past few weeks, I've been very irritated by the fact that when I eat, it feels like the food is backing up in my throat. Sometimes a little something comes up when I'm laying down or feel like I have to burp....yes, I know it's disgusting, but you know what I mean. At the same time though, I've been thinking, "Well thank goodness I don't have that acid reflux thing!" Umm, idiot...that's exactly what it is. I love how sometimes I have a moment of such density, it scares even me.

ANYHOW...we have three days until track-out! I'm so excited to not be at work for at least the next three weeks....much longer if Ava decides to give her mother a break and come a little bit early! I'm trying to talk her into January 5th or 6th, but she'll do it on her own schedule I'm sure, which probably includes her breaking my water during 4th period Pre-Algebra or something. Yuck. (I know I should just stay home after Christmas break, but I can't stand the thought of wasting my maternity leave on sitting around the house, having nothing to keep my mind occupied.)

In other news, here are a couple of recent pictures for your amusement...I thought it was about time for a "before" and "now" comparison:

BEFORE PREGNANCY



36 WEEKS PREGNANT


Okay, that's a bit exaggerated...I was never Leia-in-a-metal-bikini hot. But aside from the green color (which I may actually acquire in the delivery room), I totally look like that lumpy singer from Jabba's palace in the second picture. Chicken legs topped off by a big ol' gut? That's me! I bet if she turned around, she wouldn't have a butt either.


Last but not least, Anna found this gem online and shared with me:



It's a baby head planter. Sure, why not?

good news

The appointment went well today...the issue with the kidneys, if not resolved on its own, will probably require some antibiotics for the baby after she's born. I'll meet with the pediatric urologist next week and he'll recommend a plan of action for the pediatrician (don't have one yet...if you are local and can suggest one, please do!), they'll check her out after birth, and that's it. I did get a couple of ultrasound pictures but they're not 4-D and she's so big they didn't come out clearly, so there's really no point in posting them. That's pretty much it.

I did have a really scary dream last night: I dreamed I woke up in a hospital bed, I was really sore so apparently I'd had the baby but nobody was there...no doctors, nurses, or husband; and no baby. I dragged myself out into the hallway to look for a doctor but all I could find was a cleaning lady, and all she did was come to my room and start mopping. The floor was disgusting and grimy, and I was really upset that I'd apparently been in a filthy room. I kept trying to find a doctor but nobody would help me and I couldn't find Craig or the baby...I finally got a hold of my mom and one of my brothers but they were in Illinois and didn't have anything helpful to say. I finally woke up when Jack started to cough/choke/heave loudly. Ugh.

oh, the drama...

Last night I got home from work and took a shower. When I got out, I happened to look down at my feet and noticed that they were swollen...I have bony feet with long toes, so swelling is pretty noticeable, in fact, my toes looked like fat cocktail-sized hot dogs, which really cracked me up. I came very close to taking a picture of them and posting it (and I will if it happens again!). Anyhow so my feet were kind of puffy but didn't hurt or anything, so I made dinner and then sat down to help Craig with his math homework for awhile....then I noticed my feet started to feel uncomfortable, kind of numb and tingly. Figured it's because I'm hauling around an extra 30+ pounds now and that's going to happen. When I stood up, my left foot HURT....looked down and it was HUGE. I called my mom, who told me to put my feet up for awhile to see if that helped, and if not to call the doctor. It didn't help, I called the doctor, they had me come in to the birth center to have my blood pressure taken. (Meanwhile I had looked up the swelling online, apparently rapidly swelling feet and ankles, especially when one swells significantly more than the other, can be a symptom of preeclampsia, so I knew that it was probably a good idea to actually listen to the doctor.)

So at about 11:15pm last night we head over the the birth center....I had to get undressed and put on one of those bizarre gowns and lay in a bed for a good hour or so while they took my blood pressure numerous times and hooked me up to a machine so they could monitor the baby's heart. I was pretty much scared to death...not because I was worried about something being wrong at that particular moment, but because that was like an introduction to the real thing, which will be happening in approximately five weeks. Anyhow, things checked out just fine--Ava is strong and healthy and my blood pressure continues to be great--so the doctor didn't even put me on any restrictions, since I have two appointments next week anyhow. (Thank goodness, I was fearing a bed rest order...I was just told to try keeping my feet up, especially if there was any more swelling.) We got home after 1am, I stuck an extra pillow at the end of the bed to keep my feet elevated while I slept, and they're not perfect but looking much better today. That's good, because I still have to put up a few strings of Christmas lights, get and decorate a tree, run to the store, and tonight is the work Christmas party, which I am NOT missing. It's my one excuse a year to dress up and enjoy the fact that I have a job at a school where they do things like throw nice Christmas parties for us. (Craig on the other hand is trying to put me on bed rest today so that he can avoid the party....sorry, not going to happen! ;o)

That's about it. There are annoying little issues to contend with in these final few weeks, but for the most part, nothing serious to worry about. Except that whole "giving birth" thing. Ugghhh.

5 Things To Do Before Baby Arrives

1.) Submit insurance paperwork to the birth center
2.) Tour the birth center
3.) Pack overnight bag for hospital
4.) Work on road rage issues
5.) No, seriously...work on them. Big time.

(Of course, the road rage comes from being stuck either behind idiots, or in front of them. Note: if you drive completely up my butt with your brights on when I'm already going 10 miles over the limit and then pass me on a dangerous stretch of 2-lane road that's also a no-passing zone, don't be surprised by my wrath. That is all I am saying.)

Anyhow.

Yesterday I worked a good 10.5 hours, because I was being shadowed by the person who's covering my maternity leave. This was a good thing but I didn't get any work done and so I stayed after for about two hours...can't do that any more I guess. Feel like crap today and think I might be coming down with something....would go home if it wasn't more of a hassle than it's worth. Seriously, you non-teacher people are so lucky...if you are sick, you stay home. If I am sick, I have to drag out busy work that completely throws off my lesson plans or entrust my regular plans to a teacher who may not have much math experience. I have to write out my day and all of it's instructions in excruciating detail. Then, I have to spend the next day playing catch-up. Sometimes I really just long for a cubicle. Oh well. Also, my fingers are swollen...not much but enough that I cannot get my rings on. I hate not wearing my rings, but I AM going to laugh at people out in public when they see me walking around all gigantic and knocked up and then try to subtly check out my fingers for a wedding ring.

Sorry for the bitter attitude. I'll feel better this weekend when I've slept. I hope.


Oh, and check out the ticker.....35/35! Ha!

Quick Update

Well, it appears as though the issue with the baby's kidneys has not resolved itself so we will be going to Duke on Monday to see a specialist who will be able to give us more information. Then it's back to the doctor next Thursday...I have to start going every week now. I thought maybe they'd let me hold off until we're tracked out, but no such luck...apparently when it gets down to this point, they say "come in" and you just do it.

Also, she's weighing in at slightly more than 6lbs. according to the ultrasound tech's measurements. (and no, we didn't get pictures....it was a different tech and he was all business. So no fun extra 4-D pics. But he did use me as a guinea pig to train someone else on the ultrasound machine, which means the exam was extra-long, and he was jabbing my abdomen so hard with the wand I didn't know if I should pass out, throw up, or pee in my pants, since I hadn't yet given my urine sample. Seriously...I'm so over this.) ANYHOW I cried when I heard the weight...I was only 5 1/2 lbs. at birth, and I was on time and healthy! What am I having, a baby ELEPHANT?!?! Then the doctor pointed out that 6lbs. five weeks before delivery isn't that big, she's only in the 64th percentile, so that put it into perspective and made me feel a little better.

That's all. I'm not feeling chatty. I'm showering and eating and going to bed.

The REAL nesting?

This weekend, I was hit by an uncontrollable desire to get ready for Christmas. It was less about the spirit of the season and more about going totally insane, I think. Anyhow, as a result I am done with all but a few tiny odds and ends of my Christmas shopping, and I have written out, sealed, and stamped all of our Christmas cards. All of them. Friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, you name it...done. (They won't go in the mail until we get a little closer to Christmas, though...and I am baking my usual Christmas bread for the neighbors but that can't be done until I'm ready to deliver those cards.) Today I am going to drag out the decorations: I'd like to start early because usually I take everything down on New Year's Day, but this year I want it down before then so I can have the house back in order long before our due date...I'm also not doing as much decorating this year...I don't go crazy anyhow, but I'm just going to do the tree, a few strings of lights on the porch railings outside, wreaths on the doors, and a couple of things here and there inside. Oh, and probably those candles in the windows.

In other news that's equally disturbing and a little disgusting, back in September my mother-in-law gave us a really pretty framed picture for the baby's room that says "Ways to Welcome a Baby" and then goes through twenty-six ways, A to Z. (Keep reading, that's not the disturbing or disgusting part.) Today, Jack and Toby decided to contribute their own way of welcoming the baby, to be filed under the letter "V"...for "Vomiting on the carpet in the baby's room." Thanks, guys. :-P

New Toys

My birthday was last Tuesday (officially the last one I want to acknowledge!) and it was pretty low-key...we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, and then just hung out at home and watched TV...Craig gave me something I've been running my mouth about for the past six months or so: a video camera! I have one that's about 10 years old or so, and it's huge and does those little VHS tapes that you need an adapter to watch, so we really didn't use it. (Plus, what were we supposed to videotape? Ourselves, sitting on the couch and eating dinner? The cats?) Now that we'll have a kid, I really wanted a good one so I can be the annoying video-camera parent. ;o) (I refuse to be Soccer Mom or Minivan Mom....I have to have something mommy-ish; besides, with so many relatives far away, it makes sense to record the things they'll miss.) Anyhow we've used it once thus far, we recorded each other acting like idiots and making hot chocolate, and the cats whining by the back door. That's just so sad. (I should also say that I got two other gifts--The Chronicles of Narnia, which I've been wanting to read for ages but never have, and the latest Die Hard movie. Yeah!!!)

ANYHOW, at the beginning of the week, Craig also broke down and bought himself--errr, I mean, "us", a fancy new TV. Flat screen something-or-other. He's wanted one for a million years and has spent about the same amount of time bugging me about whether or not he should get one. I didn't really feel like we needed one but finally have just said yes, please get it so I don't have to hear about it any more! So he bought one on Monday. And yesterday, he returned it. ARGH!!!! Hopefully it's out of his system now. Last night, we did invest in a Tassimo beverage maker:



It's a Christmas present to ourselves and would seem like an unnecessary appliance if we didn't drink an abnormal amount of tea, cappuccino, and hot chocolate...it's great because there's no mess involved whatsoever, you just put in the little packet of whatever you want to drink and press the button. It brews in a few seconds, so I can actually have a cup of tea BEFORE work if I want...nice. (I never eat or drink before work...I also shower and dry my hair at night because I have compacted my morning routine to the smallest possible amount of time because I hate getting up. We have to be at work by 7:15am which means that I like to get there no later than 7:05, and I live 15-20 minutes away, depending on whether or not I get stuck driving behind a moron.)

That's really about it...sorry I'm not more interesting, and have nothing baby related to report, other than the fact that for some reason I'm sleeping better but getting more scatterbrained by the minute. Example: instead of putting down "cottage cheese" on my grocery list, I typed "cottage twins" and I didn't even notice until this morning. I have no clue where it came from...Craig was talking to me at the time so maybe I started typing something from the conversation? I don't know.

NC baby shower pictures!

Here they are, courtesy of MJ (provider of pictures) and Jamie (taker of pictures...unfortunately she's not in any of them as a result! :-(

There were more, but really, how many shots of me opening gifts are necessary? ;o)

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the belly @ 33 weeks

I look so distorted and weird, and there are still seven weeks left! This past week my family was in town for Thanksgiving, and one afternoon I was lounging around in maroon velour pants and a heathered maroon fitted t-shirt. My brothers told me I looked like a cranberry. Thanks....not only do I look like a cranberry, I'm about as flexible as one too...I swear, they should have some kind of pregnancy triathalon in which women could compete. Some possible events:

--bending over to pick something up
--putting on a pair of pants
--shaving legs (my personal favorite...I'm too stubborn to stop doing this, as I cannot stand stubbly legs)
--putting on (and tying!) a pair of shoes







(*I had to resort to using PhotoBucket again for these two pics...not sure how to post just individual ones from BubbleShare)

The Nursery

Well, it's almost completely finished! Aside from needing a couple of pieces of artwork for the walls (we've got resident artiste Jamie on that... ;o) the nursery is DONE. We have all of the baby supplies we need (well...maybe a few more diapers wouldn't hurt....) and are ready for Ava to make her grand entrance. All right...physically we are ready, mentally I don't think I'll ever be prepared. (Craig says he is...I don't know if he's *really* ready, or if he's saying that because "real men" don't admit it when something scares the crap out of them...)

ANYHOW, I'm trying something new: BubbleShare. I've seen it on other blogs and it seems much better than the PhotoBucket I've been using (recent shower pics coming soon). So,without further ado, here are the nursery pictures! Please keep in mind, my camera makes all of the colors look dull and washed out. The room is very simple and delicate...there is some pink, but pale sage green is the predominant color. I have to say, I REALLY like how it turned out!

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#4

Sorry for the crappy updating, especially since quite a bit has happened in the last week! Let's see....

On Saturday, I had my second (and likely my last) pregnancy massage. It was really nice, the masseuse was a little rough (I almost cried when she attacked the right side of my back) but I have a lot of tension and getting rid of it was not easy. That was at 10am, originally I was scheduled for 2pm but she had to leave early that day so they called earlier in the week to re-book me for a different time. This worked out perfectly because Shayne and I were going to go for tea at this little English Tea Room in Wake Forest that afternoon. Anyhow, we get into Wake Forest, go over to the tea room, and--SURPRISE--it's a baby shower! :o) MJ had put together a surprise shower for me with a small group of friends and family (my mom and mother-in-law both flew in!), and it was really nice. She put a LOT into it....I knew she wanted to do something but I was really blown away. I'll have pictures up eventually. (I think I'm switching from Photobucket to Bubbleshare...seems like it has much better features for posting pics on the blog.) Oh, and remember the rescheduled massage appointment? That was MJ's doing, since of course I'm a pain in the butt even accidentally, I had made my appointment right when the shower was scheduled so she called the spa and had them lie to me to change the appointment. :o)

So anyhow, the parents have been here for awhile now (my dad drove in on Sunday) and we're all accomplishing a lot--the men have put up a fan in the bonus room and one in the baby's room, they're going to put up shelves in her room next, my mom and I have set up the rest of the room and washed and put away the baby clothing and bedding; and done a good amount of cleaning in the rest of the house. That's about it! Oh yeah, and I went to the doctor on Monday...everything looks good except I gained five pounds in nineteen days. AHHHHH!!!!!! To put that in perspective, I gained only four pounds in slightly over a month before that. I'm hoping it's just because I ate five tacos the night before...we shall see. On the way home from the doctor's office I bought myself some skim milk. It's a start....

Batter Up!

The woman I work with had her baby today. (Anna's birthday! Woohoo! Happy birthday to Anna and to the new baby!)

Guess who's up next.

EEEEEEEEEK.

The lamp is here!

And it's too cute!




That's about it...yes, I'm excited about a lamp.

Oh yeah, the kid DID kick me so much and so hard last night I thought I would throw up, so that was new and interesting. I'm also reading a book called "Baby-Wise," which among other things is supposed to tell you how to get your baby to sleep through the night. I'm all about that!

Nesting

I'm getting a little weary of the expression. I can't so much as straighten a pillow without people giving me a knowing look and saying, "Ohhh you're nesting!" Yep....been doing it for about ten years now. Ever since I went to college and had my own living space, I've been cleaning, sorting, stocking up on supplies (see previous post) and rearranging things. Every few months I go on insane cleaning sprees...in fact I'm itching to go on one right now, but it's a little difficult to maneuver when you look and feel as though you've got a basketball duct-taped to your abdomen. I'm either going to have to let Craig help me out or hire a maid to come in sometime in December...jury's still out on that one. But that's another topic.

So anyhow, our furniture arrived yesterday and so far we have the crib up...we can't finish until we can get someone to help Craig drag the dresser and changing table upstairs to the nursery. (I hate the fact that I'm basically helpless right now...HATE HATE HATE IT!!!!) I got a little antsy last night since we couldn't do anything else, and I spent a few hours in the baby's room trying to do little things, most of which were entirely useless. Here's the breakdown:

1.) Helped Craig set up the crib.
2.) Took all of the baby blankets out of the closet, re-folded them, and put them in a stack on the floor.
3.) Put baby lotion, baby powder, diaper ointment, and wipes in a basket. Put the basket inside another basket which was empty, stacked them against the wall.
4.) Took all of the baby's hats, socks, shoes, burp cloths, and bibs out of baskets and put them back in again. Lined baskets up against the wall.
5.) Stacked all of the books together and put them in a basket with a few toys. Basket is against the wall with the others.
6.) Unstacked and re-stacked packages of onesies. Debated whether or not to exchange the two packages I have that are 5-8 lb. size, since the baby will probably be pretty big. Decided to keep them until she's born (still in the packaging) and then return them later if necessary.
7.) Moved the bouncy chair to the bonus room, since that's what we'll use when we're upstairs with her. I'm not big on having baby junk scattered all over the house, the exception will be the bouncy chair in the bonus room, the cradle in our room, and a baby swing downstairs.
8.) Had Craig put the baby swing (still in the box) in the garage, since we'll be using it downstairs.
9.) Moved the Baby Einstein play mat out of the closet and into the downstairs closet, since that's another item that will be used downstairs (I'll keep it down there but it will always be put away when not in use....again, not big on having baby junk taking over the house).
10.) Took out the Boppy and put it away again.
11.) Put all of the cards I've received at the baby showers in a photo album...cut the cards apart so that the front and inside are both displayed.
12.) Layed down on the floor when my back started hurting and dozed off for about an hour or so....opened my eyes and saw that both cats had finished their inspection of the room and passed out under the crib.

As soon as the furniture is up, I'm going to start putting things away and getting the room as set up as I can before everyone arrives for Thanksgiving...when my parents get here, they'll have a bunch of other things with them so I'll really be able to set up, except for a few finishing touches. Excellent!

*Still need to buy the breast pump. Oddly enough, the pump and the accompanying supplies were not popular shower items. ;o) Thanks to Mom buying us the mattress to go along with the furniture, it's really our last big expense.

The Bunker

I like to be prepared. I don't like running out of things. So, over the last few years, I've gotten into the habit of buying extra things (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, contact solution, etc.) and storing them under the sink in the guest bathroom--Craig makes fun of me for this, and calls the storage space my "bunker." Well, last month I expressed a desire to start buying and storing packages of diapers, which nearly drove him nuts. Hey, I think it's a good idea, and other people I know who have babies say the same thing...start buying them now so that it's not such a shock to your wallet when the kid arrives! But, because Craig melted down about it, I've restrained myself and not bought diapers.

Today, however, that has changed...I didn't buy any, but they had a baby shower potluck for me at work and easily a third of the gifts for the baby were diapers and wipes--how cool is that?! That's like having someone just hand you cash, since it's one of the biggest baby-related expenses. I thought that was a really good idea....plus now, I am able to start the baby supply bunker! Of course I still feel a little weird doing the whole shower thing (not liking the center of attention and all) but work showers are always low-key so that's nice, people bring food and gifts and then everyone just eats as fast as they can during our short lunch break. :o) (Oh, and of course the non-diaper-and-wipe gifts were very nice too! I just thought that was kind of different, and cool.)

Speaking of work....some good and bad. Well the bad isn't technically bad, it's just something freaking me out: there are five women pregnant at work...one is due on Sunday, I'm early January, then there's late January, March, and May. When I realized that the one is due in LESS THAN A WEEK and then I'm up to bat, it really spazzed me out. AHHHHHHH!!!! I don't know why that would set me off, but it did! Luckily a conversation with another co-worker (who had a baby last February) has helped...she tells me giving birth (with drugs of course) wasn't nearly as bad as people made it out to be. I really, really needed to hear that from someone! If you don't agree with her, I forbid you from telling me that! ;o) Let me be delusional. Please.

30 Week Ultrasound Pictures

The top picture is a regular 3-D profile picture...in the bottom one, you can clearly see Ava's nose. Her hand is blocking the right side of her face (the ultrasound tech said that she appears to be sucking her thumb and inadvertently poking herself in the eye)...you can also see half of her lips where her hand isn't covering them.




The top picture is a shot of her curled-up legs, crossed at the ankles. The bottom picture is another face picture like the one above, but you can more clearly see her closed eyes, part of her mouth again, and a squished-up nose. Poor kid is running out of room...



Oh, yes....we ordered the furniture. Finally gave up on JCP (shipping would have been almost $300!!!) and ended up finding something nice at Babies R Us, which we ordered and can pick up in 1-2 weeks. No pictures are available online so I'll just have to take a few when we get it. That's it!

GOOD NEWS!

The cysts are gone!!!!! Yay! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, our baby is looking beautiful and healthy. :o) They want to do just one more follow-up ultrasound in four weeks to look at her kidneys...the doctor said something around them looks dilated, which is probably just because her bladder was full when the ultrasound was done, but they want to check it out anyhow. No biggie. (Yes, full bladder, babies pee in utero....adorable, huh? :-P)

We also had the ultrasound tech check and make sure she's still a girl--or rather, make sure they were right about her being a girl in the first place since it's not like she suddenly switched genders--and she is, so that's good. The only bad thing--and it's not actually a bad thing--is that she's measuring 31 weeks and I'm only 30 weeks pregnant, so that means she's not going to be a tiny baby. I'm hoping she'll let up on the growing a bit in the next ten weeks, because I am NOT cut out for an 8-9 lb. baby! I'm thinking more along the lines of 6-7 lbs! I was hoping that being a week ahead meant she'd come out a week early, but apparently it doesn't work that way. The due date doesn't change and I can't even try to trick myself and pretend she was conceived earlier than I thought, because I used an ovulation predictor so I know almost down to the hour. Sorry if that's too much information, but it's true!

Anyways, so now we're supposed to go to the doctor every two weeks, and my anxiety about her brain is gone, and we're ordering her furniture in the next couple of days, so things are looking good! I'll post the ultrasound pictures as soon as Craig scans them for me. She covered her face with a hand again (appears to be sucking her thumb) but you can see her nose and part of her lips and her closed eyes...I think she looks adorable but of course, I could be a little biased. I also think she's going to look more like Craig, but we'll see! Maybe she'll allow us to see her face in the next ultrasound.... :o)

American Baby

I got a copy of this magazine in the mail today. I swore I would NOT subscribe to any parenting magazines but I think someone signed me up for it, and I actually did sit down and read a few articles. One was about toddlers and their obsessions (little girls who refuse to take off a princess tiara, kids who wear capes everywhere, etc.)....I read that one because I get crazy-obsessed with random things (right now I'm obsessed with getting nursery furniture ASAP) and I thought it might be interesting...I remember one of my little brothers being so obsessed with He-Man that he wore no shirt, red swim trunks, and brown winter boots when playing outside all summer. I don't remember what I was obsessed with as a little kid.

I also marked an article about cutting costs at the grocery store so I can read it later because I'm really trying to keep our grocery bill down, if there's one place I overshop it's the grocery store (but I do use coupons now! I'm such an adult!). Plus, I'm about to start stockpiling meals that we can freeze so we don't have to do much cooking those first couple of weeks. (One of my favorites is making a huge pot of chili and freezing it in individual containers...I'm also going to make a trip back to The Mixing Bowl in the upcoming month.)

Then, I read an article about the first week you bring home your new baby. Okay, that one scared me because I have been having lately what I consider a lack of sleep, which means 4-5 hours a night...it sounds like we'll be lucky if we get 4-5 hours that entire first week! At least I'm not worried about things like bathing and diapers. And thank goodness I have Craig, because I have a feeling he's going to be way more calm and rational than I am. No, not a feeling--that's just the way it's going to be. I know us too well.

Other than that, I have just a few more odds and ends:

**I don't want any more breastfeeding lectures from people I don't know well. Please people...boundaries. I'm probably a total prude for not wanting to discuss breasts with random people, but I'm really okay with that.

**I keep thinking (hoping? praying?) that all of these people who tell childbirth horror stories are just doing it for the drama, and it's not actually as horrific as they say (with drugs, of course). Please, do not tamper with my delusion, it's keeping me sane!

**We have our ultrasound and monthly doctor appointment in two days. I'm only slightly anxious, since they're going to be checking out the brain cysts again. Please pray for good news! We also came across a formula in Craig's math book (yes, he's taking a math class, guess who's tutoring him ;o) that supposedly uses certain factors to predict birth weight. I think we'll ask the doctor about it and see what he says! That might be kind of cool.

ATTACK OF THE POD BABY!

I have seen these cozy little things before and they seem very practical for keeping babies warm. However, they really need to rethink this advertising photo:


Photo hijacked from the Babies R Us website

That just keeps cracking me up! I can't tell if the kid is terrified or just confused about what planet he has landed on in his little alien pod. HA HA!

(Of course, it's entirely possible that I am offending people with this post. I am, after all, the most ungrateful and self-centered blogger in all of bloggerdom. So maybe I should be expressing gratitude to the makers of the scary baby pod for trying to keep babies warm instead of ridiculing their ad. So sorry. :P ;o)

To the pathetic excuse for a human being who decided to flame my blog...

You lead a sad existence.



That is all. Thank you.

Why are stores so STUPID????

Yesterday we had to return a few things to Babies R Us (next time it won't be WE, it will be ME. Craig will be staying at home. I love him, and I'm sure he'll be good at things like changing diapers, but going to a store with him is like going with a cranky, ADD-inflicted toddler), among them, a baby monitor. We had registered for the monitor and someone bought it for us, but apparently the BRU (Babies R Us) people didn't scan it off of the registry so another person ended up buying it as well before it came off. No biggie, so we return it and get something else. A few minutes ago I sign on to my registry because I realize I'd like to add some more baskets, and notice that BRU HAS PUT THE MONITOR BACK ON MY REGISTRY. Why? WHY?????? Common sense people, come on! I'm just glad I noticed it and took it off before yet another person bought it. Not to mention, someone else purchased two items off of my registry and they never disappeared, so I had to go and remove them myself. Target did this to me when I got married. Long story but I ended up with four toaster ovens and Target was HORRIBLE about returning them (apparently you are not permitted to return registry items more than 90 days before or after your wedding....huh????) even though the error had clearly been theirs. They tried to blame it on the people who bought them not having the registry list scanned but not true...on our registry it said TOASTER OVEN...NEEDS: 1 RECEIVED: 4. So they were scanned, it's just that stupid Target's system didn't take it off. Hate Target registries...HATE THEM!!!!

Idiots.

Anyhow, back to BRU...we also got a phone call that someone had ordered us a car seat and had it delivered to the store, so a couple of days later we went to pick it up. We went to customer service and gave our name....they could not locate the item. We gave the name of the person who ordered it for us, the state it came from...they could not locate the item. We told them the brand and style of the car seat...they could not locate the item. THEY TOOK US BACK TO THE STOCKROOM SO WE COULD HELP THEM LOOK FOR IT...yep, item not located. We must've been there an hour before they finally found it. And the guy who was supposed to be finding it? After the last attempt he came back smelling like smoke, so apparently he went out and had a nice cigarette break while he was supposed to be locating the item. Now I understand one probably needs many cigarette breaks when working a job where one is surrounded by crazy pregnant women and their frazzled spouses all day, but come on. We were very calm and very patient (partially because Craig was amusing himself by pressing all of the buttons on the noisemaking toys in the toy section, but that's another story....) and our presence did not warrant the need for a cigarette break.

I do have to say that the guy who handled our return/exchange yesterday was remarkably on the ball, so they get points for that. But that's it. This week we're ordering the nursery furniture from JC Penney so let's hope that goes smoothly!


This is the crib, it's part of the JCP "Bella" collection...we'll probably get it in the cherry finish but we'll see...the one in this picture is a color called "maple" and I think it's a little lighter than what we want. Our nursery bedding was displayed at BRU in a cherry crib so at least we know it will look good. Going to call JCP and see if they have ANY samples of their furniture colors in the store so we don't have to order without seeing the color first.

Illinois baby shower (part 1)

Okay, this is going to have to be part 1 because the majority of shower pictures were taken by my mom, on a regular camera, and I do not have a copy to scan and post yet. So I'll just talk about the shower and post the few pictures that were taken on my digital camera.

The shower was very nice...it started at 2:30pm, was held at my parents' house, and about 24 people showed up. Everyone who came is a family friend I've known for years, plus a couple of my own family members and friends. Since it took place mid-afternoon, we had appetizers and light lunch food (apple salsa, spinach dip, little hot ham and cheese sandwiches, potato salad, jello salad, chips, cake, punch, etc.) and everyone just ate and talked for awhile. (No cheesy shower games, woohoo! Although my mom did send a sheet around where people could guess when Ava would really be born and what she'd weigh--Kathie guesses 9 lbs. so if it really happens I'm holding her responsible for cursing me ;o)--that was about it.) After we'd all stuffed ourselves I opened presents, always a little weird to me. I don't like a whole room full of people looking at me...but oh well. We got so many nice things for the baby, both from the registry and things people picked out themselves! There's not going to be too much to worry about buying after that. Anyhow, I really did have a good time and loved seeing everyone...one of those times when I really miss not living where I grew up. (Oh and I have to add...by Thursday I had finished every single one of my thank-you notes...including the ones to people who couldn't actually make it to the shower but sent a gift...that was something like 30 notes! They all went in the mail today. I just don't like taking forever to do those things, and I want to let people know that I really appreciate their presence at the shower, and the gifts they picked out for the baby.)



Mom and me before the shower



Anna and me before the shower



Me, Anna, Kathie! High school flashback, anyone? I need to find a picture of the three of us from about twelve years ago so I can post it, just for fun. It's funny how we always look so sweet and innocent.... ;o)



Aunt Suzy, Grandma, Me, Mom....three generations of women on my mom's side (unless you count the one in utero, then it's four)



The soon-to-be Great-Grandparents



My dad got me a bunch of Bears stuff for the baby....yay! Oh, and it just so happens that on the day of my shower, the Bears beat the Eagles in the LAST FIFTEEN SECONDS OF THE GAME. I was going CRAZY!!! It's a sign...the baby is definitely going to be a Bears fan.



Exhausted and surrounded by presents



I also realize I haven't posted belly pics in awhile (about 3.5 weeks) so here are a couple of new ones. I love the shirt I'm wearing...I think I'm going to go get another one in a different color. So comfortable and cute! I feel gigantic, I can't believe there are still eleven weeks left for her (and me!) to grow...it just doesn't seem possible!


Cute belly pic



SCARY belly pic!


In other news, we never did find the person who stole my money. A few of my co-workers took the 7th graders aside and talked to them on Monday, ripping the thief a new one and trying to guilt-trip whoever did it into turning him- or herself in, or at least into returning the money anonymously. No such luck. However, I don't really care anymore...I have realized that even though one of them is obviously a despicable person even at this young age, the rest of them are good kids and will turn out just fine: apparently a few of them felt so bad that someone would do that to me that they went around and got a bunch of their classmates to chip in a dollar or two and on Friday, they gave me an envelope with $27 in it to make up for what was stolen. Oh my goodness, I have never actually cried in front of a student before but I just lost it in front of my entire homeroom! And they felt bad because they weren't able to raise the entire $50 to make up for what was taken! I didn't want to actually take the money since the gesture alone was just so touching, but they insisted and I didn't want to make them feel bad by tracking down the givers and handing them their money back. I'm really lucky to be working with kids like that and I learned that even though they can frustrate me sometimes, I should be more patient with them because their hearts are in the right place and they'll be just fine as adults, even if they don't hand in all of their homework on time right now. ;o)



A picture of Jack and Toby, just because they looked so cute sitting in the window! (Edit: they looked really cute in person. I realize now that in the actual picture, Jack is looking a little demonic.)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Aunt Charlene (Ava's aunt, not mine) just got engaged! Woohoo! We just found out last night and I'm up in Illinois so I haven't gotten the whole story yet, but we're very excited. :o)




Before the Tom Petty concert, Sept. '06

Got in to O'Hare almost 1 1/2 hours late last night due to weather conditions, but whatever. I'd rather have a nice, late flight than a terrifying one that's on time. And really I wasn't scared this time....why? Because I was too pissed off about discovering that one of my students apparently stole $50 out of my wallet, which was in my purse, which was under my desk, while I was out of the room. I never carry cash but Thursday night I took some out for this weekend...the only time I was out of my classroom (and the purse was out of my reach) was during 6th period, when I have librarian duty downstairs. I was so stressed yesterday trying to prepare for my sub on Monday, and worrying about the flight, that I didn't even think to lock it in a drawer. It makes me sick. We're looking into it, but I doubt we'll be able to do anything about it...as if someone is going to come up and say, "Oops, that was me, here's your money!" Between this and the credit card issues we've been having, I'm about all out of patience with people messing with our money. For heaven's sake, I'm a teacher and we have a baby on the way, I'm not rolling in it!!!!

Anyhow, it's off to the pumpkin farm today! (Oh yeah, and the bank, because SOMEONE STOLE THE MONEY I WAS GOING TO BE USING AT THE PUMPKIN FARM) Tomorrow is the baby shower, I can't wait to see everyone!

Pardon me, but has anybody seen my dignity?

I freak out easily. I am already freaked out that we aren't 100% prepared for Ava's arrival, even though that's not for another twelve weeks. (I fully intend to be ready at least a month in advance, just in case. Nursery done, supplies purchased, etc.) I am freaked out about my leaving my students in someone else's hands for approximately nine weeks. I refuse to take birth classes, for the sole reason that it will freak me out. (Like I don't already know what's coming...the baby is either going to be exiting via the normal way or the doctor will be cutting me open and removing her. Either way I am going to be as drugged as they will allow. Do I really need any more of the gory details?)

So with all the freaking out over preparation, maternity leave, and giving birth; it never occurred to me to freak out about what was going to happen after delivery. It's all good, right? Sure, we won't sleep, we'll have this tiny little person to take care of, but we can handle it. We both have younger siblings that we'd bathed and changed and fed back in the day, and I did a lot of baby-sitting. Well that's not what I'm talking about. I am pretty sure giving birth will be gross...pain, blood, etc....but I didn't realize how utterly disgusting my body was going to be AFTER the birth. I thought, okay, so I'll bleed. I'll be sore. I'll have an oddly distorted midsection that I'll have to get back into shape. No biggie....women are accustomed to bleeding, and I can deal with the soreness and having to exercise.

Then I read THIS in one of my stupid, way-too-graphic pregnancy books:

"5th Week Home: Bladder and bowel control have returned..."

Wait a minute, WHAT?!?!?! WHERE DID THE CONTROL GO FOR FIVE WEEKS IN THE FIRST PLACE?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? This has to be a joke. I don't intend to squeeze a baby from my bladder nor from my bowels, why do we have to mess them up too?? I thought I was changing BABY diapers, not my own! Come ON!!! NOT FAIR!!!!

That was just one of the many pleasantries I encountered in the book, and it being the most pleasant, I just had to share. I'm happy about this baby but please, everyone needs to give me about a week to get a grip before reminding me what a miracle this is or I could get violent. You know what would be a miracle? Craig giving birth to our next child. Although, there may not be a next one if that bladder thing is true. BLEEHHHHHH.

All right...be positive. Think happy thoughts....be happy....be positive...

(SEE, I'M TRYING!)

Okay, found a happy thought: Ava kicked like crazy today. I LOVE that.

Gap. Again.

In August, I said this:

"... I managed to stop myself before I bought the little leopard print dress with a matching beret (!!!!) but if it goes on sale, I refuse to be held responsible for my actions..."

Well. It went on sale.




So did this.




I bought both in the 6-12 month size, so it will be perfect for next fall. :o)

This has nothing to do with anything.

It's just that it's so bizarre, I laugh every time see it...




All right, I'll try to throw some family related stuff in this post...let's see...oh yes, next weekend (Friday) I fly back up to IL for the Chicago baby shower. Should be fun but I am absolutely dreading the flight...I hate flying so much...I can't even tell you how much it scares me. We're going to load the iPhone up with movies today so that at least I'll have a distraction on the plane. After this, I am going to avoid flying at all costs and stick to road trips.

Called the doctor on Friday because for about two day or so I'd felt significantly less kicking than normal and it really freaked me out...of course the nurse asked me questions ("Are you in pain? Are you bleeding?") and of course it was fine. In fact, she started picking up the pace and kicking the heck out of me (the baby, not the nurse) not long after I got off the phone. I think she staged the whole thing just to scare me.

Oh yeah, on Friday night we went to dinner at a fairly new restaurant: Mimi's Cafe. I kind of expected it to be kind of like a glorified Denny's (we were just desperate for food) but it turned out to be good. Like, REALLY good. With a very interesting menu, which is great, because do you know how sick and tired I am of going to the same three places all the time and getting the same three things to eat? (It's pulling teeth to get Craig to go out to a "real" place for dinner....in a way it's smart because he's careful with money, but good food is my weakness; and the deli, the cheap Mexican restaurant, and Panera don't really count as fine dining) ANYHOW, for an appetizer we had fried zucchini, and for my entree I had asiago macaroni and cheese with lobster and asparagus on it. All of it was AWESOME. (Even though the hostess seated us at a table that ended up being two feet from one of my students and his family....AHHH! There's no escape! But they're nice, we all said hello and then went back to our food. Not like earlier in the year when I was at lunch with a friend and saw a student and her mother and the mother insisted on standing next to my table and talking about school stuff for ten minutes. GO AWAY!) Anyhow, I'm thoroughly enjoying going out while I can, because in the not too distant future we'll either being sharing our dinner dates with a kid, or paying a fortune for someone to watch that kid. Ah well.

You have REALLY got to be kidding me...

Hey, remember how our credit card number got stolen in June, and someone used it to buy $3,000 worth of stuff at a Lowe's in Maryland? Yep. Someone got a hold of the new number and tried to use it at a Circuit City, also in Maryland (luckily the credit card company declined it and notified us) . I don't know what the heck is going on up there! Seriously!!!! UGH!!!! I don't rely on our credit card very often but it's still such a pain in the butt, having to get new numbers every few months because some jerkwad keeps stealing them.

Other than that....I can't sleep, because the kid is crushing my lungs and ribs and it really hurts. There are 94 days left until I give birth so if I make it to 93 days on this amount of sleep and this amount of pain (probably less sleep and more pain by the end) and I manage to not kill anyone, I'll consider my pregnancy a smashing success. ;o)

If it isn't one thing...

Glucose test results came back fine and dandy, but my hemoglobin is low so I have to take an extra iron supplement. Ugh. I've hated iron ever since I was in college and made the mistake of taking multivitamins on an empty stomach. If you've never done that...don't. You'll feel so nauseous that you'll just start praying you can throw up and be done with it. Anyhow, my mom said it's because of the iron in the vitamins and ever since then, I've considered it an enemy. I guess I'll just have to be sure to take the stupid things with a meal.

ANYHOW.

You know, I realized the other day that this is supposedly a family blog (even though Craig has only contributed, oh...zero times) so I'll try to talk about the other family members every now and then, other than myself and the spawn. ;o) So, that leaves the husband and the cats. Craig is doing well...if you didn't already know, he's decided to go to college and is already doing VERY well....three A's and one B. Right now he's currently taking a computer class and a math class, which makes me happy because I can actually be of some use there. I did help him format and proofread a paper in one of his business classes but I was useless as far as the content was concerned. Anyhow, he's aiming for a business degree and then going for his master's. He doesn't know how to do anything halfway.

Jack and Toby go back and forth between being adorable and obnoxious, and that about sums it up for them.

Double digits!

I say that because if you look at the ticker at the top of the page, we are down to the double digits of days left until the kid arrives. Yeah...that's kind of scary. I'm ready to not have a baby kicking at my guts anymore but not quite ready for having to do more for her well-being besides try to eat right and avoid alcohol so I guess the timing is actually fine. I really just want to be able to sleep comfortably again....

Anyhow I went to the dentist on Tuesday (first time in years, I'm so bad) and other than a couple of cavities that I expected all was well! Oh, and I totally passed out in the chair. Not because of any fear of the dentist, apparently that can happen when you are pregnant, laying on your back, and then they tilt you way back in the chair. Another woman did it recently so they weren't surprised but I felt like an idiot. They just had to sit me up for the remainder of the cleaning and everything was fine. Yesterday was the glucose test at the OB-GYN office and I've not heard anything so I guess that went well...unlike at the dentist's office, I did NOT pass out, even though they had to take blood. Woohoo! Baby's heart sounds great, they measured the lump and it was apparently the right size, I've gained 7 more pounds, and we've scheduled one more ultrasound for November 1st to check on her brain.

Last...the nursery has been painted! Woohoo! I want to get some furniture in there as soon as possible, but we'll see.

That's all. Back to work tomorrow for teacher inservice and then the kids come back on Monday. I'm so not ready. Ugh.

Love this video!

I am never going to waste money on baby toys. Apparently, you just need a couple of old magazines and you're good to go! This is just so cute, it almost makes the other baby stuff seem a little less scary. :o)

25 1/2 weeks

I did the yoga video...yes, there was cheesiness galore, but it was good. I think that if I keep up with it, I really will start feeling better...I'm going to try doing it four times a week, as well as going on walks at least twice, hopefully more like three times weekly. Anyhow...I have only one more week of vacation, where does the time go? Second track always goes by quickly, which is good but scary because at the end of track two, I'll be less than a month from having the baby...ahhhh!

So, in other news, here are some pictures...I finally got around to doing another belly photo and HOLY CRAP, I didn't know I was getting so lumpy! Eeek! It doesn't look that big when I'm looking down at it but the pictures are kind of frightening, and there are still a good 14 weeks to go.


If I look tired, it's because I am. The belly almost looks cute with a shirt covering it, but...


AHHHH!


Craig, wearing Ava's Philadelphia Eagles gear. (Yeah, as if I was actually going to pose with it! Treason!) Note to self: buy more Bears stuff!


Jack is "helping" me in the baby's room.


This kid has a ridiculous amount of clothing!


The cradle! It's set up in our room and Ava will sleep there for the first few months, until she's not getting up every 20 minutes or whatever it is babies do. The green on the wall is the same shade we're painting the nursery.



I was worried that the cats would want to sleep in the cradle, but luckily they just like chilling out underneath it. I caught Toby napping and tried to get a picture but he jumped up before I could snap it. Apparently, he's also trying to shoot me with his laser eye.

Prenatal Yoga

My copy of the following DVD arrived today:



Um, yeah. I just watched the introduction and I'm going to have a really hard time taking this seriously. There will be no photographic evidence of me and the baby gut trying to look serene while doing bizarre stretchy things.

Slide show #3

The last one, I promise! Stupid Photobucket limits the number of pictures in a slide show so I have to do a million of them. This show has most of the shower guests, a shot of the tea room, etc. (If anyone can tell me how to do a slide show without a limited number of slides, I'd be eternally grateful! Right now I just want to get the darn pictures up. ;o)

Slide show #2

Okay, so I'm posting the second one now...I'm already up, it's already late, might as well.

The New Jersey shower was very nice...it was an early afternoon tea held at the Lavender & Lace Tea Room and given by my mother-in-law, Pat. Everything was so beautiful! (Of course, it was slightly humid out and thanks to the bean sprout my body temperature is all out of whack so I was sweating like an animal, but that's okay... ;o) The people who attended are all members of Craig's family and friends of the family he's known since childhood. It always feels a little awkward when it's not the family and friends you yourself grew up with, but it was very nice and by now, I've met many of these people more than once so some of the weirdness was gone. We were given a lot of things off of our registry, plus a TON of clothes (Ava darling, I hope you like pink!) and among other things, Craig's grandparents gave us a beautiful cradle that was handmade by his grandpa. The in-laws are driving all of the gifts down this weekend so I'll take a few close-up pictures and post them. (We actually received a lot of beautiful things people made themselves--some articles of clothing, blankets, a photo album, a stuffed animal--these people could make a killing on Ebay!)

(BTW--the blonde girl next to me in most of the pictures, helping me with the gifts, is Melissa, a family friend of Craig's. I've met her a few times before...she's pretty much awesome, and a lot of fun.)

Slide show #1

Here they are!

These are pictures from visiting the family, going to the pumpkin farm, downtown Geneva with Kathie, and the Museum of Science and Industry with mom. There aren't many because my camera doesn't actually hold that many pictures at one time and I hate taking a million pictures anyhow. Oh, and yes, I am wearing the same shirt in about every picture....I wore it to my baby shower as well...it ended up being really hot up north (gee, thank goodness I ran out and bought cold weather clothes before my trip) and that shirt is the cutest, most comfortable, most versatile, and most resistant to wrinkles in my knocked-up wardrobe.

I will do the baby shower slide show later this week....also, I know I said there was a big story about the Chicago Trip from Hell but I'm just about out of energy regarding that incident. I'll give you all the very short version: Mom and I parked downtown on a side street to go to the museum, came out and our car had been towed even though we were not in a marked tow zone, only found our car at an impound lot thanks to a kind police officer who helped us, were treated absolutely horribly by the impound people and had to pay a FORTUNE to get the car back, went back to the site and photographed evidence that we were not in a tow zone, all of this took nearly three hours so we were unable to meet up with Anna for dinner, and more recently, mom appealed the charges and lost. The moral of this story is that the city of Chicago is run by dishonest, money-hungry slobs who screw you over and make it impossible for you to fight back. I will still love my Bears and Cubs, but I hate Chicago. It's been totally ruined for me.

Home!

Well, after eight nights and nine days split between Chicago and New Jersey, I'm finally back home! I'm going to attempt to run through all that has happened but I think it will probably take a couple of posts, because I'm going to put up a couple of picture slide shows (and I don't know how to do it yet) and I have the Downtown Chicago Day From Hell and the New Jersey Baby Shower stories to run through, and that's quite a bit of material. And yes, a 24-week picture of the baby gut will make an appearance soon as well. :o) So, here it goes....

--Saturday, Sept. 15th--
Arrive in Chicago around 8pm or so. Stop in to see the grandparents, then go to Portillo's (woohoo!) for chili cheese dogs. Home, hang out with the parents for awhile, go to bed.

--Sunday, Sept. 16th--
To church with mom (Elgin Bible Church), then later in the afternoon it's off to a family birthday party for my Uncle Bill and cousin Andy. My great-grandmother died a year ago this week and both of my brothers are in Florida now so family gatherings are REALLY small. Ah well...more cake for those who show up... ;o) It's good to see everyone as usual, since the last family gathering I was present for was last Thanksgiving. (This Thanksgiving will be interesting...I'm going to look like I'm walking around with the turkey stuffed under my shirt.)

--Monday, Sept. 17th--
Hanging out with mom...we just ran around to different places like Trader Joe's and the pumpkin farm. Note to self: pumpkin farms, prior to the last week of September, totally suck. Better luck in October when I go back, I guess.

--Tuesday, Sept. 18th--
Hanging out with Kathie...we explored the little shops in downtown Geneva, and I managed to fight the urge to buy the most beautiful little trunk for Ava's room...it was antique-looking, painted pale green with light and dark pink roses on it. Kind of wish I hadn't fought the urge because it was very reasonably priced. Argh. We came across a number of really cute baby shops--of course totally out of my price range--and we laughed at some of the weird crap they have for babies. Yes, there are pictures. We also went out for Greek food, yay! I've been dying for some good Saganaki....opa!

--Wednesday, Sept. 19th--
The Chicago Trip from Hell. More on this later...the first part was fine, Mom and I went to the Museum of Science and Industry; but the events that transpired thereafter kind of screwed up the day for us, and caused us to not be able to get together with Anna as planned. Luckily I'll be able to see her in October. But still...I'm very bitter about Chicago right now. (I took a picture of myself giving the Chicago Tribune the finger but have since deleted it. The Trib didn't do anything wrong, I was just flipping off the word "Chicago.")

--Thursday, Sept. 20th--
Exhausted from the Chicago ordeal and pretty much out of ideas of stuff to do, I just hang out in the house all day with mom and read a book. Towards the end of the day we left the house so I could pick up a box of Fannie May candy (means nothing to you unless you're from the Chicago area.... ;o) and we stopped by the cemetery to visit the gravesite of my great-grandparents. I felt absolutely nothing while I was there: I didn't feel sad, nor did I feel any closer to them...I know sometimes people visit the grave and talk to the person but that would have felt absurd for me. This is all good though...it's because I know that they are in heaven, and the bodies buried under the ground are not the people they were in life.

--Friday, Sept. 21st--
Relax at the house, lunch at Portillo's, hang out with mom and the grandparents, and then it's off to the airport...time for New Jersey! Pat and Don (Craig's mom and stepdad) pick me up, we get home and have a snack and talk for a bit but it's really late so bedtime follows before long.

--Saturday, Sept. 22nd--
I manage to sleep pretty late (woohoo!) and then wrestle with straightening my hair for about an hour (it was humid out of course...) then off to the baby shower...more on that later. Dinner at Bahama Breeze, then home and bed.

--Sunday, Sept. 23rd--
Brunch with Pat and then I'm on my way home! After Craig picks me up from the airport we grab some food at Cheesecake Factory and then hit the Apple store to have my iPhone checked out, the battery basically sucks. They swap it out for a new one (which takes forever, but the workers at the store are super-nice so it's okay) and all is well. We get home, I unpack and do some laundry and get settled in just in time to turn on the Bears game so that I can watch them lose miserably to the stupid Cowgirls and totally break my heart. Two words: Rex Grossman. Dude...you are KILLING us! Come ON!

And that's about it! While I was visiting my parents, my mom and I tried to use a stethoscope to listen to Ava's heart, but we couldn't seem to find it. Something funny though...every time we pressed down the stethoscope to listen, she'd kick it! It was pretty entertaining because it wasn't once or twice, it was almost every single time. I still love the kicking, and now I can feel other movements too, not just jabs...I can feel if she turns, or if a limb drags against the side of my uterus. Very interesting. Oh, and Craig is still looking at me like I'm a mutant. I really kind of thought that while I was pregnant he'd look at me with some kind of loving expression or something because I'm carrying his child, but not so much. I get the "holy crap, my wife has mutated into some kind of freak" look from the corner of his eye. I've thought about it and maybe it's because he's seen me at mealtimes, and he's afraid I'm going to eat him. ;o) Anything is possible.

Track-Out RULES!

It's that time again...vacation!! WOOHOO! Man, I need this. I had a student in class today who just randomly, out of the blue, for no reason, said, "Hey! Wouldn't it be funny if you were sitting in the teacher's lounge and all of the sudden your water broke?" Okay, first of all, I don't want students thinking about my "water" or it breaking. Ew. Second, the teacher's lounge would be the best place for such a disaster, because not only is it way more private than, say, the classroom...most of the women I work with have been through it and would know what to do. Having said that, I'm definitely rethinking my decision to go back to work after Christmas break, as Ava is set to arrive just days later....I'm just not thinking I want to go into labor in the middle of teaching algebra or something. However, if she arrives on time or late, I'm going to feel like I wasted a week of maternity leave doing nothing but worrying about my classes. I'm kind of a freak about work like that: I joke about getting a nice vacation during 3rd quarter but honestly, stepping back and letting someone else run my class for 8-10 weeks is really going to be hard.

Anyhow, it's up to Chicago tomorrow to see family and friends and then over to New Jersey to see Craig's family and have the first baby shower. It's going to be fun, aside from the fact that being the center of attention like that kind of freaks me out. (I'm not kidding...I cried before one of my bridal showers because I didn't want everyone looking at me, and I didn't think I'd make it down the aisle at my wedding for the same reason.) Craig's grandfather made a cradle for the baby and I can't wait to see it! It'll go in our bedroom so that for the first few months she can be near us while we sleep. Or at least, while we try to sleep...

I know I said I'd post a 23-week picture but that may not have been accurate... ;-) If we have time tomorrow before leaving for the airport, I'll do it, otherwise it'll be another week or so. Sorry!