Keeping My Legs Tightly Crossed

Todd is out of town all day today and won't be back until tomorrow. He is going to be an hour and a half away staining all of the woodwork that will be going in the new house. Though I know the staining has to be done this weekend for the construction project to remain on schedule I must admit that I am a little freaked out.

As you may have read here, my labors are all pretty quick. I'm a little concerned that if baby decides to come between now and tomorrow Todd may miss the birth.

I did have a doctor's appointment yesterday and was told that I am still not dilated. I was pretty happy hearing that until the doctor said that it could just mean that I will go from 0 cm to delivering in no time at all since I have a history of quick labors. Hmm. Not good.

So, today I am taking it as easy as possible. No long walks with the boys, no chasing after them at the park, no bike rides, no running errands, and no cleaning. I think I will park my buns on the couch and keep my legs tightly crossed for the remainder of the day. Besides, I don't mind soaking up these last days of my last pregnancy. I have to take advantage of my lovely cup holder while I've got it.

(Please excuse the tired expression, the ratty top, the bedhead, and the glasses. I just woke up.)

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that baby waits to make her grand entrance until at least Saturday evening.

Waiting Patiently

Distraction

I've been trying not to think about it, but now that baby's arrival is only a week or so away it has been sneaking back into my thoughts.

Labor. It hurts. Every once in a while I will remember exactly how much it hurts and I break out into a cold sweat. Oh man. And the crazy thing is, no matter how clearly I remember the pain it always seems to be even worse than I imagined. Scary.

I usually don't dwell on those thoughts too long since I know it won't do me any good. I am pretty good with pain. I can handle it. But it still makes me cringe when I think about it. Maybe this time I should just break down and get a doggone epidural. We'll see.

But today was a welcomed break. Today I didn't think much about labor. Today was the perfect day to relax and get my mind off of the forthcoming agony. Today I got a manicure, pedicure, and haircut. It was bliss! I made the appointment a long time ago and I wasn't sure baby would hold out long enough for me to enjoy it, but I am sure glad she did. Now my hair is looking pretty, my fingers and toes are a soft pinky-peach shade, and I am feeling at ease and relaxed. Hooray for distractions!(Yes, they may look like huge, swollen footballs, but at least they are soft and colorful, right?)

Thinking Pink

I am finally feeling like I am ready for baby to come. Not that I am done being pregnant, but if baby should make an early appearance I feel prepared.

I think I have all the necessities covered. The pack n' play is set up next to my bed with soft, pink sheets. All the necessary clothing items have been purchased. Many adorable outfits and lots of onsies in varying shades of pink are ready and waiting to be worn.
I even have a "going home from the hospital" outfit picked out. All three of the boys came home from the hospital in little sleepers that said, "Daddy's Little Boy" on them. All three of those precious, tiny outfits are safely packed away in their keepsake boxes, and Todd thought it was about time I had a little one come home from the hospital in a similar outfit. This one says, "Mommy's Little Girl".

I even have baby's first pair of pretty shoes.
Everything has been washed and neatly packed away in, what else, pink bins on the changing table that has been placed in my room to act as a dresser. Can you also see my brand new sling from Slinglings? I am so excited to wear baby in it. I always liked wearing my babies but never had a proper sling that didn't dig into my shoulder or hurt my back.
And! This lovely stroller/carseat combo finally arrived last week and is all set up and waiting for baby's first ride.

I think I have a sufficient amount of pink for baby now and I can safely say, "I'm ready when you are, baby!"

Two Weeks To Go

Yes. I am still here. And I am still pregnant.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I haven't been feeling the greatest. I've had a bit of nausea this past week, mixed with a few headaches, and lots of aches and pains. My hands are really swollen and numb for the majority of my days and nights. Sleep is something I've heard about but have not experienced in quite some time. Heartburn has been ruling my life. My feet and ankles hurt and my back has been killing me. You know, the usual.

Well, actually, for me this is not usual. I have had super easy pregnancies and I don't remember being this uncomfortable for any of my others. But oh well. No big whoop. I am still trying to soak up as much as I can of this (my last) pregnancy.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and so far I am not dilated at all. Another first for me since I am usually dilated 2 or 3 cm by this point. I guess it really is true that every pregnancy and labor are different. But because I know for a fact that you can go from no dilation to being in active labor in the blink of an eye I am still on high alert.

I also learned that my doctor will be on vacation all next week so I am guessing that baby will want to make her appearance then since my doctor has been MIA for all of my past deliveries.

So anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that I am still here. I will try to get around to visit you as soon as I can properly feel my fingers again. In the meantime, picture me waddling after my crazy boys in the park, on their bikes, at the lake, in the grocery store, at dinner time, etc. And maybe say a little prayer for me. ;)

Patience Is A Virtue

I am a fairly patient person but lately I have had a lot of waiting to do. Not only am I eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little lady, I am also counting the moments until we are in our new house.

As of Friday we no longer own this house. We are now renting the house that we have lived in for the last 7 years until we can move into the new house. Why can't we move in now? Well, remember when I said it would be a huge project? Yeah. It's huge. The contractors are working at lightening speed but there is still so much to be done. All the major interior projects have been done like the electrical, plumbing, HVAC work, addition to the garage, and framing all the rooms in as they should be. Now they have to start making it look like a house.

I took some pictures of the progress so far to give you an idea of the scale of this project. Today the windows will be coming in and once those are in the siding and the drywall can go up. From there I think things will be moving even faster than they have been so I wanted to get some shots of the house as it is now.

Here is a quick little tour:

This is our lovely spiral staircase at the entrance of the house. See my library off to the right? Isn't is grand? You can't tell? Hmm.
This is where my kitchen sink will be. I love the huge window over my soon to be sink. It looks out onto my massive backyard. See? This is the view from my window and only a portion of the backyard. This is where our patio will be. Todd is dreaming of sitting on the patio drinking beer. Doesn't he look thirsty?

This is where my kitchen table will go. Another very large window. I love it. It makes me look small. hehe

This is the view from where the kitchen table will be. It looks through our kitchen into the family room to our beautiful fireplace. Ahhh. Cozy. The new dining room. And another massive window.

This is our new master suite looking into the master bathroom. Oooo. I feel relaxed just looking at it, don't you? Okay. Maybe not yet. But I will.

Anyway, you get the picture. Major work has been done and major work still left to be done. I am hoping to be in the house before the boys start school, but we'll just have to wait and see. For now we will just keep renting and reminding ourselves that patience is a virtue.

(Can't remember what the house looked like before? Click on my "The New House" label on the bottom of this post.)

PSF- Honesty

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Tommy was standing next to me as I was getting the boys' breakfast ready when he said, "We're skinny, huh?"

Without looking in his direction I answered, "Yep. You are little guys."

Tommy slowly looked me up and down, patted my belly gently, and said, "And you're... shaped like a ball."

Yep. That sounds about right.