So todays product?
No Pudge Brownies
I found out about these when I joined Weight Watchers over a year ago. Let me tell you, these puppies are SO awesome.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Marketplace Monday #2 (better late than never)
Let the official weight-loss marathon begin... I gained 50 lbs during this pregnancy, and the only reason I tell you this, internet, is so that I now can say everyone knows how much I weigh. At the height of my pregnancy, I was 228 lbs. Thankfully, I have no scale here at home to weigh myself, therefore, I have no idea how much I've lost... the hardest part about losing this weight is killing my sweet tooth. It takes a while before I can go without sweets, so I have to wean myself off of them.
So todays product?
No Pudge Brownies
I found out about these when I joined Weight Watchers over a year ago. Let me tell you, these puppies are SO awesome.
So todays product?
No Pudge Brownies
I found out about these when I joined Weight Watchers over a year ago. Let me tell you, these puppies are SO awesome.
So much cuteness, I can't stand it!!!!
Things are very good today... Shepherd slept well last night, and has been pretty active today... we're having fun just playing. Thought I'd post some pictures of our lil' guy at a week in age...
Monday, February 27, 2006
Stumpage be GONE!
Tonight, as I changed Shepherd's diaper, I went to check his umbilical stump to see how it was looking. And I couldn't find it. I looked and looked, and finally found it... in the leg of his sleeper. "Impressive!" I thought to myself, "The books all say it takes 10 days to fall off, and that's 7 days!" Funny, I take pride in the fact that my son is faster at losing his belly button stump. How many other seemingly ridiculous things will I take pride in? So far, tonight's been a good night. He went almost 4 hours between feedings, sleeping 3 of them. I finally broke down and called the doctor today about his fussiness, seeing if maybe we could give him some Mylicon. She said he was a little young for that.
See, our problem has been that he won't lie down on his back without fussing or crying. He gets all tense and arches his back and screams. We either have to hold him, or pray for mercy and hope that the one time we lay him down, he won't scream. The nurse suggested that we let him sleep on his side, with a little blanket wrapped up to keep him on his side. So far so good! I just laid him down after his feeding, and he's sound asleep already. Hopefully, this will make things during the day better.
Thanks for all of your advice. Today was a much better day, and this week, if things go back the way they were, I may drive up to see the Lactation Consultant again. I'm slowly beginning to distinguish between Shepherds cries, and realizing that breastfeeding isn't a mechanical process that you time between feedings. I know the goal is to get him to wait longer between feedings eventually but for now, I'm feeding my baby when he's hungry. And thankfully, that's no less than 2 hours from feeding to feeding, and up to 4 hours between feedings. I tend to be a perfectionist, and wanting to do everything right, so it's hard to let go, and just feed when he seems hungry.
Anyways... tomorrow, my mom leaves, and Forrest's mom flies in. Wednesday, Forrest goes back to work. I'm extremely nervous about this, because when I have a breakdown (emotionally), I want to have him here with me, not an hour away in DC. But I know it'll be good for both of us. He's ready to be back at work (though not ready to leave us here... he asked if he could take us in... silly boy... :) ) because for him, working is doing something productive for the family. Friday night, Forrest's dad and brother are coming up to see the baby for the weekend. His dad has been in Hawaii, and his brother, in school. We're looking forward to them seeing Shepherd... I'm a little nervous about having guests. I don't count mom or Cathy as guests, because they're here to help with the house. Their main focus is helping me out, not visiting (although they do get to visit, it's just not the reason they are here). So having company whose exclusive purpose is to hold and get to know Shepherd is hard. I didn't think I'd be the jealous type, but I don't know if I'll be wanting to hand my baby over to someone to hold every time he calms down enough to be held! We'll see... I'm sure things will be fine. It's just hard to know how I'll handle anything these days.
Well, with the little man asleep, I figure I'd better go get some sleep myself. Thanks for all of your comments... it really makes my day when I open my e-mail and see that so many of you care enough to take the time out of your day to leave us a note. So thank you, internets... :)
See, our problem has been that he won't lie down on his back without fussing or crying. He gets all tense and arches his back and screams. We either have to hold him, or pray for mercy and hope that the one time we lay him down, he won't scream. The nurse suggested that we let him sleep on his side, with a little blanket wrapped up to keep him on his side. So far so good! I just laid him down after his feeding, and he's sound asleep already. Hopefully, this will make things during the day better.
Thanks for all of your advice. Today was a much better day, and this week, if things go back the way they were, I may drive up to see the Lactation Consultant again. I'm slowly beginning to distinguish between Shepherds cries, and realizing that breastfeeding isn't a mechanical process that you time between feedings. I know the goal is to get him to wait longer between feedings eventually but for now, I'm feeding my baby when he's hungry. And thankfully, that's no less than 2 hours from feeding to feeding, and up to 4 hours between feedings. I tend to be a perfectionist, and wanting to do everything right, so it's hard to let go, and just feed when he seems hungry.
Anyways... tomorrow, my mom leaves, and Forrest's mom flies in. Wednesday, Forrest goes back to work. I'm extremely nervous about this, because when I have a breakdown (emotionally), I want to have him here with me, not an hour away in DC. But I know it'll be good for both of us. He's ready to be back at work (though not ready to leave us here... he asked if he could take us in... silly boy... :) ) because for him, working is doing something productive for the family. Friday night, Forrest's dad and brother are coming up to see the baby for the weekend. His dad has been in Hawaii, and his brother, in school. We're looking forward to them seeing Shepherd... I'm a little nervous about having guests. I don't count mom or Cathy as guests, because they're here to help with the house. Their main focus is helping me out, not visiting (although they do get to visit, it's just not the reason they are here). So having company whose exclusive purpose is to hold and get to know Shepherd is hard. I didn't think I'd be the jealous type, but I don't know if I'll be wanting to hand my baby over to someone to hold every time he calms down enough to be held! We'll see... I'm sure things will be fine. It's just hard to know how I'll handle anything these days.
Well, with the little man asleep, I figure I'd better go get some sleep myself. Thanks for all of your comments... it really makes my day when I open my e-mail and see that so many of you care enough to take the time out of your day to leave us a note. So thank you, internets... :)
Advice?
Y'all... there is so much freakin' information out there regarding breastfeeding. Parent directed? Baby directed? Everything seems to say different things... Feed only for 20 minutes... never more than 30... NO! feed as much as baby wants until baby pulls away! It's so dad-gum confusing, that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I've tried all of them, and they seem to work and then not work... My problem is Shepherd is constantly falling asleep at the breast, and I have to encourage him to keep eating. So if I wait until he pulls off, he may pull off too soon because he's asleep. Then again, sometimes, he will fall asleep and keep suckling and then I have no idea how long he needs to eat because 45 minutes later, he's still "eating".
What seemed to work for a few days was feeding 10 minutes on each breast, 3 hours apart. However, today that doesn't seem to work with him, and tonight.. I can't tell if he's hungry, fussy, or what, but he just won't go back to sleep. I offered the breast to him again after feeding on both for 10 minutes, and he took it, only to promptly fall asleep.
Y'all... I know that there are those of you out there who are experts at this stuff... What do you do?! What works for you?
What seemed to work for a few days was feeding 10 minutes on each breast, 3 hours apart. However, today that doesn't seem to work with him, and tonight.. I can't tell if he's hungry, fussy, or what, but he just won't go back to sleep. I offered the breast to him again after feeding on both for 10 minutes, and he took it, only to promptly fall asleep.
Y'all... I know that there are those of you out there who are experts at this stuff... What do you do?! What works for you?
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Birth Story: Part I
Where do I begin?
Sunday morning, I woke up for my usual potty break, and noticed something was different. I went back to bed with cramps, and some mild contractions and finished my morning off (*sigh* And I thought I was losing sleep then? Crazy woman, I was). All day long, the contractions kept up, but at no regular rate, and sometimes going away for hours on end. Also? The other "tell, tell sign of labor" kept up, reminding me how nice it was to go 9 months without this stuff. Mom and Dad got very excited, and decided that with the induction scheduled for the end of the week anyways, they'd take a chance and come on up Sunday afternoon, as to not have to drive 5 hours in the smack-dab-middle of the night. We went to bed Sunday night, and I was totally convinced that my body, being retarded as it had been, would just stop.
So, Monday I woke up a little hungry, but feeling crampy again. I got up, fixed myself some cereal, and sat there, realizing that the cramps were contractions. "Okay," I thought, "these are contractions, but they'll probably go away." So I get up from eating, make some coffee for everyone (Forrest, Mom, Dad, and my brother, Justin). Mom comes in, and we start talking...about what, I can't remember, but it was around this time that the contractions started getting my attention. They didn't really hurt, they just made me have to stop a minute... (well, they hurt... I can't say that they didn't, but... it's hard to explain, but yeah, you understand). I decided around 8:45 that I wanted to go into the doctor that day instead of Tuesday to see my progress. So I called the doctor, and they told me that my appointment was actually for that day, not Tuesday, that my "idiot brain" had kicked in. My appointment was at 11, so I got up to go get a shower and clean up. During my shower, I realized that I'd probably better get ready, just in case they sent me to the hospital. Then I promptly laughed at myself for such foolish thinking, and went back to getting ready. I'm so glad I got that shower.... :)
We arrived at the doctors office, and the doctor examined me and pronounced me 3 cm, 75%-80% effaced. She gave us two choices. Either walk around and try to progress on our own. Or she'd admit me to the hospital, break my water, and try to get things going that way. I opted with the first one at first, saying I was pretty hungry and wanted to get some lunch. To which, she gave me this half-smile and said, "Honey, just keep in mind, whatever you eat now, may come up later." And that's all it took. Telling a pregnant lady she couldn't eat. So I decided to head over to the hospital with the promise from my OB that she'd get me past triage by telling them I was leaking fluid (totally wasn't).
We arrived at the hospital, and as promised, we were rushed past triage and straight to our room. And what a room it was. We had the corner room, with a view of the heliport (which only fascinated the other people NOT in labor). Anyways, I was still contracting, but they were still manageable. My doctor came in and broke my water, which was actually pretty painless. She checked me, and I was between 4 and 5 cm. So 1 cm in an hour. Pretty good progress. Then, after my doctor left, the contractions went from being tolerable, to very painful. For the first little while, I was able to breathe through them, holding Forrest's hand. I refused to look at the monitor during the contraction, but after one was over, I looked over, and they were off the chart. They were lasting around 2 minutes, peaking for 45 seconds. And, they were only minutes apart. So by the time I'd gotten over one, and barely caught my breath, the other one had started. They became increasingly excruciating, and so, knowing that it could take a while for the anesthesiologist to come, I went ahead and ordered the epidural. At first, I just looked at Forrest and apologized for not making it further, and he looked at me like I was crazy, and said that with those contractions, he would have taken the medicine before then.
Finally, the anesthesiologist came in with the head nurse. They had Forrest sit down on a stool as not to pass out, and they began getting me ready. The head nurse was on call, and on the phone, all the while, trying to encourage me to stay still. The anesthesiologist was also on the phone trying to handle some other patient, while scrubbing me down. And suddenly, I grew very, very afraid. Both of these people were on the phone, and one of them was about to stick a needle in my SPINE! Thankfully, the nurse managed to get off the phone and talk me through the procedure, and the anesthesiologist got off the phone before sticking my spine. The nurse ended up being very nice, and held my hand while talking me through it. I will have to say, this probably was the most terrifying part of the entire labor... beginning to end. As soon as the epidural was in, I started to feel a bit better. They had to up the medicine though because I was still feeling uncomfortable pressure with pain at the peak of each contraction.
An hour later, around 4:45, the nurse checked me and I was still 5 cm. My parents, brother, and Forrest were all in the room about this time, and we just sat around visiting. We were waiting on Forrest's mom and step-dad to get there, and of course, they were stuck in Northern Virginia traffic on I-95. Finally, around 5:45, my doctor came in and checked me. I was 9 1/2 cm and 100% effaced. I asked again if I understood her correctly, because... 5 cm to 9 1/2 cm is 4 1/2 cm in ONE HOUR! Hoooooollly Crap!! Finally, Forrest's mom and step-dad arrived, and I got to say hey to them before they all left so that I could start pushing. Once I hit 10 cm, the pressure was immense and incredibly uncomfortable. I was having to breathe through the pressure because they still weren't ready for me to push. Once I started pushing, I grew incredibly anxious and nervous, and felt like I was going to be sick. I spent a good 10 minutes gagging and trying to calm down. Once I was calm, we started the serious pushing. I had the most wonderful nurse in the world to help out, and the most wonderful husband on the other side, counting for me. As Forrest counted, he watched, and kept telling me when he could see the head. I knew Shepherd had a headful of hair before he came out, and I knew that I must be doing something right if Forrest could see his head. After an hour pushing, the doctor started getting ready to actually deliver the baby. As I kept pushing, she informed me that it looked as though she'd have to do an episiotomy. And all of the sudden, it was like my body said, "Hell no!" and pushed the baby's head out, before the doctor could do anything. Then, as I breathed through a few more urges to push, the doctor told me to push the rest of the baby out. And at 8:23 pm, Shepherd Forrest was born. Forrest cried, I cried... they placed Shepherd on my chest, and all I could do was weep for joy that my son had arrived safely.
They took Shepherd off to clean him, and Forrest followed. I watched them over at the side of the room, while my doctor informed me I had a 3rd degree laceration, and she'd be stitching me up for a while. Somehow, I don't remember this because I was too busy watching my husband look over my son. No words can express how joyful and happy I felt at that moment. All of the pain, all of the months of waiting, everything... had led up to this, and it was SOOOOOOOOO worth it. God had blessed me with the most precious gift in all the world, a beautiful, healthy, baby boy. And every day, I fall more and more madly in love with him.
Sunday morning, I woke up for my usual potty break, and noticed something was different. I went back to bed with cramps, and some mild contractions and finished my morning off (*sigh* And I thought I was losing sleep then? Crazy woman, I was). All day long, the contractions kept up, but at no regular rate, and sometimes going away for hours on end. Also? The other "tell, tell sign of labor" kept up, reminding me how nice it was to go 9 months without this stuff. Mom and Dad got very excited, and decided that with the induction scheduled for the end of the week anyways, they'd take a chance and come on up Sunday afternoon, as to not have to drive 5 hours in the smack-dab-middle of the night. We went to bed Sunday night, and I was totally convinced that my body, being retarded as it had been, would just stop.
So, Monday I woke up a little hungry, but feeling crampy again. I got up, fixed myself some cereal, and sat there, realizing that the cramps were contractions. "Okay," I thought, "these are contractions, but they'll probably go away." So I get up from eating, make some coffee for everyone (Forrest, Mom, Dad, and my brother, Justin). Mom comes in, and we start talking...about what, I can't remember, but it was around this time that the contractions started getting my attention. They didn't really hurt, they just made me have to stop a minute... (well, they hurt... I can't say that they didn't, but... it's hard to explain, but yeah, you understand). I decided around 8:45 that I wanted to go into the doctor that day instead of Tuesday to see my progress. So I called the doctor, and they told me that my appointment was actually for that day, not Tuesday, that my "idiot brain" had kicked in. My appointment was at 11, so I got up to go get a shower and clean up. During my shower, I realized that I'd probably better get ready, just in case they sent me to the hospital. Then I promptly laughed at myself for such foolish thinking, and went back to getting ready. I'm so glad I got that shower.... :)
We arrived at the doctors office, and the doctor examined me and pronounced me 3 cm, 75%-80% effaced. She gave us two choices. Either walk around and try to progress on our own. Or she'd admit me to the hospital, break my water, and try to get things going that way. I opted with the first one at first, saying I was pretty hungry and wanted to get some lunch. To which, she gave me this half-smile and said, "Honey, just keep in mind, whatever you eat now, may come up later." And that's all it took. Telling a pregnant lady she couldn't eat. So I decided to head over to the hospital with the promise from my OB that she'd get me past triage by telling them I was leaking fluid (totally wasn't).
We arrived at the hospital, and as promised, we were rushed past triage and straight to our room. And what a room it was. We had the corner room, with a view of the heliport (which only fascinated the other people NOT in labor). Anyways, I was still contracting, but they were still manageable. My doctor came in and broke my water, which was actually pretty painless. She checked me, and I was between 4 and 5 cm. So 1 cm in an hour. Pretty good progress. Then, after my doctor left, the contractions went from being tolerable, to very painful. For the first little while, I was able to breathe through them, holding Forrest's hand. I refused to look at the monitor during the contraction, but after one was over, I looked over, and they were off the chart. They were lasting around 2 minutes, peaking for 45 seconds. And, they were only minutes apart. So by the time I'd gotten over one, and barely caught my breath, the other one had started. They became increasingly excruciating, and so, knowing that it could take a while for the anesthesiologist to come, I went ahead and ordered the epidural. At first, I just looked at Forrest and apologized for not making it further, and he looked at me like I was crazy, and said that with those contractions, he would have taken the medicine before then.
Finally, the anesthesiologist came in with the head nurse. They had Forrest sit down on a stool as not to pass out, and they began getting me ready. The head nurse was on call, and on the phone, all the while, trying to encourage me to stay still. The anesthesiologist was also on the phone trying to handle some other patient, while scrubbing me down. And suddenly, I grew very, very afraid. Both of these people were on the phone, and one of them was about to stick a needle in my SPINE! Thankfully, the nurse managed to get off the phone and talk me through the procedure, and the anesthesiologist got off the phone before sticking my spine. The nurse ended up being very nice, and held my hand while talking me through it. I will have to say, this probably was the most terrifying part of the entire labor... beginning to end. As soon as the epidural was in, I started to feel a bit better. They had to up the medicine though because I was still feeling uncomfortable pressure with pain at the peak of each contraction.
An hour later, around 4:45, the nurse checked me and I was still 5 cm. My parents, brother, and Forrest were all in the room about this time, and we just sat around visiting. We were waiting on Forrest's mom and step-dad to get there, and of course, they were stuck in Northern Virginia traffic on I-95. Finally, around 5:45, my doctor came in and checked me. I was 9 1/2 cm and 100% effaced. I asked again if I understood her correctly, because... 5 cm to 9 1/2 cm is 4 1/2 cm in ONE HOUR! Hoooooollly Crap!! Finally, Forrest's mom and step-dad arrived, and I got to say hey to them before they all left so that I could start pushing. Once I hit 10 cm, the pressure was immense and incredibly uncomfortable. I was having to breathe through the pressure because they still weren't ready for me to push. Once I started pushing, I grew incredibly anxious and nervous, and felt like I was going to be sick. I spent a good 10 minutes gagging and trying to calm down. Once I was calm, we started the serious pushing. I had the most wonderful nurse in the world to help out, and the most wonderful husband on the other side, counting for me. As Forrest counted, he watched, and kept telling me when he could see the head. I knew Shepherd had a headful of hair before he came out, and I knew that I must be doing something right if Forrest could see his head. After an hour pushing, the doctor started getting ready to actually deliver the baby. As I kept pushing, she informed me that it looked as though she'd have to do an episiotomy. And all of the sudden, it was like my body said, "Hell no!" and pushed the baby's head out, before the doctor could do anything. Then, as I breathed through a few more urges to push, the doctor told me to push the rest of the baby out. And at 8:23 pm, Shepherd Forrest was born. Forrest cried, I cried... they placed Shepherd on my chest, and all I could do was weep for joy that my son had arrived safely.
They took Shepherd off to clean him, and Forrest followed. I watched them over at the side of the room, while my doctor informed me I had a 3rd degree laceration, and she'd be stitching me up for a while. Somehow, I don't remember this because I was too busy watching my husband look over my son. No words can express how joyful and happy I felt at that moment. All of the pain, all of the months of waiting, everything... had led up to this, and it was SOOOOOOOOO worth it. God had blessed me with the most precious gift in all the world, a beautiful, healthy, baby boy. And every day, I fall more and more madly in love with him.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Pictures
Today has been WONDERFUL! Shepherd slept very well last night, allowing mommy and daddy to sort of "recover". Granted, it still wasn't the sleep that we wanted, but it was enough to make a world of a difference. Then, we planned a very short trip to the mall so Mommy could get a nursing bra that fit and some shirts to nurse in, because with family coming to visit, I can't just rip my shirt off every time my son is hungry. Here's a picture of Shepherd in his little "going out" outfit that Nana Upchurch gave him:
And now, for the pictures that you've all been waiting for. Here's Shepherd freshly hatched :)
Forrest and Shepherd an hour after birth. Look at those eyes!!!
Shepherd's first Doctor's Checkup.
Gram, Grandaddy, and Uncle Jussy (my parents and brother)
Forrest, Nana Upchurch, and Papa D (Forrest's Mom and Step-Dad)
Proud new Daddy!!!
Great-Gramps Turpin (my grandfather) and Shepherd take a moment to get aquainted :)
Here's my mom holding Shepherd when she got here last night. We were giddy as can be that she came back... it's so nice to have people to help out.
Anyways, I'd probably better go take a nap now that Shepherd has been fed and put down for his nap. I promise the Birth Story is coming soon...
And now, for the pictures that you've all been waiting for. Here's Shepherd freshly hatched :)
Forrest and Shepherd an hour after birth. Look at those eyes!!!
Shepherd's first Doctor's Checkup.
Gram, Grandaddy, and Uncle Jussy (my parents and brother)
Forrest, Nana Upchurch, and Papa D (Forrest's Mom and Step-Dad)
Proud new Daddy!!!
Great-Gramps Turpin (my grandfather) and Shepherd take a moment to get aquainted :)
Here's my mom holding Shepherd when she got here last night. We were giddy as can be that she came back... it's so nice to have people to help out.
Anyways, I'd probably better go take a nap now that Shepherd has been fed and put down for his nap. I promise the Birth Story is coming soon...
Of Gas and Sleep....
I'm sitting here typing away with one hand, holding our gassy little one with one arm ad resorting to keyboarding kills I haven't used since before middle school typing class (complete with totally not looking at the screen and pecking out words with one finger). So please forgive the horrible typing.
What a trip... it's been a crazy first week, and maybe one day I'll get around to posting our labor story. Shepherd is everything that I dreamed he would be and more. He is absolutely gorgeous... I never thought I could lov someone more than I love Forrest... or my family... or everyone I love. But....wow. Just one look at Shepherd and I totally melt. I would hold him forever if I thought I could survive without the sleep.
Oh... and sleep? Remind me what that is again??? Chris and Matthew warned us, but no amount of warning can possibly prepare you for what happens once your baby is born. Between hormones, lack of sleep, and absolutely not knowing what the heck I'm doing, it's very frazzling. Don't get me wrong... it's totally worth it. But I don't think anyone can be prepared for what happens. Thankfully, my mom came back up today, and Forrest and I were able to catch up on some sleep while she rocked and held Shepherd through some rough gas.
And there we have it... Gas. The one thing that keeps your child awake. Shepherd is a fart machine. Yes... I know he'll kill me one day for saying this, but seriously dude... The gas? Won't.......Stop...... Oh yes, I've burped him, rocked him, everything, but the boy just gets gas! It isn't too bad during the day, just at night he seems to not tolerate it as well. Oh, and the smell? Wow... yeah... but thing is, even though it smells bad... I love that smell! The pediatrician seems to think it's okay, and that his gassiness is just him getting used to using his GI tract. Tonight he seems to be better.... actually, he's totally 100% asleep right now, so I'm going to go try to lay him down. Maybe I'll be back after that since I'm pretty wired from the made up sleep I've had.
What a trip... it's been a crazy first week, and maybe one day I'll get around to posting our labor story. Shepherd is everything that I dreamed he would be and more. He is absolutely gorgeous... I never thought I could lov someone more than I love Forrest... or my family... or everyone I love. But....wow. Just one look at Shepherd and I totally melt. I would hold him forever if I thought I could survive without the sleep.
Oh... and sleep? Remind me what that is again??? Chris and Matthew warned us, but no amount of warning can possibly prepare you for what happens once your baby is born. Between hormones, lack of sleep, and absolutely not knowing what the heck I'm doing, it's very frazzling. Don't get me wrong... it's totally worth it. But I don't think anyone can be prepared for what happens. Thankfully, my mom came back up today, and Forrest and I were able to catch up on some sleep while she rocked and held Shepherd through some rough gas.
And there we have it... Gas. The one thing that keeps your child awake. Shepherd is a fart machine. Yes... I know he'll kill me one day for saying this, but seriously dude... The gas? Won't.......Stop...... Oh yes, I've burped him, rocked him, everything, but the boy just gets gas! It isn't too bad during the day, just at night he seems to not tolerate it as well. Oh, and the smell? Wow... yeah... but thing is, even though it smells bad... I love that smell! The pediatrician seems to think it's okay, and that his gassiness is just him getting used to using his GI tract. Tonight he seems to be better.... actually, he's totally 100% asleep right now, so I'm going to go try to lay him down. Maybe I'll be back after that since I'm pretty wired from the made up sleep I've had.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hello World!
We're home! We're all doing great, but very tired. Just thought I'd post a quick photo of the daddy and our little Shepherd. :) ( love this picture, looks like Shepherd is saying, "Hello World!"
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Update from Justin
hello friends!
This is Corinne's brother, Justin. I am posting without Corinne's direct order (although I'm pretty sure she'd want me to do this) to let you all know that Shepherd Forrest was born at 8:23pm last night! He is 7lbs 10oz and 20 in. long. He has a head full of dark hair and is absolutly beautiful! Corinne was SO calm and cool all day yesterday. I was so impressed with how she handled it. Forrest kept his composure amazingly well, too. They are going to be such great parents!
Well, I won't say too much, as I'm sure Corinne will have much to say when she gets back. Just wanted to let you all know. I know there are many of you who read this regularly and thanks for your support and encouragment of Corinne all these past months!!
Peace,
Justin
This is Corinne's brother, Justin. I am posting without Corinne's direct order (although I'm pretty sure she'd want me to do this) to let you all know that Shepherd Forrest was born at 8:23pm last night! He is 7lbs 10oz and 20 in. long. He has a head full of dark hair and is absolutly beautiful! Corinne was SO calm and cool all day yesterday. I was so impressed with how she handled it. Forrest kept his composure amazingly well, too. They are going to be such great parents!
Well, I won't say too much, as I'm sure Corinne will have much to say when she gets back. Just wanted to let you all know. I know there are many of you who read this regularly and thanks for your support and encouragment of Corinne all these past months!!
Peace,
Justin
Sunday, February 19, 2006
PM Update
So, we're still at home. Things kind of slowed down today... but not stopped, which just confuses me... whatever. I know things have started, it's just when they'll really kick into high gear that's the main question now. My theory? In the smack-dab middle of the night. *sigh* Anyways... thankfully, Forrest has tomorrow off, so he'll be home, even if we're still not at the hospital. I'm sure I could go to the hospital, and they might admit me, but as my doctor said, you're way more comfortable at home than in the hospital. So for now, that's where we are...at home.
We did go get a bite to eat at Famous Dave's BBQ, which was very, very good. :) Maybe some of the spice in the food will "kick things up"... who knows. Seriously... Forrest's step-dad says I have the George W. mentality... "BRING IT ON!!!!!!" hehehehe... I just want things to really start so I can know for sure that my son is coming. I'm still so incredibly skeptical that this is really labor, but I've been assured that it must be the start of something. Anyways... I'll update as often as I can, and will most definately post when we leave for the hospital (or at least, i'll have Forrest post). Wish us luck....
We did go get a bite to eat at Famous Dave's BBQ, which was very, very good. :) Maybe some of the spice in the food will "kick things up"... who knows. Seriously... Forrest's step-dad says I have the George W. mentality... "BRING IT ON!!!!!!" hehehehe... I just want things to really start so I can know for sure that my son is coming. I'm still so incredibly skeptical that this is really labor, but I've been assured that it must be the start of something. Anyways... I'll update as often as I can, and will most definately post when we leave for the hospital (or at least, i'll have Forrest post). Wish us luck....
39 weeks, 5 days (T minus 2 days and counting)
2:30 am - Forrest and I finally get to bed after finishing a movie and sitting around talking forever.
2:45 am - Fall Asleep
3:45 am - Wake up for my usual potty break, only to sleepily notice something unusual about said "potty break"
3:46 am - Call out to Forrest that I think I'm bleeding
3:47 am - Realize that this is what bloody show must be, and cease freaking out.
3:50 am - Back in bed, and suddenly notice the contractions for the first time.
3:51 am - Mention to a very, very sleepy Forrest that I'm having contractions, "Should I worry?" He convinces me it's probably nothing, but even if it is, I should get some sleep.
3:52 am - Lie in bed, staring out the window, mentally trying to relax during contractions. Realize that I've been tensing up against contractions, which was causing them to hurt.
4:00 am - Fall Asleep
4:00-4:45 am - Drift in and out of sleep, waking up with semi-strong contractions occasionaly, only to drift back off to sleep
4:45 am - Second bathroom break, and hey! Still have that stuff!
4:45 am-7:45 am - Sporadic sleeping interspersed with bathroom breaks.
8:00 am - Attempt to call my mother to let her know what's going on, no answer. I figure they must be at church already (Dad's a minister)
8:00-12:00 pm - Hit and miss contractions, nothing major, but still have that "stuff" going on... enough to where I'm starting to worry... Ask Forrest if I should call the doc. Decide not to for now, just because I'm sick of being a worry wart.
1:30 pm - Call doctor, and apologize for calling, but explain situation to her. She says this is perfectly normal, and reassures me. She tells me active labor should start within 24 hours. This makes Forrest very, VERY happy. It makes me happy, but slightly scared.
1:35 pm - Mom calls back to check on me. I tell her about my conversation with the doctor, and she tells me that Dad and her and talked already about maybe coming up tonight. I tell her I'm worried that I won't progress into labor, and that they will drive 5 hours for nothing. She says it's a risk they're willing to take.
1:40 PM - Call my mother-in-law to inform her of the "24-hour" prediction from doctor. She joyfully exclaims "YAY!!!" and begs us to call as soon as it looks like things are progressing. They have an 8 hour drive.
1:45 pm - Forrest calls his brother, who's super excited, and begs us not to leave him out and make sure to call him and keep him updated.
2:00 pm - Sit down to start this post, and realize that I'm finally there... finally starting something that will end with the birth of my son. And I'm very..... very....... happy :)
2:45 am - Fall Asleep
3:45 am - Wake up for my usual potty break, only to sleepily notice something unusual about said "potty break"
3:46 am - Call out to Forrest that I think I'm bleeding
3:47 am - Realize that this is what bloody show must be, and cease freaking out.
3:50 am - Back in bed, and suddenly notice the contractions for the first time.
3:51 am - Mention to a very, very sleepy Forrest that I'm having contractions, "Should I worry?" He convinces me it's probably nothing, but even if it is, I should get some sleep.
3:52 am - Lie in bed, staring out the window, mentally trying to relax during contractions. Realize that I've been tensing up against contractions, which was causing them to hurt.
4:00 am - Fall Asleep
4:00-4:45 am - Drift in and out of sleep, waking up with semi-strong contractions occasionaly, only to drift back off to sleep
4:45 am - Second bathroom break, and hey! Still have that stuff!
4:45 am-7:45 am - Sporadic sleeping interspersed with bathroom breaks.
8:00 am - Attempt to call my mother to let her know what's going on, no answer. I figure they must be at church already (Dad's a minister)
8:00-12:00 pm - Hit and miss contractions, nothing major, but still have that "stuff" going on... enough to where I'm starting to worry... Ask Forrest if I should call the doc. Decide not to for now, just because I'm sick of being a worry wart.
1:30 pm - Call doctor, and apologize for calling, but explain situation to her. She says this is perfectly normal, and reassures me. She tells me active labor should start within 24 hours. This makes Forrest very, VERY happy. It makes me happy, but slightly scared.
1:35 pm - Mom calls back to check on me. I tell her about my conversation with the doctor, and she tells me that Dad and her and talked already about maybe coming up tonight. I tell her I'm worried that I won't progress into labor, and that they will drive 5 hours for nothing. She says it's a risk they're willing to take.
1:40 PM - Call my mother-in-law to inform her of the "24-hour" prediction from doctor. She joyfully exclaims "YAY!!!" and begs us to call as soon as it looks like things are progressing. They have an 8 hour drive.
1:45 pm - Forrest calls his brother, who's super excited, and begs us not to leave him out and make sure to call him and keep him updated.
2:00 pm - Sit down to start this post, and realize that I'm finally there... finally starting something that will end with the birth of my son. And I'm very..... very....... happy :)
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Just so you know...
Nothing happened today. No baby. Although we've got some "action" going on in my belly area which I refuse to name because whenever I name the said "action" it stops. I'll most definately try to post if anything happens and we head to the "place we don't speak of". Either that, or I'll call my brother and have him post something for me.
Here's hoping!!!
Here's hoping!!!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Birthday Gift
If it wasn't enough that I'm married to the most gorgeous man alive, and that I love him so much that sometimes it scares me... he bought me birthday presents... and made me dinner. What did he make? You'll laugh...
Shepherd's Pie.
See? Funny isn't it? The funniest part is that this is what he makes me every year for my birthday. It's his specialty, and it's delicious. I'm just glad this year it wasn't made with real Shepherd... hahaha... Anyways...
And my gifts? For starters, I opened a bag that had a variety of small candles. I love candles. The second bag had the Bourne Identity, which I love too. It's a good action movie that I can follow, not just some glorified special effects movie. In the third bag was A Walk to Remember. I had this movie a long time ago, and a friend of mine "borrowed" it, only to never give it back. I've been very bitter since, and wish I had the movie when I want a good cry or a good romance movie. In the fourth bag (see, isn't this fun, he put them all in different bags) was a bath pillow which makes the candles make a little more sense now... and I really have been wanting one of these because how many times have you tried to put your head back, and it's so uncomfortable? The fifth gift hasn't arrived, but I know what it is... because it pulled all of the gifts together (well, not the movies, but the other things). A while ago, we were looking at something, and I saw this. I said something at the time about how cool that was... and how I'd like one, not thinking that it'd even registered with Forrest.
Yes, my husband is THAT awesome... he remembered something that I myself couldn't even remember... and I'm so excited about using my gift! The last one hasn't come in the mail yet, but it's on it's way. Until then, I can enjoy the bath pillows, the candles, and then curl up next to hubby with my big soft robe and watch one of my new movies....
It is good to be 25....
Shepherd's Pie.
See? Funny isn't it? The funniest part is that this is what he makes me every year for my birthday. It's his specialty, and it's delicious. I'm just glad this year it wasn't made with real Shepherd... hahaha... Anyways...
And my gifts? For starters, I opened a bag that had a variety of small candles. I love candles. The second bag had the Bourne Identity, which I love too. It's a good action movie that I can follow, not just some glorified special effects movie. In the third bag was A Walk to Remember. I had this movie a long time ago, and a friend of mine "borrowed" it, only to never give it back. I've been very bitter since, and wish I had the movie when I want a good cry or a good romance movie. In the fourth bag (see, isn't this fun, he put them all in different bags) was a bath pillow which makes the candles make a little more sense now... and I really have been wanting one of these because how many times have you tried to put your head back, and it's so uncomfortable? The fifth gift hasn't arrived, but I know what it is... because it pulled all of the gifts together (well, not the movies, but the other things). A while ago, we were looking at something, and I saw this. I said something at the time about how cool that was... and how I'd like one, not thinking that it'd even registered with Forrest.
Yes, my husband is THAT awesome... he remembered something that I myself couldn't even remember... and I'm so excited about using my gift! The last one hasn't come in the mail yet, but it's on it's way. Until then, I can enjoy the bath pillows, the candles, and then curl up next to hubby with my big soft robe and watch one of my new movies....
It is good to be 25....
Gallon Challenge
I could totally win the Gallon Challenge (WARNING: Do not look at pictures. Simply gross....) because I simply love milk. Especially with cookies. Best cookie for dipping in milk? Chips-Ahoy. Not the soft-batch, but the original. Why? because you have to dip them to make them soft... mmmmmmmmm...... Cookies and Milk.
See? Told you it would make me feel better... (am I a stress-eater or what?!)
See? Told you it would make me feel better... (am I a stress-eater or what?!)
25 reasons I might go crazy today...
1. The baby still isn't here
2. I hate the way people drive sometimes...well, most of the time
3. I also hate seeing cars that have multiple stickers on it... you know, the parking sticker from 2 years ago, last year, and this year. How hard is it to remove the other 2 stickers? eh? Or are you starting a collection?
4. The weather. Yesterday was a balmy 60 degrees. Tomorrow, they're calling for snow.
5. I got my nails done again... and already, I have a chip in the polish. I hate this.
6. My house is clean... there is nothing left to clean except the baseboards, and the thought of my pregnant self scrubbing baseboards.... makes me laugh.
7. I have nothing to do (well, it's more like, i have nothing to do that I want to do... I'm sure I could find something to do)
8. Why do all the state parks in Virginia require you to pay a fee??? This boggles me because the state parks in NC are WAYYYYYYYYYY better, and don't charge fees.
9. Did I mention that the baby still isn't here? My body is retarded and won't keep contractions going for longer than 15 minute spells...
10. Forrest won't tell me what he got me for my birthday. It's my birthday, and I don't know what I got... I have to WAIT. *sigh*
11. My car makes funny noises when I drive it. Seriously... Forrest says he can hear our car coming before it actually arrives. This is just embarrasing.
12. Bad drivers. I know I already mentioned this, but people really irk me when they don't know how to drive.
13. Road Flares. I've been meaning to post an entire post about this for a while now... but keep forgeting. What is is with people up here and road flares? Car break down? ROAD FLARES!!!! Flat tire? ROAD FLARES!!! and we're talking in the middle of the day too... GAH!
14. I feel like a freakin' BARGE... that's how big I am. Last night, we went shopping, and Forrest kept turning around to tell me to quit poking him. I wasn't poking him, my belly was. We just laughed, but seroiusly? I can go NO WHERE without my belly arriving 30 seconds before I do.
15. I ate all the Krispy Kreme donuts. I want more... *pout*
16. We're out of milk, and I'm too lazy to go to the store to buy milk. But I really really want some milk and cookies. *sigh* So I'll probably cave and go to the store here in a minute.
17. This list is starting to drive me crazy...
18. I turn 25 today.... TWENTY-FIVE. eh, I don't feel that much older, but DAD-GUM! 25?! *sigh*
19. Stupid, mean, and selfish people.
20. I'm just realizing that my whole list is negative... maybe I'll have to post a 25 things I'm thankful for later...
21. The feral cats running around outside. I've called the landlord twice to have them removed. I love cats, but these cats are wild.
22. The stupid girls downstairs who keep feeding the cat.
23. People who feed cats milk. CATS DON'T NEED TO DRINK MILK!!!!!!!!! IT MAKES THEM SICK!!!! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
24. The nasty stain on the stair-landing from the cat food... that I must walk over each and everytime I leave my apartment.
25. The paw prints I found on my car this morning... from the stupid, stupid, feral cats. I have never in my life wanted to hurt an animal... I love animals... but these cats... are pushing my limits.
Anyways... so there you have it. I'm still here, still alive, and kicking... and very, very bored... and very very irrate. *sigh* Maybe some milk and cookies will fix that :)
2. I hate the way people drive sometimes...well, most of the time
3. I also hate seeing cars that have multiple stickers on it... you know, the parking sticker from 2 years ago, last year, and this year. How hard is it to remove the other 2 stickers? eh? Or are you starting a collection?
4. The weather. Yesterday was a balmy 60 degrees. Tomorrow, they're calling for snow.
5. I got my nails done again... and already, I have a chip in the polish. I hate this.
6. My house is clean... there is nothing left to clean except the baseboards, and the thought of my pregnant self scrubbing baseboards.... makes me laugh.
7. I have nothing to do (well, it's more like, i have nothing to do that I want to do... I'm sure I could find something to do)
8. Why do all the state parks in Virginia require you to pay a fee??? This boggles me because the state parks in NC are WAYYYYYYYYYY better, and don't charge fees.
9. Did I mention that the baby still isn't here? My body is retarded and won't keep contractions going for longer than 15 minute spells...
10. Forrest won't tell me what he got me for my birthday. It's my birthday, and I don't know what I got... I have to WAIT. *sigh*
11. My car makes funny noises when I drive it. Seriously... Forrest says he can hear our car coming before it actually arrives. This is just embarrasing.
12. Bad drivers. I know I already mentioned this, but people really irk me when they don't know how to drive.
13. Road Flares. I've been meaning to post an entire post about this for a while now... but keep forgeting. What is is with people up here and road flares? Car break down? ROAD FLARES!!!! Flat tire? ROAD FLARES!!! and we're talking in the middle of the day too... GAH!
14. I feel like a freakin' BARGE... that's how big I am. Last night, we went shopping, and Forrest kept turning around to tell me to quit poking him. I wasn't poking him, my belly was. We just laughed, but seroiusly? I can go NO WHERE without my belly arriving 30 seconds before I do.
15. I ate all the Krispy Kreme donuts. I want more... *pout*
16. We're out of milk, and I'm too lazy to go to the store to buy milk. But I really really want some milk and cookies. *sigh* So I'll probably cave and go to the store here in a minute.
17. This list is starting to drive me crazy...
18. I turn 25 today.... TWENTY-FIVE. eh, I don't feel that much older, but DAD-GUM! 25?! *sigh*
19. Stupid, mean, and selfish people.
20. I'm just realizing that my whole list is negative... maybe I'll have to post a 25 things I'm thankful for later...
21. The feral cats running around outside. I've called the landlord twice to have them removed. I love cats, but these cats are wild.
22. The stupid girls downstairs who keep feeding the cat.
23. People who feed cats milk. CATS DON'T NEED TO DRINK MILK!!!!!!!!! IT MAKES THEM SICK!!!! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
24. The nasty stain on the stair-landing from the cat food... that I must walk over each and everytime I leave my apartment.
25. The paw prints I found on my car this morning... from the stupid, stupid, feral cats. I have never in my life wanted to hurt an animal... I love animals... but these cats... are pushing my limits.
Anyways... so there you have it. I'm still here, still alive, and kicking... and very, very bored... and very very irrate. *sigh* Maybe some milk and cookies will fix that :)
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Still Nothin'
Yep, had a doctors appointment this morning and nada... no change from last week. Still 1 cm, 50%. Wahoo! They're scheduling an induction in case our little one decides not to come in time, because already we can tell it's a big baby. So, at the very latest, we'll be induced next Thursday or Friday. We'll know soon enough.
Speaking of having a baby, Forrest had a dream last night that we had ours, and that it was a girl! And we were frantically searching for names for the girl because all along we'd thought it was a boy. Now, I've had 2 sonograms that both confirmed my baby to be a boy... but what are the chances that it was an umbilical stump or a thumb or something altogether different. Now I'm a little freaked that we're having a girl, and all these boy clothes won't do a bit of good! I guess we'll know soon enough, eh? If it is a girl, I think Forrest and I have a backup name picked out... but we'll see.
My current offer of cookies doesn't seem to be producing anything so Forrest and I have upped the anti... If he arrives on his own before the weekend's over, we've promised to look into buying one of these two vehicles for him to ride around in... Maybe not right away, but as soon as we can afford it....
A Honda Element in Orange...
Or a Saturn Vue in Orange or Green (my choice is green, Forrest likes orange)...
My doctor had a god point... girls will come for cookies or chocolate. Boys... will come for cars. :) Let's hope our plan works...
Speaking of having a baby, Forrest had a dream last night that we had ours, and that it was a girl! And we were frantically searching for names for the girl because all along we'd thought it was a boy. Now, I've had 2 sonograms that both confirmed my baby to be a boy... but what are the chances that it was an umbilical stump or a thumb or something altogether different. Now I'm a little freaked that we're having a girl, and all these boy clothes won't do a bit of good! I guess we'll know soon enough, eh? If it is a girl, I think Forrest and I have a backup name picked out... but we'll see.
My current offer of cookies doesn't seem to be producing anything so Forrest and I have upped the anti... If he arrives on his own before the weekend's over, we've promised to look into buying one of these two vehicles for him to ride around in... Maybe not right away, but as soon as we can afford it....
A Honda Element in Orange...
Or a Saturn Vue in Orange or Green (my choice is green, Forrest likes orange)...
My doctor had a god point... girls will come for cookies or chocolate. Boys... will come for cars. :) Let's hope our plan works...
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Here I am! Here I am!!
And no, there's no baby yet. *sigh* Sorry I forgot to update yesterday, it honestly just completely slipped my mind. Anyways, so yes, still here, no, no baby yet. Although, last night, I thought for SURE would be the night. Why? Oh, I don't know, stupid contractions again? Plus? The baby's head is incredibly low. Lower than it has been before. And I woke up with the worst hip pain yet... but alas, this morning I woke up, and......
No baby.
Anyways... despite the no baby, I've been managing to entertain myself and try to do stuff other than sit around all day and whine about how I have no baby yet. I read a book yesterday. Yes, a whole book in one day. It's one of those things that I'm proud of, yet at the same time, one of those things I hate about myself. I can read incredibly fast... which was nice in high school and college when you had to cram for tests or read literature. But for leisure reading, books don't last ANY time with me. I read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Talk about an incredible book... it just sucked me in and I couldn't put it down (probably has something to do w/ the fact that I didn't post yesterday). Today's book (which will probably take me 2 days instead of just 1) is Memoirs of a Geisha. I haven't seen the movie or read the book, so no one ruin it for me.
But first? I'm going to go watch a Baby Story on TLC... because I'm that bored, and because I like to smugly think that I'm going to somehow handle things better than those women on TV.... *ha!*
No baby.
Anyways... despite the no baby, I've been managing to entertain myself and try to do stuff other than sit around all day and whine about how I have no baby yet. I read a book yesterday. Yes, a whole book in one day. It's one of those things that I'm proud of, yet at the same time, one of those things I hate about myself. I can read incredibly fast... which was nice in high school and college when you had to cram for tests or read literature. But for leisure reading, books don't last ANY time with me. I read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Talk about an incredible book... it just sucked me in and I couldn't put it down (probably has something to do w/ the fact that I didn't post yesterday). Today's book (which will probably take me 2 days instead of just 1) is Memoirs of a Geisha. I haven't seen the movie or read the book, so no one ruin it for me.
But first? I'm going to go watch a Baby Story on TLC... because I'm that bored, and because I like to smugly think that I'm going to somehow handle things better than those women on TV.... *ha!*
Monday, February 13, 2006
Monday Marketplace #1
I think I may start something new. Other bloggers have things like Haiku Monday (Chris), Mia Monday (Beth), Wednesday Advice Smackdown (Amy), and many more. Since I thoroughly enjoyed writing my post on Cottonelle toilet paper, I figure I will espouse the goodness of the brands I've come to love. And the name of this wonderful feature? Marketplace Mondays! (unless you can think of something better, which I welcome suggestions!)
Today is brought to you by Luzianne Tea.
I grew up with sweet tea in the deep south, where it is considered abomination to make unsweetened tea and then sweeten it with artificial sweeteners or worse yet, raw sugar. We all know that the chemistry of sugar is that it melts when warm, not cold. So putting sugar in ICED TEA won't make it sweet... you just end up with tea with grainy sugar in it. Imagine our horror when we moved to Northern Virginia, and find out that NO WHERE (okay, maybe one place) serves sweetened tea. Y'all, what is the point of tea if there's no sugar in it, hmmmm? Okay. Also, in our home growing up, the type of tea used to make iced tea was Luzianne. No other tea could match up. Yes, you novice tea drinkers might not be able to tell the difference, but us weathered tea drinkers, there is tremendous difference. So much so, that recently, I found myself in a panic when I realized that the stupid grocery stores up here don't carry Luzianne. Yes... yes... I had to make a special trip to that heavenly store, Harris Teeter, just to purchase tea bags. Crazy? Sure... Worth it? Most definitely. The sad thing is, when I'm watching what I eat (which essentially is when I'm not pregnant), sweet tea is one of the first things to go out the window. There are simply too many calories in that one beverage. But for now? I'll enjoy my sweet tea until the baby is born... and of course, I will always have my Luzianne handy, just in case company stops by, and would like a tall, cool glass of homemade Luzianne sweet tea. :)
Today is brought to you by Luzianne Tea.
I grew up with sweet tea in the deep south, where it is considered abomination to make unsweetened tea and then sweeten it with artificial sweeteners or worse yet, raw sugar. We all know that the chemistry of sugar is that it melts when warm, not cold. So putting sugar in ICED TEA won't make it sweet... you just end up with tea with grainy sugar in it. Imagine our horror when we moved to Northern Virginia, and find out that NO WHERE (okay, maybe one place) serves sweetened tea. Y'all, what is the point of tea if there's no sugar in it, hmmmm? Okay. Also, in our home growing up, the type of tea used to make iced tea was Luzianne. No other tea could match up. Yes, you novice tea drinkers might not be able to tell the difference, but us weathered tea drinkers, there is tremendous difference. So much so, that recently, I found myself in a panic when I realized that the stupid grocery stores up here don't carry Luzianne. Yes... yes... I had to make a special trip to that heavenly store, Harris Teeter, just to purchase tea bags. Crazy? Sure... Worth it? Most definitely. The sad thing is, when I'm watching what I eat (which essentially is when I'm not pregnant), sweet tea is one of the first things to go out the window. There are simply too many calories in that one beverage. But for now? I'll enjoy my sweet tea until the baby is born... and of course, I will always have my Luzianne handy, just in case company stops by, and would like a tall, cool glass of homemade Luzianne sweet tea. :)
Nothing comes to mind....
I've sat here all morning trying to think of what to post today to
the blog. I have no exciting updates, no funny news stories
(although last nights story about Dick Cheney catchin' himself a
Republican had Forrest and I laughing so hard... I mean, yeah, I feel
bad for the guy who got shot... but still... a funny story). The
snow is still on the ground, just not on the roads, which is good.
It's really pretty. There's not much more I can say about snow.
Contractions at night? Eh, not so much... I think I'm just getting
used to the Braxton Hicks or whatever-the-heck you call these things
that I don't get excited anymore. The second I do have anything that
seems non-Braxton-Hickish, turns out it's gas pains... so really,
nothing happening there. I realized that I'm all bent out of shape
for nothing because, hello! My due date isn't until next Tuesday...
so for anything to happen before that? Would just be pure luck.
Still, it would be nice to have a baby to hold since all the other
bloggers due around my due date now have their babies. *shrug*
Oh, and another thing... Because I'm so out of it, and my mind is
totally focused elsewhere (i.e. trying to send telepathic messages to
my unborn son to "GET OUT!"), Forrest and I celebrated Valentine's
Day this morning. We woke up, and were all, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S
DAY!!!" I gave him his gift and card (he said I would get mine
tonight) and we smiled and snuggled and all that happy Valentine's
stuff. Then he left for work, and I was left sitting there thinking
of how great it is to have such a wonderful husband. Then I began to
think, hey! If today is Valentine's Day, that means my birthday is
Thursday, not Friday. Which... didn't quite make sense... SOOOOO...
I pulled out my calendar, and lo' and behold!! Today is February
13th.... not the 14th.... so we'd just celebrated the wrong day!!!
So I frantically called Forrest to make sure he didn't look like an
idiot wishing everyone at work Happy Valentine's day because...
TOMORROW, is the 14th. We had a good laugh and all, but I still feel
stupid. And, I have to wait until Friday for my birthday.
Yes... Friday is my birthday. I turn 25. Yes, this might seem young
to some of you old farts out there, but to me? 25 is big. I like 24
for a lot of reasons. LOTS of them. 25 is quarter of a century. 25 means
I have only 5 years left until I turn 30... 15 until I turn 40. Etc,
Etc. Plus? Having a birthday in your mid-twenties isn't as fun as
having a birthday in your early 20's. For example, for your 21st
birthday, you go out and have a few drinks with your friends, happy
that you can finally legally drink (which for the record, I was a
very good girl and didn't drink before 21... scouts honor!). On your
22nd birthday, you go out with your girlfriends to a nice dinner and
have a grand ol' time. But then, something odd happens. You get
married, then pregnant, and suddenly your birthday just doesn't seem
like that big of a deal. Which is fine, honestly, because if my
family hadn't reminded me that Friday was my birthday, I honestly
don't think I would have remembered it myself (remember, I'm busy
sending telepathic messages). So, what am I doing for my birthday
this year? Nothing probably... unless my body decides to expel the
child that is keeping me up at night with his dance-parties.
Oh, the dance parties. Yes. It seems our son really likes to "get-
jiggy wit it" at night, when I'm trying to sleep. Thus creating
loads of pressure in my pelvis. I'm very suspicious that he's taking
to drinking at these dance parties, because the frequency of my
bathroom trips has quadrupled in the last few days. How do you
explain to your in-utero son that these late hours and drinking are
wreaking havoc on his mothers central nervous system!? Oh well...
Well, since I've rambled on and on long enough, I figure it's time
for me to go find something else to do.
the blog. I have no exciting updates, no funny news stories
(although last nights story about Dick Cheney catchin' himself a
Republican had Forrest and I laughing so hard... I mean, yeah, I feel
bad for the guy who got shot... but still... a funny story). The
snow is still on the ground, just not on the roads, which is good.
It's really pretty. There's not much more I can say about snow.
Contractions at night? Eh, not so much... I think I'm just getting
used to the Braxton Hicks or whatever-the-heck you call these things
that I don't get excited anymore. The second I do have anything that
seems non-Braxton-Hickish, turns out it's gas pains... so really,
nothing happening there. I realized that I'm all bent out of shape
for nothing because, hello! My due date isn't until next Tuesday...
so for anything to happen before that? Would just be pure luck.
Still, it would be nice to have a baby to hold since all the other
bloggers due around my due date now have their babies. *shrug*
Oh, and another thing... Because I'm so out of it, and my mind is
totally focused elsewhere (i.e. trying to send telepathic messages to
my unborn son to "GET OUT!"), Forrest and I celebrated Valentine's
Day this morning. We woke up, and were all, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S
DAY!!!" I gave him his gift and card (he said I would get mine
tonight) and we smiled and snuggled and all that happy Valentine's
stuff. Then he left for work, and I was left sitting there thinking
of how great it is to have such a wonderful husband. Then I began to
think, hey! If today is Valentine's Day, that means my birthday is
Thursday, not Friday. Which... didn't quite make sense... SOOOOO...
I pulled out my calendar, and lo' and behold!! Today is February
13th.... not the 14th.... so we'd just celebrated the wrong day!!!
So I frantically called Forrest to make sure he didn't look like an
idiot wishing everyone at work Happy Valentine's day because...
TOMORROW, is the 14th. We had a good laugh and all, but I still feel
stupid. And, I have to wait until Friday for my birthday.
Yes... Friday is my birthday. I turn 25. Yes, this might seem young
to some of you old farts out there, but to me? 25 is big. I like 24
for a lot of reasons. LOTS of them. 25 is quarter of a century. 25 means
I have only 5 years left until I turn 30... 15 until I turn 40. Etc,
Etc. Plus? Having a birthday in your mid-twenties isn't as fun as
having a birthday in your early 20's. For example, for your 21st
birthday, you go out and have a few drinks with your friends, happy
that you can finally legally drink (which for the record, I was a
very good girl and didn't drink before 21... scouts honor!). On your
22nd birthday, you go out with your girlfriends to a nice dinner and
have a grand ol' time. But then, something odd happens. You get
married, then pregnant, and suddenly your birthday just doesn't seem
like that big of a deal. Which is fine, honestly, because if my
family hadn't reminded me that Friday was my birthday, I honestly
don't think I would have remembered it myself (remember, I'm busy
sending telepathic messages). So, what am I doing for my birthday
this year? Nothing probably... unless my body decides to expel the
child that is keeping me up at night with his dance-parties.
Oh, the dance parties. Yes. It seems our son really likes to "get-
jiggy wit it" at night, when I'm trying to sleep. Thus creating
loads of pressure in my pelvis. I'm very suspicious that he's taking
to drinking at these dance parties, because the frequency of my
bathroom trips has quadrupled in the last few days. How do you
explain to your in-utero son that these late hours and drinking are
wreaking havoc on his mothers central nervous system!? Oh well...
Well, since I've rambled on and on long enough, I figure it's time
for me to go find something else to do.
Nothing comes to mind...
I've sat here all morning trying to think of what to post today to the blog. I have no exciting updates, no funny news stories (although last nights story about Dick Cheney catchin' himself a Republican had Forrest and I laughing so hard... I mean, yeah, I feel bad for the guy who got shot... but still... a funny story). The snow is still on the ground, just not on the roads, which is good. It's really pretty. There's not much more I can say about snow.
Contractions at night? Eh, not so much... I think I'm just getting used to the Braxton Hicks or whatever-the-heck you call these things that I don't get excited anymore. The second I do have anything that seems non-Braxton-Hickish, turns out it's gas pains... so really, nothing happening there. I realized that I'm all bent out of shape for nothing because, hello! My due date isn't until next Tuesday... so for anything to happen before that? Would just be pure luck. Still, it would be nice to have a baby to hold since all the other bloggers due around my due date now have their babies. *shrug*
Oh, and another thing... Because I'm so out of it, and my mind is totally focused elsewhere (i.e. trying to send telepathic messages to my unborn son to "GET OUT!"), Forrest and I celebrated Valentine's Day this morning. We woke up, and were all, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!" I gave him his gift and card (he said I would get mine tonight) and we smiled and snuggled and all that happy Valentine's stuff. Then he left for work, and I was left sitting there thinking of how great it is to have such a wonderful husband. Then I began to think, hey! If today is Valentine's Day, that means my birthday is Thursday, not friday. Which... didn't quite make sense... SOOOOO... I pulled out my calendar, and lo' and behold!! Today is February 13th.... not the 14th.... so we'd just celebrated the wrong day!!! So I frantically called Forrest to make sure he didn't look like an idiot wishing everyone at work Happy Valentine's day because... TOMORROW, is the 14th. We had a good laugh and all, but I still feel stupid. And, I have to wait until Friday for my birthday.
Yes... Friday is my birthday. I turn 25. Yes, this might seem young to some of you old farts out there, but to me? 25 is big. I like 24 for a lot of reasons. LOTS of them. 25 is half a century. 25 means I have only 5 years left until I turn 30... 15 until I turn 40. Etc, Etc. Plus? Having a birthday in your mid-twenties isn't as fun as having a birthday in your early 20's. For example, for your 21st birthday, you go out and have a few drinks with your friends, happy that you can finally legally drink (which for the record, I was a very good girl and didn't drink before 21... scouts honor!). On your 22nd birthday, you go out with your girlfriends to a nice dinner and have a grand ol' time. But then, something odd happens. You get married, then pregnant, and suddenly your birthday just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Which is fine, honestly, because if my family hadn't reminded me that Friday was my birthday, I honestly don't think I would have remembered it myself (remember, I'm busy sending telepathic messages). So, what am I doing for my birthday this year? Nothing probably... unless my body decides to expell the child that is keeping me up at night with his dance-parties.
Oh, the dance parties. Yes. It seems our son really likes to "get-jiggy wit it" at night, when I'm trying to sleep. Thus creating loads of pressure in my pelvis. I'm very suspicious that he's taking to drinking at these dance parties, because the frequency of my bathroom trips has quadrupled in the last few days. How do you explain to your in-utero son that these late hours and drinking are wreaking havoc on his mothers central nervous system!? Oh well...
Well, since I've rambled on and on long enough, I figure it's time for me to go find something else to do.
Contractions at night? Eh, not so much... I think I'm just getting used to the Braxton Hicks or whatever-the-heck you call these things that I don't get excited anymore. The second I do have anything that seems non-Braxton-Hickish, turns out it's gas pains... so really, nothing happening there. I realized that I'm all bent out of shape for nothing because, hello! My due date isn't until next Tuesday... so for anything to happen before that? Would just be pure luck. Still, it would be nice to have a baby to hold since all the other bloggers due around my due date now have their babies. *shrug*
Oh, and another thing... Because I'm so out of it, and my mind is totally focused elsewhere (i.e. trying to send telepathic messages to my unborn son to "GET OUT!"), Forrest and I celebrated Valentine's Day this morning. We woke up, and were all, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!" I gave him his gift and card (he said I would get mine tonight) and we smiled and snuggled and all that happy Valentine's stuff. Then he left for work, and I was left sitting there thinking of how great it is to have such a wonderful husband. Then I began to think, hey! If today is Valentine's Day, that means my birthday is Thursday, not friday. Which... didn't quite make sense... SOOOOO... I pulled out my calendar, and lo' and behold!! Today is February 13th.... not the 14th.... so we'd just celebrated the wrong day!!! So I frantically called Forrest to make sure he didn't look like an idiot wishing everyone at work Happy Valentine's day because... TOMORROW, is the 14th. We had a good laugh and all, but I still feel stupid. And, I have to wait until Friday for my birthday.
Yes... Friday is my birthday. I turn 25. Yes, this might seem young to some of you old farts out there, but to me? 25 is big. I like 24 for a lot of reasons. LOTS of them. 25 is half a century. 25 means I have only 5 years left until I turn 30... 15 until I turn 40. Etc, Etc. Plus? Having a birthday in your mid-twenties isn't as fun as having a birthday in your early 20's. For example, for your 21st birthday, you go out and have a few drinks with your friends, happy that you can finally legally drink (which for the record, I was a very good girl and didn't drink before 21... scouts honor!). On your 22nd birthday, you go out with your girlfriends to a nice dinner and have a grand ol' time. But then, something odd happens. You get married, then pregnant, and suddenly your birthday just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Which is fine, honestly, because if my family hadn't reminded me that Friday was my birthday, I honestly don't think I would have remembered it myself (remember, I'm busy sending telepathic messages). So, what am I doing for my birthday this year? Nothing probably... unless my body decides to expell the child that is keeping me up at night with his dance-parties.
Oh, the dance parties. Yes. It seems our son really likes to "get-jiggy wit it" at night, when I'm trying to sleep. Thus creating loads of pressure in my pelvis. I'm very suspicious that he's taking to drinking at these dance parties, because the frequency of my bathroom trips has quadrupled in the last few days. How do you explain to your in-utero son that these late hours and drinking are wreaking havoc on his mothers central nervous system!? Oh well...
Well, since I've rambled on and on long enough, I figure it's time for me to go find something else to do.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Letter to my son...
Dear Shepherd,
Tuesday, you will be 39 weeks old. Your due date is 9 days from today. If you decide to stay put, your induction date is 15 days from today. Hopefully, things won't come to that. You are a big boy. I can tell. I really, really wish you'd "head on out" because mommy is pretty uncomfortable. Last night a big snow storm came through, and I thought surely you would come then. I mean, as much as both your mommy and daddy love snow, I thought we'd pass that on to you, and you'd decide to make an appearance to see the snow. But you didn't. So today, we went outside and played in the snow, even making a snowman... and videotaped some of it just to show you the fun you missed out on. Tonight is a full moon. They say lots of babies are born during full moons. But not you. You dare to be different. So, I'm sitting here writing this letter to you to say one thing.
Please, please come out.
I fear the worst has happened, and you've inherited my tendancy towards procrastination. You've also become quite a tease, with contractions the past 5 nights in a row, but nothing to show for it. You also get that from your mommy. All I'm asking is for a little focus. Just focus on making your way out, because if mommy doesn't get any sleep, she might be a little batty when you get here. In fact, she's already a little batty, and she snapped at daddy the other night for no reason. But really, I know you're nice and warm inside, and I know there's a reason that you're in there still... just I can't figure out what it is. Please know that your mommy and daddy are just beside themselves with excitement about your arrival (in fact, we're not the only ones judging from the number of phone calls I get each day to check to see if you're here yet!). We walk in your room every day and look at the crib, the changing table, the toys, the clothes, and everything, and just cannot WAIT to meet you! So please, it would make us so, SO happy if you'd come soon :)
And..... I'll give you a cookie.... :)
Love,
Your Mommy
Tuesday, you will be 39 weeks old. Your due date is 9 days from today. If you decide to stay put, your induction date is 15 days from today. Hopefully, things won't come to that. You are a big boy. I can tell. I really, really wish you'd "head on out" because mommy is pretty uncomfortable. Last night a big snow storm came through, and I thought surely you would come then. I mean, as much as both your mommy and daddy love snow, I thought we'd pass that on to you, and you'd decide to make an appearance to see the snow. But you didn't. So today, we went outside and played in the snow, even making a snowman... and videotaped some of it just to show you the fun you missed out on. Tonight is a full moon. They say lots of babies are born during full moons. But not you. You dare to be different. So, I'm sitting here writing this letter to you to say one thing.
Please, please come out.
I fear the worst has happened, and you've inherited my tendancy towards procrastination. You've also become quite a tease, with contractions the past 5 nights in a row, but nothing to show for it. You also get that from your mommy. All I'm asking is for a little focus. Just focus on making your way out, because if mommy doesn't get any sleep, she might be a little batty when you get here. In fact, she's already a little batty, and she snapped at daddy the other night for no reason. But really, I know you're nice and warm inside, and I know there's a reason that you're in there still... just I can't figure out what it is. Please know that your mommy and daddy are just beside themselves with excitement about your arrival (in fact, we're not the only ones judging from the number of phone calls I get each day to check to see if you're here yet!). We walk in your room every day and look at the crib, the changing table, the toys, the clothes, and everything, and just cannot WAIT to meet you! So please, it would make us so, SO happy if you'd come soon :)
And..... I'll give you a cookie.... :)
Love,
Your Mommy
Friday, February 10, 2006
Congratulations Liza and Jill
Liza and Jill welcomed baby Noah Connor into the world at 3:37 pm today!!! (information is in the comments section). Head on over and congratulate them!!!!!!!!!!!
Drs. Appt + Cravings
Just because I have to get this out of the way, we had our doctors appt. Nothing's changed... still 1 cm, 50% effaced. Whoopi-de-doo.... I knew that because my body is retarded. Contractions don't do SQUAT even when they hurt...
Moving on to the more important stuff...
Y'all..... y'all, y'all, y'all...... I have DISCOVERED something utterly magnificent. Something absolutely BREATHTAKING. Something that I would DIE for.
Brace yourself.
THEY HAVE BOJANGLES IN MARYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why did none of you Marylanders tell me this?! HUH? WHY!?! And not just far away maryland, but SO CLOSE TO DC YOU COULD SPIT ON DUBYA close!!!! LORDY!!!! I'm hyperventalating right now. All I can think about is my precious........... precious.......... Cajun Filet Biscut, with Seasoned Fries, and a tall Sweet Tea....... GOOD *pause* HEAVENS!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT is what I'm talking about. All you out there who are thinking, what's the big deal!? WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!?!?! Only the best chicken ever!!! Nothing has ever, EVER satisfied a PMS mood funk like Bojangles... and to date, nothing has satisfied my close-to-having-your-baby-and-going-crazy funk like Bojangles.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN GLLLLLLLLLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Y'all!!!
Ok, I must breathe... Y'all if I make it through the weekend without a trip to Maryland, it'll be a freakin' miracle!
Moving on to the more important stuff...
Y'all..... y'all, y'all, y'all...... I have DISCOVERED something utterly magnificent. Something absolutely BREATHTAKING. Something that I would DIE for.
Brace yourself.
THEY HAVE BOJANGLES IN MARYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why did none of you Marylanders tell me this?! HUH? WHY!?! And not just far away maryland, but SO CLOSE TO DC YOU COULD SPIT ON DUBYA close!!!! LORDY!!!! I'm hyperventalating right now. All I can think about is my precious........... precious.......... Cajun Filet Biscut, with Seasoned Fries, and a tall Sweet Tea....... GOOD *pause* HEAVENS!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT is what I'm talking about. All you out there who are thinking, what's the big deal!? WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!?!?! Only the best chicken ever!!! Nothing has ever, EVER satisfied a PMS mood funk like Bojangles... and to date, nothing has satisfied my close-to-having-your-baby-and-going-crazy funk like Bojangles.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN GLLLLLLLLLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Y'all!!!
Ok, I must breathe... Y'all if I make it through the weekend without a trip to Maryland, it'll be a freakin' miracle!
Congratulations Avorie and Hubby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Avorie and her hubby welcomed baby Lillian (Lily) into the world at 5 pm on February 7. Head on over to her site to congratulate her.... we're looking forward to the birth story and pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
38 Weeks, 2 days
Still here.
No baby.
Trying desperately to find things to do around the house (after yesterdays dusting, cleaning out the refrigerator, laundry, and general straightening up success).
Any ideas would be most welcome.
No baby.
Trying desperately to find things to do around the house (after yesterdays dusting, cleaning out the refrigerator, laundry, and general straightening up success).
Any ideas would be most welcome.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Forgive me...
I realize that my post yesterday about men commenting on the due date may have seemed a little extreme. 99% of the guys out there know better than to say awful things to pregnant women... and the 1% of those who don't, normally don't bother me. I'm guessing my horomones are wayyyy out of control right now, causing the slightest thing to upset me.
For example... this morning, I woke up with contractions. Yes, not the Braxton Hicks type, but the crampy, serious business type. And you know what? I started crying because I didn't want to have the baby yet. "I'm too tired to have the baby... I just want to sleep!" I whined to Forrest. And those of you following my blog on a regular basis, are scratching your head and going, "Whaaaa..?!?!" The contractions stopped after a while, and I managed to fall back asleep... But y'all... I actually didn't want to have the baby. It suddenly dawned on me last night while contracting that....
A) Pushing a baby out hurts
B) Having a baby means I have to take care of it... and possibly, I could break it.
C) Pushing a baby out hurts.
Bottom line.... I realized how big of a wimp I am, and how hard labor is going to be. I want to do this naturally... at least until 5 cm. Why 5 cm? I don't know, it seems like a nice halfway point, and if I get there, I might be so dadgum proud of myself I can make it the other 5... or I might be about to die from the pain, meaning, "give me the epidural now!" Either way, there is that 5 cm I have to dialate to before pain relief. I guess you could say I only have 4 more to go (maybe less w/ these contractions the last few nights)... but still. I'm scared to death of the pain.
Anyways... so, to those I may have offended with my post yesterday, I'm sorry... I can only blame the horomones.
For example... this morning, I woke up with contractions. Yes, not the Braxton Hicks type, but the crampy, serious business type. And you know what? I started crying because I didn't want to have the baby yet. "I'm too tired to have the baby... I just want to sleep!" I whined to Forrest. And those of you following my blog on a regular basis, are scratching your head and going, "Whaaaa..?!?!" The contractions stopped after a while, and I managed to fall back asleep... But y'all... I actually didn't want to have the baby. It suddenly dawned on me last night while contracting that....
A) Pushing a baby out hurts
B) Having a baby means I have to take care of it... and possibly, I could break it.
C) Pushing a baby out hurts.
Bottom line.... I realized how big of a wimp I am, and how hard labor is going to be. I want to do this naturally... at least until 5 cm. Why 5 cm? I don't know, it seems like a nice halfway point, and if I get there, I might be so dadgum proud of myself I can make it the other 5... or I might be about to die from the pain, meaning, "give me the epidural now!" Either way, there is that 5 cm I have to dialate to before pain relief. I guess you could say I only have 4 more to go (maybe less w/ these contractions the last few nights)... but still. I'm scared to death of the pain.
Anyways... so, to those I may have offended with my post yesterday, I'm sorry... I can only blame the horomones.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
For the love of all things holy.....
Picture this... you're driving down the road, and you notice a woman driving... with her son (her infant son) sitting on her lap. Now, imagine that this person is a world-famous singer.... who once kissed Madonna.
I'm sorry, but...what the #$(&*(^% was she thinking!??!? Her defense, "I was running away from the paparazzi!!" To that I have to yell out a nice, loud BULL-JUNK!!!!! Y'all see the picture... does she look freaked out? And even if she was, why isn't the guy next to her holding the baby instead of her? EH!? Or why isn't he the one driving?!! Good Heavens!!!
I'm sorry, but...what the #$(&*(^% was she thinking!??!? Her defense, "I was running away from the paparazzi!!" To that I have to yell out a nice, loud BULL-JUNK!!!!! Y'all see the picture... does she look freaked out? And even if she was, why isn't the guy next to her holding the baby instead of her? EH!? Or why isn't he the one driving?!! Good Heavens!!!
38 Weeks
In the spirit of my early posts... here we go:
Symptoms:
Swollen feet, hands, face.
Feeling of being HUGE (as a house)
Exhausted
Hip Pain (as in a million little daggers in my hips when lying on my side)
Braxton Hicks contractions all over the charts
Mood Swings (major ones... as in, I'm crying one minute and laughing the next.)
Decreased appetite (yes... this one is odd my friends, I have developed an inability to decide what to eat)
Baby wiggling and squirming a lot
okay, that was my attempt at being funny... looking back... not so much! Just wanted to give you guys an update to say:
No, I'm not in labor.
Yes, I'm still pregnant.
Yes, I know that the longer the baby is inside me, the healthier he'll be.
That last comment? If I hear it one more time... especially from the mouth of a MAN... who will never experience pregnancy, and can never fathom what it is like to carry a 6+ lb human being inside of you.... I think I will simply go completely crazy.
I am very, VERY aware that the longer my child is in utero, the better. However, if you have a penis.... you have no business telling me, a very, VERY pregnant lady this... especially when she's about to go insane from waiting on this baby. That is like me telling you that the more I kick you in the manly bits, the more you'll get used to it, and the better it is for your manly bits(although I realize that kicking you in the manly bits isn't good for you... at this point, it feels like it's the only way I can get my point across).
Again, I repeat to the men in the back.... DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT tell me that:
1) "All good things are worth waiting for."
2) "The longer he's in there, the healthier he'll be."
3) "I'll bet he doesn't come until after his due date!"
4) "Wow, you look like you're ready to pop!!"
IF you fail to comply, you may wish to purchase yourself a fancy athletic cup....Consider yourself warned...
Symptoms:
Swollen feet, hands, face.
Feeling of being HUGE (as a house)
Exhausted
Hip Pain (as in a million little daggers in my hips when lying on my side)
Braxton Hicks contractions all over the charts
Mood Swings (major ones... as in, I'm crying one minute and laughing the next.)
Decreased appetite (yes... this one is odd my friends, I have developed an inability to decide what to eat)
Baby wiggling and squirming a lot
okay, that was my attempt at being funny... looking back... not so much! Just wanted to give you guys an update to say:
No, I'm not in labor.
Yes, I'm still pregnant.
Yes, I know that the longer the baby is inside me, the healthier he'll be.
That last comment? If I hear it one more time... especially from the mouth of a MAN... who will never experience pregnancy, and can never fathom what it is like to carry a 6+ lb human being inside of you.... I think I will simply go completely crazy.
I am very, VERY aware that the longer my child is in utero, the better. However, if you have a penis.... you have no business telling me, a very, VERY pregnant lady this... especially when she's about to go insane from waiting on this baby. That is like me telling you that the more I kick you in the manly bits, the more you'll get used to it, and the better it is for your manly bits(although I realize that kicking you in the manly bits isn't good for you... at this point, it feels like it's the only way I can get my point across).
Again, I repeat to the men in the back.... DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT tell me that:
1) "All good things are worth waiting for."
2) "The longer he's in there, the healthier he'll be."
3) "I'll bet he doesn't come until after his due date!"
4) "Wow, you look like you're ready to pop!!"
IF you fail to comply, you may wish to purchase yourself a fancy athletic cup....Consider yourself warned...
Monday, February 06, 2006
And Nada.... (nothing for those illiterate in Spanish) -Updated
(photo inspired by Isabel's comment... because seriously, what better way to describe this?!)
Well, it's now 1 :21, and we're back to no regular contractions. Granted, I've had several Braxton Hicks all day, but they aren't regular nor do they hurt as the ones this morning did. I'm exhausted, though... even though I slept pretty late this morning on our couch. It looks as if I may have to sleep on the couch from now on, because of my hip pain. It was nice to be able to sleep a little last night after the contractions subsided, and sitting up a little on the couch helped. What would be nicer is for the baby to come.
I just got an e-mail from Forrest, and he said, "I can't wait to come home and be with you tonight! Maybe Shepherd will come!! Wouldn't that be great." Do ya think he's excited too? I know I am. I told him earlier today that I was just frustrated, not because the baby hasn't been born, but because I was honestly prepared yesterday for the baby to be born on his due date. I was okay with waiting. And then, WHAM... contractions 5 minutes or less apart that hurt like crap, and so, I threw all to the wind and was like, WEEEE!! Baby's coming!!!! Only to discover 2 hours later that these contractions did not want to continue. I'm very, very annoyed. So now, I'm back to working on being okay if the baby's not born until his due date... it's just I don't know if I can handle any more of these false starts.. *sigh*
Well, I'm going to go lay down and take a nap. Your "labor vibes" are much coveted, and I would LOVE to deliver tonight... we'll see.
Update: I just took a look at the history charts, and both my brother and I were born 1 day before a full moon. There's a full moon on Saturday... could this mean anything?! ha... I so want it to..... :)
*sigh*
Yes, it's 5:10 am. I've been awake off and on since 1 am when I woke up with the worst cramps of my life. Yes, it seemed as though contractions were coming strong and hard every 5 minutes (some as little as 3 minutes apart). We timed them for an hour, and then both started drifting off to sleep between each one. We decided to TRY to get some sleep, so back to bed we went. I managed to eventually get back to sleep, only to find the contractions begin to die down again. Yes, I'd wake up to a pretty strong one every now and then, but nothing that was as regular as the 5 minute ones we'd been having for an hour. I know that it's not false labor, because, these suckers were hurting. And the few that I have still, still hurt. Maybe my body is just doing funny things... I don't know. I'm so hesitant to get excited about anything now that we've had 2 false alarms. I know that I'll "know" when I'm in labor, it's just right now, we're sort of in between... and I can't sleep. I've tried to go back to sleep, but my hips hurt so bad that I can hardly lay on my side. Forrest has gone back to sleep because I told him he needed to rest in case the contractions completely stop and he has to go to work.
Y'all..... send some contraction vibes my way, because I'm tired of this stop and start labor/whatever the heck it is.
Y'all..... send some contraction vibes my way, because I'm tired of this stop and start labor/whatever the heck it is.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
And then there were 3....
I was checking up on my fellow Pregnant blog friends, and discovered that 2 of them have had their babies (see below). So that leaves three of us waiting any day now for ours.
My son will probably follow his mother's example and procrastinate until the last minute to be born. Liza is almost full term, so will probably be going any day now (at least I've got my fingers crossed for her!). Avorie has a scheduled induction on Tuesday.
I'm so excited for all of these other new mommies, but at the same time, a wee bit jealous. I want to hold my son in my arms. I want to smell his hair. I want to just have him here so I can play with his wee toes and fingers and just fall in love with him. But I know good things come to those who wait, so I must be patient.
My mom and dad arrived last night. It's always so much fun when they visit... both of them grabbed my belly and said, "Shepherd, it's okay, you can come out now!!! Gram and Grandaddy are here!!!" Too cute!!! We'll be busy today putting up shelving in the babies room, and I'm sure mom and I will go shopping sometime today. I can't wait to get today started (yes, technically I'm awake at 7 am on a Saturday morning, but only because my hips are absolutely killing me)!!!!!!!!
My son will probably follow his mother's example and procrastinate until the last minute to be born. Liza is almost full term, so will probably be going any day now (at least I've got my fingers crossed for her!). Avorie has a scheduled induction on Tuesday.
I'm so excited for all of these other new mommies, but at the same time, a wee bit jealous. I want to hold my son in my arms. I want to smell his hair. I want to just have him here so I can play with his wee toes and fingers and just fall in love with him. But I know good things come to those who wait, so I must be patient.
My mom and dad arrived last night. It's always so much fun when they visit... both of them grabbed my belly and said, "Shepherd, it's okay, you can come out now!!! Gram and Grandaddy are here!!!" Too cute!!! We'll be busy today putting up shelving in the babies room, and I'm sure mom and I will go shopping sometime today. I can't wait to get today started (yes, technically I'm awake at 7 am on a Saturday morning, but only because my hips are absolutely killing me)!!!!!!!!
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mogul!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the way over in London, Mr. and Mrs. Mogul welcomed baby Harrison Joseph into the world Thursday, February 2 at 6:26 am. You can see a picture of the handsome fella here. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mogul, and Welcom to the world baby Mogul!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Congratulations Bill and Kristin!!!!!!!
Friday, February 03, 2006
My War with Toilet Paper
Yes... toilet paper. Recently, while grocery shopping, I purchased a different brand of toilet paper... a brand I swore I'd never buy because I absolutely LOATHED the commercials (Cha-cha-cha-Charmin!) Seriously? Everytime I see this commercial, it reminds me of that song you used to sing when you were in 4th grade, you know the one... "When you're sliding into first and you feel something burst, Diahreah... Diareah... cha cha cha" At least that's how we sang it or something. Anyways... It was on sale. We were strapped for cash, and I did something I swore I'd never do. I switched toilet paper. Normally, I'm fiercely loyal to Cottonelle toilet paper. I have refused to purchase cheaper brands because I am happy with Cottonelle, and refuse to use cheap toilet paper. However, this time, I figured, why not? It's cheaper, and hey... we need toilet paper.
And the world as I knew it STOPPED. TURNING.
Forrest hates the new toilet paper. I hate the new toilet paper. It runs out WAY too fast, and a week later? I'm already halfway through the package. A package of Cottonelle lasted me at least a month if not more! So, there is officially a "toilet-paper situation" in our house. We have to use this stuff up, and at the rate we're going that won't be long. But everytime the toilet flushes, out walks one of us uttering a string of profanities because the new stuff? Is terrible.
Why do I care so much about toilet paper, you may ask? It probably started in college when I lived on campus for 2 years, and the dorm bathrooms carried single-ply toilet paper that you had to karate chop to tear off a piece. Then, I lived with roomates for 2 years, who didn't understand that Dollar Store toilet paper is almost worse than dorm room toilet paper. We'd alternate buying toilet paper... and I'd always buy Cottonelle. Imagine my horror to discover that instead of replacing the TP with normal brands, it was replaced with DOLLAR STORE BRANDS!!!!!!!!!!
Then, I think the icing on the cake was when, after marrying Forrest, and after one particular visit that his father paid us, we discovered that our toilet paper in the guest bathroom had been replaced with cheap hotel toilet paper. Yes, you read that right. My father-in-law, the traveling salesman, stays in a lot of hotels. Each time he leaves, he cleans them out of toilet paper. Now... to me this is stealing. Yes, you pay for the room, but the toilet paper? Isn't just there for grabs. Secondly, he actually uses the stuff at his house, or worse? Hoists it off on us to use at ours. I cannot tell you how much I hate this. I know he means well (he's trying to save us money), but my lovely behind whimpers whenever it sees the hotel brand toilet paper.
So now, we've just got to use up the rest of our TP before I can justify buying a whole new pack of my Cottonelle. Any creative suggestions for the use of the TP? One idea I had was to TP Chris and Beth's house, but I realized, I have no idea where they live. Plus, I'd like to make friends in NoVa, not ostrasize them. Maybe I can get them to join in with me and Forrest and TP the White House.... now THAT would be fun! Any other ideas????
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Exhaustion and Progress
We had our doctor's appointment today. I'm still 1 cm, but 50% effaced, and the baby is at -2 station. So progress is good. Ever since the appointment, I've been having random contractions that I can't time because they're all over the board, but some of them hurt like H-E-double hockey stick, L. I'm also exhausted. I've felt this way for the last 2 days. I guess my body is hard at work trying to get ready for labor. Please please please let it be soon.... I can't take much more uncomfortableness. All I know is that the couch beckons me for a nap.... I'll... *yawn*... talk to y'all.... la..t...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
State of the Union/Baby
I hope some of you didn't expect my next post to be all, "THIS IS IT!!! We're going to the hospital!!!" because since yesterday's events, nothing has happened. Well, stuff has happened, just not anything labor related (besides continued bloody show, which, ew!). This morning, we got up early to go meet the pediatrician we've chosen. I really liked the office, yet, we didn't have a chance to meet the doctor (he wasn't there today). The nurses were nice, and the layout of the office was great. They have a sick room and a well room for waiting rooms (which is nice), and the nurse told us that with newborns, they try to go ahead and take you back to an exam room so you won't be waiting with all the sickly children. That was nice to hear!!! :) So, all in all, we really liked the place, and if things seem "iffy" then we'll resume our search for a doctor. We just needed to settle on one because we need to have their name for the delivery!
I'm actually glad that I survived through the night last night, what with the State of the Union Address and all. It was enough to send a pregnant woman into labor what with the high blood pressure and all that this even usually evokes in me. First off, most of you know (and if you don't, you now do) that I cannot STAND Bush. The man gets under my skin, and bothers me the way no one else does. Is it the way he says A-MER-CA, leaving out the I? Or NU-CU-LAR, instead of NU-CLE-AR? Is it the way he smirks and grins when he thinks he's right? Or is it the way that the right unabashedly support him without question? Is it how he purports that No Child Left Behind is a wonderful program? Because, my mother is the lead teacher in Math for the whole county in North Carolina, and to hear what she says about the impacts of this program? Would convince even the staunchest supporter of Bush that this program is crap. I could go on and on, and on, and on about all of the things that annoyed me last night, but I'm not very good at verbalizing things. I do however, recommend you read Chris's post today about the State of the Union address.
Anyways, since surviving that speech, I've got big plans today to get some things clean for company this weekend (my parents are coming!!!!!!!!! YAY!) If anything changes in the "labor department" I'll let y'all know! :)
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