Moving

I am now posting at kell.thegastoncrew.com. The transition has been a little bit rough, but hopefully things will be letter in the long run (I can look at pictures I post on my computer at work!)

kell

Rollin'

Just a quick update. Baby rolled over for the first time today. Of course, we missed it. Maama got to be the first to witness this momentous feat. She has pictures of the progression, but I haven't had a chance to upload them yet.

Christmas Came Early for Baby

Baby has been wearing us out lately with all of his jumping. We were at a loss for what to get him for Christmas. So, I started doing some research and came across a stationary jumper in the same rainforest theme as many of his other toys. So, last night, mom and I went to babies 'r us and bought it (practically the only time we were out of the house all weekend because we've been sick).

Dh and I put it together last night. And, this morning baby got to try it out. He loves it! He was hesitant at first, just checking out all the toys, but soon he found his feet and had the thing bouncing, bouncing, bouncing. Mom managed to take some pictures, so I'm including those.



In other news, I'm soon to have a new blog home (blogspot has been fine, but I'll be happy to be able to view it from work). Dh finally came up with an appropriate domain name. So, we'll be moving to http://thegastoncrew.com. We thought the name was appropriate!

Oh, and I'd been procrastinating about baby's Christmas stocking. I just didn't think I would have time to make him one to match our's. However, I got a chance Saturday evening and finished it in about 5 1/2 hours.

Ladies' Night Out

Tonight was our long awaited Ladies' Movie Night -- we also got to go out to dinner. It was lots of fun -- we had mexican food and watched "August Rush." The movie was a bit cheesy, but there was good music and it ended happily. Made me miss dh and the baby a lot, though. Dh helped with all the kids at grandma's. Thank you, dh and grandma for giving us some time off!

An acquaintance from "down home" is currently on day 6 of stims. She has 7 follies (a cyst on one ovary is limiting stimulation) right now. Please keep her and her dh in your prayers over the next few weeks.

4 Week Appointment

Update from Today:

14 pounds 5 ounces
25 3/4"

He's So Cute

When Nathaniel was born, I was amazed at how cute he is. I know I'm biased, but he really is a cute baby. So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm including some recent photos (from Halloween thru Thanksgiving).


He made such a cute little lamb.


Playing around with mommy after returning from Houston. I let him relax in just a diaper and wrapped in a flannel blanket. He was so glad to be home. He rolled around on a pallet on the floor wrestling with a blanket for an hour! He was so glad to be out of that car seat, too.


I forgot the outfit I'd bought for Thanksgiving in the dryer! So, he had to wear his new flannel shirt that I bought for the 3 month pictures that never happened. My mom says he looked like his grandad! I didn't get to trim his nails that week, and he decided to tear his face and head up.

Tomorrow is his 4 month checkup. He's supposed to get shots, but we both have a case of the cruddies (mine is worse). I don't know if that will interfere. It scares me so much when he coughs and coughs. There is mucus coming out of everything! Eyes, nose, and then there's all that drool!

Blog You Very Much

This week, the ladies at Lost and Found Connection forwarded a request from some other blogger about thanking the person/persons who inspired you to blog. Really, there were two people for me. So, here goes.

Jenn at pincushionprincessdiaries.blogspot.com first gave me the idea of blogging through ivf. She belonged to my babycenter board and went through ivf just before me. Her ivf didn't work, but she is due anytime after a successful IUI!! Another inspiration was Sunny at gracehopeandfaith.blogspot.com. Sunny is just inspiring in general. I don't know how she remains humourous and patient after 3 plus years of ttc. It's her turn!!!

I Became Pregnant One Year Ago Today

Today . . . last year I was on bed rest after our transfer -- pregnant until proven otherwise. Today . . . this year our little miracle baby is going through the very normal teething stage. Yesterday and today have been hard on him. He also has a cough. Poor guy.

Today, I also got estimates for repairing our garage door (that I crunched on Saturday). It was a stressful weekend! Luckily, it's not going to be too expensive to repair.

National Infertility Awareness Week (Blogtavism)

To the powers that be:

My husband and I always follow the rules. We went to college and graduated with honors. We work and have worked in public education, public policy, and health care -- trying to give back to our community. We pay a ton of taxes! We saved and bought a house with plenty of space to raise the family we'd carefully planned for. When the time seemed right, we decided to start trying to conceive. Thus began the longest, most arduous and heart wrenching experience of my life.

We did what we were told . . . just relax and it will happen. Give it a while. Then it turned into monitor your temperatures,use a ovulation predictor. After six months, I knew there was a problem. Why else would two healthy people at healthy weights and with regular cycles not be able to conceive? Then, the testing began. I can't count the number of times we went to the doctor, the number of oh so pleasant exams, the horrible hysterosalpingogram, the ultrasounds, and the blood draws. Then, we each had surgery. The diagnosis: each of us had a medical condition that was preventing conception.

Our only option: in vitro fertilization with ICSI. Did I mention that I'm a lowly public servant? In Oklahoma, state employee insurance is like picking the best of the worst -- every option is bad! No coverage for any part of IVF. Do you have any idea how much one cycle of IVF costs? Or how much time is involved? (It's very difficult for a teacher to take off an hour or two every day for an extended period of time). Or what the likelihood of success is? We decided to take the risk -- to gamble most of what I make in a year on one attempt. We don't generally gamble, but we felt as if we had no choice.

Thankfully, our "gamble" paid off and we conceived our little boy on the first round. But about half of all couples who try IVF aren't so lucky the first time around. It's hard to even imagine how we would have felt had the outcome been different. We were fortunate that we could even attempt IVF once. It is sad that most health insurance only covers diagnosis and some treatment of infertility related issues (like cheap clomid or surgery, none of which would help us). Medical conditions (endometriosis and a varicocele) kept us from conceiving naturally, but our medical insurance would not help us. Our insurance company would probably have saved money if they'd just paid for IVF instead of multiple surgeries.

Infertility is a disease -- a disease that causes severe stress and can even cause loving couples to fall apart -- please help change state laws to mandate coverage for treatment that can actually help. Please mandate coverage for IUI and IVF.

Really Remembering

Last night, I joined some folks at the Women of Faith Conference in OKC. I really wanted to stay home, but I went.

I enjoyed the concert. Nicole Nordeman was performing and I've always liked her music. It's very touching. And it made me think so much about infertility and ivf. Maybe it was all the pregnant bellies. Or the fact that I talked to a girl from Durant this week who is about to start IVF. Or that it's been almost a year. Or that I watched a special on the Discovery Channel about Louise Brown.

The theme of the program was freedom. I certainly don't feel free from the bondage -- the all consuming nature -- of infertility. I have a baby, but I'm still haunted by this disease. I know it's something we'll have to face again in the future. It's not fair.

The program on Louise Brown seeemed to indicate that today, IVF is routine and mainstream. I wanted to laugh. There was nothing routine abou the emotional roller coaster I was on last November.

Our Little Pumpkin

Tonight I'm sharing pictures of Nathaniel in his Halloween "costume." This is also the first outfit he received as a gift (his grandmother purchased for us in 2006 shortly after we found out that we were expecting).

Baa Baa Black Sheep Has Some New Lyrics

My mom is here this week -- keeping the baby while I'm at work.

On Sunday night, she was singing Baa Baa Black Sheep to Nathaniel and she came up with some new words.

Baa, baa black sheep have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir, 3 bags full.
One for the master, one for the dame,
One for the little boy who SHOULD LIVE AT LANE.

Wishful thinking for maama. We think she should live here!

IF still sucks!

DH and I are both currently carrying around benefit option stuff from work. I wanted to get everything done tonight (so I can stop carrying it around), but infertility makes insurance decisions complicated. I am switching back to a ppo for baby and I and I'm also adding dh. We don't plan to use it unless it is really needed for dh, but the state pays for it, so why not take it!

I also had to decide about an FSA. How much if any to hold out for 2008? Will we be doing IVF? Will I be pg?

And then the biggie . . . what happens if I quit my job? Dh's insurance is fairly reasonable, but his packet is very vague about coverage. I'm primarily concerned about drug coverage since I know we'll have to pay out of pocket for IVF. The drugs last time cost less than 500.00 with insurance, but without it it can be up to 6,000.00 just for meds. Ouch! I may have to keep my job just for the crappy coverage it DOES provide. (They did end up paying about 2,000 for the procedure too, but I'm not counting on that).

I'm still considering going to work at a company that covers IVF, like Fed Ex Kinkos or Integris, just long enough to get coverage.

Ahh, the things we do because of IF!

New Pictures

Nathaniel had new professional photos taken on Monday. I think I emailed an access code to everyone. If I didn't get one to you, let me know.

These photos were taken over the past few days.



I think he looks like me in this one.



He scratched his face up nicely for his pictures.

Weekend

The rest of my birthday weekend was much better than Thursday. Dh was home on Friday. We had a great time with baby and then went to watch a movie before going out to dinner with the family at my favorite piizza place. Saturday, I went shopping with MIL, SIL, grandma and a niece and nephew. I definitely didn't fit in the size I wanted, but I plan to get serious about my weight again next week. I did buy a few thing though. Baby got some long sleeved onesies and socks.

Baby slept through the night on Friday and Saturday nights, although he went to bed late both nights. I think his teeth really hurt so his schedule is off. He tries really hard to be happy but he hurts. He has a new trick. He was sitting sideways on my lap yesterday and discovered that if he fell bacwards, I would catch him. So, he started doing it again and again. He can stand at the ottoman by my chair by himself, too. And he tried to climb up the outside of his crib when we were walking around yesterday. He's a busy boy.

Disappointed

Okay, I'll explain why I'm disappointed, but first, the good parts of the day. I had a very nice lunch and dinner with dh and had a good afternoon with baby. He is really drooly tonight and still awake at 9 p.m. Wait, he just fell asleep.

Now to the rest of the day which has been pretty sucky!

I expected to hear something from that job in my office this week but I had not, so I was going to call this afternoon. And then the big boss came and asked me about it too. So I call. No one answers, but they called me back while we were at lunch. The answer: my application was rejected due to a lack of professional experience. The minimum requirement is three years and a MA. Well, I have the M.A. I was a T.A. for 3 semesters. I taught junior high/high school for a year and a half. I volunteered in the state archives for about 4-6 months. I interned with the largest private preservation group in the country, doing field work. I've been at my present job since January. I thought the big boss would speak up for me and help me out. I was mistaken. She called and made it clear that she didn't think I had the necessary experience. She said the ms/hs experience definitely didn't count (although it's in the right field! I guess teachers aren't professionals). She told me to focus on being a new mommy and to take consolation in the fact that I will be eligible for a 5% raise in January. Whoopee!

I'm disappointed and hurt. I've already begun the training to fill this position on an interim basis. But I don't plan to do it because I am not "qualified." That is if I go back. I may not. I may just focus on my child.

Birthdays

This photo is from today as baby and I were playing on the computer.

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday.

I've been reflecting on my birthdays over the last few years. Momentous things seem to happen around that time for me. And, it's my favorite time of the year! Let's see, in 2003, dh and I had been dating for a few months and he bought me very thoughtful gifts as he was "trying to win me over" (according to mom). In 2004, we were newlyweds and building our house. I was so sad that dh had to go to work and then he surprised me by coming home after a mandatory morning meeting. We had a great day. 2005 was miserable. It was shortly before the Christmas from hell. We'd been ttc since May and each month, I became more and more scared that something was wrong. Each month as AF arrived, I became an emotional wreck. My birthday was on the weekend, I think. We'd had a sunday school party on Saturday night at our house. Midway through the party, AF arrived. I was devastated, but had to go out and be festive. The next day, we had my birthday lunch at our house. We had pizza and MIL had made me a cake. And then my little niece announced that she was going to be a "big sister." Sorry, K, but I had a hard time keeping it together. I was thrilled, but so very jealous. Not a good birthday all the way around. Last year, was much better. I had started the Lupron injections and was anxious to really get going with the IVF cycle. Also, I was looking forward to several job interviews. This year, it's kind of anti-climactic. I'm tired and don't really want to do anything -- I just want to come home and be with dh and baby since my mom couldn't be here. I made the mistake of trying on some pants at my favorite store today. Big mistake. I've lost 30+ pounds, but still have a long way to go. I bought a shirt and some earrings. Thanks mom!

I've really got to get serious about the weight loss.

One Week Down

Well, I've put in my 2.5 days for this week. It wasn't bad. I certainly missed baby, but it was also nice to be out. I keep reminding myself that it's about quality time, not quantity. He is having a good time at grandma's. He comes home exhausted! I think he's afraid to take a nap for fear of missing any action! He loves his cousins.

I turned in my application for the vacant position in my office today. I should hear something next week about where I stand in terms of applicants thus far. Who knows! I am being trained to do the job currently. If I do not get the job, I will not do the job during the transition and will not train the new person. Sorry, but I'm not that big of a sucker.

My office is having a birthday party for me on Tuesday. Dh is taking off next Friday to spend with me. That should be fun!

Baby and I are off to the south tomorrow to help with a wedding. Maama is keeping baby while I help out.

First Day Back

Well, we all survived. I left home at 6:59 a.m. and got home at 6:15 p.m. Quit a long day. Baby was tired and fell asleep at 7:40. He played whrn we got home -- he wanted to walk all over the room with me holding him up. He's prett cute and thinks he is big stuff!

Pumping was fun. I have to take something to read or listen to my ipod -- otherwise it's very boring. Maybe I'll get more milk now that I am pumping on a consistent basis with no one to interrupt me! Well, there were some interruptions. When I pumped at lunch, five people knocked on the door. There was also a screaming kid outside the door.

Bedtime!

Update on work

The big boss called me this afternoon while I was getting a manicure. The agreement of the big boss (my division head), the assistant OHC director, and the director's secretary is that I should be fine pumping in the family restroom downstairs. I said I would give it a try, although I would prefer to pump at my desk. They promise to provide a chair and a small table. I asked that they make sure there is an electrical outlet! The concern is not for staff in my office, but for any visitors. Whatever! I guess we'll see how it goes. She was very friendly about it and called me on her day off, the day after her mother's funeral, so she really is trying to be accommodating.

Tomorrow, we're off down south for my ten year class reunion. We go to the football game tomorrow night and then a picnic on Saturday afternoon.

Baby had a rough day today. He was very whiny and did not want to sleep.

I had a haircut and then went to the nail salon. I had a pedicure and then they fixed my very messed up thumbnail. I really need that nail for a multitude of baby related things! Not to mention I didn't want to be wearing an ugly bandaid on my thumb at my reunion. Doesn't suit the person voted "Most Likely to Succeed." It's hard to believe Mill was voted class clown.

2 Month Checkup

Nathaniel had his two-month checkup this morning. We had to be there bright and early at 8:30 a.m. He now weighs 11 lbs. 11 ozs. and is 23 1/4 inches. He is still in the 50th percentile for height and weight. We go back in two more months. Oh, the pediatrician thought his insistence on standing was pretty amazing (usually seen around 6 months) and she kept saying how sweet he is.

Then, it was time for shots. He had four and did really well. He did let out one heartbreaking cry. Dh helped to hold him. I cried. We gave him t*lenol before and every four hours since. He was pretty sour afterwards and slept a lot of the afternoon, but he's been smiling and cooing for the last hour or so. He laid on the floor on a quilt for a long time, just talking.

I received another early birthday present today. Quinn is sneaky! But, I love it! I can't wait to hang it up.

This weekend is my ten year reunion. Have I mentioned it before? I still haven't sent in my RSVP. Mill is trouble for skipping out on the Friday night football game. I don't know if we'll go to that or not. I guess we will make it to the picnic on Saturday though.

I considered titling this post "angry." There's still a possibility I will not be going back to work . . . and possibly suing the state! I have been reassured since January that accommodations would be made for me to pump at work. Well, last week I emailed my supervisor to check on those accommodations, making it clear that I would prefer to pump at my desk. I can cover up and the pump is quiet. No big deal. Well, the big boss is out of the office (her mother passed away). So, my supervisor must have spoken to administration. Anyway, I have an email today that says the director's secretary has found some rule or something that says I cannot pump at my desk. I have searched state statutes and not found anything that says I can't pump at my desk. State law says I have the right to breastfeed anywhere and that my employer must give me the time to pump (although it doesn't have to be paid). They are going to have to show it to me in an existing statute or I will do what I want. I shouldn't have even asked. I should have just done it and dared them to tell me to stop. Otherwise, they have to find a suitable place for me to pump. I will not pump in the bathroom! I will not pump in my car in the parking lot. And they have to have something arranged by Monday. Guess what, my supervisor will not be there Monday. I will need to pump shortly after I get to work on Monday, and it can't wait! I'll be miserable and leaking milk. If this doesn't get worked out, I'll stay home because I expect this to be a recurring issue, as I hope to have multiple children over the next several years and I intend to pump and feed or breastfeed them all.

Early Birthday

I received my birthday present a little early. We had meetings at church this morning and afterwards, I told dh we needed to go look at computers at the A*ple store. We did, and we now have a new macbook that dh says is really mine, so that's a great present. But, while we were there, we were looking at software. I thought dh was looking for parallels, so we can run vista on the mac. While he was looking, I came across some home design software. I picked up the box and put it back, thinking it was too expensive. Dh looked at me and then said that is what he was thinking about for my birthday (he'd been debating and even mentioned to me that he was undecided). Well, it looks like great software. I can't wait to try it out! That way I can visualize what I have in mind. (I also contacted a different realtor. Our previous one just wasn't responding and I'd like to get moving on the lot).

Nathaniel has been talking and laughing a lot. He's also drueling, so teeth must be on the way.

"The Smell of Heaven"

Today, Nathaniel and I got to visit my old school and then have lunch with daddy. It was nice to see the teachers and the students. It was the first time I'd seen the principal since leaving last November. He held the baby and said in Turkey, they say that the scent of babies is the smell of heaven. They were so nice to me there. He told Nathaniel that I gave up teaching for him. Gladly! The principal doesn't know I started a new job in January! That makes me feel a little bad, although I did leave teaching because it was too stressful. I would have left soon anyway. But, I still feel a little guilty. I liked what he said today, although I couldn't help thinking that his concept of heaven and our's is quite different!

Speaking of work, i think I'm ready to go back. I will certainly miss baby and it's going to be hard to juggle it all, but dh will help. I emailed today to check about accommodations for pumping. I think now that perhaps that I should have just started pumping in my cube and waited to see if anyone said anything. Now I'm gonna be really upset if they say no. It is a case of it being easier to ask forgiveness than permission. It shouldn't be a problem -- there's a grandpa on one side and a gay guy on the other! I'll come up with a curtain if I need to.

We made dinner tonight (steak and potatoes) for dh's friend who came over to watch the OU game with dh. Therefore, I'm pumping in the nursery.

Tomorrow, we have an early morning meeting at church and then dh is officially on vacation!! Yeah. I'm planning a pedicure, a haircut and maybe a color, and possibly a massage. Then next weekend is my ten year class reunion. What fun! If it had been nicely planned it would be alright, but everything is very last minute and half a**.

Oh, I joined We*ght W*atchers on Tuesday. Well, I don't guess you really join when you're a lifetime member. You just go face the music. I have about 40 pounds to lose to get to my goal. Dh has promised me a nice shopping spree when I get there. 40 sounds like so much! I am thinking in ten pound increments instead of one big chunk. I'm not supposed to try to get pg again until I lose that either.

Misc.

Well, he's 7, almost 8 weeks old. I still need to make the appointment for his 2 month shots. Joy!

Last Saturday we went to the reunion for our childbirth class. He was the second youngest and second largest baby there! He was very well behaved as well.

Speaking of behavior . . . he's been sleeping much better. He seems to go to bed around 9:30, waking around 3:30 for a feeding and then getting up around 6:00. Much improved!

Mom has been here helping me clean this week. We got a lot done and had fun. Thanks mom!

My time off is winding down. :( It sounds like I may go back to more hours sooner than planned because my supervisor is leaving.

** Our pastor mentioned something to me on Sunday that concerned me. He wondered if what I write has ever offended anyone since family reads this. I hope I haven't "stepped on any toes." However, just a little warning. This is MY blog. It is my venue to vent -- although I know it cannot serve the same function as a journal. It is my means of communicating my feelings to people I know. The same rules apply for my blog as for catering -- whatever I say cannot be held against me! Sometimes I write entries, and then go back and edit them because I'm afraid of how they might be perceived. Other times, I refrain from writing something in the first place for fear it might be offensive. But really, that defeats the purpose of this blog. I am supposed to write what I feel, what I want. Writing things out helps me to deal with them and if I censor myself, then part of the benefit of this blog is defeated. So remember, read at your own risk!!!

Six Weeks!

It's hard to believe that Nathaniel is 6 weeks old!

I had my six week checkup yesterday. Everything was good, so now I can finally mow the yard! And go back to Weight Watchers. I am definitely looking forward more to the former and not the latter!

In job news, my supervisor is leaving to take a job in Washington. That leaves me in a good position to advance to his position, which I would really like. So, I guess it is back to full time for me in January -- no staying home. I put in too many years in school to stay home when I have this opportunity. I'm kind of excited, although it will be hard to leave little guy. I love staying home with him. But from everything I have read, it's all about quality time and not quantity.

If I'm working full time, I want to move closer to work and I want to hire some help. Dh is opposed to this, he thinks it sets a bad example for our children. I disagree. I think that having someone to clean our house and do our lawn frees us up to spend time with our kids and each other -- which is most important. I think that is the best example for them. I don't think dh realizes how important it is to me that our house be clean all the time! It really messes with my head to be surrounded by a mess. I can't handle dirty dishes in the sink -- it makes me nuts! I'll still have laundry and cooking to do when I get home from work. I don't want to do the cleaning too -- it's too much!

Baby was only up 2 times during the night and then got up at 6:00 a.m. He still got up to play with his daddy in the middle of the night. And he doesn't want to go to bed until almost 11:00! Ornery boy!

First Trip to Maama's House

Well, we've been home from the country for about 2 hours. Baby made the trip very well -- he slept the whole time both directions! We had a very good visit and got to see lots of people (and eat lots of food!).

Last night, I dreamed I had fed the baby. I woke dh up to get him to burp Nathaniel (thinking I'd already fed the baby). It was a very vivid dream. The night wasn't too bad with mom's help. She let me go back to sleep around 6:00. I got to sleep for several more hours. Yeah! Needless to say, we were slightly late for church.

It was a good trip. I only wish we could have stayed longer, but it's so much easier to tend to baby at home.

Portraits

We had his 1 month portraits taken this evening. He was so good at first, but then he pooped and things went downhill from there. He was hungry, then tired, and uncooperative. He was very cute though, so we are anxious to see the proofs.

I finally ordered his birth announcements, so hopefully I'll get those out before he's grown!

We still don't have a night routine down. He pretty much wants to be awake from 6 p.m. till 10:30 or 11:30. He may take a short nap in there somewhere, but he can get pretty upset because he's so tired but doesn't want to sleep. I've been told that formula would help him sleep longer at night. He generally wants to be up ever 2 to 2.5 hours. Tonight, I mixed breast milk and formula, so we'll see how that works. Last night he slept pretty well, but he's not consistent and that can be exhausting.

I'm going to try and take him to work tomorrow. We're having a going away party for the architect. Then, I am desperate for a pedicure. Dh won't let me take the baby to the salon, so he'll have to stay with grandma for a few hours.

Dh and baby are currently watching football. Baby loves the big screen.

One Month Old!

Nathaniel is one month old today! We had his one month check up today. He now weighs 9 lbs. 14 ozs. and is 22 inches long. He is in the 50th to 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. We were hoping for 9 lbs, so almost 10 lbs. is great. My milk must be okay! Speaking of which, I really haven't had to supplement lately -- I've been able to pump enough to feed the guzzle gus. Hopefully that will continue. It's time to pump, again.

Lactation services from the hospital called this afternoon to see how things were going. I admitted that I'm only nursing like once a day when I work up the nerve to try. She didn't seem very concerned, but made it clear that they were there to help if I needed it.

Labor and Delivery

I recently realized that I've never posted our birth story. Most family members are aware, but I'm also recording this for myself and the longer I wait . . .

I posted in the late afternoon of July 23rd about my doctor's appointment and being at 1 to 2 cm. After going to the doctor, Bloss and I came back home -- we'd done some shopping that morning and I was exhausted. Dh came home and mowed the yard while we made dinner. Fajitas sounded good to me. I'd never made fajitas at home and I made quite the mess sauteing the chicken. I also made rice and black beans and Bloss made queso. I had lots of quickly aging bananas so I also made banana bread.

As we sat down to eat our spicy Mexican food, a thought crossed my mind. Both of my sisters had their firstborns after having had Mexican food for dinner the night before. We all laughed. After cleaning up the mountain of dishes, Bloss decided to go for a walk. She thought it might be good for me too. It sounded nice in theory, but after cleaning up from dinner, I'd crashed on the couch and I didn't think I could manage to get up and go for a walk. Something just wasn't right. (After the doctor's appointment, I came home and discovered that I'd been bleeding quite a lot. My book said this was normal after a cervical check, but it continued all evening.)

I stayed on the couch till about 10:15 p.m. I decided to get ready for bed and headed to the bathroom. Suddenly, I felt very bad. It was sort of like severe gas pain centered in my female parts, radiating from the back through to the front. Going to the bathroom didn't help though, so I took a really hot bath. After soaking for about 15 minutes, I felt well enough to go to bed. It felt good to lay down in our bed even for a little while (I usually moved to the couch shortly). Dh asked if everything was alright and I told him I didn't know what was going on. We were exhausted and quickly fell asleep.

At 11:30, the pain returned. The exact sequence of events that followed is kind of a blur. I didn't know what was happening or if this was really labor. It just hurt and I was bleeding. At first, the pains were about 15 minutes apart. Around 1 am the frequency began to increase to 12 then 10 minutes. I could not sit or lay down. I was walking or on my knees at the coffee table swaying. Swaying helped so much. I tried a heating pad and took lots of really hot baths. (I lost count, but it was at least 5 or 6). In case this was real, I finished packing and loading our bags -- this required several loads of laundry. During all of this (and I wasn't quiet), no one came to check on me.

At 2:30, I became concerned about the color of the blood I was losing so I called the hospital -- it was very bright. They told me to drink a big glass of water and take a really hot bath to see if the pains continued. If they did, I should wait till they were 3 to 5 minutes apart to come in. I took their advice (although I'd already tried it earlier.) The pains in no way subsided. The contractions were increasingly more frequent, lasted longer, and were more painful. After I made the call to the hospital, Bloss finally came to check on me. She said that until she heard me call the hospital, she didn't take me seriously. She suggested the heating pad. I told her not to stay up with me, that I'd rather be alone. We discussed calling mom (who was scheduled to head up that morning anyway). I didn't want her driving narrow little roads in the middle of the night so we decided to wait. She went back to bed, but promised to check on me.

I continued to labor and alternate between swaying, the bathtub, and the toilet. The pain was pretty bad, but I was able to get things done. I can't remember if I even turned the television on. I did read for a while -- Blossom gave me a good page turner and it really helped. I was lost in the book between contractions.

This continued until about 4:45. I was determined to make it till 5:00 before waking dh, but I could not. At that point, I needed back support. So, I went to wake him up. I said, "it's time." I think he said, "time for what?" He was really tired and didn't feel very well. But he quickly realized what was going on. I'd been logging contractions (although not very scientifically -- I know I missed some). He started writing them down for me, because the hospital wanted them to be 3 to 5 minutes apart for an hour. They were quickly fitting that pattern. A little before six o'clock I became insistent that we needed to go to the hospital. Dh thought we should wait, but it was time. I remember him asking me what I wanted him to wear for the birth of our baby (for pictures). I managed to help him pick out something. I was really dreading the car ride because sitting really hurt and it's a 25 minute drive on a good day. I had to move the trash cans before we could back out of the garage. I was afraid my water was going to break in his car!

I survived the drive well and the contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart. We called dh's mom. I told her it was time -- I think I woke her up and caught her off guard. There was more traffic than I expected but we made it in 30 minutes. We had to walk quite a ways, but it wasn't too bad. We got to the floor and they were in no hurry. They were in the midst of changing computer systems, so our info had to be taken on the computer and on paper. It was almost 8:00 before they ever checked me to see if I really was in labor! Oh and I got stuck with a nurse in training, so I had to get checked twice. The student said I was at a 4. The nurse checked and said I was at a 7 and in active labor. That was very good news -- the pain had accomplished something! I let them know that I would probably need something to take the edge off, but like everything else, they were in no hurry to help me. They did call Dr. K who came by, joked a little bit, and patted me on the head. I told him that my baby decided it did not want to wait until the next week to be born and it didn't want to be delivered by a stranger!

FIL was the first visitor to arrived, followed by MIL, SIL, niece and nephew. I'm not sure when other people arrived. I had expected my mom to leave around 5 a.m. anyway, so expected her to be there pretty early. But she was in no hurry apparently, until my oldest sister called her and told her to get on her way! Mom and Bloss arrived around 9:30. They came in just after I received my wonderful shot of Stadol. That stuff is great. For about an hour and a half I felt great even though I was having good contractions.

I started pushing around 10:30 I think. Everything was kind of a blur. The nurse checked me and we did a little pushing that caused my water to finally break. Then they set up for delivery and they called the doctor. They called again because I was at a 10. Once the doctor arrived my contractions suddenly slowed and he had to wait on me for once.

I pushed for what seemed like forever -- about an hour. I tried too push as hard as I could, but the doctor didn't think it was enough. He told me to push like I'd been constipated for a year! Nice thing to hear! The whole time I was pushing, I was afraid I was going to tear. And guess what happened? I did get all torn up! I kept losing ground at first because I wasn't holding where I was at when I breathed in between pushes. Once I stopped doing that, things moved along and I pushed with everything I had. Finally he crowned and the head was out and I had to stop pushing. When the baby came out, I just remember seeing the cord -- it was so long. Dr. K goes it's a . . . boy. I was in shock. I had said all along it was a boy, but always thought it would be a girl. But I couldn't really focus on the baby -- I was in way too much pain. They put him on my chest and I told dh to take him. They kept telling me to focus on the baby because I was crying and shaking uncontrollably. I could not focus on him though because the pain was too great. They were sewing me up with no anesthetic! They finally gave me a shot in the side after they'd been sewing. I was also hemorrhaging and they were pressing on my stomach. I just wanted to be left alone. It hurt so bad. I don't even remember delivering the placenta -- it didn't hurt any more than the other part. I was glad it was over.

He was so cute! And he still is!

I tried to nurse almost immediately. He wasn't really interested although he was very aware. I didn't get up for five hours. I just had no desire to move around. I was so sore.

Updated Photos

Okay, so I've been promising updated photos, but just haven't had the time. He's asleep, so I finally have a few minutes! Now the dilemma of deciding what to upload!




These were taken after his first Sunday in church. The blanket was made for cousin Eddison by Great Aunt Velora.




Aren't his little Crews feet so cute?



He's always grunting and stretching, so this is an example of one of his favorite positions! (Other than curled up on my chest.)

Sleep Deprivation

Well, it really doesn't seem like he should be 3 weeks old! It's rather surreal. He is usually waking 3 times per night, with the times dependent on what time he falls asleep. Usually his daddy gets him to sleep after I've given up in frustration. Last night, he fell asleep for me after I'd given up and given him to dh who then tried to get him down for half an hour too!He fights sleep so hard. I finally breastfed him to get him to sleep.

Speaking of that . . . I found some websites that talk about moms who pumped exclusively, so I'm not alone! I am letting him nurse occasionally because I read that helps my body to personalize his milk. He is still struggling with constipation. I don't know if it's from my milk or the formula. I hate seeing him look miserable.

We have now spent several days on our own. It was a little scary at first, but we're doing okay. Thank goodness for the bouncy seat! He naps in that allowing me to do things like bathe and nap myself, something very necessary after his usual middle feeding that lasts 1.5 hours! I am planning our first solo shopping trip today. We must have wipes! And some other items, but mostly wipes. Our Wednesday night childbirth class has a reunion tonight. I'd like to go, but I don't know if dh wants to.

Well, this pumping session is over.

2 Weeks Old

It doesn't seem possible that little Nathaniel is 2 weeks old -- it's been such a whirlwind. He and I still haven't been on our own for more than a few minutes (of course, this is largely due to the fact that I couldn't drive because I was on narcotics and then I couldn't find my driver's license -- I did find it today). But tomorrow is the last day of having my mom in the house to help. So, 'Thaniel and I will be on our own -- it's a little daunting, but I'm also looking forward to a little alone time, but I'm sure I'll be ready to have mom back soon!

Breastfeeding -- I told some folks the other day that I would rather give birth again that breastfeed at times. That is still true. I love feeding baby, but I'd much rather pump and feed him. Nursing is still very uncomfortable -- okay, it's downright painful. Tear causing. But I feel like I can't give up nursing completely. I hate this feeling that I have to compare myself to other moms -- why am I so competitive? Why can't I just do what I want to do and what I feel comfortable with? I still don't have enough milk, despite frequent pumping. I plan to be more regimented with my pumping/feeding next week.

We went out for the first time -- out meaning somewhere other than the doctor's office, church, or grandma's house. We had lunch at Chili's and then a quick trip to Target. Baby needed some socks and a blue blanket. We had an accident with formula. The formula can came open in the diaper bag -- quite a bit spilled unfortunately. It was a frustrating experience. It was nice to get out though.

Baby has had poopy problems today, probably due to formula or the large number of fruits and veggies I've been consuming (in an attempt to eat healthily and increase my milk production). We have had to start adding Karo syrup to his formula bottles. He was so miserable though -- he is usually so well behaved.

I promise new pictures soon.

Settling In

It doesn't seem possible that little 'Thaniel is a week old today! Wow, it's been a whirlwind. I still have a lot of sleep to catch up on from the previous week. Mom is here and is helping me to get "enough" sleep. It's so hard to not be doing things and resting instead.

Baby is quite the night owl. He likes to get me up hourly each night for feeding. I was so tired on Sunday night that I would get him settled on a breast and then fall asleep. Somehow, he would wake me up when he was done and I would burp him and switch breasts. Then, dh caught me asleep and he was none to pleased. I couldn't help it. Breastfeeding is so very hard -- I had no idea the commitment involved. It would be so much easier to just give up and use formula exclusively, but I am determined to continue. If I need to supplement, I will. But otherwise, he's stuckl with breastmilk.

Okay, no time to write. My eyes are closing as I type. Will update soon.

kell

Baby's New "Distinctively Boy" Clothes

Wasn't this shirt appropriate?

The Newest Overachiever

I don't know where to begin. I've wanted to blog so many times, but I've been busy! My feet are humungo and I need rest, but I feel compelled to share! At the same time, family members need to share their pictures with me. Looking through the contents of my camera, there is so much that dh and I did not get to capture.

The whole labor story will have to wait for later, but for now, "little" Frederick Nathaniel arrived at 12:17 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24th. On the 23rd at 4:00 p.m., we went in for our regular check-up and found we were at 1 to 2 cm. At around 7:00 on Tuesday morning, I was at 7 c.m. We chose not to have an epidural, the only assistance I had was a lovely 1 cc dose of stadol.

He certainly is on his way to being an overachiever -- coming at least 1.5 weeks early and weighing 8 pounds. He's also an overachiver at pooping -- not such a good thing, but at least everything is functioning. He loves to eat all the time, but right now, I just don't seem to have enough milk to satisfy him.

I am including photos I have right now. I hope to get additional ones soon. These were all taken very quickly after birth and believe me, he's much cuter. He's really, really cute, and I'm not at all prejudiced! There is another photo out there somewhere of little Nathaniel in his overachiever t-shirt, but I don't have it yet. Please someone share it with the boy's momma.

1 to 2

That's how much I'm dilated as of today. 1 to 2 cm. I was pleasantly relieved. I was hoping for 3, but afraid it would be zero! So, 1 to 2 was a happy medium. I'm also thinning out -- both of which explain the lovely bloody mucous lately. The cervix check was no big deal, but resulted in much bleeding afterwards, for which I was unprepared.

Dr. K said he'd see us next Monday. I replied that I hoped to see him before then. He said that baby would have to come tonight or tomorrow then, as he would be out of town for the remainder of the week. This stinks. If middle sister gets her new job for which she has an additional interview on Thursday, she will be leaving town on Monday for the entire month of August. I wanted to have the baby before she left. She won't know until Thursday or Friday if she has the job. So, there's no chance of an induction even if dh would agree. So, we're hoping it happens naturally sometime very soon!

38 Weeks!

Today has been an exciting and exhausting day. I went in to work because of the quarterly state historic preservation review committee meeting. I had three national register nominations up for consideration. Thankfully they were all accepted -- one was the church from my hometown that has been my pet project since graduate school. The committee members found it to be a really interesting building, as do I. We did make some fun of the owner though -- he's an interesting character as well.

Then, I had lunch upstairs at the museum cafe with my supervisor, the big boss, and one of our consultants (who I find to be a good mom model). Then the office had a party for me -- the guys were really making fun of the fact that they had to go to a baby shower. My co-workers were way too nice and too generous. They're really great. We had some great food -- I had too much sugar. My supervisor even went shopping for me! Shocking!

I came home and put my feet up and took a nap. My feet were huge. I tried to wear "real" shoes -- it's against work policy to wear flip flops and I tried to abide by the rules today.

3rd Anniversary

Today is mine and dh's 3rd wedding anniversary. It seems like it should be longer, while at the same time it seems as though we just got married. Weird. We watched a documentary at dh's work and had dinner at Snake and Tail. Of course, dh's steak was overdone and mine was underdone. Typical. But it was still good. Dh had a killer headache and I'm exhausted -- it's been so hot today. I hate being sweaty.

We also had a doctor's appointment. Still no news. I'm almost 38 weeks and he still hasn't checked me! What's up with that. I was about to call him on the subject when he said he would check my cervix next week. You know, nothing like waiting till the last minute! It just seems very strange. I made it clear that I'm ready and he said "let's try to wait a couple more weeks." Blarg.

I had lunch with my co-workers. That was nice. They're having a party for me on Thursday after the Review Committee meeting. I wanted to have baby on Friday after the meeting, but, that seems doubtful. Oh, well, just a couple more weeks.

37w2d

Dh and I are enjoying a relaxing day at home. We've watched a pay per view movie and I've had at least one nap. We figure this is our last "free" weekend -- mom will be here next weekend and so might someone else! :)

Speaking of little ones, we're the proud great aunt and great uncle of a new little guy who is still currently nameless. He arrived sometime after 4 p.m. yesterday and is a cutie. I got to hear some of his first cries over the phone but am not allowed to go visit. It would be about a three hour drive each way, just too much at this point. We'll get the cousins together very soon though! Apparently, they're having as much of a name problem as we are! Dh keeps coming up with possibilities, but there always seems to be a problem. Like "Nathaniel" -- I like Nathaniel and I like Nate, but I hate Nathan. Dh hates Nate, but likes Nathan! I say we'll come up with something when the time comes.

I've gotten a lot of baby related work done over the past few days. Everything is washed and in its correct place. The bassinet is in our room and I have changing stations in the living room, bedroom, and nursery. The car seats are ready for daddy to put them in the cars. The bags are packed. The bookshelves and baskets in the nursery need to be painted, but mom is going to do that next week. I have the paint and other supplies.

My poor belly. I have a big u-shaped stretch mark on the front. It really itches on the right, too, because that's the side where it seems to be sticking out all of the time. I'm constantly lopsided.

No News

Went to the doctor this morning. He did spend more time with us, but still not very much. I had the strep B screen and we discussed my achiness, swollen feet, and my fluctuating blood sugar, but he didn't seem very concerned. I didn't ask if I was dilated or anything. Next week. I did mention that I've been having minor cramps, etc. He said at this point, he wouldn't stop anything if it started. That's really specific.

My feet are really swollen again tonight, like puffy marshmallows. It's lots of fun.

36w1d

Well, we're down to under 4 weeks to go! Yeah! Uncomfortable does not seem to adequately describe how I feel. Sometimes I'm great -- at other times, I feel like I constantly have to go to the bathroom, even right after I've gone! It makes going out to do things very difficult. I'm trying to get all shopping trips/errands done now, because I only assume this will get worse. Yesterday, I was trying to wash the car and thought I would have to leave and come back to finish. But, I eventually managed to finish up.

I picked up our maternity photo prints yesterday and had fun playing with those. I had to make some enlargements to put in a frame for the nursery.

Hopefully somebody will paint my storage baskets for me today or tomorrow. These go on the shelves in the nursery. Mom is going to paint the shelves a darker color when she gets here to stay.

"Lady of Leisure"

Well, today was my last day of work before baby! I had originally planned to work until next Monday, but because of the way that leave works, it was better to start my maternity leave today! And I'm very glad that today was it! I'm tired, my feet are swollen, and I finished my projects.

I have so many things I want to get done -- washing windows, cleaning under appliances, spending time with mom. I want to have everything ready for baby too.

Most of my family is away in California, on their way to the family reunion that I was supposed to help with. But I'm not at all sad I can't be there. I wouldn't trade this belly for the world! But it's sad that everyone is gone. I hope they're having a good time. No more car breakdowns!

We are supposed to go to the doctor on Monday, but with the death of Scott's step-grandfather, things have gotten more complicated. He's a pall bearer so he has to be at the funeral. But our appointment is at the same time.

We're going out to dinner with friends sometime tomorrow. Other than that, we have no firm plans for the rest of the weekend. We need to mow the yard, but how can you mow when it rains multiple inches each day? We're having to get home by taking alternate routes -- the water has been over our low water bridge every day.

Oh, the nursery rocker is finished! I promised to attach a photo. I will take a photo later of the nursery as it is now. It finally looks like a nursery, although it still needs some accessories.

Shower

I just thought I was way behind on blogging when writing my last post. Now, I am really behind. I've been really tired and really busy.

Last Sunday, the 24th, was our baby shower at church. It was lots of fun and we received lots of wonderful gifts -- now our nursery doesn't look so desolate! We still have some items we need, but most of checklist is now checked! Thanks so much to Kirsten, Adrienne, Rebecca, and Cathy for making everything so wonderful! On Monday and Tuesday, we exchanged some duplicate items and used our gift cards to make additional purchases, like a mattress. So, I finally got to make the bed.

These pictures are from the shower. Don't I look huge? :)

Way Behind

I promised pictures last week, but I just never seemed to get around to it. It's been a very busy time. So, I'm attaching a photo of the nursery as it is now, as well as the photo of my belly from last Wednesday night. I look like a whale!

We have an appointment with a prospective pediatrician this morning. Hopefully we like her and that's that. I don't want to meet with any other doctors. This one came recommended and is conveniently located.

The young ladies from church had dinner and dessert at the Chees*cake F*ctory last night. It was yummy.

It continues to rain here, almost constantly.

We're off to the south this weekend to "help" with a wedding. I don't know how helpful I can be.

Survived the Conference

As the title of this blog entry suggests, I did survive the hp conference. But, I think I did serious damage to my bottom half. Sitting in a wooden chair all day long is just too much. Needless to say, my lovely hemorrhoids have reemerged this week (due to too much sitting and the change in my diet, I guess). There is also a decided increase in the amount of pelvic pressure I am feeling. I think this baby has dropped or begun to drop. He/she is still very, very busy. I have an abundance of new stretch marks as well -- on my legs and my hips. My ankles are permanently swollen.

Tomorrow we have our first every two week doctor's appointment. Then we have a busy rest of the week, with birthing class Wednesday night, dh helping with bil's fence, and some other stuff that I can't remember at the moment.

In other good news, my mom helped me work on the slipcover for the nursery and it is practically finished -- I just need to do some touchups. I am so relieved because it actually looks okay. It was a lot of hard work though. I am so anxious to finish in that room, but am trying to be patient and buy nothing (or almost nothing). We also went to Target to look over our registry items and add additional things. That is always fun! I had to go to the bathroom three times while we were there and we weren't there long! I have to go all of the time.

I am in the office all week (no fun trips to look forward to). I am off to Lane on Friday or Saturday to help with a wedding. Am looking forward to it! I also have to take some photos for a NR nomination while I'm home. The local historical society also wants me to talk to them about a project they're currently working on. We'll see.


Have a good Monday!

32 Weeks!

We've made it to the 8th month. I have pictures to post, but am short on time, so that will have to wait until the weekend.

This is the week I've been dreading at work, our Statewide Preservation Conference. I'm out of the office, but yesterday I had to give a 45 minute presentation and then I'll be late every day, especially tonight. I probably won't get home until after 10:00. Last night, I was home around 6:00, but I was exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 as dh was watching the Stanley Cup Finals. I did sleep better though, not as much pelvic discomfort. So, I'm not looking forward to today -- I'll have to really pace myself during the day and rest frequently. But thankfully my presentation is over. I have virtually no responsibilities today although I have to moderate sessions all day tomorrow.

Our crib is here and put together. Dh put it together in the same amount of time it took for me to find the camera to take a picture of him putting it together. I had stashed the camera in my sewing basket! What a perfect place for it. But, I did get a picture of him assembling it (he was really finished at that point) for our baby book. I'm still trying to decide where to put what in the nursery. I keep moving things around. I think I am going to need a bumper pad, so I am trying to locate one. The dust ruffle I have may not be necessary. I also moved a bookshelf into the room. I want to put baskets in it for storage.

Baby has been very active lately, sticking his/her butt or head out and moving my belly around.

Well, have a good day. I will post belly and nursery pics soon.

31 weeks!

Well, 31 weeks tomorrow, that is. Very exciting. I keep thinking in terms of "we have 6 to 9 more weeks." I know it could be more like 10.

Last night was bad -- long and uncomfortable. I was up 3 times before 1:30 a.m. I'm trying to wear myself out tonight so I'll pass out from exhaustion. It's 9:53 and I'm about to start a second load of laundry. It's also snack time. I had to stop at the local dairy store on the way home for some bread and dh requested some ice cream. It was very hard to resist.

I've had a productive week thus far at work, trying to finish up things on my to do list for before I go on maternity leave. Sometimes I make stupid mistakes in my writing and it really makes me mad. I don't like looking incompetent! Next week is our big conference in Guthrie. My duties there keep increasing. I still have to write a 45 minute presentation. I plan to work on that tomorrow and Friday. I have started on it, as I'm not a complete procrastinator.

My belly seems to be moving in all sorts of directions lately as baby is very, very active. A couple kicks have been very painful. Baby seems to get some part of his/her body in delicate places quite often. I have to rub on the belly to get the baby dislodged.

We're now register at Babies 'R Us, Target, and an online site called wildflower diapers. The diaper place has the toilet sprayer attachment I'm really interested in for spraying cloth diapers. I want to decrease the gross factor as much as possible.

Time to change out the laundry.

The Big 30!

We made it to 30 weeks today. Yeah! The baby has been very, very busy today. It's so much fun to kick mommy's bladder and other internal organs.

I heard from the dietician this evening -- I only have to test two days out of each week. Of course, I have to test four times on each of those days, but still it's a major improvement. I just have to be really careful with visible sugar -- that I have to avoid completely. I'm developing a taste for sugar free jelly -- well, I"m trying to develop a taste for it.

Tomorrow I'm off to Marietta, to document an old jail and and the Santa Fe Depot. I started writing the nominations already, but need to visit the sites to get a better architectural description.

Still no word on the baby bed. I'm ready for it to get here! Maybe over the weekend.

We're so looking forward to the 3 day holiday weekend! (Of course, we have prepared childbirth class on Saturday morning, but other than that, we have no plans).

Weekend

Baby has been very active the last few days. He or she seems to be rolling around and every once in a while, a hard body part will stick out from my stomach.

Dh and I endured the second birthing class today. The classes are really good, actually. Today was the class on labor.

I am still coping with this dietary change. I seem to be hungry and lethargic most of the time, which stinks. My numbers have still all been well below normal. I had to go pick up additional test strips. A 25 day supply was 60.00 -- and that was just my copay! Pretty ridiculous. And then, I finally made it to the grocery store -- low carb stuff is expensive. Oh and I got yelled at by a rude man because I wouldn't let him pull out in front of me. He told me to stop talking on the phone. The phone had nothing to do with it. I was waiting to drive in front of the store to find a parking space because the person in front of me was dropping someone off. The rude man thought I should let him go even after I could pull forward. I did -- I think I'm too nice. I should just have gunned it and made him wait. I had the right of way. His comment bothered me the whole time I was at the store. JERK!

Meg, good luck with the concert tomorrow. Enjoy the desserts! Someone could send me pictures of Quinna's kitchen, btw. Since I don't know when I'll get down there. :)

Have a blessed and restful Sunday!

No More Cake For Me!

Well, I have gestational diabetes. From looking at the number with the dietician, it looks like I have a mild case. In fact my numbers were within the normal range (if I wasn't pregnant). The dietician thinks that the doctor is just playing it safe -- doesn't want me to have a giant baby or any other complications.

So, for this week, I have to monitor my blood sugar four times per day. Once before breakfast, then 2 hours after each meal. I have to significantly cut back on carbs and no fruit in the morning. Not much fruit period. And no desserts. That stinks, but oh well.

This has been a really crazy week. Dh has been late almost every night and had to work from home. I've been working on that wonderful slipcover for the nursery rocking chair -- so I've worked myself to the bone every night. Okay, I haven't been working that hard, but it certainly feels that way. I think it's going to work out okay. I basted most of the pieces together tonight -- I'm departing a bit from the instructions, but I was more comfortable with basting first and then using the machine. That way, I can hopefully get a better, more custom fit.

In other news, our cloth diapers finally came. Yeah! I went by the baby store today and no word on our baby bed. They expect a shipment any time, though.

I am glad tomorrow is Friday. I've been to the lab 3 times this week, plus the doctor once, missing an entire day of work if you add up all the hours. Of course, if I was going to miss this was an okay week to miss because I'm supposed to be doing some website editing and OSU messed up the website -- I couldn't even do the editing. So, I worked on my pet project National Register nomination instead. Hopefully that's almost finished.

This weekend will be full as well, with shopping for MIL's mother's day gift tomorrow night (game night for the guys), then birthing healthy babies class on Saturday morning, working at MIL in the afternoon on Saturday, and a baseball game on Sunday afternoon. I may not make the baseball game. Sitting on bleachers for several hours does not sound at all pleasant at the moment. My bootie is awfully sore these days. Sorry, Meg, that I can't make your concert. Just think, if I don't drive down, I can make a bigger donation! Stupid gas prices.

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Glucose Testing

I went in Monday morning at 7:40 for my 28 week gestational diabetes test. I made it to work around 9:30. Then, I had to go back to the doctor at 4:00 for my regular appointment. There, I found out that I failed the glucose tolerance test. I also had some nitrates in my u/a, so I have to watch out for a bladder infection.

So, this morning I went back at 6:50 to do the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Four blood draws! Lots of scary mental patients (I was really uncomfortable several times -- one lady was crying and ranting and two guys were sitting in the chairs rocking themselves back and forth). I fell asleep after the first blood draw and then the time passed fairly quickly. I made it back to work around 10:40. I worked a few minutes and then went to get some lunch upstairs. I waited too long -- by the time I got some food, I was shaking and sweating. But I felt better after eating, although still fairly tired.

I hoped to hear something by late this afternoon, but nada. I called the doctor, but they assured me they had no results. So now I have to wait until tomorrow morning, at least. I just want to know what is going on.

In other news, dh let me celebrate my first mother's day despite his insistence that this one really doesn't count. For my last birthday, he bought me an iPod nano. Well, I love it, but it's hard for me to use (clip on my carrying case doesn't work well and it's too big even though it's small). So, he bought me a shuffle -- it's the perfect size and the clip is part of the package! I love it and he needed an iPod of his own, so he is taking the nano. Thanks, sweetheart!

28 Weeks

Last night was terrible -- I was ready to give up on sleep at 1:30. I finally started sleeping well when it was time to get up. Oh, well, it will all be worth it.

Thursday seems to be when fatigue really hits me and I don't know how I'm gonna get through Friday. Spending almost four hours in a car today didn't help, especially when combined with sitting through all day meetings. But otherwise, it was a good trip.

Last evening after work seemed to drag. I was tired, so I rested after fixing dinner. Tonight I tried to keep myself busy. I did some cleaning and gathered some donations for pickup tomorrow by a local charity. I've really been wanting to clean out some cabinets and closets -- stuff we don't need and don't use that is just taking up space. I love to de-clutter, especially right now. There's much more to do, but I did all I could physically handle tonight. I almost fell twice in the bath (I cleaned the tub and it was super slick). Hopefully I'll be able to sleep because I'm so tired.

I get to leave about 1.5 hours early tomorrow because of working longer than usual today. This is good because mom will be in town. Not sure what our plans are, I told her it's her decision. She said she hates making decisions. Me, too! I hope to take the rocking chair for the nursery to the upholsterers. It's gonna cost more than I want to spend, but it will be nice when it's finished. And it's still much less than a comparable new chair, even if I could find a new one I actually like. Definitely looking forward to mom's visit, although I may find things around here to keep her busy.

Have a good night!

At loose ends

28 weeks tomorrow. Very exciting! I've been re-reading old entries tonight. Sometimes this 9 months seems to be passing so slowly, but at other times rather quickly. But most of the time it seems slow!

I'm laying on the couch. Dh is working from home this evening, and last evening, and some last week. I thought this wasn't supposed to happen at his new job. It's not nearly as fun to be home when he is busy. He won't let me finish up my decorating stuff because it requires the ladder. Really, I'm at a decision making point in the kitchen and I can't decide. The only other thing to do is clean and I'm not in the mood. I did a little cleaning last night -- swept and mopped and did laundry. But I am not motivated tonight.

Oh, I got pulled over today on my way home. Apparently I did not signal. I frankly find that hard to believe. I thought I signaled, I always signal. Dh says I don't signal long enough -- that I signal for a few seconds and then turn it off. I call myself a conservative signaler, but I do signal! I just can't imagine that I wouldn't have done it, if only for a few seconds. Who knows -- maybe I'm getting very forgetful! Luckily he let me off with a warning. Do they have nothing better to do than stop people who don't signal -- people who aren't speeding or otherwise breaking the law? Don't tons of people NEVER signal?

In other news, two of the ladies I keep up with in blogworld had big developments yesterday and today. Larisa got an early bfp (although she's being very cautious -- as we all are after a positive) and Emmie had her twins!

I'm off to Elk City tomorrow for a National Register Workshop with my supervisor. So I'll feel shut off from the world. My mom is supposed to come sometime this weekend. Yeah! And we start our birthing healthy babies class this weekend. So, another busy weekend. I don't know what we're doing for mother's day. Maybe we can all go out or take one out at lunch and the other out for dinner. It might be less hectic that way. Oh, and dh tells me tonight that, "you know this isn't your first mother's day." He wasn't very happy because I didn't even respond. I just glared!

My diapers and snappis still haven't arrived. :( I keep checking, but nada.

Cheers for my "little" middle sister, B, who sent the boyfriend packing! I'm proud of her for finally doing it!

Well have a good evening. L*st starts in 27 minutes!

27 Weeks 4 Days

I'm sitting here watching "Jon and Kate Plus 8." I've been decorating in the living room and am now very tired, so Dh let me choose something to watch. Dh told me no more climbing on the ladder. I was determined to finish decorating the kitchen and living room before baby. Bloss helped me pick out some items and I'm well on my way. But there is definitely gonna have to be some climbing on the cabinets in order to finish.

(DH is saying my decorations are girlie!) He likes the pictures Bloss picked out, but not the ones I picked out. Everything I got was 1/2 off at Hooby Looby! So, it was a good time to buy.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our cloth diapers and snapp*s. Hopefully they arrive this week.

27 Weeks, almost

Well, I've almost made it to 27 weeks. But the reason I'm writing today is that I finally did it, I talked to my boss about maternity leave. I told him last week that we needed to discuss that issue. I'd been putting it off since then. Today, he basically asked me if we needed to talk about something. So, we did. He was very receptive, even to the possibility of working part or 3/4 time. We'll still have to discuss this with the "big" boss (who is out until Friday), but hopefully everything will work out. My boss even offered to donate some of his sick leave to me! If all goes well, I hope to go on maternity leave after the July 4th holiday. But, we'll just have to see how I'm feeling.

Monday, I was really tired and having some tiny cramps -- just uncomfortable. Last night, my stomach was super upset -- my poor intestines are being squished! Today is better. I have more energy, so I was able to run errands and even cook dinner before I took up my nightly position lying on the couch. Now I'm in the optimal baby moving position. He/she really likes to lay on the couch sitting next to daddy.

Speaking of daddy, we "decided" on names, well, maybe. For a girl, I really wanted Anne with an E! Dh does not want the E, so we had to go with something else. I really wanted an "A" name, so I suggested Audrey. For a boy, we're down to two possibilities that we both like, Frederick Hewitt or Frederick Howell. "Howie" or "Huey" according to Millie. Hewitt is my favorite, but Howell is good as well (and it's a family last name, as well as a misspelled action verb).

I found out this week that our crib should arrive the 3rd week of May. Yeah! I'm ready to get the nursery put together.

For once, we don't have a baby related class this weekend. This is our only free weekend between now and the middle of June. But, I really need to go to Mom's, but I also want to stay home. That 2.5 hour drive is not a lot of fun in my condition!

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

Well, I've officially entered the third trimester -- if you go by certain charts. Others say it doesn't start until Tuesday, but I'm sticking with today. I finally dropped the bomb on work, sort of. I emailed my supervisor and said we needed to discuss maternity related issues in the very near future. Now at least he knows we need to talk about it and I shouldn't be able to keep putting it off! I should have talked to him about it yesterday when we were in the car together all day! We were in far western Oklahoma doing some research. It's very ugly out there.

Today, I did research into potential pediatricians. I think I've found two good candidates that we will try to meet up with in June. Their offices were very friendly and each came highly recommended from coworkers.

I went and bought flowers for the yard tonight (I had a coupon that was expiring in the next few days). DH won't let me plant them though, so MIL and SIL, if you're reading, I need help, please. He says I can't even help (although the education class said I could garden as long as I wear gloves).

We're having dinner tomorrow night with some friends of Dh's. They have a little boy who was born in January and we haven't seen them since December.

Dh is late tonight (he's been late every night this week with work and sports) and I'm starving. I've been hungry all day -- some days I'm starving and other days, I just eat because I know I need to.

Beware of whining and general complaining . . . (bear in mind that the true object of this rant is completely unaware of my blog as he is "no longer my brother in law" -- no wait, his words were "you're no longer my sister in law") . . .

I was having a really good day today until . . . I tried to mettle in the affairs of others. I had very good intentions and IT IS MY BUSINESS!! This is the second time this week something like that has happened. But, I shall not bother to make suggestions, share my opinions, or otherwise try to help again. I've learned my lesson and I'm just gonna stay out of things. Sometimes families are very difficult and I would just like to move away with DH and the baby and be alone for a while. Other times, I'm afraid that things are just going to slip out of my mouth -- that I'm going to tell people how I really feel and stop being NICE. (I think I've got a few too many hormones raging at the moment and I'm hungry).

Okay, that was very therapeutic.

We have Healthy Pregnancy class on Saturday morning and then we're off to Atoka for a wedding. Not looking forward to the drive, but am looking forward to the visit. This will probably be one of my last drives down before baby, so I plan to enjoy it.

25 weeks

Well, the trip to Bartlesville didn't go exactly as planned. I felt kind of sickly Tuesday morning (runny nose and sore throat). This only worsened through the day. By Tuesday night I was running a fever and was miserable. I might have slept two hours. And because I was worried about fever and the baby I was even more miserable. I managed to get my work done, somehow. I hope I didn't miss too much. I was so glad to get home. I was running a temp of 100.5 when I got home, but managed to get it down to 98.9 shortly after getting home. I still felt pretty bad until around 9:00 -- then the mucinex or something finally kicked in. I was able to sleep through the night which was wonderful.

I'm glad that I have no more out of town trips before baby. I go to Vici next week and then have to go Marietta sometime in May to survey an old jail and railroad depot. There will also be day trips to Elk City and Guthrie.

My first national register nomination was officially forwarded to Washington today. Yeah! I was definitely down on survey work after being in Bartlesville, but seeing the end of the survey process (a completed nomination) helped me to see that it is worthwhile. One shouldn't survey sick though! (My boss's advice was to "drug up" when I told him was sick -- like that's a possibility when you're 6 months pregnant).

Bloss asked me how much weight I've gained. I don't know, since I don't really pay attention at the doctor's office and I don't know what I weighed when I started IVF. I did measure my waist tonight, though. At the "widest" point I am now 43". My belly is coming awfully close to my bosom area. There's not much separating the two and that can be a little uncomfortable.

24 1/2 Weeks

24w5d to be exact, I think. We had a doctor's appointment today, that was pretty uneventful, except that I forgot my u/a sample in the car! Scott had to go get it and bring it in. I thought he'd try to hide it under his jacket or something, but no. I was laughing about it. He wasn't. But all ended well. We listened to the heartbeat. I expressed my pain complaints and that was it. Btw, did I mention that we don't have to pay anything to the doctor? We tried to pay them today, but they wouldn't take anything. Yeah!

Our sprinklers are finished, after a little drama on Friday. Apparently there was a problem with the connection and we had a leak. So, we were without water till Saturday. So we spent the night at the in-laws. Then there was baby class. Scott was feeling pretty crumby, so I had to do shopping for the niece that turned one's birthday. Not nearly as much fun.

After the appointment today, we registered at Babies R Us. Lots of fun (for me, I don't know if Scott enjoyed it as much).

Tomorrow I'm off for Bartlesville again. I hope to finish up my survey work there. But, I plan to put in very long days, so I can finish and have a little downtime on Friday. I need a pedicure! My nails are growing like crazy.

I signed up for a breastfeeding class -- I told Scott he didn't have to go, but the other ladies said they're making their spouses go.

Our Family/Maternity Photos are Ready!

My belly is huge! You don't realize how huge till you see it uncovered on the screen! And the photographer kept telling me how small it was. She's crazy! So, if you want the link to the pics, email me and I'll send you the page, username, and password.

24 weeks today. Yeah! But 14 to 16 weeks more seems like such a long time.

I was in Tulsa today for a Tulsa Preservation Commission meeting. Almost four hours in the car has done me in! I don't think I have the energy to cook dinner, but will have to find something. I don't want takeout. I'm back into that really hungry, my stomach is rumbling all the time mode. Not good. I'm so glad that tomorrow is Friday because I am very tired.

Our sprinkler system is supposed to be finished. The owner of the sprinkler company is supposed to demo it for us tomorrow night. Hopefully everything works well and it will be smooth sailing. We're suposed to have interesting weather from now through the rest of the weekend.

More ultrasound pics

Good afternoon. I finally had a chance to scan the rest of our u/s pics. Enjoy.

Today was also the day we took couple/maternity photos. Scott loved it! We should have photos sometime next week.

Now, we're just relaxing and enjoying our "vacation."

23 Weeks

Okay, so I know it's super late and we should have put pics on earlier, but I encountered technical difficulties. I had to resurrect the old machine just to scan a photo. I promise to do the others tomorrow. I am attaching only the best one.

Everything went well -- the baby is measuring to be about 1 lb. 4 oz. and by development, is 23w4d. It's edd by the ultrasound is 7/31/07. Good news for me.

Baby was beautiful -- I think I cried through most of it! The tech avoided the lower leg area, just so there would be no accidental peeking. I want it to be a surprise at this point. I'm just not ready to know.

22 Weeks 1 Day

Thank goodness it's Friday! It has been an incredibly long week -- we were busy all last weekend and then every night this week, I've been working on a valance for the baby's room. MIL and I bought fabric on Sunday afternoon. Scott and I managed to order the crib on Wednesday afternoon, so we're finally making some decisions. The crib skirt and baby book came on Thursday afternoon -- I like them both really well. The crib should be here in 4 to 12 weeks -- so it's finally coming together.

Baby has been moving . . . a lot . . . especially tonight. It has been kicking and kicking me.

There's been tons of rain here -- it basically rained all day. We couldn't get into the neighborhood the regular way or the regular alternate way -- those were both flooded and the other routes were close to being flooded.

Tomorrow is our first "pregnancy" class. It's supposed to be from 9:00 to 3:30 p.m. We'll see if we make it all day.

Next week is our "baby moon" mini vacation. So, it's a short work week although Tuesday will be a long day for me. I have a public meeting in Durant for their downtown Historic District.

Have a great evening.

Early Morning

It's very early this Sunday morning. I've been up four times during the night to use the restroom. Now I can't stop sneezing, so I gave up, got out of bed and am now on the couch. I told Scott that the time has come for me to move into a different room. I wake him up way too many times.

Speaking of Scott, he finally got to feel baby move on Thursday night (I think). And then again last night. Always before he said he couldn't feel what I was feeling or there was too much activity in my stomach to distinguish (and therefore, it must just be gas). However, these kicks were unmistakable.

Our baby book should arrive sometime this week, yeah! Now if we could just get a bed ordered and I could find some material for bedding, and some upholstery material and an upholsterer for my rocking chair . . . there's so much to get done. Now that all our Saturdays are tied up with church stuff, maybe we can get some stuff accomplished, although we do have baby class starting next Saturday. The first set of classes are about pregnancy, but since we're more than halfway done with that stage, we may be very choosy about what to attend. We're really going more for the later series about labor and delivery.

This evening we're off to a Hornets game, so a late night to start the week. Hopefully this week passes more quickly than last week -- it was so long. Then the next week is our mini-vacation and our "big" ultrasound! Last week was hard, because I was doing the monotonous stuff at work and I really wanted to be at home, working on stuff around here. I still haven't decided when to broach the subject of part-time and maternity leave at work. I'm a chicken! I want this job, but I also want to be home. Oh, the dilemma.

5 Month Appointment

Everything went fine at yesterday's appointment. Heartbeat was 156 bpm. I have to go in tomorrow morning early for a fasting blood sugar test (because of the family history of diabetes). Then I still have to get checked for gestational diabetes during week 28. The "big" ultrasound is scheduled for April 5 at 11:45 a.m.

We went to StorkLand to look at the crib I love. It's just hard to justify spending so much for a crib! However, it makes into a beautiful toddler and then full-size bed. You do have to pay for matching rails (another 120.00), but that's not horrible for an heirloom quality full-size bed. I don't know what to do -- I told Scott that it is his decision! I love the crib, but . . . there's so many places for $$$ to go these days.

In other news, we woke up at 7:24 a.m. this morning. I could swear I set the alarm, but . . . I guess not. Scott didn't get home last night until after 10 p.m. due to a late softball game, so he needed the rest. However, it made for an unsettling start to the day.

Halfway there!

We are 20 weeks today. It seems like it has been such a long time, and yet we have such a long ways to go! I am feeling some tummy movement, although nothing really visible. Scott says it is gas.

I have had horrible indigestion today. But, I am feeling a little better right now. I am looking forward to having Friday off to drive to Atoka and spend with my family.

We are still trying to decide on a bed and bedding. After doing some reading, it seems as though a bumper pad is a bad idea and that a quilt is unnecessary, so I am really just trying to buy pretty sheets and a crib skirt. We're looking at some discontinued stuff from PBKids called chamois lambie. I went to a local store on Saturday and found some other stuff I really liked, that was super expensive. But I liked it . . . I really want to make some decisions on these things. I want everything planned out, if I can.

And as for names, we've given up even discussing it. We have the first name for a boy (Frederick -- the family name) and a middle name for a girl (Elizabeth). But we haven't "fallen in love" with any other names to go with those. I like Anne Elizabeth and Frederick Ward, but . . . I guess we'll see.

We have our next appointment on Monday. No ultrasound then, but we're supposed to schedule one at that appointment. So, that's good news. I'm ready to see this little one again.

My first baby purchases

Scott bought baby a book for Valentine's, but before tonight, I hadn't bought anything. I think I was too superstitious. It's still hard to accept sometimes that this will hopefully happen!

So, I bought a bassinet and some onesies, plus two more pairs of maternity pants at a consignment sale in Norman. I thought I would share.

New Furniture!

Well, Scott and I finally own our own living room furniture! He thinks it is darker than we expected, but I still like it. I couldn't take a photo of the entire ensemble because he was sitting on it and did not want to be disturbed, so this is just a sample. There is also a nice couch and a dark leather club chair!

Belly Pic 16w6d

Okay, so I meant to post this earlier. Scott took this the morning after the other pic to show how much I "grow" during the day. Actually, it doesn't look as though there is too much difference! I guess we'll be due for an updated pic in a few days.

On Assignment

Hello from the fair city of Bartlesville! I thought this was a relatively small town, but now, after surveying here for several days, it doesn't seem quite as small!

I"m absolutely exhausted. I think I got in and out of the car over 50 times today. I had hoped to go research at the library tonight, but I simply cannot. I am having some kind of pain. I don't know what it is, but it happens every once in a while and is a dull achy thing.

3 days is simply not enough time to get everything done that needs to be done here! I will definitely have to come back.

Stopping to eat and use the restroom frequently also slows me down a lot.

It's also been more emotionally trying to be here than I expected. I should have made someone come here with me! I'll be glad to be gone, even though I really like this place.

I miss my Scott!

Oh, I hope my Cowboys can manage to actually win a game tonight.