Yay and YAY!

Two things:

One, the car seat DID come yesterday! Now, to try to figure out how to install the damn thing. The instructions are VERY intimidating. I've heard YouTube has a plethora of vids on how to install. I'll be checking those later. But I lerve it and I'm so glad I went ahead and had it shipped to me instead of just picking a different pattern.

And second - one of my friends from back in the day/my hometown had her baby last night (on her due date, no less)! She too was on the "wait and see" plan for the gender, and she had a boy! (Just like everyone predicted at my shower back in June.) For the record, a girl was predicted for me by the same ladies.  We'll see if I'm friends with psychics soon enough.

This labor thing is pretty easy.*

*NOTE TO LABOR GODS - I'M TOTALLY JOKING. No need to show me what's really up for a week at least.

Saw John the Midwife today - this week's state of the uterus:

Mucus Plug - Still gone.
Dilated - 4-5cm!!
Effaced - 80% (same)
Bedrest - Still till the end, unless I want to be in pelvis splitting pain.
Measuring - Around 35 weeks - only because I've dropped.
Baby is at 0 station, which is lower than last week's -3.

Essentially, between the baby being so low, my dilation and effacement - I'm halfway done with labor. The only pain I've experienced is my gallbladder (now known as Vincent) and the cervix clawing. (Some of my ladies think the ninja is just hanging on for dear life - I concur!) I've had a few contractions with some cramping in the last week - but nothing to write home about. So, HOLY CRAP. It's so close now I can nearly taste it. Now if the UPS man would just get here with our car seat...we'll be ready to rock and roll.

The hubs and I went out for lunch after my appointment today and then to Best Buy, a rug store and Target. We FINALLY got a rug for the baby's room, and also found a new one for the living room...which of course required us to buy new throw pillows at Target for the couches to tie it all together. (And I had to pick up some long sleeve onesies for the ninja to wear underneath all the short sleeve ones I ended up with. It IS fall. :)

At any rate, after having a hand shoved up my babymaker and all the walking/standing today...I'm beat. Especially since I only had about 3 hours of sleep last night, thanks to cervix punches and Vincent the gallbladder being a douche. The hubs is having a night out (well deserved) with his phone well within reach. I'm a little ascurred of something happening tonight considering the events of the day, but hopefully the ninja will at least make it through the weekend. My parents are planning on being here next weekend...or sooner if need be.

I just can't believe I'm already this dilated...and not in the hospital choking a nurse because my epidural isn't here yet. Certainly gives new meaning to the phrase "Everyone's different!"

36 weeks.

How far along? 36 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: About +29 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Oui oui. These sweatpants are becoming a part of me. As is the couch.
Stretch marks? I'm tired of thinking about them. Not this week.
Sleep: I have good nights and bad. Last night was bad.
Best moment this week: My shower! So fun - I love my friends. And getting all the essentials for the munchkin.
Movement: Still practicing ninja rolls.
Food cravings: A magic coke from McDonalds!
Gender: Still no idea.
Labor Signs: Contractions are changing slightly, getting more crampy...but not every contraction is like that. This is a long and weird process.
Belly Button in or out? It's just gross.
What I miss: Being able to be on my feet without feeling like I'm about to drop a bowling ball between my legs.
What I am looking forward to: My appointment Friday...and just making it another week!
Weekly Wisdom: It's never to early to be 100% prepared.
Milestones: The baby's room is nearly 100% complete!

Oh well, I tried!

The finalists were revealed for the Best Pregnancy Blog award, and alas, I was not included.

But I encourage you to vote for your favs - Blair and The 818 are both good e-friends, so I encourage you to vote for one of them!


Vote for Mommy Blog Awards here.

Baby shower madness!

Ha - not really. I did have my baby shower yesterday...my second one...and last one before baby arrives. It was so nice to get cleaned up, put in contacts, wear jeans and makeup and get out of the house!  It was super fun, and so nice to see my girls. I feel like a friendless shut-in anymore, so talking to my friends face to face was awesome. I got lots of beautiful gifts and I'm feeling more prepared for a baby now  than ever.

The hubs and his mom went to Babies R Us after the shower to buy the essential things we still hadn't received...and boy was it spendy. Of course, the car seat I wanted wasn't available at the store they went to, and the other store in the metro was out as well, so I ordered it via their website. It's supposed to be here any time between Thursday and next Monday.  I'm hoping it gets here before the baby does! We're ready in nearly every other aspect!!

The nursery is SO CLOSE to being ready to show off. I have a little bit more cleaning up to do, but I got some pictures hung, the mattress is in the crib, as is the now clean bedding...changing pad in place...all that's really left is the shelves, which were a staining FAIL this weekend. I'll try to take some pics in the next few days.

I'm putting my money on this happening sometime next week...maybe like a week from Friday. So weird to think we'll have a baby in our house! Honestly though, I feel so much more ready just knowing we at least have the bare minimum of what we'll need to get by. At least, I think we do!

And I think we've settled on a girls name too. We'll see about that. The boy name has still stuck. I'm just waiting for the hubs to change his mind on the girl name. :)

Saturday morning randoms.

Let me start this post out by saying I woke up to a decent dusting of snow this morning. Mind you - I woke up at 10am and it was still on the ground. Now it's 10:40 - temp check? 28 degrees. Windchill of 17 degrees. ON OCTOBER 10TH. Granted I am on bedrest and don't really need to leave the house, but I never did find a coat to fit me. None of Josh's fit either. So, I'll be sporting the unbuttonable coat tomorrow at my shower...hopefully it warms up next week a little more so I'm not totally screwed. :)

As far as Labor Watch 2009 goes - I've had some changes in contractions - I've been getting some cramping in my lower abdomen now with the braxton hicks, which makes me think they're getting a little more serious. Nothing I can't deal with - they still don't really hurt...just uncomfy. C'mon little ninja - I just want to make it through this weekend!

I've got my hospital bag about 70% packed...just missing a few small, less essential items. And I actually washed baby blankets the other day, and a going home outfit! (Don't be fooled, there's still about 7 billion things left on my list of things I wanted to get done before the baby is here. And about 3 weeks less time to do it in!)

Weekly cervix status.

Here's the stats:

Mucus Plug - gone. (Sorry, no photos to post. You're all bummed, I know it.)
Dilated - 3cm (no change)
Effaced - 80% (thinner than last week)
Bedrest - till the end (which he assumes will be anytime between now and 2 weeks from now)
Measuring - AHEAD! more like 37 weeks.

Midwife John says he thinks my labor signs will go something like they always tell you it won't go - a big gush of water. He thinks since I've been having contrax for so long I can't rely on them as a sure sign of labor, and that since I'm dilated already, his educated guess is I'll experience the gigantic gush of my water breaking. (EEEE!)

Obviously it could go the other way too, but he said I'm in the home stretch, pretty much. November isn't even in the picture anymore. October is a good month to have a baby I guess. :)

I went to Target after my appointment to get some stuff for the hospital bag...and I'm paying the price now. Well, and from the internal too, I'm sure. My pelvis is on the verge of shattering. Awesomesauce.

So, that's it for now!  My shower is on Sunday, which my great friends are throwing for me, and after that shower, the hubs is planning on heading to Babies R Us to buy any necessities that we don't have so we can be totally prepared at any point for this munchkin to come! Midwife John says that I'll more than likely be bringing this baby home right away after I have it, so we need to be prepared!

And don't forget to wager a guess in the baby pool if you haven't already...or maybe change your guess if you've already made one!

35 weeks.

How far along? 35 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: About +29 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Indeed. I was reduced to wearing the hubs' track pants and teeshirts over the past couple of days due to a ton of dirty laundry.
Stretch marks? I'm waiting for my stomach to erupt. It's still pristine. My thighs though. MY GOD.
Sleep: I'm sleeping well. The hubs? Not so much. I've turned into a snorer. Thirty extra pounds will do that to a girl. I HATE that I snore. I might be on the couch until this munchkin is here.
Best moment this week: NOT having an outside baby, yet.
Movement: Yep. The babe really responds when the hubs talks to it. So cute.
Food cravings: A magic coke from McDonalds and chocolate cake...again.
Gender: No idea. I'm at a loss again.
Labor Signs: Yeah,  unfortch. Bedrest and hopefully still at 3cm.
Belly Button in or out? Staying flat for the time being.
What I miss: Being able to enjoy pregnancy, and not being dilated.
What I am looking forward to: My appointment on Thursday. I want news that nothing has changed.
Weekly Wisdom: PACK YOUR HOSPITAL BAG!
Milestones: I guess being dilated is a milestone. Not one I wanted this early.


For the strong, here's a bare belly pic. Don't say I didn't warn you.

How YOU doin?

Me? I'm okay. Had kind of a rough night of crampiness at 4am and mild anxiety due to said cramps. I'm already at wit's end with not knowing what's going on...whether any given cramps or pains might actually be labor or my body just being a jerk. I took a bath a little over an hour ago to ease the cramps, which helped...but now I'm back to being uncomfortable. While in the bath I started to get mad and upset about this whole situation. I'm upset with my body for not allowing me to enjoy what should be the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. I'm mad that I've had to deal with contractions for nearly 4 months. I'm pissed that this bedrest is technically taking time away from my maternity leave after the baby is here. Having to worry about everything is what makes me most upset. I know that being calm and relaxed helps me to not have contractions and whatnot, but how can I be relaxed when I know what could be happening inside me?

::sigh::

Alright, time to get back to watching the Twins game I was supposed to be at with the hubs. He's there with one of his friends, which I insisted he do...because ONE of us should at least be there. (I will say, laying on the couch IS more comfy than the crappy plastic seats at the Dome, but my heart is breaking. Didn't know I was such a baseball fan, did you?)

Oooooo, you are SO GROUNDED.

I'm writing this post from my hospital bed, hoping for word that I'll be sent home soon...like this afternoon, maybe.

Long story short -

Yesterday I went to my appointment and received my weekly internal...and for the first time - was dilated. The MW I saw figured me to be a "stretchy 4cm" and off to Labor & Delivery I went.

They strapped me to a monitor and IV and I had to stay the night. The hubs was with me the whole time...even went home to get the laptop, camera (just in case) and a few other items.And slept in the poorest excuse for a bed I've ever seen. (Not that mine was any better!)

I was rechecked this morning. It was the most PAINFUL internal I've ever had (did he have the Freddy Krueger glove on or something?) but he determined I'm really more like 3cm, but no change really since the night before.

John the midwife seems to think that I should be able to go home this afternoon (although original plan was another night of observations). I told him that in all honesty, I felt no different prior to this appointment...and I had been SUPER active this past week, what with the hubs being laid up and all. He knows that I know my body, and when the contractions start being more real and less like they have been the past nearly 20 weeks. We live a mere 10 minutes from the hospital, so if labor truly begins, we're not that far away.

I am so glad I do not have an outside baby yet. I never lost my shit last night, but while sitting in the tub trying to relax while the hubs was getting some things from home...I suddenly felt like a 15 year old - wondering how I thought I was ready for this, that this couldn't be happening...what had I gotten myself into. But I pulled myself together and reminded myself that this wasn't happening yet. And it isn't...THANK GOD.

Mental note. PACK EFFING HOSPITAL BAG.

Odds and ends.

This is going to be a post of randoms, because I can't conjure up anything to make a cohesive post. ADD, party of one.

• My pelvis is going to break in two. This just started being yet another awesome 3rd Trimester feeling on Monday. I can only assume it's because I chose to take the train for the first time in a few weeks, and since it was 5 o'clock, no one felt the need to get off their lazy ass and offer an 8 months pregnant lady their seat. I then thought it'd be a good idea to stand in the kitchen and make chicken cacciatore. Then my pelvis split in half. And has been ever since. (Not familiar with the pain? You know the horrid pain of a groin pull? It's that. But ALL THE TIME. Awesome, right?)
• I got my first prenatal massage over the weekend. It was HEAVENLY. It also went by too quickly. They have this pregnancy pillow that allows the belleh to be cushioned and supported while I get to LAY ON MY STOMACH. It was the best feeling ever. Like, almost enough where I want to go out and buy my own...even if I only use it for 4 more weeks because the sensation of not having any weight on my back was EPIC.
• The hubs is still on the mend. We spent a good portion of the pre-daylight hours in the ER on Saturday morning since his kidney doc - let's refer to him as Dr. Douchebag - refused to give him enough paid meds to last the weekend. I have never seen my husband in that amount of pain EVER...and I hope to never see it again. But, the docs and nurses at the hospital (the one I'll be delivering at) were the bees knees and did everything they could to make him free of pain and determine why he was in so much pain. They'd accomplished in a little over 5 hours more than Dr. Douchebag had done in a week. Anyway - the hubs is slowly getting better and his spirits are better too, which is most important! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my dear!
• The cat has found his way into the crib. This is something I'm not pleased with, but mostly need to blame myself for. My crowning achievement of assembling the IKEA shelves for the baby's room has resulted in our jerky cat Boo-boo now having a launching pad into the crib...where before he couldn't haul his fat ass over the railing. So, I must move the shelves away from the crib, which makes me sad because I LIKE where they are now and don't WANNA put them on the other wall. I'm considering buying balloons and attempting the "balloon + cat claws = scurred cat" trick to see if that helps. 

So that's your midweek update. :) Enjoy.

34 weeks.

How far along? 34 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: About +27 lbs. (I was off last week - finally asked a nurse at the clinic and OFFICIALLY I'm up 27 lbs.)
Maternity clothes? Yes. And this morning, when it was 42 degrees, I dealt with wearing a thin cardigan and a scarf.
Stretch marks? I don't want to talk about it.
Sleep: The past week has been a nightmare with the hubs kidney ailment, but it's getting better again. Although I was up 3 times to pee.
Best moment this week: Getting the blinds up in the nursery and finally assembling the shelves I bought at IKEA.
Movement: Lots of squirms and rolls.
Food cravings: This week I would REALLY love a sausage biscuit from McDonalds. It's got something like 65% of your daily total of saturated fat in it though. My gallbladder says NO.
Gender: Who knows. I'm still more interested in seeing what this kid looks like!
Labor Signs: Not really anything new.
Belly Button in or out? Starting to somehow get a little bit of an outtie.
What I miss: Not feeling like my pelvis is going to rip apart when I sit or walk.
What I am looking forward to: Still looking forward to the hubs feeling 100% better. He's getting there. Slowly.
Weekly Wisdom: This morning I officially declared in my head that I missed the second trimester. SAVOR IT. LOVE IT.
Milestones: Apparently this kid weighs 5 lbs now. Maybe that's why my crotch is going to break wide open any minute now?

I'll try not to let it get to me.

Comment from extremely nice coworker that I see every day who probably didn't understand how it came across to an overly hormonal pregnant lady:

Hey! You're finally starting to look pregnant, huh?

Uh...yeah. Actually, as far as I'm concerned, I've been looking pregnant for a long time. Maybe even a couple months. So...what happened yesterday or last week that suddenly I "look pregnant?"

Maybe it's because this child insists upon head-butting my cervix today and is causing me to walk funny? Maybe because I'm wearing a white shirt today and thus look like the side of a building? I guess I'll never know. But...thanks for noticing that I finally look pregnant. In a month when I'm forced to shuffle at 1 mph to the bathroom every 20 minutes, I wonder what it is I'll look like then.

Because I have no shame.

There's a couple badges on the right that I would just be tickled pink if you'd click. In fact, just to make things easier - I'll add them to this post. :)

This is just a listing of a bunch of baby blogs - but the more clicks from my site...the higher rating I get! It's that simple. Plus, a few of my bloggy friends are listed here as well and you should probably check out their sites too.

I don't stand a chance in hell of winning this one since Blair has the majority of the Bump brainwashed, but I wouldn't mind trying. (Nothin but love, Ms Blair.) This one requires you to have a login to the Bump.

And finally, with the worst graphic on the planet - it's your chance to place a bet as to the specifics of the Ninja's arrival - gender, weight, birthday - the works. Give it a shot! In fact, I'll have a little prize at the end for who is the closest. Place your bets! 

Aside from being a vote whore, I've been tending to the hubs all day (he's been dealing with kidney stones and the associated pain), which I think I've been doing an okay job at...aside from when I thought I was going to have to knock him out because he was in so much pain. He doesn't deal with pain very well. (You know I love you dear.) I'll show him when I'm a model patient when pushing a human being out my vadge in a few weeks. (Did you hear the sarcasm there? I'm pretty sure I'm going to make his tolerance today look like a million bucks.)

Tomorrow I have yet another internal check, and birthing class number four.  Thursday night I will have the house to myself for the first time in a while, and I plan on watching The Office and maybe a few of my Sex & The City DVDs, coupled with a glass of fake Chardonnay. A throwback to my days of yore. And Saturday, I scheduled an hour massage. I cannot effing WAIT.

33 weeks.

How far along? 33 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: About +30 lbs. Some of it is in my face, for sure.
Maternity clothes? Indeedy. Please welcome the new member of the family - maternity leggings, on the left. Also the second round of new bra buying as well.
Stretch marks? Stomach still stretchie free - thighs are now considered a lost cause. I'll never wear short shorts again.
Sleep: I've had a couple of better nights under my belt.
Best moment this week: Getting through another week with no progress!
Movement: A couple rib kicks, for once. And more cervix headbutting.
Food cravings: Still sweets. And I would REALLY love a hamburger from McDonalds.
Gender: *sigh* Now I don't know anymore. Maybe I'm just wishing girl?
Labor Signs: The rest is helping the fake labor pains I've been having.
Belly Button in or out? Who cares - it's GROSS.
What I miss: Sushi and white wine. Together.
What I am looking forward to: The hubs feeling better. It's hard having two of us being uncomfortable!
Weekly Wisdom: None. Pregnancy causes snoring. And it SUCKS.
Milestones: Halfway done with birthing classes. Eeep!