Farewell 2008

Well it's time to say goodbye to 2008. It's been quite a year with ups and downs and lots of excitement. I would like to got through some of my memories from each month so come along for the ride.

January - We went to some friends house for a great New Year's Eve party and played Guitar Hero all night and ate and drank. I don't think we'll have so much excitement tonight. Birthdays for me and Nathan. Mom cooks whatever we want to eat.

February - We celebrated our 4th anniversary in Fredericksburg, TX. We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast outside of town. We shopped, ate wonderful food, and visited some friends and family nearby.

March - That's when the fun of IVF journey began. I've already posted the whole story in one of my first entries, but I'll just take a moment to say that the month of testing, medicating, and waiting was exciting and excrutiating at the same time. Since we were offered a spot in a clinical trial, we didn't have a lot of time to think about the offer. We pretty much decided in about 2-3 days if we wanted to do it. We weren't previously doing any treatment. It was a big decision, but I think we made the right one.

April - More medicine, egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Things were very busy at work that month too with a major turnaround (shutdown of the chemical plant to work on things) going on. So I was going to the dr every week, missing lots of work, trying to keep secrets. Whoo!

May - Oh May!! May 11 - Mother's Day, I took my first home pregnancy test, and it was positive.

June - 1st u/s showed 2 babies. That was quite a shocker!

July - Found out that one of the babies didn't make it. Very sad, but happy that our little boy was doing well.

August and September - Dominated by hurricanes. We evacuated for Gustav, which hit around New Orleans. Then 2 weeks later, Ike hit us. We were out of our house for about 10 days with no power, no clean water, and no sewer. We only had minor exterior damage and some roof leaks in one room. We were fortunate to have places to stay in the area after the storm so we could clean up the mess at the house.

October and November - Just riding through the pregnancy, getting bigger, more uncomfortable, but also very excited that our son is coming soon!

December - Baby showers! It was so fun to get baby gifts and get the nursery set up. It's all ready for the little boy. Christmas was a bit sad because I was on bedrest and didn't get to see all the family, but dr's orders. Now I just have 2 weeks (at the longest) till the baby comes.

2009 is going to bring lots of changes to our family, and I am very excited to get it started. Plus tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm not on bedrest! Not that I'll do anything crazy, but it will be nice to go to Grandpa's house for lunch.

We passed!

We actually passed the NST! Little boy decided to cooperate and move around so the NST would look good. Then the dr came in and asked how I was feeling and how things are going. We talked about bp, and she said it's a little higher than it should be, but to keep same meds, and that it is not anything to be too worried about at the moment. That was nice to hear. I'm measuring a little behind. She wasn't really worried. She said baby's head is very low, and that is why I'm not really big. But we are doing a growth scan on Friday just to check his weight.

She did the exam... which was extremely painful... I mean for real people... and I'm 1 cm dilated, which doesn't mean a lot, but that I am progressing. She also said, the big kicker, that she doesn't want us to go past 39 weeks because of the bp issues and risks to my health. So, we will be having a baby on or before Jan. 14!! Very exciting.

I asked about bedrest and activity level, and she said I can do a little more, even go run an errand or two, just no majorly long outings. So yay for no more home-bound bedrest! I did tell her that I really didn't want to go back to work. It's not so much that I wouldn't mind going in to work for a little while next week, but it would be hard to get back in the swing of things. I get really tired and out of breath easy. She didn't have a problem writing me a note that I need to stay home through the rest of the pregnany and 6 weeks postpartum. Plus if I go back at all, I start over with 2 weeks unpaid before I get short term disability. So maybe I'm a little lazy, and maybe we will need the money. I just think it's better if I don't go back. I will spend most of my time at home, but maybe we can go to the movies or out to eat this weekend. That will be nice. Maybe I can get a massage or a haircut.

So things are looking pretty good for today!

Rough night

So I definitely have that nasty cold and it is making me miserable. I was up every hour or two all night after I finally fell asleep around 1:00 am. I took Claritin, but it didn't help much. Sudafed usually helps, but it makes my heart race and bp go up. I'm sure I'll survive though. BP was good all day yesterday and this morning so far. I'm very curious what the dr is going to say. I wish I would have made my appt earlier, but I know it's better for Nathan for it to be in the afternoon. He is not planning on coming, but if things don't go well, like the past two times, he will come as quick as he can, and I'm ok with that. I just want to know, is she going to keep me on bedrest until the baby comes? Does she consider my bp under control with some days being high and some days being ok? Am I starting to dilate and efface? And it's a little scary knowing that if the tests don't go well, I could have to stay in the hospital and have the baby. But we are one day from being 37 weeks (can't hardly believe it) so he will be ok. I trust her, so I will do what she thinks is best. Of course I will want to ask questions, but she has seen me through this far, so I think she will take care of us.

Appt is at 1:40 pm central time, so I will update when I get home, whenever that may be. I may test out mobile blogger if I'm going to be there for a while.

Pawpaw

Hopefully no one minds my two posts a day these days. I just get kinda bored and lonely, and sharing with you all helps a lot. My grandpa calls me every day to check on me. I think he has come over to our house more in the past week than in the past year. He only lives 15 minutes away, but he is majorly a homebody and never leaves the house, and when he does come over, it's usually for like 10 minutes. He has really been good to me. He's 77 years old and in fairly decent health. When my grandmother passed away in 2003, it was very hard on him. It was hard on all of us. He's dealt a lot with depression, and he has his good days and bad days. Back to the story, so yesterday he made cookies (pre-made dough, his specialty) and brought them to us, one plate of chocolate chip for Nathan and one of white chocolate macadamia nut for me. Yummy. Then today he calls and wants to bring us dinner, chicken and dressing. Yummy. It's just really nice of him to take care of us like that. And yesterday on the phone he was telling me I'm his favorite grandchild... I try to say nice things about my cousins and bring up how my brother is doing better, but he insisted. Of course I loved it...

Reflecting

Just wanted to take a chance to reflect on a few things. First of all, Nathan, Chesley, and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. (Except for the fact that I think one of our wonderful visitors lately gave me a cold...) We had three baby showers with wonderful gifts, food, and love given freely. One was at church, one at a friend's house, and one at Nathan's aunt's house. We got pretty much everything we needed for Chesley. How awesome is that? I went out and bought the rest of the things we needed and we have gotten some money and gift cards since then. The generosity and love is really amazing. Second, as I think I've said, Nathan has been really great this past week since I've been on bedrest. He's been good with helping throughout the pregnancy, but up until the doc said bedrest, I was doing most of my normal housework, grocery shopping, and activity. When he heard the doc say bedrest, it must have really hit him that something bad could happen, and that I really need to take it easy. He just does everything I would normally do, cook, clean, shop, laundry, usually without me having to ask. If I ask for a certain thing to eat, he gets it, though I am not picky these days, and will pretty much eat whatever doesn't eat me first. He's just been great to us. I'm really blessed to have him to take care of us and to have him for my husband. Finally, I am blessed to be having this baby in the first place. Through three years of infertility, there were many tears, and there were many times I thought I would never be a mother. I've always wanted to have a child, always knew I would have a child. Now, sometime in the next few short weeks, he will be here. So though I will probably continue to complain about how miserable my body feels, which it does of course, I really feel blessed.

So I'm all alone today in the big quiet house. My throat is sore, so I hope I'm not getting sick. BP was up and down yesterday. I think highest was about 138/92 or something, not great, but not horrible. Going to the dr tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what she wants to do with us then.

Summer is doing better

Nathan went to church this morning and found out that Summer is doing better. They stopped her pre-term labor and are working on getting her pain under control on oral meds so they can make the trip home. They are still in Arkansas somewhere and have quite a long drive home to SE TX. I'm just glad to hear they are doing better, and I'm still praying for a safe trip home and for things to calm down.

My In-law baby shower

So instead of posting about how bored I am and how much my back hurts... I will share some pics of my baby shower from my in-laws. This little monkey-cupcake-set-up was so dern cute.









And my SIL made this precious arrangement for the table and for me with the little animals. She is so creative.











And I got lots of presents, lots of clothes, blankets, books, and the high chair, play pen, and monitor.











And here is me in all my big glory... and that was 3 weeks ago, on 12/7. I like this picture though.

So we'll see what excitement happens today. Hope everyone has a good day. I haven't heard an update from Summer, but I will update when I hear something.

Please pray for Summer

My friend Summer is 27 weeks pregnant with her second child, a daughter. She is our pastor's wife. They went out of state for the holidays, and she got kidney stones that are sending her into pre-term labor. I don't know all of the details, but I just hope wherever she is, the drs are taking good care of her and trying to keep the baby from coming just yet. I know her baby has a good chance of survival, but it's really best if they can hold off delivery. Poor Summer is in lots of pain too. Please pray and think good thoughts for Summer, Eric, and baby girl. I always pray for friends in need, but I do feel a special bond with my sisters who are pregnant at the same time as me.

Dear Lord, Please heal Summer. Calm her body and mind. Allow her baby to stay inside her and grow healthy and strong. Be with her family as they take care of her and her son Ethan. Amen.

Updated - Another exciting day in the life

I am on partial bedrest, so I am allowed to sit up and "move around the house" says the dr. But I probably should lay down more than I am. I probably need the lecture. It's so hard to lay down all day. It is nice to be able to rest and not have any responsibilities, but dang... Stir crazy for sure. And yes, I would only be alone during the day while Nathan is at work. It's not so bad if I can sleep late, eat, watch tv for a little while, nap, get on the computer for a minute, and then he is home. BP has been creeping up a little today, so we'll see what happens. And I'm doing way less today than yesterday. I do wish we had bought a laptop instead of a new desktop. If I would have known about bedrest, I certainly would have gotten a laptop instead. It was just such a good deal for the desktop, printer, big monitor. I do like to read, but I get so sleepy, and I know if I sleep all day, I'll be up all night. I want to work on my scrapbook, but sitting at the table working on it really makes my back hurt. Maybe I'll try to learn how to crochet if it's not too hard.

Oh and just for fun... I swear that none of my maternity clothes fit anymore. Well, they are pretty dang tight anyways. It's almost 80ºF here this week, hotter than it has been in a while, so I need short sleeves, and those shirts are not fitting. So I raided Nathan's side of the closet. His soft Old Navy polo shirt is nice n comfy! He said, "why are you wearing my nice shirt?" I said "It's comfy. Do you want me to take it off?" He said "no."

So here we go again, another day of non-excitement, which is good. It has been nice that Nathan has been home a lot to keep me company. And I'll only be home alone Mon, Tues, and Wed next week since he'll be off for New Year's Day and the day after. Then things will get tough if I have to be home for 2 weeks alone... But I'm trying to take things one day at a time. I do wish I could go to the mall or to the movies, but I'll survive. Well I'm off to go shopping, online that is. Have a great day.

Fun times at the hospital

Everything went well with the tests at the hospital. It sounds scary when we tell people we had to go to the hospital, but the only reason is because the drs office is closed today. We got put on the monitor, and little boy was not moving much, even after drinking a Sprite. Then the nurse ordered an ultrasound. Then as soon as she said that, he started moving like crazy and his heartbeat went up and down like they wanted to see. But they wanted to go ahead and do the u/s. I had to ride in a wheelchair... OMG I was really hoping I didn't see anybody. I felt silly, but they wouldn't let me walk. He did good on the u/s too. He did his practice breathing and lots of movement. So now we're home. Hopefully we have a nice uneventful weekend.

Another NST

Well I just ate a nice big sugary breakfast and the little boy is wiggling around and kicking me pretty good. Hopefully he'll keep up the good work when we go in for our NST and monitoring this morning at the hospital. I still can't believe they are making us go to the hospital just for this test... I'm thinking about the money involved. $30 to have it done at the dr office, $250 at the hospital, and that's if you don't see the dr... Plus my dr is off until Tuesday. So I would really rather not have the baby with another dr. But I'm trying to leave things in God's hands and just do what the dr says. My bp has been really good today and yesterday. I'm not sure if it's because of the rest or the medicine or a combination of the two, but I am very happy about it.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Mom and Mya came over around 11:00 and ate lunch and visited and brought presents. Then I took a nap, hung out with Nathan, took a bath, and then his parents came over at 9:00 pm. They didn't stay too long though. They brought us lots of nice presents. It kind of makes you feel bad when you say you're not buying presents, but then you are the only one who actually does not buy presents. It's not really fair. I guess now we know that even when we say that people will buy stuff. It also makes me feel bad because everybody has done so much for us for baby stuff, then buys us presents, and we have nothing to give them... We did buy presents for all the kids, so I guess that counts for something. Oh well.

Merry Christmas

Isiah 9
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Christmas last year

Just wanted to share some pics from last year. This is my SIL (Nathan's sister) , her husband, and my nephew Corben.

This is my niece Mya and nephew Omar. The look on her face in this pic is hilarious. You might have to enlarge the pic to see it. She is such a drama queen.









This is my SIL (brother's wife) and my lovely husband watching the kids open presents.














Hopefully they will take some pics tomorrow so I can see all the fun.

I got a call from my health insurance and they approved me for short term disability for the rest of the pregnancy. So that is reassuring. It is only 60% pay, but with me staying home, I'm not really spending any money, using any gas, or going out to eat, so hopefully it won't be too tough.

I did have a rough night last night. BP was high, around 140/95, I was very uncomfortable all over, and I was having lots of BH conttractions till about 2:00 am. They came every 5 minutes for a few hours, but they were getting weaker instead of stronger, so I was pretty sure it was not labor. I was hoping I made the right decision not going to the hospital, and I think I did. I slept pretty decent from 2:00 till 9:30 am. Now the contractions are just one or two an hour, still weak. He's moving really well today. It's just so crazy going through this for the first time, not knowing exactly what to expect. I think the sound of the keyboard clicking is making him kick me really hard LOL.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve with family and friends. Hold everyone dear. Give lots of hugs and kisses.

Christmas Eve Eve

We always called Dec. 23rd Christmas Eve Eve. It was a very exciting day for us as kids. One more day till Christmas Eve, presents, cookies, candy, and of course Santa. I'll be having a quiet day today and thinking about how exciting it was to be a kid at Christmastime.

I spent some time on the computer filing for my short term disability. I think I'm still a little bit in denial that I will be out of work till the baby comes. But I seriously doubt that my blood pressure will miraculousy stay low and even if it does that the dr will let me go back to work. So I filed the information, talked to HR, told them what is going on, and now I'm waiting for the health insurance rep to call me and ask me questions and tell me what I need to do. Not exactly all calm and stress free activities, but knowing that money will be coming in will help with my stress about paying the bills. For a girl who has worked the past 5.5 years straight with only hurricanes and short vacations as breaks from work, the thought of all this time off is crazy. I would like 8 weeks after the baby comes, so if the baby does wait 4 weeks, that is 12 weeks. If the baby waits less, then less. Crazy that a little tiny boy that I haven't even met yet is running the show.

Well, I hope everyone has a nice Christmas Eve Eve until the craziness of Christmas gets here. Remember Jesus's birth and the miracle of God's blessing to us all.

Back home!

So I just got home after seeing the dr. I saw her first and we talked about the high bp. She wants me to stay on bedrest and same meds. So I will be spending Christmas quite alone on the couch. That is pretty depressing. But lots of visitors will probably not be good for my bp anyways. I was just a little dilated. She said to call if bp gets to 160/105 either top or bottom number. Then we did NST and did not pass that. They look for the baby's heartrate to accelerate, and that did not happen. I ate a brownie and drank a dr pepper, still nothing. His HR was good, just steady. Then we did the BPP (biophysical profile) where the ultrasound tech looks for movement. We got arm and leg movement, but no twists or turns. So we only scored 6/10 on that. At this point, it's after 1:00 and I haven't eaten lunch. During all of this Nathan was at work. While I was getting the u/s, someone knocks at the door and says that there is a man here to see me. I said, "Who is it?" They said "Motiva" which is the name of Nathan's company, so I knew it was him. It was so great that he came to see us. He was getting worried. So after we didn't pass the BPP, they sent us to the hospital to be monitored more. So I was glad to not be alone. I was getting a little freaked out. Then the baby started moving a little more and had some accelerations. Then the dr came and saw us and let us go home. So I just got home, and I'm waiting for Nathan to bring me some food. Hopefully after I eat the baby will move some more. He is not moving much at all today. We are going back to the hospital on Friday for another NST since the drs office will be closed. So things are getting crazy around here these days. The dr said we might be having a New Year's baby... For those of you who don't know, I was born on New Year's Day. I just hope the baby can hold off at least one more week. So I might be done with work. I doubt the dr is going to let me go back with this bp issue. That is a little stressful financially, but I'm trying not to worry. I'm on bedrest but dr said I can move around the house. I don't have to stay in bed 24/7, which is good, just no going anywhere or doing much of anything. Well I hear Nathan's truck. Say a prayer for us.

Quick update

This morning when I woke up, bp was 130/100. I was a little freaked out. I called the nurse, and she was going to pull my chart and call me back. I ate breakfast, took my meds, and waited. I checked bp again, and it has gone down a little bit. So probably nothing dire. She called and didn't sound too worried and said I can come in now to get monitored and see the dr. So I'm going right now. This little boy is taking me on a rollercoaster already!

Another day of rest

So I'm still resting and taking it easy. Tomorrow we'll see what the dr says. I just hope I get to keep the baby in a little longer and work a little longer. But I really trust the dr, so we'll go with what she says. There is really nothing on tv!! I think all the tv shows are on holiday breaks. And for some reason some of the tv channels that are showing movies are not working. I guess I'm destined for goofy shows and pay-per-view.

Checking in

I'm downstairs for a little while to eat breakfast, so I'm checking in. BP got up to 140/94 last night, then went back down. This morning it is 131/91. So I'm watching it closely and trying to stay laying down and resting. My back is not liking the laying down all day and all night. I just hope the bp doesn't go up anymore. I increased the dose of the meds, but that really hasn't brought it down. Kind of scary.

Nathan put together the stroller, swing, and high chair last night. Not that we will need the high chair for a while, but I just want to make sure everything works right and has all its parts in case we need to take something back. So far, so good.

Update

Sorry so late. We got home from the dr around 3:00 and I was so tired I took a nap. Baby boy is growing well. He is right on track for his age. He weighs about 5 lbs. 11 oz. Dr. was very concerned about my blood pressure and swelling. He said bedrest for the weekend until I see my OB on Monday. He said if my bp bottom number goes over 100 to go to the hospital. He increased my dosage of bp medicine and said that may take care of it, but if it doesn't, they can give me stronger meds or just let me have the baby. He said that if I go into labor, that he wouldn't stop it and that the baby would be ok. The baby's head is very low, already making it's way into my pelvis. So, not really bad news, just precautions for me. He was pretty serious about bedrest, laying down to prevent swelling and keep bp low. BP before my nap was 140/82, and after it was 135/80. So, I'm going to rest more.

Goin to the dr

I'm sitting here waiting for Nathan to get ready so we can go to the dr. He always make me wait. I like to be on time... It's 8:30, and our appt is at 10:20. It takes about 1 hr and 45 mins to get there, so we'll be close, but oh well. I'm a little nervous about what the dr is going to say today. Hopefully little boy is growing big and strong. My blood pressure has been high since yesterday afternoon. I knew that there was something going on yesterday since I didn't feel good. It has been about 140 over 90. And at 4:00 am, I woke up with my hands very swollen and hurting. I can deal with these symptoms ok, but I know that they can indicate pre-emclampsia. So we'll see what the dr thinks and what he wants to do.

Make it through the day

If I can just make it through the day today, I have a three day weekend coming up. Tomorrow we go to Houston for a growth scan. Not exactly a day of fun, but at least we won't have to work. Maybe Nathan will put together some of the baby stuff I've been nagging him about. We don't have any plans for this weekend, so hopefully I can get some rest.

I still need to buy a gift for my niece, grandpa, and Nathan's grandma. I'll probably try to knock it all out at Target. My feet can only go so many steps these days. Micah said something about an Elmo doll for Mya, so I'll see if they have that, if not I'll give him some money and he can hunt for it. Maybe I'll give her some coloring books or something too. Grandpa asked for some new cookie sheets. He bakes cookies (pre-made dough) all the time, especially around the holidays. So I'll try to find some nice ones for him. For Nathan's grandma, she is always complaining about being cold, so maybe a nice throw blanket. I mean, always complaining. It's funny. At Thanksgiving, we had a 20 minute conversation about how she is always cold, and how everybody is out to get her and make her freeze. She gets mad at people at church when they turn on the A/C and tells them that they must have high blood pressure and that's why they are hot. She leaves church when she gets too cold. Too funny...

Nancy mentioned she is having a hard time leaving comments. Anybody else? I will try to figure out what is going on and email somebody to help me.

Tired today

I'm just so tired today. I woke up crampy and having BH contractions and feeling a little run over. I'm to the point where I really can't take a deep breath anymore. Little boy is using up my lung space. It's definitely a good thing that I can park close to the building at work and take the elevator.

We just had our holiday pot luck lunch at work. The food was really good. We had kids from a local elementary school come and sing Christmas songs. It was such a nice treat. The kids were really cute and sang very well.

Dr appt update

I saw the dr yesterday and everything is going well. Baby boy passed the NST, barely. He just wasn't very active yesterday. They like to see lots of movement and two heartrate accelerations in 20 minutes. At the last minute he cooperated. I told the dr about the pressure I've been feeling, so she checked me, and said everything is closed up. It's just nerve-wracking being pregnant for the first time, not knowing what to expect. I asked a few questions about delivery. Does she use staples for c-section? No, she does not. I like that answer. TMI alert........... Does she routinely do episiotomy? No, she does not. She prefers to let things happen naturally. I am really scared of tearing. I know it happens, and there is nothing I can do, but it is scary. I also know that the recovery is probably somewhat fast. I'm more scared of tearing than I am of the c-section. But I know that c-section has a longer recovery.

My brother is in town this week for a job interview. He lives in San Antonio, about 6 hours away, but this job really sounds good. It would be great if he eventually moved down here. I know it will be a tough transition to get his wife and 3 kids here. He has my niece with him and will try to find childcare here. His wife works at a restaurant and works evenings sometimes, so it would be hard for her to have the little girl and find childcare. So it was good to see them last night. I'm hoping and praying that he gets this job. It would probably be really great pay. And I'm praying that if he gets it everything will work out.

Back to work

So I'm back at work today for my normal short Monday. Dr appt is at 2:30. I don't expect anything extraordinary to happen.

I got the monitor to work! It makes the funny noises when the receiver and the listening devices are too close together. I turned on the radio in the nursery and listened in from our bedroom, and it worked fine.

We had a great time at the party Saturday night. I got tired pretty early because I did a lot on Saturday. I got pretty much all the rest of the baby stuff we needed, did laundry, returned something at Hobby Lobby, and bought a couple of maternity lounge pants at the mall. I hated spending more money on clothes, but I do need more comfy pants. They don't even look maternity, so they'll be good for after I have the baby. Saturday we also went to Best Buy and bought a camcorder. We were there forever. It was so busy and crowded. We ended up getting a hard drive camcorder that is small and cute and works very well. It holds hours of video. We also got a new computer. Thank goodness for 18 month no interest financing. Our "old" 4 year old computer was full and needed major upgrades and extra memory. The cost to do that was about the same as a new computer package. So we have lots of new toys to play with. I didn't get a chance to get on the new computer yet because Nathan was on it all night. But I'll be home before him today, so I'll get my turn.

I spent 3 hours yesterday on the couch writing thank you cards! It felt good to get them written. It's so important to me to express my grattitude to friends and family. I wrote 48 cards! And that doesn't count the 20 cards I already sent out to church friends! I still need to address envelopes and send them out. Hopefully this week I'll get that done.

I'm really wanting him to put together all the big baby stuff, the stroller, car seat, high chair, swing, bouncer... to make sure it all works. Plus I hate seeing all those big boxes everywhere. Maybe this weekend. We go to the perinatologist Friday for a growth scan. Hopefully baby boy is growing big and strong. I'm pretty sure he is, or at least I'm growing big...

Baby boy is coming soon. 5 weeks and 2 days left. I can't hardly believe it. And my friend Nancy is 2 days behind me, and Rachel is about 10 days ahead of me! It would be crazy if babies were born on the same day. I really feel a special connection to these ladies who I've gone through the pregnancy with.

Up Early

So I woke up around 6:30 this morning, earlier than I wake up during the week. How does this happen?? I ate dinner pretty early last night, so I was starving and had to eat breakfast. So I'm going to get started on laundry and then go run some errands. At least I can finish errands early and have time to do things in the nursery and then rest before our party tonight. I opened the baby monitor last night and set it up, and I'm not sure if it's going to work. If I turn it up very loud at all, it beeps and makes horrible noise. Not sure what the deal is.

TGIF

I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm leaving around 3:00 today, going home and getting stuff done in the house. I just need to do a few more things to get baby's clothes, blankets, and burp clothes organized. Then I need to start opening the big stuff to make sure it all works and get it set up. Hopefully Nathan will help with that. I would be super happy if we got it all done this weekend. Tomorrow night is our Christmas party with our wonderful friends, so that will be fun.

I'm training my replacement for when I'm on maternity leave, and man... we have a lot to learn. I'm so used to working with younger people who are good on the computer, type fast, and remember things easily. He's doing a good job, but if I was working with one of the other engineers, we wouldn't have to go over all of this. They wanted someone with lots of experience to fill in for me in case they have a strike and need the person to take on a lot of project responsibility. So they picked someone with lots of project experience, but no experience at this facility and slow on the computer. So I'm trying to be patient and nice and a good teacher. Some days patience and manners are hard to practice.

Winter Wonderland

Yes people, this is really snow! Nathan took these pictures early early this morning. I couldn't believe it. It snows about one time every 2 or 3 years here in warm Southeast TX. But never in my life have I seen a blanket of snow around here. The newspaper says

"Estimates of snowfall at 7:30 a.m. were two inches at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, Beaumont and Groves, and one inch in Nederland, Port Neches and Orange, Escude said.
This is the earliest measurable snowfall at the airport since the late 1800s, Escude said. It is also an all time record of snowfall for the area for the month of December. "

Schools actually had late starts this morning, mostly because of the dangers of driving around. We're just not prepared here for icy roads. Plus it gave the kids a chance to play in the snow, probably for the only time in their lifetime around here.

Nice Visit

We had a really nice visit from some friends last night. Lynn and Liz came over to bring us a baby gift. Liz couldn't make it to the baby shower last weekend. They gave us the lamp that goes with our bedding set. It's so cute!! They got to check out the nursery and look at all the cute stuff we have. And for some reason baby boy was being super active so Liz got to feel him kicking the crap out of me. She really enjoyed that. It's so good to see Lynn doing better after his motorcycle accident. He still has a sling on his arm and has had some complications from a shoulder surgery, but he is recovering well.

I rested more last night and my back didn't hurt so bad, so I guess I need to try and limit my activity to a little bit each night and not do too much.

Returns... YUCK

So I'm a freak... Yes, I went out yesterday and attempted to return some of the gifts that were duplicates and some blankets and clothes. I was super excited that Walmart made it so easy. The lady just scanned everything, and if it rang up, I got credit on a gift card. So I got $50 there. I had $50 in gift cards, so I bought some bottles, burp rags, receiving blankets, and nursing essentials. It was really fun buying stuff for him.

Then...... I went to BRU and it didn't go so well. I told the lady I would like to return some things. She said that they will only take a return without a receipt if it is something on the registry. So I couldn't return anything! Not even the mobile that a dear friend bought that was the wrong one. I told her that the two mobile look almost exactly alike on the package, but that I got the wrong one. She talked to her manager, and both of them just sat there and shook their heads and looked at me like I was stupid. So I just walked out mad. I'm sure they didn't care. Oh well, the mobile will still look good. It's just the principle that I brought a lot of business to their store, and they could care less.

So I went to Target and bought some other things we didn't get, a swing, boppy, more burp clothes, changing pad, and other little things that somehow added up to $250.

Good news - I got the check in the mail for $230 that I overpaid the gas company! So things are working out. Kind of nice when you spend a bunch of money to get a check in the mail. And baby boy passed the NST yesterday.

I slept so bad last night. My back was really hurting. Probably the hours I spent on my feet shopping and the hours I spent working on stuff in the nursery. I think I'm going to have to force myself to rest tonight. It's so hard when I want to get stuff done to sit on my butt! But my body just can't keep up with what my mind wants to do.

Another great baby shower!

Yesterday was another big success! Again, I am struck with how much these people love this baby and how much they did for him. My SIL headed up the shower and did such a great job. The food was great, the cakes and cookies and candies were great. I'll post some pics soon. Nathan's aunts all helped out too. There was quite a crowd! And believe it or not, nobody touched my belly! I was worried I would say something wrong or do something wrong, but everything was really relaxing and fun. I think I worry too much. It's a little strange getting so many lovely gifts from people I don't know, but that's the nature of these things with in-laws. Nathan even said there were a couple of people there he didn't know. They were all very sweet and very excited for us. We got some big items from the registry, which is a great help! We got the high chair and the play pen! We got a lot of first aid and bath items, which are great. We got a ton of clothes and blankets too. I might exchange some of the newborn clothes because I don't think he'd get a chance to wear them all. But we also got a lot of 6-9 month clothes, which is awesome because it would be a shame to have all tiny clothes, and then in 6 months, have no clothes. My SIL put on the invitation for people to get a book for the baby, which is great. So now I think he has enough baby and kid books for his whole childhood. Now we just need a book shelf. Overall a really great shower!!

I spent about 2 hours in the nursery last night arranging things, and I still have a lot of work to do. I'm just getting things in baskets together until I decide where to store them. I haven't filled his closet and chest of drawers yet, so we still have plenty of storage room. We haven't opened up the big things yet, but hopefully this weekend we'll get that done. I have my NST appt at the dr at 2:30 today, and if I get out at a decent time, I might go to Walmart and try to exchange some things.

Fun facts:
- There is one monkey toy that we got 4 of!
- We only got one baby bottle!
- Yesterday brought in 18 newborn outfits!
- No burp rags!

Of course, I just think it's funny that people think along the same lines. I guess bottles and burp rags are not fun. But if that is all we have to buy for the baby, that is great! We did get a few gift cards and some money, so we really are set. I also need a full sized diaper bag, the swing, and maybe some other little things.

Nathan had to go to work yesterday morning, work till about noon, go to the shower for a little while, then go back to work till about 6:00 pm. When he got home, I was in the nursery arranging things. He helped me decide which clothes to keep and which to try to exchange. Of course, if it says "Daddy" in any way, it's a keeper. Then he was looking through the books, and I asked him to read one to us. He read us "Green Eggs and Ham." And he read it so well, not just boring and quick. The baby started to move around like he was enjoying it. I get teary-eyed thinking about it. It was really a special time for us.

Awesome Baby Shower

The baby shower yesterday given by my friends was really awesome. Words can't begin to describe how grateful I am for the love, hard work, and time that was put into making this happen. This picture is of the lovely hostesses, from the left, Jill, Heather, Tiffany, me, Tabatha, and Vanissa. The shower was at Vanissa's house. She had the house set up very nicely for the shower. Everything really looked great. The food was wonderful. Mom brought the cake, red velvet, yummmm. The girls did such a great job. I hope I can at least take them to dinner one night soon to thank them. Then, if all of the hard work wasn't enough, they all pitched in to buy the biggest thing on my registry, the huge montrosity of a stroller/car seat combo! Wow! I'm very blessed to have such great friends. And Chesley is blessed to have so many wonderful people ready to take him in and love him!


This is me, Jennifer, Heather, and Tiffany relaxing for a minute. This might have been the only time Tiffany sat down during the whole shower. Yes, I notice these things...
These two diaper cakes are so cute!! The one on the left was made by Gail, and the one of the right by Heather. I don't think I can bear to take them apart, but everything there is usable!

And a big thanks to Ricky, Tiffany's husband, for coming over to the shower and loading everything in his truck, bringing it all to my house, and carrying everything upstairs to the nursery. Nathan got called out to work for this whole weekend. This is the first time in a long time for that to happen, of course the day I have a baby shower. And he's working today too. I hope he gets off in time to go to the baby shower today given by his family. A lot of people will want to see him. And a big thanks to Shawn and Vanissa for allowing us to use their lovely home. I know it was a lot of work to get everything together. It really looked great. Vanissa even had de-caff coffee for me. Talk about thinking of everything!

I'm seriously getting teary-eyed thinking about all that everybody did for me and Chesley and Nathan yesterday. A big thanks to everyone who hosted, attended, and helped with the shower.

Happy and Sad

As I check my Blogger reader, I am amazed today at the grand mixture of happiness and sadness all in my list. I almost feel bad talking about happy things when some of my blogger friends are experiencing such sadness. As I sit and wait for a very happy event today, I'm struck with sadness. For what is happiness without sadness? Life really is this big mixed bad of both that we all have to deal with. So for lack of better grace, I'll mention the sad first and then the happy. But then some of the sad has a touch of happy, and some of the happy has a touch of sad. Please know all my friends that I'm deeply touched today by all of you and praying for all of you.

I'm praying for Jessica today as she mourns and celebrates the 6 month birthday into earth and into heaven of her son Treyson.

I'm praying for my friend today as she grieves the loss of a pregnancy that did not come to be after much intensive treatment.

I'm praying for Jewels today as she struggles to believe what the pregnancy test is telling her, that for today, she is pregnant. She has experienced loss, and I know that her mind is full of what ifs.

I'm praying for a blessing for my baby shower today that my child will soon know all of the people that love him and work hard to give him the things he needs.

Busy Weekend Coming Up

So this is the big weekend with two baby showers! I'm very excited! I'm also a little nervous that I will get overtired. I also get a little overwhelmed sometimes in big crowds of people. I am not used to being the center of attention. So I come off as being rude when really I'm just overwhelmed. It's similar to claustrophobia. Maybe there is a real term for what I fell. So I hope I don't hurt anybody's feelings. I'm working today, and when I get off, I'm going to Hobby Lobby to buy some picture frames for the prints of my maternity pics that I got. Hopefully I'll find some cute ones! I want to set them up at the showers for people to see. I'm a little nervous about the in-laws seeing my belly shots... That's probably silly since the pics are on the internet! It's going to be so fun to get the nursery fully set up, but it will be a lot of work! And I'm not one for patience, so I'll probably want to come home after the showers and work on it. I'll try to get some rest tonight.

Nursery Pics

Here are the nursery pics as promised! Now there is the crib, armoire, rug, and the futon in the room. The dresser is in the sunroom that is joined to this room. So our little boy will have plenty of room to play, and maybe I can sit down for a minute on the futon.

Time is flying!

I really can't believe how close it is till I meet the newest man in my life! January seemed liked years away when I found out I was pregnant. Now it's weeks away, and it's possible the baby could come a little early and be here really soon. I'm sure every expecting mother has some of these feelings.

I know that people can't help but stare and comment at me, but I sure will be glad when my body is back to some state of normal. I just don't understand how being pregnant makes people think they have a right to comment about my body and touch my body. I really don't like it. Every day someone has something dumb to say. I really feel like a weirdo sometimes. I love the fact that I'm having a baby. It's just annoying to deal with all of the comments. What do I say when someone says, "You look pregnant" or "Your belly is big" besides, "Yes I am." "Yes it is."

Work is really getting busy for me. A lot of things I've been waiting on are all coming together. Hopefully I can do what I need to do before it's time to leave. Also, my fill-in person is coming on Friday, so I will have to try and get my work done and teach him a lot! Yikes!

Back to work

Well I'm back at work today after a little extenstion from holidays. I have quite a lot to do, so hopefully I'll get some motivation. I'm still not feeling well with this earache. I called the OB this morning to tell them the name of the antibiotic the dr gave me yesterday, and they want me to take something else. The one the dr gave me is Class C, and the OB's nurse said there are safer choices to take. I took the camera in yesterday, and it will be covered under the accidental insurance we purchased! Yay! But... it's going to take a couple of weeks to get fixed. Yuck. I do have a small digital camera that takes good pictures, so I'll have to use that at the baby showers. I hope everyone is having a good day. I can't believe it is December already...

Not feeling well today

I have a nasty earache. It's been coming on for a few days, but this morning it was excruciating. So I am missing work today. I went to the family doctor, and he gave me some antibiotics and ear drops. Then I have my NST at the OB office at 2:30, and with the 30 minute drive to work, not much point going in. Hopefully the meds will kick in and I'll feel better soon.

I dropped my SLR camera yesterday. I was very upset, but then I called Nathan, and he told me we have an extended warranty that covers accidents! Yay! I might try to take it in before my dr appt. I really want to have it working for this weekend for the baby showers.

I also ordered some prints from my maternity pics to frame and give to my mom and MIL. The prices are so good, and I decided I would like to hang a couple up on the wall. One of them that is fully clothed is really pretty, so maybe Nathan can put it in his office and think about me... Aww...

He fixed the roof!! Poor thing, he worked so hard. He was off all week on "vacation" but he worked everyday. The one day it rained, he was taking apart and putting back together furniture to rearrange things for the nursery. It looks really great. I will try to take some pics when the camera gets fixed. I'm thankful to have a strong healthy husband!