Last Year at This Exact Moment...

We were right about here...still waiting:


...and hours away from this amazing miracle:

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

More to come later today!

"Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the Everywhere and into here."
-George MacDonald, At the Back of the North Wind

Nostalgic Sundays...

Recently I found a great blog that I now have a slight obsession with called My Parents Were Awesome. It's full of old pictures of people's parents submitted by readers. What I love about it is that these are ordinary people, someone's father or grandmother, now well into their 60s, 70s or beyond. Looking at these old photos you get just a quick glimpse into their lives when it was just starting out with their wives, their babies, their little families. When things were new, life was still bright, young and carefree. They had their whole futures ahead of them. You can see this in the easy ways they are looking at the cameras, looking at each other, gazing at a baby. Similar to where I feel we are at now. The very beginning of our family's story.

I've decided I'm going to introduce my own Nostaligc Sundays. Pictures of my own childhood and of my parents when they were young-- ok, young-ish...my parents had me when they were 40 and 50 respectively, but damn, they looked good doing it! I think if Lucy every does read this blog it would be fun for her to see that Nan was downright stunning (she was a model in London in the 60s!) and Grandpa, whom she will never meet, was quite dashing and that I was downright adorable as a baby (its true). Then she can start making fun of the funny hair styles and clothes, especially my bangs in high school...but I digress, beyond that I think by going through these old pictures it will give some perspective that even though times seem tough sometimes, we need to remember that this time in our lives is a golden time, a time when love is still new, babies are still young and cuddly and the future is ours for the taking...as it was theirs. Cherish it.

My mother, AKA "Nan"...


My dad...
Tue happiness...
More to come next week!

"I remember a place...a town...a hour like a lot of houses...a yard like a lot of other yards...on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back...with wonder."
-The Wonder Years

In the Doghouse...

"Bev!! Come quick. QUICK" Says my husband the other night, while pointing underneath our dining room table. And what do I see?


It really doesn't get any funnier than a dog that is seriously sucking on a pacifier (and yes, we threw away the offending pacifier)!

Happy Friday and remember the Snap-Ez Giveaway ends Sunday at 12:00 pm (PST).

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am."
-Author Unknown

39 Weeks and Waiting...

No Lucy yet! Although, (TMI warning here) I do think I may be losing my mucous plug. Yum! Rob and I walked today around the local library grounds, but still no contractions (as far as I know). I basically spent the entire walk talking about every single little thing I am fretting about: how I'm worried the epi won't take, that I'll tear something terrible, that I won't be a good mother, that I'll suck at breastfeeding, that my dogs will feel neglected, that I won't want to return to work in April, that Lucy won't like me when she's 15... I just went on and on. Rob just spent the whole time telling me that everything would be fine, of course! I'm just so nervous not knowing when this is going to happen. This is almost worse than my last two week wait... I said almost because that was absolute torture!

So, here I am in all my completely 39 week pregnant glory (ha, ha...right). This may be the last photo of me pregnant with Lucy! Who knows?

Final pictures of Lucy's room, I finally got the rocking chair from my mom's house, put up some sheer curtains and added a lamp. I really like how it turned out and feel like the pictures just don't do it justice because it looks so much better in real life. I think Lucy will love it!

And, just for fun some pictures of the crazy snow we had over the past couple weeks...or as our newscasters liked to call it "ARTIC BLAST"!

"So we keep waiting

Waiting on the world to change"

-John Mayer

The Past 9 Months...

"Feeling fat last nine months but the joy of becoming a mom lasts forever."

-Nikki Dalton

Childbirth Class...

Rob and I finished up our childbirth classes last week and aside from looking absolutely horrified at the first (rather graphic) birth video I thought Rob was being quite the trooper about it all. We had gotten through the classes without him running away screaming, so I had thought we were all good, until the last class in which we went over post-labor issues.

Rob being the studious student that he is, was coloring in the people on the "labor techniques" flier while the teacher happened to be going over what to expect post-birth and pulled out the mesh undies for all to look at. Rob being engrossed in his coloring didn't really pay attention and me, feeling that this was an important part of the class started subtly elbowing him in the side...just in time for the teacher to pull out the (dum dum dum) PAD. Ah the post-birth pad, which bears and amazing resemblance to a king sized down pillow:



Rob happened to look up right at the moment the teacher pulled out the pad and exclaimed:

"Where does THAT go???"

The teacher laughed at him and demonstrated how said "pillow" fit into the mesh undies, and not very well if I might say so myself, the pad dwarfed those poor mesh panties.

Rob: "No really, WHERE DOES THAT GO?"

Everyone laughed but Rob told me when we got into the car that he was totally serious. He cannot imagine how something like that fits into a pair of panties. I think the hardest part about the childbirth classes were not the videos full of full on naked ladies naturally birthing their babies, not the class on placenta or c-sections, but the horrific realization that there will be a necessity for a full on king sized pillow to be shoved into my fancy mesh panties. Poor guy!

Had a doctor's appointment today. I am now 1 1/2 centimeters dilated, 60% effaced and my cervix is midline (whoo hoo)! I suppose all of this means she could come tomorrow or she could come in two weeks. Who knows! I'm hoping before Christmas but not in the middle of the upcoming huge snowstorm (the third one this week, unheard of in Oregon) because I'd like to actually MAKE it to the hospital and not have the baby in the freezing snow on the side of Highway 26, not to mention my doctor, who I LOVE, is OUT OF TOWN the December 26th through January 4th (the nerve of her, going on vacation). My bags are packed and ready to go so come on Miss Lucy, we're ready when you are!

Lucy's Room - complete except for my rocking chair we need to get from my mom's house.

Super cute moses basket for beside our bed/ downstairs:



The crazy SNOW and our Christmas tree!


And, drumroll please, my massive self at 37 weeks knocked up!



"Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes. "

-Joyce Armor

Lucy's Room (still in progress)...

Here are some pictures of Lucy's room, which is still in progress, but we're getting there.

Side Note: When I logged on to Blogger today I looked at my ticker and it said "24 Days Left"...oh dear lord, PANIC!!! I cannot believe that we're almost to the end of my pregnancy and that we could basically meet Miss. Lucy anytime now. It boggles the mind. I'm so excited, but still cannot believe it. They're actually going to let us take a baby home? Like for real? Wow...

Lucy's Room Before: Was my home office, pre-real estate market crash. And then a couple months ago it was cleaned out completed to get ready for the arrival of Miss. Lucy M.



Lucy's Room Now: Still have some finishing touches that need to be attended to. I desperately need to go out and find a crib skirt. I am obsessive about bedskirts on beds but haven't found a plain white one for a crib. Also, I'm thinking about a rug to add some color...green maybe? I still need my rocking chair, the rocking chair my mom used (an antique my dad bought her from 1700s) is being reupholstered for me for Christmas and will replace the old one that is in there right now (just in case). Rob designed the closet, and he's very proud of his work. He put all sorts of little shelves and pull outs and baskets in as a surprise for me one day when I was out of the house. It really is great, aside from being STUFFED with clothing and other fun stuff! The decals are from Esty seller Badass Custom Decals, who was SO generous to send us 8 extra birds to put around the room!! I still need to find sheer curtains to put up on the window and a couple other knicknacks, but its definitely getting there!

"A baby will make love stronger, das shorter, nights longer, bankrolls smaller, homes happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for."

-Unknown

Ultrasound Story...

Well it's about time I posted my BIG ultrasound story... over a month and a half later. Bad me!

Let's go way back to our big US back in the beginning of August, Rob had taken the day off for the occasion and I was only working half day. He picked me up for work in the afternoon, it is lucky I only worked that long that day because I just could NOT concentrate on work!

I had decided I needed to drink three glasses of water, a juice and a Hansen's Strawberry Cream soda to ensure my bladder was full enough, but even by the time we got to the doctor's office, I still didn't have to go. Hmmm... maybe I should drink more water? So there I go, drinking more out of those little cone shaped cups they have in the waiting room. Still no need to pee... drink more.

So finally we get called back. This is IT, the big moment! We were both so excited, and I was so sure it was going to be a Patrick! The ultrasound nurse got us all set up and checked my bladder so she could do the part of the U/S that you need a full bladder for...and now I'm starting to feel the need to go, but she announces, NOPE, you're not full enough. WHA?? Three glasses of water, one glass of juice, a soda AND all those little cups and still not enough? What am I, a camel? So she tells me I'm going to have to do the whole ultrasound (about 45 minutes) and then we'll go back and take a look at the end.

Me:" Um, are you sure it isn't full enough, because I could definitely pee right now?"

Nurse: "Nope"

Me: "But I had so much to drink, I swear!!"

Nurse: "Sorry. Gonna have to wait."

So you all know that when you're told you CAN'T pee and have the slightest inkling that you might WANT to pee, well then you automatically HAVE to pee right that very second. But I was good, I sucked it up, took a deep breath and let her go on.

So right away she asks if we want to know. Of course! So she said, with not much fanfare, it's a girl. Yep, definitely a girl. We are both shocked, we totally were expecting a boy. But a GIRL! A Lucy!! YES! Rob immediately talks about how she's going to be a ju-jitzu champion and I elbow him and tell him she's doing ballet and riding ponies. That's the agreement, girls: I choose the sports, boys: he chooses the sport.

We're so thrilled about the news that I barely notice the nurse pointing out body parts, and is going along her merry way with the rest of the ultrasound. For a minute I look over at the nurse and she is not looking so hot. She's sweating, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand and breathing pretty hard. All of the sudden I think, "OMG. She is going to have a heart attack while doing our ultrasound!" She sees me wide-eyed, staring at her and assures me that she's only having a hot flash. I laugh because it is funny that I know exactly how that feels (see posts in reference to the evil fertility drug Clomid. Clomid = hot flashes way before you're supposed to know what one feels like).

Apparently the hot flashes has made the nurse a little cranky, and also apparently the soda and juice I drank made little Lucy a little hyper, so the nurse is getting so frustrated at Lucy flipping around in there that during the U/S she often grabs my stomach and shakes it. Um, and YES at this point I REALLY need to pee, so the shaking of the tummy and the pressing of the ultrasound machine are getting ridiculous! I have to pee so bad at this point it isn't even funny. I was so distracted by the need to pee that I almost missed this little gem: As the nurse was going over body parts, Rob was learning forward and scrutinizing the screen and nodding.

Nurse: "And here are the lips..."

Rob: :: turns head, frowning, and nods like he knows what she's pointing out:

Nurse: ::continuing: "...of the vagina."

Rob: "Wha?!" :: immediately looks down, up, sideways anywhere but the screen::

I swear she did it on purpose, there was a definite pause. Poor Rob!

So finally she lets me pee, after more no-so-gentle jiggling of my belly. We got some great pictures and were so excited to get out of there and share the news with our friends and family.

Here is Miss Lucy Elizabeth's latest photo shoot:

She's got my nose in that first one. The second she's waving at mom and dad!

Lastly, here's a picture of my new niece, Guiliana Joy M, or Gigi for short, in Connecticut.

"A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

Irish Saying

Week 18...

So I totally slacked on Week 17 pictures. But here are my ("sloppy, going-to-walk-the-dogs-outfit") Week 18 pictures from this weekend and also a a couple silly pictures with my friends from the wedding I went to last weekend that will have to do as my Week 17 picture (although my dress totally hid the fact that I was pregnant)!


Week 18




So as you all know my BIG ultrasound is in two days!! I cannot believe we are here already. This pregnancy is just flying by. It's amazing! I thought I *may* have felt Baby M kick the other night. I had just eat a huge dinner and drank a can of soda and went to lay down and watch a movie with Rob, and I felt two tiny, faint pops on the lower left hand side. I'm not 100% sure it was baby but it would be a strange place to have gas.

Also, here are some of the baby items I'm planning on getting. Just for fun!



Mountain Buggy 2008 Urban in Baroque

Skip Hop Duo Delux in Blosson



Walmart Baby Mod Olivia



Skip Hop Mod Dot Bedding

“You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever: the very next person stand behind in line or sit next to on an airplane, the very next phone call you make or receive, the very next movie you see or book you read or page you turn could be the one single thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all of the things that you've been waiting for to fall into place.”

-Anthony Robbins

Whiner...

WARNING: I am going to proceed to whine.

I feel like the biggest whiner ever but honestly, pregnancy is not gentle with me. At this point, I would do just about anything, (besides being un-pregnant), to make this headache go away. Stand on my head? I'll do it. Bury a cows horn at midnight? No prob. Shave my cat Peanut? Done. Sell my firstborn? No way. Carry on headache. Ha.

I have officially this headache from hell for 5 days straight. I cannot function, I cannot eat without feeling sick from the headache, I cannot sleep from the headache, I cannot concentrate on work. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, I'm really not, but this headache is serious. Maybe that is why it took us so long, maybe it was God's way of saying, "Are you sure...no, but seriously, are you REALLY sure? Because this is NOT going to be smooth sailing. You're sure then? Ok, well...don't say I didn't warn you!"

NOTE: Very important: I am, of course, still obscenely, crazily and supremely happy for our Baby M coming in January, I just wish pregnancy didn't mean me hiding from the light like a vampire (damn light sensitivity) or throwing up in the middle of a restaurant (nausea from the headache) or having to shove my fingers into my eye sockets at work in an attempt to numb the pain. I just wish there was SOMETHING that might make it at least bearable. According to the doctor I can try acupuncture and that's about it since Tylenol does absolutely nothing, so I'm trying to get an appointment ASAP.


This is also the reason for my lack of blogging. The computer screen is basically my worst enemy to my headache, aside from natural light, so since I stare at it all day I try and stay away. I'm sorry for the whining, but I would be lying on my blog if I wrote that I feel like sunshine and roses right now. I honestly want a record of everything, even the not so fun times, so here it is, honest to blog.


In happier news everything came out great with the bloodwork from Baby M's NT scan. YAY! I have scheduled the BIG US for AUGUST 6th. We're so excited to find out. We CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

Here is my quickly taken Week 15 shot. I made Rob do it even though I felt like absolute crap and just wanted to lay with my head on the cold bathroom floor (note the sunglasses, I just could not take them off). Damnit, I'm going to have these pictures, whether my head likes it or not!




And a just for fun picture of Rob and I at the St. Paul Rodeo over 4th of July weekend. His mom gave him this cowboy hat when he moved out to Oregon (she apparently thinks that is what we wear our here) and it was the first time in 4 years he got to wear it!

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?"

-Unknown

ps. Mmmmm.... cheese. Must go find some.

Father's Day...

For about the last seven years Father's Day has been a rough, and although this one had the fun celebration of Rob's quasi- First Father's Day, it still wasn't easy. Ever since my dad has been gone I've dreaded the day. I think about him every day but on Father's Day you really notice the absence of a father, especially one like mine. I really can't put into words what an amazing dad he was, and unfortunately, I really don't think I ever appreciated him enough while he was here.

I know that he would be over the moon thrilled about this baby. I just know how incredibly, amazingly happy he would be about it. But what makes this particular part of my pregnancy so bittersweet, just like my college graduation and my wedding, I just wish he was here to share it with me and with my mom.

I never had a grandfathers, both passed away well before I was born, and although Baby M will have Rob's dad, and no offense to him, he won't hold a candle to the grandfather my dad would have been. Of course I'll tell stories, but it hurts that Baby M will never really know him, not well enough to realize how amazing he was. I miss him so much and I wish he was here, in person, to share this time.

"A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal. "

-Big Fish