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

Lucy Watch 2008 Continues...

No Lucy yet! Christmas was wonderful, I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas Eve and Christmas day as I did. On Christmas Eve Rob cooked a absolutely beautiful dinner for my mom and myself. To start we had cheese fondue with foccacia and cauliflower. For the main course we feasted on roast duck with a pomegranate gastrique (like a clear sauce for those as non-culinary as myself, I just had to ask him again what it was called...I could just call it delicious I suppose), twice baked potatoes (my favorite, I had five...YES I did say 5! Three for me, two for Lucy, blame her the little piggie), sauteed spinach and individual then truffle cakes with pomegranate whipped cream for dessert. Um, can you say AMAZING? So good. I swear when Rob cooks it is like eating out at a 5 star restaurant, in my own home!

After dinner we went to the Christmas Concert we attend every year on Christmas Eve. I was so afraid I would be in the hospital and miss it, and my mom was convinced that I should stay home and rest, but I assured her I was fine and off we went. It really "makes" Christmas Eve. It is a lovely concert with an extremely talented Portland pianist and an array of other artists. It is truly amazing. If you are a Portlander I cannot emphasize enough that you go to a Michael Allen Harrison concert, and try and make it to the Christmas at the Old Church concert next year, it is truly fabulous and makes my Christmas season every year all the more special.

Christmas morning was wonderful with yet again a culinary masterpiece by Rob for breakfast. He made his own lox this year and we had lox and bagels, poached eggs on spinach and bacon with toast. Yum! My mom came over again to join us and we opened presents. I got a ton of lovely things, and we even stuck to our budget this year which was really nice. My favorite is a silver bangle bracelet from Rob and Lucy with a quote on it that I will use as my end quote for this entry. To finish out the day wee had dinner at my mother's (again more delicious food!) and then went home and enjoyed a quiet Christmas night together in front of the fire.

As far as I know I haven't been having any more contractions, but honestly I don't know what they feel like if I am! I'm having a lot of stomach and back pain, but I'm just not sure. They hurt, that is for sure, but I don't want to get my hopes up that Miss Lucy is on her way so I keep thinking that it is just pain and not contraction pain. We'll see what the doctor's office says on Tuesday at my appointment. Although, my doctor is now officially out of town and I my appointment is with her colleague who I had a bad experience with last year, (see entry Doctor Debbie Downer), we'll see if she behaves herself this time! We'll also see if I've gained any weight from all the wonderful food I've had lately. I was down a pound last week so I think my highest weight was offically 34 lbs, which isn't bad at all if I do say so myself. My goal was to keep it under 40 and I did it. Whoo hoo!

39 week picture to come since I had Rob take it tonight but have to download it onto my other computer and then transfer onto this computer...and I'm just too lazy to make the trip upstairs!

Think easy labor thoughts for me!!!! We are so anxious and so excited for Lucy's arrival!!

"A mother holds her children's hand for a short while but their hearts forever"

-Quote from Rob and Lucy's Christmas present to me

Lucy Watch 2008...

No Miss Lucy yet! I was all excited last week with my continued progress only to visit the doctor today to find...nada. Same as last week. 1 1/2 dilated. BOO. I was so ready for her to come this week. We're just dying to meet her! I've done a ton of walking, I'm not working (which is such a relief) and Rob and I have been doing lots of, er, extra curricular activities...every day. Lucky dog!

On the up side at least now my chances of spending Christmas in the hospital are slim to none. That is a plus because I just love Christmas. We're just hoping she comes soon because we are so excited and anxious for her grand arrival.

Rob's bet was yesterday, Monday the 22nd, and he spent all day talking to my stomach telling her to come out. Pleading really, he hates to lose a bet. My bet was this Friday, so I guess there is a chance that I could still win. However, it really bummed me out to schedule my induction with my doctor today for January 14th, in case she really does decide to hold out in there the doctor wanted to be all ready to go. I don't know if I can stand the suspense that long. Come on Lucy!

So not much to report here. I'm feeling better than I have in well over a month. Relaxing at home, sleeping in, being pampered like I am really does a 9 month pregnant girl some good! Rob cooks me everything, cleans the house, drives me everywhere (due to the 14 inches of SNOW out there)... I'm pretty much waited on hand and foot. I was so stressed at work that this just feels so wonderful, so at least if Lucy came in the next couple weeks it would be to a completely relaxed person rather than one all stressed out and overworked. I think this will also make such a difference in my delivery. If I had gone into labor last week with the stress of work and everything, I just don't think I would have the strength that I'm storing up now!

Once the Christmas craziness is over I'll keep the updates more frequent because... I don't have anything else to do. Whoo hoo!

"The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part."

-Tom Petty

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

SNOW!

So, as an Oregonian I am used to our newscasters promising snow in the wintertime and always being disappointed. This past week they've been swearing up and down that snow is coming and I've been skeptically watching the sky for the past couple day. Last night they SWORE snow would be here by this morning. Well, when I awoke to pee at about 5:00 I eagerly looked out the window to see...nothing. DIRTY LIARS! I went back to bed, disgruntled, that I had let them get my hopes up once again.

Fast forward to waking up at 8:00 (to pee again...of course) and what do I see when I look out the window. SNOW! And now here at 11:30 it is still snowing like CRAZY. Newscasters are predicting anywhere from 3-6 inches, which honestly is unheard of on the Willamette Valley floor. We had our company Christmas party planned for today and we're obviously giving it a pass as they're shutting down freeways and requiring chains on all major highways (we're in Oregon people, you may laugh but EVERYTHING shuts down for 1 inch, let along 3+!). It is so funny because every time we actually have snow the news programs always give the storm a name "Winter Storm 2007" or "Blizzard of '03", this name for this storm is is "Artic BLAST!", which sounds like a slurpee flavor to me but I'm sure the news stations think it gives the storm a certain je ne sais quoi? Non?

So we're holed up at home, all warm and cosy with a fire. I'm working on washing all of Lucy's 0-3 month clothes and blankets because I may have forgotten to mention this but I am ONE CENTIMETER DILATED! I know I could stay this way for weeks, but I found out at my appointment on Wednesday that I am 1 cm dilated and also some percentage effaced (this is why I shouldn't go to appointments alone, once she started talking about the dilation I totally didn't listen about my percentage of effacement). My doctor definitely thinks if I keep going at this rate Lucy will be here early. I even went as far as to comment, "Wow, I'm so glad I'm done with work on the 19th!" and my doctor laughed and said "I can't guarantee you'll even make it that far. Who knows!" EEK! How freaking exciting!!!! Although on the flip side I totally called Rob from the car on my way home panicking that I haven't packed my bags or washed Lucy's clothes or trained my temp for maternity leave. So much to do!

Armed with this knowledge my mom and I went out on a slight baby shopping spree yesterday (that and a little Christmas shopping too). I had returned the pack n play that I had bought since it ripped when I tried to put it together and I didn't really have any options for her to sleep in our room or downstairs, so yesterday my mom and I found a super deal on a this adorable, plush moses basket and stand at Home Goods (love the bargain shopping!) that will work great, and it totally portable to bring downstairs and into our room (and to Grandma's house when I go back to work). We also hit the mall and Babies R Us. It was crazy but I now have bottles and burp clothes and feel closer to prepared than I did before our "spree". We also finally got around to going to the fabric store so I could buy some super soft minky fabric to line the burp cloths (old school cloth diapers from Babies R Us) with using my new sewing machine I got for my birthday. I'll post pictures when I get them done!

So my next appointment is Wednesday, and we'll see if I've kept up the progress or not. I haven't had any contractions, which my doctor was very impressed with, although I had to remind her I might not even know what they are. Sometimes my stomach hurts but I always pass it off to the extra 35 lbs I'm lugging around!!

I have a funny story about our final birthing class and Rob's reaction to the post-labor discussion we had that I will save for posting tomorrow because according to my boss, we might not even be going into work (did I mention Oregon SHUTS DOWN when it snows? True story!).

Lastly, I will leave you with my most pesky pregnancy side effect right now...presenting my sausage legs/feet:



GROSS!!

"A grand adventure is about to begin."

-Winnie the Pooh

More Bump Pictures...

As promised, more of my photoshoot with Jenn. Enjoy... I know I did!

" A baby is God's opinion that life should go on."
-Carl Sandburg

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

Quick Preview...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know we did and I ate entirely too much turkey...and mashed potatoes...and sweet potatoes...and well, just about anything that was put in front of my face. Pig! And for all you voters out there...you're all terribly kind but terribly WRONG... I've totally put on 35+ lbs now. Yes, I certainly have. I'm attributing this to the fact that I just had three baby showers (with lots of cake), a birthday (with lots of cake) AND Thanksgiving (with lots of everything), but still...I'm SO going to hit 40 lbs. any day now, like maybe my next doctor's appointment on Wednesday. EEK!

Here are a couple of my favorite maternity shots from my fabulous friend Jenn (jenniferlynnphotography.blogspot.com). More to come in a slideshow format along with pics of Lucy's room!

**Please note, the picture with candy and cheesecake, which have been my #1 cravings as I don't usually like sweet stuff, was an idea shamelessly stolen from the maternity shoot of Jill at babyrabies.com, one of my favorite bloggers. Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?*

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything."-Aaron Siskind

Things I Have Learned...

There are several key things I have learned throughout my pregnancy and I'm going to attempt to document them a couple at a time here, hopefully before pregnancy is over. Here are the first two...of many:

1. Exceptional Peeing in a Cup Skills

So as every doctors appointment requires me to pee in a cup, I have since because extremely skilled in the art of cup peeing. In the beginning, by the time I got to the doctor's office I would have to pee so badly that I would run into the bathroom, do a dance while writing my name on the label, slap it on and grab the cup and pee. This seems simple enough except for the fact that I don't think I've every quite pinpointed the exact location of my urethra. Gros overshare, maybe, but true...yes! Half the time I would end up peeing all over my hand or all over the cup, which I would have already put the label on and now said label is all wet with pee. Or I would completely miss the cup completely and end up forcing myself to produce the most pathetic pee sample ever. I would always feel so bad for the nurse who had to pick it up after I was done with it. Now I am awesome. I know now to write the label AFTER I've peed in the cup which = no pee-stained label and I've pretty much pinpointed the appropriate location, which means I can now bulls-eye into my target like you wouldn't believe. No need for wiping the cup or re-writing the label afterwards. I have become a CHAMP at peeing in a cup. Thank you pregnancy!

2. Have Come to Accept that I am Either a Freak of Nature or a Show and Tell Project

Another thing I've learned is that pregnant people are completely amazing in the eyes of others, either in the "Oh my lord I didn't know people could get that big you freak of nature" kind of amazing or the "Oh look at this fabulous specimen of a glowing child bearing vessel of loveliness" amazing. Complete strangers approach me on the street commenting about my belly, whether it is pointing out how large I am or pointing out how incredible I am. My own mother uses me as her own personal show and tell project, as in whenever we see someone we might vaguely know or recognize it is immediately "Hi, So-And-So... look, here is my daughter she is PREGNANT! Can you believe it?" (as if they couldn't already tell by the massive protrusion coming from my middle). The other day a woman stopped me and and said "I just love your belly", like it was a super cute pair of designer jeans I was sporting, I wanted to say "Thank you! I picked it up at this super cute boutique (called Oregon Reproductive Medicine) down on 23rd Ave." Fabulous!

To be continued...

Had my maternity photo session today and had SO much fun! I can't wait to see how they turned out. Thank you Jen!!

We're coming along quite swimmingly on Lucy's nursery. I'll take some pictures tomorrow to show the progress we have made...and of her jam packed closet, she is going to be one fashionable gal!

AND ps. It's my 28th Birthday tomorrow!!

"Pregnant women... They had that weird frisson, an aura of magic that combined awkwardly with an earthy sense of duty. Mundane, because they were nothing unique on the suburban streets; ethereal because their attention was ever somewhere else. Whatever you said was trivial. And they had that preciousness which they imposed wherever they went, compelling attention, constantly reminding you that they carried the future inside, its contours already drawn, but veiled, private, an inner secret."

-Ruth Morgan

Listen...

A friend of mine, who is also pregnant with her first, posted this on her Facebook page and had said it made her cry. Well, Jamie, that makes two of us. I just had to post it because it is awesome and since I was a teen in the 90s I just love me some Hootie and the Blowfish. "Let her Cry" is one of my all time favorite songs and is still on frequent rotation on my IPod.

Not does it only make me think of Lucy and how fast she is going to grow up, but it also reminds me of my dad...

Turn off my blog music and listen to this.

(If you want to bypass the interview the song starts at about 1:50)

My maternity pics are tomorrow and I'll post them as soon as I get them from my friend Jen. I'm so excited!

"It won't be like this for long,One day soon we'll look back laughing at the week we brought her homeThis phase is going to fly by,So baby just hold onIt won't be like this for long"-Darius Rucker

Quick Belly Pic...

Long post below and baby shower slideshow to come when I get the higher res. pictures from my best friend. The updated Belly Pic had to be posted because it has been much requested of me lately!

Week 32!

"Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch."

-E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

Baby Shower #1...

Yesterday I had my first baby shower, thrown by my best friend Lindsay and her mother Linda, who did the most wonderful job! It was absolutely fantastic. I had such a lovely time and it was so nice seeing all my closest girlfriends, many whom I haven't seen in ages due to my insane work schedule. I just had the best time and received the most beautiful gifts. Lucy is going to be one fashionable girl because my friends have fabulous taste!

Here is me and the amazing Lindsay! Thanks Linds, you are the GREATEST! (Please excuse the small pictures, I had to copy them off of Shutterfly until I get the originals downloaded on my computer)

(Slidshow to follow if I can figure out how to embed it in my blog. I've tried two different slideshow websites and put in the code and nothing. ARGH! Can anyone help?)

And now for some miscellaneous odds and ends...I'm still working on getting Lucy's room ready. While I was having a fab time at my shower, Rob was working hard on Lucy's closet. He did such an amazing job and it was all finished as a surprise for me when I got home. I spent the day today organizing all Lucy's things in the closet. Picture to follow soon once I touch up the paint a bit.

I still haven't picked out a crib. I just cannot find one I like. It is impossible. Below are two options. Please help a girl out and vote!

Option #1

Option #2

Please vote on the poll on your right!

Here is the bedding that my mother-in-law has so generously bought us:

I just love it and have decided to purchase this wall stickie from etsy.com to match with the birds on the bedding:

What's kind of funny about the wall stickie is that I was showing a different one to Rob online and he pointed out, "Why didn't you pick this one?" and pointed to one with the bird that were flying out of the cage (the one above) instead of IN the cage, (which is what the first one was), he knows me so well, I hate the idea of birds in cages, so this one is perfect!!

That's about it for now!

"You only meet your once in a lifetime friend... once in a lifetime."

-Little Rascals

Oversharing...

I've noticed really funny thing lately, the larger around the middle I get, the more people seem to want to share intimate, personal details of their lives as a pregnant person with me, even when they've never met me before in their life.

I was checking out at the store the other day, it was particularly busy that day and there was a long line behind me. I walk up to the girl behind the register and this is how our conversation goes (loudly, in public, with many people within earshot):

Cashier: "Hello!"

Me: "Hi. How are you"

C: "Very well thank you-- Oh LOOK at you! I just noticed that are pregnant!"

Me: "Yes, I am!"

C: "You know what? I had a water birth. How do you feel about water birth?"

Me: "Er, well, I'm not really considering it."

C: "You should. Really. It is wonderful. I didn't need any drugs or anything. Women should never need any drugs, they've been doing this for ages. Are you having drugs? You're not, are you?" ::disapproving look::

Me: "Er...um... I'm not quite sure yet." (please note that at this point I'm feeling super awkward because A.) She's speaking REALLY loudly and B.) I only have one item, which was rang up about 5 minutes ago.)

C: "Do you have music set up? I played music really loudly, not like Enya or any of that crap, I totally rocked out to ACDC and burned incense. I don't think anyone else at the waterbirth center liked it but I thought it was wonderful. You should do that."

Me: I don't say anything because A. I hate incense and B. I'm just desperately trying to escape at this point as the people in line behind me are getting antsy and staring...a lot.

C:"You know what I found to be really helpful?"

Me: Thinking to myself "No, but I bet you're going to tell me!"

C: "When I was at the end of my third trimester and really wanted to go into labor I stimulated my nipples." I swear her voice rose about three decimals at that point and EVERYONE in line behind me heard, "I just rubbed them really good, and had my husband rub them. Like this..." And then, in line, with about 7 people behind me she demonstrated, just for me, how she stimulated her nipples, "Yep, I went into labor 2 hours later. I just did this." Continues to make circular rubbing motion around nipples," My husband enjoyed it too. Not to hard, but not to soft. Works like a charm!"

Me: Staring at her in absolute dismay with my face tomato red, "Um...er...uh...thanks. I...um...have to go now..."

Why?!?!

"Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be."

-Carrie Fisher

FAIL...

Sorry for the delay on my GD test update. I, in a fit of rage at Verizon Fios and them overcharging my account for no apparent reason, cancelled my internet. So I've been without internet, until tonight when I jumped on someone in the neighborhood's unsecured wireless network in a desperate attempt to update my blog.

So... I FAILED. Here's the story. Last time I was at the doctor's office she had mentioned that in my October appointment that I would have my GD test. She didn't tell me anything else, and nor did the nurse or the person who called to confirm my appointment. So here I was, on Monday morning, happily chowing down on Rob's leftover twice-baked potatoes and eating a candy bar before I went for my test until one of the girls in my office stopped me in horror. Wasn't I supposed to be fasting? Was I seriously eating carbs and candy before my test? Ok, so looking back, that doesn't seem like the smartest move, but I didn't even think twice since neither my doctor nor any of the nurses has instructed me otherwise. So I called the doctor's office to make sure. Nope, totally fine they assured me.

So I get to the appointment and my doctor's nurse brings Rob and I back to the room. I get weighed...only 4 lbs since Sept 3rd...SCORE (as opposed to my post vacation/big Italian in-laws visit weight gain of 6 lbs the previous month)!! I was feeling damn good about that. Then she tells me that the next visit I'll be getting my GD test, in November. I, suprised, say:

"Oh! Good! I thought I was supposed to get it today and was worried because all I've eaten today is potatoes and a candy bar."

She goes out to get the doctor, but is back in a minute with a small bottle. She explains to me that I can take the test today, I'm a little skeptical and ask again if my morning's diet will affect the outcome. She assures me, like everyone else, that it will not. So I drink it down. I was thinking it would taste like thick cough syrup, or something, but it was not that bad at all! It simply tasted like sweet, flat Sprite. Not my drink of choice, but it wasn't horrendous like I've heard.

I feel pretty good about passing. There is no history of GD in my family, I haven't gained a lot of weight, I'm ok. NOT. I get a call the next morning that I failed my test and now have to go in for my three hour screening tomorrow. I ask the nurse, again, if this could have anything to do with what I ate, and she says no. Argh. No problem, I'll just take 4 hours out of my insane work schedule in which I have no time to finish work even when I take it home every weekend. Oh yeah, easy peasy.

I will be so bummed if I DO have GD. I know it isn't a huge deal, I'll just have to modify my diet (no more pasta, potatoes and candy...every day), and I can totally do that. But I hate the idea of anything negative or risky in this pregnancy. Lucy and I can handle it, but it is still scary!

So that is my story for tonight.

Did any of you moms/pregnant gals out there have to fast before your first GD test? Just curious...

“If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.”

-Woody Allen

I'm Still Here...

My job is always getting in the way of my blogging, and my life in general. I will be updating soon. I promise. Probably this weekend, and then again after my much dreaded gestational diabetes test on Monday. EEK! Not tonight though, too busy with the VP Debates on TV. I will update soon with new pics.

Lucy is fabulous and kicking away at me like crazy.

"(S)he’s gonna be a soccer playa…yes (s)he is..."

-Billy Madison

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

Reveal...!

Sorry for the delay in sharing the "big reveal" of Miss. Lucy Elizabeth! I was planning on blogging from my mother-in-law's computer from Connecticut, but as it turns out she had a virus and her computer was down for the whole vacation. So I didn't even see all 33 of the comments until we returned home today! So without further adieu...here it is:

We thought that we had more time to prepare the video camera since our flight was early, so we were a little rushed to get the camera out and ready since the fam was standing there right as we got through the doors! And yes, I keep laughing like an idiot the entire time since I had no idea what the response was going to be like. Luckily, it was just a lot of my mother-in-law hugging. No hysterics, no fainting and thankfully, no throttling of Rob.

Rob's dad totally didn't get it though. You don't see it in the video but he had no clue what was going on. He was so confused as to why my mother-in-law was so surprised, or (again) why I spent the entire first 5 minutes laughing like an idiot. He kept saying "What are you yelling about?" to my mother-in-law until, a couple of minutes later, he finally got it. The shirt probably gave it away. I don't have a picture of it, but it says "Surprise! Meet Lucy Elizabeth!".

Everyone was absolutely THRILLED!! My mother-in-law particularly! And no one even gave us a hard time for keeping Lucy a secret for so long. It was such a great surprise though. I should never have doubted Rob. He was right, it was so worth it...keeping the secret.

Although one person was less than thrilled. My 4 year old niece Bella. When we got to the house she didn't quite "get" that we were having a baby until her mom took her on a walk and told her. When they came back we were all sitting at the table and Bella sat down next to me and looked me straight in the eye and said, very disapprovingly:

"So I heard you were pregnant."

This coming from a FOUR year old!!! She was so mad at me. This child is 4 going on 40. She was so disapproving and disgusted that I had the gall to go and get pregnant. She then proceeded to tell me that I was "not welcome here" and I could go home, (although I had to leave Uncle Rob with her). It was hilarious. I laugh whenever I think about her serious little face. She forgave me a couple hours later and spent the rest of the trip kissing my stomach and pointing out to people that I was pregnant, and then trying to shake my stomach with her little chubby hands. She is unbelievable that one. I only wish I had her on video! The nerve of me, going and getting pregnant without consulting her!

There was a party for his brother who recently returned from Iraq, and we were able to tell everyone else. I cannot even tell you how many times I answered the following questions:

"When are you due?"

"Is it a girl or a boy?"

"Did you decide on a name?"

"How do you feel?"

I felt like a parrot all night long saying:

"New Year's Day. A girl. Lucy Elizabeth. Pretty good now." Over and over an over!

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Connecticut, although neither of us are looking forward to going back to work next week (booo!), I think me easpecially. Without the stress of my job I had so much time to think about Lucy and my pregnancy, things that I barely have time to think about when my job is consuming 80% of my time and energy. I'm going to get started on reading the labor books and deciding my "plan" and also, as of next week I'm going to start prenatal yoga and swimming with my mom twice a week. As much as I feel like I need to be the "best I can be" at this job, Lucy and this pregnancy is way more important. That is the one thing I need to keep in mind. This job isn't forever, Lucy and our little family of three is.

So, I am still exhausted from the trip, but I will be posting my ultrasound story and some new belly pics either tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on how work goes tomorrow (last time I checked I had 200+ emails in my work inbox, EEK). So stay tuned!

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."

-Author Unknown

Whirlwind...

Ok, so I feel like my life is a whirlwind at the moment. I'm juggling a million things at work this week AND we have plans every night and all weekend days until we leave AND I still have to shop for some new maternity clothes to debut in Connecticut because I barely have any at all. We leave for vacation next Wednesday night and I just don't know how I'm going to 1. Catch up with work 2. Keep all our plans 3. Shop 4. Pack 5. Get a mani/pedi because my nails are so long it isn't even funny! It is crazy. Not to mention I am OBSESSED with the Olympic Games so from 9:00-12:00 every night I'm basically glued to the TV and have fell asleep to it every night for the last 4 nights. I love it!

So I'm very sorry I haven't posted my ultrasound story yet. I'll try and post it tomorrow, because it is really funny and I want to share it with all of you and not to mention write it out for myself. I know I'll forget the details years from now, and I want to remember it all! I also have pictures of Lucy and myself to scan. So I haven't forgotten or fallen off the face of the earth. If you want to blame anyone blame Michael Phelps!

I will say I am feeling wonderful and Lucy is kicking quite a bit now. Rob keeps sticking his and on my stomach and demanding our daughter to kick for him, but I think it might be a little while before they get that strong. Right now she feels like most describe, like popcorn popping. I love it!

I have to go continue my Olympic obsession now. Swimming is on!

“Here's a good trick: Get a job as a judge at the Olympics. Then, if some guy sets a world record, pretend that you didn't see it and go, "Okay, is everybody ready to start now?".”

-Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy