A few things I forgot and the Winter Carnival

So, I just got a call from my sister Carlynn. She said that had just had the feeling that she needed to call me all day. It was funny because I was going to call her this morning but didn’t because I didn’t know what her schedule was. I told her right away about my progress…even though she reads this blog and would have found out. After finding out my progress, she says that her prediction is that I go into labor before the weekend. Let us see if that’s true!!

I’m doing everything I can to try and help along the process. I’m walking, even though it hurts like crazy, eating pineapple, eating as spicy of food as I can handle, and even driving down bumpy roads. That is one thing I forgot to tell you in my earlier post. This weekend, whenever Dustin and I went out for a drive he would ask me “Should I aim for the bumps”. He was joking the first time he asked, but when I said, “YES!” he knew I was serious. So yes, I’m doing everything I know to do to help Baby S meet us soon.

Another thing I believe I forgot to tell you, Midwife Carrie said that she doesn’t think it will be long before Baby S greets us with his handsome face. I don’t like to listen much to anyone, including my midwife, when they say, “It won’t be long” or “Any day now”, just because I know that it could be a load of crock, he’ll come when he comes. But I’m hopeful, given the fact that I’m so far along in progress. I’m hoping that he at least waits for the weekend though. But just like me, he’s stubborn (we found out at his ultrasounds) and he will do what he wants when he wants to.

So on to my lunch…

Like I said, I’m trying to walk as much as possible when I can, even with the pain of it. So after having a quick salad for lunch (it was SO good), I went for a walk over to the Saint Paul Winter Carnival in Rice Park. My office building is just about a block away from Rice Park. I can see it from the wall of windows at my desk/Lobby. I must say, it’s a bit chilly today.

The sculptures were great. I even saw one being carved, a dinosaur with a branch in his mouth. The sculptor told me he is naming him ‘Bob’.

I had a few favorites that I will share with you now:

Here is what the sculptures start out as...A block of ice

Let me Introduce you to 'Bob'

Anybody up for a bit of role reversal? Since it's hard to see the detail of this one against the snow I will help you out a bit. This is a classic dog sledding team...just not so classic. Instead of dogs pulling the dog sled it is a team of humans pulling it and a dog being the 'musher' or rider. I love it!!

Here is one for those of you that love dragons or have kids that do. This is a large dragon being 'slayed'.

For those motercycle enthusists out there...again hard to see with the white background

And now my favorite...it's kitties (one on top and one on the bottom) trying to get the birdy from its cage. Can anyone say lunch time? Can anyone say naughty kitties?

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Remember the Saint Paul Winter Carnival ends at the end of the month, so hurry to see the fun for yourself!

37 Weeks and Counting!!

Just got back from seeing Midwife Carrie, and I must say, despite the fact that I have issues walking, doing stairs, getting in and out of bed, and sleeping, I’m in a pretty good mood!

Last weeks internal exam was pretty painful. The Midwife could barely get to my cervix around Baby S’s big head that had dropped. This week though, my cervix had dropped!! Midwife Carrie hardly had to do anything with his head to get to it. It was so nice…pretty much pain free too! Well, the results are in and here is a side by side comparison of last week and this week…

I have been saying this my whole pregnancy, Midwife Carrie is my FAVORITE out of all the midwives on my team, and I really do hope that she is on call when I deliver Baby S. At the end of the appointment Midwife Carrie said that I must have been having a lot and some pretty strong contractions during the past week. My response: "Really, I wouldn't know. I didn't feel a thing." Looking back now though, I guess I have been. It was the same as the last time that I wasn't feeling anything. It just kept feeling like Baby S was pushing me saying "Mommy, give me more room." So maybe I was feeling the contractions, if so, then I can't tell the contractions apart from Baby S. What's up with that huh? Sometimes I'll feel the contractions and others I don't at all. Not complaining (well maybe a little), just perplexing over it.

As to the rest of my week, I didn’t get much done other then on the weekend. On Friday I had my first REAL pregnancy melt down on Dustin…I’ll tell you about that later, but one thing I will say, I take FULL responsibility for it and admit that I COMPLETELY overreacted.

Saturday was a big day. We cleaned pretty much the whole apartment. Baby S’s room is now 100% complete. He has his light in there and Dustin’s work shop lights are down, including the extension cord that was hanging next to his bed! I cleaned the bathrooms again, not top to bottom, but a normal cleaning and dusting for the bathrooms. They were still pretty good from my last cleaning. I also cleaned our bedroom again too. Again, not a top to bottom like last time, but just fixing the messes that were made between last time and now. While I was doing this Dustin was in the kitchen cleaning and doing dishes, picking up the living room and organizing the front walk in closet and the hall closet. Our friend Jessica also came over and helped. She vacuumed like craziness and dusted the living room really great too. As a reward for all of us we went to Ruby Tuesday’s that evening for dinner, then went out shopping afterwards in Burnsville. After shopping we got home and enjoyed the cleanness of the place and watch 4 Christmases together. Thank you Jessica for all of your help, you were WONDERFUL!

Sunday Dustin and I went out and got diapers that were on sale at Target, plus I had 2 coupons for $3 off. They are having a sale, their jumbo pack of huggies and pampers are $8.99 a package. If you buy three packages you get a $5 Target Gift Card. So I bought 3 packages and used 2 coupons so only $20.97 for three jumbo packs of diapers, and I got a $5 Gift Card. I think I will have to go back before the week is over and get another set of three…I still have coupons. Don’t worry I’m saving my diaper receipts just in case he doesn’t go through all of his size ‘whatever ‘diapers before going up to the next size.

We also went to Menards for…something, I’m not sure what, and to look at how their remodel is going. Dustin likes to check out the other stores. He’s such a goof. At Menards we ran into Dustin’s parents, Deb and Todd, and went over to see Katie’s baby, Leah, with them. Leah is such a beautiful little girl, and she slept the whole time, even thru the dogs barking.

After a little bit of grocery shopping at Rainbow, Dustin and I went home and rested the rest of the day…or so I thought that’s what we were going to be doing. Instead I had the urge to make chocolate chip cookies. I haven’t made homemade chocolate chip cookies in over a year. Yep, over a year. Dustin has been begging me to make my cookies for so long, he was ecstatic when he saw that I was getting my recipe out. Now it’s just trying to keep some of the cookies around longer then a couple days. I have to keep asking him how many he’s taking to work with him and monitoring him. If I don’t the cookie monster will strike!!

Also, Sunday, I unfortunately had my heart broken. Yes, I was watching the Vikings vs. Saints game. It was so exciting and so close. My throat still hurts a bit from yelling at Adrian Peterson for using the butter on his hands instead of the superglue that I’ve been telling him to use all season. All those fumbles, and once he gets started, the others go the same way. I still believe that the refs had a couple bad calls in overtime…that ball wasn’t even catchable, how was that pass interference, COME ON!! In the end my Vikings only lost by 3 points and did put up a good fight, even with their mistakes. The loss is to be blamed on the mistakes in the passing, sorry Favre, and the fumbles (whoever put the butter out by the Vikings needs a good talking too). Hopefully next year we will make it all the way and learn to not have butter and biscuits before the game, only after, in other words, learn to hold the ball, not fumble it. At least now I don’t have to worry about giving birth during the Super bowl game and missing seeing the Vikings on our big screen. Now I could care less about the game!

Have a great week everyone and keep hoping for a baby boy soon, mommy is getting more sore and uncomfortable as the days go by.

Oh, one more thing before I go…as of Sunday January 24th, 2010, we are FULL TERM!!! Baby S can come with no fears. I am considered full term from 37 weeks until 42 weeks. My boy can come today and I would breathe easily!

What's In A Name?

The most popular question I have gotten during my pregnancy is either “How far are you?”, “When are you due?”, or “How much longer?” I will answer this for you…I’m 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant, I’m due February 14th, 2010, and I only have 24 days left until I’m due!

Next is: “Do you know what you’re having?” My answer: A Baby Boy!

This is ALWAYS followed by: “What are you going to name him?” This is the question that I cannot answer. My response is always that we are going to wait to meet our little boy to see who he is. We have a few names picked out that we like, but he might not even end up with one of those names. We just need to see who he is first. He’ll let us know what his name is when he comes.

You see, I can’t in good faith name my son before I’ve even met him and Dustin feels the same way. Where we get this from is first from Dustin’s side of the family. You see, Deb, Dustin’s mom, was told that she was going to be having a girl when she was pregnant with Dustin. So she only had girl names picked out when he arrived. Well, obviously none of those names would work out! So Dustin was then named after his biological father Tim…for a few days Dustin’s name was Tim JR. Deb said no to that one and there was another ‘D’ name in the family…DUSTIN! (Dustin’s name changed again later when his father Todd adopted him, but this time just his last name). When Dustin’s brother, Jeremy, was born Deb and Todd had a few names picked out, but after getting to know him and meeting him, none of those names fit him. But then the name Jeremy was there, which did fit. So these were lessons to us not to completely name our little boy before meeting him.

A lesson that I learned, that Dustin still doesn’t understand, is teasing using a person’s name. I was teased my whole life because of my name. I’m sure it didn’t help though that I was shy and awkward, that I dressed in clothes that were hand me downs from boys, and that I was always withdrawn. But still, because people used my name against me, I hated my name. I really did. I wished for any other name in the world, but of course I couldn’t do anything about it. I always loved the fact that others could shorten their names and have nicknames, me, I was always just HOPE; at home though I was Hopey. When I was a kid I liked it, not as much now. I guess that’s because I finally came to appreciate my name late in High School. It just became an irony to me. Growing up I hated my name because I was made fun of because of it. When I grew up, left my abusive mother’s house and moved in with my sister; I loved my name, after a short while that is. It took on a new meaning for me; it took on the meaning of HOPE, not just my name, but also the word. I wasn’t just Hope, but I had hope as well, hope for a brighter and better future for myself.

Now I know that my son won’t go through what I did, I know that I will be a much better mother then what mine was. But I know that children are still mean and will still make fun of a person’s name. So I still fear for him in the name department. I want to try my best not to have his name be one that is easily made fun of. But I also don’t want him to be lost in the crowd. I remember how many Sara, Sarah, Amanda, and Katie’s there were, and how many Matt, Nick, Peter, Mike’s there were in my classes growing up. There were always forced to use their last name of initial. I don’t want our little boy to have that either. That is if we can prevent it.

So when we have thought of names, be them for girls or boys, I have always asked myself: “What are the common baby names right now?” and “How can I make fun of this name?” When we were thinking that we were going to have a girl I kept coming up with names that started with the letter ‘D’…Dustin kept shutting them down though. He said there are too many ‘D’s’ in the family already (at least 14 that I can count on the top of my head). I kept trying for non-‘D’ names but I couldn’t get one, other then Isabella, but it was too common of a name for me right now. We finally settled on two girl names: Tabitha Pearl and Delilah Mona (Lilah). We got the middle names from family members as I’m a strong believer in having a middle name mean something or be after someone. Pearl would have been for my Great-Grandmother and Mona would have been for Dustin’s Grandma.

When thinking of boy names we’ve had a bit easier time though. It was just one day I spit out two names and Dustin liked them. Over time we’ve added two more names to the mix though as well. So far we have Nathaniel LeRoy, Cole LeRoy (LeRoy after my Great-Grandfather), Logan Todd, and Tristan Todd (Todd after Dustin’s Dad). We never know though, our little boy might not end up with any of these names; we’ll just have to wait and see what he tells us.

On the note of him telling us what his name is. I believe that he has already put in his two cents…a few dozen times. You see, I’ve been having a recurring dream for several months that a little boy runs up to me and starts screaming “MY NAME IS COLE! CALL ME COLE!” and then runs away to go play again. I told Dustin this dream and he says he’s not sure about the name, but that’s how that name entered the running.

Dustin’s vote, along with Deb’s, is for Logan. Deb says it’s because it’s the one she can remember. Dustin says it’s to name him after Wolverine from the X-Men… I must say, Hugh Jackman was pretty hot in those movies, and a great actor too! I thought of the name because of Gilmore Girls, one of the shows I grew up with in High School.

Tristan just kind of came to me one day out of the blue. And Nathaniel, Nate, I’m not sure where it came from. All I know is that I liked it.

So what is in a name? A lot of thought! Your name because your identity, sure your personality is as well, but you don’t hear people calling out, “HAPPY, FUN LOVING! COME HERE!” You here them say “Mark, Jane, Sue, John. Come here!” A name can be your guide, or it can be a torture instrument (I HOPE you have a good day today – There is HOPE today, over and over and over everyday 50 times a day). It’s one of the first things you do after your child is born, you call them by their name, and that’s it. That is their name for life.

To all of you that don’t know what we are naming Baby S…don’t worry your not alone. It’s a mystery even to us!

Daddy's Goodbye

Dustin is now in Eau Claire Wisconsin for Seminars. Every year the Managers of Menard's have to attend a Seminar in Eau Claire. The Seminar is 2 days long, starting today, sleeping at a hotel nearby, then going thru tomorrow and then he will be brought back home to me tomorrow as well.
This is our 3rd year of dealing with Seminars and each year it's hard. Sure Dustin and I are still Newlyweds, but we've been together and been living together longer then we have been married. Its' still hard for both of us to be away from each other overnight. This morning we were just reflecting to each other that this year is just as hard as the first year of him going to seminars. We just hate being away from each other and knowing that we aren't just a few minutes drive from each other. (Dustin's overnight shifts are bearable at least because he is only 20 minutes away.)
I think that this year is actually harder for Dustin though. He's always afraid that something will happen to me and Baby S when he isn't around. So this morning he made sure to give me a few hugs and kisses before I left. What surprised me was that he had a talk with Baby S too, without me prompting him. He bent down and said "You better be good for Mommy. Don't cause any problems while I'm away. I'm going to miss you! I love you!" and then he gave my belly a hug and a couple kisses. I didn't have the heart to tell him he was talking to Baby S's butt at that moment, it was just too precious.

Dustin is going to be a great father, I know it. He's always worrying about this and that with Baby S, even telling me I have to learn how to drive with a baby in the car because he's going to be so fragile (By the way, I think I'm a good driver, though I know I have a lead foot sometimes). I just try to remind Dustin that its not about money and what Baby S has, but also about what we do with him and the memories we help him to make and the person he becomes later in life. He just needs to know that we both love him and would give the world for him. Its obvious that Dustin loves our precious little boy and would give the world for him, I just need him to focus on that more and stop stressing about what he wants Baby S to have material wise. He has everything he needs, the rest is just extra.

Blogging Milestone #1

So I've reached a milestone I've been waiting for in this blog since I started it...I have my first follower. Carlynn, my sister, is officially a follower of my blog. It's great to know that my blog is being read!!

Thanks Carlynn for letting me know you're here and reading me!

36 weeks and Counting!!

Today was my 36 week Midwife appointment. My adventures in it started yesterday at 5:00pm...right when I got off of work. I had a message from the midwife scheduler asking to move my appointment from 8:00am to 8:40am. Dawn, the scheduler, told me to call her back before 4:30pm as that is the time she leaves. Needless to say I was not able to call back.

I got ready for my appointment as though I was going at 8:00am this morning but called once the phone lines opened up and allowed them to move it to 8:40am, then had an emergency appointment that needed to take my spot.

The great part about the time change was that Dustin was then able to come to the appointment with me. He's only been to 2 other appointments, so I'm always glad when he gets to come. That way I don't have to repeat everything and he gets to hear Baby S's heart beat, which is such a wonderful sound!!

At previous appointments I was told that my internals would start today, but once I got to the appointment she said that she didn't need to do one, unless I wanted one. Well I had been waiting very impatiently to find out if there was any progress at all, even just a little bit. So I said "YES! I want to have one, I need to know what's going on in there!!" She just laughed and said "OK".

Well here are the stats for you:
Baby S's Heart Beat: 135 Beats per minute
My weight gain/loss: only a loss of 5lbs from the beginning of the pregnancy...I'm starting to finally gain it all back.
Effacement: I'm pretty darn thin!! WOO HOO!!
Dilation: ALMOST 1cm!! WOO HOO!!
Dropping: His head was getting in her way, so he's pretty far down. Though she says I will be dropping more.

While at the appointment Dustin told me that he FINALLY talked to his HR representative about FMLA for the birth of Baby S. So Dustin says to me "He wants to come a week early so I can use my vacation time for his birth. February 14th is the start of a Black Out period so I wouldn't be able to use vacation time only take unpaid time." I just looked at him and laughed. Then I looked down at my tummy and said to Baby S "Did you hear that honey, Daddy says you want to come a week early!" Then I just started cracking up. I love when Dustin makes me laugh!

Preparing the Freezer Part 1

So I have been trying for several months to come up with great meals that will freeze and reheat easily, yet not loose much of the freshly cooked flavor. So far I have 14 meals prepared and frozen for after Baby S's arrival. This way I don't have as much to worry about when it comes to the kitchen and I have more time with my wonderful family of three (or six if you include the kitties)!

So far have Sloppy Joe's, Stuffed Peppers, Swiss Chicken, Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole, Meatloaf, and Honey Barbecue Ham with Roasted Potatoes all packed and in the freezer. I will share some of my recipes with you so you too can make these delicious meals at home either for one night or many.

Sloppy Joe's:

2 pounds of Browned Ground Beef
1/4 medium onion - chopped
1 pound of cooked Bacon - Chopped or crumbled
1 small - medium can of Baked Beans - Liquid Drained
3/4 cup of packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Mustard

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1 Cup Barbecue Sauce

1/2 Cup Ketchup

Brown Ground Beef and drain grease. Combine all ingredients and let simmer for 5 minutes. Serve on toasted buns or bread. To freeze just divide into your family size meals and store in a container or in a freezer bag and seal.

Swiss Chicken:

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Swiss cheese, sliced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 box Stove Top Stuffing
Butter, melted (enough to moisten stuffing)

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place chicken in the dish. On top of chicken place the Swiss Cheese (as much as you'd like). Spread the Cream of Chicken Soup on top of the chicken and Cheese. Mix together the stuffing and butter in a bowl (do not cook stuffing according to stove top directions). Place stuffing over chicken mixture and press down slightly.

Bake at 325* for 1 1/2 hours.

Italian Turkey Meatloaf:
1 package (20.8 ounces) ground turkey
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Press a 24-inch long piece of nonstick aluminum foil into an oval slow cooker bowl, with nonstick side facing up, so that it is flush with bowl and ends hang out over sides.
In a large bowl, gently stir together turkey, onion, green pepper, egg, garlic, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, bread crumbs, 1/3 cup cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic salt and black pepper. Place meatloaf mixture in slow cooker and form into a 9 x 5-inch log. Cover and cook on HIGH 2-1/2 hours or on LOW 4-1/2 hours or until internal temperature registers 160° on an instant read thermometer.
About 30 minutes before cooking is complete, place remaining 1/4 cup tomato sauce in a small bowl and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Pour tomato sauce mixture over meatloaf; cover and continue to cook another 30 minutes
Carefully lift meatloaf out of slow cooker using foil cradle and place on a cutting board. Using two long offset spatulas, carefully lift meatloaf off of foil and place on serving dish. Discard foil and any liquid and serve immediately.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole:
2 lbs. (4 cups) cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 stick of butter, melted

72 Ritz crackers, crushed

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

I boiled my chicken to cook it, you can cook yours however you like though. As my chicken was cooking I put the Ritz Crackers into a large ziplock bag and crushed them. I then added the stick of melted butter and the poppy seeds and mixed together. Spread half of this mixture in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish.

Combine Soup, Sour Cream, and Cooked Cubed Chicken. Spread on top of Ritz mix.

Sprinkle the remaining Ritz mix on top of Chicken mixture.

Cook at 350* for 1 hour.

Honey Barbecue Ham and Roasted Potatoes:

1/2 cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Dark-Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Worchestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon plus 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard

3-1/2 pounds fully cooked boneless Ham

3 pounds potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine Ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon oil and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer and let cook for 5 minutes.

Score the surface of the ham and then place in 4 -5 quart slow cooker and brush with barbecue sauce mixture from above.

In a large bowl stir together potatoes and remaining Vegetable Oil. Place in slow cooker around ham.

Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2 hours.

Remove ham and set aside. Stir Parsley, salt and pepper into potatoes and serve with ham.

Baby Room Pictures

Now that Baby S's room has been organized and is now all set up for him I thought that I would share some photo's of his room with you...

All that's left is taking down the utility lights hanging from the ceiling (left from Dustin's Lego Room) and put in Baby S's light. I would do this myself, but I'm not allowed. This will get rid of the extension cord you see hanging next to the crib from the ceiling. Also, I have one more basket of laundry left to do and to put away. Then all is done!

Getting Stuff Done

Well this weekend was a pretty productive one. I dragged Dustin out of bed on Saturday morning and forced him to go out shopping with me. We went to Target and picked up another outfit for our little guy, a large box of wipes (that way I don't run out too soon), a few boxes of newborn diapers, and a Diaper Genie II Elite refill. I'm thinking that we got more there, but I can't completely remember, how sad.


After a quick stop at Ihop for the all you can eat pancake breakfast, we went to Walmart to spend the $25 gift card that Joan gave to us for the baby shower. Thanks to Joan our little guy now has a pooh teething and noisy book, some colorful links for the car seat, and some random toys for teething (not teething rings) and noise making and looking at his handsome face in mirrors. Thanks Joan!!


Back to Target we went, this time to Target Greatland. Dustin and I don't really venture to Target Greatland very often. This is because it is just so large and so busy to us. We'd rather stay at our little Oakdale Target store, but Oakdale didn't have what we needed. We picked up our extra Car Seat Base. We want to have a base in each of our vehicles...and now we do.



This leads me to the best thing we did on Saturday...We installed Baby S's Car Seat in both the truck and the car. I'm so happy to have this done now. I feel much better about how close we are to his due date because he now has a safe place to be in the vehicles! The car is a tight fit though. Because both Dustin and I are so tall we need to have our chairs back all the way for safety. (Dustin's knees STILL hit the dash even with having his seat all the way back though. This is the reason that we really don't take the car but instead take the truck everywhere, it safer and roomier.) So because of this we have his seat in the middle seat and our chairs our actually touching his seat. It's still safe and where it needs to be, but I just wish that he had more room back there. Hopefully it will be much better once he's in a front facing seat.




Back upstairs we went to pick up the living room and kitchen...they both need a good cleaning though before the little guy comes. Hopefully that will be next weekends task for us. As Dustin was doing dishes I finished getting our hospital bag packed (aside from snacks for Dustin) and then I have Baby S's diaper bag packed up and organized. It has wipes, 12 newborn diapers, desitin, changing pad, a couple entertaining toys (the one's we must thank Joan for), two new onsies, a pair of pants, and two pair of socks. I made sure to get clothes in his bag because of blowouts and lost socks at houses or stores. Everything has its own compartment and is neat and orderly. Plus I still have two more pouches for when he gets older and we will need snacks and juice to bring with us, and then 3 more compartments on the outside of the bag. And of course our bag has two built in holders for bottles (baby bottles or even bottle of water later on) and then a thermal bottle holder that can come in and out. Plus I can still use a compartment for a purse if need be on outings! I love this diaper bag!



Feeling a bit more prepared feels so great! Now on to making and freezing meals...

31 Days

So I'm to that point where I need to start counting the days and not the weeks, as weeks take longer to go by then days do. This way I'm making progress DAILY instead of just weekly. Part of this is due to I'm anxious to see my little guy, then because I'm scared about how labor and delivery will go - I'd be delusional not to be scared -, and then because I want to have my body back to myself.
I described to you in my first post about Hyperemesis Gravadrum, or HG. I told you that it was very likely to come back in the 3rd trimester according to the doctors. Well, it has shown its ugly face again. YEA FOR ME....not. This morning I was having issues in this area and that is what inspired the following:

31 days.
31 days left of missing work for odd reasons.
Left of not being able to have a drink when I feel like it, seafood when I crave it, or even peaches when I see one.
31 days left of not being able to get up into the Truck or out of the Car.
Left of being tired all day and tossing and turning all night.
31 days left of ligaments stretching and pulling.

31 days!
31 days left of such a sore back and hips that a limp everywhere I go!
Left of painful jabs to the ribs throughout the day!
31 days left of knees and elbows waking me once I actually get to sleep!
Left of puking my guts up!
31 days left before an indescribable pain!

31 days.
31 days of feeling amazed at my body and what it can do.
Of having another life growing inside of me.
31 days of watching my tummy move on its own, which always makes me smile and laugh.
Of cleaning, organizing, and most importantly, waiting.
31 days of preparing for our big day.

31 days!
31 days of knowing where you are at all times!
Of having you reminding me to smile and be happy!
31 days of laughing at the feel of your hiccups!
Of rocking not just you, but both of us, to sleep!
31 days of knowing that you are always safe inside of me!

31 days.
31 days until the trip to the hospital.
Until I see the fruit of my labors.
31 days until I hear the cry I've been praying to hear for so long.
Until I experience a miracle and get to meet one too.
31 days until I get to see who's eyes, nose, and mouth you have.

31 days!
31 days until I get to hold you in my arms!
Until I will be able to kiss you all over!
31 days until I can count your fingers and toes!
Until I get to start getting to know your personality!
31 days until I get to see your smiling face and hear the music of your laughter!

31 days.
31 days to the start of the poopy diapers.
To the start of the fountain of pee.
31 days to the start of kissing your BooBoo's.
To the start of cleaning up puke in the middle of the night.
31 days to the start of stepping on toys, specially yours and Daddy's Lego's, and trying to remember to smile at it.

31 days!
31 days to the start of play dates and PTA meetings!
To the start of trying to remember what I learned in school so I can help you with your homework!
31 days to the start of Basketball practices and games and cheering you on!
To the start of your interest in girls...that is after they don't have cooties anymore!
31 days to the start of all your graduations!

Only 31 days until I get to meet you, my precious bundle of joy,
No matter how much I complain, you will always be my little boy.
Only 31 days of wondering who you are,
for you have always known, but we will help you along the way.
Only 31 days to the start of something new,
until a lifetime left of worrying, for me, about you!

Hormones...

I need to complain just a little bit now here, so please forgive me.

The joys of pregnancy hormones!
1. I cry at the drop of a dime. I never used to cry, but now...ALWAYS.
2. I get crabby easily, though that could also be due to lack of sleep from all the tossing and turning I do now.
3. My face is actually starting to break out again. This sucks. I thought I was done with getting more then 3 pimples on my face at a time.
4. I have been sniffling my whole pregnancy. There is something about the hormones that makes your mucus production increase, and this has caused me to need Kleenex all the time.

and finally

5. Now I'm limping all the time. The hormones are also supposed to loosen me up so Baby S can make his big appearance. Well I think I've been loosed a bit TOO much. When I lift my legs they actually lock on me and won't allow me to lift me feet up very far from the ground.

I have to get into my car backwards (because I can lift my leg back, but not forward, strange). I haven't even tried the truck yet...that one will be fun. it will probably end up with me crawling in like I used to have to do when Dustin and I first dated and I wore skirts all the time. Stairs I can't even do. I tried yesterday here at work while leaving and the person behind me, who knew I was pregnant, ended up helping to push me up the 3 stairs I needed t get up to get out of the building. I won't be making that mistake again.

I went to the Chiropractor last night after work to see if he could fix me. He did a little but then everything just slipped right back out of place again between then and now. Its not quite as bad as it was yesterday, but the other leg is starting to get as bad as the right. I have another midwife appointment on Tuesday morning next week and a Chiropractor appointment that evening after work.

The Chiropractor will be a weekly visit between now and Baby S's arrival.

New Bra Store To Try

So as many of you have noticed, those that know me at least, I'm of the larger busted variety. This was something that as an adolescent/Tween/ Early Teen I wanted more then ever. Why you might ask. Well that is a very simple answer...BOYS! TV and friends that I had would always make it seems or would flat out say, if you wanted the boy you had to have big boobs.

Remember that scene from the movie Grease where the girls are having a sleepover and Sandy gets her ears pierced by Frenchy. Well, in that scene Marty was flexing her breasts, just to make them bigger. I didn't go that far, but I prayed and hoped and wished that one day I'd have large breasts.

Well My prayers were answered....and I do not enjoy it one bit!!

Now that I'm pregnant they have just gotten larger, I won't say my size, but just know that they have grown as happens during pregnancy and then I hear that they grow more AFTER delivery. My issue with this has been trying to find a bra that fits properly and gives the right support, lift, and is functional for when I nurse. I haven't found the bra yet, but I think that I have now on the right track.

I like a site called The Bump. It is a site for women TTC, pregnant, or mothers. I asked on two of the boards if anyone had any advice for me and one woman pointed me to HerRoom a site specifically for bras and they go all the way up to size 56K (thank goodness I'm not THAT large, I think I'd go nuts from the weight). Now I'm just going through and reading the reviews and seeing if there is one that I'd like to try out...or at lest try ON.

The best thing about it...FREE SHIPPING and EASY RETURNS. Since they are only an online store (the only drawback I see so far) the easy returns is great. That way you can try them on and then return if it doesn't fit or exchange for a different size or style. I'm looking forward to trying out this new store that I have been directed too...I'll report back to you on whether or not I like it.

35 weeks and Counting...35/35

On Sunday was my 35 week mark!!! That means only 35 DAYS left until Baby S is due!!! WOO HOO! Oh and for those that celebrate Valentines Day, that means only 35 days until then as well.

This past week was full of excitement, good and bad all mixed together.

As you know I was in the doctors again with contractions and then put on bed rest for two days, Monday and Tuesday. The contractions finally went away so all is well. I have NO dilation (in contradiction to what Dustin's mom, Deb, has said to people...she was mistaken, it happens. Don't worry I still love you Deb!). My cervix is starting to thin slightly, but that's it.

On Tuesday one of Dustin's cousin's passed away. Michelle will be sorely missed by all, but at least we know that she is in a better place. On Saturday we attended her funeral and social hour afterwards. The service was very well put together and very touching. She was very obviously a loved and respected friend, wife, mother, and family member, but how could she not be, being such a wonderful and great woman. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Johnny and Jack and will continue to be so.

On Sunday I had my last baby shower. Its funny how my showers happened throughout this past year. With my wedding shower my side's shower came first and then Dustin's side...which of course showed on my registry. Now with my baby shower I had my shower on Dustin's side first and then on my side...again, which showed on the registry. I had a great time with the games, FOOD, company, advice, and presents. Once I got home I put the presents away right away and have all of the clothes de-taged and put in Baby S's laundry basket to wash later in the week. Thank you all for everything. Oh by the way, if you were wondering, it takes 14 squares of toilet paper to go around my tummy.

On Sunday I also found out from Deb and Grandma that Katie, Dustin's Cousin, Doe and Mike's daughter, is on the couch having contractions. She's trying as hard as possible to hold off until Justin gets home from his leave in the service. We hope you can make it until Friday Katie, Good Luck.

Other then that, the only other new development this week is that Dustin is working overnights now at Menards for the month of January. So now I have the bed to myself at night, other then sharing with the kitties. So now I get to see Dustin everyday when I get home. I just have to wake him up and then we have dinner, and he gets ready for work right around when I get ready for bed. Then we both sleep when the other is at work. Its actually kind of nice, except on the weekend when we both start getting up and waking up in the middle of the normal sleeping hours of normal people. He's on overnights because his Menards is doing a remodel which has to be done in the evenings...so he volunteered for it. I guess its a good time to do so since I seem to keep him up at night otherwise will all of my tossing and turning.

Well I think that's it for now. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Lego's Lego's Lego's

So as requested I have pictures of Dustin's Lego Obsession...

This is just the stuff that Dustin has stored in his closet:

In total he has 28 of the blue totes, 12 of the yellow and black bins on the top shelf, and 4 totes in the corner, all full of Lego's!!

Now on to the items that are still together:

(We are still trying to get shelves up for these for Baby S's room.)

(This is above the cupboards in our kitchen!)

(This is part of what is up in Baby S's room now plus a Lego train over his crib...sorry no pictures of that yet!)

And one last picture for you showing just how much Dustin Loves his Lego's and how much he is going to love once Baby S is able to play with Lego's too....

Yes people, that is my husband, the love of my life, and my soul mate...Forever and Ever AMEN!

And he's wanting to add another creation to the mix...The Lego Fire Brigade, though of course its because Baby S needs it to complete the city set...until they come out with something new for it. This is why I love him...he makes me laugh and smile and he is a kid at heart!

"Stop Kicking Me"

So I've been wanting to share this story with all of you for a while, but I just haven't had the time or just kept forgetting.

Dustin had to work on Christmas Eve morning...I didn't. So I had just gotten back into bed after going potty and I snuggled up to Dustin. I was spooning him, if you don't know what that means then it means that my tummy was against his back and my arm around him. Well Baby S likes to get moving after I use the bathroom so he was moving and kicking and punching all around the place.

I didn't even really know that Dustin was awake and all of a sudden he says "Tell him to stop kicking" Silence..."Make him stop kicking me" I giggle and say "I can't really do that honey." Silence..."Hey, stop kicking me." Then his alarm goes off and he has to get out of bed. It was just too cute for words.

The funniest part of it all, Dustin doesn't even remember any of it.

34 weeks and Counting

Sorry, long time no blog.

Lets see...
Christmas was great, though it still doesn't seem like Christmas should have come and gone yet. 2009 just went by so fast. We had a quite Christmas eve night at home together. Watched some Christmas shows on TV had the yule log on later in the evening and just sat in bed together snuggling...all 6 of us - Dustin, myself, Baby S, Gizmo, Lynx and Renny. I must say, though we wanted a king size bed before now, I think soon it will become a necessity to get one in order to get the whole family into bed. A Queen just won't do it for us much longer.
Christmas Day we went over to Dustin's Parents house to help bring gifts over to Grandma's and to have our own mini Christmas. Then we headed over to Grandma's house to be with the Schirmer side of the family. The food was great, the company was wonderful, and I always enjoy watching everyone open their gifts. Grandma Bonnie kept getting mad at all of the Grandkids for getting her gifts, so as she was opening the one from Dustin and myself I said "Fine, then we will just take it back." She got it open and saw that it was just a framed picture of Dustin and myself from the wedding (picture courtesy of Carlynn, my sister). She said that it was a great gift and that kind of gift was just fine...I knew it would be. We got the same thing for Grandpa Bob, and Grandma Mona as well.
On Saturday it was off to my sister's house to have the Miller-Gore/Harth/Schirmer Christmas...or what I like to call the siblings Christmas. This is when we get together with my sister Carlynn and her family and my big brother Joe and his wife. It was great seeing everyone again and being able to chit chat and catch up. Life has been busy as I'm sure you can imagine.

The New Year has been bitter sweet so far. I had a great time with Dustin's family on New Years Eve at Aunt Doe's having stake dinner while everyone else had crab legs (my favorite). Unfortunately I wont able to have any of the crab because I'm pregnant...but soon I'll be able to have sea food when I want to. We played pictionary and then I fell asleep on the couch while everyone else played 3's...a card game that we had to think up a name for. When the ball was dropping Dustin woke me up, gave me and Baby S a kiss and went back to playing the game so I could go back to sleep.

Right before the New Year Carlynn's dad passed away. I feel so bad for her. My thoughts and prayers are certainly with her. Now another member of the family has passed away. Dustin's cousin Johnny, his wife just passed away after a long fight with cancer. Our thought and prayers are with Johnny and their young son Jack.

Monday, I went home early from work because of contractions that were so painful and happening about every 20 minutes. Then I ended up having to move my appointment up for this week to Monday to get everything checked out by the midwife. Everything is just fine and contractions finally stopped Early Tuesday morning. I'm back at work now, only because of the fact that I sit all day and I'm not really up and moving around.

So far I've gotten both bathrooms, our bedroom, and the little boys room cleaned top to bottom and all set up. I also got all of Baby S's clothes washed and put away (including bedding). All of his presents are put away as well. Now I just have to clean the Living room, kitchen and hall closet. Then after the baby shower on Sunday I'll have more stuff to put away and clean I'm sure.

I'll try to get some pictures up soon of his room again. I just haven't had the time at home and I don't have the equipment at work to do it.

I'll try to post again soon.