A+ for Effort...

This story is a little too personal, but is too funny not to share. In the past month I have found myself in need of loose cotton clothes and undies thanks to my ever growing belly and pregnancy discomfort. My sweet husband decided he would go to Walmart and get me some things so I wouldn't have to go out. I basically implied that I wanted one of the larger sizes and he called me with a number that I assumed was equivalent to pant sizes. Not wanting to spend any more time than he had to in the women's undergarment section of Walmart, Jason glanced at the packaging and high tailed it out of there. This is what I ended up with (note that they are lying on our oversized recliner):

Nursery

We are still working on the nursery, but it close to being finished and functional just in case :-)



These 3 prints will hang on the wall behind the crib once they are framed



Thanks to Mom, we have quite a few things from my childhood here plus many new things for Shuler thanks to our wonderful family & friends!

This awesome print was made especially for Shuler by his Aunt Haley

Love this stool from GiGi

I call this the "Baby Bar"

How many babies get to sleep in a cradle made by their grandfather that daddy slept in?!

BABY GEAR (Plus the car seat & a pack-n-play! What a lucky little boy!)

38 weeks

Our 38 week appointment (yesterday) went well. Shuler's heartbeat is good and his head was lower than last time. I am still progressing, but not there yet. Dr. MacClenahan said that she would guess he weighs in the upper 7 pounds, so he's a big boy, but not too big. I admit I'm a little frustrated, but always glad to hear he's doing well and trying to remind myself he'll come when the time is right. This morning I woke up to find that he is even lower than yesterday. I woke up feeling very strange today and realized that my stomach no longer forms that little shelf at my ribcage. Who knows what that means, but as always we'll see.
Next Appointment: Wednesday at 11am.

No Change

Dr. Lafitte says I'm still 2 centimeters...I am pouting. Koozie is benefitting from the bad news, however, because I forced myself to take her for a walk all the way to the end of the street and back to see if I could motivate Shuler - Jason laughed at me as I waddled slowly behind Kooz. Ironically, today is Penguin Awareness Day...

I have gotten some enjoyment from this hilarious book that my husband brought home. If you are expecting, had a child, or just appreciate good pregnant humor, check out Exploiting My Baby by Teresa Strasser. So honest and hilarious about the "joys" of pregnancy. I especially like her because she is as crazy as I am.
Next Appointment: Next Thursday at 11am.

Week 37

I am finally full-term, which means it's less risky if Shuler decides to come early now. Every day this week I've woken up thinking today might be the day, but Shuler hasn't agreed so far. Tomorrow we go back to the doctor to find out if I'm any further along. If they send me home, I'll post an update here. I'm hoping they'll just keep me and we'll have a little Shuler by this weekend :-) I am getting more uncomfortable by the day, so that would be great news for me. Stay tuned...

I just noticed that my blogs have been a little too reflective of my mood. If you are interested in what has brought this on, keep reading: Since my 32nd week I've been having cramps/contractions and my sweet baby dropped lower into my pelvis, placing all of his weight onto my bladder. It has gone downhill from there. Jason says that I have displayed 9 months of stereotypical pregnancy symptoms in 1 month. I never ate more than I used to until this month; now, if you get between me and the food, you might lose a hand. Pregnant women cry? You have never seen a woman so hysterical for no reason until you have lived with me for the past month. It is ironic that this is the one time in a woman's life that she cannot drink, smoke, or take heavy medication - things that may have once made me a little anxious, now send me into a full-blown nervous break down. I didn't think I would use the phrase "I just need to lie down" so often until I was at least 80. At least 3 out of every 5 of these little episodes are because I have once again read or heard something about giving birth. Never say the word "tear" around a pregnant woman. Did you hear that pregnant women pee alot? I am now the proud owner of a padded toilet seat. Thought we had another 60 years before that one too. Sleep? Ironically I have never been so tired in my life, but cannot sleep more than 2 hours at a time. This is what my days have been like for the past week or so: I get out of bed and get in the recliner about 5am; I sleep in the recliner until about 7am when Jason gets up; by then Shuler is telling me it's time to eat - this week it has been Oh's Cereal (I've been through 3 boxes in a week and a half).; Koozie and I usually nap in the recliner until 9, when I am awoken by a baby playing then bongos on my bladder; I usually take another nap around 3pm and sometimes another one between 5 and 7. In between? when I'm not running to the bathroom, I am doubled over with cramps, counting contractions that go away just before I convince myself it's time to go to the hospital, complaining about any of the above, and occassionally I get these random bursts of energy that find me in the nursery fussing over the same things over and over again. How many times can you pack and repack a hospital bag? Apparently I have set the record at 4 so far. I usually complain for about an hour around 8 or 9pm and then give up and get in the bed. I sleep great for about 2-3 hours and after that the intervals of sleep between bathroom visits get shorter and shorter as I get increasingly uncomfortable with pains in my back, hips, and belly until finally I am lying in the bed contemplating things I can do with Jason's sledgehammer. Shuler usually wakes up about this time and starts kicking me. These little kicks have gotten lower in my belly in the past week, which reminds me that I am going to be seeing him soon. This thought calms me down enough that I move to the recliner to start my day again. It's a magical time...

Bring on the Baby...

I have been having contractions all week, so when we went to the doctor yesterday, they checked and informed me that I am 2 centimeters dialated. Maybe this means Shuler is getting anxious like Mommy and that my instinct is a little better than we thought. I started thinking he was coming early when he dropped at 32 weeks, so ladies: trust your instincts :-) The doctor says that it could still be weeks before he is born, so I'm trying to remind myself of that, but I'm praying that he will make an appearance next week when he is full term. Mom pointed out to me that I've never been this impatient of a person, but I admit I am being very impatient right now. I am so uncomfortable and even more anxious to meet Shuler! He is such a little wiggle worm and I can't wait to get to know him.
After hearing this news, we decided not to wait any longer to finish our Shuler shopping, so we hit Buy Buy Baby yesterday and cleaned them out :-) That is the most organized baby store I have ever seen! Anyway, stay tuned...Amanda is the best person to contact for updates when the day actually comes. We will be at Greenville Memorial Hospital. If you are planning to visit, this link is the hospital website and includes visiting hours, location, etc.: http://www.ghs.org/stork
On another very important note, my beautiful mother had a birthday yesterday! Yes, she is 48 years old (again) :-) Happy Birthday GiGi!



One Month to Go!

I am feeling better thanks to lots of rest and support :-) And, yes, I have accepted that I will probably have to wait another month. We had a lovely baby shower on Saturday and were thrilled to see our friends and all the babies! We are definitely ready for Shuler to arrive and in the meantime are enjoying some down time thanks to this snow storm. Here are some pictures of the shower and the snow. We got a little silly and took some preggo pics in the snow. Hope you're all staying warm!

Shuler's future best friend, Finn

Mrs. Hawkins Snow Lady :-) Love it! Had to share with everyone...



Baby Update

Well, my agitated mood last week has become something more humble this week. I have not been feeling so hot and my blood pressure is going up and down, so I've been put on a modified bedrest this week to see if some extra rest will help. Dr. Laffitte was my hero today as I wandered into the office with no appointment feeling terrible. He says that I do not have preeclampsia at this point, but my symptoms show a tendency toward it, so I have been told to rest alot and will go back to see him on Friday. On the other hand, my contractions have not been as strong the last few days, so it appears that Shuler is going to wait a bit longer and mommy may be in for a rough few weeks.
Say a prayer for my sweet husband please...he is really being an angel and taking care of things. I am so blessed.