Unbelievable! Advice!

I cannot believe that tomorrow is my last day of work before my maternity leave. It doesn't seem possible! In many ways, it will be nice to step back and just concentrate on things here for a while. I've got so much piled up in my mind to do around the house (and I'm trying to take it easy) that I don't think I'll get bored.

I have never been given so much advice in my entire life, as I have received in the last week or two. This is a good thing! I really appreciate most of the advice. I take it to heart because the people giving the advice have been through this before. I'm being serious here, I truly do appreciate it! I love to hear people's birth stories and what their experience was like! The only thing that has bothered me lately is that I have heard from so many people who have had horrible experiences. These stories are not necessarily with the birth experience but with newborn babies . . . and it has me a bit frightened! I want the first few weeks with our precious daughter to be enjoyable! I know that it will be a challenge, but I also want to know that there will be moments when it is wonderful too! So, if you have any of those stories (the wonderful ones), please share them on here! I'd love to have LOTS of comments from people about the wonders of the first few weeks of your son or daughter's life. I have had several people share the good things! So, thanks to you who have told me the good stories (I know I need to be prepared for reality but I'd like to have a balance) or have told me, "you know, getting up at night really isn't THAT bad." I have definitely been keeping those comments close to my heart as the day of her arrival approaches!

Update

My appointment went fine. They are still concerned with my blood pressure but my swelling was down and the protein count came back negative this time, so the rest is working. It is also hard to believe, but when I weighed myself this morning, I had lost almost 5 pounds from last week! It's been the easiest weightloss I've ever done - Laying on the couch! I'm supposed to keep working only 1/2 days and just taking it easy in general. I can't believe that I only have 2 days of work left before my maternity leave starts. I have to admit that I am starting to feel the need to be at home and "nest" a little so it will be nice to be done with work. I have the desire to make a few meals to freeze and eat later, do laundry, clean the bathrooms, etc, but the energy is not there after being at work! So, I'll have to work on these things slowly next week.

A is doing such a great job taking care of me and is really doing a lot around the house these days. Not only is he accomplishing his projects, like framing windows, installing blinds, etc, but last night is even vacuumed all of the upstairs and did the dishes.

Well, I probably did a little too much running around today after work (post office, Kroger, and bank), then when I got home I put away groceries, cleaned Dewey's muddy paws, and did laundry. I'm ready to take a rest. I'll leave you with the following list about Kansas. :)

**If you're proud that your region makes the national news at least 96 times each year because it's the hottest or the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Kansas.

**If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead or midway up his arms, you might live in Kansas.

**If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Manhattan, Kansas.

**If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Kansas.

**If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you might live in Kansas.

**If you often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again, you might live in Kansas.

**If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching, you might live in Kansas

**If you see people wearing camouflage at social events, (including weddings), you might live in Kansas.

**If you install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked, you might live in Kansas.

**If you carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them, you might live in Kansas.

**If "Going down South" means Oklahoma, you might live in Kansas.

Today was interesting

I got up this morning to head to work, just like normal. The moment I stepped foot out my door, the cramping began! I just ignored it on the way to work, thinking that it would soon pass like it had before. After about 2 hours of it this morning, I was pretty uncomfortable. Nothing helped! I managed to get a ton of work done at work and even laid out some things for my substitute to do tomorrow. I made it until about 1:00 pm and then I had to head home. I didn't think it was real labor because the pain didn't seem strong enough or have any kind of consistency. I got home and took a bath, which helped but didn't quite cure the cramps. I finally fell asleep watching a movie about 3:00 pm and they mostly went away while I was asleep. I am very interested to hear what the midwives have to say tomorrow morning! I'm trying not to count on her coming "early" so I'm not disappointed when I pass the due date, but all of this is making me wonder!

I left one thing to finish at work from home but now my computer is offline there, so that really stinks. I have no idea why that happens! Ah! Anyway, I will have to either do it in the morning or call my substitute and have her do it while I head up to the midwives. I'll report after my appointment tomorrow. Enjoy the picture!

1/2 Time

It has actually been kind of nice to only work part-time this week. I have managed to take a nap every day, which probably means I really needed to. I have felt a little overwhelmed at work, getting everything done, but with the help of a little working from home, I have managed to stay afloat. My substitute returns this week, so that should be a great help! I have watched several movies, several seasons of TV shows, and read a book. On the very first day I was home, I got pretty bored (lonely) after only an hour of being home, so I wasn't sure how the rest of the time would go, but it hasn't been bad. The main issue with all of this is that I like people. Even though my personality isn't necessarily strongly outgoing, I'm not a person that likes to be alone for a long period of time. I like people! It has helped me to have a plan if I know that I'm going to be alone for a long time. For example, I knew that Andrew would be gone most of Thursday evening. He had a meeting and church and then Bible study. So, I made a plan for the evening. I made a little supper for us, then after he left, I had several things that I wanted to get done, which helped pass the time. One of those things was to pick up stuff at A's grandma's house, so it helped a lot to visit with her for a while. I have also finished all the baby thank you notes! Yeah!

My goal is to slowly work my way through the house this week (15 minutes at a time), at least decluttering and picking up, so we'll feel a bit more organized when the baby comes. We're so close to having the nursery done and it looks really great!

My next appointment is Tuesday morning. I am very curious to hear what they say about my stats.

A took some lovely pictures of me/us this weekend, so if I'm ever using the other computer, I will post some of them on here.

Appointment Update

Well, for the first time yesterday, the midwife found something to be concerned about at my appointment. After my lovely protein test (which I take everytime), my blood pressure check, and swelling check, she decided to cut back my working hours to 4 hours per day. Yikes! They are concerned that I will develop pre-eclampsia or something similar in nature. She told me to hibernate as much as possible, so I'm supposed to be laying down on my side, resting and drinking water, if I am not at work. Since the baby is full-term now, the thing we are trying to prevent is labor induction. I really want to go into labor naturally, so I am going to do what she told me to! I'm also supposed to check my blood pressure regularly, so A's grandma is letting me borrow hers (not her blood pressure but the machine that checks it)! The midwife also told me that I MUST drink a gallon of water per day to try and rid myself of this excess water weight and get my blood pressure down. I'm doing pretty good so far today. My next appointment is in one week. I think they will double check all these things and if they are the same or better, they will let us continue on our merry way.

I am most thankful for the wonderful place where I work. My boss told me not to worry about a thing but that they would be fine with my cut back hours. I love my job and my co-workers. I could not have found a better place to work!

What a week!

I haven't posted recently because I have been so busy at work! I even worked until 7 pm last night, until it was time for our Bible study. It seems as if there is so much to do before I leave. I can't believe my maternity leave starts in two weeks! It's so crazy how fast the time has gone.

I'm still feeling just fine. Sure, I'm uncomfortable at times, but it could be worse. My feet are still a bit puffy, so I'm looking forward to an evening of rest on the couch.

That's about all. No big news here! :0

Day of Celebration

January 14th is a day filled with many things to celebrate!

- Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! I will be nice and not put your age on here, but really you still seem very young to me! I hope you have a great birthday and can get out and celebrate.

- Today is my in-law's wedding anniversary. I will say they have been married 30 years! I have been picking my brain for what to give you! FYI, we finally came up with something but it was your son's final decision! :)

- Today was Andrew's grandparents anniversary. Even though his grandpa is no longer with us, it is still a good day to remember him and celebrate all the joy and laughter they had together through the years.

- And last (and yes least), my sweet little puppy turns three today. For his birthday gift, Andrew refrained from smacking him when he (Dewey), once again, pulled Kleenex out of the trash this morning. I gave him a toy! :)

Have a great day!

A goal

I finally reached one of my goals yesterday and that was to drink a gallon of water (like the midwives recommended). Yeah! I seem to have picked up on Andrew's cold, just a bit, after doing my best to avoid it. I spent most of last evening napping on the couch while Andrew watched a movie. I hope it passes quickly, like his did.

Well, I'd better get in the shower. Off to work for one more day before a nice long weekend of rest!

I'll say it again . . .

pregnancy is weird! I have noticed, ever since about week 24, that I have these hot flashes. It is usually when I am talking to someone, when the room is extra hot, or if I am uncomfortable. I have never felt anything like this before. Once again I say, pregnancy is very very weird (yet fun in many ways)! :) It has been almost 70 degrees the past two days, so I've been experiencing these crazy things much more frequently.

Sorry, nothing to deep or interesting in this post. Just thought I'd share about my hot flashes! :)

Colds, Feet, and Names!

After I had been bragging about how healthy Andrew was (not even a hint of a cold for over a year) he has come down with a nasty head cold. Poor guy! He is at work today and doesn't have a fever so hopefully it will clear up in a few days. He has been eating LOTS of chicken noodle soup, so hopefully that is aiding his recovery. A co-worker of mine has pneumonia. Yikes! I'm doing everything I can to not catch these bugs from other people! Yikes, that would be miserable. Anyway, so far so good. I've had so much water, plus I'm keeping up with Vit C, and other preventative measures.

I have officially hit the swollen feet part of pregnancy. It's not so much my ankles as it is the top of my feet (they look like little sausages). Hopefully all the water I'm consuming will help that. It probably didn't help much that I spent my whole lunch break walking around Walmart getting stuff for the hospital/labor that is fast approaching. I found a cheap "sleep shirt" that I can wear during labor and birth, some travel items (shampoo, deo, etc), some flannel material to make rice bags for pain management, etc. I'm currently a sucker for all things baby related. I saw a "baby's first year" calendar at Walmart and had to buy it. Thankfully it was only $4. It has stickers to track your baby's "firsts" for a whole year. So much fun!!

Andrew and I are in deliberations still about what to name our baby! It's not that we necessarily disagree about a name but we're having a hard time finding a name that we both are thrilled about. We have several picked out (and no they won't be shared until she is born) but if I picture her with a different color hair the name doesn't fit. As of this moment, I think we have a name picked out if she is blonde and then another name picked out if she has dark hair. :) I don't know what we'll do if she is bald! :) We're just going to have to wait and see what she looks like, I guess. This seems so very familiar to when we got our dog. We couldn't decide on a name then either. Neither of us had strong opinions then, we just had to see him first before naming, and I guess that's fine. I'll be sure to bring my baby name book to the hospital, just in case!

I feel like I have accomplished so much this morning, but I must keep working. Only 20 working days left until my maternity leave!

Pictures!

We still have lots of pictures to down load but here are a few of our decorations and of A and his cousins playing Age of Empires. I'm going through people withdraw right now. I've been around people all week and now I'm home alone! :(

Time Flies

Wow, the holidays went very fast around here! Both sides of A's family were here for a visit. It was very fun, but I didn't lay on my couch as much as I thought I would! :) I'll have to do that this month instead. It feels weird to be back at work but if I really think about it, I only have about 4 weeks left and then I'm on maternity leave. Weird again, huh?! I can't believe we are so close to our little girl's arrival. Her room is starting to take shape. I am ready for Andrew to put up shelving in the closet, so I can start hanging things up. Hopefully he will do that this weekend. I'm also excited to pick up our crib next week and get the room all arranged. It is early but I always like to be prepared!

We have not done well with taking pictures lately, but hopefully that will improve when A receives his lighting kit. Ok, I am slacking at work and really should be working. I have so much to do but just have low energy today! :)