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! :)

Crib and Appointment Update

We had a very good appointment yesterday. I went in by myself while Andrew went to pick up his aunt's cell phone at the airport. The midwife said everything looks good. The baby's head is still down. Ouch, that hurts when she feels for that. My blood pressure is fine, etc. I asked her about the mild cramps that I've been having (mainly at night). She said she thought it was just ligaments stretching or perhaps the baby's head pressing on something already. She said she wasn't concerned about it unless the cramps didn't stop. They usually go away within 30 seconds or so, so no need to be concerned.

We then headed over to Babies R Us to get a crib and a rocker. The crib wasn't in stock on the warehouse, so they had to order it. It should be in by our next appointment, which will work out nicely. We got a rocker and have it already set up in the baby's room. It's very nice and I spent some time reading in it yesterday. I'm excited for the crib to come in so we can start getting the room rearranged and put together!!!

I started "packing" a little for the hospital. So, the baby has 3 items packed and that's it. I'll just keep working on it slowly. There are several things I don't have yet and several items I can't really pack until it's time. I wear all of my maternity clothes, so I can't really pack something to wear home yet, as I will be wearing it up until that time. It's amazing how fast the time has gone. I have almost hit the 35 week mark. Just one more month of work and then my maternity leave starts! Unbelieveable!

I'm off to do something else! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! My day was filled with wonderful food, games, movies, gifts, etc. Andrew has to work today, so I'm home alone at the moment. I have already enjoyed laying in bed and reading this morning. I'd like to spend a little time cleaning up the house, perhaps cleaning out my car (which desperately needs it), and perhaps packing a bag for the hospital! :) A lot of things I have read recommend doing it at 34 weeks, which I hit yesterday. I'm one that always likes to be prepared! :)

I'm very excited for Friday. After my midwife appointment, Andrew and I are going baby shopping at Babies R Us. We are (hopefully) going to get a crib and rocking chair. Yeah! The baby's room will start to look pulled together now.

I've been feeling pretty good, except some lower abdominal cramps occasionally. I have no idea what they are or what is causing them. I felt them each time I got up last night to go to the bathroom and I feel some minor ones now. I'm going to ask the midwife about them on Friday. It could just be stretching ligaments. Ok, I'm off to have a relaxing bath now. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Another Blog

I just came across this blog: http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/ and I have found it very interesting already. I am challenged to live a healthier life, even though it seems hard right now. My first step is to eat an apple for a snack right now, instead of some cheese crackers! :)

My Favorite Things . . .

• Google Reader! I just discovered Google Reader yesterday and I'm already in heaven! I entered all of the blogs that I regularly read and it lets me know when they have been updated. It is such a time saver (don't have to open each blog), yet I can still get all of the new updates read. Maybe it's time to look for some new blogs to read! :)
• Getting my to-do list done last night! I tend to be overly ambitious but last night I planned out how long I thought each job would take me and I was finished WITH EVERYTHING by 9:30 pm! This included cleaning (decluttering, dust, and vacuuming) two rooms, some painting, laundry, folding clothes, supper, dishes, etc. Tonight's list looks just as long but since I have most of next week off (until Jan 2) I don't want to have to clean my house!!
• My job! Ok, sometimes things and people can be crazy here, but the people are loving, appreciative, and generous.
• My new bedroom! The master bedroom is HUGE! Andrew and I were joking last night that we could fit several more beds in there, if needed!

We've moved upstairs!

We got everything moved upstairs last night and slept up there for the first time. Besides being a bit on the chilly side it was nice. I am still blogging from work so no pictures yet. We are hosting our small group party on Thursday and this is good motivation to get the house clean, so I'll try to take pictures and post the progress. We'll be working all week! I've been avoiding pregnancy pictures of myself, but I suppose I will miss not having them, so I'm going to get Andrew to take some soon. The last one was taken at 24 weeks! I'm almost 33 so, needless to say, thing have grown since then! :)

The baby continues to be just fine. I am feeling fine, except for the daily hip/back ache. Usually sitting up straight and/or putting heat on it helps to relieve the pain. I purchased a few supplies to make some rice bags, so I'll have to do that soon so I can use them!!

I'm so excited because Andrew has told me that his Christmas gift to me this year will be to finish the tile in the upstairs bathroom shower! I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! I am going to do everything I can (like clean the rest of the house) so he can concentrate on that project. I can't wait to relax in a nice deep bath!

Ok, I'd better keep plugging away here at work. I hope to get enough stuff done that I don't have to work the whole day on Christmas Eve. We'll see how far I get!

Until then. . .

Until I get motivated to download pictures of our new beautiful carpet, onto the computer and post them here, I leave you with a wonderful blog to read. Seriously, whenever she writes something, I am challenged. Enjoy!

http://thesimplefamily.com/?p=72#comments

Carpet!

We are having carpet installed upstairs tomorrow! Yeah!! A and his dad worked so hard all weekend to get the baseboard put in. They are almost finished. Andrew will be able to finish up the hall tonight. There is still so much to be done. I worked (too long) last night on painting the ceilings. They all needed a second coat or majorly touched up. I am glad to say that I think we're done rolling painting on the ceilings. We still need to do a bunch of trim work on the paint, and I am wanting to get the caulk done on the corners (inside and out) of the baseboard before the carpet goes in, so it doesn't get all over. I hope we can make significant progress tonight. It's not the end of the world if we don't get it done. We can put down some drop cloths to do the trim work later. I will definitely be glad to get this all done. It is still a horrible feeling to know that all of this needs done but be unable to do most of it . . . physically!

I also spent a lot of my weekend cooking or baking! I made a cheesecake and some cookies for A graduation party. The cheesecake was Friday night and the cookies were on Saturday. Then yesterday, I spent some of my afternoon making a meal to take to our friends who just had a baby. I'll drop it off after work. I'm excited about meeting their new little boy!

I'll be sure to take pictures of the carpet. I'm very excited to move upstairs and spread out a little bit!

61 days

So we're not really counting on our due date being the day but my blog counter says 61 days until my due date! Ah! It seems like such little time for so much to get done. I've been calling around getting carpet quote meetings set up, so hopefully that will happen next week.

Right now, I can hardly think because I'm SO hungry! I have a slightly scratchy throat, so I hope with all my might that I am not getting a cold! Ugh! I'm going to sleep as much as my body will let me tonight! I could use a big meal and a nap!

61 days! Ah! :)