Here He is!!!---Baby "No Name"

***The Stats*** 8 pounds, 14 oz., and 21 inches long. C-Section Baby! Head too big!!!

My friend Wendy took this pictures at the hospital on Friday. She is so talented! He looks like a baby doll! I have hardly any time to post anything b/c they are bringing the baby to me any second now for a feeding. He has some jaundice, so he's been under the heater lamps in the nursery. Poor baby. I had a great couple of first days in the hospital, and then yesterday was a complete disaster until the end of the day. I had my lovely postpartum blues breakdown! I suppose it was a combination of nerves, worry, medications, pain, and just everything. Wow. Glad that is mostly over...well I hope so, anyways! Thanks to everyone who has been calling and sending their congrats. Sorry to those who I haven't spoken to yet. It is much more chaotic at the hospital than I thought, and with the little "down time" I have to return calls, etc., I am usually using that to catch up on some "Zs." I hope to speak to everyone soon, though!

Oh, our latest name attempts are Halston Jack or Halston Jase. Any thoughts? I also really like Jase Owen. We are getting close to naming this poor fella!

The Last Doctor's Appointment

I had to wait a while, but I got in today by noon. She started taking measurements of the baby on the ultrasound, and they were reflecting between 9 lb and a 9lb 11oz baby. WHOA. But of course this could be off since it's an estimate. Anyways, she checked my cervix and it looks like I'm 2+cm and 80% effaced. Finally, some progress! She told me as she was checking my cervix that she would go ahead and "strip my membranes," which basically means she separates the bag of waters from my uterus (I think). Let me tell you how great that felt--not! My stomach immediately cramped up right when she finished. It could cause me to start having more contractions, or it could do nothing at all. That was around 1pm today, and now it's 10pm and I haven't had one contraction. Hmm.

So anyways, she asked me if I wanted to be induced if I didn't go into labor on my own by Thursday (due date). I did not expect her to ask me--I thought she'd be making all the decisions! Captain Indecisivo (that's me) cannot make decisions like that! So Roob pipes up and said, "Yeah we should do it by Thursday!" Heh heh. So she told me that sometimes it takes a few days to get a scheduled induction at the hospital, so she went out of the room and called to see if I could get in on Thursday. She came back and said they'd be calling me Wednesday evening to tell me what time to show up on Thursday. I think I just sat there in total shock!

It's funny b/c I have been going crazy not knowing when the baby would come, and now that I know they will be starting me on Thursday, I think it is WORSE knowing the "end," so to speak. I can't win! :) I feel like I have one day left of "freedom," and what should I do with it? (Though I did manage to score a haircut & highlight appt. tomorrow). Roob and I went to get sandwiches after the appt and I totally started crying my head off in the restaurant. I have been feeling a bit of panic creeping up my spine all day. I am so nervous! I hope being induced will go smoothly and is a good decision. Ultimately, I am making it b/c I think I will have a better chance of avoiding a c-section if they get the baby out before he gains another pound! Well, soon, we will all know how it all went down. And I'll have a new little guy to take care of. Oh boy!

Some Final Thoughts...

Well, I'm due this Thursday, which is only 3 or 4 days away (depending upon if you count Thursday or not). Tomorrow morning I have to call the Women's Clinic and beg to be squeezed in to see my midwife during the day. I usually have my appts on Monday, but last week when I tried to schedule one they told me she was booked. HUH? Lame-ola. So, my official appt is scheduled for Wednesday. Anyways, I have still felt basically the same. I have had some kind of cramping (every once in a blue moon) in my stomach, but who knows if those are contractions or not? A friend of mine said that she thinks they are. But they are completely inconsistent. I am wondering if I have even progressed at all since my appt a week ago.

I have a feeling they may want to induce me if I don't have the baby on my own by Thursday. My first instinct is "ok let's do it!" but then I wonder if that is a bad idea if my body isn't "ready" on its own. I have heard both opinions for and against induction. Some say it makes things go quickly, others say the opposite--that labor could be dragged out for twice as long and the baby could get stressed. So I guess for now I'll just see what the midwife says and go from there. The only thing I am worried about is the baby getting too big and making delivery a bit difficult. Last Tuesday he weighed in at 8 lbs, 7 oz. That should put him over 9 lbs by his due date.

We still don't have a solid name. Not even close. That is crazy! I'm hoping when we see his face a light goes off and it just comes to me. But knowing how I am with decisions, especially big ones--I'm in trouble!

The other crazy thing is that I feel like this is all a joke and that I'm never going to really have a baby, much less feel like this child is actually MY CHILD. It's so surreal and strange! I hardly feel pregnant! (except for leaning over and turning over in bed) Heh heh. I'm sure as impatient as I am now for him to come and get all this labor business over with, as soon as he gets here I'll probably be like, "put him back! put him back!" Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Maternity Pics Preview

Alrighty then! Here are a couple of the photos my friend (Wendy) sent to me this morning for a little "sneak preview." I think they look super cool! She hooked up some cool lighting or something in Photoshop, b/c I am still in amazement that that is actually a picture of ME! I think they are cool, and I am so glad I did it now. I never even would have thought to take pics of myself like this if it weren't for Miss Wendy! She does a good job. I will post more when I get some from her.

Baby & Mom Stats 10.16.07

Well, I'll be 39 weeks complete this Thursday and I had one of my last doctor's appointments today. My midwife is out of town, so I saw a different one today. She was younger, and a tad bit of a "granola" chick (you know the ones that don't tweeze their eyebrows or wear any makeup), and really energetic and funny. She said I'm exactly the same dilation and effacement as the previous week (shocking, not!). So that is a bit lame, but at least this week I didn't have my hopes up. The baby is approximately 8 lbs and 7 ounces right now. He'll be at least another half pound bigger if I make it until next Thursday. We tried to get a good picture of his face on the ultrasound, but that, as always, is a challenge! Sorry. Looks like he is making us wait until he is born to really see what he is going to look like! Stinker! The funny thing is that I actually LOST a couple pounds this week! What the?? I think it is b/c last week I had on heavier clothing...but I'm not complaining!

A good friend of mine came over tonight and took a bunch of pictures of me. She loves photography and it was so sweet of her to spend that time and take pics so that I can remember what I looked like pregnant. The only cruddy thing was that it was late in the evening, so we didn't have any daylight to work with. But she is going to work her magic and then let me see the pictures. I will have to post a couple on here when they are all done.

My sprained foot is still bothering me, but it has improved a ton since I first injured it. Thank goodness. I can walk around (with a limp), but by the end of the day my foot is nice and sore. I'm just glad it is getting better and not worse.

So I realized today about 100 more things I need to get done in this last week before the baby comes. The list is never-ending. Ugh. It really can be quite overwhelming. I also want to squeeze in a haircut b/c I know once the baby comes it will be FOREVER until that happens again. Heh heh.

10 days until I'm DUE!

Ok, I really think I look like I'm on some serious drugs in this picture (you'll have to click on the pic to really appreciate what I'm saying), but I am the one who made Roob take them during one of the final baseball games (bad idea)...and so when I begged for a re-take I lost that argument. Heh heh. So this will have to do for now so you can see what I look like. Do you think my stomach looks big? Or just right?
Here's one from the side, but the face was even WORSE than the first pic, so I had to crop it out! Lately I get these little electric jolts really low in my stomach, like the baby's head is pounding on my cervix. I'm pretty sure that is what it is, actually. It hurts! But only for a second!
This is a picture of my changing table with the newly purchased changing table pad (very important for baby's comfort) and changing pad cover. I love the fuzzy dots on it.
Roob's newest project! He put in shelves!!! It is genius b/c really this area of the room was just wasted space. I think we will also put in a clothes hanging rod underneath the top two shelves so I can hang baby clothes there if I want to. Shelves will also be good for storage, toys, pictures, TV... you name it!
We put our baby stroller together and we needed a test subject. Who better than our little Goosie Bug? She was so funny! She totally let us push her around the house in it. I thought it was so cute, so I had to take a pic so I wouldn't forget.

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Yes, it is true. I was carrying too much stuff out of the car last night and I dropped something. I went to pick it up off the driveway and my laptop bag threw me off balance and I went flying. Somehow managed to sprain my foot in the process! OUCH. So I'm laying out on the driveway when Roob comes out the back door b/c he heard me yelling. I am sure I scared him half to death! We iced down my foot and I went to bed. This morning when I got up, I could not put ANY weight on it at all. It was terrible! I had to crawl around in the house and scoot myself down the stairs on my bum! So pathetic! Went to doctor to get it checked out. She couldn't xray my foot b/c I am pregnant, so she felt it and did what docs do, and she felt pretty confident that I just hyper extended all the tendons on top of my left foot. So she had me try on a plastic "sock boot" which enabled me to put some weight on my foot, so I could at least WALK on it somewhat--even if it were very slowly. I was just thrilled that I didn't need crutches! Can you imagine a big pregnant woman on crutches? Not funny! Anyways, the sock boot pretty much reminds me of a snowboarding or skiing boot. It's huge, but it is my new friend! Without it, I can barely walk at all! I guess the pain could remain for a few weeks, depending on my body. So right now I'm wearing a pressure wrap on it to help keep the swelling down...yet the top half of my foot and my toes look like sausages. Ugh.

Baby Stats 10.08.07

Sigh. Well, I tried not to get my hopes up...but I did anyways. Found out this evening that I haven't progressed at all since last week. The only major change was that I gained another 4 pounds in one week! WHAT? That is not the kind of news I wanted to hear. Plus, she measured the baby's head on the ultrasound and it is measuring BIG, as usual. His tummy and legs are measuring normal, but I guess we've got the Macy's Day Parade Balloon head growing in there. She was talking to me and telling me some other stuff, and I couldn't even focus on what she was saying b/c I was trying so hard not to cry. She walked out the room and down came the tears. My next appointment will be with a different midwife b/c mine will be out of town for that medical conference. The earliest the hospital will allow me to be induced is at 39 weeks (Oct 18th), but even then I have to be so far progressed with my cervix and stuff. My midwife comes back on Oct 21st...so only time will tell where I'm at and what will happen. That's only a few days before my actual due date anyways. So it's not like inducing me helps that much. I am just worried he is going to be gigantic head child or something. But I am trying to not allow myself to worry about things I have no control over b/c there is nothing I can do about it but let it happen.

Nursing Bras & Nesting

Well, I went out in a panic and bought 4 different types of nursing bras. Only one of them doesn't have underwire in it. So far, I don't really like any of them. They each are uncomfy in their own way. On most of them the underwire really digs in and rubs underneath my arms (ouch!). I think I will have to continue the search for a great one. My problem is probably that none of the bras cost more than $19, so that could be it! They are too cheap! LOL. One is from JCPenny's and the rest are from Motherhood. I guess they'll have to do until I figure out where to shop for a great one. Any ideas?

Today I stayed home from work (I finally had the chance to) and the nesting has begun. The problem is, I get so tired so quickly. So that's why I'm taking a break online so my back can rest. I am finishing up washing most of my 0-3 month clothing (the bigger sizes are just going in the drawer until I need them). I also finished up some cleaning in the baby room (like wiping out the drawers, etc.) and throwing away tags, organizing diapers, wipes, bibs, rattles, etc. etc. There is so much baby stuff everywhere! The crib is set and ready to go, the bassinet is set up next to my bed w/ clean sheets, the play pen is set up in the living room, and the carseat is in the car. Now all I need is the baby! :) Oh yeah, and to clean the rest of my entire house (overwhelming alert!). I started by washing the bathtub/shower and putting up a new curtain liner. I still need to do the dishes, put away a ton of laundry, declutter everything, find places to put "stuff," and finish packing my hospital bag so I can actually put it in the car where it needs to stay. It's sort of almost done...just need some clothes for Roob and I and a few more things. But at least I started it, right?

Freaking OUT Mode

Ok, I just got some bummer news from my midwife. She is going on a medical conference in Maui from Oct 13-21. WHAT??? That is like prime time for me to have this baby. I am so bummed out. After building this rapport with her, it is very likely that some complete stranger will deliver the baby. That is some added worry that I did NOT need to my day. On a better note, she checked my cervix for the first time today and it is 70% effaced (or thinned out), and 2 cm dilated. AWESOME. I guess the baby's head is right there and since he is headed for "bigness" (currently about 7.5 lbs and I still have 3.5 wks to go until due date), it is "likely" that I could go into labor early, or at any time. Now I am PRAYING that I will go into labor before Oct 13 so that Kathy can deliver the baby and not some crazy stranger. Like I need more hospital unfamiliarity or stress. NO ThANKS. UGH. I can't believe they are sending her to Maui for 9 days! I want to scream! So I had to vent on here since NO ONE that I know is answering their phones, so I haven't been able to talk about it to anyone yet!! And anyone who knows me, knows I need to talk about it! So we got outside after the appt and I wanted to cry my eyeballs out. And this, after waiting an average of at least 1.5 hours EACH TIME to see her at all my appointments. Unbelievable. The other cruddy thing is that even if she wanted to induce me before she left, I don't think the hospital I'm having the baby at would let her due to hospital policy of having to be at least 39 weeks to do that. ARe you kidding? Okay, big breath, everything will be ok and I am not going to die of this. Calm. Calm. Calm.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had the most fantastic, moist, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that I have ever tasted yesterday, and they are phenomenally EASY to make. Here's the recipe:

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin (it's about 15 oz.)
1 bag Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips (i really think this brand tastes the BEST)

Mix pumpkin & cake mix together. At first it will seem a little dry and hard to mix, but just let it sit on the counter for a minute then try mixing it again. Scoop into 2" balls on a greased cookie sheet (I cook mine on a pampered chef stone) and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. It is kind of hard to tell when they are done. That is the tricky part. The cookies are best once they have completely cooled and the chocolate chips inside have re-hardened. You will LOVE them!

My Nephew has Arrived

This is my brother Nathan's baby! He was born on Sept 26, 2007 at 6:45pm and weighed in at 8 lbs, 14 oz. I believe he is 20.5" long, too. He is such a cutie! Good job mommy Meredith! You grew a cute one! Can't wait to meet him! Oh and they named him Hibbin Matthew. (Matthew is Nathan's middle name). There's a pic of Nathan, the new dad, and also a pic of the brand new 1st time grandma, Jenith!

Newest Baby Stats

I don't have any pics to post today, because even though we were on the 4D ultrasound machine, the baby is so low (head down) that we couldn't get any good pics of his face! He always is hiding it. On another note, my "fears" are coming true...I'm about 35.5 weeks complete and the baby is weighing in (according to measurements) at a whopping 7 lbs, 3 oz. And I have at least 4 weeks to go! GAH. I am hoping that he is just really, really tall! I guess I can expect him to gain at least half a pound every week (at the least), which would put him around 9 lbs EASILY if I have him at 40 weeks along. DANG. 9 pounds is my limit, man! Otherwise, everything else seems to be fine. I have been feeling pretty good, too. Turning around in bed at night is a chore, I get full really quickly (but my appetite has increased substantially these last 2 weeks), and sometimes I can't breathe...but that's the worst of it. I really can't complain! However, I did forget to take my prescription heartburn medicine for 2 days in a row, and I got the WORST heartburn after a mexican lunch the other day--it was so bad, I almost threw up a few times! I will NEVER forget to take that little miracle pill EVER again. Lesson learned. Oh, and on a side note, my mom got the BYU job with the faculty department--so that is also really really great news!!! Congrats, mom!

Some Baby Decorations

Ok here are my lovely finds from Tai Pan. (love that store). I am not sure where I am going to put it just yet, but the big cream stars will go on the wall someplace...maybe the small ones, too. I think the rusted star with the coil under it will stay where it is...and I love the wooden blocks that spell "DREAM." I will find a good place for those, too. Much more to come!

The Baby Furniture is Put Together!

Well, this is SUPPOSED to be just the preliminary video shot of where we are on the baby room so far. I think the blogger website is down or something b/c it is taking forever to upload the video. I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry. (ok update, forget the stinkin' video, here are some pics.)

We spent most of the afternoon putting together the crib (not too bad), the changing table (horrible beast), and the toy chest (relatively easy). I also brought in the bookshelf I got from a garage sale (and painted), a 3 drawer dresser & nightstand given to me by a friend (painted that too), and a couple of floor rugs. It's late at night, so everything in the room in the video looks "yellowish" instead of the actual colors...but you'll at least get the idea.

We totally scored on our video camera. It's a long story, but Sears had it on closeout b/c someone stole the battery off of the floor model. So they knocked down the price from $600 to $240, just because of that! WHAT?? We were all over it. We only had to buy a $60 battery to replace the stolen one. I am trying to figure out what good thing I have done in the world to deserve such a sweet deal on my camcorder. We've been looking at them for months, and this one is newer Sony Model that stores all the files on a hard drive (doesn't need tapes or dvd discs). Love it! Though I am still trying to figure out some of the features it has. But it will be great to video the baby with and put them online for y'all to see.

Frenz & Family Shower

I am so stinkin' tired, but I promised my dad I'd get a few new pics posted on the blog! Mom took these, and she has a much bigger megapixel camera than I do, so I had to resize all the pictures before I put them on, which took a while, so that is why there are only a few pictures :)

The cute dog blanket is from my mother in law, there's a picture of my favorite sherpa fleece baby hat from my mom, the funny picture of me holding a ginormous amount of clothing from Meredith (I should've held it the other way b/c you can't tell how big the pile actually is), the newest pic of my stomach size, and the lovely table spread of food at Ralene's house.

The shower was supposed to be a surprise, but after a huge conflict with an open house I was planning to do (at the same time of the shower), Roob finally had to let on a bit that "something" was going on so I'd cancel the open house. I feel bad that the surprise was mostly ruined, but the shower was so much fun and I had a great time. My mom and great friend Kiki planned the whole thing, and my mom's friend Raelene REALLY OUTDID herself on the food. It was amazing! I was so full, I didn't eat for HOURS after that. I got some great gifts and things I really needed, such as a baby swing, 0-3 month clothing, a pack of bottles, a boppy pillow, my CRIB from my dad (thanks dad!!!), a toy chest (thanks mom!!!), and a bunch of other things that I can't think of right now. Now I am excited to lay out everything I have, wash it all, and determine what I still need to buy. That will be a nice project for me to do this week.

Century 21 Baby Shower

Well even though there were only 7 people there, I got such sweet presents. Lots of darling outfits, a sound monitor, garbage pail, diapers, etc etc. Diane & Kanion planned it for me (thanks y'all), and it was perfect. I had such a good time! I even wore my poofy white dress. I wish I had a picture of me standing up in it b/c I look gigantic in it (but it's a cute dress, at least!). I really need to take more pics of myself before I have this baby.

New Rug

Alrighty. We got this rug on clearance at Target yesterday for about $55. (trust me, that is dirt cheap compared to the prices I've been seeing). It's 5' x 8' long. Currently it looks GREAT in the room, but I haven't put any furniture or the baby bedding in there. That is what I am worried about. I hope the baby bedding will work with the rug, or the rug will have to go. It might be better to go with a solid color rug, but those are HARD to find (weird, huh?). So anyways, what do y'all think? I reposted the baby bedding fabric above so you would remember what I'm dealing with. I wish I were more of a interior designer!

Prenatal Class

So tonight was our 2nd prenatal class at the hospital. I knew they were going to make us watch birthing videos...but instead of freaking me out, they were quite entertaining! Ha! They were from the 70s, I swear, and had the craziest hairdo's and people in them! A couple of times Roob and I were laughing so hard (well we were trying to be quiet, which made it worse). For example, one of the men was singing "she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" to his wife WHILE she was in the middle of a contraction! WHAT THE??? It was hysterical. I would have punched the poor guy in the face. And they would say the funniest stuff to each other or make the strangest faces...anyways, I finally gained my composure back, but I couldn't look at Roob anymore or I'd start giggling again.

But, the coolest part was that we got to tour the labor & delivery unit at the hospital. The rooms were really nice! They didn't seem very "hospital-ish" to me at all! They have nice wood floors, and wooden cabinets that hide all the medical equipment (good idea). It had much more of a "home" feel to it than a doctor's office. I liked it! And you get to labor, deliver, and recover (for an hour) in the same room. They even do the immediate tests & clean up on the baby in your room right next to you! After the 1st hour, they move you to the postpartum section where you get a room with a private bath for the mom, and a separate handwashing sink for visitors (nice touch!). Overall I think the tour really surprised me, and I felt a lot less anxious about being admitted to the hospital. Yay! Success!

Church Baby Shower

(above) The two lovely friends who threw my shower...Krista is in the black shirt, and Erinn is in the white shirt. I can't thank them enough!!! PS. IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF THESE PICS, YOU CAN SEE THE FULL SIZE AND IT LOOKS MUCH MUCH BETTER.
(above) Ok I have the funniest face, but this little red wagon is so adorable...someone gave me the idea to put the baby in it and take his picture. If he will fit, I will definitely do it!
(above) Here's the table spread...the theme was yellow & blue with rubber duckies. They had taco salad, lemon cookies (yellow), and yummy blue frosted cupcakes. They also had yellow and blue M&Ms. YUM. We had just enough food, too. Everything was wiped out!
(below) Here I am featuring a couple of cute cream & brown outfits with little stars on them. Aww...
A very sweet fluffy, white blanket that I will totally use for the baby blessing...perfect!
One of my favorite quilts...it's a vintage Dick & Jane flannel print, with a soft velvet-ish green polka dot backing, and the entire quilt has a stitched, swirly pattern all over it. There was even a matching green teddy bear that they made to go with it. Too cute!
My belly looks HUGE in this shot, so I thought I'd put it in here so y'all can see how big it is! I'm holding another super soft light blue blanket, with a complete satin back on it. So silky! Overall it was so fun, and I was thrilled to have quite a bit more people than I expected show up. My camera died after the first few pictures, so I don't have photos of every gift. I mostly got clothes (6-9 mos. sized or bigger), and a pack of size 1 Huggies, a couple more blankets, a farm animal book, a couple rattles, and the cutest ever tiny red wagon! (see an earlier picture for wagon)