Tick Tock

So, I'm having the longest labor anticipation ever. I started having contractions Wednesday night right after I posted my last entry. It has been a waxing and waning experience ever since. The pattern goes: contractions for most of the night about 10 minutes apart and 20-50 seconds long, contractions subside in the morning. However, today is a little different. The contractions were a little stronger last night and they have stayed all day today. I have had periods of rest today with no contractions and it seems that now they are getting a bit stronger. We'll see! I keep getting excited/scared out of my mind and then they subside. At least I've had some time to mentally prepare a little bit (as much as I possibly can for something I know nothing about!). I'm thinking we will be making the trip to Piedmont in the middle of the night or early morning and he will be born sometime tomorrow. But, who knows, because this baby is on his own time...

I thought I should finish his room since I'm in labor. :) Here's some photos of his little cozy spot:








I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out! I can't believe I waited until today to finally finish everything. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I credit that behavior to my Siders genes. Always late...

Joy crocheted the green blanket in the last photo. It is adorable and such a sweet thing to have for him. I can't wait to wrap his little naked but in it. Thanks Auntie Joy! We love you!

Well, I hope I'll be posting pics of our little bebe next time I'm on here. Wish us luck!

Waiting

Yesterday I went to my 39 week checkup. For those of you who don't want the gory details of a pelvic exam- stop reading now. :)

I think this was the only time I'll ever be excited about getting an exam from the OB-GYN! I have been very curious for the last few weeks to see if there is any progress toward delivering this baby, so I was actually kinda looking forward to it. Much to my dismay I am not dilated at all. Not even one measly centimeter. Ugh. The appointment overall turned out to be a little emotional and scary. My doctor sent me to have an ultrasound after measuring my belly and finding that I measured small. Which could have either meant he was not very big or he didn't have much amniotic fluid left. I immediately freaked out, of course. I was excited to be having the ultrasound so that I could get a little peek at my babe but I ended up barely being able to look at the screen because I was on the verge of passing out. That's what happens to me when I panic. I sweat, my mind races, I can't get a grip and I pass out. I couldn't think why on earth, the baby of two tall, not small people would be small. I was really scared for him- for us. But, everything ended up being fine. In fact, my doctor was completely off. Our little baby is actually quite a BIG baby. He already weighs 8 pounds!!! And showing no sign of moving out until at least his due date or possibly later. Also, he has plenty of amniotic fluid. I was really relieved to hear the good news but it took me half the morning to mentally recuperate. As I sat there waiting to hear the results of the ultrasound, I wondered how many times in his life I'd be worried out of my mind for his safety. I thought about how I really needed to be a strong Mom for him and handle it. I thought about how much I love him and desperately wanted him to be ok. I am so thankful he is. This Mom thing is gonna be tough.

So, I feel like the last couple of weeks has been loooong! I really don't want to rush him getting here but I am feeling really anxious. I am curious when I will go into labor, what it will feel like and how I will handle it. I am a little scared. I am also excited about meeting him.

3rd Birthday for Eva Diva

We celebrated Eva's upcoming 3rd birthday with a pool party yesterday. I was really hoping I wouldn't go into labor before her big day--I made it! Eva has been excited about her birthday for, oh I don't know, 6 months or so. She takes after her Aunt Jennifer in that respect. Birthdays are fun!
Seth and Emily gave her a really cool pool party, complete with crazy green Dora/Care Bears (special Eva request) cupcakes and candy-filled Dora piñata. I think the party lived up to the 6-month hype. Here's a few pics of the birthday girl.


We aren't quite sure what happened, but the pool had drained itself to about a 2 foot depth on the morning of the party. Worked out perfectly for the kids. A giant size kiddie pool!

I just got a few pictures sent to me from the last baby shower. Here's a shot of me and Mom:


That's all for now...

Cupcakes are Grrreat!

I didn't even eat one but I know they were good. Today was Bryan's boss' bday so I made him some fun cupcakes. I've been kinda obsessed with making cupcakes for the last couple of months. I really like decorating them- it's so much fun. Here's some of them:


I am going to try to post a little more often here at the end of my pregnancy. I only have 3 weeks left until my due date and I am getting a little anxious. In a good way, though. Bryan and I both are just really excited to meet him. I keep having these BIZARRE dreams about giving birth to him in various ways. Last night, I dreamed I was both the physician and the patient- two different bodies. My doctor self gave my pregnant self a c-section and when the baby came out he was really tiny and fetus-like. After I wiped him off, he turned into a normal looking baby. See, that's why I had to put bizarre in all caps.

There's still a lot of stuff I need to get done before the babe arrives. I keep putting off getting my car serviced and cleaned. And that means I keep putting off installing the car seat. This makes me nervous. I should just go get it done! Then I would feel better. For some reason, I feel that the baby cannot possibly be driven home in a dirty car. I realize this is somewhat ridiculous but nonetheless, I must have the car completely cleaned professionally. Otherwise, I did decide that it was time to pack the hospital bag last night. I'm mostly packed but I will have to wait til the last minute to throw in a few things. Don't worry- I've made a LIST! Some other things I'd like to do: get a few last things for the baby's room, make a few frozen dinners for post-baby, get the upstairs bedroom finished so we can move up there, put together the bouncy seat and his bassinet, put a few last photos and words in my pregnancy journal, finish prepping a first-year scrapbook for Cooper, get pregnancy photos taken by my friend Kelly. You know, just a few minor things...

Well, I'm kinda sleepy so I can't think to write anything coherent or interesting! I'll post some photos and an update on the baby's room and the upstairs in the next couple of days. We are getting close!

Here's a photo of me at 37 weeks:


And, happy Momma's Day to all my Momma's out there: Mom, Linda, Kelly, Sara, Beki, Jessica, Emily, Melissa...Love y'all and thanks for walking me through this motherhood thing.

36 Weeks and Some Fun Photos

Just thought I'd post a recent belly picture. It getting LARGE and I am getting rather uncomfortable. It is especially bad when I eat more food than I have room for- which is pretty much every meal. When will I learn?

Here's a silly picture of me and Bryan this past weekend:

And some decorations I was working on for the babe's room. I decided to nix the dots. I thought they were cute but not quite right for the room. He's too sophisticated for dots. :)

The family has been working overtime on the upstairs. It's coming along great and we are really getting excited seeing it all come together. We've imagined it so many times and it is just awesome to be getting so close to finished! I think we will be ready to paint this weekend and have carpet installed in the bedroom by the following weekend. Can't believe it! Here's Bryan working on the cabinet where all of our media components will be stored.

Here's Mom and Babette playing in the construction dust!

Have a great week!

I've been Tagged

Tagged by Sara
maybe i should...pack my bag for the hospital
people would say that...i’m compassionate
i don’t understand why...people are cruel to animals
when i wake up in the morning I always...roll over to see if Bryan is awake and then bring the dog close to snuggle
i lost my willpower to...continue to exercise while pregnant
life is...an adventure meant to be taken one day at a time
my past is...what brings me to the present
i get annoyed when...I'm tired and can't deal with anything
parties are...something I love and look forward to
dogs...are such good companions and soul soothers
cats ...are finicky
tomorrow ...is an opportunity to live another day and experience something new
i have low tolerance for ...people who are dishonest
i’m totally terrified of ...loved ones passing away
i wonder why... my TO DO list never gets any shorter
never in my life did i ...think I'd be this happy at 30 :)
high school ...was fun but I'd never want to go back!
when i’m nervous...I get sick to my stomach and get cold sweats. If it involves hospitals or doctors I just might pass out.
one time I ... ate an oyster and thought it was disgusting
take my advice: enjoy your life; it is the only chance you get
making my bed...only happens when we have company! Shhh, don't tell anyone.
i'm almost always thinking about...our baby
i’m addicted to...strawberries
i want someone to...be my personal trainer and get me back into shape after I have this baby!

I kinda like these things because it makes you sit and consider your thoughts for a minute. Hope you enjoyed! If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged! If you wanna play along copy and paste into your blog. Have fun...