In case you've missed it, here are some of the many pictures we've put out there for the world to see.
I'll add some more which Jessica posted when she wakes up.
Here's a video of Peter with the hiccups. I thought maybe he could go viral, but it turns out there are a bunch of baby hiccup videos out there, so probably not.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My Birth Story
Birth story
Labor and Delivery: Play by Play - Read the warning first!
Warning: For posterity and for other moms to be, I'm recording my labor and delivery experience... all of it! If you're squeamish or you just don't want to know, then don't read this.
If you read the last post I made before Peter came, I had a prenatal check up on August 17 my official due date. The doctor had told us to come in at 7am on Wednesday August 18 to have labor induced. I was only one day overdue but my blood pressure was up so they decided to go ahead and induce. Paul and I went back to Tallassee and got the house ready. Everything clean, sheets changed, dishes washed, clutter picked up, bags packed, car loaded and cat fed. We laid down around 11 and Paul dozed but I never really fell asleep. First I was just a little uncomfortable, then I was really uncomfortable, then I was in some pain, then I was in a lot of pain. I got up and walked around a little but it didn't really feel like contractions, at least not like my braxton hicks ones and they didn't seem regular but the pain was so bad I decided to call the doctor at three anyway. He said to go ahead and come in since we were already planning on it. In the time that it took us to get up, get ready, and walk out the door my contractions got regular, about two minutes apart, and intense. We headed for the hospital at 3:43am and made the 45 minute drive in about 25 minutes. At least, Paul says we got there that fast. Hunched over in the passenger seat, I think they moved Opelika like three hours away! Once we got there they took me back (alone) and got me settled into my room and bed. I got an IV and some staydol (I think that's how you spell it. It's a pain med that makes you a little drowsy. And I was more than ready to get some pain help at that point.) and answered about a gazillion questions. When did I last eat? Was I taking any medicines? Was my relationship with the baby's father abusive? No lie, they ask that. I told the nurse I had a poptart on my way to the hospital and assured her that I have a very loving husband. Then she decided to check me about which I was glad about because I just KNEW I was going to be pretty far along. I had been two cm the day before at the doctors office and had now been having pretty intense contractions for a couple of hours. So she checks and.... two cm! I couldn't believe it. They went ahead and started me on the smallest dose of pitocin and then the waiting began.
I already called my mom when we left for the hospital and she and my sister arrived just a little bit after we did. Paul's mom and sister also came that morning. My contractions were still pretty regular and still pretty intense but tolerable. Plus EAMC lets you have Jello and Sprite! And I am a firm believer that everything is more tolerable if there's food. Believe it or not, the hunger that had been one of the things I was most scared about. By 8 or 9 the doctor on call (not my regular ob) came in to check me again. I had progressed to about 4 cm We talked about whether or not I would be getting an epidural because she wanted to break my water but would rather I get the epidural first. I was still wavering about whether I wanted one because I just wanted to wait and see how bad it would get. Now, I have NO problem with drugs but an epidural (as all procedures) does have some pretty substantial risks so I didn't want one if I didn't NEED it. I told her I wanted to keep waiting and she decided to go ahead and put a foley bulb in to help me progress more. As I understand it, they put this thing up past your uterus, inflate it, then as your contractions push it out it encourages your cervix to dialate more. I had never heard of it before but I liked the idea of it and if any of you ladies are anti-pitocin, this is probably a good way to go. I was already on a low drip of pitocin that seemed to be working great, but the doctor just wanted to help it along a little. So she puts it in (not terribly comfortable, but not horrible) and then she tells me it will probably make my contractions worse... WHAM!... I think I'll be having that epidural now. So they call the anestiesiologist and start giving me fluids. It will take about an hour and everybody but one person must leave the room when they come. Now up until this point Paul has been in the room (with his daddy pass) and my mom/sister have been rotating in and out with Paul's mom/sister (sharing the two visitor passes). A short discussion later, my mom stayed and Paul went to the waiting room with everyone else. The epidural.. ugh...great once I had it... not fun to get. You sit on the edge of your bed and hunch over the person that is waiting with you so that your back is rounded and then for several minutes you hold VERY still. Now keep in mind, you are in LABOR the whole time! It really didn't hurt that bad because they give you a bunch of little shots to numb the area that they put the big needle in. Then they put the big needle in the middle of your back and I was totally unable to hold still. I was freaking out and I'm not really sure why. God bless that doctor, he did so good, but I was crying and shaking and the more I tried to hold still the more I shook. They did finally get it in and I didn't really feel it going in at all. They warn you that you might hear "a crunching sound" which I did not hear (thank goodness!) cause that would have freaked me out even more. Then they put a lot of tape around it and let you lay back down and wait for the meds to kick in. I've heard people say before that their epidural didn't work or didn't work very well... mine worked great! After about an hour I was completely numb from the top of my stomach down. I couldn't even move my legs so any time they checked me they had to move my legs for me. In my opinion... epidural=good idea!
After the epidural had taken effect they put a catheder in (weird!) and broke my water (also weird!). I think the foley bulb had already come out at that point but my water did have like a brown green tinge to it which meant Peter had already had a poopy. When that happens they want to be careful to make sure that the baby doesn't breathe any of the poop in as it's being born. It's called "meconium aspiration" and it's bad. Throughout the end of my pregnancy I kept waiting for Peter to "drop" and start to engage into the birth canal and the little stinker never would! So when they broke my water the nurse had to practically lay on my tummy to press Peter down into my hips. So by now it's 11 am, I am 5 cm, have been in labor for about 10 hrs and am now very comfortable. I had some more jello and sprite and I even took a little nap. I think Paul had one too! At about 3 the doctor came and checked me again and the time had come for pushing! They said I could only keep two people in the room and Samantha couldn't get out fast enough...I think she thought the baby might pop out and into her arms!
They warned me that first time moms sometimes push for about two hours and I thought "NO WAY". So push, push, push we did. Now, if you've never tried to push a baby out with the bottom half of your body paralyzed let me give you an idea of what it's like.... Nurse: "Okay Jessica, you have another contraction coming so we're gonna get ready to push" Me: "I do?" Nurse: "Yes, you do. Okay grandma and dad, let's hold her legs up and don't squeeze too tight because you will bruise her and not realize it. Okay... and push... push... push" Me: "Am I pushing?" It's really hard to tell if you're getting anywhere if you can't feel anything. So we did that for about an hour, pushing three or four times every couple of minutes and I was absolutely exhausted. I hadn't really slept in days and I had been fat pregnant for what seemed like years so it didn't take much to get me tired and this was HARD work. Thank goodness for the epidural because I don't think I could have coped with the exhaustion and the pain. At that point they let me lay back and rest for about 30 minutes and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep. In fact, I was so tired I was falling asleep in between pushs. After my rest the doctor came in to check on me (this is about 4:15pm). Peter had moved down a lot but was facing the wrong direction. Apparently babies should have their face toward mom's back on their way out and Peter was facing my belly. So the doctor turned him (which as you'll recall they turned him lengthwise about three weeks before). After that the doctor could tell that the pushes were much more effective and we were getting close. This whole time I still had one huge question in my mind... "will he fit?" I did NOT want to have to have gone through all this labor just to be wheeled away for a C-section at the last minute. I also knew in my heart that Peter was going to be a very big baby and the doctor had also metioned that this might have been the reason he was breech because my body just knew he wouldn't fit. So the whole time I am thinking.. "is he going to fit?" "can I still do this vaginally?" Well at about 4:30 the answer was a resounding "YES" we were about to have a baby! So I keep pushing and they start prepping the room and calling my doctor (who had said that he would stop by when he got out of the office at 5). At about 5:10 they tell me to stop pushing because the baby is almost out and the doctor is on his way. I insisted that the fabulous nurse who had been with me the whole time could just deliver him but she convinced me to wait a little longer. So Dr. Golden came in and out came Peter at 5:21pm! My epideral was still working great and because I was so excited I didn't even feel him come out. They set him on my tummy all gross and crying and at that moment... I was in love. I started crying and we took lots and lots of pictures! The nurse checked him out and cleaned him up and the doctor started the long process of stitching my back up (Peter's lovely shaped head was paid for dearly). They had to cut me and I tore a little too (a 3.5 I think)! I texted my dad (who was in New York) a picture of him and pretty soon the nurse asked if I wanted my family to come back. No sooner had she made the call than we could here Samantha (now Aunt Mantny) tearing down the hallway. The next day and a half were a little blur. I remember asking for chick-fil-a about an hour after he was born (I was starving). Seeing a number of nurses and doctors. Struggling to breastfeed. And sleeping on my tummy again... how wonderful! I'm sure I have left out some very important things, but that's all I got for now.
Update 6 months later... We are officially done paying hospital bills!
Labor and Delivery: Play by Play - Read the warning first!
Warning: For posterity and for other moms to be, I'm recording my labor and delivery experience... all of it! If you're squeamish or you just don't want to know, then don't read this.
If you read the last post I made before Peter came, I had a prenatal check up on August 17 my official due date. The doctor had told us to come in at 7am on Wednesday August 18 to have labor induced. I was only one day overdue but my blood pressure was up so they decided to go ahead and induce. Paul and I went back to Tallassee and got the house ready. Everything clean, sheets changed, dishes washed, clutter picked up, bags packed, car loaded and cat fed. We laid down around 11 and Paul dozed but I never really fell asleep. First I was just a little uncomfortable, then I was really uncomfortable, then I was in some pain, then I was in a lot of pain. I got up and walked around a little but it didn't really feel like contractions, at least not like my braxton hicks ones and they didn't seem regular but the pain was so bad I decided to call the doctor at three anyway. He said to go ahead and come in since we were already planning on it. In the time that it took us to get up, get ready, and walk out the door my contractions got regular, about two minutes apart, and intense. We headed for the hospital at 3:43am and made the 45 minute drive in about 25 minutes. At least, Paul says we got there that fast. Hunched over in the passenger seat, I think they moved Opelika like three hours away! Once we got there they took me back (alone) and got me settled into my room and bed. I got an IV and some staydol (I think that's how you spell it. It's a pain med that makes you a little drowsy. And I was more than ready to get some pain help at that point.) and answered about a gazillion questions. When did I last eat? Was I taking any medicines? Was my relationship with the baby's father abusive? No lie, they ask that. I told the nurse I had a poptart on my way to the hospital and assured her that I have a very loving husband. Then she decided to check me about which I was glad about because I just KNEW I was going to be pretty far along. I had been two cm the day before at the doctors office and had now been having pretty intense contractions for a couple of hours. So she checks and.... two cm! I couldn't believe it. They went ahead and started me on the smallest dose of pitocin and then the waiting began.
I already called my mom when we left for the hospital and she and my sister arrived just a little bit after we did. Paul's mom and sister also came that morning. My contractions were still pretty regular and still pretty intense but tolerable. Plus EAMC lets you have Jello and Sprite! And I am a firm believer that everything is more tolerable if there's food. Believe it or not, the hunger that had been one of the things I was most scared about. By 8 or 9 the doctor on call (not my regular ob) came in to check me again. I had progressed to about 4 cm We talked about whether or not I would be getting an epidural because she wanted to break my water but would rather I get the epidural first. I was still wavering about whether I wanted one because I just wanted to wait and see how bad it would get. Now, I have NO problem with drugs but an epidural (as all procedures) does have some pretty substantial risks so I didn't want one if I didn't NEED it. I told her I wanted to keep waiting and she decided to go ahead and put a foley bulb in to help me progress more. As I understand it, they put this thing up past your uterus, inflate it, then as your contractions push it out it encourages your cervix to dialate more. I had never heard of it before but I liked the idea of it and if any of you ladies are anti-pitocin, this is probably a good way to go. I was already on a low drip of pitocin that seemed to be working great, but the doctor just wanted to help it along a little. So she puts it in (not terribly comfortable, but not horrible) and then she tells me it will probably make my contractions worse... WHAM!... I think I'll be having that epidural now. So they call the anestiesiologist and start giving me fluids. It will take about an hour and everybody but one person must leave the room when they come. Now up until this point Paul has been in the room (with his daddy pass) and my mom/sister have been rotating in and out with Paul's mom/sister (sharing the two visitor passes). A short discussion later, my mom stayed and Paul went to the waiting room with everyone else. The epidural.. ugh...great once I had it... not fun to get. You sit on the edge of your bed and hunch over the person that is waiting with you so that your back is rounded and then for several minutes you hold VERY still. Now keep in mind, you are in LABOR the whole time! It really didn't hurt that bad because they give you a bunch of little shots to numb the area that they put the big needle in. Then they put the big needle in the middle of your back and I was totally unable to hold still. I was freaking out and I'm not really sure why. God bless that doctor, he did so good, but I was crying and shaking and the more I tried to hold still the more I shook. They did finally get it in and I didn't really feel it going in at all. They warn you that you might hear "a crunching sound" which I did not hear (thank goodness!) cause that would have freaked me out even more. Then they put a lot of tape around it and let you lay back down and wait for the meds to kick in. I've heard people say before that their epidural didn't work or didn't work very well... mine worked great! After about an hour I was completely numb from the top of my stomach down. I couldn't even move my legs so any time they checked me they had to move my legs for me. In my opinion... epidural=good idea!
After the epidural had taken effect they put a catheder in (weird!) and broke my water (also weird!). I think the foley bulb had already come out at that point but my water did have like a brown green tinge to it which meant Peter had already had a poopy. When that happens they want to be careful to make sure that the baby doesn't breathe any of the poop in as it's being born. It's called "meconium aspiration" and it's bad. Throughout the end of my pregnancy I kept waiting for Peter to "drop" and start to engage into the birth canal and the little stinker never would! So when they broke my water the nurse had to practically lay on my tummy to press Peter down into my hips. So by now it's 11 am, I am 5 cm, have been in labor for about 10 hrs and am now very comfortable. I had some more jello and sprite and I even took a little nap. I think Paul had one too! At about 3 the doctor came and checked me again and the time had come for pushing! They said I could only keep two people in the room and Samantha couldn't get out fast enough...I think she thought the baby might pop out and into her arms!
They warned me that first time moms sometimes push for about two hours and I thought "NO WAY". So push, push, push we did. Now, if you've never tried to push a baby out with the bottom half of your body paralyzed let me give you an idea of what it's like.... Nurse: "Okay Jessica, you have another contraction coming so we're gonna get ready to push" Me: "I do?" Nurse: "Yes, you do. Okay grandma and dad, let's hold her legs up and don't squeeze too tight because you will bruise her and not realize it. Okay... and push... push... push" Me: "Am I pushing?" It's really hard to tell if you're getting anywhere if you can't feel anything. So we did that for about an hour, pushing three or four times every couple of minutes and I was absolutely exhausted. I hadn't really slept in days and I had been fat pregnant for what seemed like years so it didn't take much to get me tired and this was HARD work. Thank goodness for the epidural because I don't think I could have coped with the exhaustion and the pain. At that point they let me lay back and rest for about 30 minutes and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep. In fact, I was so tired I was falling asleep in between pushs. After my rest the doctor came in to check on me (this is about 4:15pm). Peter had moved down a lot but was facing the wrong direction. Apparently babies should have their face toward mom's back on their way out and Peter was facing my belly. So the doctor turned him (which as you'll recall they turned him lengthwise about three weeks before). After that the doctor could tell that the pushes were much more effective and we were getting close. This whole time I still had one huge question in my mind... "will he fit?" I did NOT want to have to have gone through all this labor just to be wheeled away for a C-section at the last minute. I also knew in my heart that Peter was going to be a very big baby and the doctor had also metioned that this might have been the reason he was breech because my body just knew he wouldn't fit. So the whole time I am thinking.. "is he going to fit?" "can I still do this vaginally?" Well at about 4:30 the answer was a resounding "YES" we were about to have a baby! So I keep pushing and they start prepping the room and calling my doctor (who had said that he would stop by when he got out of the office at 5). At about 5:10 they tell me to stop pushing because the baby is almost out and the doctor is on his way. I insisted that the fabulous nurse who had been with me the whole time could just deliver him but she convinced me to wait a little longer. So Dr. Golden came in and out came Peter at 5:21pm! My epideral was still working great and because I was so excited I didn't even feel him come out. They set him on my tummy all gross and crying and at that moment... I was in love. I started crying and we took lots and lots of pictures! The nurse checked him out and cleaned him up and the doctor started the long process of stitching my back up (Peter's lovely shaped head was paid for dearly). They had to cut me and I tore a little too (a 3.5 I think)! I texted my dad (who was in New York) a picture of him and pretty soon the nurse asked if I wanted my family to come back. No sooner had she made the call than we could here Samantha (now Aunt Mantny) tearing down the hallway. The next day and a half were a little blur. I remember asking for chick-fil-a about an hour after he was born (I was starving). Seeing a number of nurses and doctors. Struggling to breastfeed. And sleeping on my tummy again... how wonderful! I'm sure I have left out some very important things, but that's all I got for now.
Update 6 months later... We are officially done paying hospital bills!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Daddy Gets to Upload the Videos This Time
Today, we had a doctor's appointment at 1pm. We were psyched up to make a strong defense for Jessica NOT needing to go all the way to 42 weeks before scheduling an induction. Well, we didn't need to.
Then we went over to Building 22 to get Jessica tested. I got to sit in the waiting room long enough to get bored enough to start playing with the video camera again.
(Sorry for not speaking loud enough. I was trying to be discreet; others were not.)
I'm sure you got the rest of the details in Jessica's post.
Then we went over to Building 22 to get Jessica tested. I got to sit in the waiting room long enough to get bored enough to start playing with the video camera again.
(Sorry for not speaking loud enough. I was trying to be discreet; others were not.)
I'm sure you got the rest of the details in Jessica's post.
"You can have one more good night of sleep!"... yeah right!
So at lunch Paul and I discussed our strategy to convince the doctor I needed to go ahead and have this baby.
- I'm already 40 weeks... that's full term
- The baby is clearly big enough... I mean, he weighs 53 pounds
- I've been measuring about a week or two ahead anyway so it's like waiting til 42 to induce
- I'm an emotional and physical wreck.... this point I was going to make by crying
- I've been having natural contractions for weeks and they are getting me no where
These were a few of our ideas.
So at the actual appointment I found out I've gained another three pounds and my blood pressure was pretty high. Definitely higher than it's been my whole pregnancy but I'm pretty sure I was just uber stressed out by the time we got there cause it's my due date and I did NOT want to just get sent home again. Upon the check I was almost 2 cm but Peter's head is still "bouncy" as the doctor put it. I was also measuring 41 weeks. The baby's heart rate was a great 137. So I'm all prepared to fight for delivering sooner than later and I didn't have to! Dr. Golden said he definitely wanted us to have this baby this week! I think my high blood pressure made him a little nervous so he said he wanted some blood work done and if anything looked wrong we would induce tonight and if everything looked good then we'd induce tomorrow morning. So we went to building 22 and I had blood drawn and then we waited. Dr. Golden called me at about 6 and said that everything looked good and we should be at the hospital at 7 tomorrow morning. We'll start an induction and the within 12 to 24 we'll see if we need to have a c-section or can deliver vaginally. Obviously after all this I really want to have a vaginal delivery but I'm prepared for a c-section if that's the best thing for both of us. The doctor says it's a toss up what will happen because my cervix isn't super favorable but since I've been having contractions hopefully my body will respond to the extra little push! If you're reading this anytime before Thursday morning say a prayer that both Peter and I will respond to the meds and he will engage and I'll dilate all the way.
One way or another we should have a baby by Thursday afternoon!!!
Wow... I'm so excited/nervous/speechless...
- I'm already 40 weeks... that's full term
- The baby is clearly big enough... I mean, he weighs 53 pounds
- I've been measuring about a week or two ahead anyway so it's like waiting til 42 to induce
- I'm an emotional and physical wreck.... this point I was going to make by crying
- I've been having natural contractions for weeks and they are getting me no where
These were a few of our ideas.
So at the actual appointment I found out I've gained another three pounds and my blood pressure was pretty high. Definitely higher than it's been my whole pregnancy but I'm pretty sure I was just uber stressed out by the time we got there cause it's my due date and I did NOT want to just get sent home again. Upon the check I was almost 2 cm but Peter's head is still "bouncy" as the doctor put it. I was also measuring 41 weeks. The baby's heart rate was a great 137. So I'm all prepared to fight for delivering sooner than later and I didn't have to! Dr. Golden said he definitely wanted us to have this baby this week! I think my high blood pressure made him a little nervous so he said he wanted some blood work done and if anything looked wrong we would induce tonight and if everything looked good then we'd induce tomorrow morning. So we went to building 22 and I had blood drawn and then we waited. Dr. Golden called me at about 6 and said that everything looked good and we should be at the hospital at 7 tomorrow morning. We'll start an induction and the within 12 to 24 we'll see if we need to have a c-section or can deliver vaginally. Obviously after all this I really want to have a vaginal delivery but I'm prepared for a c-section if that's the best thing for both of us. The doctor says it's a toss up what will happen because my cervix isn't super favorable but since I've been having contractions hopefully my body will respond to the extra little push! If you're reading this anytime before Thursday morning say a prayer that both Peter and I will respond to the meds and he will engage and I'll dilate all the way.
One way or another we should have a baby by Thursday afternoon!!!
Wow... I'm so excited/nervous/speechless...
I'm afraid my cat is going to be maladjusted
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So one of Paul and Malachi's rituals is called "Man Time" in which they snuggle together on the recliner. Though I have repeatedly explained it to Malachi, I'm not sure he understands that our house is getting a new man and when Paul and Peter have "Man Time", he will not be involved. Also I'm a little worried that in his old age he's losing track of time because we can only be gone for a couple hours and he acts like we've left him for days when we come home now. This picture was taken this afternoon after we had been gone for about 5 hours. I think he's attempting to become one with Paul.
Malachi is also not a fan of me sleeping in in the morning. Normally it's not an issue because Paul gets up long before me and feeds him, but on this particular morning Paul had slept in (he claims that someone kept him up crying but I'm sure that person was in pain and not feeling good so he should forgive them). I had gotten up and eaten at like 6 and then gone back to sleep. At like 9:30 when I got up to go to the bathroom this was the site I saw. Since we moved he doesn't sleep in our bed anymore and though we didn't tell him he couldn't, he also doesn't even come in our room anymore. He sleeps all over the house but if the sun has been up too long with no new food in his bowl, he sits just outside the room and waits for us to come feed him. Once he saw me moving he started crying, but I have no idea how long he had just been sitting there waiting for me.This baby thing is really gonna throw him off...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Lock-Ins and Oreos
So it's almost 2:30 in the morning. I can't believe my baby is due in
three days! I can't believe we're so close and yet I can't believe
that I'm still pregnant on august 14! For some reason I just really
thought this baby would come early. Now I'm really glad he hasn't
though because we're having girls night to celebrate the end of
summer. A lock-in at the church is not what I thought I'd be doing at
almost 40 weeks pregnant but it's been such fun! We're finishing up
the bible study that we've been working on all summer and just hanging
out. I have 8 girls and me and it's been a very girly evening. Lots of
junk food and giggling. Right now I'm attempting to sleep but the air
mattress is not really treating me right plus my Braxton hicks always
kick up when I lay down and lately I have to be really really tired to
sleep through them. I can sort of hear the girls in the next room but
I've told them not to leave the building and beyond that I'm not too
worried about them. I just really hope I don't go into labor until
after 10 tomorrow (well... Actually... This) morning. 10:01 is fine.
As long as we are cleaned up by then!
three days! I can't believe we're so close and yet I can't believe
that I'm still pregnant on august 14! For some reason I just really
thought this baby would come early. Now I'm really glad he hasn't
though because we're having girls night to celebrate the end of
summer. A lock-in at the church is not what I thought I'd be doing at
almost 40 weeks pregnant but it's been such fun! We're finishing up
the bible study that we've been working on all summer and just hanging
out. I have 8 girls and me and it's been a very girly evening. Lots of
junk food and giggling. Right now I'm attempting to sleep but the air
mattress is not really treating me right plus my Braxton hicks always
kick up when I lay down and lately I have to be really really tired to
sleep through them. I can sort of hear the girls in the next room but
I've told them not to leave the building and beyond that I'm not too
worried about them. I just really hope I don't go into labor until
after 10 tomorrow (well... Actually... This) morning. 10:01 is fine.
As long as we are cleaned up by then!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
This is my friend... I call her "Lady Spider"
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Lady Spider has been living outside our kitchen for almost two months now and while the picture doesn't really do her justice, she's huge. People keep asking why we don't kill her or move her... two reasons... One, Paul says she eats the bad bugs and I do think the bug problem in the kitchen is better with her guarding the window... Two, as long as I can see her, I don't mind her. Now the day that I go look for her and she is gone, then I will have issues. The point of her getting some time here on babycaspers.blogspot is because she's been pregnant. Twice, that we know of. About two weeks after she first arrived we noticed how plump she was getting. Then one morning she was skinny again. After some looking Paul found an egg sack about the size of my thumb in the corner of the window. He promptly moved it to the other end of the yard. I can deal with one spider, but not one hundred and fifty. I don't really know if that's how many babies would have come out, but two mascot kitchen spiders is one more than I need. Congratulations Lady Spider, I was very happy for her even though we took her babies away. She didn't seem to mind though, Paul said she didn't even try to stop him when he took the egg sack. So then a couple of weeks ago she started getting fat again (which Paul said was rude to point out since I didn't like when people said it to me) and just last night I told Paul... "I bet she has her babies before I have my baby". And then this morning... there she is in the same corner putting the finishing touches on her egg sack. No congratulations this time, I'm totally jealous of a garden spider who has managed to have babies at least twice in the time I've been pregnant. She beat me, just like I said she would. If she lays another sack before Peter comes, I'm gonna go out there and squish her.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Say Cheese
Since it looks like we've still got some time to kill, Paul did another pregnant photo shoot for me. The first three are a summary of the last nine months. Me at 8 weeks, 23 weeks, and 39 weeks. And a few of my favorites. Because I figure... when am I going to be allowed to look this fat again?!
Paul thinks this view is fun
But this is my favorite!
Paul thinks this view is fun
But this is my favorite!
Nothing has changed
I don't know how that's possible but nothing has changed since my
visit last week, I haven't even gained any more weight. I'm tired.
visit last week, I haven't even gained any more weight. I'm tired.
4 o clock in the morning
It's four o clock in the morning and I have done eight loads of laundry, washed three rounds of dishes, baked a pan of brownies and a pot
of macaroni, ironed baby slings, resewn a pillow case, painted my fingernails, changed the sheets on the bed (Paul is sleeping in the nursery), mopped the bathroom floor, taken a shower complete with leg shaving, charged the camcorder for my doctors appt tomorrow, and now I've updated the blog. Is this what people mean by a burst of energy at the end of their pregnancy?
I think I might lay down now...
of macaroni, ironed baby slings, resewn a pillow case, painted my fingernails, changed the sheets on the bed (Paul is sleeping in the nursery), mopped the bathroom floor, taken a shower complete with leg shaving, charged the camcorder for my doctors appt tomorrow, and now I've updated the blog. Is this what people mean by a burst of energy at the end of their pregnancy?
I think I might lay down now...
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Two Showers! They should call that a thunderstorm!
I've had not one but TWO awesome baby showers this week and my amazing nursery is now bursting at the seams. This baby needs to get here and start appreciating all his great stuff!
Sunday the ladies at church threw us a really nice shower and I got great baby stuff and some always helpful advice. I've been trying to read my books but there's just so much I don't know! I am also just so overwhelmed by the love and support that our church family has poured out on us. It is so amazing!!
Wednesday night the youth threw me a surprise shower and I was sooooo surprised. I'm apparently very gullible cause I didn't see anything coming! The video above shows my reaction. We had cake and presents and it was lots of fun. Side note: apparently all the youth think I'm fat because we played a game where you pull off crepe paper for how big around I am and only one person pulled off LESS than I actually am... thanks guys!!
Sunday the ladies at church threw us a really nice shower and I got great baby stuff and some always helpful advice. I've been trying to read my books but there's just so much I don't know! I am also just so overwhelmed by the love and support that our church family has poured out on us. It is so amazing!!
Wednesday night the youth threw me a surprise shower and I was sooooo surprised. I'm apparently very gullible cause I didn't see anything coming! The video above shows my reaction. We had cake and presents and it was lots of fun. Side note: apparently all the youth think I'm fat because we played a game where you pull off crepe paper for how big around I am and only one person pulled off LESS than I actually am... thanks guys!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
I think our cat is getting senile in his old age
sleeping and other times he's just waiting... for what?... I'm not sure
Squishtastic
The top six inches of my belly are way squishier than they've been in months. Keep on moving down baby!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Pain has Moved... well... South
According to the doctor on Monday things are moving... slowly... but moving. Peter is still head down and at a -2 station. For those of you who have no idea how/why my baby ended up somewhere negative, it just means that he hasn't dropped all the way down into my pelvis yet. I'm one centimeter dilated, though the doctor said he was being generous with that number. (For some fun you should find a ruler and see what a centimeter actually is. Its like basically nothing) My belly is measuring 39 weeks though so hopefully that means something good. (I was technically 37w 6d that day). I'm definitely feeling different too. My contractions are stronger, though still not regular, and I'm in a good bit more pain than I have been. And the pain is much "lower" than before. Again hopefully that means things are getting ready for baby and that hope helps me handle the pain much better. Plus I sleep a lot... like... a lot
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
One word.... Pedicure!
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Gran gave me the funds to get myself a pedicure and I went yesterday afternoon. It was AMAZING! I'm normally not much of a fan of pedicures, especially the massage part, but it felt so good this time. Now I have super cute toes and my feet are really soft. Paul has been great to cut and paint my toes but I think he was a little glad to have someone else do it. All pregnant women should get such a sweet luxury. THANKS GRAN!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Five Questions Never to Ask a Pregnant Woman
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: This does not apply if we are friends or family. If I actually know you then any of these topics are fair game and I'd love to talk about them with you. I'd also love to hear your opinion or thoughts. We can joke about any of these things too! These rules apply to complete and total strangers... for instance, the man stocking shelves at Winn Dixie, the lady behind me in line at McDonalds, any random person who happens to spy my big belly. END OF VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
I have noticed something. I'm not sure if it's a Southern thing, an American thing, or just a human thing but people will ask a pregnant woman anything! Apparently when you become pregnant you not only agree to have a baby share your life and body for nine (long) months, but you also submit to intense interrogation by everyone you meet. (See important note for clarification on "everyone"). People seem to lose all sense of propriety around you and will say, quite literally, just about anything. Has the world always been like this? Did I used to do this before I was pregnant and then some lady sat at home bemoaning MY actions on her blog? Maybe I did thoughtlessly do this to women... but no longer! In order to assist us all, I've come up with five easy questions that you never ask a pregnant woman.
Less important note: Maybe not all women are like me. Maybe some like to answer the same questions over and over again for months and be subjected to comments about their weight or size. For you women.... lucky you... End less important note
Also less important note: I love my baby and most moments I love being pregnant. I am not saying any of this because I resent the miracle of the ability to grow life inside me! End also less important note
The Five Questions Never to Ask a Pregnant Woman
1. "You're just miserable aren't you?"
Do you really want an honest answer or do you want me to sugarcoat it for you?.... "No, it's not that bad. It's just that my feet are three times their normal size and my back hurts from carrying around fifty extra pounds and I've been having contractions for the last five weeks and I'm really slow so I have to stand on those fat feet extra long and I live in a place where it's like 110 degrees during the day and even if it weren't I'd still probably be sweating through my panties most of the time, and instead of getting on with my errands I'm standing in the middle of a shopping aisle on my fat feet talking to you. So no, it's not too bad."
2. "When are you due?"
If I had a dollar for every time I have uttered the words "August 17" in the last nine months, I could send this kid to college tomorrow. It's really an honest question and such a simple one that I know why people ask it. Perhaps they just want something to talk about and that's fine, but I don't need commentary on my answer. I really don't care if August 17 is your mom's cousin's hairdresser's birthday/anniversary/bar mitzvah. And no, I will not wait three days so that my baby will be born on your grandmother's birthday (seriously?), maybe for my grandmother, but not for yours.
3. "Do you know what you're having?"/"Is it a boy or a girl?"
Can I just answer "yes" and move on? No, the reason you ask the first question is to get at the second. I'd like to see a statistic on the percentage of people these days that don't find out ahead of time what they are having. I know people who didn't, but I think the majority of people do. Again, a simple question and it's not the asking that's a big deal, it's the commentary. "Oh you'll love having a boy" (how do you know?). "Little boys always love their moms best" (Even if I beat him?) Occasionally someone will try to guess the gender just by looking at me and if they are willing to accept that they're wrong if they are (I have pictures people!), then that's kinda fun. Also if I tell them it's a boy then they may want to know what I'm naming him which sort of creeps me out a little. I don't know why, but I feel like I should post a picture of this person just in case they ever come around calling "Peter, Peter". But maybe I'm paranoid
4. "Is this your first?"
Again simple but I don't really know why people are asking it. Actually, I know why some people are asking it... "Yes, it is my first but I'm not 14 years old (contrary to the way I look). I'm actually 24, I've graduated from college, and been married for over two years." Cause most people are actually not rude enough to say, "Wow, look at you all pregnant. How old are you?" I usually just say, "Yes, it's my husband and I's first"
5. "Is it twins?"
Seriously... you don't really mean that you think there are two, what you mean is... "You are way too fat to just have one perfectly healthy normal sized infant inside you. No, you are so fat, there must be two (or even three) of them." Gee thanks! Also, (like the gender thing) don't argue with me about it, I've seen the ultrasound machine and I know they're wrong sometimes, but just because your granny said you have a gift for telling stuff like this does not mean I'm going to trust your word over my trained doctor with years of experience. While we are on the subject of twins you should also refrain from making any comments about my size (I am after all carrying a child within me, cut me some slack!) These (which I have actually heard) include: "You look about ready to pop." (I started hearing that about two months ago so you people obviously can't tell that just by looking at me.) "Wow you're sure big." (Seriously... would you just say that to a 180 pound 5'2" woman who wasn't pregnant?) "It's about time, isn't it?" (If it were, would I be standing here talking to you?) Didn't your momma ever teach you, it is never polite to comment about someone's weight/size... unless that person has an obviously swollen belly, right? What if it's a tumor?
These aren't the only wrong things to say, but these just about cover 97.2% of my conversations with strangers these days. Please also refrain from asking the bizarre or intensely personal. "What kind of food do you crave?" "Can you see the baby's feet when he kicks you?" "Will you have an epidural?" "Can I hug you?" No, I don't even know you.
But just so you're not left with nothing....
What you can (AND SHOULD) say to a pregnant Woman
1. "Can I help you?"
Last week at Walmart a couple passed me while I was loading stuff in the car and the guy offered to put my cart away. "Um, yes and thank you!" I would probably never call myself a feminist so I totally think pregnant women should be given empty seats, closer parking spots, and bigger food portions (haha, oops, how did that get on there?). Now the caution to this is if I refuse your help, then you need to just let it go... pregnant women get mad... fast.
2. "You look beautiful"
I think you should tell all women this frequently, but especially pregnant ones. I'll even pretend that what you mean isn't "You look beautiful (for a heifer)."
3. Anything about my life outside of the baby and/or the physical state of being pregnant.
Pretty soon I'll define my whole life by my baby... who are you? I'm Peter's mom. So let me be my own person for a little longer. "That's a cool purse." "I love your eyeshadow." "I wonder if it'll rain today." All great small talk comments
Perhaps these tips aren't helpful to you and you don't see why I'm upset... well take this as a pregnancy rant and put it out of your head. But hopefully you're a little wiser and a little more entertained.
Important closing note: My tendency to be frustrated with strangers is obviously not much of a Christ-like attitude and I am attempting to be slightly more patient with people. Maybe the world would be better served if we acted like all people were pregnant and got right up in their business in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly aisle... maybe?
I have noticed something. I'm not sure if it's a Southern thing, an American thing, or just a human thing but people will ask a pregnant woman anything! Apparently when you become pregnant you not only agree to have a baby share your life and body for nine (long) months, but you also submit to intense interrogation by everyone you meet. (See important note for clarification on "everyone"). People seem to lose all sense of propriety around you and will say, quite literally, just about anything. Has the world always been like this? Did I used to do this before I was pregnant and then some lady sat at home bemoaning MY actions on her blog? Maybe I did thoughtlessly do this to women... but no longer! In order to assist us all, I've come up with five easy questions that you never ask a pregnant woman.
Less important note: Maybe not all women are like me. Maybe some like to answer the same questions over and over again for months and be subjected to comments about their weight or size. For you women.... lucky you... End less important note
Also less important note: I love my baby and most moments I love being pregnant. I am not saying any of this because I resent the miracle of the ability to grow life inside me! End also less important note
The Five Questions Never to Ask a Pregnant Woman
1. "You're just miserable aren't you?"
Do you really want an honest answer or do you want me to sugarcoat it for you?.... "No, it's not that bad. It's just that my feet are three times their normal size and my back hurts from carrying around fifty extra pounds and I've been having contractions for the last five weeks and I'm really slow so I have to stand on those fat feet extra long and I live in a place where it's like 110 degrees during the day and even if it weren't I'd still probably be sweating through my panties most of the time, and instead of getting on with my errands I'm standing in the middle of a shopping aisle on my fat feet talking to you. So no, it's not too bad."
2. "When are you due?"
If I had a dollar for every time I have uttered the words "August 17" in the last nine months, I could send this kid to college tomorrow. It's really an honest question and such a simple one that I know why people ask it. Perhaps they just want something to talk about and that's fine, but I don't need commentary on my answer. I really don't care if August 17 is your mom's cousin's hairdresser's birthday/anniversary/bar mitzvah. And no, I will not wait three days so that my baby will be born on your grandmother's birthday (seriously?), maybe for my grandmother, but not for yours.
3. "Do you know what you're having?"/"Is it a boy or a girl?"
Can I just answer "yes" and move on? No, the reason you ask the first question is to get at the second. I'd like to see a statistic on the percentage of people these days that don't find out ahead of time what they are having. I know people who didn't, but I think the majority of people do. Again, a simple question and it's not the asking that's a big deal, it's the commentary. "Oh you'll love having a boy" (how do you know?). "Little boys always love their moms best" (Even if I beat him?) Occasionally someone will try to guess the gender just by looking at me and if they are willing to accept that they're wrong if they are (I have pictures people!), then that's kinda fun. Also if I tell them it's a boy then they may want to know what I'm naming him which sort of creeps me out a little. I don't know why, but I feel like I should post a picture of this person just in case they ever come around calling "Peter, Peter". But maybe I'm paranoid
4. "Is this your first?"
Again simple but I don't really know why people are asking it. Actually, I know why some people are asking it... "Yes, it is my first but I'm not 14 years old (contrary to the way I look). I'm actually 24, I've graduated from college, and been married for over two years." Cause most people are actually not rude enough to say, "Wow, look at you all pregnant. How old are you?" I usually just say, "Yes, it's my husband and I's first"
5. "Is it twins?"
Seriously... you don't really mean that you think there are two, what you mean is... "You are way too fat to just have one perfectly healthy normal sized infant inside you. No, you are so fat, there must be two (or even three) of them." Gee thanks! Also, (like the gender thing) don't argue with me about it, I've seen the ultrasound machine and I know they're wrong sometimes, but just because your granny said you have a gift for telling stuff like this does not mean I'm going to trust your word over my trained doctor with years of experience. While we are on the subject of twins you should also refrain from making any comments about my size (I am after all carrying a child within me, cut me some slack!) These (which I have actually heard) include: "You look about ready to pop." (I started hearing that about two months ago so you people obviously can't tell that just by looking at me.) "Wow you're sure big." (Seriously... would you just say that to a 180 pound 5'2" woman who wasn't pregnant?) "It's about time, isn't it?" (If it were, would I be standing here talking to you?) Didn't your momma ever teach you, it is never polite to comment about someone's weight/size... unless that person has an obviously swollen belly, right? What if it's a tumor?
These aren't the only wrong things to say, but these just about cover 97.2% of my conversations with strangers these days. Please also refrain from asking the bizarre or intensely personal. "What kind of food do you crave?" "Can you see the baby's feet when he kicks you?" "Will you have an epidural?" "Can I hug you?" No, I don't even know you.
But just so you're not left with nothing....
What you can (AND SHOULD) say to a pregnant Woman
1. "Can I help you?"
Last week at Walmart a couple passed me while I was loading stuff in the car and the guy offered to put my cart away. "Um, yes and thank you!" I would probably never call myself a feminist so I totally think pregnant women should be given empty seats, closer parking spots, and bigger food portions (haha, oops, how did that get on there?). Now the caution to this is if I refuse your help, then you need to just let it go... pregnant women get mad... fast.
2. "You look beautiful"
I think you should tell all women this frequently, but especially pregnant ones. I'll even pretend that what you mean isn't "You look beautiful (for a heifer)."
3. Anything about my life outside of the baby and/or the physical state of being pregnant.
Pretty soon I'll define my whole life by my baby... who are you? I'm Peter's mom. So let me be my own person for a little longer. "That's a cool purse." "I love your eyeshadow." "I wonder if it'll rain today." All great small talk comments
Perhaps these tips aren't helpful to you and you don't see why I'm upset... well take this as a pregnancy rant and put it out of your head. But hopefully you're a little wiser and a little more entertained.
Important closing note: My tendency to be frustrated with strangers is obviously not much of a Christ-like attitude and I am attempting to be slightly more patient with people. Maybe the world would be better served if we acted like all people were pregnant and got right up in their business in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly aisle... maybe?
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