40+ Weeks Pregnant....

My due date came and went on Sunday. Had a checkup yesterday will little change to my progress. No change in the .5 cm dilated but my cervix has thinned a bit more... 70% effaced as compared to last week's 60% (woop-tee-doo!). Cornbread is still head down and really low so that's good. Her heart beat is still strong and she is still busting a move in there although not as frequent or strong kicks wise cause the space is so confined now for her. She twists and turns and will stretch her legs causing her to push out her booty and make my belly morph into a moving alien cone-head shape. Damen and I pat her booty and tell her to put it back in so momma doesn't get any stretch marks LOL!

So the waiting game continues. Next appointment is next Monday, Oct. 5th, and if I don't go into labor by then, they will schedule me for an induction by the end of next week. I hope she gets the party started on her own because induction increases you chance of needing a Cesarean... so come on Cornbread, stop being so shy and come on out! Sleeping sucks as it is so she needs to come out and share the insomnia fun with her Daddy! hehehe...

(She's getting extra nibbles and tickles for making us wait though!)

39 Weeks Pregnant... 1 week to go!!!!

...until my due date anyways. Two weeks until they will induce of she decides she doesn't want to leave my ute! Beside the normal expected uncomfortable stuff of lower back pain, groin pain due to ligaments stretching, excessive peeing, cramping and sleepless nights, feeling as big as a house... all is good. I have been very lucky to have a relatively easy pregnancy (all things considered) despite 3.5 weeks of hip pain that started last month. So thankful that has eased the past 2 weeks! Damen treated me to a day of pampering yesterday so I got my hair cut and a full pedicure with a long foot message... felt sooooo good! ;o)

My mom is getting antsy and calling every other day asking if there is any change yet. She's so excited. My next checkup is Weds and hopefully there is more dilation of my cervix by then. Last week was only a 1/2 cm dilation. In reality though, it doesn't mean anything because you can be 3 cm dilated for weeks before going into labor or not be dilated and go into labor a couple days later. Not knowing is the toughest.

I am starting to get wigged out about going into labor and what its going to feel like. I get menstrual like cramps this past week and though they are not "OMG" painful, they are very uncomfortable. Knowing its just going to get worse is a bit unnerving. I keep reminding myself, many have gone through this just fine but it is not knowing what exactly to expect or when it will happen that has me anxious. I have read the books, heard about other's experience but this is my first so it is a bit overwhelming.

Got a couple of things left to do this week... another once over cleaning the house, getting the pup groomed and stocking up on groceries, getting the infant car seat inspected, and a few more odds and ends to get at Target. I think keeping busy and not just thinking about labor is the best thing for me at this point.

*How far along?: 39 Weeks

*Total weight gain: 52 lb from pre-pregnancy weight :o(

*How big is baby?: Around 7lbs

*Maternity clothes?: I'm mainly in PJs and maternity clothes

*Sleep?: Having a really tough time falling asleep and then staying asleep because of having to get up and pee 1-2 times each night.

*Best moment this week?: The pedicure & hair cut yesterday.

*Movement?: Her kicks and turns that used to be fun and cute are now a bit painful because she lacks room. She favors my right side and has given be a few stretchmarks only on the lower right to prove it!

*Food cravings?: Ice-cream & fruit smoothies... anything cold and creamy!

*Labor signs?: Some cramping each day but nothing regular or intensifying. It feels more like menstrual cramps or that "I have to poop really bad" feeling only without the pooping part.

*Belly button in or out?: Still flat

*What I miss: Being able to turn in bed without struggling and feeling like my crotch is being torn in two, being able to sleep through the night and sleeping on my stomach.

*What I'm looking forward to: Finally being able to hold the little ninja queen in my tummy and smother her with kisses and seeing Damen holding her for the first time... I am betting he sheds a tear or 2. ;o)

*Milestone: Getting all the shopping lists complete and Damen finally saying "OK, she can come out now... just make sure its on the weekend at a reasonable hour." LOL!

37 Weeks and counting....

It amazes me, scares me and excites me that we are so close to being able to see, hug and smooch on our little girl. She has grown so much just in the last week's growth spurt. There is NO mistaking a kick for a punch! I can feel the difference between legs moving and arms, a knee verses a foot poking out... its crazy! We spent our Labor Day at the movies and watched GI Joe and I think Cornbread was trying to get her Ninja on during the loud fight scenes LOL! At one point she was laying sidewards with her round booty poking out my front above my belly button and her Ninja kicks were busting my right side where my arm was... I could feel her foot print from the outside! It was funny but painful... but that's what I get for eating all those cookies during the show!

My mobility is MUCH improved thanks to the 2 weeks of physical therapy and the baby dropping in position. The stabbing nerve pain on my right hip is no longer there unless I step wrong on it... now I am waddling with lower back pain like your average 9 month pregnant woman. I was able to even get out for the Labor Day sales and finish up the remaining baby shopping... though I still had to order most of the remainder on line cause in-store selections are slim pickings for completing my registry at Target. (Booo!) The hospital over-night bag is almost complete... gotta wash my new nursing tanks and granny panties (LOL) and coming home outfit for after the birth. Prepping the cloth diapers this week and loading up the diaper bag with baby's coming home outfit. We had some laughs buying Tucks medicated pads and other treats for the after pain of my girly bits... the things us women have to endure! Damen still is struggling with HUGE baby envy and ended up buying himself some Flintstones gummy bear vitamin chewables and bubble bath soap (HAHAHA) cause he says its not fare they get all the fun yummy stuff! I am gonna have 2 babies on my hands shortly LOL!

It was like busting out of jail this weekend cause I have been stuck at the house for 3 weeks! I got dressed up and we went out to dinner twice this weekend just cause I could! It is good to get out and to enjoy our couple's time while we can cause it will be a while before we can easily go out for dinner once the baby arrives. Damen found his new fave place to eat... it is a lovely Afghan family owned restaurant with patio dinning and a belly dancer for entertaining. The food was so yummy too! He has been hooked on middle eastern food since all his deployments... and I am lovin it also!

It was a productive but relaxing weekend over all. I had a few bouts of contractions last week but nothing regular. They lasted about an hour or 2 each time and were more like intense menstrual cramps. Damen lovingly said they were great practice for breathing techniques... thanks! They sucked but a sobering reality of what's to come!

4 Weeks Left!!!!

With my horrible hip pain due to a pinched nerve in my right hip... I am hoping she comes early so I am hoping that 3 weeks is all I have left! About 2 weeks ago while at work, my right hip got progressively more painful. By the time I got home, I could barely walk it hurt so bad with each step. We have a 2 story house so going upstairs was torture! The doctor's office was closed so I had to wait until Monday to call and see what my options were. that weekend sucked! I called in sick to work from then on and have had to stop working 3 weeks earlier than planned.

Calling the doc was disappointing because they first said to take some Tylenol (WTF, that doesn't even help with headaches!) then offered some narcotics for stronger pain meds... ummm NO thanks! They said the only cure was to birth the baby... no shit, really?!? So after some probing, I got referred to a physical therapists for pain management until the baby is born. They said PT won't help much... but I would rather give it a try than do nothing and suffer or take narcotics!

Its been a week of PT and yes, I still walk VERY slow and don't get around much but it has helped ease the muscle tightness and take the edge of the pain. I can manage with the pain around the house but the worse part is being limited from shopping and the house work I wanted to get done before the baby is born. Its so frustrating! Now I am not working and have the time but am physically not able to scrub down the house and stock up on last minute items. Damen is helping a bunch thought even with his long hours at work. He is such an amazing support and I am so thankful for that! Still it's frustrating cause sending him to the store for nursing bras and tanks etc. is difficult cause he is a guy LOL! Online shopping is my other option... paying for shipping sucks some but what else can I do?

Anyways, we are excited that the end is near and we will soon see and hug and kiss on our little girl! Her 3D picture is right on Damen's night stand and he looks at her every morning and rubs on my tummy and says good morning to her before getting ready for work. He says it still hasn't sunk in and won't until he sees and holds her. It's all to real for me specially feeling her butt push out on one side or knowing that poke was an elbow or foot etc. Its so amazing! She is getting so big now that her movement is more of rolls and nudges rather than flips and is not as frequent as 3 weeks ago.

At 36 weeks, she is roughly 5.5 lbs and boy does my back feel it! I can only stand over the sink or counter for 10 minutes at a time before crying uncle. I catch myself in the mirror and holy crap is my belly huge! I am not the least bit nervous or scared of taking care of her after she is born but the actually birthing process scares the hell out of me! The idea of the pain is bad but I think the thing that scares me most is unknowing... unknowing when it will happen and what it will feel like since this is my first. Sure you see it on TV, read all the books and hear from friends... but actually experiencing it yourself and going through the long labor is a whole other thing! The only things in life that stress me and wigs me out is the unknown... not knowing is the center of all my fears.

Damen is reassuring and supportive and I know with him by my side, we'll get through this fine. I am always amazed by his calmness. He will be an amazing coach, labor partner and father... I am so blessed and love him deeper than I ever thought love could grow. Holding our daughter and seeing what our love has created will be the greatest gift of all.

27 Weeks... almost done with 2nd Trimester!

The first Tri dragged on so slow but all of a sudden we find ourselves in the home stretch and entering the 3 trimester after this week! Cornbread has a REAL name now but we are not announcing it until her birth. The poor girl will be called Cornbread by Damen and I as a nickname for the rest of her life though, hehehe! She is still kicking strong and her most active is late afternoon and 2-3:00am where it feels like she is following a Tae-Bo workout in there! Damen is away TDY for a week and will be back the day before we have to leave for a wedding in Denver for the 4th of July weekend. This will be interesting flying and being pregnant! I normally dehydrate myself cause I hate the cramped nasty bathrooms on the plane but I have to drink plenty of water in my condition so I am soooo not gonna like this! That small bathroom is gonna suck even more with a belly in my way!

AT 27 WEEKS PREGNANT:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

On a not so happy note, we are dealing with some family drama a-g-a-i-n and true to form, my MIL feels like making demands and being selfish and belligerent to get her way on something so ridiculous rather than being understanding towards our needs at the time of the birth. Her inability to see past her own selfish emotions and her verbal attacks on Damen and me when she is angry for not getting her way is beyond immature, inappropriate and abhorrent... borderline emotionally abusive! She even sank to a new low by calling my mom with ulterior motives of getting info from her to use against us and see if she can get her angry at us too! She is out of line and there is no justification for her behavior.

Being a active presence in the family we are building is a privilege NOT a right and with that privilege comes responsibilities. It requires being respectfully of our decisions and respecting our boundaries as parents and as husband and wife. You violate that basic requirement and your are not welcome in our home. If you see this as unfair or uncaring, seek some counseling because you have a warped sense of what a loving relationship should look like.

I am sad for Damen. He has to deal with the brunt of her verbal venom because he is protecting me from the added stress and emotional strain. This was not how he pictured things to play out when he envisioned have kids. It's heartbreaking.

Bought the bedding...

So we are waiting until July 4th sales to buy the furniture from Babies 'R Us (BRU). I really really wanted a different more modern looking set from a local baby store but opted for the discounts and sales + coupons I could use at BRU for a version made by the same company but less style options at chain stores. It still looks nice and got great reviews for sturdiness and safety. It's a convertible crib and converts to a full size bed so she can use it for the next 18+ years.
The bedding was hard to find because all girl crib bedding seems to be pink only! Yes I could have gone neutral but whats the fun in that since we knew it was a girl... I wanted girly but not overly common pink... so we went lavender:

We only got the crib bedding set and window valance, not all the matchy matchy extraneous stuff. We won't be painting the nursery walls because we don't feel like having to paint it back when we leave in 3 years. They will stay a neutral latte color like the rest of the house. With color form the bedding and drapes and some stuff to put up on the walls like letter decals and maybe some wall art from Target or Marshall's, the room will be super cute!

At 25 weeks, the baby is kicking stronger and more frequently. She definitely is almost on a regular schedule... kicking for an hour then resting for 2-3 hours and then back at it again. Her kicks are higher up now and can be felt at the top of my belly above the belly button and she has moved to kick more on the left side (depending on which way I am laying down) which she used to just kick to my right. My belly is bigger since last week and its gotten hard to bend over and pickup things on the floor. I have also lost the ability to see and sometimes reach my nether region in the shower LOL! Painting my toe nails is also an impossible task without making a mess of it. The WORST part so far is the going poop! Constipation is a biotch! I was in practice labor for an hour yesterday trying to birth one out! Hurt like hell and was almost impossible to flush just to give you a sense of the size of it! Yeah, yeah... TMI but deal with it, it's a fact of life... we all poop! I am sure Damen is sick of hearing my poop stories though LOL! It's my way of getting him mentally ready for the messy finale in September!

24 Weeks Mark!!! ...and a recent scare!

We are now 6 month along and have reached the viability date!  If Cornbread were to be born now, she would have a chance of survival outside the womb but she better stay in there until September or else!  You hear me young lady!?!  (LOL)

We had a bit of a scare last Sat while playing mini golf.  I felt some liquid run down my leg and wen to the bathroom to find some leakage which didn't look to be urine so we ended out put-put game to go to the emergency birthing center and get checked out incase it was amniotic fluid leaking.  I was so scared and was crying because I was in such a panic since it was way too early for birth.  Viability or not, she would have such a struggle being born this early!  Damen stayed calm and kept reassuring me everything was probably fine and tried to calm my nerves and prevent the tears from flowing.  He later admitted he was so scared but didn't let me know it until we got the ok that everything was fine and sent home.  Luckily, it was not amniotic fluid and was most likely she was pressing on my bladder causing the leak.  It didn't look or smell like urine which was why we went to the hospital just to make sure.  They ran some tests and looked internally to see if they saw any amniotic fluid leaking and if my cervix was closed... all looked ok.  We were told that next time to put a pad on and is the pad gets soaked and I am leaking more and it didn't appear to be urine, to come in with the pad and get checked again. They agreed its always better to be safe than sorry.... though they kept asking if we were first time parents... cause confusion and panic is expected then I am sure!

Anyways, while we were waiting for the doc to see us, Damen had his hand on my belly trying to calm me down and jokingly was telling our little girl to stay in there and hang tight.  He felt her kick for the first time while he was doing it!  Finally he had the right timing to feel her!  I have been feeling and seeing her kicks for 4 weeks now but it wasn't until the past week that they have become so regular and stronger.  When I get Damen to put his hand on my belly, she stops and then he gets impatient and moves away before she starts again.  When he felt her, he said he thought he felt something similar before but wasn't sure.  now the kicks are more pronounced and he was sure he felt it.  YEA!

So that was our crazy weekend.  My next checkup will be on my birthday the end of this week.  It is just gonna be a weigh in and measurement of my belly and glucose test for gestational diabetes.

We have picked out our crib and dresser and will be ordering that on the 4th of July (waiting for the sales!).  I'll post pics and stuff soon.

What a kick!

21 Weeks Pregnant

Until now it has just been nudges and weird swishy, turning motions in my lower abs... it is really hard to describe. But Just now, as I was looking down at my laptop, I noticed a popcorn like pop of my tummy and I could actually see my tummy bounce up really quickly! It was one quick pop of a bounce and I thought I felt that yesterday afternoon after coming home from work as sitting watching TV but wasn't sure if I was seeing what I was seeing. But it just happened again a few minutes ago and this time I saw the motion as well as felt it! I had my hand over my belly button area trying to see if I could feel it if it were to happen again... but no joy, there was no repeat performance.

Damn it! Hubby isn't home this week either! Uggg! Totally would have had him over to come feel if he can feel it! Hopefully by the end of the week when he comes home it will start to happen more regularly and gets to see it too. This is so exciting!

So far as of last week's appointment, I have gained a total of 20 lbs. I blame 5 lbs of it on constipation though! ;o) That's not bad at the halfway point. I need to get walking more often though but its so hard to get up early to walk before work and the heat of the day since I am not sleeping through the night any more... have to get up 1-2 times each night to pee and its hard from me to fall back asleep. Then after a full day's work and the long commute, I am too tired to do much of anything. I need to try harder to keep my weight gain within a reasonable range.

As soon as Hubby gets home with the camera, I will post a first belly pic. I am also trying to learn how to rip the DVD with our last sonogram on it to post a video of little Corn-Muffin in motion.

1 more week untill the big Ultra Sound!!!!

Sooooo excited! We find out the sex of Cornbread 1 week from now! We are now 19 weeks along and I am still feeling the occasional nudges and pokes but only notice them after eating when I am sitting still or lying back for a bit. I can't wait until they are more pronounced and Damen can feel them from the outside too.

My BFF, Emily, is due to pop in 3 weeks. Its crazy we are having our first child only a few months apart! Time seems to have flown by but at times (more so the first 3 month of this pregnancy) it seem to creep by. I am starting to feel the pressure of getting started on the nesting phase to get baby ready by the next couple of month. I want to be ready if the baby decides to come a little earlier than expected. Once we find out the sex... its a green light on shopping... FUN!

So Cornbread is the size of a mango. All the organs are in place and the sensory functions are now developed so the little one is just starting to hear sounds and can taste hints of the flavors of what I am eating in the aminiotic fluid. From here on out, Cornbread wiwll be mostly focused on growing and maturing his/her organs and gaining more weight.

WTH was that... Baby movement?!

Ok, for the past 2 weeks there has been strange sensations in my lower abs almost gas like at time but no toot follows... strange throbbing/vibrations at times after eating a meal or random pangs for a few seconds. I am always questioning myself and explaining it away as just Ute growing pangs or gas but FOR SURE I felt some pokes this afternoon while at work!!! I was sitting at my desk and out of nowhere there were a few popcorn like pokes or nudges on my lower abs slight right of center!

I was grinning for the last hour of my work day. This was unmistakable... and so amazingly weird but exciting! I think my iffy sensations the past week were the beginning flutters but since this is my first pregnancy, I wasn't sure what it would feel like so it was hard to say what was what. But today, Cornbread made his/her presence known!

Then I came came home to the most lovingly sweet husband who made quite a spread for diner... pot roast, gravy, home-made mash potatoes and corn. Sooo yummy! I am so blessed and excited for our new adventures.

2 more weeks and we find out if we are have a mini-me or mini-D... stay tuned!