Happy due date to me!

Sing it with me!

Happy due date to meeee
but still no babyyy
How long will this go on?
We'll just wait and seeeeee!

I think I need some cake.

Still being pregnant on my due date is not quite as depressing as I thought it would be. I'm thankful that I have a healthy, full term baby in there. To be completely honest, as much as I hate being pregnant at times, I'm going to miss it a little. I will miss knowing where she is at all times. I'll miss knowing that she's completely safe, warm, and never hungry. I will miss the days of not changing any diapers, too.

But geez louise am I looking forward to finally seeing her sweet little face! I can't decide if I'm more excited to meet her myself, or to see the look on Chris' face when he finally gets to meet her. Daddy's going to fall in love with this girl.


In other news, can I tell you how proud I am that I have only gained 31 pounds so far? I totally deserve that cake. Or banana bread.

Advice and Answers

Have you had that baby yet?

No, I have not. She's still cooking. I will let family know first, and I will announce it to the rest of the world (and facebook friends) after my family has all had a chance to enjoy the news. Asking me won't hurt anything, but I'm running out of things to say. "Nope, not yet" doesn't cut it. You guys are going to force me to get creative!

I appreciate that everyone is excited about her arrival and I promise that I will let you all know as soon as possible. It means a lot to Chris and I that everyone we know is anticipating this almost as much as we are, it is great to see how loved she is by everyone already. ♥♥♥


You should try: walking, getting in the shower, having sex, standing on your head, drinking lots of water, jumping up and down. It really helped move my labor along.

Thanks for the advice! (seriously) I do appreciate the advice, guys. I am trying walking, but last time my back hurt so bad I could barely walk the next day. I know, I'm out of shape, but what can I say. I'll keep walking, but really it's because I'm so out of shape, not because I think it will bring on labor. It is nice to feel like I'm doing something, I know that sitting on the couch isn't going to move things along.

As much as I do want the baby here, I don't want to do anything that will force labor or cause me to overexert myself (i.e. hurt myself or the baby). I know that she will come when she is ready.

I did schedule an induction for the 7th but I am very nervous about it. I want Emily to come when SHE is ready, and I may move the induction date back. Like I said, I don't want to force anything. It's quite a predicament, I feel like I'm in a hurry, but at the same time I want things to happen naturally.


Don't forget to tell me when she's here!

Okay, this is kind of like #1. I swear you will know. I am not going to be posting on facebook "on my way to the hospital," "3 cm dilated," "getting my epidural," "just saw the baby's head crown." I think most of you will appreciate that.

When she is here, Chris and I want to have some time with her, just the three of us. This is my first child and I'm already so emotional about her arrival, I want it to be a special moment for Chris and I. We will let family members know when we are en route to the hospital, and will invite them to visit us at the hospital after Emily has made her entrance.

You will know the baby is here because I will post something like "Emily Jean is here!" Something very clear, I promise. Chris says I sleep, breathe and eat facebook (I'm seeking therapy) so there is no way I wouldn't share this awesome news with all of you! I can't wait for all of our family and friends to meet this amazing little girl.


You must be miserable.

Some days I am! Thanks for being realistic, it's refreshing.


Don't worry, she'll be here before you know it.

Thank you, that is reassuring. I'm trying to be patient, but you know how I get.


Are you ready?

Yup!


You look like you're about to pop!

I feel like it!


You are so tiny, you don't look like you're 9 months pregnant.

Oh, don't make me blush.


If you think you're tired now, just wait.

I get it, babies don't sleep a lot. I was aware of this when we talked about having children. I know this is my first, but I'm prepared to take everything one day at a time. I honestly am taking your advice and I'm trying to rest when I can and stay relaxed this week. I am working from home so I can sleep more and don't have to deal with the stress of the commute. Chris helps a lot around the house so I don't feel like I am doing everything. I know I'm going to be exhausted.


As soon as you see her, your life will be changed forever. It may suck at times, it's going to be harder than you can ever imagine, but it will be worth it.

I sure hope so.

39 weeks. Or, "Yes, I'm still pregnant."

Here I am, one week away from my due date, and I'm still pregnant. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was all about being pregnant until my due date. That's before I knew what it was like to be 37, 38, or 39 weeks pregnant. Now I just want her OUT.

She has dropped, so I'm eating and breathing better now. It's hard to find clothes to wear out in public because my belly hangs out of the bottom of most of my shirts now. I really don't leave the house anymore unless I'm going to the grocery store or over to my mom's to work. She lives closer to the hospital and it's nice to get a change of scenery every now and then. Roger and Charli enjoy their time together as well :)

In the next week, I have two weddings to attend. Yes, two weddings. The first one is tomorrow and it's at the Blanco courthouse so it's literally 2 minutes down the road. I think I'll survive that one. Chris' friend (who had the bachelor party in NOLA) is getting married.

The one I'm worried about is next Saturday. I'll either be 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant or I'll have a newborn with me. I know it's only a week difference and a little further away, but I'm kind of dreading it. One of Chris' best friends, Brandon, is getting married. They've been friends for the longest time and I've never met the guy, so I've been looking forward to this wedding. Chris is the best man in the wedding so I feel like I have to go, but I don't know how I'm going to be feeling at that point. It's hard to explain to Chris that I may be happier sitting on the couch than going to the wedding. Not because I don't want to go or I'm lazy, but because I will most likely be over 40 weeks pregnant and that just sucks.

I don't really like to be around people at this point because I'm large, uncomfortable and awkward. I just don't know.

I'm still working full time and they still haven't gotten my temp! Imagine if I had stayed at the office until that happened, haha. They have a 3rd temp starting on Monday. We'll see if I make it long enough to train her. I'm not too worried about that anymore, it's not really my responsibility anymore. I am glad to be working because otherwise I'd be going crazy with boredom and time would be passing a whole lot slower.

Hopefully my next blog will be welcoming Emily to the world! I can dream, right?

38 weeks, 4 days

Well, I forgot to take pictures again. During the 2nd trimester I was all about the weekly pictures because I felt so darn cute every day. Now, not so much. Judging by the breakout on my face I'm sure some people think I'm a pregnant 15 year old. It's wonderful. I'm starting to swell, albeit not noticeably but I feel like everyone can tell. My rings still fit, but they're snug. I'm hoping they'll last the next 2 weeks!

That being said, when I look in the mirror in the morning with my camera in hand, I usually think "umm, I'll take these later."

Other news:

The nursery is complete! Everything is hung, the little details are in place, this mama is very happy. Chris helped me finish it this weekend and it looks fabulous. I'll post some pictures later today.

The doctor said that I was 1.5cm dilated as of last Monday. I go back tomorrow, hopefully I'll show more progress by then. I'm so ready for this baby to come out. I know a lot of the "labor inducers" are old wives tales but I'm willing to try anything at this point. We have: walking, sex, eggplant parmesan, spicy food, pineapple, foot massage, raspberry tea, cold showers. Lastly, castor oil. I won't be trying that one.

Last night Chris and I went to the Blanco HS football field and walked around the track a few times. He jogged, I waddled, Roger romped. Good family fun time. Before we left, I decided to sweep and mop the floors. Don't worry, I took my time and did not overexert myself or bend over too much or anything else painful. It was actually pretty relaxing. Kind of sad how happy clean floors make me these days. After I cleaned up, I went to HEB, came home and started baking cookies.

The cookies aren't really a nesting thing. I promised my sister I'd send a package to her dorm a few weeks ago. I made cookies and ended up eating them. This time I kept reminding myself that they're not for me, they're for my sister. I even made some extra to send to my brother as well. Then I made dinner. It was a lot of standing and walking around all afternoon, so by the time we got to the track my back was killing me.

I thought walking would make it better. I was sooo wrong. We got home and I laid down on the couch. I couldn't get back up. I physically could not get up. It hurt SO bad. I managed to slowly get to my feet, and stood there hunched over and waddled to bed. I got zero sleep last night because my back and hips hurt so much. It's better this morning, but I am a little tired.

Chris keeps telling me he's glad I'm awake all night because I'm going to have to get up every time the baby cries. Because babies cry a lot. In the middle of the night. Who knew? He also mentioned that "if I think I'm not sleeping now, just wait until the baby is here." I think all of the other mamas I know will agree, please don't say this to a pregnant woman. Believe it or not, we are aware of life after pregnancy and we know we'll be tired. I love you, but say something like that to me again and I'll punch you.

Oh, lastly: stretch marks. They've arrived. They're ugly, but I'm accepting them as a necessary part of pregnancy. Let's not talk about what will happen if you point those out to me again. :)

Mine.

Roger loves his baby sister.

Full Term

Emily is full term this week! That means I'm ready for this little girl to come out now! My doctor told me she will only let me go 2 weeks past my due date... that's in a month! I could be induced the day after my due date (doctor thinks I'll be begging for it by then) but I'd like to give her more time to come out on her own. We'll see how I feel at that point if Emily hasn't shown up yet.

I've read that her growth will slow down now that she's full term. That's good news for me- I don't know how much bigger I can get! Some people have told me I look like I'm going to pop, and a lot of people keep telling me how small I am. I think I look about average? Aside from the back pain and heartburn, I still feel pretty good.

I'm feeling better about everything lately. Chris has been helping me calm down and I don't feel so stressed out today. He's been working overtime this weekend to make some extra money so we're not in a bind between maternity leave starting and my short term disability kicking in.

I'm finally working from home! Well, my mom's home. She lives 10 minutes from the hospital and has a faster internet connection. I'm also less distracted when I'm there. When I'm at my house, I want to clean up the house during my lunch break or wash a load of laundry while I'm waiting for a report to load. At my mom's house, I'm able to concentrate on work.

At my last appointment, the doctor told me that I'm 1cm dilated. Hooray progress! I go in again tomorrow for my (almost) 38 week appointment.


She has definitely dropped! Most of my shirts don't fit anymore because she hangs out of the bottom. Now we just have to wait! 18 more days!

Holy hurricane, batman.

I went back to work for one day this week. A hurricane hit the coast the day before and the storms finally made it to central Texas. Perfect day for a pregnant woman to drive an hour and a half away from her hospital.

I had to train my temp. That, my friends, is a blog for another day.

On the way to work, I was behind a school bus. I stayed back pretty far because there are CHILDREN on that bus and if I had to slam on my brakes I really don't want to slam into the back of a bus. Yes, it would hurt me more than anyone on the bus, but still. I know to stay back.
The car behind me with the bright ass halogen lights apparently does not know this rule. For 2 miles, they stayed right on my bumper, swerving back and forth to see if they could get around me. Did I mention it's raining so hard I can barely see the big yellow bus in front of me? I finally hit my brakes and pulled over. They happily passed me, flashed their hazards and proceeded to ride the school bus bumper another few miles.

I made it safely to work, attempted to train my temp and immediately wished I was anywhere but the office. This girl refuses to be taught and wants to just know what to do immediately. Anyway. The rain had stopped all day long. at 4:30, it started to pour again. Of course.

I got in my car and drove about 5mph through traffic. When traffic finally ended, I was able to get up to the breakneck speed of 30mph! By the time I got to Blanco, the sun was shining.

Chris and I drove around town and took pictures of the river running over the low water crossings, because that's what you do in a small town.