36 & 37 Week Updates

I'm still here and still pregnant, just in case you were wondering. I don't have a picture off hand. Sorry! I am seriously side-tracked lately! I owe you one, or two...

How far along?
I am 37 weeks and 6 days. Olive is full term and I have 15 days until my due date. Or do I?


You see, I have had two doctor's appointments since you have heard from me last. At my last one we officially set an induction date of September 7th! Yay! So, if I make it that far, I only have 9 more days! I go in on the evening of the 6th to start with a treatment (the name escapes me; it starts with a 'C') to thin my cervix. Then, we start Pitocin on the morning of the 7th. So, I feel kind of like I only have 8 days before we get this show on the road! :) I wouldn't be opposed to going into labor naturally though, even sooner...


Baby is the size of...
Dr. B mentioned again at the last appointment that she was "big." Every time she says that it scares me a bit. I sure hope she isn't too big and I can have her naturally, without really hurting myself! :{ I had a dream earlier this week that I had her naturally and she was 9 lbs 9 oz! We will see...I swear with all of this emphasis on size, she is going to be like 7 lbs or something completely average! haha.

Well, according to BabyCenter.com, she is the size of a "stalk of swiss chard" - whatever the heck that is! She is supposed to be still gaining an ounce a day and approximately half a pound each week. An average 37 week baby is 19 inches long and between 6 lbs and 7 lbs 10 oz.

Symptoms:
I have been feeling odd lately. The last two days I've just felt different. I wish that it meant labor was near; but, when you are this pregnant "near" has different meanings. You can have a sign that labor may begin soon, go into labor right away, or still have two weeks. The "signs" are never really that telling. So, I continue to wait. In fact, I'm kind of obsessing at this point. Although I kind of complained about Heath having classes and running around all the time, at least it kept my mind busy! Now, I just sit and wait and anticipate, and am SO READY already...

Things that I've been experiencing that could possibly be signs that labor is near (but could also mean nothing....ugh):

-  Several, several Braxton-Hicks contractions - they are getting pretty painful at times too.
-  Nausea
-  Frequent, loose bowel movements
-  Dizziness/Light headed-ness
-  Exhaustion
-  Lightening (my doctor said she had dropped; she feels like a bowling ball between my legs!)

All of those have other explanations and I haven't had any totally obvious signs yet. I am still waiting.

Anything new?
I've kind of gone over all the new stuff already. But, I wanted to add that at my last two checks I had no progress. I am not dilated at all and I am not effaced. So, in layman's terms that means that my cervix hasn't stretched, thinned, or widened...boo. My doctor did say, in an encouraging tone, "You are soft though and the head is definitely down!" I guess I can celebrate the little victories then.

My next doctor's appointment is this Thursday; so, I will let you know if there is any more progress. Almost 38 weeks!

New with Heath?
He has been playing super dad the last few weeks. He has really allowed me the rest that I need. I am so appreciative. He and Lucy, who are usually pretty inseparable, have been even more so lately. I seriously anticipate some jealousy issues when Olive arrives, particularly with daddy. Everyone else? Meh...

The other night, Lucy ended up in our bed again to sleep. Heath laid on his pillow, facing the outside of the bed. I told Lucy to roll over and close her eyes. She rolled over on Heath's pillow, sharing it with him, facing the same direction, and swung her arm around him. It was adorable. But, there I was, with Olive...left to do my own thing. Foreshadowing? I think so.

New with Lucy?
She goes into Olive's room a lot. In fact, we sometimes shut the door, or block it off with a baby gate. She plays with her stuff, or she will take Olive's stuff out of her room and put it in her own. I feel like I am constantly picking up after her; so, it's easier to just block it off for now.

She also won't stop playing with Olive's swing. I imagine that we will have to tell her not to assist the swing by pushing. She gets a little too excited and carried away. But, overall, I'm excited that she is so interested in babies and the baby items.

Also, she told DayCare the other day that her tummy hurt. Then, she proceeded to pull up her shirt, point at her belly, and say, "Olive kickin'." :) She also tells us the same thing, "Sister kickin'." :)

Anything else?
Well, as some of you have seen on Facebook, two ladies that were due around the same time as me had their babies already. I am jealous. One of them, who said she was also having a "big" baby had a 7 lb, 6 oz baby. I thought that was funny. I tell you Olive is probably going to be little after all! haha. The other woman, who is a reader of this very blog, :) had a 10 lb 13 oz baby. Now, that, I would consider big! :)

Last thing - my sister-in-law had a dream that I had the baby too. She said that Heath emailed everyone to let them know. Haha. It made me laugh. She told Heath, "Don't do that, okay?" Haha. Well, if this is like my last pregnancy, you can watch Facebook for updates. Heath posted statuses the whole time! Keep an eye on his account for breaking news! :)

Talk to you soon. Happy hump day!

"Say you're sorry!"

As we try to teach Lucy the difference between acceptable behavior and unacceptable, it gets kind of tough. We recently found ourselves saying, "Lucy - say you are sorry!" a lot. I mean a lot.

Lucy hits Chico. "Lucy - say you are sorry!"

Lucy throws food on the floor and I have to pick it up, "Lucy - say you are sorry!"

Lucy steals a toy from another child. We make her give it back. "Lucy - say you are sorry!"

It goes on and on. Then, I recently read in a BabyCenter.com article that we shouldn't be doing that. She isn't really learning or understanding the point behind saying you're sorry. They recommended that we apologize for her.

Lucy hits Chico. "Lucy is very sorry for hitting you, Chico."

Lucy throws food on the floor and I have to pick it up, Heath will say, "Mommy - Lucy is very sorry that she threw that."

Lucy steals a toy from another child. "Lucy is very sorry for stealing your toy."

At first, she gave us weird looks when we would do it. Then, she started to echo us. As soon as we would apologize for her, she would apologize too.

Now, after only 1 1/2 weeks of trying this, she is apologizing on her own! :)  I realize the smiley face is bittersweet. Yes - she is apologizing on her own. But, she is doing bad things to have to apologize for. Oh well, it's the little victories!

I just had to share our little victory with you all too. It certainly made a difference and I think she is starting to understand the meaning more.

Her Name Will Be...

We have had it picked out for over a year now.
Heath and I love "Olive." We think it is so cute and it compliments Lucy. Don't believe me? Well, then trust BabyCenter.com:

Here is some more information about the name "Olive":

The rank is #272 in the United States right now. However, it has become more popular, having been almost #1,000 in the 1950s. The origin is Latin and the meaning is, well, an olive. It is a form of "Oliver."

I'll cut to the chase and tell you that many of my family members don't like it. In fact, some of my family members openly despise the name. But, then again, my dad hated "Lucy" and it has now grown on him. :) They have been pushing us toward "Olivia" or calling her "Liv." Naming her "Olivia" is out of the question; it is far too popular for me. If they want to call her "Liv," so be it.

At the end of the day, I love you dad, and many others,...but, Heath and I love the name. And, I read this quote on Pinterest that explained it best...

That is so true. Dad - we never were a family that gave much of a damn what people thought about our decisions in life; why start now? :)

So, "Olive" it is...unless this baby shows off a previously hidden penis at our next ultrasound. Haha.

Baby Girl Names

Just to be mean, I am going to hold off one more day to tell you what we are planning on naming Baby Girl #2. :)  But, I thought I would do a post on the names we had considered. I am kind of breaking my own code here, by giving my favorite names to people. However, I don't foresee having to name another baby girl in the future...I say that; but, you never know! ;)

When naming girls, we like several names. We have always had an abundance of girl names. Some we liked for a while and for one reason or another we don't anymore. Some we have always liked, but just not enough. Some I like and Heath doesn't...that happens a lot (especially with boy names - we never seem to agree!).

So, without further adieu, here are some of the names we had considered, or at least I did, when naming a baby girl.  And, I must mention our actual pick is not on here. :) Evil, I know.

These were in-case-we-have-twins names (haha). I have also listed their popularity rank from BabyCenter.com:

I Like and Still Do
Violet (#68)
Hattie (#1,051)
Molly (#57)
Marnie (#4,384)
Elizabeth (#25)
Charlotte (#14)
Layla (#33)
Scarlett (#48)

Liked at One Time
Bree (#961)
Zoey (#22)
Gabby (#711)
Elle (#213)

I'll admit too. The name "Aurora" is growing on me, since that is the name of Lucy's baby doll (#158). It makes it easy to imagine a baby Aurora in the house. haha.

The fact that we liked some names and no longer do is scary to me. What if we would have named a child that and then later on wished it would have been something else? Eek! Oh well, I guess when you have a feeling, you have a feeling! :)

I feel pretty good and confident about our name though. Hopefully I will share it tomorrow.... ;)

13/14 Week Update

Wonder where I was? I was in Texas for work. I'm back now though and hopefully back on the ball! Here is the weekly update! :)


How far along?
I am just now 14 weeks; however, I was too busy to do week 13. So I'm mixing them.


Baby is the size of...
A lemon (according to BabyCenter.com); according to my bump, it's much larger... ;)

Symptoms:
The sleepiness is finally subsiding! Thank goodness. I no longer feel like passing out at 5 pm. I am still a little weaker than usual and tend to get light-headed when I move quickly. I have been trying to drink plenty of water and snack throughout the day to make it better. I have also been getting headaches a lot; but, I have been stressing out at work and I think the two may be related...

I am starting to feel the pulling, stretching, and the aching of a growing uterus/belly/baby. :) It is comforting sometimes, but mostly uncomfortable. I'll take it.

I was super rough on my body this past week, traveling. I was not getting enough sleep, eating fast food, lifting heavy bags, running through the airport, stressing about work...I just pray that it is still too early for all of that to make a big difference. I am now ready to rest for the next 26 weeks! :)

Anything new?
We got to hear the heartbeat last week! :) It was, like always, amazing. I simply cannot get enough of it. It brings the realization of a blessing and a miracle to reality. Heath and I are constantly asking each other, "Can you believe that we made a person? A human being?!" I look at Lucy and try to tell myself, "There is one of those in my stomach..." Weird! Crazy! Bizarre! Miraculous!

Dr. B did take quite a while to find the heartbeat, which scared me something awful. I just laid there and prayed that she would find it. It felt like forever! But, she found it and said it sounded great! :) I figure I have a lot more between the monitor and the baby this time...so, that was probably the issue. :)


The heartbeat is one of those pregnancy milestones that I yearn for. I can't wait for the ultrasound in April! Exciting things are on our horizon.

New with Heath?
I'll have to ask him. I don't think much. He is still overwhelmed from having to take care of Lucy alone for three days. Although, I think he got a lot of help from Aunt Honey...

He has been asking to see my stomach more. I think he is trying to convince himself that it is real. With the second one, you have less time to obsess over it. We are too busy trying to harness Lucy.

Lucy?
We took her to the doctor's appointment with us. It was a bit of a hassle; however, it was kind of neat to share it with her. Dr. B included Lucy a lot and told her that the thumping was the baby's heartbeat  - her baby brother or sister. Lucy just grimaced, in confusion.

I continue to tell her that she can't jump on me or sit on my stomach, because there is a baby in there. She is still confused and has started to pull up her own shirt and tell DayCare that she has a baby in her belly too.

We did the Lucy gender test this weekend though. Let me explain. :) When my friend was pregnant, we held up two baby dolls. One was a boy baby doll and the other was a girl. I asked Lucy to pick the baby that my friend was going to have. Lucy picked the boy. And, well, my friend had a beautiful baby boy about 4 months later! :)  So, this last weekend I did the same. She picked the girl doll...time will tell the accuracy of the Lucy gender test. :)

Anything else?
I recently had a dream about having the baby. It was a girl. I don't read much into those dreams though. With Lucy I kept having dreams about having a boy. And once, I had a dream that I had twin boys. So, my motherly intuition is pretty inaccurate. I was telling Heath about the dream though. We named the baby Audrey. Weird, huh? It's so weird, not because of the name itself; but, we have never once considered 'Audrey' as a baby name. Also, I don't even know where I got that! I don't know anyone named Audrey, at all. Perhaps I saw it on television?


Well, have a wonderful weekend all. Enjoy this beautiful weather. I sure wish I could sit down and relax with a Sonic, vanilla, diet coke, and a hot dog smothered in sauerkraut. :( Darn pregnancy diet...

Week 12 Update

How far along?
I am twelve weeks and 1 day today. Only 195 more days...

Baby is the size of a...
lime (according to BabyCenter.com) 

Symptoms:
For the most part, I am tired. That seems to be the one that is most prevalent. I am tired all the time. I told Heath that I feel like I use all of my energy at work and then when I get home, I'm bushed!  I was tired with Lucy, but it only lasted a few weeks. This time, I could nap at the drop of a hat. If I laid my head on my desk at work, especially in the afternoon, I'd be out. I seriously go to sleep every night at 9 pm, which is unheard of for me.

Heath asked me if I wanted to go to the movies and he followed that up with, "if you don't fall asleep during the movie!"

Additionally, although the nausea has long passed, I have food aversions. It isn't anything specific (except chicken broth! Gross!); I just randomly get grossed out by stuff, like Lucy's pizza the other night. It smelled awful.

And, finally, the last one, which is odd for me. I get light-headed and shaky sometimes. I feel like my blood sugar is low or something. It happens a lot in the afternoon and when I eat a snack, it gets better. So, I am having to snack a lot. It probably will mean more weight gain in the end. :(  I am drinking lots of water though!

Anything new?
My dress pants are becoming too tight in the waist. Thank goodness that seems to be the only place, as of now anyway. I really need to get my belly bands out of storage!

I have a doctor's appointment next Friday! I am excited; we should get to hear the baby's heart beat! I can't wait. I can wait, however, for the blood that they will have to take. :( Boo.

New With Heath?
He is still being very good about pampering me. He is such a good daddy and hubby. :) We are fortunate. I told him that he will be sick of me before the next 28 weeks are up. :)  He has been on a mission to find baby names that we like and has asked family members for their input. Perhaps I will take a poll or something in the future...

Lucy?
She is completely oblivious. We try to tell her that their is a baby in my tummy and she looks at us like we are crazy. It's to be expected. All she cares is that she is getting a new room. Or, in her mind, she probably thinks that she is getting two rooms now. :) I know though, from the way she plays with my nephew, she will love a playmate!


Anything else?
 I hope to include photos with my future posts; but, I forgot to get it this week. Sorry! You would have been shocked anyway. My tummy is shockingly big for 12 weeks. :{ Prepare you minds for next week!


Happy Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm Loving...

...that it is Wednesday. I know I use the phrase "hump day" a lot. But, I seriously do mean it. We are officially on the down-ward slope of the week. Come on Friday!

...this cartoon that was sent out on a BabyCenter.com email. It completely sums up what I'm feeling about the pregnancy (except, almost three missed cycles).

...that my Houston trip for work is almost here. I kind of dread the idea of traveling alone. :{ But, traveling is always fun, and I seriously am excited about the conference.

...Lucy is getting so big! Yes - it is bitter sweet. I don't want her to get so big; but, I can't wait to do all these fun things with her! :) She understands so much!


...that I still have a lot of my favorite shows on DVR. It makes the week in television last longer. :)

...that someone else appreciates me reading at night, other than Lucy.

...that spring seems to be approaching. I am slowly letting go of any winter weather wishes. :( I wanted to have just one snow day. Darn. But, if spring is coming, then bring on the rain.

...sleep. Seriously, I can't get enough. I want to sleep all the time! This pregnancy is way more sleepy than anything else...as of yet.

...that Lucy's big girl room is coming together; although, it is all coming together in piles in the den.

...of course my baby Lucy.

...my wonderful hubby, who brought me peanut M&Ms yesterday.

...my wonderful family, friends, and readers.

What are you loving this leap day?

The Winds are Changing

The Lucy household is in for some changes in the coming months. We are approaching the age of potty training and binkie removal. I cringe as I type those.

Potty training? I assume it is a lot harder than it seems. I, for one, have always been that person who would be shocked when older children weren't potty trained and would ask other people, "Shouldn't they be potty trained by now?"

Now, I just might have been putting my foot in my mouth all of that time.

I'm nervous.

What if Lucy has a hard time with it? What if it takes forever? She is in daycare, as you know, so the consistency will be a little difficult. And, to be honest, TMI, she has become a little inconsistent in the timing of messy diapers.

I've been told by several people:

"It isn't a big deal."
"Girls are easier than boys."
"I had mine potty trained before they were ___(insert unbelievably early age here)__."

It is a lot of pressure. I just don't want to start too early or start too late. Because according to my Granny, a cousin of mine was started too early, was potty trained for a while, and then reverted back to messing her pants. (haha - no, it wasn't Hannah.)

BabyCenter.com says that you shouldn't start until they are at least 18 months; but, people keep asking me when we are starting and why we haven't started yet. :{ I have to sadly say...I'm a "going by the book" kind of gal, for the most part. I was the youngest in my family, so I didn't really get to experience all of this stuff first hand. All I have are the answers from different mothers (which are always different), or references, like my doctor, BabyCenter.com, or What to Expect....

For Lucy's 18 month "birthday"? She is getting a big'ol potty chair. :) If for nothing else, then to sit on...naked. :)

We'll see how it goes. I'll be sure to let you know how hard or easy the transition is for Lucy and us. Watch - it will be really easy and then our next child will be super difficult (as my mom claimed it was with my sister and me).

As for binkie removal? Ugh...we really need to start weaning her. We've been trying. In fact, a couple of nights ago, I almost put her to bed without it! When I gave it to her, I realized that she hadn't had it the entire night! It was a small achievement. :) Perhaps it will be easier than we thought too...

My biggest worry with it? Is that we use it for this:

Is that awful? haha. Heath calls it "the plug."

Screaming in the grocery store? Oh, just get "the plug."

If you are interested in this particular pacifier, they sell it on Amazon.com for a decent price. :) I think it's great. haha.

The winds are changing...I just don't know if I want to put up my sail up yet or not. :{

I'm a Statistic!

To be honest, I don't mind it too much. I can handle being a statistic.  It happens to the best of us.

Well, I have been encouraged to do a post about this for about a month now and I just wasn't quite sure what I wanted to say yet, without having a complaint session.  So, here it goes....be forewarned.

What's the statistic you ask? According to BabyCenter.com, 85% of women are about 5 lbs or heavier on their baby's first birthday, than what they weighed before they got pregnant.

I can't be for certain that those are the exact stats without looking it up; but, I remember reading it aloud to Heath and saying, "That's me!"

Is it awful that I take comfort in this statistic? That it makes me feel less bad about still carrying around those 5 lbs?  In my case, it is really about 6.5 lbs...depending on if you go by the doctor's office scale or mine at home. I used to judge my weight on how my clothes fit and that was all. And, now-a-days, I am getting even better at that!  My body has changed and I am losing weight differently than I ever have.  Having Lucy was life changing in more ways than one...

As I have mentioned before, I gained a whopping 54. 6 pounds with Lucy!  I basically stopped all physical activity and ate whatever the heck I wanted, plus a sausage croissant more!  I paid for it too. I was the biggest I've ever been and the biggest I hope I'll ever be (fingers crossed!). I tried to stay active, somewhat, by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking far away, that kind of stuff; but, wow breathing is so much more difficult when you are pregnant!  I even tried to do some pregnancy yoga and got too light headed; so, I quit that too. :( I got to a point where the most activity I would have was walking from the bed to the bathroom a hundred times a night.

I didn't really have a plan after I had Lucy, on how to lose weight. I was too busy thinking about Lucy. I knew that I would somehow get back to 'normal' - ha.  I laugh at the word 'normal' because it is non-existent. This is the new normal!

I still ate pretty normal while I was breastfeeding. I didn't want to cut my calories too much.  Then, when I stopped breastfeeding, I went hardcore dieting. I went back on Weight Watchers, which I had some success in the past with. (In college, I gained like 15 pounds and somehow went on WW and lost 20, in 2 months!)

I then started to exercise. My sister-in-law told me about kickboxing classes held at our local wellness center. I said, "What the hey!?" And, started them.  It kicked my butt by the way...they still do, twice a week!

The pounds came off pretty quickly after that. I was motivated and somehow got down, a mere 11.5 pounds from my goal - in just 5 months!  My gallbladder surgery helped me lose another 5 lbs...which I know, I know, isn't the healthiest way to lose weight. But, I'll take it!

My old clothes fit. My jeans fit again. Diet motivation? See ya!

I got to where I was only working out, toning my now-somewhat-existent-muscles, and eating pure crap (pizza, bosco sticks, mac & cheese, chips). I was eating whatever I wanted, just in small to medium portions. What this did for me was, keep me in the same place on the scale. I was stuck. Scratch that...I am stuck.

I am hoping with some spring weather that I will start running outside more, which I really enjoy. Sometimes on the treadmill I can't escape my own mind. I start thinking about wanting to quit and how much it hurts, or how much farther I need to go. Outside, I am relieving stress and I can physically see my progress flying past me. :)

The bad part about spring? The weather is nice and I want to get out of the house more. Going out to eat is more appealing, as is cooking out (hotdogs, polish sausage, and potato chips!).

Anyway, enough with the excuses. Kickboxing is going to be offered this summer; so, I have no reason to become unmotivated. And, I just have to get back to my previous weight before Heath and I consider having more children.  What happens is moms don't lose the 5 lbs and then have another. Then, they have 10 lbs, and if they have another....well, you get the picture.

In the mean time, I want to stay positive - celebrate the good things!  Like: I have come a long way. Although I have been 'stuck' for months now, at least I'm not gaining!  And, I have been wanting to put together some 'Biggest Loser' type comparisons for a long time now. So, here they are...everyone loves a good comparison!

Far left: After my first weight loss, of 20 lbs.
Middle left: 14 weeks pregnant, and 1 lb down, due to morning sickness
Middle right: 11 weeks after having Lucy, in my friend wedding (I was so chubby for her wedding! I feel like I ruined all of her photos!)
Far right: This was last November, 6.5 lbs to go!

 

Left: The day before I found out I was pregnant

Middle: Again, at my friend's wedding, 11 weeks after having Lucy

Right: Again, me in November, 6.5 lbs to go

Looking at those pictures makes me realize how far I've come! I didn't realize I was so big at the time. I just knew I wanted to lose.  When Heath, Lucy, and I watched a video of the day she was born Heath said, "Lucy, look at how much weight mommy has lost!"

Thanks hun......thanks a lot.....haha.

What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare

Now, I must say right away that I love Shakespeare. And, I love Romeo & Juliet.  And, yes, my lust for Leonardo DiCaprio only reinforces the situation.

I am a sucker for a 'smooth talker.' 

My husband on the other hand is not so favorable of the author. He complains that ol'Billy Shakes is too wordy and a whole lot of complicated. Perhaps it is the little princess in me that imagines a fairy tale where 'it is the East, and I am the sun.'  Either way, I love it.

If Lucy were called by any other name, would she be the same?

Lately, I started wondering about name meanings and if it has an impact on parents naming their children. We didn't really consider the meaning of 'Lucy' when we named her.  Nor, did we look up the meaning of her middle name, 'Jean.'  All we knew was I loved Lucille Ball, Jean was both of our mothers' middle names, and we thought it was adorable. :)

According to BabyCenter.com:
Lucy - meaning light
Jean - meaning God is gracious

I like those. I could see myself picking those for meaning as well. But, again, we didn't.  And, I sure hope mine and Heath's parents didn't pick names based on meaning!

Cori - meaning from the Hollow
Heath - meaning wasteland

Okay, so Heath's is worse than mine. But, it is obvious they just went with what sounded good.

What does your child's name mean?  Did you base your decision off of that meaning?  Will you do things differently with future children?

Happy Birthday Lucy!

A year ago, today, at 1:12 pm, I welcomed my little, beautiful girl into the world. I can hardly say that I really 'welcomed' her. I think the first thing I said to her, or rather at her, was, 'Oh my god!' But, nonetheless, that was when I saw her sweet face for the first time. My heart melted...

It all started about 36 hours before, in the early, early morning hours of February 6, 2010. I woke up from the recliner to make another trip to the restroom. I felt a little odd. It didn't feel like Braxton-Hicks at all. It stung a little. It was a sharp pain...kind of like (forgive me) painful gas; but, this was deep in my pelvis. It was kind of like a menstrual pain or cramp (the triple 'P' for those of you close to me... ;D). I decided to bust out my pregnancy app. on my iPod and time the pains. Yep, about every 9 or 10 minutes I would have them. So, I woke Heath up at around 1:30 am and told him that I thought I just might be having contractions. What did I know, though? I hadn't ever felt a contraction before!

We had learned from our Birthing Classes, 'What to Expect when Expecting,' and BabyCenter.com that first time mothers can be in labor for hours. And, they should go about a pretty usual routine until the contractions are closer. So, I went back to sleep. It surprisingly wasn't that hard to do.

I woke up again at about 7 am. They were getting more prominent - not that they hurt more, I was just able to feel it better. I again woke Heath up and he started to time them. It was about every 7 to 8 minutes. I was just still not convinced that I was having contractions. I waited about an hour and called my mom.

"What do contractions feel like? This is a sharp pain. I don't know what I was expecting; but, they are sharper than what I imagined."

"Yeah, they are. You are probably right; they are contractions," she said calmly.

I decided to prepare then. I got around, ate cereal (Kix to be exact), took a shower, the usual. I even had plenty of pain-free time to fix my hair. The hospital was surprised when I came in with makeup on and my hair done. But anyway, it wasn't too long after noon that my mom and sister came over to hang out with me.

I spent the entire day laying around, walking our stairs, timing contractions, bouncing on our exercise ball, getting my back rubbed, and being anxious. Would she ever come?!

Finally at 9 pm that night, when my contractions were still more than 5 minutes apart, we called and asked if we could come in. The hospital warned me that I may have to come back home; but, that was alright. We knew we wouldn't be able to sleep anyway and I didn't want to have to rush to the hospital. So, we headed out. It even started to snow flurry on us on the way there.

About 10 minutes out from the hospital, my contractions started to move from semi-uncomfortable to painful.

After arriving, checking in, changing, and walking a ton of stairs, I was still only about 2 cm dilated; but, they allowed me to stay. Yay! :) That stair walking had done it though. By midnight I was having very painful contractions.

Overnight was a blur...I mentioned it in another blog post.

After some pain meds, the epidural, my doctor breaking my water, and an ultrasound to make sure Lucy wasn't breach, it was finally time to push. This part was not at all what I expected. I pushed for an hour and a half! It was not like the movies where it is 1, 2, 3, there she is! It was like push....okay lets wait for the next contraction....hmm, so what did you miss doing while you were pregnant? We seriously had lots of conversations in between pushes. My doctor cringed at hearing how excited I was to be able to tan again. :{ But, we bonded over dyeing our hair. :)

Finally, finally, she said, "One more contraction and we will have a baby."

I regret it now; but, when I pushed, I squeezed my eyes closed, real tight. Next thing I knew, Lucy was on my chest. Note to self: keep your eyes open with your next child.

We wiped her off and cried, and cried. It took about 10 minutes before anyone checked to see if she was actually a little girl! haha. I just squeezed her and held her so tight.

Once you have a child, you will never be the same. That is the absolute truth. She has turned my world upside down. And, although parenting is hard; I wouldn't change a thing!

I can't believe how wonderful she is.

I can't believe she is mine.

I can't believe it has been a year.

Happy Birthday Lucy Jean! I love you more than words!

Mommy Confessions and Possible Ramblings

I’ve decided that I’m my own worst critic. I judge my ‘mothering’ skills way more than anyone else does – or so I think. Although, I did offer to change Lucy’s diaper at Daycare the other day (since she went while I was holding her) and the one woman stood next to me the whole time I changed it. I completely felt like I was in some type of diaper changing contest. I think I only scored a 5 on speed and maybe a 6 on technique. It was crazy how it had me all sorts of rattled. I know it seems stupid, but I am a first-time mother. I can’t help but question myself around ‘older’ moms.

On with my story……

I often visit BabyCenter.com and enjoy the different facets of their site; it was a great lunchtime visit when I was pregnant. They have this one area of polls where moms confess their ‘bad’ techniques and other moms ‘vote’ to admit whether they too had done it. Basically, it makes you feel less guilty when you see that 86% of other moms do it too!

Last night, was a Lucy and mommy night. Heath has been hanging out with his sister’s boyfriend lately. They are on a men’s, slow-pitch softball team. I don’t ask a lot of questions; I just allow the man time he needs. So, it leaves Lucy and me alone for nights of bonding. She wasn’t awake for very long after he left though. Once I laid her down, I quickly grabbed her video monitor, my bottle of water, and a snack. I made my own little ‘veg station’ in our living room, with the Chihuahuas curled up next to me. I had hooked the computer up to the TV and I was officially ready to watch numerous episodes of ‘Greek’ on hulu.com.

I think I watched three episodes before I thought I should peel myself off the couch. That darn show is so addictive (I recommend it to anyone though! :)). I, then, thought I would hurry and clean up before Heath got home and he saw that I was a slug all evening. I cleaned up the living room, got rid of the lazy evidence, and took several items to their rightful homes. The dishes went to the sink, my kicked off sandals went to the bedroom, and my snack wrappers went to the bottom of the trashcan. Alright, I’m lying; I couldn’t hide the finished off box of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch!

It seemed everything was in place – time to nab the laptop and settle into my new lazy spot in the bedroom. Oops, one more stop; the dogs have to go to the bathroom. Hurry up, Chico! Jeez, doesn’t he know that I have some valuable Greek to be watching. We finally made our way to the bedroom; “elevator!” I call to them while standing next to the bed. They know that this means I will pick them up and put them on the bed. They “‘take the elevator”, haha – our family is just corny like that! ;)

I was ready for another episode! I had all my essentials….wait…Lucy. I glanced around the room. Are you kidding me? No monitor. I remembered my water bottle, hair ties, sandals, a magazine, the laptop, the Chihuahuas, and I forgot about Lucy. I left her video monitor in the living room. Wow. I immediately felt guilty. How could I get so wrapped up in television and cleaning that I forgot about Lucy? I felt and still feel so guilty about it. How could I let her leave my mind, even if it was for a second?

I keep telling myself that it is alright. It means that I am finally comfortable and feel like she is safe in her crib, alone. Lots of people don’t even have monitors. I could have heard her if she would have started crying, so it isn’t like she was necessarily ‘unsupervised.’ Are these just excuses to justify bad behavior? I can’t help but doubt myself. Once again – first time mother here people!

At least I didn’t got to Paris for the holidays with the rest of my family and leave her at home, alone. ;) Okay, okay, I better end this post before the corniness gets too out of control!