Rock-A-Bye Mommy

I thought I would drop a line telling everyone that I got rid of our comforter and replaced it with a thin coverlet. I have also been trying to rest and stay off my feet (TJ deserves credit for getting my water, handing me the laptop, grabbing me a snack, etc). I have been sleeping 10 times better while TJ on the other hand has been freezing his rear off!

Now if I could just fix the constant bathroom breaks!

35 wks!

TJ and I went to our 35 wk Dr. appt yesterday and it was great! When the nurse went to get Will's heartrate she put the gel on my stomach and started moving the device around which then made me look up at the TV thinking that I was getting a sonogram. When I realized that this was not a sonogram (I did not expect one this week but I guess just natually hit me when she put the gel on my stomach) I must have had a disappointed look on my face when I said "Ahh man, I was looking up at the TV thinking this was a sonogram" which the nurse then replied with "Well, he's in with another patient so we have time if you wanna take a look real quick."

YEAH!!!!

Soooo we got an unexpected sonogram which was a very nice suprise! Will is head down and he has plumped up so much from the last time I had seen him (10 wks ago) that I almost didn't recognize his little face. His cheeks have filled out and it looks like he has TJ's nose. :) We also got a picture of his little man sack which the nurse then showed to another nurse and the Dr. who called him a 'porn star'. LOL!!!! Apparently they are suppossed to be big and swollen so I guess it was good for me to find out before I am holding him and thinking something is wrong!
I measured 36 weeks (better than the 2wks big I measured last appt). Next Thursday we will have our long awaited 36 wks appt! We will have a sonogram where they will try to get a ballpark of his weight and height and then the Dr. will be checking my cervix to see what is going on there.

I am going to start putting my labor bag together this weekend. I have a checklist (shocker!) so should be able to throw it together pretty quickly. I think I might start filling out Will's baby book this weekend as well. I am really trying to stay off my feet and rest on the weekends but I have to force myself because I feel like I still have so much to do to get ready. I think part of that is just the unknown. I have been going off of checklist after checklist made by new moms trying to make sure I am prepared. I am sure that we will be just fine but the jitters are still there.

One thing I am really excited about this weekend though is my Austin Baby Shower! It will be Sunday and I will be sure to posts pics and tell you all about it! This should be a good weekend!

Serious case of the Mondays

So looks like I will not be getting another good night of sleep for the rest of my life. I have officially NOT been able to sleep for about a week now and it only seems to be getting worse. Between the using the restroom every hour, heartburn, sciatic pain, not ebing able to breathe and constant sweating I am able to get about an hour of rest at a time. I have been feeling completely exhausted and have not wanted to do anything but sit on the couch. On the same note, when I actually DO try to do something, for example Saturday I ran to Lowe's and Target for about an hour, I am worthless thereafter and have a hard time walking for the next 24 hrs. Looks like an hour of being on my feet is just way to much for my body to handle right now.

I am sitting at work right now polishing off a cup of coffee, feeling Will's hiccups and staring at my computer screen. If anyone could teach me how to sleep with my eyes open like the Marines I would appriciate it!

Countdown

Yesterday, we went up to the hospital to see the delivery room, nursery, and tour the rest of the hospital. I have to say, I'm getting really excited now. It's hard to not listen to all the advice, if that 's what you want to call it, and instructions to 'get as much sleep as you can,' and 'your life is about to completely change' and be excited. But after hearing that stuff for 6 months, I've tuned it out. Why do I never find myself getting overwhelmed with all comes with your first child? It's easy, people have been reproducing for thousands of years, so I'll go with my instincts.


I find myself wondering what Will will look like, how he'll act, and what he'll learn. That always leads me back to my childhood... what do I remember, what was I taught, how was I taught... and on and on. I'm starting to see why my Dad is as proud us all of us as he is.

Progress!

What a great weekend! TJ and I cleaned and worked on odds and ends around the house. We really got a lot done and helped me to figure out what we really have left to do before Will's arrival. I FINALLY started working on Will's room Saturday. Once I got started I was a like a madwoman to finish up everything I could. I was painting one minute, screwing something in the wall the next then back to painting. It was a lot of fun though and feel like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders (now if we can just work on this huge weight in my stomach)! I have been keeping inventory of what we have rec'd and what we still need. TJ's cousin, Samantha, gave me the BEST checklist so that has been a lifesaver! I carry it in my purse and really do not know what I would do without it. I need to be ready to make the run to Target & Babies-R-Us after all of the shower's to get the remaining items on my list. After the Austin baby shower on Aug 23rd, I will only have a month and realistically maybe 2 weeks if I have him early (seems to be the popular vote right now).

On another note, while TJ and I were cleaning out the guest bedroom closet, he ran across a VHS player. We could not wait to get done with the cleaning so we could watch our old home videos. Last night we watched some of TJ's high school basketball footage (don't ever ask him to make a free throw...lol), my inappropriate MTV dancing at age 5, Grandpa Malan cutting a rug at his retirement party (classic!) and finally TJ as a baby. He was the chunkiest thing you have ever seen but always had a big smile on his face no matter what kind of mischief he was up too! The videos were great and I after watching them made me realize that we are in for it!! :)

33 Wks!

Will's room so far...

Baby shower lunch with Heather, Brooke, Lyndi and Karlie

Boy, time sure has flown by! I cannot believe that I am only 7 wks away from being a Mama (maybe sooner). I still feel like I have a million things to do but I guess I will never feel completely 'ready'. I have been getting a bit nervous about the whole labor thing lately. You try not to think about it but when the inevitiable is staring you in the face it tends to make it's way into your thoughts. I know everyone says that the pain is 'all worth it' and 'you'll forget it as soon as he is born' but that honestly does not make me feel any better right now. Epidurial, epidurial.... okay, better now. :)

I had my first baby shower in Beaumont on July 23rd and it was awesome!!!! William sure loves his Aunt Shiny! TJ and I were both taken back at all the love and support we received. We could not stop talking about how good it felt to know we have such good family and friends that want to see us succeed in life. We both had a great time and enjoyed digging into all of the gifts! I could not wait to get home and go through everything. I divided it all into boxes (clothes, shoes, health, toys, blankets, etc) but that was about as far as I got. The baby room still needs some major attention from Mommy and maybe I will get around to it this weekend. I would like to get everything off the floor and in more of a permanent spot. Right now we only have the crib, as far as furniture goes, so it looks pretty bare. I'm sure once I throw some things on the wall that it will not feel so empty. I love going up there and thinking that this room will soon be full of life but I do not love the stairs to get up there!

I had my 33 wk Dr appt yesterday and everything looked great! I am measuring at 35 wks but the Dr was not concerned at all. He and the nurse said they were expecting me to measure big in the first place.

The nurse had some trouble getting Will's heart rate because he was moving around so much. I told her before she started that he knows when something is being pressed against my belly and he will start kicking. Let's jsut say he did not let Mama down! She asked if I was having a contraction or is he really moving that much. I told her to look at my belly and when she did her eyes got really big. We laughed the whole time she was trying to get his heart rate but she got a big kick out of it!

I will not get an estimate of how big he is until our 36 wk sonogram which will be on Aug 27th. Can't wait until then so I can see the little guy again!

Will's Website

21 wks

21 wks

25 wks

31 wks

Looks like it was about that time to get Will's website up and running since he will be here soon! We will be posting pictures and videos so everyone can keep up with our little man. This should be interesting so stay tuned!

Email to Family

So I am too impatient to wait and send pics of the room once it is complete so I wanted to send you guys pics of the room so far. Also, I am also too impatient to wait until I download the pics off of our camera tonight so I am sending the pics from my camera phone! J We worked our butts off this weekend around the house! Me, mom and Dyna painted on the baby room and put together crib while the guys worked on figuring out an a/c problem, fixed one of the garage doors, put up ceiling fans, fixed the bbq pit, and I am sure much more that I cannot remember right now. I have been sore as heck since Friday but it was worth it (don’t worry I rested yesterday and didn’t do a thing)!

Have a Dr.’s appt today but just my monthly checkup and then I start going every two weeks.

Email to Family and Friends

Here are some updated pics of me from last week... 25 wks along. Still have 15 more weeks to grow... I mean go. :)

TJ and I have painted the half bath, master bath and guest bath over the last two weeks. Still have to start the nursery but I think I'm about ready as the crib should be here this week. We have reorganized the kitchen cabinets and are working on organizing the pantry and the garage. That's about it though. We are just trying to get the house in order for the baby. Took this weekend off from house work and relaxed a bit. I bought Cru a 60 inch plastic baby pool yesterday and him and I sat in it and played for about an hour. He loved it but not sure if he loved it as much as I did! That was the first time I have been in the sun and it felt great! TJ's mom stopped by and I'm sure it was a sight to see my big ol' butt sitting in this baby pool in a bikini that really does not fit anymore!! LOL! Her eyes didn't bleed so I'll take that as a good sign!

I sit every evening after work with my shirt pulled up just watching my stomach move. It is so cool to watch him wiggle around in there!

TJ and I are taking our Newborn Care Class tomorrow and then our Childbirth Class around mid-July.

Well, that's it for now and I will try to keep on top of taking pictures each week so I can send them out.

Love you all!!!

Email to Family and Friends

We had our 21 wk sonogram yesterday and it was confirmed that we are having a boy! They made sure all vital organs had moved into their correct spot and that everything was functioning. The doctor said everything looks perfect and he looks like a healthy boy.

He was moving around nonstop again during the sonogram so I am sure that I am in for it as soon as he gets a little bigger and can kick a rib or something!!

We did get another DVD but I am still working on converting it over from an .ifo file. The video is pretty long (about 20 minutes) and majority of it is measuring the brain, spine, etc but there are some good moments of the little wiggle worm in between.

I have been feeling great still and have started to feel more and more movements each day it seems (maybe because as soon as I get home my hand is permanently attached to my stomach!). Looks like I am going to be all stomach from what I can tell so far. Due date is roughly 9/24 give or take a couple days. TJ and I are really excited and cannot wait to be Mommy and Daddy!!! I will try to either send some pics soon or get our website up and running so I can update everyone from there.