Pretty uneventful day. The baby kicked a couple more people today, so we added Jessica and Angie to the "We got kicked by the baby" Club on the Milestones page.

It seems that she isn't kicking as predictably lately or for as long either. She used to go on marathon sessions, but now she sometimes seems to stop before people can feel her going at it.

My countdown timer is officially at single digits now!!!!! Looks like 9 days until my due date --- AND COUNTING!!!!

I work with a guy who's sister was due a couple days after me. He got a call that her water broke tonight! It's her second baby I think, so it makes sense that she went a LITTLE early, but it still makes me a little nervous knowing it can be any time now.

It will be interesting to hear if she makes it to October or if she delivers before midnight tonight, as it sounds like she'll be right on that September/October fence if she labors about 3 hours after her water broke.

Long day today...

Last night Sydney started shaking her head, so I had to figure out how to get her to the vet when I was supposed to be at work.

We decided to take her to the groomers for a bath while she waited for the vet to open. That way, I didn't have to go in to work too late just waiting for the vet to open.

When I got there, I learned that they were open till 9pm, so there would be no problem picking her up after work. However, the woman that happened to be at the vet's office early today said they can't walk her or give her food! I didn't think of that before we left the house, so the thought of her sitting in a kennel having to pee and being very hungry all day almost made me cry! (Is that pregnancy hormones or am I always like that about Sydney???)

Anyway, I worked something out and then picked her up before the end of the day, so she wasn't even there all day anyway.

The other thing that got me today was leaving Joey all alone! I realized as I was taking Syd out, that Joey had never been left ALL alone before and she was FREAKING OUT!!! Rather than come home to her eating holes in walls (again) or eating my cabinets, I gave her a Kong full of peanut butter.

Sure, that's going to probably give her the runs, but that's easily fixed compared to missing walls and cabinet doors!

Am I a bad mom for taking the easy way out on that one????

Ok, so it wasn't much baby news today, but I don't want Nonnie to worry about me if I don't write today. I heard from one of the pregnancy sites that stalking the pregnant lady will become a popular sport before I know it if I don't deliver on time. hahaha!!!

We saw the doctor again today and she said she thinks the baby's head is dropping into my pelvis. She wasn't positive by what she could feel on my belly, so she got the ultrasound machine and verified that she was feeling her butt at the top of my abdomen. That would indicate that her not being able to feel the head anymore means it's dropped.

So, looks like one more milestone down on the way to the delivery room.

She still stands by her "first time mothers are usually a week late" theory, so I'm still working and doing my best to get things all set for my team to take over when I go. I figure the more time I spend at work, the more time I have with the baby after she's born. Plus I do NOT want to come back before the holidays are over, so I must make it to October at least! :)

It's never been fun to work through the holidays, so I can't imagine it will be any better doing so while missing my little baby for the first time.

Marti said that they have a pool going at work to guess my due date. One side is the date and the other is time of day with weight as the tie breaker. I think that is soooo funny!!!! If they keep it behind the bar, I'll have to go take a picture of it for this site later.

Marti took today off work on a whim, and so did I. It turns out we have a couple of appointments to get things taken care of (not baby stuff!!!!) so it worked out great.

I'm feeling crampy as of the last week or so, and it makes me wonder what's going on down there. I think it's starting to dilate a little, but we won't know that for sure. It's just my gut feeling on it.

We see the doctor on Wednesday - maybe she'll know what it means, if anything. I don't know what I expect. I mean, I'm due in 2 weeks!!! What's she going to say? "Your body is getting ready to have a baby."

I guess I don't need her to tell me that at this point! :)

Marti was a sweetheart and made us dinner last night. I was nesting like an animal upstairs and came down to grilled lamb chops and asparagus ready to eat. I wasn't hungry, but I ate my dinner and even a candy bar later(left over from Jessica's shower still!).

With all the stuff around this house right now, it's a good thing I don't have to go to work today. We have a bunch of big boxes to break down and stuff to find places for. I know what I'm doing today!

Oh, and 1,000 thank you notes for all the cool stuff we got at the shower this weekend!!!

Busy, busy!

The shower was fun! Mom and Beryl (and Ron!) made appetizers and stuff for everyone to eat. It seemed like there were a lot of people there, but I think it was more gifts than people. hahaha!!

Charlee and Travis helped pass presents over to me so I could open them and Marti helped by writing down what we got so we can remember what cam from whom later.

Amazingly, other than a lot of clothes (that we've been working on since the beginning) we didn't get any duplicates, so we didn't have to return anything.

There were actually so many gifts that we missed a couple in the confusion. When we got home, I was sorting through it all and found a couple of cards and a present that didn't look familiar. Turns out it must have gotten shuffled over to the "opened" pile before its time.

There were some games at the shower and they were short and sweet. Beryl and Mom gave everyone a cup of water with a baby in an ice cube and the first one to melt wins. Stuart won that round when his "water broke."

Then there was the beer drinking from baby bottles. I think I got a few good pictures of that one! Tony won.

After that, Everyone got a chance to guess how big around I've gotten. Diane tried reading my mind and went 10 (then TWENTY) inches over. hahaha! Marti played it safe and guessed under. (sweet man!) Luckily the few that guessed the same didn't win and have to split the prize. Tony won.

Then Mom and Beryl chose a random number as I was opening presents. Turns out they chose 13. The thirteenth present to be opened won it's giver a prize. Tony won.

We all told Tony he needed to go buy a lottery ticket on his way home. hahaha!!!!

We managed to get all the presents home in one trip because Marti thought to drive the Explorer instead of the Honda. (smart man!)

Then today we went shopping and got all kinds of odds and ends (and a stroller/car seat/carrier combo) for the baby. As I was unpacking and assembling everything, Marti went to Costco and bought all the diapers and wipes he could find. hahaha!!!!

That room is PACKED!!!! I think we're as ready as we can ever be. All we need now is that baby!

Tomorrow is the baby shower! After that, we will go shopping Sunday for any odds and ends we still need. We're pretty well set already, so it will be nice to finalize everything.

I stopped by the store today after having dinner with Sandy (and Stuart and Jim & Diane) for her birthday. I got some popsicles, lip balm, and breath strips for the delivery. I was unable to locate the suckers the nurse recomended, but we'll either have to do without or get them later if I REALLY really need them.

Baby's still pushing HARD on my belly, but not as frequently (or more so, CONSTANTLY) as she was before when it was driving me insane.

Maybe she's getting cramped and wants out? I'm at 38 weeks now, so it wouldn't be unheard of. Denise's sister had her baby the day of her shower. That would be a little funny, but inconvenient for sure.

Today was a pretty good day. I felt good at work, but at home before bed, I started getting very uncomfortable. And the HEARTBURN!!!!! I couldn't eat enough TUMMS or drink enough water.

Sleeping is also not so great anymore. My hips hurt and I make all kinds of noise trying to just roll over or get up to go to the bathroom. Marti is always asking me if I'm ok when I make all that noise. Poor guy! He knows even less than I do when the time will come.

I think now that's the hardest part. Not knowing when.

I'm feeling optimistic today. We see the doctor soon and I am determined to have a good day after that.

I woke up to gentle squirming and crossed my fingers in hopes that it stays gentle for the rest of the day.

Wish me luck!

The good day thing is not working out so well today.

The doctor said I'm Group B Strep positive, which means I need antibiotics during birth to protect the baby from a bacteria I carry. It's nice knowing 33% of women have this problem, but still one more thing to remember right now.

Second, Marti HAD to go and ask... "How big do you think she'll be?" To which the doctor replied, "Oh, about 8 pounds -- 7 1/2 if she delivers today."

I was hoping for a little 6 pound baby. Looks like we're already past that now.

She measures my belly each week now to see how much I grow. I guess I've lost a little weight, but the baby is still growing, so that's good news. If I remember right, she measured me at 36 weeks last week and 38 weeks today. I'm really 37 weeks today, so not only is the baby a week bigger than normal at this point, she grew TWO weeks size in the span of one week. Scary stuff for the first time mommy-to-be!

Oh, and my lunch sucks.

Today kind of sucked. I'm getting pretty sick of the baby trying to tear through my abdomen wall like an alien and it's starting to show in my demeanor.

Tonight I met Jessica for dinner and I was just so sick of the baby kicking me while I was trying to eat that I almost started crying right there at the table.

Enough is enough, kid! KNOCK IT OFF!!!!!!

I also noticed that when I scratch my belly it seems to tickle the baby. She moves around a lot if I scratch my belly. I can't tell if she loves it or hates it. Any kid of mine or Marti's will love scratches though, so maybe she'll grow into loving it when she's outside with us.

Baby was pretty active again today and actually kicked me so hard a few times that I yelped. She's been flirting with the idea of getting up under my ribs, but hasn't actually ventured in there yet.

I've haven't been enjoying the kicks so much this last week, as it really hurts and feels like a foot is going to split my side open. I almost cried today when she did it once and then I felt nauseated afterwards.

The good news of the day is that I am finally able to reach my toes again and I clipped them the way I like them clipped finally. It's been months since I've been able to get to them. I think my hips must have shifted to make room for the belly when I pull my leg up.

Anyway, we're still waiting and counting down the days. It's about 3 weeks to my due date now. I can't say I'm to the stage you hear pregnant women in where they jsut want it out, but I'm getting close with all this kicking.

Some of my maternity pants no longer fit well because they don't reach up over the belly anymore. When I'm walking, they slip below the belly and then there's nothing holding them up, as well as a big pooch of fabric below the belly that obviously doesn't belong there.

With some pants I've resorted to hiding suspenders under my shirt so I don't have to keep hiking up my waistband (HAHA!!) every time I stand up. NO! I don't really own suspenders! I stole them off our bed -- they hold the sheets on when the dogs play rough and jump in and out of the bed all day. They are REALLY long, but if I cinch them up all the way, they work -- and it's only for a couple of weeks longer, so I'm not going out and buying real suspenders for the job.

Today was a busy day for the daddy-to-be, and I was plenty busy myself.

Today started with Marti going to Daddy Boot Camp, which he said was the best class out of all the classes we took. It was taught by an ex-military guy and for the guys only.

After that class, we went together to a breathing and relaxation class. We learned different ways he can relax me in the birth process besides telling me to relax. (DUH!) And he learned different massages as well as breathing techniques we can do that pretty much serve only to make sure I keep breathing if nothing else.

While we didn't learn enough in there to justify how long we were in there, we did learn some things that will come in handy later. Another friend told me that he thought some of the stuff in his classes were a joke until the birth of his daughter when they were put to good use.

I guess the frustrating part is that not everyone takes all the classes, so every time we go to a class, they keep covering some of the basics and we get bored.

Anyway, the class ended at 5pm, at which time we had a friend getting married in Gilbert - about 45 minutes away from our class. We changed at the hospital and rushed over there for the reception and made it before they had entered with the bridal party.

It was beautiful, but unfortunately, as a pregnant mom-to-be, I couldn't fully participate in the festivities and ended up being that sober person in the middle of a bunch of silly drunks. I have to say I was entirely entertained instead of annoyed like I usually would be. However, I was tired and VERY uncomfortable.

It seems that the baby decided to kick up her heels and do a little dancing of her own -- all night!!!! Since before we left the class until well after 1am, that baby was kicking me and squirming so hard, I had to keep the palm of my hand on certain parts of my abdomen because it felt like she was going to come out my side!

Scott and Linda are convinced it's a boy and Linda told me if the baby is moving around so much and so forcefully (she felt it!) that I have at least a week to go. She feels that because the baby has room to bounce around like that, then it's not ready to come out yet. She could be right, but I can live without all these pokes!

After the reception, I drove Tony and Jessica to meet a few of our friends at Scottsdale Z for another drink where we hung out for a little while longer.

I was so tired by the time we got home, but I wanted to make sure Marti enjoyed his last hurrah before he gets tied to the house with our little bundle of joy brewing inside me. I was quite the trooper, if I do say so myself.

Sneezing HURTS!

At least it hasn't made me pee my pants yet. But MAN!!!!! It really does a number on my stomach muscles every time I sneeze! I want to hold my belly and brace for it, but then again, I want to cover my face when I sneeze, too. Which, if I try not to hold it inside, is quite necessary! If I hold it back at all, it makes my abdomen hurt even more!

New subject: Parking issue at work. I've been blocked in a couple times now even when I'm not in the compact spots, so I am having a hard time finding a suitable spot sometimes. They used to park the school van in a solo reserved spot right up front, but it's in the garage these days so the spot sits open.

I commandeered the spot the last few times I've seen it open even though it says reserved.

Some lady came over to me and gave me a hard time today about parking there and said security would sticker my car. I told her I didn't want to get blocked in and she pointed to the next spot over. What she didn't understand was the next spot over had a car parked to the left that could very well leave and be replaced by a pregnant-lady's-car-blocker-inner, so I didn't move into it even though she seemed intent on getting me out of the reserved spot.

Just so that I didn't come back to a sticker on my car and have her gloating all the way back to her desk after lunch, I checked in with security and it seems there is no such thing as stickers here and they've NEVER towed a car. Ever. Richard (el jefe) even laughed when I told him about it, so I'm not concerned that they would be out to get the reserved spot commandeered (me).

So, now it's almost (not quite) like the spot is reserved for ME!!!! Sort of. And only for a couple of weeks until I leave to have this baby. After that I'm back to the regular parking spots.

But I told him I've been blocked in a couple times now and if my hips aren't too big one way, then my belly is too big the other and I have no hope of twisting into my car from the driver's side when that happens. And I'm CERTAINLY not going to climb over the center console and under the steering wheel to get in as long as I have this belly!

OK - enough about parking, huh?

Note: I'm going to try to post here every day now until the baby is born. That way, if you don't get a call from me or Marti when I go into labor (I think I'll have a lot on my mind!) and you see that I haven't posted on any given day, you will know I am probably in the hospital either hating life or loving it -- depending on when you check. :)

So, if the material gets boring, it's just me making sure I post SOMETHING for that day. Skimming is definitely allowed. :)

Waking up to leg cramps - NOT COOL!!!!!

This morning Marti got an earfull of "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!!!!!!!" I'm surprised it didn't send the dogs into fits.

I've gotten them before, but I just flex my toes up as far as I can and they go away right away. Except this time. This time my calf muscle STILL hurts!!!!

Oh, and I forgot to mention I stubbed my toe on one of the dogs hard rubber chew toys a couple nights ago running for the phone. I told Marti as I answered that I was ok so he didn't think there was something wrong because I was yelping and almost crying when I answered his call.

Then, later he tells me I need to be careful because I can't see over my belly anymore.

Nice.

Afterthought for today:
Between the stubbed toe on my right foot still hurting, the leg cramp in my left calf still lingering, and the good solid waddle I have going on now, I must look like the picture of grace walking across the parking lot to my car!

We saw the doctor today after a little delay. She was called away to deliver a baby so we had to wait about an hour or reschedule. I told them I'd try to have my baby after business hours. :)

She checked me for dilation but I'm not started yet. It doesn't mean anything anyway at this point because I could be dilating and still not go into labor.

Marti knew a lady that was 5 cm dilated and still bartending at a very busy restaurant in town!!!! That's insane!!!

So, if half way dilated doesn't mean anything, then I'm not going to bother finding out if I'm 1 cm or 2 cm or 3 cm or whatever until the time comes. She said they don't check every week unless I ask, so until further notice, I'm not having them check, so don't ask me about it. :)

Besides, it hurts a little and it made me bleed (because the cervix is engorged with blood at this time) so I figure the less spotting to worry about, the better.

She said when my contractions are starting 3-5 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute each and I can't speak when they are happening, then I'm in labor and to call them. She also said if it starts at night, to go to bed and not stay up trying to time them. She said if I can sleep, I'm not in real labor and to go to sleep in case I am in labor in the morning. If it turns out I'm in labor and wake up, then call and go to the hospital 15 minutes away. I'll be fine until I get to the hospital since first time takes a while.

We decided to collect the cord blood in case it can be used later for diseases. She gave us a special box full of I don't know what, but we bring it to the hospital with us on delivery day.

First of all, work is so completely out of hand busy that I don't know what I'm going to do. I want to put in a few 12 hour days and get under control again, but there's no way.

Second, today we met with the pediatrician we will be going to which was nice, but it took a couple more hours out of my day that I just don't have right now.

Third, we see the OB/GYN tomorrow morning, which will take me away from work some more because we're starting the weekly appointments with examinations now, so it won't be quick "do you have any questions" type appointments anymore.

Fourth, we had another weekly meeting today as well as my having four 1 hour meetings with students today that prevented me from getting back to all the other things I need to do at work right now.

Fifth, I have about 100 voicemails and emails (exaggeration) that I need to return, but I haven't had a second to breathe!

Yes, I am stressed!!!!! The good news is I'm not alone in this and all my coworkers appear to be stressballs too!

I'd love to just take off now, but I don't dare leave them with this ever increasing mess while we get a couple of new people in and trained. Plus, I'd have to come back to work in the middle of the holidays and I just don't want to do that.

So, I sit here and type my frustrations. And eat chocolate caramel swirl ice cream. :)

Marti chose it. He doesn't like caramel. He must have chosen it for me. What a sweetie!!!!!! :) I love him!!!!

Ok, I feel better now.

Last night SUCKED!!!!

I woke up at about 11pm choking! You know when you swallow something down your windpipe and have a raging coughing attack mixed in with desperate wheezing for air? Yea, that happened to me. Except I was asleep for it. And it was heartburn juice that slipped into my windpipe, so not only was it terrifying, but it BURNED!!!!

I was coughing so hard I woke up the neighbors dog and he started barking!!!!! And the windows were NOT open, so you know I was coughing up a storm!

I finally calmed down and managed just a muffled cough here and there and tried to go back to bed. However, no matter how little I reclined, there was no amount that was not too much. I just wanted to go to sleep, but I couldn't lie down. Not even a little.

So, last night I spent most of the night in the glider chair in the nursery.

Yea, that sucked!!!

On a lighter note, I had my very first nude pictures taken yesterday while I was in the bubble bath desperately wishing I didn't turn the hot water heater down to a safe level. Apparently the frozen beached whale with a shower cap look is "cute" to Marti.

Today I threw Jessica a baby shower. We kept it pretty small (10-15 people), but there was enough food for probably 3 times as many people.

Mom and Beryl were a great help by bringing not only 2 massive fruit salads, but also helping me get everything ready to serve prior to, and as, everyone arrived. There is no way I would have been able to pull it off without their help. (Thanks Mom and Beryl!!!!!)

My feet were pretty sore when I got up in the middle of the night last night to take care of business :) but today when I got up for good, they were better again. I think they would have been sore even if I wasn't pregnant because they always get sore when I spend the whole day downstairs on the tile cleaning house and stuff.

So, now I sit here about ready for bed and I made it through the whole day without crashing out or needing to really sit out too much.

Marti was helpful when I needed him to do this or that and didn't squawk at all when we were in the final countdown and I got a little bossy. :) He just did what I needed him to and then resumed whatever it is guys do when the women are buzzing about the kitchen thinking up more silly favors to ask of the men. tee hee!

We took an Intensive Birthing Basics class at the hospital today with Jessica and Eugene. (If you don't know them yet, they are due 11/8, less than a month after us!) As she said, it wasn't as intense as we expected, but we did learn a few new things.

For me, the most helpful part was seeing the epidural equipment and hearing a little more about how that works.

It was fun having them there with us to share the laughs and a few grimaces as we watched videos and heard what we were in for. The funniest part was when I walked up and heard Eugene and Marti having fun mixing the idea of Fear Factor with the placenta video we just watched before that break. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard when those two played Fear Factor Part 2 as the instructor spoke about the mucous plug.

I shudder at the thought still!!!!!

I don't get it. I'm not complaining, but isn't it odd that I've slept through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom a few nights in the last week or so? I thought once the baby turned that it would place EXTRA pressure on the bladder and I'd have to go MORE often. Other than having this basketball under my shirt (with a squirmy creature inside it) I'm actually starting to feel more normal rather than more bizarre.

I did wake up with a start last night about 5 minutes before Marti got home. I had a sharp pain in my abdomen, but that was it. It was quick and to the point, and nothing else followed. The adrenalin rush you get from something like that at this point in the pregnancy doesn't do much for being able to go right back to sleep though!

I put a T shirt and sweats in the bag yesterday just in case, so at least I have SOMETHING to wear home if I do end up in the hospital sooner than planned.

I also rearranged the closet and got ALL the 0-9 month clothes in there finally. The entire top rack is full and half the closet is double layer hanging - and full as well.

Did I mention that I have 2 stuffed bags of clothes from Mom and a big box of Minnie's clothes from Nonnie still not hung up? This baby better not turn out to be a fashion nut with all this early exposure to wardrobe choices! I can't deal with a clothes horse in my house. We're just not like that here.

Bags are getting packed, slowly but surely, for the hospital. Marti keeps mentioning it and doesn't know I keep adding things to the suit case. I even packed him a new toothbrush so he doesn't have to remember to grab his that day.

We're still chewing on a few names for the baby, but I have an idea which one it will be. Marti now says he doesn't want me to discuss it anymore with people, so from now on, mum's the word until she's born.

I fixed the printer after many months out of service. We'll be printing the announcements here after all because Kinko's can't print on pre-cut card stock. Well, they can outsource it for about $250, but that uh, kind of defeats the purpose of getting the do it yourself kit, doesn't it?

I've been feeling pretty good this week. I'm carpooling with a friend at work this week, so I HAVE TO leave work on time when we do that. I had a thought last night that my family called her and asked her to ask to car pool with me so I'd get my butt home at night instead of working so many hours. I know, that's a VERY paranoid thought and I'm really just kidding, but that would be funny, huh?

It's just as well because I have been slowly winding down these last few days. I really can't work the hours I was anyway, so it's a good time to start carpooling. We really should have done it a long time ago since we live so close to each other and work is so far.

I've been cleaning "odd" things. Well, not odd for some people, but stuff I've never cleaned here before. I made Marti clean the OUTSIDE of an upstairs window this week! (Of course it rained today and got it wet, but it still looks much better.) I'm cleaning tracks for closet doors. I vacuumed BEHIND the monster desk. Now that Joey is house broken, we can get the carpets cleaned FINALLY!!!! (That's not odd, just impossible to schedule!)

I'm throwing a shower for Jessica (due 1 month after me) so I've had this catalyst to clean the place up. I can't say if I'd already be cleaning because of the nesting or if I'm just cleaning this week. I think it's a mix of both based on the things I'm cleaning upstairs. I mean, NOBODY is going to see the closet tracks at the shower! hahaha!!! However, saying we need to clean up for the shower has had a good effect on Marti chipping in more -- even on the random things I choose to clean.

Have I mentioned this week how annoying the baby hiccups are??? I feel like my belly is a watermelon getting thunked over and over by every picky old lady produce shopper in the world!

I took some votes on the announcements yesterday and it looks like Pooh Bear is in the lead. Not that announcements have to match the nursery, but I guess Pook does go better with our outdoor theme better than the cutesy pinkish nursery rhyme ones.

I'm hitting curbs like crazy in my car now. I feel like Mr. Magoo driving sometimes!

I'm getting the feeling that I need to get my affairs in order at work in order to be ready to take the time off when the baby is born. I know I'm not due for a while, but I have this feeling like I need to be ready for it anyway.

My ankles are getting swollen this week. I think it is partly due to my new socks. They seem to bind around my leg just above my ankles. (They are short socks.) When I take my socks off, I have all these lines across the front of my ankles where it looks like my socks bunch up. It's time to switch to sandals full time I think.