will it be today?

now that i am in my last week before little guy's estimated due date, i can't help but wonder. i slept well last night, well, from 1:30 to 6:00 this morning. as i vacuumed the bonus room i made a point to vacuum under the couch cushions, and let's just say it was greatly needed. that counts as nesting, doesn't it? who in their right mind vacuums at 11:00 p.m.?

my theory is that if i go to this afternoon's 39-week appointment with bags packed and in the car, he won't come today. but if i go unprepared, he will.

warning: prone to moodiness

ok, if you know me, you know that's not abnormal. but until yesterday, i was feeling pretty level-headed and even-keeled.

does an increase in moodiness signify an onset of labor? because if it does, then i'm going to have to change my voice mail greeting before next wednesday...

oh, and for the record, don't interrupt me while i'm chopping watermelon with a long knife. apparently my tone changes and i don't sound "okay" through the phone. you may be tempted to ask me if i am sure i'm ok. of course, i could have not answered the call....

Pray for Joseph

A new blog to check out, and a new little boy to pray for. He's fighting a brain tumor.

39 week bump watch

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

At this point in my first pregnancy,

just shy of 3 years ago....

... we met our daughter.

39 week funk

Yep, that's how I feel today. I've been up since 3:30, wide awake for no reason. No contractions, so don't get your hopes up. Although I did have a couple of pretty good Braxton Hicks yesterday afternoon.

When I created the poll in the sidebar, I did not realize there's a full moon this weekend. Apparently my parents' friends think Little Guy will come on Saturday if he has not pushed his way out before then.

Right now, I just want sleep.

Chapman Family Interview

Here's the link to the interview which was aired on Good Morning America this week...

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5524419

congratulations to zann and her hubby, j, on the birth of their little girl!
and canine big sister, sasha, who has no idea how her life is about to change.

nothin' a little retail therapy can't fix

so, i got to my check-up today. everything was going smoothly.

weight? 165 lbs. check
blood pressure? still great
baby's heartbeat? 145 bpm
progress? 2 cm, 50%
position? head first
size? can't REALLY tell, but no more than 7 1/2 lbs, possibly less
if he doesn't come on his own by 41 weeks, induction will be eminent. we've got a bit to go for that.

and oh, by the way, since i tested + for group b strep, i get to have penicillin iv'd through me. what happened to the phone call with the results? am i sooo laid back that i come across like i don't care? what if i had gone into labor this week and did not know i would need the iv's, took my precious time getting to the hospital, and then not been able to get the meds? i'm sure it would have been fine, but i was a bit irritated.

oh, well. now i have some super cute itsy bitsy newborn socks and caps and a super snuggly blanket and snuggle toy set for my little guy (for bear to give to him), 2 pair of lightweight pants for bear to wear with her plethora of t-shirts, and a present for bear from her little brother. i tried not to let the fact that kohl's doesn't carry nursing tops or bras spoil my therapy session.

38 weeks

Where has the time gone? I have been blessed with a smooth pregnancy. What has stood out the most has been the process of seeing our little girl "get it". Now, I am not blind to the fact that she doesn't yet understand all the ways her life is about to change (or mine, for that matter). But it is not uncommon for her to just come up and give my belly a hug, kiss, or both. She talks about him as if he were already here, which he is in a way. She is growing into such a big girl, and while it excites and awes me, part of me wants to scream, "No!!!! Don't grow up so fast!!!" I am amazed by her sense of logic and reason at a young age. And order. She already has the gift of communication and draws conclusions that some teenagers would not verbalize. She likes to help and that is going to come in handy when we need diapers, wipes, another blankie, etc.... Yet I also want to remember to not push her to grow up too fast, to encourage her to experiment... to play with caterpillars, pick tomatoes, paint her craft in her own way without fretting about the mess. There is a time and place for order, and there is a time and place for creativity.

Oh, wait, this entry was supposed to be about my 38th week of pregnancy with our little guy. Well, my check-up is not until tomorrow, so not much to report statistically today. Occasional Braxton Hicks, but nothing major. My biggest complaints are heartburn and getting up from the couch or in and out of bed. I am trying to go for walks once a day or so, or at least every other day....

I love feeling the movements inside, even when I get jabbed in the ribs or my bladder hurts. Bear was never as continuously active as Little Guy has been, and I can't help but wonder if that's an indication of his temperament. Or just a boy vs. girl difference.

I am a bit anxious about nursing, since it was so hard with Bear and she had such difficulty gaining weight at first, but trying not to worry about it.

I am looking forward to having hubby home instead of having him rush off to training 8 hours away. In fact, I'm looking forward to (hopefully) going into labor on my own, when my body and baby are ready. In that sense, this almost feels like a first pregnancy... without the fear of the complete unknown of labor, since I have labored before.

I am also a bit sad. I have several friends online and in real life who have lost babies during the time that I have been pregnant, one has lost her 2nd. (The first would have been due this week.) So I mourn for my friends, Moms who are wondering "why?", and wish they could experiece the journey of motherhood without the pain. I pray that they will not lose hope, that the Lord will bless them with healthy pregnancies and children.

This is a milestone week. Almost 3 years ago, I went into my 38-week check-up and my doctor offered the induction the next week because she knew our circumstances. That was best for us.
This time, I revel in the mystery and expectation... with a few aches and pains along the way. It's exciting!

Another Tackle in Progress

"word scramble"

I asked Bear if we should paint the letters green to match her name above her bed, or blue.
"Brother likes blue!" she responded.

Meanwhile, Bear tackled her own painting project, mixing the two colors.
And miraculously, she did not get any blue paint on her shirt.

Tackle It "Tuesday"

As previously posted, my MIL came to help me nest, since God apparently forgot to put that instinct into my gene pool. (My sister must have got all of those genes, because I don't think my brother got any of them, either).

Here are some photos which show what we accomplished:

This photo represents the "before", even though it was taken after. Except for the motorcycle and tools in the background, all of these boxes were cleared out during our tackle.

After:

Hubby and Dad-in-law moved the top 2 shelves up to the top notch, then bought and installed the mug and small-plate shelves. They worked with the holes that came in the cabinets.

Organized spice/seasoning cabinet.
The containers with the white faces hold packets, loose tea bags and other oddly shaped items which normally would fall out. Tech Mom found them under a cabinet at work, no longer in use. The used to hold prescription samples, before their filing went high tech. We covered the blatant drug logo with white contact paper. She also brought me the 3 tiered expandable insert for the spices.

The re-organized hall/kitchen storage closet.
The paper goods and griddle had been falling out every time I opened the door. We moved the tall glasses into their home in the kitchen cabinets after hubby and Dad in law added the extra shelves. That got rid of a box and created usable and greatly needed space.

"Bear" in front of the linen closet.
Table cloths and other miscellaneous linens packed away in the tote.
(Yes, I do brush her hair. Sometimes. She asked to be in the picture.)

Bear and Little Guy's closet.

Yesterday I managed to keep my kitchen clean, keep up with laundry as much as I can (I still need to go through my clothes), and organize the cabinet under my bathroom sink. (Hubby's is not quite the disaster area.) I also vacuumed the utility room, including behind the washer and dryer, which got rid of the mess of dust-bunnies and other debris that somehow accumulate so quickly.

And thanks again to the World's Greatest Mother-in-Law! (Who really needs to update her blog, by the way.)


So, those are the main tackles from this week. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit the Tackle it Tuesday HQ by clicking on the banner at the top of this post.

i <3 craigs list

hubby reposted some things on craig's list over the weekend.... some of his old electronic "boy toys" that have been packed away, an antique-style sofa and chair set. in all honesty, we use the chair in our room, but the sofa is really more for piling pillows and blankets in the bonus room, and we could use that space for other things. we have at least 2 people who've expressed interest in it (there was a 3rd, but apparently i was too slow in getting back to her with a response... she e-mailed me during church yesterday, i didnt get it til last night, she found another one in between), and a while back we sold an old vhs vcr, and tonight we sold his amp. we are too lazy to mess with pay pal and e-bay shipping arrangements... so far the whole craigs list thing is definitely worth the time and effort. it certainly beats sitting out in the smothering heat for a yard sale.

are you my conscience?

or rather, is my mother-in-law my nesting instinct?

if you've read my blog, or know me in real life, i've made it pretty obvious that i am domestically challenged. at times, i am what you call a "defeated perfectionist" who suffers from "analysis paralysis." i made a spreadsheet of several nesting projects, room-by-room about a month ago. then i got so overwhelmed by the magnitude that i have really only done a few things here and there, the bare minimum. of course, getting sick didn't help, but i honestly can't blame my lack-of-productivity on just one week.

a few weeks back, tech mom asked if i wanted her to come help tackle some of the projects around the house. this weekend became the chosen weekend for our tackles.

today was our "tackle it tuesday", weekend edition. we:

• cleaned out all except 2 of the cabinets in the kitchen (one will be easy, the other, well, this pregnant woman won't be leaning into the corner cabinet any time soon)
• cleaned out and reorganized the hall "pantry" which is really a storage closet for kitchen stuff that doesn't fit in my cupboards because the floor plan is so darn open we have limited cabinet space.
• reorganized the microwave cart/cleaned out the microwave/threw out old phone books
• went through old baby clothes... set aside several boxes for goodwill, boxes to give back to sis in law to go through to see what she wants to keep in case they have a surprise 3rd daughter, kept several plastic totes "just in case", since hubby and i are open to the idea of more kids in the future, reorganized bear's dresser and closet
• threw out a bunch of junk... boxes, plastic bags, old gift bags, store hangers

not only did she help with all that cleaning, she brought a few things to help me utilize my space more efficiently... spice steps for the spice cabinet, lid baskets for tupperware/gladwarelids, and 2 small wire shelves.

plus, hubby and his dad took bear along on a trip to lowe's to buy previously mentioned totes and some shoe box-sized clear boxes. they also took one of the shelves out of the kitchen cabinets, bought 2 more just like it, and installed them. you see, our builder put in these nice tall cabinets for us, claiming they were an "included upgrade" but they should have put in at least one more shelf. so now some glasses which were in storage in their box on the floor of the hall closet have a home in my kitchen cabinets. we actually had more kitchen cabinet space in our 1000 square foot apartment than we do here.

bear was a really good girl all day. she kept trying to find ways to help, and as we sorted through her old shoes, she decided to squeeze into her squeaky shoes and run around the house in them. then she decided she did not like where mommy put her current shoes in her closet and set them up the way she liked them. she also helped carry good hangers from "ground zero" in the guest room back into her bedroom, which was actually a huge help so i did not have to squat to pick them up off the floor.

so, here is a list of projects left to tackle, hopefully before baby boy makes his appearance:

in the kitchen:

• clean out junk drawer in kitchen
• clean out cookie sheet cabinet: done Sunday (thanks, Tech Mom!)
  
• clean out big awkward pot/pan cabinet:done (thanks, Tech Mom!)
  
• clean off counter (begun)
  

in the nursery:

• put crib side back on toddler bed and raise mattress
• put batteries in mobile and set it back up
• finish washing little guy's clothes
  
• organize little guy's dresser a bit better (done Sunday)
  
• organize crib sheets and blankets in closet shelves (done Sunday)

master bedroom:

• clean off my dresser
• clean out my dresser... go through clothes, get rid of the size 6's which i will never squeze into again after birthing 2 children
• clean mirror on dresser
• set up mini pack and play (sheets are washed)

miscellany:

• put cleaned bouncy seat and car seat covers back on their respective homes
• put clean boppy cover on pillow (done Sunday)
  
• go to publix and use my baby club buy one get one free coupons on miscellaneous needs for little guy

bathrooms:

• thoroughly scrub/clean everything one more time (it's been almost 2 weeks... sigh)
• clean out and reorganize cabinets and drawers. (1 done, 1 to go, thanks to tech mom)
  

utility room:

• clean out and reorganize tall cabinet (done Sunday)
  
• "dust" top of dryer and washer again (just did it a couple of weeks ago) (done Sunday)
  
• vacuum and mop floor
• vacuum corners and behind washer and dryer

oh yeah:

• pack hospital bag for me and baby
• pack a "just in case" bag in the event we have to drag bear to the hospital with us to meet my parents there, in case there is not time for them to make it to our house before we leave for the hospital
  

there's still a lot to do, but i am so thankful for the help i had this weekend. and thankfully, if our little guy were to decide to come tomorrow, it will only take a couple of minutes for hubby to put the cover back on the car seat and set up the mini pack and play next to our bed.

thanks, tech mom, for all of your help!!!!! i couldn't have done it without you (and without tech dad and hubby keeping bear occupied)

so, today tech mom decided she was on a roll and wanted to get more done... did she ever. in addition to the things listed in brown on the above list, she reorganized my linen closet. we packed away some table cloths and other linens that we don't use very often in a tote in the bottom of the closet, which basically made an extra shelf on which to put the recently laundered baby bath towels.

after church and lunch, i also tackled a couple of things, listed in red.

mom's day out

my neighbor gina and i got to go out sans kids this afternoon, since our hubbies were off work. we got pedicures and then hit babies r us, which had an extra 20% off the clearance items. little guy made out pretty well, thanks to gina's knack for finding the good deals on the rack. (i typically lack the patience and move on before i come across the $2-$3 items).

belly shots- 37 weeks

outgrowing my motherhood tank (it has shrunk a lot, too)

cast your vote in the poll in the sidebar:
will my belly-button turn into an "outie" before little guy's birth?

Not-so Wordless Wednesday:
he's already spoiled (or maybe mommy is the spoiled one)


You have already seen the taggie blanket made by my friend Farmwife,
and the blanket a crocheted for our Little Guy,
These are some other handmade gifts which we have received.
Of course, all the clothes and other items we have been given are equally appreciated,
but I just can't take pictures of everything (believe it or not).

From top left, clockwise:
sling made by Tech Mom, blanket & burp cloth made by my friend Heather
blanket and soap from Mirella, and matching bib and burp cloth from Becca
(made by one of her online friends)

things that make you go hmmm... at around 37 weeks

I had some odd cramping today, and I wasn't sure if it was Braxton Hicks or my appendix or what. It was a tightening on my lower right side, which sort of went to my lower back, and it lasted for 15 minutes. I tried walking. It got worse. I sat down and drank juice. It stayed the same. Finally, I sent Bear upstairs to get our exercise ball, which she was happy to do. She usually gets scolded for pushing it down the steps. Sitting on that thing and bouncing was the only thing that provided relief. It will be coming to the hospital with us when the time comes. So I moved it into the room where I had been folding laundry when the cramp hit, and sat on it as I folded my laundry. Then, Bear took her bouncy ball in and tried to copy me!

I also decided today was the day to let go of my paranoia that the u/s is wrong and wash our little guy's newborn clothes and blankets... just in case.

No major weird cramps or contractions since then, but considering how close we're getting...
I should probably think about packing my hospital bag soon, too.

nesting

our mama bird is back. these photos were taken about 10 days apart. hubby had removed the old nest after the hatchlings flew away, but about 2 weeks ago i noticed one of the bird couples (wren) hanging around. the mama bird built the nest, the papa bird sat perched on the nearby windchimes as he supervised or protected, i'm not sure which.

since then, i think mama is working on laying her eggs. it's too high up to see if they are there yet, but she is acting like that's what she's doing... laying them or keeping them warm.

you didn't really think this would be a post about pregnancy nesting, did you?

well, in case you did...

i have the space next to my bed cleared and clorox-wiped the baseboards and night stand. the nook is ready for the mini pack n play which will serve as a bassinet for little guy. (which is sill packed away. the sheets are in a closet. not sure which one- bear's or the linen closet.)

i swept and swiffered the kitchen floor.

not what i call a nesting frenzy, but when have i ever had one of those? still, my medication seems to be helping significantly, so perhaps there is hope for the domestically challenged....

The meeting went well.

I am looking forward to having an extra encourager during the labor process, one who has attended several different births and shares what I see as a similar balanced view of childbirth... an appreciation for the science we have available when it's needed, with the recognition that every aspect is not always necessary. I've found that the whole birthing discussion can be polarizing... some people are sooo natural childbirth oriented, they come across as almost militant and unrealistic. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some women assume that because they are so common, the epidural and pitocin should just be standard fare because ,"why on earth would you want to feel the pain?" Of course, every woman has to decide whether or not the benefits outweigh the potential risks for her baby and herself, and when labor comes, what that threshold of manageable pain is.

I have a propensity for fear of the unknown. Sometimes the Lord takes away those fears without human help, but other times He provides people or things to assist in overcoming them. In this case, it looks like He's provided a doula to be there along with my Beloved.