Not much to report here...

We slept in until noon today! Granted we stayed up really late last night watching a movie and hanging out, but still.... noon! I am starting to regress back to my early 20's or even my teenage years. It can't last long, so I might as well take advantage while I can.

We didn't do a whole lot today. We mostly just hung out and relaxed. Today is my good friend Anna's 30th birthday! We decided to get out of the house for a while and go visit her. I also wanted to bring her bday present to her. And ofcourse it is always nice to get to see her little man BBZ. His one year birthday is coming up on the 19th and they had some pictures taken today to celebrate. They turned out really good... BBZ is so adorable!

After our visit, we went to Macaroni Grill for a late lunch/early dinner. I had chicken cannelloni and it was fantastic. Then we decided to stop in to Marshall's and do some shopping/walking around. I was really excited to find some Baby Legs there for only $4 per pair. I had ordered a few pairs already online when they were on sale, but the ones I found today were called "my 1st babylegs". They are a little shorter then the regular ones and will fit better when she is a newborn. I was excited to find them there, they don't even sell these on their website. I am not sure if it is something they discontinued or what, but I bought both pairs I saw. I wish there were more!

After we came home, we decided to go for another walk up the hill on our street. It is so hard to get up that hill! By the time I got to the top I was completely out of breath. We walked down a couple streets and around a court, then headed back home. It is so hard to go for a walk in our neighborhood, it really kinda sucks. I live at the bottom of a huge hill on the very end of a dead end street, so you have to hike up the hill to begin any walk. Our neighborhood also is completely void of sidewalks and an underground sewer system, so if I car comes along, you have to walk as close as you can to the edge of the street. If 2 cars are coming from both directions, you should probably walk in the ditch along the road, which is usually muddy if there's been any rain at all. So typically, we drive to the park or I go to my sister's neighborhood to walk with her. But we really just wanted to go for a quick little walk, so we risked, and made it back in one piece. It reminded me though, why we don't go for walks here.

After our walk, I took a shower and shaved my legs. Shaving is always a big event in itself. I can't believe how difficult and exhausting it is to shave. It's so hard to work around this big huge belly and reach everything! The thought has crossed my mind to just let it go... but I just can't do it.

So now I am just catching up on some blogs and my email. We are getting ready to watch yet another movie. I have watched more movies in the last 2 weeks then I have in months! Duplicity is on the agenda for this evening. I am a big Julia Roberts fan. Pretty much ever since Pretty Woman came out, I have loved her.

Oh and incase you didn't notice, I am still pregnant.

The Due Date has Come and Gone

Today was my due date (well yesterday since it's after midnight, but I am going to report things as if it is still my due date). I was really hoping she was going to be punctual, but no luck.

I woke up at the now usual 11:00 am. I felt rested and not at all like I was going to go into labor at any moment. I leisurely rolled myself out of bed. I fixed myself a plate with scrambled eggs, an english muffin with peanut butter and some strawberries. I read some blogs, checked my email, checked my facebook.

And then I was bored.

I really thought things might have started up last night. I was having some contractions before I went to bed. I was nautious and feeling queezy. We even laid a shower curtain underneath all of the sheets incase my water broke during the night. Plus it was her due date. This was when she was due. But other then the hourly bathroom trips there wasn't much action.

Nuthin.

Joe came home for lunch. He had a sandwich, I devoured a bunch of pineapple, because this could help me go into labor. We hung out until he had to head back out to work. After he left, I did some work with our finances and organized some things.

I'm not even sure what else I did. Obviously it wasn't anything important. Joe came home from work around 3:00 and we took a nap until 7:00. After we woke up, we made dinner (some grilled chicken and broccoli and rice) and then we decided to go out on the town. It was after all, Friday night.... we couldn't just sit at home! So we went to Fritz, our local custard stand and we had a couple of concretes (oreo for me, heath for Joe, both with Lite custard). It was a really nice night out, so we sat on a bench and enjoyed our custard. Then we went to Blockbuster to pick out a couple of movies, then to Walmart. Because anyone who is cool hangs out at Walmart on a Friday night. Why should we be the exception?

Mostly I just wanted to walk around. Ofcourse it didn't help.

So here we are at almost 1:00am in the morning. Joe just left to get some popcorn for the movie, as he somehow managed to burn two bags in a row in the microwave. He was too busy flirting with me to pay attention to it. How can I complain about that?

Maybe something will happen tonight. Maybe not. In the meantime, I have to admit I am really enjoy all this relaxing and hanging out with my hubs.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. ~ Carl Sagan

Today was my 2nd day home from work. I admit I am a little bored. I think it's mostly due to the fact that I have such a hard time getting around, so I am not able to occupy my time with my list of things to do. If I could do that, I would be one happy lady. Instead, I can lay around, relax, read, watch tv or a movie, eat and sleep. All of these things are great, but I can only do them for so long. I have been reading so much lately already, that I am only able to fill my day so much with it. Daytime TV gets really old, I don't watch much tv as it is. I have found that being home does wonders for my diet. It's much easier for me to eat really healthy when I am at home with the time and tools to prepare myself a healthy meal or snack.

I suppose I should enjoy this while I can. The little munchkin will be arriving any day now, and once she is here, there will be no lack of things to do I am sure. I do feel much more rested. I have been sleeping in till about 11:00 both mornings and I feel much better when I get out of bed then I have lately. Since I have been home from work, the swelling in my feet has gone down and stayed down. I can't believe it, my cankles are very nearly non-existent! Granted the weather has been much cooler, but I also believe that not having to sit at my desk all day long plays a huge role.

Last night, my mom came over and picked me up. We went to Walmart so she could grab a few things and I could walk all over the store. Then she took me out to dinner and we watched a movie after we got back. It was really fun to hang out with her all night and it feels good to have your mom take care of you still every once in a while. Joe had an evening meeting for work and a couple softball games, so I would have been sitting at home all by myself if she hadn't come over. We watched the movie Smiley Face, with Anna Faris. I don't recall every seeing any previews for it and we had no idea what to expect when we picked it from the Redbox. Basically the entire movie was Anna Faris getting really really stoned and messing up everything she did that day. The movie was pretty stupid, but somehow we still laughed really hard and pretty often. I guess you could use the saying, "so stupid it's funny..."

This morning I woke up around 11:00 and made myself some breakfast. I caught up on some blogs and emails and did some laundry. Joe came home from work early and we had lunch. We decided to go out for a walk, but today was a little warmer so we decided to go to the mall and walk around there in the air conditioning. We ended up visiting Pier 1, Best Buy and the mall. Joe did pick out the cutest outfit when we stopped in Gap. They had a bunch of their baby clothes on clearance, so we couldn't help but grab a few things. Here's the little jumpsuit he picked out. I can't wait to put it on her!

Is that not freaking adorable?

By the time we were done with all the walking, my pelvis was so sore, I could barely get out of the car once we were home. Joe had to help me and it was very difficult. I am still having contractions, but they are few and far between and have not become more intense as far as I can tell. The back labor has completely gone away, and now I just have the usual lower back pain that comes after walking too much or sitting in a chair for too long.

I am ready to stop walking around my house and looking at all the things sitting around waiting for her arrival. Her room is ready, our home is ready... we are ready!

Here are some of the outfits I can't wait to put on her...



Here is the little hat I got for her newborn pictures...



Here's her diapers... all ready for her bum!


Some books I can't wait to read to her...


The bathtub all ready for bath time...


Tomorrow is my actual due date. Joe was teasing me today, saying that maybe she is just like her mother and likes to stick to the schedule. I sure hope he's right and that she will arriving tomorrow. It's not that I mind waiting a little longer, but things are starting to get downright painful and I am having a hard time remaining patient.

I wanted to take a minute to show some love for my doggy Daisy. She has been an only child for almost 9 years now, and her world is about to completely change as well. You can tell she knows something is about to happen. Even when we were running around the house the other day getting our stuff together so we could leave for the hospital, she was totally aware that something very different was happening. She kept chasing after my heels and following me every where. She seemed very concerned and she was even shaking! I really hope that she adjusts well. She's kinda set in her ways and is always a little on edge when children are around. We have to remember to still give her lots of love and affection so she doesn't resent the baby. I having a feeling she is going to do just fine.

Here I am telling her not to worry, she is still going to be very important!


So I guess, for now, I just need to try to remain relaxed and take advantage of this time to get some rest. I do have a few books I wouldn't mind finishing up, so maybe I will work on that tomorrow. I am glad the weekend is almost here and Joe has a light work day tomorrow. I feel so much better when he is around.

Thank you for everyone's good wishes... I will be keeping every one posted as much as I can. I can't wait to tell everyone that she is on her way... and even better, that she is here!!

False Alarms

On the way to work yesterday, at about 6:45 am, I started to feel some pretty intense back pain. Once I got to work it started to hurt more and more. I knew this wasn't your regular lower back pain, I was already having plenty of that in recent weeks. As the pain became more intense, I started to do my work as if I was leaving and not coming back. I prepped all of my approved files to be printed, backed up everything for the month, and tried to get everything in order. Around 8:30, I told my boss I was in too much pain and had to go. I brought him up to speed on everything and where I was in my work. I guess he could tell I might not be back for a while. He gave me a big hug and told me it would all be over soon. It was really kinda sweet.

On my drive home, the pain became even more intense. It reminded me of the onset of a kidney stone, but lower and more localized. It was about 8:45, so my doctor's office wasn't answering their phones yet (they open at 9:00). So I called the hospital and they told me to talk to my doctor first. I got home shortly after that and Joe was getting ready for work. I was looking pretty upset at this point, as the back pain was getting pretty intense. I told him I was calling the doctor at 9 just to see what they thought and to still do what he was doing. Finally I got a hold of a nurse at the doctor's office. I told her about the back pain, she asked me if my stomach was hard at all. I told her it was hard as a rock. She thought it sounded like I was having back labor and that I should head straight to the hospital for evaluation, and they would call ahead for me. I knew nothing was going to happen right away anyway, so I decided to take a shower first. The hot water did wonders for my pains and even though they didn't go away, it did make me feel better. We packed all of our bags just incase we were going to be there a few days and headed out.

Once at the hospital, they admitted me, I peed in a cup, stripped off my clothes, and put on the gown and laid down in the bed. We left all of our stuff in the car for now, but I was glad to know I brought my own night gowns to wear because those hospital gowns are awful. They hooked me up to the monitors to check the baby and my contractions. According to the monitor, I was having some contractions, but they were pretty far apart and I wasn't really even feeling them. Then the nurse wanted to check my cervix. She was rough and she had left me feeling a little violated. She pulled the sheets off the bed quickly and lowered the bed to lay me down flat. Her fingers were short and stubby (this was something she was telling me, I couldn't tell from my point of view), so it was hard for her to check and painful as she was working really hard to figure things out. She reported back that my cervix was still at 1cm dialated and about 50% effaced. Boo.

I know it's silly, but during this whole episode I was very aware of Joe sitting on the little couch near the end of my bed. Did I mention I have gained 60 lbs during this pregnancy? Joe has seen me without clothes on plenty, but I was still a little uncomfortable laying there in the bright sunlight from the window and the rough nurse jerking me around with absolutely nothing to cover me at all. I know also that this was nothing compared to what was to come and that Joe loves me and could care less right now, he knows I am pregnant. But there was still that part of me, that wanted to tell that nurse to chill out a minute and let me grab a part of that sheet to cover up that thunder thigh.... couldn't she tell my husband was sitting right there?! I couldn't help it... I'm a silly girl I guess.

I got over it pretty quickly though. Obviously there wasn't much room for modesty in this whole process and having my cervix checked was pretty tame compared to the whole labor thing we were going to go through at some point. Oh and incase you were wondering, Joe has been to the doctor's office with me during a cervix check, but he was always standing up near my torso and I was covered up pretty good for the most part.

They called my doctor to let her know what was going on, after they got a 20 minute reading from my monitors. They determined that I was in pre-labor, but that it could be later that night or the next day or two before anything happened. They wanted me to go home, and wait till the contractions were much stronger and closer together. They did not want me to return to work.

So we went home. After lunch, I took a nap, while Joe went out to work for a while. After he returned, we went to the park and walked around for a while, trying to get things going. Joe tried some maternity accupressure on me. I sat on my giant balance ball to spread my hips apart and relieve some of the pressure. I even walked up the giant hill that is my street. I also walked laps around my house. And although I was still very uncomfortable, nothing seemed to be progressing. We made dinner, we watched a movie. I did start to have more contractions before I went to bed, but nothing severe.

This morning I woke up feeling better. My back pain has subsided and I am not feeling any contractions at all. I am disappointed. I know things can progress and then slow down and stop and start again, and you can't predict the schedule or what's going to happen, but with all the pain I was in yesterday, I thought for sure something was going to happen some time soon.

My sister just got here, and we are headed to the park to do some more walking. I hope that gets things going again! I will keep everyone posted!

T-minus 4 days!

The hubs took a pic of my belly on Sunday. Here I am at 39 weeks and 2 days! I can't believe how huge my belly is and it feels even bigger!

It is becoming quite a job to lug this thing around. I have been having contractions constantly, but I haven't really been feeling them. I know they are there though because my belly becomes hard as a rock, then soft, then hard again, then soft again. These are the Braxton Hicks contractions. I have been having them all the time lately, but fortunately I don't feel most of them, except for the change in my belly's firmness. Although I have had some of the shooting pain down in my pelvis.

The pelvic pressure has not let up. I have realized that sitting up straight in a chair, like at work or at the kitchen table, makes it much worse. So I have been trying to get up and walk around alot while at work and sit leaning back while I am at home. It does seem to help. Also getting down on all fours and doing cat stretches brings some relief as well, if only just a little.

Warning: The rest of this paragraph may be TMI, so skip ahead if you don't want to hear it. I have been having some definite signs of impending labor. After I had my ob exam last Monday, there was quite a bit of blood mixed in with my urine. It was most likely membranes rupturing caused by the exam. After a couple of days, this went away and it was pretty much back to normal. Now, I am pretty sure I have been losing my mucus plug in pieces here and there over the last couple of days and and also having some "bloody show" (why can't they call it something less disgusting sounding?).

As gross and uncomfortable as this all is, I still get very excited when these things occur. They are signs that things are happening and each thing is bringing me closer to meeting my baby!

We didn't do much this weekend but relax. Friday night we had some friends over, we ordered pizza and watched the Cardinals game. We tried out my New Native Sling on their little baby and she really seemed to like it. She was pretty fussy at first but once she settled down into she really seemed to relax. They fed her her bottle while she was in there and it really seemed to work out great. They aren't really into the whole "babywearing thing", so they kinda blew it off, but I thought it was pretty cool. It made me really excited to try out all my wraps and slings on my little munchkin.

Which reminds me. I am going to pick up a new wrap today from a lady off craigslist. She is selling me her Sleepy Wrap for only $15. Yay!! Its alot like my moby wrap only softer. The moby wrap is a tan color, the new sleepy wrap is gray like in the picture below. It's nice to have color choices for different outfits...


After our guests left Friday night, Joe and I watched The Watchmen. I had heard bad reviews, so my expectations were not that high. But I am a sucker for super hero/comic book movies so we watched it anyway. I actually thought it was pretty good, but it did seem to drag on at times.

Saturday we went grocery shopping. This was a full-on shopping extravaganza. We had gone through all of the sale ads and picked out what we wanted on sale at the different stores. We went to 5 different grocery stores! They are all really close to each other so we didn't spend alot of money in gas or anything, but we did save alot of money and more importantly, I got some exercise in. We also found a retro version of Monopoly on clearance. I hadn't played in atleast 20 years so we decided to get it. We played after lunch and I totally won! Granted I was having some amazing luck with my dice rolling (doubles queen), but still it was fun to win. Later that night we watched Labor Pains with Lindsay Lohan. Totally cheesetastic, but it was kinda entertaining since I am so pregnant right now.

Joe has been cooking our meals all weekend. Except breakfast, I have still been doing that. I guess I have more energy first thing in the morning. Last night Joe made us some chicken out on the grill and some mac and cheese. Here is the chef in the kitchen. I sure do love this guy!


We haven't made any plans for the week before my due date, so I feel like we are just waiting for me to go into labor. The only thing I have going on is a Le Leche League meeting tomorrow night. I would like to get in one more meeting before she gets here, but ofcourse I wouldn't choose to put off her arrival if I had a choice.

I have a doctors appointment today after I get off work. I am really hoping that there has been some progress. I really feel like there has. It would really be nice if, after my cervix exam, they said "Oh you need to head to the hospital straight away! This baby is coming tonight!"

Ahhh... one can dream can't they?

I am sooooo ready to do this!

I am sooooo ready to have this baby! The last couple weeks of pregnancy are rough. The waiting game is really tough... but the closer I get, the more uncomfortable I get, and that is the worst part by far. I don't want to complain too much... but its getting hard to think of much else other then just how uncomfortable I am getting.

My ankle is really hurting bad from all this baby weight. I am okay first thing in the morning, but after a while I am limping around. And ofcourse the waddling. That is pretty much a full time thing now.

I can't bend over to pick up anything anymore. Wiping my vajayjay after I pee can be a challenge. Sometimes are more difficult then others, depending on the positioning of the baby at the time.

I love taking showers, they relax my body and make me feel so good, but I dread the end, after I turn off the water and exit. Getting out of the shower and drying myself off without falling over or passing out is not an easy task. I am usually so exhausted by the time I complete my shower and after shower activities, that I have to lay down and relax to catch my breath and center myself.

My pelvic area is what is bothering me the most. There is so much pressure on it right now from the baby moving down, it almost feels like its pulling and ripping apart. Sharp pains are constantly shooting up it. Rolling from one side to another while I am in bed has become so painful, I wonder if I am literally about to tear my pelvic area in half. Sitting in the chair at work makes it so much worse. I left work early yesterday and will be leaving early today too. I just can't handle sitting at my desk for too long.

I planned on working right up until the baby is born. After talking to my boss, I am now working on a day-to-day basis. I pretty much come in in the morning and hang in there as long as I can. Once I get too uncomfortable, I head home.

Then there is the utter exhaustion. In my first trimester, I was like a zombie. I couldn't even think straight and I was always in a fog. Now atleast, I have my wits about me. I am able to think clearly, but I am just too tired physically to do much of anything. I am so glad I already completed everything that I wanted to, so now I can just try to relax and wait for her to get here.

Enough complaining, really I just wanted to put it out there and now I will shut up about it. Like I keep telling myself, she will be here any day and all of this will be worth it!

I would also like to acknowledge my husband. He has been absolutely amazing. He has been helping to keep things cleaned up, doing the dishes, and helping out alot with dinner. He has actually been making most of the dinners, and I will help out a little. But aside from his help around the house, the emotional support he has been giving me is what has really been helping me out the most. He's like my own personal pep squad. He still tells me how beautiful I look and how I am the cutest pregnant girl he has ever seen. I don't really believe him, but it still makes me feel good when he says it. He tells me what a good job I am doing "growing the baby" and how amazing I am. He tells me a hundred times a day how much he loves me and how excited he is about the start of our little family.

He has been completely involved in "baby preparation" as well. He has read some of the books I have picked up. We have been watching a childbirth video, instead of taking the class at the hospital, and its really cute when he brings up things from the video and points them out as they come up in our pregnancy. He is taking his role as "coach" very seriously... which is good cuz I am really going to need his support with no epidural!

It amazes me that not that long ago, we were having such a hard time connecting and how different things felt. Our relationship is in such a different place now. At the time, it felt so dramatic, and it seemed so far from where I wanted us (needed us) to be. As I look back, I realize it was just a wrinkle in time, one we would have no problem smoothing out, as we both had the love and desire necessary. But it is not a place I want to re-visit, and I am going to try really hard to make sure I do my best to keep us from going there again.

It really goes to show you how you must nurture and tend to your relationship, never take things for granted and always consider the other person's feelings and how you are affecting them. No matter how strong you think your bond is, no matter how deep your connection feels, you can't forget to tell your partner and let them know that you still feel the same way. No matter what you may be going through, you have to remember that you are part of a team and that the other person still needs you. I had forgotten that for a minute, and our relationship suffered. Joe reminded me. I am so grateful that he did, and that we were able to get things back on track so quickly. I can't imagine how different and how much harder things would be right now, without him here by my side, getting through this together.

So I am ready. We are ready. We are so ready to meet this little baby and share our lives with her. Any day now... any day!!

“Where did you come from, baby dear? / Out of the everywhere into here.” ~ George MacDonald

This past weekend was rough. Oh and this post is very long..... sorry!

We went out with a couple of friends to a local festival Friday night. It was unusually beautiful weather and it was so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. We really enjoyed the company we had too, especially getting to hang out with their little girl who is absolutely adorable. We walked around alot. It wasn't so bad at the time, but I paid for it later. I think the food we ate really messed with me too. Damn festival food.

I woke up in the middle of the night to puke in my mouth. It was hot and burning and painful in my throat. I jumped out of bed (well my version of jumping... which is really just rolling out as fast as I could) and shuffled to the bathroom. I felt extremely nautious and thought I was going to start getting really sick. I sat down infront of the toilet and waited. It eventually passed. I made my way back to the bed and climbed in. After a few minutes I felt the little munchkin start to move. She was moving alot. Way more then usually. Infact, it was as if she was gyrating herself around in there. I put my hand down on my lower belly and felt her intense movements and tried to figure out what she was doing in there. After a while she settled down and then I started to drift back to sleep. Not too long after that I woke up again to more puke in my mouth. It burned my throat so badly, it brough tears to my eyes. I made my way to the bathroom again, but I wasn't going to get sick this time either. After it passed and I cleaned out my mouth I made it back to bed. I had to spend the rest of the night sitting up, laying down apparantly brought on the acidic burning in my throat.

The next morning, as I felt my belly, I realized how different it felt. It was so much firmer and the shape had changed. In a recent post, I talked about the position that she was in. I was pretty sure that from all the moving around she was doing last night that she had actually turned herself around into the anterior position. This was probably what caused all of the horrible acid reflux that I was experiencing as well. I was really glad that she had moved into this position... I am hoping she stays there!

Saturday morning Joe mowed the lawn while I got up and cleaned the kitchen. It took me forever. I was so worn out from all the walking we had done the night before and the lack of sleep I had gotten. After I finished straightening up I took a shower. This too was exhausting. I was really beginning to feel like everything I did took twice as long as usual. After my shower I sat on the couch and put my feet up. I started to feel overwhelmed from everything I had done that morning (which as you my recall, was just straightening up the kitchen and taking a shower). Joe had finished mowing the lawn and was in the living room talking to me. My eyes started to water and brim over. Joe looked at me, concerned "Are you crying?", he asked.

"Yes, but I don't know why. I just feel so overwhelmed all of a sudden."

And I was. The night before had been so long and uncomfortable (probably my worse night yet while pregnant). My calves were sore and burning just from walking around at the festival. I felt like I had spent the entire morning trying to do a few simple things which left me exhausted and already wanting a nap. I also knew that alone, these things would not normally bring me to tears, but add pregnancy hormones and suddenly I am a hot mess.

After I calmed down and relaxed for a little while, we left the house to run some errands. After we got home Anna, Nate and BBZ came over for a visit. It was great to hang out with them for a while and being around BBZ really made me feel better. We talked about the baby coming, and me and Anna hung out in her nursery for a little while. It helped me to remember how amazing what was happening to me really was, and although it was quite uncomfortable at the time, it was nothing in the grand scheme of things and it would all be over soon enough. I would have the little munchkin in my arms and everything else would be a blur.

After they left, Joe and I went out to do the grocery shopping. I kept telling myself that all of the walking would help my pregnancy progress. It was still rough. And once we finally made it home, I was done. My heels had turned purplish and were numb. My feet were swollen twice their normal size. I decided I better just put my feet up and plant it on the couch for the rest of the night.

I actually slept pretty well Saturday night. Aside from getting up to go to the bathroom every hour. And getting in and out of the bed has really become a challenge. It doesn't help that we have a really high bed either. Maybe it would help it I used a stool...

I woke up Sunday feeling mentally better, but physically I was getting worse. I now had stabbing pain shooting through my pelvic area and soreness that worsened any time I lifted a leg. I could only assume that this was things spreading and preparing for labor. Joe took me out to track down a maternity belt. I didn't want to buy one this late in the game, but I was only getting worse and any relief would be appreciated. We found one at Motherhood Maternity, I felt instant relief and I left the store wearing it. We also picked up some nursing bras and nursing camis and a new pair of comfy slippers just for the hospital.

I think I am about as ready as I will ever be for the hospital. I have my bag all packed, along with the munchkin's things. It felt good to get those last minute items purchased and all taken care of. Since I am trying to go all natural, I have lots of extra stuff packed to help out with that. Massage lotions and different things for Joe to use to help relax me and get me through it. Although he is nervous about it, I have a feeling he is going to be a great coach, infact I am pretty confident in him. I have signed up for access to a birthing ball and bar, and I will have access to the jacuzzi too if I want it. I can always change my mind and get an epidural, but I really want to try to go without... and its nice to know that I will have plenty of things to help me make it through if I am able. Joe ofcourse being my biggest weapon.

Sunday night we stopped in to visit my sister Amy and her hubby Jeremy. We wanted to ask them to be the munchkin's godparents/guardians. They seemed pretty happy with the request and readily accepted. I know that if anything every happened to us, she would be in very good hands. Although that is very scary to think about, it is reassuring to know she would be well cared for.

Monday I went to see the doctor for my weekly check up. I talked to her about the soreness, pulling and shooting pains in my pelvic area. She assured me this was normal and that it could last a few days or continue on until the baby arrives. She said my blood pressure was still perfect and that my swelling was looking really good (could have fooled me). I told her about friday night and after feeling all around on my belly, she agreed the munchkin had infact turned around! After checking my cervix, I was excited when she told me that I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. It could still be a while, but we have some progress and it only affirms that the end is just around the corner. Yay!!

After returning home from my appointment, I went to use the restroom and got a little scared when I found pinkish/red blood all over the toilet paper. I called my doctor immediately and they assured me it was normal and to not be concerned unless it started to flow like a period. I felt better and figured it was just from them testing my cervix and since it was getting so soft that it released some blood. It continued to leave blood on my tissues the rest of the night and still some this morning. It is finally starting to look like it may be done bleeding, so that's good.

After the blood scare I laid down for a nap for a while. After I woke up, my girl Toni brought me and Joe dinner. Which was yummy and wonderful and I didn't have to do any work at all for it. Thanks Toni!! Then the 3 of us spent some time trying to figure out my breast pump. It was pretty comedic actually, us all standing around, passing around the parts and trying to figure out what did what. I haven't figured it out completely yet, but I am getting closer. I plan on watching the dvd some time this week. It seems silly that it should be so complicated, but this thing is high tech... plus I have mushy preggo brain and lots of things seem more confusing then they should.

Last night, with everything that has happened in the past few days, Joe and I really started to get excited about the munchkin's arrival. It's crazy to think how close we are and how much things are about to change. It was also so wonderful to see that spark in my husband's eyes and to witness his pure joy as he talked about how excited he was to meet her and hold her in his arms. I fell inlove with him just a little more.

I am probably going to start working less. It's getting more and more uncomfortable to be at work. I have discussed with my boss leaving early on days we are slow (which is every day lately) and he had no problem with it. I really feel like things are getting close. Besides the cervix check at the doctor's office, my body just feels different, like things are going to start happening. I am nervous and excited and more then ready to meet her. Hopefully she will be coming soon!