My Date with a Future Dad

Here we are at 37 weeks.  I really can't believe it.  This is what we have been building up for and I really think that my belly is so tight and if this baby gets any bigger then my belly will be like pantyhose with runs in them.  The stretch marks will be having a hay day running all over my belly.  That's fine though and I would be very surprised if it doesn't happen.  

For part of our date night, we took some pictures which could possibly be the last ones before we will be taking pictures of the little girl herself.  It is overwhelming, in a good way, that we will be parents soon.  I will probably be an emotional train wreck in the hospital and I have warned David :)    

We can't wait to meet our little baby. . . poopy diapers and all!

Patiently waiting for August adventures. . . trying

This is a time of mixed emotions.  I think both David and I are going through this roller coaster.  We know things are going to change within a matter of a few weeks and we are hoping for the best.  We have repeatedly heard advice, enthusiasm, and encouragement, but we don't really know how it will be until we experience it for ourselves.  I think it is safe to say that it is normal that we feel like everything will be settled once ______ happens.  As we were engaged, it was our wedding.  As we were newlyweds, it was finishing school.  As we were finishing school, it was my student teaching placement.  As we finished school, it was when David got a job.  Now we are looking forward to meeting this baby girl of ours and being a family of three :)  We set up these milestones in our life and figure if we can make it to that point, everything will just coast from there, right?  For a bit, yes, but then we realize there is more out there for us.  So we set up a new goal to work towards.
David is finishing up his class next week, his job may possibly be done within a few weeks. . . or it may go until October. . . . or it may turn full-time, David might start a full semester of classes a week after the baby is due, I might need to go substitute on the days David isn't in school, this baby or ours may come this week or in three. . . . .. . . . .. . . . ..  all we know is that there is a lot that we don't know yet and it won't be known for another month.  It is hard to play the waiting game to see where we'll end up.  Of course, we would love to see our game plan and how it all turns out, but that's not how it works.  It would just be too nice to know all of this ahead of time.  So much anticipation!
August is almost here.  I am a bit sad because that means summer is coming to a close, but this is what this body of mine has been waiting for.  Now it is safe and we have been given the 'go ahead' that  if she comes today, she and I will be strong and healthy.  I want her to come soon for my body's sake and because we are so curious as to what she will look like and we are excited to meet her. . . but then I get a bit nervous for this grand entrance and I hope she goes easy on me, so maybe I can wait a little longer.  Though the thing is that it isn't my choice.  She will come when she will come, unless she takes too long and the doctor decides she's getting too cozy in there and needs some help getting out.  But then again, it isn't my choice.
So many things going through our heads, we talk about all we have done/could do and it all seems to end with "well, we'll just have to see when we get there."  Frustrating, exciting, nerve wracking, and thrilling all at the same time.  We will just have to see what August brings. . . patiently :)

Whew. . . Still a girl!

I go see my doctor once a week now which means that we are down to the final weeks, possibly days, before this little girl comes!!!  I have started to get ancy and we are just a little excited knowing that she could come any day now and everything would probably be great!  We are less than a month away from our due date so it is definitely time to be excited!
We feel like we are as "good to go" as we can be for her.  I washed all of the clothes and blankets we have for her from newborn to 3 months old.  It is so fun (for now) so see her cute little clothes mixed in with ours.  I have said this before, but I just can't get over how teeny tiny the clothes are.  David and I are also trying to figure out how little girls can be so cute with ruffles on their bum?  I would look cute with ruffles on the bum of my pants, right?  David just laughs at me, so that means yes right?  Maybe I will have to get a pair of those as I am sure we be so adorable together :)
At my last appointment, I had to schedule it early in the morning so David wasn't able to come.  I get there and my nurse starts taking me back to the ultrasound room.  I didn't know we were doing another ultrasound!  The one time David can't come they do an ultrasound?  Oh man!  So I was kind of bummed about that.  They did this ultrasound to measure the fluid in my belly. . . so they know if my water has broken or not would be my guess.  So I was laying there on the bed and this wasn't where I usually get my ultrasounds done.  Usually I get them done at the hospital where they have a fancier machine and fancier beds. . . with better pillows.  This bed I was laying on felt like I might as well be laying on the ground.  And the pillow was nothing like the 4 pillows I sleep with at night.  So I was not very comfortable at all. . . not that laying down is very comfortable anymore anyways, but this was not the place.
The ultrasound machine wasn't the fancy one they have used on me in the past, but I guess it was good enough to measure the fluid, so that's what they used.  I wasn't really able to see anything too recognizable except for the heart because it was beating strong.  With her being so big, the ultrasound was too focused in on each area.  She is pretty much a full size baby now so there were no full body shots.  She still has her head buried down low too, so we couldn't see any good face shots either.  She was squirming around a ton the whole time which doesn't feel good when I am laying on my back. . . I would say she was probably squishing/jabbing all my organs in my belly that were underneath her.  It actually made me feel nauseous and I couldn't wait until the ultrasound was over because of that.  Laying on an uncomfy table/bed on my back with her squirming around was a bad combo. . . and we couldn't really see anything too exiting.  We seriously couldn't get her hands or feet to be still for long enough to get a picture of those.  So I was good. David didn't miss much on this ultrasound.  She wasn't inside waving to us with a big smile on her face or anything.  I think she was just practicing a little jig and we are expecting that performance when she arrives :)
He did confirm once again that it was a girl. . . .hooray!  I have been wondering if I should pack an extra outfit in our hospital bag just in case it was a boy, but my doctor said everything was clear between the legs for sure.  I still might just in case as I wouldn't want to have him dressed in a cute pink outfit coming home from the hospital.
My doctor did also confirm that I have very nice birthing hips!  I asked him if he was able to tell how big she was and I think he knows I am a little nervous for how big she will be when the big delivery day comes.  He said that she will probably be a little on the bigger side if she waits to come until we are full term, but not huge.    He then nicely and casually assured me that I have a "good build and good birthing hips."  That is a compliment right?!  I laughed a bit and thanked him for that one.  I think I will be glad I have that "good build" when the special day comes.
My belly keeps on growing.  I not only have a nice place to set things when I am sitting down. . . or standing for that matter. . . but when I lay down on my side, I also have a nice extended flat place for things to be placed :)  This belly isn't just a little bump anymore.  It is now a resting ground for all sorts of things.  My lap is being taken over, so I what I can't place on my lap, goes on the belly :)

My Cute Nerd

David has been having a blast lately!  He is so excited each day as new things are starting up for him.  I have let him know how much of a cute nerd he is, and I think he considers that my approval and gets more excited.

• He started one of his classes for his grad school.  This is only an 6 week class or so that will go for the rest of the summer.  He thinks it is so fun to be back at school.  He was so excited when his book came in the mail and when he got the syllabus.  We were at our last doctor's appointment and it was going longer than expected and I noticed he was getting ancy as he wanted to get to class extra early.  This wasn't an ultrasound or a big appointment, so I said he could go if he wanted.  He stayed at the appointment, but never stopped shaking his leg like he was ready to jump up and run out of there.  He said he still got to class 5 minutes early on his first day of school.  Good student :)
• Wednesday nights are his ping pong nights.  He considered taking another class that would have been on Wednesday nights, but decided not to until we know if he will have a job in a month or not to pay for it and other upcoming expenses.  I bet the real reason he didn't want to take it was that it would interfere with his ping pong playing time.  Saving money sounds better, so I will let him go with that :)
• A while back, David had a week or so where he liked playing Starcraft.  Some strategy computer game.  He wasn't obsessive, but he liked to fit in a game or two where he could.  He knows that I think it is boring and after a few games of it he has had his fix of it and is done for a year or so.  Apparently they are coming out with a second edition or second something, and I have seen David stop and peek at the displays that are at Best Buy and at some stand in the mall at a gaming store.  He has heard it is supposed to be pretty neat and he is a little excited for it.  I don't think he would buy it the day it came out, but eventually he would.  The other day he got an email and he was selected to be a beta tester for this new game.  I thought he was going to wet his pants he was so excited.  This meant he got to play for free!  He has downloaded the tester version of the game just last night and he was a little annoyed to find out as he woke up a little earlier than usual this morning to find out there was a second part he needed to download before he could "test" it out.  He wasn't sure what to do with his morning now that he was up.  He went around the apartment and found everything that had batteries in it to see if he could get his wireless mouse to work, but he didn't have any luck with that.  He was just going to have to play with the touch pad mouse thing on the laptop until he got batteries.  Finally it was all done downloading and he was so excited to play.  He had some time before his Saturday ping pong started.  He started playing and was very nervous about our internet connection that goes out when it feels like it.  He felt that if the company were to be serious about this beta testing, they should have offered an amazing internet connection and two large monitors so that he could get the full feel of the game. . . and a mouse with full strength batteries.  I guess they are lucky to have such a tester as David to be so "willing".  It was getting close to noon when his ping pong started and I asked him if he was going to go play.  He said maybe, with a laugh knowing he was such a nerd.  He finished his game and won I guess.  He decided that Starcraft "testing" could wait and he wanted to play ping pong more than he wanted another game at the moment.  So off he went.
• I reminded him that he needed to make sure his homework was done for this week's classes before he played too much Starcraft.  He was annoyed that they didn't ask him to do beta testing for them a month ago.  Too much fun stuff at one time. . . what is the boy to do?
• He got to have Coco Dyno-Bites this week as a little breakfast treat.  It is his favorite cereal and he was very excited and claimed it would help him do his best at school.  I will let him believe that, but I also know that he finished off the bottle of TUMS this week so I'm questioning whether the Coco Dyno-Bites are so helpful or not :)
• David ordered a preschool workbook for our little girl.  He wants to get her working on it as soon as he can.  I told him that we could wait a couple of years, but he said it is never too early to learn!  He wants to get her ready to start learning accounting soon too, but they don't have preschool workbooks for that, so he got the best looking one he could find.  He thinks this book will be good in preparation for accounting and he might have to make up his own accounting lessons because everyone needs to know the basics of accounting.  I am just going to let him do his thing on this.  
• We tried to BBQ last night, but I ended up cooking the chicken on the stove.  We didn't have lighter fluid and I thought we would be fine since the briquettes said they were self lighting or something.  They are kind of old and had no self lighting abilities left in them so David worked really hard with some cardboard, a phone book, and some sticks to get the coals hot.  He was fanning and working some magic, but it just turned out to be a smokey mess with ashes in his hair.  He had a blast playing with the smokey fire and the home cooked chicken tasted great.
• We took a tour of the hospital so we know where to check in, where to go, etc.  After the tour was finished and we were on our elevator ride down to leave, I asked him, "So where do we go first when we come in?"  He mumbled something that sounded a lot like astronaut.  I was trying to figure out what he was thinking so I asked, "what floor is that on?" He replied, "second floor."  I got it now.  He was thinking antepartum. . . which is on the second floor along with triage/labor and delivery check in.  Close, but not quite.  I think we might go take another tour of our own just to be clear.  I told him if he asked any of the hospital staff where the astronauts were then he might end up being checked in to the phyciatric part of the hospital and that I would be better off having him shouting that I was going to have a baby and we needed to know where to go.  
• The hospital is about a 10-15 minute slow walk away and David has asked if he could just wheel me to the hospital in a shopping cart as there would be room for the hospital bag underneath.  He thinks this would be really fun, but I am sure to remind him that I will not be wanting to have fun when the day comes.  I can only imagine David pushing me around in a shopping cart trying to get to the astronauts on the second floor. . . . so much fun right?!  I guess I am just a party pooper, sorry babe.

 David always has good intentions. . . Sometimes I just have to laugh as I try to figure out his way of thinking.  I am sure he will be a cute nerd for a long time and I am happy he's happy.
Now I have to go try on my dress for the temple to make sure it still fits around this body.  We'll keep going each week as long as I fit!

How big and how soon?

I am sorry that everything I write about on this blog has something to do with this new baby on the way, but that is just life for us right now.  Especially for me since I am not working and I have each day to pretty much think up some grand idea for the day.  Today it looks like it will be laundry and cleaning out the car to see what's even in there. . . and maybe a swim before David gets off work. . . who knows!  Pretty exciting huh?!

In my last post I mentioned the weird dreams I have been having.  They don't stop.  I am having my doctor's appointments every week now as we get closer to the end of this baby growing season for me.  At the last appointment, I was measuring right on if not just barely bigger than "normal" I guess you could say (I am only talking about my belly. . . hips, legs, arms, and extra chins are not measured at these appointments, and they haven't been out of control, but in case you were wondering :)  So this was two weeks ago.  Measuring normal.  At my appointment this week, I measured above and beyond!  And he even measured twice just to make sure, in which he reassured me that I was almost to the next mark.  EEK!  So if this belly was on target, it would have measured 34. . . maybe 35 as it usually coordinates with how far along I am.  I measured 37, almost 38!  First thing I thought was. . . Is this baby coming early?!  If he says we are having this baby tomorrow, am I ready?  I got really excited and nervous at the same time. . . you know that nervous giddy smile.  Then I started thinking about how big all of my siblings and I were and I think that smile turned more nervous than anything.  I only gained a couple pounds from last time, so the baby is just growing huge!  Oh boy!  I told my doctor about how I come from a family of big babies. . . chunky, not wimpy. . . and how I was 9 pounds and that I had a brother that was over 11.  He asked, "c-section on any of them?"  Nope.  Then he just looked at me with a smile that kind of said "your mom is tough and you could be in for a ride."  That's when he said that he definitely wanted to see me next week.  I don't know if I was going to originally going to come back in 2 weeks, but that smile was still there so I think maybe not.  He is going to look at some of my "personal samples" to check for anything that could be an issue. . . lucky him!  

So as for these dreams, I think I have had this baby at least 20 times now, and each time has a different story to it.  They are getting more and more real though. . . as in I am not having her in a tree, in the ocean while scuba diving, or sliding down Mt. Adams.  As pathetic as it sounds, the most strenuous activity I have done lately is probably rolling over in bed.  I have gone on walks, but I think momentum makes that easier than rolling over!  I think my dreams are more real now since the doctor's appointment, and we also toured the hospital where we are going to deliver so there isn't a need for exotic dream locations anymore.  David would be bored with our morning chats as the dreams are just at the hospital now.  I don't know, but they keep coming.  

With these great dreams, I decided it was time we packed our hospital bag, with only a few things on a list that we will grab when the special time comes.  I have also had dreams where I was oblivious that I was in labor, so I hope that that doesn't entirely happen.  I am ok with no labor pains, if that is the case, but I am positive that David doesn't want to deliver the baby. . . 100%.  So I just hope that I get some definite signal so that we can calmly make our way to the hospital a couple blocks away and then none of my dreams come true.

p.s.  We are getting closer to my belly button popping out. . . it is so close!  And I am proud to say I haven't found any stretch marks. . so far just tan lines and those are part of pregnancy right :)

Not Much Longer!

We are less than 6 weeks away from our due date and we are getting more and more excited for this little baby girl to come.  Lately I have loved wearing dresses.  There's no restrictions on the belly and with it being summer time, there is more breathability for my legs.  The colorful summery dresses are so nice to wear.

So here are pictures at 34 weeks along.  You can't even tell I am pregnant in the first one right!?  The dresses just drape over me. . . kind of tent like but I am ok with that now.  I am sure that I could protect a child in a storm with a nice shelter over head if needed!  Luckily, this baby weight is staying close to my belly.  I haven't had too many inches growing in all the unwanted places. . . mostly just out from the belly.  It is kind of funny to me that there is a definite underside to my belly.  David and I were swimming and one of those foam noodles in the pool could easily keep me floating when I put it under the belly!  Not even joking!  There is enough of a ledge there for it to rest on.
This baby is starting to run out of room which means that I can feel every movement.  It is fun to feel her rolling around and getting situated.  When there is noise. . . music at church, fireworks, radio playing. . . she seems to get really active.  Maybe she's annoyed by the noise and she wants me to quiet it down. Who knows.  I think that one day soon I will be able to see outlines of her feet, hands, or elbows as she jabs and exercises in there.  She put on a show for David as we were singing at church.  My dress over my belly was moving all over the place.  Sometimes if David lays his head down on my lap and his head is too close to my belly, she will squirm and kick as if to get him out of her space.  She sure is feisty!
Sleeping is starting to get a little more difficult.  I get uncomfortable more often so I will roll over from side to side.  This used to be no big deal, but now it seems like any sort of ab muscle I once had in there has dissolved away.  It takes so much more effort to roll this belly to the other side.  I usually end up having to scoot around too so I don't take up all of David's side.  I can't let my belly rest on him because she will wrestle him until one of us scoots away.  By the end of this rolling over/scooting over business I am nearly out of breath from the workout and lucky if I still have a small part of the blanket still on the bed!
My dreams have been so strange lately too.  I will have random people from high school in them as we go on ski trips and I try to disguise the baby belly only to have the baby on the lift, or in a tree I got tangled up in.  I also had a frustrating dream that I was tricked into being on the show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" which is about people who had no idea they were fully pregnant until a baby came out.  I kept trying to tell everyone that I knew I was pregnant all along, but the show just went on about me and I was just thought of as this wild   ignorant pregnant woman.  One of my favorites has been that I had the baby and she came out with a box of Teddy Grahams and my bracelet I left at Nick and Christine's last week.  So random it makes me laugh.
David was a little out of it but he was telling me all about how a nurse called her daughter "Katie-bug the Ladybug" and how she always wore things with lady bugs on them.  It was so random and I realized he was out of it so I kept this conversation going.  He let me know that our little girl would be mortified if we did that to her and that we would have to be her servant for life.  I started laughing and he came out of it but he just said, "You'll be sorry."  He rolled over and was out again. I laughed some more and let him know how funny he was later on in the day.  I told him we didn't have to put any lady bugs on our little girl as I don't want to be sorry I didn't listen later!
We are hoping that this little girl stays in my belly for at least a few more weeks to finish growing big and strong, but we also realize that she could be here very soon!  We are being extra careful to make sure I don't do anything I shouldn't so we can let this little girl come when she is ready.

Fun Weekend Away

e went to Rexburg and Idaho Falls this year for the 4th of July weekend.  It was funny to think that we had lived there going to school, and had never spent the 4th of July there.  We have gone to the Oregon Coast each year.  So now that we move away, we decided to go back and have fun!  It makes perfect sense right?
We were able to see some good friends and play games just like the good ol' days.  Derek and Kelly even treated us to some sno cones which were as perfect as ever!  We stayed up way too late chatting away, but it was too fun and it had been too long so we had a lot to chat about.  So fun to see them!
On Saturday, the 3rd. . . Happy birthday Matt!. . . both Idaho Falls and Rexburg celebrated Independence Day.  With so much of these communities being LDS, it is probably a lot more convenient to do it all the Saturday before instead of on Sunday.  It started with the parade in the morning.  Will led the little kids in snatching up fun little gadgets and of course the candies being thrown from the floats.  I kept my eyes out for the floats that were tossing out salt water taffies, and I pounced on a few of them.  In my head, the salt water taffy just completes the parade experience. . . as long as I stay away from any of the black taffy!
David and I hung out at Shawna's for the day as it was a little too cold for swimming, but just right for hanging out in the sun.  I was so glad to finally have my two hairdressers back!

Emilia's hair reminds me too much of how mine always looked when I was little.  I am sure that it was because  of the goggles. . . and the twinkie on the face :)

Edison and Emelia were fun to see.  When they first saw me and the giant belly I've got, they were a little confused.  It had been 6 months since we had seen them so that was before the baby.  They weren't quite sure who I was and the idea of a baby girl in my belly was a new idea for them to try to take in.  I think they got it with a little of Amber's help as she helped the girls figure out who the different looking lady was.  The rest of the weekend, they thought the belly was fun and they liked to "tickle" her and try to feel her kick.

This little girl also has a lot to learn from her cousins and they can't wait to teach her how to walk, talk, jump on one foot, wear goggles, not hit, sing, clap, splash, fix hair, eat peanut butter sandwiches, get pushed on a swing (by David), color, buckle up in a car seat, go potty on a toilet, share candy, and even putting flip flops on.  Our baby girl will be set for the life of a 3 and 4 year old, no doubt!  I guess David and I are out of our jobs as parents as long as these two girls are around.
David and Chad put on a new screen door and I remember David taking breaks to eat some cheetos. . . and I don't remember him wiping off the cheesy prints I saw on there.

I promise there is nothing stinky about this picture, they are just making nice faces for no silly reason!  David was an excellent new screen door holder as you can see :)
For the rest of the day, I think we ate and ate and ate.  I don't think Amber's family knows how to stop cooking food, and it is good so everyone keeps eating!
We went and watched the grand firework show.  Everyone biked to the watching firework spot, but my knees would have run into the baby belly, so Nick and Christine just drove us over.
Nick kept telling me that riding a bike should be no problem. . . it would be just like when we would carry the huge bag loaded with newspapers and I could just pedal with my knees out to the side.  I considered, but decided it would just be better to park and walk the block instead.  I could only imagine how ridiculous. . . and too similar. . . .I would have looked trying to ride the bike without knocking the baby around.

The show was fun!  It was set to music which really seemed that if a song mentioned red, white, and blue, the Fireworks were those colors too.  It was fun to sing along to some of the patriotic songs, but I don't know how coordinated the fireworks and the music could get so I just liked the music as background.  There were a lot of big booms and bright skies.   My favorite fireworks are the ones that make the sky look all glittery. . . so pretty.
Christine put on a little baby shower and some friends and family that were staying in town for the weekend were able to come.  It was fun to see old roommates and friends.

We played some games and one of the funniest ones was the one where everyone tries to measure how round my belly is.  We used streamers and everyone just tore off how much they thought it would take to get around.  Everyone was actually really close and just had a little bit extra except one friend might have been able to get hers around twice!  Some things seem larger than they appear!

I got some cute books of all different levels that we will be reading to our baby from the day she's born.  One book we got just might be too true. . . I am afraid we might have our very own "Alice" on the way.

I also got some fun baby toys and adorable little outfits.  I am so amazed at how tiny the clothes are and that we are going to have a little baby that will actually fit into those teeny tiny clothes soon!  The bathing suit was too cute!
I also got a mother-to-be massage. . . it was heavenly!  I haven't laid face down in way too long.  After my massage, it was almost like I had this dreamy feel to me.  Just so relaxed and it felt so nice.  David may have thought I was drugged up or something, and I am sure he is tired of hearing how nice it was.  Pregnant or not, a massage is never turned down!
At the Adams', they have some swings that Edison and Emelia convinced David to push them on for quite a while.  They also have this other swing for the big kids.  All the chunky. . . I mean hunky. . . men grab the long rope hanging from the seat of the swing and run as the lucky rider gets a good fling.  David said it was more fun than it looks.  He thinks it is Edison's turn to push him on the big boy swing.

Nick looks too excited for his ride on the swing.  I think Drew is on the wrong side of the swing too.

I was offered a fun ride on the swing myself, and I was willing as long as someone was going to catch the baby.  Surprisingly, nobody took me up on that, so I just sat with Edison and Emelia to watch.  They told me the baby wouldn't like that kind of swing anyways.
The weekend full of food, fun, family, more food, friends and fireworks. . . .and a massage, couldn't have been a better break from all this getting ready for the baby nonsense I am still trying to figure out.  Yes I have been so busy preparing for this baby as I sit  by the pool with a popsicle in hand.  So rough!  Maybe today I will diaper up a few milk jugs and cereal boxes for practice.