Still here...Still Pregnant

And I was fine with that until the on-call girl at my doctor's office made an "oops." I was told to call when contractions were 5 minutes apart... So. Friday night they were 5 minutes apart for several hours, I called.. They were painless... but they were 5 minutes apart.. So I called.. She called the on-call doctor, rather than the midwife and they sent me to the hospital... Turns out I wasn't progressed very far, and it basically turned out to be a long and depressing night... So.. Now I am home.. Having contractions today, and they are "good" ones.. They are pretty uncomfortable, but I'm not calling until they are bad and five minutes apart... and then I'll demand that they call the MIDWIFE rather than the doctor... So... There shouldn't be any mistake this time... I could go on like this for a couple of days though I think..... (I might go crazy) but it could be a while before I go in... But anyways... I had my "false alarm" hospital run in the middle of the night... So next time I go in, I better come home with a baby. =o)

His shirt WAS off.. I just forgot

How I could forget that? I'll never know. I blame it on being pregnant. Did you know your brain shrinks when your pregnant? It causes you to forget things.. Important things.. Like the fact that Hugh Jackman DID have his shirt off in the movie "The Prestige." There are actually 2 incidents where it is off, and I remembered one, but that wasn't exactly flattering.. If I say any more, it will kill the movie.. So I'm not.. But yes yes yes.. Hugh Jackman DID in fact remove his shirt.. And now I have to go... I have some daydreaming to do...
MMMmm.. Hugh Jackman with his shirt off.. :o)***

By the way.. My husband knows about this little issue I have with Hugh Jackman. He fully supports it. Wolverine is his favorite X-Men character. With good reason.. He's HOT!

Warm and Snuggly

I'm sure that's how my baby is... I mean, I am a pretty good heater, and I know he has to be snuggly, because I think I'm nearly out of room! He's still tucked away inside. My life has been consumed with waiting for labor.. Every time I have a contraction I think.. This is it.. It's starting... I even had regular contractions every 10 to 30 minutes the other night, so I folded my laundry and went to bed thinking for sure I would be awake in the middle of the night, but alas.. I woke up at 7:30am still pregnant, contractions gone...

Today I went to a movie to pass the time. I went by myself. This is a HUGE thing for me. Movies are a social thing, and I don't do "by myself" very well. When my husband is out to sea, I live on take-out and homecooked food. The poor guy is traumatized when he comes home because all I want to do is eat in a restaurant. I don't go out by myself. You would seriously think that after 4 years of marriage, I would be able to do that.. but nope. Today I did take a serious step though. I don't know why I didn't go to more movies this summer. I guess I am just silly. Too bad I didn't think of it before. I saw "The Prestige." Crazy plot twisted movie.. But it had Hugh Jackman in it, so I would have liked it no matter what.. Even though he stayed fully dressed throughout the entire movie. I was slightly disappointed.. He has lost his shirt at least in nearly every other movie I have seen him in, but not this time. =o)

Not Yet.

This is still the only picture I have of the baby. I'm still pregnant. I'm due tomorrow.. He has either decided when his birthday will be, and has it planned for the future, or he is still trying to figure it out. My husband is hoping for Halloween. I think that it is mean to wish your wife to be pregnant longer than the 40 weeks. He'll catch heck when he gets back for that. =o)

My horoscope was equally ominous today, but I won't post it. I know they are general, and if I was doing anything it would seem like it fit my life. That is the way they are written.. Plus, I know that they are completely different depending upon where you go.

This weekend was good... Friday I went to breakfast with my in-laws. We went to IHOP and boy did IHOP smell like bacon! It was good and fun, like it usually is...After that my mom got home, and we headed to walk around. She wanted to get something for lunch. We ended up at Old Chicago. It was around 2 so I ate a salad and dessert.. It had been a few hours since I ate, and I didn't eat anything heavy at IHOP... We were walking around the mall, and I walked by Gymboree and noticed that their little costumes/buntings were on sale.. I bought a beaver one for $8. It is very cute. Then we drove through Starbucks so I could get my decaf caramel machiatto, but I dropped my wallet on the floor just as my mom was ordering. She has trouble ordering anything there anyway, but when she saw me trying to reach my wallet around my ginormous stomach she started laughing so hard she could barely talk... We get to the window and the very confused barista lady was just as pregnant as me, and agreed that it wasn't nice to laugh. She is being induced tomorrow so I asked her if I could join her. I also told her about the awesome sale at Gymboree since her little one will be here early enough to wear it.

Saturday I visited a friend. I haven't seen her in a while, and it was nice to just sit and catch up and hang out for a while. The huskers played Texas and lost, but who cares. I was more worried about the snow falling. Yes, it snowed. I am not sure I am ready for the cold and the snow. I do wish that the baby would make an appearance soon because I am running out of clothes to wear. I do have some sweaters thanks to my sister-in-law. And I did buy two new pairs of maternity pants, figuring I'll still be wearing them for a while after the baby is born anyways.

Saturday night I was really tired so I went to bed early (earlier than normal.. I don't go to bed early).. but I woke up at 4 am to use the facilities, and couldn't go back to sleep. I was secretly hoping I was going into labor, but no such luck. We went to church, where I spent the majority of the time praying that 1) I wasn't going to pass out and 2) My water wouldn't break and 3) for help listening better. I felt horrible because I was having a terrible time paying attention. I was having contractions and really thought that I was going to have to leave. After I got home, I just laid down and tried to nap since I was up so early, but that didn't work. I was having backaches and other pre-labor issues, or at least I was hoping they were pre-labor related. We also visited my Great-Aunt. My mom is back at school and she was interviewing her about being.... Well, about being old to put it bluntly. It was interesting to hear everything she had to say, and heartbreaking at some points. Her husband was killed in Vietnam after having 5 kids and travelling all over the world with the military. I got home after that and did end up getting a nap. I needed it.

All in all, somehow it was a busy weekend without being completely exhausting. I want you all to know that there IS internet acceess at the hospital, so I plan on having my sister log on and at least post a one liner saying the baby is here. AFTER of course, I recieve a reply from my husband.. He gets an email first, and once I know he knows, then I'll tell the rest of the world.. After all, doesn't Daddy deserve to know first?

More Horoscopes

Okay... So either I am getting some major signs (I still haven't finished my laundry and a few other things, but I got the IMPORTANT stuff done) to get stuff finished while I can??

My tarot.com horoscope for today is:

These are intense times as you are being required to tie up loose ends while simultaneously thinking about what is ahead. Your future is rapidly arriving and the big question is whether or not you are ready to put your plan into action. Don't tip over the applecart by trying too hard. You have a much better chance of succeeding if you don't move too quickly.

This is beginning to be torture.. I think I'm going to quit looking at it.. =o) (yah, right!)

Horoscope

I don't buy into the whole horoscope thing.. But sometimes they crack me up.. And while I KNOW that this is general, and it could just mean that tomorrow is Friday and maybe I'll want to do something fun so I should get my "chores" done.. Being so close to my due date has made me start to freak out because if I go into labor I don't want to have a bunch of things left to be done... So.. Anyways, my point is that my horoscope has been awful to me lately, making me think maybe I am going to go into labor at any second, which makes the waiting worse..

This is my horoscope according to tarot.com today

Try to tie up as many loose ends as possible prior to the Moon's return to your sign this afternoon. If you have been withholding your true intentions, it's better to get them out into the open before beginning a new cycle of activity next week. Don't procrastinate; it may be more difficult to get as much done by tomorrow.

What am I to make of this? Do I need to begin running around and getting things cleaned up? Wash the final outfit I bought for the baby? Tell work NOT to send me anymore designs to complete? Perhaps I should whether this means I will go into labor or not.. But then I would be bored all weekend. =o)

Start Break Dancing

That's what the little bugger needs to do.. Start break dancing... At least the part where he spins on his head.. He is facing out, (his arms and legs are on my tummy rather than my back). And if he doesn't spin around, that will mean I have a higher (supposedly) chance of back labor, long labor and emergency C-Section.. Yuk. So.. Send him "spin vibes," pray he'll turn.. Do whatever you need to.. Meanwhile, I am going to walk around my house on all fours, because that is supposed to help with that.. :) That's what my midwife suggested. I looked online and found a few other tips too. She said I have officially dropped, though, his head is IN my pelvis, which would explain why Wednesday I was able to eat like a pig when I went out with my sister. I hadn't been able to eat anything at all, and at lunch I ate a salad, two bread sticks, an entire plate of ravioli, had nearly 2 glasses of water and a caramel machiatto.. That's a lot of food!

I haven't told my husband that all that might happen, but I'm assuming he knows already. I really don't want him to freak out. He's good at that. He has been a wealth of knowledge since he left. You see, I bought him a set of books. "The Expectant Father" and the one that goes with it that talks about the first year or so... While some of the stuff he comes back with is correct, some of it makes me bust out laughing so hard I nearly pee my pants (that is a lot easier these days.. peeing my pants, not laughing). But I try to take all of his advice seriously. He is trying really hard to stay involved from such a long distance. I can't imagine being so far away from all of the exciting things that are going on here. The book is great, but sometimes he comes up with some greatly odd recommendations..

I am due in exactly one week, and I am ready to have him. Well, so long as he spins around on his head first. It is getting hard to sit here and wait. This is when I wish I had a job outside of the home, because then I would have to get up, get dressed and think about something else for a few hours a day. I am thinking about driving out to Milford tonight for dinner just to have something to do, but then again tonight IS Gilmore Girls night, so it isn't like I'll be bored like I was last night. Hmm.. Decisions decisions...

No News

Well, let's see... The last time I posted was the 8th. Since then I have been remarkably lazy. I have done my job and sent off my work, but then I always do that... I have tried (failingly) to keep my room clean because I really don't want to come home from the hospital to a messy room, and laid around like a BUM... Just in case you are wondering, I AM still pregnant.. and there seems to be no end in sight...

This is one of those times in my life that I have a hard time. You see, I like to have CONTROL.. I have learned to give a lot of that up since I married my huband.. Because he is in the Navy, I have virtually no control over where we live, how long we live there, and really, any plans we make could be changed last second because of something the Navy needs him to do... That hasn't been too bad.. But this time, well, it's getting old.. I have no control over when he is going to come... and that bothers me. I try to take everything one day at a time, but I hate to think that I am going to leave something undone... I have tried to tell my employer that it might not be a good idea to send me new work, but they continue. I am going to work until Tuesday. Then I am going to tell them that it is stressing me out knowing that work could be put off because I could go into the hospital at any moment. Once the baby comes, send it again (I work from home), but I don't want to leave anyone hanging...

The closer and closer I get the more scared I get. I really want to try to do it without an epidural, but we'll see how that goes.. Just the little guy's movements are getting out of control. He has had me nearly in tears recently with his poking and smashing and clawing or whatever the heck it is he is doing... BUT I have been trying to enjoy myself. Just the other night, I spent 20 minutes after I had finished my dinner watching my plate do a little dance on my belly. The baby hates it when I use him as a shelf, and tells me by trying to knock whatever it is I am storing there off.. He also tends to move a lot when I scratch my belly... It itches because the skin is stretched way beyond what I thought was possible by now. Another thing that makes him upset is when I cough or sneeze.. He gets all squirmy then.. EVERY time he squirms because I am scratching, sneezing or using him as a shelf I try to remind him that if he would come out, he wouldn't notice so much when I scratch my tummy or sneeze or cough.. and I definitley won't be using him as a shelf or a table anymore... He hasn't gotten the hint...

I know, I sound like I'm complaining, but I don't mean to. I only have one more week (and a couple of days) until my due date, so really in all reality that is about 3 weeks at MOST left... They still let you go 2 weeks over most of the time if everything is okay... So.. Not too bad, right? 3 weeks, a total really of about 24 days.. Then, he'll be here... And the second I think that.. I start to freak out, because I am not sure that tomorrow I'm going to be ready to be in charge of a whole other person whose life depends upon me. That is a scary thought. I'm not sure I'm mentally stable enough for that.. ha ha. =o) Let's hope that tonight isn't like every other night where I fall asleep, pray for labor and wake up still pregnant in the morning...

Weekend Fun?

Thursday was pretty uneventful. Friday I had a Dr. Appointment in the morning. That was great.. Everything is moving along nicely, and I am where I should be.. She guessed (emphasis on guess) that the baby is about 7 pounds or slightly less than that.. So... Hopefully he joins us soon!! After that we did some shopping, enough shopping that I was sick and tired of it by the time we were done... We went to Olive Garden for lunch, and I guess now you can 'taste' their wines for free... She offered it to me, before she realized I was pregnant, and then went on and on about how awesome it was.. I think there are strangers in this world who are more excited about my new child than some people I know! ha ha.

This weekend we went camping.. My last camping trip until December.. And it was really NOT camping like I grew up with. My parents have an RV, so we had beds and bathrooms and some of the more important comforts of home... It was a beautiful, albeit windy, weekend and I had a lot of fun... The next time I go camping, it will be in a "modern" cabin in December with my husband and brand new baby... We will want to "play house" as my mom puts it somewhere other than my parents house. My dad's prediction. I will be pregnant all next summer too. Ha. Not if I have anything to say about it.. At least I'm ready to be rid of my pregnant body, my pregnancy symptoms and limitations for now... Plus, I kinda want to get to know our first kid before bringing another around...

I am now nearly 38 weeks pregnant, which means the little bugger can come out now, officially.. He is considered full term.. So, while I am still fairly comfortable (I'm not ready to reach in and pull him out myself yet) I might start trying some of the old wives' tales that are supposed to get labor started... So bring on the spicy food, walking (even though it may be slow) and well, if my husband were here, he'd be happy, but since he's gone we wont' be trying that method.. Unless I can find that guy from the park bench downtown.... I still have that top.. and the shirt.. Okay, just kidding... I don't know what else. Any methods (other than castor oil) you guys know of?

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today was a good day.. Although, for some reason birthday's just aren't the same as they used to be.. I don't really know why. Is it because I am turning 26? It isn't really a "landmark" year... Maybe it is the 9 pound kid inside of me squirming and kicking me, maybe its just that I'm a grown up and still have to work.. Maybe its that my husband isn't here.. Who knows.. It just didn't feel like my birthday this year... I think it is mostly that I didn't care about my birthday. Didn't expect anything spectacular, and am more concerned about the big day that is approaching.. Hopefully in 20 days or less.. :) It is probably equally that my husband is gone.. He did send me a cute email though! and I am also more concerned with the day he comes home, that will be a couple of weeks after our child makes his grand appearance.

Today was my deadline for the baby though.. He had to stay in until today... I am now 37 weeks and 1 day, which is pretty much full term.. They won't stop labor anymore, and they can pretty much make sure he would be fine if he was born now... No chance of him being born soon though.. I am still carrying him high as a kite... How do I know? Someone told me I would know when he dropped when I "wanted to cut my legs off every time I used stairs." I use stairs a lot, and I have not yet ONCE wanted to cut off my legs... I have however wanted to remove my pelvic bone when I turn in bed... AND I have wanted to have my stomach moved to a different location so that 1) I can eat more than 10 bites of something without wanting to be sick from feeling full, and 2) I can eat something or lay down without getting massive heartburn... My feet are a bit swollen, and my shoes don't fit, but I don't have it nearly as bad as many people have had it. Next week, my sister's birthday. (By the way none of my family other than my in-laws and my parents remembered... I was ignored by BOTH sisters!) I will be doing something nice for her, unless of course, I am in the hospital... Have I mentioned that I am starting to get a bit panicky about that?? Not the labor thing.. I'll get through all of that... If I can't handle the pain, that's what drugs are for, right? I am really freaking out about taking care of another person... It's one thing to restrict alcohol soft cheeses and deli meats, not lift anything over 25 pounds and all, but to take care of a whole person.... I think it has really started to hit me, because I can feel him moving in there, and he is making movements like newborns make.. When they twitch their arms and legs when they are startled, etc. and I can TELL that is what he is doing.... He is that BIG!!

Anyways.. Today was good.. I got a prenatal massage this afternoon.. My birthday treat to myself.. I told my husband that he had gotten it for me for my birthday since he usually does something like that anyways..It was wonderful.. They didn't have one of those beds with a hole in it, but it still was really nice... I definitely reccommend it... If he doesn't appear on his due date, I will schedule another one and beg them to rub the pressure points that bring on labor. I gave a tip, but I am curious if I gave enough.. What is the protocol for tipping people when you get a manicure/pedicure/massage/hair style type thing?? Is it 10%, 20%, a couple of bucks?? I always wonder about that...

Mom and Dad took me out to dinner at Macaroni Grille, where we got the BEST service we've ever gotten there.. The lady was absolutely cute.. She kept reminding my parents that their meals weren't as important as mine because it was my birthday.. I tried the Chicken Rigatoni for the first time.. Why have I never had it before? Beats me... I will definitely get it again though, because it was delish! The only bummer was tonight was the night they ran out of tiramisu.. The entire reason for going there. Bah. We got their chocolate cake though, which was very very good..

Still Pregnant, Now with NO SLEEP

So... I had some pictures taken by the gal who runs Angelic Creations Photography. She is very nice and took some neat pictures... The great thing is that she puts together a scrapbook for you, so you have something nice even before you have time to put it together yourself, and she'll come to the hospital to take pictures... You can tell I'm getting quite huge now, and that means I can't sleep at night anymore.. Of course, I had just told someone from Virginia that I was doing just fine and was sleeping through the night, minus a bathroom trip or two... So.. I am jinxed. Hopefully not too jinxed though...

I am now officially 37 weeks pregnant, and I can have a baby at any time... And now, I think I may be ready enough.. I still have to finish packing my bag for the hospital, but I'll have a few hours at home to get some final things done before we leave... The longer I can be at home, the better!

I am really pretty much in awe at this point that soon, I won't feel an alien squirming around inside of me, but instead that I will have a little tiny human to take care of... I also am having a hard time actually remembering what I looked like before I was pregnant. I can't wait to be somewhat normal again! I also can't wait to be able to....

1. Get in and out of a car/chair/bed without rolling around like a beached whale.
2. Get that caramel macchiatto without feeling guilty about its caffeine content... (now I am drinking the decaf mostly)
3. Have a margarita, a beer, and a Colorado bulldog
4. Eat fish that might contain mercury
5. Sleep on my tummy
6. Fit into my shoes again.. NONE of my previous shoes fit!
7. See my feet, heck anything below my belly button will be nice.
8. Paint my own toenails
9. Walk around without carelessly crashing my tummy into things
10. And of course, Hold and love and meet my baby

It is my birthday this week, and it will be the first time since I was probably 19 that I haven't had a beer or a celebratory glass of wine, or some other fun beverage with dinner or whatever... Oh well.. I will be able to partake soon enough... I did however schedule a prenatal massage for that day! Not that I really need one.. I don't have a lot of stress since I work from home, and at my own pace, etc. But it will still be nice. My mom wants to know what I want for my birthday... What should I ask for??