On how pregnancy made me a Colts fan

Sunday afternoons = football in our household. Oh yes they do!

Up until 3 years ago it didn't even enter onto my radar, but something changed long about week 9 of my pregnancy with Elijah. You know, that time when I was so sick I wished I could die. Nothing... and I mean nothing sounded edible, and I suffered from crazy-bad headaches, total exhaustion for no reason, and a very sensitive sense of smell. It was during that time (it was winter in Indiana, which means nothing to do for a pregnant sick lady except stay inside and sulk) that I would curl my pathetic self up on the couch all weekend long, leaving it only for bathroom breaks and maybe church. As it turns out without cable TV there is nothing to watch but infomercials and football on Sundays. So that's where it all started.

And so I fell in love with the Colts. (They won the Superbowl that year too!) To my great surprise with the end of the season also came the end of my all-the-time-sickness. And not a second too soon. And my Sundays have never been the same since.

Where was I going with that story? Oh yeah, I remember... Elijah.

So I think we have ourselves a little football fan. Last night while watching the Colts sweep the floor with the Titans, Elijah would cheer and throw both arms up whenever there was a touchdown.

Earlier in the day he approached me in the kitchen. I bent down and asked him what he was doing. He got very close to my face, and in the tiniest whisper he said "Duess what. tootballs on". I have no idea why he felt the need to whisper, but I got a good chuckle out of it.

And if you ask him who the quarterback is he will proudly reply "Peyton Manny".

In other Elijah news... He can count to twenty. (has been doing that for a few weeks) And he knows most of his colors: yellow, blue, green, orange, white, black, and sometimes brown.

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I may have mentioned this, but last week Elijah's 2nd cousin Gracie visited from TX. They went to the Fall Festival together, got yellow balloons, and sat on the back of a firetruck.

They also rode the Choo-Choo train with their other cousin, Zoe.

Elijah ordered french fries from a booth all by himself -or so he thought. (Check out the sunglasses on top of his head and the monkey backpack.)

This is our traditional Fall Festival photo in front of the Chuck-Wagon.

And here's my little Romeo holding hands with Avery (Jacob's girlfriend's daughter) down on Franklin St.

let's call this one: It Sucks

My 19-year-old adopted sister, (no I never talk about her because she moved out when she was 15, and basically disowned our family (but that's a whole 'nother story)) Chyna is pregnant.

My reaction: are you freaking kidding me?

My dad's reaction: I'm gonna be a grandpa again.

Wait.
What?

no.
and let me tell you why.

One... she's not really my sister. She unadopted herself when she was 15 -- moved out, changed her last name, and doesn't speak to any of us.

Two... we don't go getting all excited about teenagers who get pregnant and may or may not even still be with "they baby daddy". nope.

Especially not when there are perfectly legitimate married couples all over the world who are dying to have a baby but struggle with infertility. What a crazy mixed-up world this is. Why can't kids keep their pants on these days? I mean, really. And if they can't do that, for cryin' out loud, use some protection. Dang it.

Now, maybe Chyna has grown up, will do the responsible thing and care for this child properly. We can only pray she does. But frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if she fell right back in to her mother's footsteps and landed this kid in foster care just like she was at 10 months old. I sincerely hope that's not the case.

[steps down off soap box]

Sheesh, I'm so cynical today.

TODAY'S THE BIG DAY WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

TODAY'S THE DAY!!
I JUST GOT THE CALL FROM MY DR.'S OFFICE. THEY ARE INDUCING ME AT 10:45 THIS MORNING. YIPPEE!
COME ON ELIJAH!
Please pray for me and Manny and the baby as this is pretty much the biggest day of our lives -- EVER. Also please pray for my dad since he's driving up from Evansville now and potentially won't have all his wits about him in all the excitement. This is it guys. The moment we've been waiting so long for. I'm so excited and nervous. I'll update when I can. Who know when that will be. :)

41 weeks now --- AAHHH

Here's the update... still no baby in sight!! I went to the Dr. this morning and she stripped the membranes again. This time it was quite a bit more aggressive because I've been having some decent contractions all afternoon. The kind that get my attention and make me say ouch a little. This is a GOOD thing! Now I'm 4 cm dilated, 85% effaced, and between -1 and 0 station. The Dr. said she was shocked I haven't gone in to labor considering how far along things are. We decided if nothing happens w/in the next day and a half, she's inducing me first thing Wednesday morning. I can't imagine waiting that long. But at least now I have an end in sight if it doesn't happen on its own. I'm really ok with it at this point because I'm ready for him to be born. Most likely they'll just have to break my water anyway. Maybe we can avoid the whole Pitosin ordeal (I hope). I wish I had more exciting news to report. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here as big as a cow, trying not to die of heat exhaustion since it's almost 100 degrees! Thank goodness for AC and malls to walk around in. :)

Oh yeah, we measured my belly and it's 43 1/2 inches around at the biggest part. OH MY GOODNESS!!

stir crazy

Here we are - 6 days late now and I'm going a little stir crazy. The past 2 days have been the same as the rest of the week: full of walking, killing time, and trying to stay cool in this miserable heat. It's been in the upper 90's several days in a row. We've visited every mall in the Indianapolis area, cooked everything we can think of, been to the library a dozen times, shopped, watched movies, read books, and waited... and waited. I was to the point of tears yesterday, just frustrated and wondering why this baby isn't coming! I can't imagine he's not done yet. I'm still not even having consistent contractions. We've tried every old wives tale and home remedy people have suggested but when its not time, its not time I guess.
Tomorrow at 10:20 AM I have my next Dr appointment. Hopefully she'll break my water. But I haven't been guaranteed this, so I'm hoping they don't make me wait until Tuesday morning. I don't know if I could wait until Tuesday. Again, my precious paid time off from work is just wasting away. aaahhhh.
On a happy note, I got a new blender. It's wonderful! It can crush ice so small it's like having one of those freezies you get at 7-11 or something. My old one had broken and we just took it back to Bed Bath and Beyond and exchanged it. Since they no longer carry the old model they gave me the upgraded one for no extra $$. (Even though the new one is $50 more.) yay for me!

+ 3

This morning nothing more had happened when I woke up. I hadn't felt Elijah move and was getting kind of worried about the lack of progress given how things were moving last night. So I called my Dr. office to find out if I could be checked for progress or what. She had me come in, then hooked me up the the monitors and measured his heartrate and my contractions for about 45 minutes. Turns out he's still fine and dandy in there -- just being a little stubborn. During the time I was hooked up I had about 5-6 decent contractions so things are still happening slowly but surely. I'm getting discouraged to tell you the truth. Oh, here's something funny. After the 1st 15 minutes of being on the monitor he hadn't moved much so the nurse had me drink some juice to see if that would get him going. It didn't. So, she got out this thing that's like a baby tazer which she used to "shock" him awake. It was more like a vibration and buzzer that's supposed to bother the baby enough to wake him up. It didn't hurt, but I found it very funny.

This afternoon Mom and I went to Erin's parent's house for a nice swim. Oh, it felt so good!! For once I didn't feel like my belly was so heavy and the cool water was just what my poor sausage feet needed. Plus, Hudson is a ridiculously cute baby and we enjoyed watching him swim. :) (Thanks for inviting us Erin!) I'm still having contractions, but not painful ones and I'm not even bothering to time them any more. I'm crabby about this situation. I'm mad that I've taken my precious time off work for nothing at this point, which I would rather save for after he's born. I'm mad for my dad who is also missing work and had to drive back to Evansville this afternoon to man the office. I'm frustrated for everyone else who is anxiously awaiting this event, over which NONE of us have any control. Dang it. Good news is that my Dr. won't let this go on any longer than Monday. But I hope it doesn't come to that.

2 days overdue now

This waiting is RIDICULOUS! Here we are, 2:30 pm, 2 days past my due date and NO baby yet! I'm getting a tad anxious now, to say the least. And frankly I'm feeling the pressure of everyone I know asking me when he's going to come. People, I don't know! Wish I did. I have performance anxiety even though I know I can't do anything to make him come.

My parents arrived up here in Indy last night. And even though it was after 8:00 pm, it was HOT, and humid, and sticky. I cannot tell you how much I wish I had a pool, even a little baby pool to cool off in. Mom, Manny, Annie and I walked... and walked. Then we did lunges, squats, stretches, step aerobics, and all kinds of crazy gyrations to get things moving. It did work somewhat because last night while in bed I was having contractions every 10 - 7 minutes, and pretty intense until about 3:30 am. But then I was so tired they stopped waking me up so I don't really know how long they went on. Then this morning when I woke up they were gone. Mom and I went to the mall and walked (and shopped) today. I've had a few pretty good contractions off and on, but nothing with a pattern so I think they're fakes. We've even tried having me eat spicy food but still no real effect.
Speaking of shopping, Mom bought me a coming home from the hospital outfit (sweat capris w/matching zip up top for comfort and easy nursing) and a few other things. Moms are nice. After that we went to a different mall to walk some more (it's WAY too hot to walk outside). Who wants to be 9 + months pregnant walking in the hottest part of the day in over 90 degrees. No thanks.
Let me say a few more things. I'm sorry friends if you think I'm complaining. I don't mean that I don't like to be checked up on. It's actually quite nice to have people care about how I'm doing. I just tire of feeling like I'm letting people down by not getting this baby out. I can't tell you how many times a day I say "No, I haven't had him yet. No, the contractions aren't very regular..." etc. I'm being silly. I know. Distant relatives just want the scoop and they don't know I've already been asked the same question a ZILLION times. :)
Anyway, after our 2nd mall walk this afternoon, we all went to dinner at Augustino's (a fabulous Italian place in Greenwood). I had my first ever lobster bisque and it was AMAZING!! As was everything else we ate. umm umm. I think I've put in 7-8 miles of walking today - no kidding. My feet ache. After dinner we came home and walked the neighborhood again, during and after which I've been having some really good contractions. They went from around 20 minutes apart, to around 10 minutes apart. That's where we are now. I'm hitting the hay now but hopefully some real progress will happen tonight. [crosses fingers... and toes (which are quite chubby and swollen now) but mostly from the heat and walking]

no baby yet...

40 weeks today!! And I'm READY.

Well, today is the big day... or is it? I honestly never thought I'd get to the due date and not have a baby already. But apparently God has other things in mind for this kid. I'm so ready to get things going. This morning when I woke up Manny sang to me "happy due date to you..." (to the tune of Happy Birthday). He's so funny!

I know people mean well, but I'm getting tired of hearing "Haven't you had that baby yet?". It makes me want to say "Actually yes I have. But I like working here so much I thought I'd come in today anyway. And nevermind my still very swollen abdomen." HERE'S YOUR SIGN.

I've considered making a poster for my desk that says:
Yes, today is the due date.
Yes I know my belly is huge.
NO I haven't had the baby yet.
I feel fine. Thank you.
I go to the doctor today.
Have a nice day.
I'm not grumpy. really. hehe.

Progress worth mentioning!
This afternoon we went to (what I hope to be) my last O.B. appointment. And AT LAST there is progress!! I can't tell you how happy I was to hear her say "you're at least 80% effaced, 3 cm dilated, and baby's still at -2 station". Woohoo! She asked if I'd been feeling any contractions and I told her only every once in a while I feel like little cramps, but that's only a few times a day. And she said "well you're having one now" and she pointed out how tight my belly was and how we could see Elijah's body parts. Honestly what I felt at that moment was like doing a crunch, just tightening, but it didn't hurt at all. I felt so silly because that's been happening all day and I didn't realize what was going on. At the end of the apointment I had another one, so she told me she thinks I'm in early labor. I told her I just assumed contractions hurt which is why I thought nothing of it. She said normally people say they do, but later in labor they will definitely feel more uncomfortable. She also stripped the membranes, which hopefully will bring on some more intense contractions to move things along. She told me she'd place money on me having this baby in less than 3 days based on the my current progress. I hope he comes before midnight tomorrow so he can still be a July baby. Needless to say, we're both pretty excited now. Manny took me to dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate and have that date we meant to have last weekend. In other good news, we have another showing for our house tomorrow. yay.

Let's get this party started!

Well, it's Friday. Quite possibly my last Friday at this job - EVER. That is a very exciting thought. Now I don't know what Elijah is doing in there, but it seems he's a tad too comfortable to be so close to his due date and not even be acting like he wants to come out. I'm not anxious, just ready to meet him and start being a mom. Manny is equally excited and keeps saying the cutest things. Last night at supper he said how he's so excited for the baby to be born so he can teach him about the Lord. This morning his first words to me when we woke up were "Honey, you're my hero because you made us a baby". Could he be any sweeter?! I don't know what we'll do this weekend if we're not having a baby. The house is ready, the chores are done, so all we have to do is wait. I'm thinking maybe a date is in order -- our last chance at one before we're parents.

4 more days to go...

Last night during our walk I decided to do lunges through the neighborhood. Bless Manny's heart - he did them with me, silly as we looked. Supposedly the motion is helpful to bring the baby lower and in better position for being born. I feel the same, so I don't know if it worked.

I'm now "on hold" at work (have been since Tuesday) so all I need to concentrate on is closing out my old files and making my follow-up calls. It's much less stressful and I actually feel like I'm getting something accomplished. I know I won't care what my desk looks like while I'm gone, but I don't want to leave things in disarray for my teammates either. Now I can just relax, work hard, and try to get things in order before its time to leave. :) I'm going to work as long as I possibly can until I go into labor... which I HOPE will be soon!! I still have this underlying dread that my water will break at the office. Gosh, that would be so embarrassing!

Activity??

Yesterday afternoon and evening I had a few practice contractions - about 2 an hour. This was the first time I had any activity. I know it wasn't true labor, but still it makes me excited because I know my body knows there's a baby in there, who may or may not want to come out in the near future. :) I keep talking to him and asking him if he wants to come out soon, but he never answers me.... kids.

PHOTO SHOOT

We had a fun time taking some pictures outside after church yesterday. Here are some for your viewing pleasure. It was an absolutely beautiful day! As you can see, we love each other. :)

Another doctor visit this morning and NOTHING is happening. I must admit I'm a little disappointed. I'm still 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and haven't gained any more weight. The only change is that he has gone from -3 station to -2 since last week, so this shows a tiny bit of progress as he's moving in a downward direction. His weight now is estimated 7 lb 9 oz ("give or take a pound"). They're not very scientific when it comes to guessing the weight, are they? I suppose the good news is the longer he waits to be born, the more time we have to sell our house before I panic about going back to work without childcare.
14 days until the due date!!

And here' s another one of the pretty dresser Manny made for our boy. I'm so proud of him

only 20 days left

Yesterday I had my 37 week appointment and ultrasound. It's such an amazing thing to get to see Elijah up close and personal. He's so big now -- in fact the Dr. estimates his weight now 7 lb 3 oz. That's a BIG boy already!! Everything looks perfectly healthy. He was "practice" breathing, which means his lungs are now fully developed. She said he's ready to come at any time. He has a visible head of hair and was very active. We could tell he has big lips like his daddy too. :)
I'm 50% effaced now, so he really could come soon. I'm getting pretty nervous now that it's actually on the near horizon! Things at home are ready, but I still feel emotionally unprepared. I know it will happen in God's timing so that's comforting. This is such an adventure.

Did I mention that my husband is the BEST ever? Well, he made this dresser - from scratch - by himself! Amazing, eh?

There are 3 of us preggos at my work. Here we are: Me (37 weeks), Sarah Welty (24 weeks), and Susan Finney (37 weeks)

36 week check-up

Baby Elijah and I are still just fine and dandy. His heartrate is now 140 bpm. At my visit today they did an exam and I'm 1 cm dilated and 30% effaced. He's definitely head down and in position. So, basically I'm progressing as I should and it doesn't look like he wants to come out in the next week at least. She said I could walk around in this condition for 4 more weeks and nothing exciting would happen. Next week we have an ultrasound so we'll get to see how big he is and all that fun stuff. She decided to do an exam every visit now since I work so far from the hospital and she wants to keep a close eye on the progress. (gosh that sounds like fun.)

Manny made me 2 bird feeders yesterday. Just from scrap wood he had laying around. I'll put up some pictures when I can. They're so cute!! My husband is just so sweet. :)

4 more weeks to go...

Yesterday was a fantastic gorgeous day!! Manny and I spent the afternoon doing yard work, grilling out, and enjoying the swing and hammock outside. He's really been helping out around the house a lot lately. I'm so thankful for this since I've been pretty tired lately - what with having this gigantic baby weighing me down all the time.
Actually I do feel really good considering today marks the 36 week point - just 4 weeks until the due date!!! I'm blessed not to have many of the uncomfortable side-effects I hear other women talk about in the last trimester - no back aches, no swollen ankles, no early contractions. Praise the Lord.

Saturday my friend Laurie got married. It was a fun ceremony - full of laughing and merriment. :) On our way home from the reception, Manny placed his hand on my belly, looked at me and said with great seriousness, "His name is Elijah. So let it be written. So let it be done." I cracked up! But I'm so happy we finally settled on a name. (This is the one I wanted from the very beginning.) You know what they say, "The man is the head, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants." Ha ha. Just kidding. We haven't decided on a middle name, but I feel good about at least having the first name.

hospital tour

Last night Manny and I went and took our tour of the hospital where baby G will be born. Community North has a new maternity wing and it's VERY nice. Everything feels almost hotel-like. (except the actual labor/delivery bed) I had imagined that seeing the place and having a real grasp on what to expect would put my mind at ease. But in stead it just makes me more apprehensive because it's a little too real for me to handle right now. I still can't get my head around going through labor... and then being a MOM. Oh my goodness!! We are just 5 weeks away from his due date now.

On a very happy note -- we picked our first 2 zucchini from the garden last night. I'm going to grill them tonight for supper. I'm so excited! yum.

34 weeks

I can't believe we're now officially 6 weeks from the due date! I'm getting more nervous as the time ticks by. But I am feeling a little more prepared as I've kind of organized his stuff, washed his clothes, and taken "inventory" of the things we still need before he arrives. Saturday morning we went to the neighborhood garage sale and found a few good deals: a boppy for $5 (now I just need a cover), 6 gowns, still new, for $2.75, and a head support for the car seat for free from a lady who said she was going to throw it away anyway. I also found a collectable discontinued Fiesta sugar bowl (a $40 item) for 50 cents. The woman had no idea what she was selling - lucky for me. :)

This baby is SO active - he never stops moving and rolling around. Last night he got hiccups for about an hour (for the first time I've noticed). It was a funny little bouncing feeling that I could tell wasn't a kick or a roll.

Friday night we had my shower at Joyce's house. It was nice to have dinner and visit with friends. We ended up with 8 people beside me and the girls who threw it for me. I had a good time.

Saturday Manny and I did a little running around garage sale shopping, getting my car washed (which it needed badly), and picking up a shower gift for Laurie. On my way home from her shower I was able to make a few exchanges at Khol's as some of the outfits I was given were too small.

Sunday was Manny's first Father's Day. We didn't do anything much, just church, lunch at Applebee's and some grocery shopping. Then we hung out at home the rest of the day working on baby's room and laundry. I do have a couple of pictures to post. (of course)

Florida was WONDERFUL!

Well I'm back from Florida. It was just as wonderful as I had anticipated, but far too short a trip! I did exactly what I had planned to do -- read, strolled the beach, swam, tanned, ate, relaxed, and enjoyed time with my family. We did a tiny bit of outlet mall shopping and picked up a few cute clearance items for Baby G. And I was so thankful to have my sweet husband there with me this year. I really appreciated that we had one last chance at a vacation together before our lives change (for the good) forever.

I had my 33 week check up today. Manny got to go with me this time. It was uneventful and all is well w/baby and me. We heard the heartbeat loud and clear. I'm measuring right on schedule. And I've even lost 3 lbs since my last visit 2 weeks ago-- which makes my total weight gain so far 8 lbs. The Dr. isn't alarmed by this so I'm ok with it.

Memorial Day Weekend & My baby shower

This is my family:


I'm 31 weeks preggo now! Getting very large and in charge. Don't I have the sweetest hubby?


This is my friend Stephanie from high school. I hardly ever see her, so it was super nice of her to come. :)

We went down to Evansville this weekend for the holiday. It was so nice - the weather, the visit with family, the cooking. :)

Saturday my mom and I went garage sale shopping and found some pretty good baby stuff. I had been concerned about a car seat (without which they won't let me take him home from the hospital). We ended up finding a new Graco one for $20 (the infant kind w/the removable carrier). We also found mirrors you put in your car to see the baby, lots of newborn size clothes, a pair of the cutest little cowboy boots you've ever seen, and a swim outfit w/floats built in it. Then we went to the mall where she bought me a bathing suit for our vacation next week, 2 sundresses, some t-shirts, a tanktop, and a nursing nightgown. I'm so thankful to have a mom who's able to do stuff like that for me. :) We had a very successful shopping day!

Sunday after church we had a BBQ at my parent's house with aunt Paula and uncle Keith from TX and grandma and grandpa. It was Jacob's 24th birthday so he actually came home for a little bit and ate with us.

Monday we had my baby shower over at aunt Mari's house. It was HOT like a mother! I practically melted to death! But we are so blessed. We came home with a trunk full of gifts. I was so excited my friend Stephanie from Maryland came (a very long trip for her). Also Lisa Cash, Carla Matthews (who is 40 weeks pregnant with Bella Rose) and Libby came, along with all the aunts and cousins on both sides of my family. It was so good to see everyone.

4 days until we leave on vacation!!