37.1 weeks

Had my weekly appointment today, nothing really exciting to report.  Same ol' stuff.  Karen said P is ready for the world and she understands why its so frustrating towards the end knowing P is ready and I am ready and we still just have to sit around and wait. Oh well.  Patience is a virtue.....my ass.

Blood pressure was 98/76 I believe.  Same as normal.  They told me I lost a pound.  I don't believe this.  I pay close attention to the scale and I am pretty sure that it was the same last week but they say it was more.  Well, whatever losing weight or staying the same is fine with me.  I don't know how I haven't gained more because I've felt so hungry this past week and I feel like my stomach has just exploded.  P's heartbeat was in the 150's as usual.  I was measuring right on at 37 weeks.  Now we continue waiting...I seriously feel like I have been pregnant forever.  If one more person tells me to enjoy this time I'm going to punch them in the face.  I have enjoyed being pregnant!  But I am ready to enjoy being a mommy.  The end.

P wants OUT!

She's been a big mover ever since the first time I felt her move. 

She apparently does not care that there is hardly any room left, she's making room!

Oh and Dustin told me he had a dream that P came out with a head full of hair cut like Elvis...

Oh boy, I hope not!



CPR

36 weeks 5 days

Tonight we went to a CPR class.  I've been certified before since I taught preschool but Dustin had never taken it.  It went well and luckily we were able to get out an hour early.  THANK GOD.  There is only so many times you can practice.  Being pregnant and already out of breath I was ready to be done after 10 minutes of breathing in some mannequins mouth.  It was nice to have a refresher in the infant and child CPR since I am paranoid.

Speaking of being out of breath.  I never listened to anyone when they said the last month is when you really grow and pop.  I feel like I've doubled in size in the last few days.  It is ridiculous.  The weather is now fall-like and I decided to pull out some boots tonight.  Too bad it took me 10 minutes to put them on!  I can't reach my feet very easily.  Nobody tells you these little things about pregnancy!!  You can say goodbye to trying to paint your toes.  You can also say goodbye to seeing your lady bits.  You said goodbye to your period but nobody tells you that you will say hello to a bunch of other crap that is going to come seeping out.  All these freshly knocked up girls say "omg! I won't have a visit from aunt flo every month"  Yeah, well enjoy the dry spell for about a week because you're going to be leaking crap every day for the next 9 months.  I read on the what to expect forums every day how someone thought their water had broke but NOPE just discharge.  You think is it really that bad?  Yes, it is.

Vomit.  Sorry to any men that are reading this.  That's life.

Wednesday I will be 37 weeks.  Full term!  I have a feeling P doesn't care one bit though.  I just know she's going to be late.  I am so ready.  I am impatient and I've run out of things to do to get ready for her.  Everything is ready.  Today I even set up her pack and play in the living room.  I put the waterproof pad down and the sheet and brought down a pack of newborn diapers to put in the pockets of it and wipes!  I see all these pictures of people's homes after they have a child and I hope that my house is never messy but I know it's going to be.  That is going to be hard for me.  I'm used to having everything spotless.  Having the swing and pack and play set up in the living room is already driving me nuts.  Oh well, maybe when P gets here I learn what exhaustion is and won't really care if there is dust on my table.  We'll see.

Well this post was pointless.  I go back to my midwife on Thursday.  I'll update then.

36 week appointment

We had our weekly appointment with my midwife today.  I ate a big ol' breakfast before which probably wasn't such a great idea when I had to step on the scale after.  I was up 3lbs in ONE week.  I'm really hoping that it is just from the food and the giant drink I had.  I really wanted to stay at a 30lb weight gain but I am now at 31lbs with about 3 weeks to go.  I know I'm supposed to gain weight but it is still hard to see the scale going up.  Karen told me I am fine and that I was underweight to begin with so it's ok if I gain more.  Oooookay.  We will have to see what I weigh in at next week!

My blood pressure was good, as usual.  I think she said 96/60 or something.  It's always around that.  My Group B Strep test came back negative so we don't have to worry about that.  Dustin asked what Karen thought of him going out of town this weekend (he has a food show in Florida).  She was sort of iffy on it and checked me for dialation to ease my mind.  Of course my cervix, which everyone was so worried about not holding up through the pregnancy might as well be stapled shut because it hasn't budged.  I am not dilated at all.  I'm not sure about effaced because I didn't ask, I'm guessing not though since she said P has not dropped.  I'm glad P is still cooking but it is hard to see all these girls from my mom group dilated and having babies already and realizing I still have what seems like an eternity to go.  I don't think I'll have Karen check me anymore.  Karen said everything looks great and that P seems to be an 'average' sized baby.  I wonder what average is to her.

As far as everything else goes I feel like I've had a text book pregnancy and it sort of scares me.  I feel that if I have had it this easy so far labor is going to SUCK.  I hope that is not the case.

After our appointment we went to the community college here to sign up for the CPR class.  I have taken CPR before since I worked with children but my certification expired this year and Dustin has never taken it so we decided it would be good.  The lady who taught our childbirth class is teaching it so we know it will be entertaining.  We do that on Monday evening.  After that we will FINALLY be done with all of our classes.  I want to be prepared for P but oh my god...I am sick of going to all these classes.  The poor dogs haven't been walked in what seems like forever because we have had classes literally every night.

Last night I had a dream about P.  She was so small and I was holding her and feeding her and she was breastfeeding like a champ!  She was so adorable but she was bald!  We were told she had hair at our last ultrasound but now I'm wondering if she will really look like the baby I saw in my dream or if she will come out with hair.  With all this heartburn I have I feel like she may come out hairy as a monkey.  We will see.

Anyway that's all that's new today!

Dear Non-Pregnant Person...

I posted this a long time ago on my facebook page.  It still cracks me up when I read it.  It's exactly how I feel.  I think I'll bold the things that have really bugged me during my pregnancy.


Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women, as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn’t mean me – then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is ‘Congratulations!’ with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.

2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father – not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase ‘my baby’.

3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth, and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it…

4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone’s stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix, or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight…ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is ‘You look fabulous!’.

6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don’t need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.

7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren’t invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won’t be invited to be there when it comes out either.

8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital, and the parent’s home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to ‘help out’. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,

All the Pregnant Women in the World


P.S. I did not write the list of rules, they were posted on my WTE birth month group a long time ago.  But I do love to share them because I think everyone who is pregnant or has been pregnant agrees.

36 Weeks

ALMOST full term.  After next week P is welcome to come whenever she wants.  This has been a pretty good week!  Yesterday we met P's pediatrician Dr. Natalie, who was recommended to us by a friend.  She is amazing.  She told Dustin that his job after P is born is to do what I want/need him to do and to be the bouncer to kick out everyone who shows up.  I felt better hearing her say that I'm going to be tired, cranky, sore, and that guests should respect that and stay 30 minutes max.  I felt semi-bad making rules for everyone to visit but I now I feel better about it.  I know everyone is so excited and I want everyone to meet P but I know I will want time alone with her and Dustin as well.  Everyone has offered to stay and help but honestly having people stay with us always makes me feel stressed.  I've always liked being alone at home and I'm sure during those difficult first days I will feel the same way.  Anyway, Dustin has been reading the little book Dr. Natalie gave us about newborn care.  He's so cute.

After meeting with her we went for our hospital tour.  Before we started the hospital chaplain came into the waiting room and was having trouble getting into the NICU area (everything has super tight security).  It really hurt my heart to hear him say he was going to the NICU.  I can't imagine losing a baby and I'm thinking it would be extra hard to be pregnant for so long and give birth only for the baby to pass.  My heart went out to those poor parents and that baby.  I thank god every day for our blessing.  In happier news, the birthing rooms are realllllly nice.  It's really too bad that when I am in that room I'll probably be in too much pain to enjoy it.  After giving birth they move you to these tiny little rooms downstairs.  I don't know how they expect people to visit you!  I'm not sure if Dustin, P, and Me will even fit in that room!  The lady giving the tour seemed to be a fan of midwives (probably because she was a Douala) and kept bringing up things that they offer that are different from the ob/gyn's during labor.  Such as the birthing pool they can set up in your room.  I'm not sure how I feel about that or if I will use it but I know a lot of people are comforted by water during labor.  I could see how the warm water could be comforting.  Who knows, I'm not a big bath taker normally so I don't know.  I have heard that birthing underwater helps prevent tearing?  I still think I will end up with an epidural and if I do, that won't be an option for me anyway.  The hospital is really nice and they have the level 3 NICU which is great.  Although we are not anticipating any issues with P it is nice to know that if an issue did arise they have the top NICU to deal with it. 

Last night I woke up at 2am feeling really sick.  I am not sure what was going on.  I felt like I was going to be sick and sat in the bathroom for a little bit.  I had the shivers and couldn't stop shaking.  I peed twice in like 5 minutes (oh the joys of being pregnant!) and then decided I wasn't going to throw up, at least not at that moment.  I was freezing and shaking still and thought maybe I had a fever or something.  I went to try out our new ear thermometer...FAIL.  I have no idea how it works.  I guess you have to be smarter than it and I am not.  I gave up and went back to bed where I propped myself up with pillows and ate my 100th Tum of the day.  I don't know when I fell asleep.  I feel better today but still a little off.  Maybe this is my body preparing me for labor.  I'll be really annoyed if I throw up this late in the game since I haven't at all since I've been pregnant!

Tonight we have our breastfeeding class, that should be interesting.  Tomorrow is our last childbirth class and Friday is our weekly appointment with Karen!  Less than a month to go!  No stretchmarks yet, let's hope that continues!! The picture below is my lopsided belly.  I was mid-contraction when this was taken.  Let's just say it wasn't very comfortable.

Belly Casting

Dustin surprised me with 3 gifts at our baby shower back in August.  I had grabbed his phone one morning a few weeks before my shower because the alarm was going off.  When I picked it up it said "baby shower gifts".  I bugged him for weeks about what that meant but he wouldn't tell me a thing.  While I was in California he went to the fair with Tyler and Jody.  I thought he was nuts for driving two hours to go to a fair.  But I'd probably do the same thing to get an elephant ear!  Come to find out he had also went so that he could give the presents that he got me to Jody so I wouldn't snoop around and find them.  He knows me too well.

The day of the shower I was given 3 little boxes all perfectly wrapped.  In case you didn't know, Dustin is the KING of wrapping presents.  In the boxes were a willow tree figurine, a hand print ornament kit for P, and the belly casting kit!

We decided last night to go ahead and do the belly cast.  We weren't sure if we should wait much longer since I have started having contractions daily and our due date is drawing near.  I didn't really want to be in labor, standing half naked in my garage doing the thing.  It ended up being a lot of fun!  And a lot of mess!   If you're going to do one, definitely do it in the garage!  It didn't take very long to do and was simple.  I just lubed my belly up with the belly lube that was included and Dustin dipped the strips of plaster in water and stuck them on.  The bottom half he did first and it ended up drying before the top.  It started to come off my belly so I had to hold it while he finished the top part.  It took about 10-15 minutes overall.  The most timely part was cutting the plaster into strips.  Dustin thought he was hilarious taking pictures of me in my shorts cutting the strips of plaster.  I won't be posting those pictures on here, at least without a big black bar across my milkers. 

And the finished product...well before sanding and painting...

Honeymoon

In honor of our Anniversary, I thought I'd make a post about our honeymoon.  Since my wedding post was 40 pages long I'll attempt to make this one short.  Although I do have a million great pictures from our honeymoon. 

After our wedding we drove back to Virginia and got ready to leave for St. Lucia.  On the 23rd of September we arrived at Sandals St. Lucia.  It was gorgeous.  The first evening there was pretty low key.  As every other evening was as well.  I think we went to bed at like 9pm every night.  I was SO exhausted.  During our trip we did a lot of great things.  Mostly, EAT!  I don't think I have ever ate so much in my life.  The food at the resort was amazing!  We took a few tours, went all over the island, went shopping, ziplining, etc.  I had an ear infection by the 3rd day we were there so I was unable to go snorkeling or do much swimming.  Oh well. 

These are the Pitons.  They are what St. Lucia is "known for".  There is a lot of Volcanic activity on the island apparently, which is why the land is so beautiful.  In case you weren't aware.  Volcanos smell like crap.  The day we went to visit the Volcano it was probably 110 degrees and so freaking humid I thought I was going to die.  This was the last day I attempted to straighten my hair.  The volcano smelled like rotten eggs and I probably did too.  It was interesting to be that close to a volcano but I think from now on I'll stick to the Discovery channel.  Yuck.

After the volcano we went to some garden.  It was insane.  Every plant and flower seemed to be oversized.  Although with as much rainfall and heat that they have there its no wonder.  I felt like we were in Jurassic Park.  If a t-rex would have hopped out of a bush I wouldn't have been that surprised.  There was a beautiful waterfall here.  If you watch Kendra, her and Hank took pictures in front of this same waterfall on the show.

After the gardens and the volcano we headed to some place on the side of a mountain to eat.  I was NOT a fan of the food.  I wanted to go back to the resort and chow down on pizza and nachos.  I love you St. Lucia but you need to work on your menu.  Even the water tasted funny.  I dont know what the heck that red drink was.  Not good, that's all I know.

 

After lunch we hopped on a boat to go back to the resort.  The boat was a lot of fun and I wish I would have taken some pictures of all the crazy drunk people dancing on it.  We were supposed to go snorkeling, but since my ear was all jacked up, we just sat on the boat while everyone else went.  We did get in and swim around a bit but there were so many people in one area it was annoying.

One of the days we went zip lining.  The first line was scary but after that it was a lot of fun.  I think the scariest part of all was standing on these tiny platforms up in the trees waiting to go.  Our tour guide made us do this cheesy pose in front of everyone before we started.

 

One evening we had a private candlelight dinner.  It was supposed to be on the beach but it had rained all evening so we ended up in a gazebo overlooking the beach.  It was still delicious and romantic :)  Well, as romantic as we get.

The rest of the time we spent hanging at the resort pools/beach and eating!  I would LOVE to go back there someday.  But I have a feeling from now on we will be hitting up the Beaches Resorts with our P.

Sorry, I like pictures!!  Anyway, I HIGHLY reccomend Sandals St. Lucia to everyone.  St. Lucia was great.  Everyone there was so friendly and unlike some islands where it isn't really safe to go off the resort, we went off resort with no issues except overly friendly people.  The resort it's self was awesome and everyone made you feel welcome and comfortable.  I would go back in a heartbeat.  But this time I would leave my hair straightener at home and bring extra gel.

Happy Anniversary

Two years ago today we were saying "I Do".  All day I've been looking at the clock trying to remember where I was at that exact moment.  About this time, I was probably doing pictures with all my bridesmaids.  I'm guessing this is about the time Dustin and the groomsmen were getting pulled over in front of the resort. Yes, Dustin got a speeding ticket on the way to our wedding.  Oops!

Our wedding was a pain in the butt to plan.  We had to do everything mostly by phone and email.  We made a few trips home and all the vendors acted like they knew exactly what we wanted.  Obviously since half of the things were screwed up on the big day, they had no clue.  But when it came time to walk down the aisle, none of that crap mattered to me.  No mixed up flowers, wrong color cake, missing DJ, or wrong dinner being served was going to ruin that day for me (yes, I did a ton of research before picking vendors.  I think I just have bad luck)! The only important thing was I was marrying my best friend.  Cheesy, I know. 

Our wedding photographer was amazing.  He also was late thanks to the one and only traffic jam Michigan has ever seen.  So there are no pictures of me or my girls getting our hair done, except ones that we took.  Looking back, I'm glad there aren't any because I was looking a hot mess.  All of you former brides know that there is not a chance in hell that you are going to get a good nights sleep the night before the wedding.  The bags under my eyes were gigantic.  Thank you concealer!

After all of our hair and makeup was done, which took a LONG time since there were 8 of us, we headed to Brook Lodge where the wedding and reception was going to be held.  We put the finishing touches on all of us and got ready for pictures!

After us ladies were done with pictures it was the guys turn.  I can only imagine the crap they gave poor Mitch the photographer after seeing some of the photos that were taken. 

Our friend Josh designed the shoes for our wedding.  Sadly, I don't think we had any pictures of them up close taken.  The guys all wore black Chucks with interlocking rings that had our wedding date on them.  Along with their names and their role in the wedding.  I also wore a red pair to our reception that had doves on them and said Mrs. Kent.  They were a huge hit and it sure beat wearing uncomfortable shoes all night!

After pictures it was game time!  I peeked through the windows of the building that us ladies got ready in and watched Dustin head towards the gazebo.  My dad came in and we all got ready to go.  I didn't get to see the mom's being seated or lighting the unity candle but they did it to one of my all time favorite songs "Amazing Grace".   This is my brother walking my mom down the aisle.  And there is Dustin, looking a little nervous. HA HA!

 Somehow I managed to get to the garden area and down the aisle without crying.  I ALWAYS cry at weddings.  I've cried at every single one I've been to and I can't watch them on t.v. without crying.  I think the fact I was scared I was going to fall flat on my face hiking across the grass and up the stairs helped me to concentrate on something else.  The girls walked down the aisle to canon in D.  I went the nontraditional route and walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of "So This is Love" from Disney's Cinderella.  I love Cinderella.  Dustin's nerves seemed to settle down a bit.  He says it was because he doesn't like being in front of people. riiiiight.

 

And there's my dad, tripping over my dress.  A Maggie Sottero Limited Edition Dress called Blair.

Vows, lighting the candle to "Oh Happy Day"And finally the moment I had been waiting for my whole life...

 ...but of course the seriousness didn't last long.

Everyone gets a kick out of this picture.  We exited our wedding to an upbeat song!  "Everlasting Love" by Natalie Cole.  This post is very picture heavy and I'm sorry.  I feel like the pictures can tell the story better than I can.  After the wedding we spent awhile taking pictures while all of our guests got a big head start on the drinking.

Now as beautiful and great as the wedding itsself was.  The reception was the best part!!  Good food, good friends, good music, and a 'photobooth'.  I'd like to think everyone had a good time at our wedding.  I sure as heck did!  Our entrance to the ballroom...

We had said from the start that we wanted a small wedding with close friends and family.  I didn't want to have to introduce myself at my wedding.  We ended up with about 90 some people and it was perfect.  The bridal party entered the room to "Nothing but a Good Time" by Poison.  Dustin and I had been obsessed with watching Rock of Love and wanted to use Brett Michaels' song.  Yes, we are lame.  After dinner and awesome speeches, it was time for our first dance.  We danced to our song, "Stay With You" by John Legend.  I love that song.



I danced with my dad to "Daughter" by Loudin Wainwright.  I LOVE that song too.  Now it makes me think of our daughter :)  Dustin danced with his mom to "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon.

Our bridal party danced to "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.  After all the dances were done we cut the cake while the song "Lucky" by Jason Mraz played.  Just let me say, cutting the cake is a lot harder than it looks.  Nobody tells you how to do this crap before hand.  Someone needs to write an instruction manual for that.  Finally we got it, and I made us little bite size pieces.  No, we didn't smash it in each others faces.  I would have killed someone, I HATE that. 

 

The bouquet toss is hard too!  I threw the bouquet over everyone's head.  I think my sister finally went and picked it up.  The bouquet toss was to "Here's to Finding a Good Man" by Danielle Peck.  Dustin took off the wrong garter first so he had to go back and get the right one.  I'm telling you, we can't do anything right!  Obviously my brother didn't approve of the way Dustin retrieved the garter.  The song was "I Like the Way You Move" by Bodyrockers.

And of course...boys will be boys.  Nobody wanted to catch the garter.  My brother's face is PRICELESS.

After this a whole lot of dancing went down.  Along with an insane amount of pictures in the photobooth.  The night was so MUCH fun.  I wish we could go back and relive it sometimes.  I go through the pictures still like once a week.  It was the best day of my life.  Here are a few more pics that I couldn't leave out.

After our ultra-fun wedding we jetted off to an amazing 10 day honeymoon in St. Lucia.  Maybe I'll make a separate post on that.  Sorry this was so long, I hope it at least gave you a little bit of entertainment.  We have funny friends :)