Quick Update- 36 Weeks!

36 weeks!

I'm a bit behind- I was 36 weeks last Tuesday.  Had my first check for dilation last week and I was 2-3 cm and 80% effaced!  That was quite a surprise!  Doctor was surprised I had already made that much progress- especially with it being my first time.  She said I could go into labor at any time- could be the next day or still a few weeks. 

I will be 37 weeks tomorrow.  Already had my 37 week appointment today- about the same- I am 3 cm and 80% or more effaced.  His head is very low and well engaged.  Again, could go any time.  So... we are just waiting....and getting anxious!  I think we will start taking daily walks to help this little guy along. ;)  Haha.

Holden- head toward the exit!  We can't wait to meet you! ;-)  xoxo

happy

Mondays are known for their dread and gloom....but it's a Monday and I'm feeling happy.

My heart is happy because...


... my hubby is on a 10 days off work stretch...

... my belly is full (and i mean FULL) of a growing, moving, almost 35 weeks gestation baby boy...

... my washer and dryer are covered in drying, bright and colorful cloth diapers awaiting a cute bum to fill them...

... it's a beautiful, sunny day outside...

... supper = dining out = hot wings...

It's the "simple" things in life that are the sweetest.

This is the day the Lord has made...
let us rejoice and be glad in it!  - Psalm 118:24

Baby Love

2 blog posts in one day....craziness, I know.

We were playing around with our new camera today.  We got a Canon Powershot SX-130 IS.  We are liking it a lot so far! 

Pics taken at 34 weeks, 3 days :)

Rambling Randomosities...

- I was up at 8 AM this morning, dying to get out of bed.  (8 AM is early for me at this point...I'm sure that will change soon.)  Restless body...tired of sleeping on my sides. 
- My dog is coughing and hacking up a storm.  It started yesterday evening.  Sounds awful!!!  Taking him to the vet in a couple of hours.  You Tube'd "kennel cough" and it sounds just like it.  How could my dog who hates other dogs and is never around them have kennel cough?  Could the maybe 15 minutes he spent at Pet Smart last week be the culprit?  Gees.  Would rather not have a vet bill...but feel too bad for him to not take him to hopefully get some relief.  If I feel this bad for him, how am I going to feel when my human baby is sick?!

- My weather app says it is 63 degrees here this morning and I am okay with that!  I swear, I have been hot since the moment I found out I was pregnant.  Add on top of that forty extra pounds and 3 months of 90-100 degree summer heat with the horrid Indiana humidity and I can assure you, I have been MISERABLE.  I'm going to try to remember this and not complain about being cold this fall/winter.  Right now, it is pure relief.  P.S. Fall/winter clothes are so much more comfortable...and forgiving.

- The weather makes me want to make my house smell like pumpkin.  I just ordered 2 scentsy bars each of pumpkin marshmallow and pumpkin roll for my scentsy warmers.  YUM.  I wonder if I will get to decorate the house for fall/halloween before Holden comes.  Maybe I should skip halloween decor and just do fall so it lasts through Thanksgiving....

- We have a "Before Holden Comes To Do List."  It includes painting the chair railing in his room, which Shon started on last night.  Hanging his curtains (they are being made right now) and a wall decal in his room....then it will be complete!  (Pics to come!)  Washing cloth diapers.  Packing our hospital bags.  Putting carseat in car.  Finish lining Holden's dresser drawers.  Shampoo carpet.  I may be forgetting something.  I'm running out of energy to get this stuff accomplished!  It's really not a lot....just a matter of doing it.

- Speaking of cloth diapers...yes, we have decided to attempt cloth diapering.  We decided on Bum Genius 4.0 diapers due to recommendations from friends and online research.  They are of the pocket diaper variety.  They are super soft and well-made and come in cute colors.  We are going to use disposables at first since the cloth diapers are one-size and are usually big/bulky on newborns.  We will probably also use disposables for travel, etc.  We have a decent stock of disposables from gifts/baby shower, etc.  We are not against disposables.  We do not think they would ruin our child.  We just like the idea of saving money by using cloth.  I also like that diaper rash is less common and that they seem so comfy.  The cute colors are an added bonus.  We have acquired 12 diapers at this point.  Some sources contend that 12 is all you ever need...although I'm thinking it may be nice to have more eventually.  We spent less than $100 on 6 diapers....and got the other 6 with gift cards to Babies "R" Us....no cost to us!  It is an amazing thought that we could potentially diaper our child for all of his diapering days for less than $100!!!

- With cloth diapering comes more laundry, but I think that is a routine I will get used to.  I am a laundry hater...so if I end up being able to do it, anyone probably could!  I must say though, that for the past 2-3 weeks I have somehow KEPT UP with laundry instead of letting it BUILD UP and then doing it all at once.  Soooo much more managable that way.  I'm proud of myself....don't know how or why I've done it...it wasn't planned!

Why can't this be my laundry room???

- I have 5 more nights of work left.  Then it is "Welcome to Stay at Home Momhood." :)

34 Weeks!

Week 34- Pregnancy Highlights

Size of baby: According to my "BabyBump app," 18 inches long or the size of a honeydew melon and approximately 5.25 lbs!

Maternity Clothes: My maternity jeans are getting snug.  Seriously?  Gees.  I no longer pull up the "full panel" on them because they only come half way up my belly and threaten to cut off my circulation.  Yikes...please hang on for a few more weeks...I do not want to buy new maternity jeans at this point!  It has been cooler weather the past few days and I am SO glad.  Very ready to quit being so hot and sweaty and to wear cardigans/sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets!

Gender: Boy! Holden...middle name still undetermined....beginning to think perhaps it will be left a surprise until he's born....I think what we ultimately decide on will be a surprise to us, too!

Movement: Position changes, rolling, shifting, moving, occasional kicks.  I almost always have some knobby part poking out of my left side...my guess is an elbow or a knee?!  I can only imagine how he must be running out of room because I feel like he's taking up everything I've got at this point!

Sleep: Still not having a whole lot of trouble sleeping, knock on wood.  I've always been a pretty sound/deep sleeper and I think that's working in my favor.  I have started folding my pillow in half and therefore laying in a bit more "sitting up" position because it just makes it feel easier to breathe and helps with heartburn when that's an issue.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Symptoms: Aren't they more like side effects now?  Ha.  Mainly, been feeling more tired and having less energy lately.  Need naps.  Ankles/feet swelling if I've been on them too long.  Occasional backaches.  Braxton hicks.  Heartburn.  And I think my face is getting fat puffy.  ;)

The Stay-at-Home Decision...

As most of you know, I am a NICU nurse.  I went to college for 5 years to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.  I became employed in a level III NICU after graduation and have been working there as an RN for a little over 2 years now.  It has been a great job.  The job has been challenging and rewarding.  My coworkers have been awesome and I have become really good friends with some of them.  I've taken care of babies whose families I've stayed in touch with.  I love babies...always have, always will I assume.  Babies are wonderful patients and I feel fortunate to have gotten to see and take care of so many different babies.  Where else would I have gotten to see, touch, and take care of a baby who only weighs a pound?  It is an experience that so many never have- and for these experiences I am eternally grateful.

Now that my own baby is on his way, Shon and I have made the decision that I will quit my job as a nurse to stay home with him.  Honestly, I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom and have always hoped that it would be possible.  With Shon's schedule as a resident (new doctor), it would actually be pretty close to impossible to work outside the home.  As an intern, he can work up to 80 hours a week...as a resident (the following two years) he can possibly work even more than that.  Schedules are also not given out in much advance.  He gets his work schedule for one month about a week or two before that month begins (if he's lucky), which would make it impossible for me to schedule myself for work.  Our families are an hour away so we do not have consistent help with childcare available.  Daycare is not an idea either of us are fond of- nor would it be possible in most instances.  I work 12 hour nights...sometimes Shon works dayshift, sometimes evenings, sometimes nights...and the amount of hours varies.

Thus, our decision for me to stay home.  It is a decision that I am somewhat paranoid about....paranoid about what other people think.  A lot of people assume that I'm lucky because I'm married to a doctor who makes the big bucks so I can stay home.  However, resident pay does not = doctor pay.  We will be living on one salary and we will be far from rich.  We are going to have to budget everything and extra spending money will be limited.  It is a financial sacrifice at this point.  However, it is one that we, personally, are used to because I have been the sole breadwinner for the past two years.  Therefore, we are used to living on one income.  Neither of us drive brand new cars (Shon still drives my 2000 firebird that I got when I turned 16).  We cannot get an SUV like I'd love to have.  My cell phone screen cracked recently and I cannot buy a new one- I'm stuck with it for another year until our contract is up.  There are plenty of things that we would like to have but that just aren't realistic for us- a new entertainment center (right now ours is a coffee table!), a new washer and dryer, etc.  I can't buy all of my clothes from Banana Republic, J. Crew, and Ann Taylor- I very rarely pay full price for any clothing item.  These are all things that we may be able to afford if I continued to work...but we are used to doing without and we couldn't be any happier with any of those things than we are without them. 

Worrying about what other people think about me is something I need to work on, personally.  I should not care what anyone thinks about our decision.  It is a decision that my husband and I made together and one that we are both happy, confident, and excited about.  If someone wants to look down on me because I don't work outside the home- fine.  If someone wants to be jealous and talk badly about me because I am quitting my job- fine.  Why does any of that matter?  It is MY choice for MY life.  Everyone else has the freedom to make their own choices....please worry about yours and do not criticize me for mine.  In the meantime I will try to work on not caring about what you think! :)

So...a new chapter starts in my life very soon.  September 24th will be my last night of work as a nurse.  I will be going on 37 weeks pregnant and my new little employer should be very close to making his debut. ;)  I am sad to be leaving all the babies in the NICU and I am VERY sad to be leaving some of the wonderful co-workers I have become friends with.  I hope that we will still get together from time to time and stay in touch because they are truly some of the best people I have EVER met. I am also very sad that I won't be working with my BFF, Andrea, anymore.  Luckily, I know she and I will keep in touch and she will have three months of maternity leave during which I hope we will have a lot of "playdates" with our babies! 

Big, adult decisions often make you wonder if you're doing the right thing and are often bittersweet.  Part of "growing up" I guess.  One door closes and another opens....