37 Weeks 3 Days

Well we just completed another midwifes apt. Everything is checking out well. I weigh a whole 140lbs! And my blood pressure was 150/90 i think she said. Baby's heartbeat checks in the mid 140's. I asked her if she could guess the baby's weight, and she felt around a bit, showing me where the feet and back and bum are. She guessed about 6lbs. She said the baby is smaller, so hopefully it will stay in a little longer to gain more weight. But im thinking this is the perfect weight, when do i deliver. She said most first times mom's will go over a week from the due date. We will have to wait and see, 2 1/2 weeks left, seems already too far away.

After that we head over the The Met. We've skipped out on that the last few times we've gone, now that i think about it, i don't even think i made a post about our last apt.

We get a couple treats, a chocolate croissant, blueberry muffin, greek god's yogurt. And my favorite drink vanilla latte, while Brittin order's an iced tea. We decided to eat, outside, they have a very nice sitting area, and the weather is perfect. We might even head over to Pt. Defiance Park, with Boweser.


Yesterday, was a busy day. I had my last shower. It was very nice, Natalie had it at her home, in the backyard, the weather decided it would hold out, no rain. Nancy made a beautiful cake, 3 tiers. Carmin made the awesome suggestion of saving the smallest tier and freezing it, so when baby's first birthday rolls around, they have there own personal sized cake. We played some easy games like, they froze some ice cubes with mini babies in them and who ever had twins, would win, we had to wait a little bit while the ice cubes melted. There ended up being 4 sets of them.
Another one was guessing how many cotton balls was in a jar. And who ever had hand prints on the bottom of there plate, and whoever had a ribbon tied to the chair. The group was small, so it made is easier to visit with everyone. I will hopefully get some pictures posted soon. I will have to wait for whoever took some, to pass them along.

As far as I know the baby is doing great. We are very excited to meet, whoever is in there. Working part-time has been awesome. I think my back thinks so too. It hasn't been bothering me as much. And working less gives me more time to prepare out nest. It's so close and so soon. Our lives will be changing. I look forward to so many different things.

All our bags are packed and we're ready to go...

Well, we might not be leaving on a jet plane. But officially our hospital bags are packed. Let us know if we are missing anything

MOMMY AND DADDY BAG:
Money
Sudoku Book
Cards
Red Bull (for Brittin of course)
Lavender Candle
Poise
Breast Pads

Comfy Clothes
Jeans
Shrits
Clean Underwear
Socks
Swimsuit top

Toothbrush/paste
Hairties/bursh
Shamp/Cond.
Bodywash/puff

BABY BAG:
Carseat
Diapers
Wipes
2 Blankets
2 Outfits
Socks

As of Monday, our car seat base is officially installed. My brother was showing Brittin how to put in in correctly, since they were just here, and they use the same one.

Friday it will be 37 Weeks, Hooray! If the little one was to come early, it is considered to be full term. So, we are patiently waiting for our little one to arrive. Could it be early? late? on time? Put your guess to the test, and we will see who is the closest. Click on the box below to vote.

36 Weeks and 4 Days

Today was a pretty busy day for us. We started are afternoon by making some Strawberry Freezer Jam. Yum. I can't wait to try it out. It's been 2 years since we made it. This past Sunday after church we went to a local berry farm and bought a flat of fresh strawberries. So last night i deleafed them. And currently we have 5 batches of jam sitting on our counter setting. Tomorrow we will be able to freeze them. I'm so excited to try it out, the recipe was a little different then we tried last time. So i am hoping it won't change the outcome, of what i remember being so good.

After that we worked in the front yard a bit. I started out loosing the dirt of the dead over grown flower beds. While Brittin came behind to pull, and clean them out. I found that this was very tiring and I did not last long. Brittin was a great trooper, and cleaned out 4 out 7 beds. The garden is looking so great. We or He might be so motivated to even plant a few flowers, we will see.

It's been forever since we've been to TraderJoes, but there was a GameStop near by that Brittin wanted to go there. They have a great fresh juice, OrangePeachMango. That we get every time we go, if you haven't tried it, you must, it's so yummy. Anyways, while Brittin was about to get into line, I had thought oh yea they have good PeanutButter Pretzels. So I went looking for them while he was in line. They have reorganized things since we've last been, so i guess i took too long. He was already checked out, so while i was waiting in line to buy the pretzels, one of the very nice cashiers, (the one that checked Brittin out) came over to the line i was standing in, and handed me a bouquet of flowers. I was caught way off guard. And I said "what's this for?" he had said congratulations. I had thanked him. And he went back to his register. It was so sweet. I didn't know what to do. (in the meantime while i was waiting in line Brittin said he was going to get the car, because Bowser was in there, and he said that they would pick me up at the door.)
I walked out to the car, and Brittin saw me holding the flowers, and i had told him what happened. He says i guess i can't be too jealous.

Tonight was our last night of Birthing Classes. We started off right away holding ICE CUBES. Let me tell you how happy i am that i don't ever have to do that again. Again, she tells us that only the girls have to hold the ice. But lucky me while i held the ice, i had a very nice back massage from my hubby. This time she makes us hold the ice for several different times, like if we were really having the contractions. We also talked more about, the actual delivery. And watched a movie on a water birth. Brittin and I the more we think about it, are headed in that direction. So that would mean no pain medication. But, i think that i would be up for the challenge. Even if i wanted to change my mind, and hated it at the time of doing it, the option is still open for doing it a different way. We want to play it by ear. Take it as it comes.

After wards, we head over to Target, and pick up a couple things for our hospital bag, I even got a comfy cute nighty.

Oh, yes. And we hadn't eaten dinner, it's 9:30PM and i was craving some fish and chips, and wasn't sure who would be open to get some, Brittin has suggested that Ivers was open. I've never eaten there. But i did satisfy my craving.

The past week, i have been able to feel my contractions more, they are no we re's near painful, but i can feel more often now my tummy tighten. As of right now, baby has the hiccups.
We have about 3 and half weeks left to go. I am getting so axnios. To finally meet this little one God has created inside of me. We are both soooo excited. And feel so blessed, to be able to have a family together.

35 Weeks 4 Days

I had already typed this blog once, and somehow all my text got erased, so here i am again, trying to remember what i wrote the first time, so please bear with me.

Sunday, the 14th was my family baby shower at my dad and Dorothy's house. It was a beautiful day, a little overcast at first, and finally the sun came out to play. I was so surprised at how many people came. It was so nice to see everyone. Some of the games we played, was guess the type of baby food, and draw a baby on top of your head. We also played a clothespin game were no one could say boy, girl, or baby. One of my favorite things was the diaper cake, I had always heard of one, but never had seen one done before, it turned out so neat. Jennifer, Dorothy and the other people who helped did an amazing job at making everything turn out so great. Everyone was very generous, i think we almost practically had our whole registry fulfilled. Brittin and I are truly blessed. The little one definately has it's necessities covered.

I put together a little slide show of pictures that were taken by my Aunt Amy and friend Lydia. It seems to take a bit to slide to the next picture, but if you hit the next button on the right corner it flips through them a little bit faster.
~Sorry, guys the slide show is not working, and i had spent many hours trying to figure it out. And it kept on messing up the blog, and erasing things, then the pictures wouldn't all play. I will try to post a few, normally.

Ok, so i guess i better type this, before our next Birthing class comes and goes. This week it was our turn to bring the class snack. In the previous weeks, most couples had brought healthy snacks, like fruit, and crackers, and homemade bread. We thought that we would try something a little different. We decided on Rice Krispies Treats, Brittin had made them all on his own in the morning. They were super yummy. I think that we only brought home 4 squares left from the whole batch. During class we learned more about active labor, and some delivery. Another movie to watch. Then there was the ice. May i warn you i wasn't too happy when the teacher had said "the guys can sit this one out, and only the ladies will have to hold the ice" I was thinking in my head no way did she just say that. But there us "girls" were holding the ice 4 different times. No fun. Oh well. She did talk a little about making a Birthing plan. Which we are still working on. But she did give us a fantastic idea that we never thought of. She pretty much was talking to us since we are the only couple not finding out if we are having a boy or girl. She has suggested to have the husband announce the sex of the baby, instead of having the midwife or nurse say it. Brittin and I both looked at each other at the same time, and knew that it is something we want to do. That pretty much concluded our class.

Our Nursery

Well here it is. Our Classic Winnie the Pooh Nursery, almost complete. Ready for our little one to move in. Enjoy the pictures.

34 Weeks 4 Days

You can say we've had a busy last 2 days. Yesterday, we started our day off, by picking up a apple box for Oliver. After that we headed straight for our Dr. apt. I don't know why they scheduled this one only 1 week from our last. Surprised that i have gained another 2 lbs. So, that makes me 138lbs. Which puts me at gaining a whole 32 lbs since the very beginning. Blood pressure is still checking good. And baby's heart beat is in the high 130's. It didn't seem to faze the midwife. So no need for worries. In the next apt. the will do a bacteria test. And a week from that they set up an apt. for our "birthing plan". Which we still need to talk about. There are so many options. And a couple that i have narrowed down to. More on that later though.

After our apt. we head back home to pick up Oliver. Lately he seems to be outside all night long, and when we wake up, a lovely surprise shows up on our front steps....a baby bat. He has done this twice in 2 weeks. So, we wanted to get him caught up on his rabies shots. After all with the baby on the way, we figured this would be the best idea. He did very well at the office. With a window in the room to keep him distracted, the Dr said he looked very good, perfect teeth, no flees. They weighed him, i think he almost weight 13lbs. Overall, the Dr. had no complaints.

After this, we bring him home, and are on our way out the door again for our chiropractic appts.

Home again, while in the middle of making lunch, i call St. Joseph's Hospital, to see about the tours, the usually have set dates to sign up for, but when i called they didn't' have any available until after our due date. They told me to call directly to the hospital, the day we wanted a tour and to let them know the situation. I called them Monday, thinking that they would be busy, and to try again later. But they had said, come right now, it's slow and it would be a perfect time to come. So, lunch was put on hold. And we are off again. We head straight to the 14 floor. (really it's the 13th) We buzz the button, and spoke into the speaker, "we are here for a tour." They buzzed us into the floor. This is the actual Labor and Delivery floor. The lady that showed us around on our own private tour, was super nice. They had allot of open rooms, that weren't full at all. We got to see the post labor rooms, and actual labor rooms. Even a water birthing room. Down to the 12th floor we go. Were after you give birth is were they bring you. It was all very nice, and the people who work there seemed to be genuine as well. We even shortly got to talk to a lactation consultant, who just happened to be passing in the hall way.

For the rest of the day we pretty much relaxed. That brings us to today.

We had dentist appts. this morning. For the most part everything is going well. Brittin will be going back in a week. To get some work done, that he has put off.

A special treat that we did together, was head over to Brittin's mom and dad's, to take advantage of their hot tub, which was at a pool water temp. My goodness, it was such a special treat, I'm talking Brittin into when is the soonest we can come back. I'm hooked. It was so relaxing, and what a load off. Not to mention how beautiful it was out today.

Well, most of you also know today is Tuesday so we had our birthing classes tonight. Guess what, NO ICE. I don't know if she just forgot, or if we were just busy playing catch up for what we didn't get to do from last week. We watched another movie on positions you can be in while in the beginning stages of labor. We even had to put them into practice. We crawled on stairwells, walked side way up the stairs. Even all the partners were practing on squeezing our hips. At some point we had written down lists of things to do, to keep busy while just in the beginning stages of labor. Instead of going straight to the hospital. Things at home to do, until the next stage comes on.
After our class we head over to Target, Brittin bought me a ball. It's a huge exercise ball, the Birthing Inn calls it a birthing ball. It's actually really good to use to help get the baby in the right position for coming out. She had told us it's a great time to start now. So, i got to try it out this evening. It's actually feels better for my back sitting on the ball, then it is on the couch.

Well, here we are, I'm ready for bed, not to mention i go to work tomorrow. Until next time.

33 Weeks 4 Days

PART 1:
This morning I had another doctors appt. It went well, Again they weighed me which I am now 136Lbs. 2 lbs more then 2 weeks ago. And my blood pressure is . Baby's heart beat is 148 BPM. I actually this time brought a list of questions to ask. I normally don't. This time I had asked her about if I would meet the actual doctor, and who would be delivering the baby. She said i won't be meeting the doctor, unless I really wanted to. And that probably a midwife would be delivering our baby. Which I am totally fine about, as long as there are no complications. I had asked when do you know when the baby has dropped, to which she responded when you can breath better. I said I didn't really have a hard time breathing. She said the baby is still growing. I also had asked her, how much the baby weighs, she said there no really a way of telling, an ultrasound could see how big the baby was, be even then it can be off a pound or two she said, or she could guess. I asked her what she thought, she felt my tummy, and she guessed around 4lbs. So i guess that is ok. I really don't want to have to deliver a big baby, it's one of my fears. I would like to have be around 6bls. and some oz. My tummy is measuring at 34 weeks. Which i will be on Friday. Oh, and my last question was what does it mean when my tummy gets tight all around. She said it was Braxton Hicks. I asked even when it doesn't hurt? She said yes. I never knew i was having those. I thought if i was to have them they would be more painful. That pretty much completed my appt. No Met. today. That's ok, we are trying to save some money. After all, it's not the heathlyest. Hehe. Maybe next time. Part 2 coming tonight. Birthing Classes. Wish me luck, on the ice cubes. I asked my sister who took the class before Michel came, if they make you hold ice in every class. She said YEP.

PART 2

Birthing Class. Well today, it seemed to go by very quickly. We watched a movie on the stages of labor. Exciting don't you think. More like painful. We also did the ice cubes again. The first time wasn't so fun. The second time she was bouncing a ball around. It actually distracted me, because I was counting the bounces, and it wasn't so bad. Most people didn't like it. Of course I'm the difficult one, and i did. Lucky us, we only had to hold the ice 2 times tonight. Horray!

Class was cut short tonight almost by 1/2 hour. There was a girl, who came in and was in labor. (NOTE: our class is held in a birthing inn, so anyone planning on having their baby there, could walk in at any second. It was no one from our class) A midwife had shown up about 10min before her. After the girl had showed up, the midwife was calling our teacher in to help her. She had said the girl was a 9. Our teacher had said, the other people on the way probably won't make it in time, and she needed to go and help. No, big deal, I was thinking more for the girl that was about to have her baby.

On another note, Bowser's leg has been bothering him, ever since our picnic lunch yesterday, he has been limping on his leg. Poor boy. I called the doctor, because he has been seen for it before. We've only noticed that he limps when he plays real hard at the park, playing fetch. They called in a RX for him. My friend Lydia, will be delivering it tonight when she is off of work. I hope it will make him feel better.

The guests from England will be returning back home tomorrow. And there are new guest that arrived tonight, and a little later this week. Brittin's cousin's and Aunt. From Palm Springs, Philly,and Georgia . We are all having a little get together on Friday, for a little mini baby get together. Tara, is also pregnant. It's all so exciting. That's all for tonight.