Mommy caught daddy

Have you ever seen someone in love? I thought I had...until I saw the way that Matt looks at Scott. Matt loves his little "bean" and I see it every time he looks at him. My two boys have a great connection, and so I thought I would share some highlights.

This is how I found Matt the day we came home from the hospital. It is just so sweet seeing him mesmerized by Scottie.

Here are my boys, gazing into each others' eyes...a very common picture around here. It just melts my heart every time.
Nap time! Scott loves to fall asleep with daddy.
Matt is already teaching Scott how to play the Wii.
This is after daddy combed Scott's hair. Nice hair-do bubs!
Like father like son.
Aunt Valerie gave Scott this cool chair to sit in, and so daddy felt like Scott was big enough to sit in it...at 2 weeks old. Actually, Scott did pretty well...he has very strong neck and back muscles!
And finally, mommy caught daddy trying to eat baby Scott's hand! He is so cute, we just want to eat him up! YUM!
Now, these are some of my favorite pictures so far that we have of Scott:

The day we came home from the hospital.
The day after he was born...he already wanted to give mommy a hug!
Two pictures proving why we call him our little "bean."
And just for an update, Scott's latest stats are:
9 lbs 15 oz
21.5 inches long

Scott's birth story

Hi everyone!

Thank you Matt for putting up the previous post. It sure is nice to have access to a computer and the internet while we are in the hospital!!

If I had to sum up my whole experience in one word it would be: INTENSE

But luckily I get more than one word to tell my story. :)

Matt and I got to the hospital at 9:00am on Saturday. We walked right up to labor and delivery and into our room. We got ourselves situated and then the process began. Up until this point I hadn't noticed any contractions, but once the nurse put the monitor on me she said that I was already having contractions. My response was "THAT is a contraction???" HA! Obviously, this was just the beginning! The IV was started and we were on our way!

I think I did pretty well, we took things nice and slow. After about 10 hours I asked for some pain medication. I wasn't quite ready for an epidural, so we just did some pain killers. It was really funny! I started acting a little, well...drugged. Although I was fully aware of what was going on, I somehow found everything to be a little more interesting then it actually was. I think I kept Matt entertained for awhile.

I made it to 1 am, and was having such a hard time staying in relaxed. I did a lot of breathing, a lot of visualization, and a lot of squeezing Matt's hand! So, it was finally time to get the epidural. The epidural was really easy, it wasn't bad at all, except for trying to breathe through contractions while it was happening. The only problem we had was that the anesthesiologist was not exactly a super friendly person. She walked in and started just barking orders to the nurse and didn't even try to talk to me, other than telling me what she was doing and what to expect. Oh well, I guess no one really wants to be working at 1 am.

So, the epidural took effect and all was well! We tried to get some sleep after that. I actually had a tough time sleeping because every sound I heard made me think that someone was coming into the room to check on me. Matt had a hard time sleeping because he was freezing cold! So, needless to say we didn't have a very restful evening, even though I wasn't feeling any pain.

The next morning I got checked and I was still only about 7 cm dilated. Finally around 24 hours of labor the doctors started talking C-section. It certainly wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but things just weren't progressing very well. They were willing to wait and see if I could dilate all the way...so we waited. After being stuck at 9 cm for a few hours we just decided to go for the C-section. There was also suspicion that the baby might be too big. At this point my body was so exhausted I didn't really care how the baby came out, just as long as he came out!

They wheeled me into the operating room and I was practically asleep from being so tired. They prepped me for surgery and brought Matt in. Matt was allowed to watch, but he didn't really want to see me being cut open so he just sat by my side and waited with me to finally meet our little boy. The surgery went very quickly, and Scott was born at 12:26pm (after about 27 hours of labor). The only part of it that I felt was when the doctor had to push the baby out of my pelvis, which caused gas to move up through my chest into my shoulders. It was like a Charlie Horse for my shoulders.

They brought out the baby and the two things that they noticed first was 1. his size, and 2. his red hair! They held up my boy for me to see, and I got to kind of watch while Matt cut the umbilical cord. When they brought Scott over for me to meet him I just was so happy. All the exhaustion didn't matter. I gave my son a kiss and they took their time letting me see him.

While they finished stitching me up Matt went with the baby. They came back and announced his weight, 9 lbs 10 oz! WOW! That wasn't expected, no wonder he wasn't coming out! At this point I started sleeping again. I couldn't keep my eyes open at all. But it was over, and our family had grown from 2 to 3.

We stayed at the hospital until Wednesday. I had great nurses taking care of me. I got up and started walking the next day. We had plenty of visitors. Our families and a few friends came. Our little Scott, in spite of the red hair, has a very mild temperament. We had one very bad night where the baby just wouldn't sleep. All he wanted to do was suck. I figured he was just so hungry so I kept nursing him. Finally it dawned on me that this little boy just enjoyed suckling, so my wonderful sister went out for us to get us a variety of pacifiers, and they have really been a life (and nipple) saver!

The rest of our stay at the hospital was as enjoyable as a stay at a hospital could be. We worked on nursing, swaddling, rocking, walking (for me), and counting poopie and wet diapers. There were two times Matt and I accidentally set off the alarms as I walked the halls with the baby. I got a little too close to the exits and the baby's ankle bracelet set off the alarms. It was a little embarrassing, especially since the hospital security had to come and check out the situation both times. Naughty me!

My labor and delivery ended up being such a different experience than what I had thought it could have been. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat for my son! He is so perfect to me. I sit with him all throughout the day and just marvel at his beautiful face. It is so amazing to think that not too long ago his sweet spirit was with our Heavenly Father, and now here he is! He is my everything! I LOVE to see the way his daddy looks at him. There is such a different love felt in our home now. He makes us so happy in every way, and words cannot describe how much we love him. He truly is our joy, especially at this time of year. At a time when we have to really reflect on our blessings, he will always be our most cherished blessing.

I have a lot future posting to do now! Hopefully I will be able to keep up as an excited first time parent. For example, he got his first bath today! It was sooo cute! Sorry, no pictures...I had to keep my hands on the baby. :)

Thank you all for all your nice comments for the pictures previously posted. I hope I can post many more.

Scott James W.
Born December 14th at 12:26pm
9 lbs, 10 oz
20 inches long
And the love of his parents' hearts!

Please Welcome Scott James Worley

Born: Dec 14, 2008

Weight: 9 pounds 10oz 

Length: 20 inches

Hair: (currently) Red

Eyes: (currently) Blue

Now for some pictures

More to come once Katie feels up to it.

Matt

Update from the doctor

I am convinced that the only other type of doctor besides a dentist that is truly hated by their patients has got to be the obstetrician.

Taking what I know about how much dentists are hated I can see a lot of parallels here, and it was just something I started to observe over the last couple of visits.

From the obstetricians point of view what he/she gets to hear all day, every day, is about how their super hormonal women (lets face it, women are already super hormonal without adding pregnancy!) patients that are in some kind of constant discomfort, or pain, or have some other kind of ailment. Almost always, there is nothing the doctor can do, except for tell the patient that whatever they are experiencing is "normal."

My first experience with this was in one of my very first appointments with my doctor. I told him I was having sciatic pain, and his response was "I'm sorry." And that was the end of the discussion. What could he do? Did I expect him to give me some kind of miracle therapy that hundreds of thousands of people haven't already tried?

I also go onto online pregnancy forums and read what other pregnant women have to say about their doctors. The majority of them HATE their doctors and they all seem to think that the doctor has some kind of grudge against them.

And so, to obstetricians everywhere, I am sorry. I am sorry your patients hate you. I am sorry you have to go to work every day and face an angry mob of pregnant women. I am sorry that you have to listen to women complain all day, and you having no solution to give. Apparently the only cure for pregnancy is actually having the baby. Go figure.

So, having said all of that... :) Let me tell ya about my doctor's appointment today. I am 40 weeks and 1 day along. My doctor checked me, and I was only 1 & 1/2 cm dilated (he didn't mention effacement or anything else). So he decided to stretch my cervix! OUCH! He said that this could usually stimulate labor within 48 hours...but if not, how about Saturday? Meaning, let's induce labor on Saturday.

I have to tell you that I have always been a little torn on the issue of inducing. There is the old fashioned side of me that feels like I should just wait for labor to begin on its own, and allow me the opportunity as a woman for my body to do what it is supposed to do naturally. On the other hand, I have been super uncomfortable, and if the baby has to come out, then lets get him out! My sister was induced with her labor...and ended up having an emergency c-section (and if I am not mistaken, my sister-in-law, Aracely had the same experience).

So just to be sure, I wanted to ask him if inducing at this point was medically necessary. Well, my doctor must have been in a hurry to get to his next abusive patient, because he was practically out the door when I started to ask him my question. I believe I said something like "Is there a reason we are going to induce instead of waiting?" Oh boy, now I did it! He turned and looked at me with this confused/frustrated look, I suppose I really caught him off guard.
He then went on to go into a small little lecture about how for the last 2 appointments all that he has heard from me was that I wanted the baby out, and he was just giving me what I wanted! It was like, "How dare you ask me that question!" So then, I clarified by saying that I didn't mind inducing, but I was just curious as to why we should induce instead of waiting. Is there a medical reason, or is it just to get me to shut up?

Of course he gave me the medical response: higher risks in delivery, more complications, blah blah blah. But if you ask me...it was pretty obvious that he just wants to put me out of my misery.

I have to admit I was really annoyed with him for responding like I was hurting his feelings. Believe me, I have been a really good patient! I have always been on time, I never complain, and I don't ever ask him a million questions. I go in, get my check up, and I leave. I asked more questions when I was buying our mattress than I have at all of my appointments! So, when I have a legitimate question I get 'tude from the doc! Oh well.

And so... for those of you that didn't catch the details in my crazy rantings:

I am going in to be induced this Saturday at 9:00am, unless I go into labor before then. So, it looks like I will be a mommy by Sunday! :) Induced or not...that is pretty awesome!

Today is (should be) the day!

Here we are, December 10th, my due date, and guess what... The baby has decided to take an extended stay in my belly. True, the day isn't over yet...he could surprise me, but it is unlikely. I have heard that only 5-10% of women deliver on their actual due date. That doesn't give me much hope for today.

The hard part for me now will be the complete lack of knowing. I've always had today to look forward to. Back in October I needed something to keep me looking forward so I created one of those silly countdown chains, and of course I had the pregnancy ticker here on my blog. It just gave me a daily reminder that I was in fact making progress in my pregnancy, day by day nearing the finish line. So, pulling off the final piece of my chain today was bittersweet. I made it to my due date! Hooray!! Now, I just get to wait day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute for my little boy to make his grand entrance into this world.

Well, he will come when the time is right, and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so he may have his own idea about how long we wait until taking matters into his own hands (I will keep you posted).

I've been thinking a lot lately about the special task of raising a child. Some of those thoughts have scared me, others excite me. I have been moved to tears more in this week than I have throughout my entire pregnancy. (I really haven't been too overemotional, just now at the end). I guess to sum up my thought processes and the one solution that has given me comfort over all the scary things I am about to experience is to just say: rely on prayer.

I have now rededicated myself to truly understanding my Heavenly Father's hand in my life. I know He blesses me and my family constantly, and He will continue to do so, and it is my job to continue working for Him and thanking Him for those blessings. I can find comfort in knowing who I am, and who my son is, and where he came from. I love that I can turn to my Heavenly Father at any time of the day, with any concern I have, and that He will hear me and answer my prayer.

I am so blessed that my mom will be coming to stay with us (either as soon as the baby decides to come, but definitely by this Saturday) to help me. She is a fantastic woman that has already raised six children. She has a soft and gentle touch with children, she has a gift, and I hope that she passes her gift on to me! It will be great having her here. I can't wait!

Well, I don't want to go on forever, luckily I have a journal that I have been keeping for me to rant to. But I just wanted to give the update for today. Hopefully my next post will be about me going into labor!

The return of Socks

Do you remember my post about the neighbor's cat, "Socks?" Well yesterday we had a funny little incident with him.

We were outside cleaning out our cars and we weren't paying attention. Apparently we had left our front door open. Later, we came inside and we were just hanging out. I was on the phone with Candace and I looked down the hall by chance, and there he was! He had sneaked into the house and had spent some time in the baby's room and was on his way into our bedroom when I saw him.

"Matt! Socks is in the house!" So Matt went down and walked Socks to the front door. We let him out and that was the end of it. But I just thought it was the funniest situation. Could you imagine if I hadn't seen Socks previously trying to sneak in? I would have freaked out seeing a random cat in the house! But luckily we know our little Socks, and he has finally successfully made it into the house! Bad kitty, and bad us for leaving the door open.

39 weeks 1 day and counting

75% effaced, 1 cm dilated, and kind of grumpy.

Australia

Hooray! I have one week left until my due date! I am so thrilled. But, I will probably make a separate post tomorrow after my doctor's visit.

I thought I would review the movie "Australia" as requested in the comments section of my last post by Cristin.

First of all, I am a big Baz Luhrmann fan! I have the 3-movie set of "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo & Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge." This is his 4th film. He his an Australian director and certainly has his own style. I have talked to people who were very disturbed by the flashing colors and quick camera movements. I have noticed that with each of his movies that the first ~20 minutes are very fast paced and border on silly. But soon after the story and tone settles in and the movies are in fact FANTASTIC.

I love that they filmed "Australia" in Australia, with Australian actors and actresses (even though Nicole Kidman played a Bristish woman). Hugh Jackman (was super hot) used his original accent.

The storyline was semi-complex (the movie's official website describes 8 themes of Australia), but I felt as though each plot line was dealt with individually so as to not leave anything unresolved. The story follows a historical look at WWII and its effects on Australia, aboriginal-white mixed children were being taken away, and then there is the personal story of Nicole Kidman's character discovering that her husband's cattle ranch was being "devoured" by thieves and the competing cattle ranch. Hugh Jackman plays a "drover."

"drover" n. One that drives cattle or sheep

He helps our British lady save her deceased-husband's ranch. On her ranch lives an aborignee family that works on the ranch, which includes a mixed aboriginal-white child that is supposed to be taken to live in a government-run community for these children (basically to "civilize" them, and eventually breed the black out of them).

See? Semi-complex...but I was very captivated. Now, the movie is 165 min (2 hours 45 min.) long and about 2 hours into the movie a major plot line had been resolved. Matt and I both thought that the movie could have ended at this point. It isn't that we were ready for the movie to be over, it just seemed like the movie had come to a point that things seemed to be resolved and it seemed like a good time to end the movie. But, not so. The movie took some time divulging all the details of this final plot line, but once it got into it it became very intense.

My dad said that one review described the movie as "tedious." I think that this might have something to do with this awkward transition in the movie, as well as the theme of music in the movie. The child in the movie uses music in his life...but he only sings two songs 1. a traditional aboriginal song, and 2. "Over the Rainbow." But it was all very touching to me.

Ok, so before I narrate the whole movie to you, let me give you my opinion and final review. The movie is great, the look of the movie and the scenery of Australia was beautiful, the history of Austalia during WWII was very interesting, and in the end Baz Lurhmann did not let me down. There was a lot of emotion in this movie and very important issues discussed. I will give this movie an A-/B+. Go in with some patience to get past the fast-paced beginning, and again to get through the transition from major plot line to final resolution, and there you go...a great movie!

Nesting=tick tock tick tock

Ok, so I have found the true cause of nesting this late into my pregnancy. It is to keep myself and my mind preoccupied so I don't sit here and twiddle my thumbs for hours wondering if I am going to start feeling contractions THIS minute or not.

Truly, I have found that the more I do, the less I think about it. I am sure that if my own thinking power could start labor, this baby would have been out a week ago! But, seeing as how there is no proven way to start labor, besides an IV drip, I plan on just trying to live my life as busily as I can until...

I officially quit work two Friday's ago, and I still have a week and a half until my due date. There was no way I could keep working up until my due date. Besides the

1. complete exhaustion I felt half-way through the day, and
2. having to go pee in between patients, and
3. starving until lunch time, and then again until the end of the day (no time for snacking), and
   
4. my swollen and puffy hands would go numb (kind of a problem when you are working with sharp metal instruments in someone's mouth)

I just couldn't fit in the operatory anymore. My enormous body would take up so much room, that my stomach would actually be touching the patient's head. Tell me that that isn't awkward! I kept pulling hair with my stomach as I rolled my chair around. Yeah, it was definitely time to stop working.

I guess the good thing about not working any more is that I don't have to answer the same 3 questions over and over all day long with each patient:

1. Its a boy
2. He's due December 10th
3. Yes, I am excited. (I will NEVER ask a pregnant woman if she is excited ever again!)

I digress,
This weekend, to keep ourselves busy, Matt and I went to see "Australia" (a 3 hour movie), we took naps, I went out to Babies R Us the day after Thanksgiving to finish up our shopping, and we have almost finished the baby's room.

So far this morning I have made banana bread, I have scheduled an appointment with the sanitation department for them to come pick up a bunch of junk, I have washed my bedsheets, ironed Matt's work clothes, had Matt pull down the Christmas decorations, and I caught up on The Amazing Race.

Plans for this week are:

• Try to make a delicious ham dinner :)
• Scrub my bathroom
• Clean the kitchen
• Fold all the laundry
• Finish reading one of my baby books
• Recheck and repack my hospital bag
• Clean out my van and install the 2nd car seat base
• Decorate for Christmas
• Clean out the extra bedroom where my mom will be sleeping when she comes
• Bake some more
• Vacuum each room like 3 times
• Pay all our bills so I don't sit in the hospital room wondering if there is a bill due that day
• Shave my legs
• Write thank you cards
  

Ok, not an all inclusive list...I don't want you all to know how messy my house is. :) Oh, then of course I will probably stop every couple of hours to check my favorite blogs...so I need everyone to be on their best "updating" behavior, because I am going to need some stuff to read! Thanks for your help!

Now it is off to Kmart to buy some blankets for the dogs before it gets really cold.

Buried treasure

Matt and I have been a little slow on decorating the baby's nursery. But hey, we still have two weeks until the due date, so why not work on it now?

We have been working really hard on ideas for a pirate themed room that are fun, and something that will really make the room look great. Matt had the idea of making a treasure map to hang on the wall. I didn't quite know what he had in mind so I printed out a couple of pictures of treasure maps. They were all a lot more complicated than what Matt had in mind, so we just kind of compromised ideas until we came up with this:

We bought painters' canvas 5'x5' and I drew out each object onto the canvas before we started painting. This was a collaborative effort, so Matt and I both thought of the designs and painted.

And finally: the finished product!! The picture is kind of dark, but you get the idea...and yes, we realize that the trail doesn't need to go all away around the mountains and over the river twice, but it would be pretty boring if it were just a straight line up the river!

Whoa Mama!!

I was just minding my own business, when all of a sudden the baby decided to put his entire body WAY out in front. This is the result. Good grief, it is amazing I can still stand up and not fall over.

Estimated Arrival

Matt and I have decided to decorate the nursery with a pirate theme. The bedding set is just too cute, and we thought as the baby grows into a toddler it would be fun for him! What little boy wouldn't want to be a pirate?

So we have been looking around for decorating ideas for the room. We wanted to stay away from the scary stuff (i.e., skull and crossbones, etc.) and just stick with fun, sweet, and maybe educational. I went online and found this adorable poster! It was cheap and it completely matched the decor. I saved it in my virtual shopping cart for a little while until I was sure I wanted to order it.
I went online this morning to order it. As I went through the order process I was figuring it would be here in a week or so. I was a little disappointed, however, when I saw that it would take 5+ weeks to ship, and an additional 3-7 days in transit. YIKES! Well, what could I do? Either let it go, or order it and just scold myself for not ordering it earlier. After all, there are plenty of things that take 6-8 weeks for delivery. Ok, ok, I went ahead an ordered it. There, done.

Or so I thought!!

I received my confirmation email. I looked it over and was completely confused when I saw:

Estimated ship date: 3/30/2010 - 4/1/2010
Estimated arrival by: 4/2/2010 - 4/12/2010

At first I saw the month, what? Are you kidding me? APRIL? Don't you think that is taking advantage of adding the "+" to "ships in 5+ weeks?" That is 5 MONTHS away...

wait...did I see that right? does that say 2010?? YES IT DOES! Oh man, what have I done? This company now has my money and I won't get my poster for a year and half, until the baby is a toddler!?! What if I move? This isn't going to work for me.

I of course went back to the website for the customer service phone number. I called the customer service phone number, and it was disconnected! Yeah, this looks pretty good for me now right?

I called the corporate headquarters number, and it offered me a transfer to customer service. I thought to myself "Oh brother, ok well let's see where this gets me..." Needless to say, there was a wait to speak to a human. Finally, I got a hold of "Brooke." I told Brooke my scenario and when I said the estimated date of arrival she too couldn't believe it.

The rest of the story isn't that fascinating. I get to wait 4-5 weeks to see if it shows up (because she says that it is in stock) and if it doesn't show I up, I get to call back. I hope it does, because I don't want to kick myself for not asking for my money back today, and more importantly...I don't know how easy it will be to remember to call back when I have a newborn baby. Maybe I can put a friend or family member on "poster watch." HA! How is that for delegating!

Sheesh.

4 Weeks Left???

According to all the calendars around my house, my planner, the countdown ticker on this page, and my little countdown chain (a la Christmas time) the baby is due in 4 weeks! It is quite interesting when someone asks me, "How far along are you?" I prefer to answer with "I have 4 weeks left!" That spares them from having to figure out the math if I say "36 weeks along" or "I am 9 months, but not due for a few more weeks."

Lately I have been so anxious for the baby to come. I am actually still quite comfortable, but 9 months is a long time. I should clarify, there are plenty of times when I beg and plead for the baby to get out of my ribs and off my bladder. Then there are those moments when he stretches out his little arms and legs so far out and so strong I think he just my poke out to wave hello! Mostly, I just can't wait to see him and hold him in my arms. Last night I kept having dreams about the baby being born, and in each of my dreams I never felt any kind of pain or contractions!

This morning I had my last ultrasound. Matt came along of course (thanks to his boss for being so flexible with Matt, allowing him to come to all the appointments). The agenda was to check the baby's size and position. Let me tell ya, there is nothing quite like having a bunch of blue jelly squirted in mass quantities all over my massive tummy. I am so happy they warm up the gel. Here are a few pictures from today, and I will add a profile shot from the ultrasound back in August.

This is from August, but we didn't get a profile shot today.

This is an interesting picture, and I don't quite see it, but the ultrasound tech was pointing to my baby's mullet!! The arrow is pointing at his hair, and it a nice thick patch on the back of his head. Party on baby!

This next picture is Rated-R. Viewers should use discretion when viewing this picture of my boy's "man parts!" Yep, definitely a boy!Last but certainly not least, cock your head to the right a little and look at the baby's nostrils, then follow them down to his little lips. What an adorable little (half)-faceI wish I could tell you more about the ultrasound, but pretty early on I couldn't breathe and I started getting dizzy from laying on my back, so the tech had me turn on my side... turned away from the screen. Matt got the opportunity to watch the whole thing though.

The baby measured 7 pounds! She said there can be a one pound discrepancy, so he could be 6 pounds. He can continue to grow at about a half a pound a week, which means if he makes it just to his due date, he is a good 8-9 pound baby! YIKES! I must admit I am a little freaked out! Any moms have any words of wisdom for me? Now I can't wait until next Friday for my next doctor's appointment (and my last day of work too!).

This is such an exciting time for us! Matt and I are working on the nursery, and we spend most of our time together "playing" with the baby. I know that everyone's own child is special to them, and we are no exception. We know how blessed we are to be having a baby, and that we are being trusted with one of God's children. We have already developed such a strong attachment. As we were laying down for bed last night we both verbally said "I love you" to the baby. I just love my two boys so much!

Poor Darla

Here is Darla's owie! When they shaved her fur they realized it was a puncture wound...and after thinking about it we are pretty certain it happened here at the house verses the kennel. They had to clean it out and now she is on antibiotics and we have to flush out the abscess twice a day. Woo hoo...

Days #3-4 of killing bugs

Well, technically the bugs were dead on day #2, but we still have some work to do. We checked out of the hotel first thing in the morning. I headed off to another doctor's appointment, and Matt went to work.

Matt came home early from work for our "appointment" with the Gas Company to come and turn the gas back on (somewhere between the hours of 12-5pm). Everything in the house was fine, except for the phone. Tuesday night I called the house to check our messages and the phone call did not go through at all. I got a garbled static sound and then the call was lost...hmmm. So Matt set up an "appointment" with the phone company for today (somewhere between the hours of 8am-8pm).

I came home from work yesterday (where our air conditioning was not working...and it was more than HOT), and completely forgot to pick up the dogs. I wasn't feeling well. So Matt and I went to pick up the dogs from the kennel and everything seemed fine...until I got home and was giving one of our dogs attention and found a big abscess in her cheek. Dang!

So, this morning Matt stayed home to wait for the phone company (1st shift), and I went to work. Then I left work early to take the dog to the vet, then to take the 2nd shift while Matt goes to work...(are you keeping up?).

Turns out, our doggie has an abscess that needs to be drained and since it was an emergency, I had to just leave her there. So now I am at home waiting for the phone company...then somehow I have to go pick up my dog when she is done. *Sigh*

Maybe this is a good thing, it gives me a little perspective on things, AND I can start putting the house back together!

Day #2 of killing bugs

Yesterday I got all my preparations in order just in time before the fumigators came. They showed up early, but luckily I was all ready to go! I went and had lunch with Matt and then went to check into the hotel.

Look! The circus is in town!

The hotel room is small, but I don't need anything more than what we have: bed, full (working) kitchen, bathroom, tv (to watch the election results), and free internet connection! I actually managed to cook dinner in our hotel room, then washed our dishes in the dishwasher! Not too shabby in my opinion.I've driven past the house today to check on it, the tent came off today...but it is still uninhabitable. We have to wait until they come and certify the house tomorrow by checking the air quality.Until tomorrow, one more night in the hotel. Matt will be getting "home" a little late, and I will keep up with some thank you notes from my shower (a post for a later date). So, life goes on.

Gallon Challenge

I think I could probably take on the "Gallon Challenge" right about now. For anyone who doesn't know what the Gallon Challenge is, in short: drink 1 gallon of milk in 1 hour without vomiting for 1 hour. Basically, it is nearly impossible, and quite frankly I don't feel like vomiting...however,

I have been drinking milk almost nonstop during my pregnancy. At first I increased my milk consumption because of my heartburn. Milk is not a remedy for heartburn, but my heartburn is in the back of my throat and the milk feels sooooo good as I drink it.

Now, I crave milk. I used to be able to keep 1 gallon of milk until its expiration date. Currently my average is about 1 gallon every day-and-a-half to two days. (So not quite the Gallon Challenge).

So many people say that when you crave milk it means that your body is deficient in calcium. Well, I am certainly not deficient, but I have read that in the latter end of pregnancy the body stores the most calcium to prepare for breastfeeding.

I'm thirsty now...

Day #1 of killing bugs

So in order to officially get ready for our little boy's arrival, we have decided to get the house tented to rid ourselves of those pesky little termites! Have any of you done this before??? Quite an undertaking, but it is going to be worth it I think.

To get ourselves prepared we have

• Reserved a stay in a hotel
• Packed all our food and medicine in bags...thank goodness Matt had a whole day off yesterday in order to go through the pantries, freezer, refrigerator, bathroom cabinets, etc.
• Put our mail on hold
• Board our dogs...which also means I had to have the vet fax over their immunization records
• Pack our clothes for our hotel stay
• Have the gas turned off...the guy is outside right now as I am typing this
  
• Take our antenna off the roof (yes, we still use an antenna...no cable or satellite)
• Turn off the automatic sprinklers
• Pack up valuables, and things for the baby that I don't want exposed to poisonous gases into my van...they say that the gas doesn't leave any residue and washing dishes and clothing is unnecessary, but hey I am a nesting mom-to-be, I will be washing a lot of stuff when I come back home

Well, that is about it. We will be out of the house for 2 nights. It shouldn't be too bad. It is just a little strange to try to pack for everyday life as opposed to packing for a vacation (i.e., work clothes instead of a bathing suit!). I plan on documenting my little adventure, hopefully I can be helpful to someone out there.

Oh, and go vote!

Hiccups, Stretch Marks, and More

So things have just been moving right along. As you can see from my little ticker off to the side, I only have 7 more weeks until my due date! Matt and I are so anxious to see our little boy. We can't wait to hold him, and to snuggle him. (Yes, I realize he shouldn't come out now...but I think you understand).

Our little boy has been pretty active. He gets hiccups about 3-4 times a day, he moves a lot, he flutters around, and he stretches. He has stopped using my bladder as a bean bag chair, and has found comfort in my diaphragm and my ribs. That's ok, I love him anyway :)

Matt found my first stretch mark the other day (boo!). I can't see it without looking in the mirror and contorting my body, so I think I will just be in denial! HA! I called my mom to whine about it and she just laughed when I told her I figured I could make it all the way through my pregnancy without any stretch marks. :) Not really, but it does kind of bum me out. I can just call it my first "battle scar."

Besides myself and the pregnancy... Matt and I attended his 10-year high school reunion. We took the camera, but didn't take any pictures. But I can set up the scene for you. Open bar, a bunch of late-20's who are trying to impress, at least one flashing of a full bum and tan thong, and a bunch of drunk strangers (to me) rubbing my belly like I was Buddha. Matt was able to catch up with a couple of old friends, but now with things like Facebook and My Space it seemed like everyone already knew what was happening.

The other night we went out with some of Matt's family to celebrate his Grandmother's 80th birthday! I have adopted her as my own grandmother. I love her dearly, and it was delightful to spend the evening celebrating her birthday. We've got a bet going that she is going to make it to 90! C'mon grandma, you can do it! Here are a couple of pictures from the small little party.

Grandma was very surprised to see the cake come out!

Grandma had no problem blowing out her candles.

Grandma and I waiting for our table.

Matt and his dad... a rare picture, so I had to put it in! :)

Socks

We've "adopted" a cat. Our across the street neighbor's cat wanders around the neighborhood and all of a sudden he started walking up to our house on a very regular basis. Before, he used to just wander around in the plants, but now he is coming up to our doorstep and mewing like he wants to come inside-he actually did sneak into the house one day when I opened the door a little too wide. I put out some water on the doorstep, just because it has been so hot lately.

Matt has named the cat "Socks" because his white feet, and we go out and play with him. It is kind of funny, because Matt is allergic to cats, and he usually doesn't care for them, but he has really bonded to Socks. Here are a couple of pictures.
For the record, Socks has not made us forget about our doggies. But they sure don't like it when they hear that cat walking up to the door.

Truth or Dare?

Remember playing Truth or Dare? Without fail someone would always ask the question "What is your most embarrassing moment?" I never really had an answer. Sure, I've done embarrassing things, I have farted in class (and let my BF take the blame...sorry Candace), I went to hygiene school with my scrub pants on inside out, I have made an idiot out of myself at parties, and I have shoved my foot in my mouth numerous times. Well, I have a new winner.

Yesterday I did a hygiene temp job. I had been having a great day until my 2nd-to-last patient. There had been a misunderstanding about him coming in early to see the dentist first and then to get his teeth cleaned with me. Well, the doctor had left early so he wasn't there to see the patient when he came in...of course the patient wasn't happy.

Luckily I was finished early with my previous patient (a child) so I was able to take this patient early, however I needed to take an x-ray of one tooth for the doctor to check next time. Now I can go into a long explanation of what happened next, but I don't want to lose you...so lets just make a long story short and say that I didn't know how to set up the computer to take a digital x-ray in this office and all the other assistants had left. So, I fumbled around with the computer and when I thought I had figured it out I put the x-ray sensor in his mouth and as I turned to walk out of the room to push the button my foot tripped on the sensor's cord and I YANKED the thing out of the poor guys mouth!!!! And of course he yelled out in surprise/pain (?) as it happened.

I apologized over and over, and I admitted how embarrassed I was, and I wanted to find the nearest darkest hole to crawl into. To make matters worse I tried to take the x-ray a 2nd time, after getting his permission to try again, and the darn thing didn't even work. I was absolutely embarrassed. I apologized once again (luckily he already knew that I was a temp, not a full time employee), and we just did his cleaning...where I hope I redeemed myself. I tried to make a joke that I could get my own business of yanking teeth out the old fashioned way with a string, but this already unhappy patient couldn't possibly get any more upset.

So, there it is. I have a new story to tell whenever someone asks me if I have a "most embarrassing moment."

30 weeks

I didn't get a picture up for 7 months, so here I am at 7 1/2 months. 10 weeks left!!! Throughout my whole pregnancy I have never really gotten too worked up about anything in particular, I am not too much of a worrier. HOWEVER, now that I can actually feel the baby's arms, legs, head, bottom, back, etc. I am starting to get a little freaked out about my clumsiness. I am nervous about every little bump that I might have, that it might hurt the baby. I don't want to hurt him by being careless. I almost prefer to be in a bubble right now. I am so anxious to finally see my baby boy, I just need to take care of myself.

Over the rainbow

This is the beautiful picture I saw this morning as I was getting ready for work. I grabbed my phone (to use the camera) and ran outside barefoot to take a picture. I wasn't sure how long the rainbow would last and I didn't want to miss it! This is absolutely my favorite time of the year.

Aaarrrgh!

Many of you know of my family's background with bagpipes and Scottish dancing. I have been raised listening to the bagpipes and performing in many different venues with my dad and sisters. In many different places there are annual Renaissance fairs, Scottish competition games, etc. And every now and again the Scottish theme gets pulled into areas that it doesn't necesssarily belong to. This weekend was the annual Pirate Faire held out in Ojai at Lake Casitas. My dad and his bagpipe band were there, and since our baby's nursery is going to be pirate themed, Matt and I just had to go!

My dad is a great entertainer, and he thought it would be fun if during his performance he "challenged" an audience member to try dancing...well, I was his plant in the audience. He says, "this dancing is so easy, even a pregnant woman could do it...oh look, here is one now!" So I stand and he introduces me as his daughter. Dad has also learned how to do a few dances himself, so he and I danced at our wedding together, and again today. (Here we are at my wedding...obviously...thank goodness I had all those layers of tulle to cover me, look how high I pulled my dress up!!) Matt took the video of it. Don't worry, the baby was completely fine, he did lots of moving around today, so we are convinced that he is already a performer! Hope you enjoy!

For the record, we did in fact buy the baby some pirate onesies, and some wooden swords to put on the wall in the nursery.

Booyah!

I totally kicked boo-tay on my 3-hour glucose test! TAKE THAT, GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!! IN YOUR FACE! :)

Ok, so I passed my test... "with flying colors" as my doctor said, however, he wants me to watch my carbohydrates :( At first when he told me that I need to cut back on carbs (because I did fail the first test) I just had a moment where I held my arms up in the air and cried out to the heavens "Noooooooooo!" That is when he said that I need to cut back on carbs so I don't have a 15 pound baby..."oh, OK! Enough said!"

Well, everything else seems to be going just fine and dandy. As always the heartbeat sounded great, I am measuring fine, and for the first time my doctor actually brought up the topic of delivery! Holy cow, I can hardly believe that things will be winding down very soon. I am very much looking forward to having my baby, to hold him, to kiss him, to see his daddy interact with him. It just gives me butterflies in my heart thinking about it. Matt and I are so in love with him already! Just last night, Matt made the comment "he is going to come out knowing that he is loved!" AWWWW! CUTE!

Here is something that is kind of funny: I have noticed that my baby boy doesn't like other things in his territory. When I rest my hand/arm on the top of my tummy he kicks it off, he always kicks the doctor's doppler directly, when I took the breast feeding class, he kicked my fake baby, and last night I was holding a newborn and yes he even kicked her too. Ooh he has attitude! I love it!

28 weeks (7 months baby!), update

First of all, I want to thank all you lovely ladies that left such nice comments on my previous post. It is so nice to have a place to express my feelings, and not worry about people criticizing me about the things I say in the heat of the venting moment... and so I must also thank anyone who might have felt like telling me to "get over it," but held their tongue :)

Actually I am feeling much better now. Matt and I have been keeping extremely busy! Besides our regular work schedules, we have been busy with doctor appointments, glucose tests, and we started our childbirth classes! My dad likes to tease (even though he is right), it doesn't really matter if I go to these classes, the baby knows how to come out and it will happen no matter what. But, I already paid for the classes, so I am going to go!

We just finished our childbirth class. I thought it was pretty helpful. She discussed everything from where we park our cars, to the delivery itself. Our teacher/nurse was great, she was one of these old Irish midwives. She had a lot to say, and wasn't afraid to tell it like it is! Matt was a pretty good student, he only slightly looked away when she showed us the slides of actual childbirth (no movies). We also got down on the floor and practiced breathing through all the different stages of labor, including delivery. It was a pretty good class, the worse part was that it was a 3 hour class from 10am-1pm...hello??? Pregnant women missing lunch??? Not so smart. My favorite part of the class was the fact that the teacher would refer to the "dad" as the "husband." It was so nice for someone to be non-politically correct for a change. Yes, I am having a baby, with my husband, not just my "partner." Actually we know for a fact that there was at least one couple in the class that wasn't married, oh well.

We also attended our breastfeeding class. I was shocked to see the room full of couples!! Matt and I drove separate cars on purpose, because I told him that if he was the only guy there then he had permission to leave. Most of the ladies in this class were about to POP! No kidding, some only had a week or two left in their pregnancies. Matt, and the other men, actually were pretty mature during the class...mostly. There were a few giggles here and there. I think as the class went on everyone stops looking at "boobs" and starts seeing them as "how the baby eats." It was an interesting phenomena, even for me. Obviously I already knew that that is how a baby eats, but my attitude and previous ideas about what it was like shifted a little, and I feel a lot more comfortable with actually doing it. We did bring a doll to practice with. Our "baby" was Turk the ape from Disney's "Tarzan."


We will also be taking the childcare class, which goes over carseat safety and all the other child care stuff.

Besides all that, I went for my 3-hour glucose test. It wasn't horrible, well...the lime flavored syrup-drink they had me drink was awful. If I ever have to do that test again, I think I would prefer the orange flavor. I got to sit in a room in the back of the lab with a recliner. I watched a move on my laptop and took a short nap. Of course periodically I got interrupted (how rude) so they could draw my blood and have me pee in a cup. I don't have my results yet, I go see the doctor this next Thursday... I will let you know (I am sure you are all dying to know!) :)

Now, probably the most exciting thing that has happened lately is with Matt. In my profile, it mentions how Matt and his friends are trying to start a business and make a movie. Well, their first movie has been SOLD!!!! So, what that means is: the company Overture bought the story from The Juniper Sequence, and wrote out a check to buy the story. Now that money won't pay for making the movie, in fact, it won't pay for much :) except the lawyers and paying investors. BUT, they are actually going to be making a movie! And since I know people will want to know, it is a rock 'n roll love story told through alternate realities. It is complicated, and it is artsy, and quite frankly I am not sure if I have the actual idea of the story right...but who cares! Congratulations to Matt and his buddies...all their hard work is starting to pay off, and I know it is only going to get better from here!

"Just you wait!"

I need to vent a little.

Although I have waited (on purpose) six years to get pregnant, I understand that there are physical changes that occur during pregnancy. I remember seeing my mother pregnant with my little sister. I watched my sister in her pregnancy (and believe me, she didn't hold anything back--she told me everything), I watched my aunts and other family members, friends, acquaintances, and perfect strangers during pregnancies. It seems to me that the pattern is: you get pregnant, and as time goes by, you become a little more physically uncomfortable. Hmm, that is just based off pure visual and auditory observation. Let's add on to that my education. I have spent years studying the human body. I have studied anatomy from head to toe, I know the muscles, the organs, the bones, the systems, I have a freakishly strange fascination with the human body and the way it works. I know HOW pregnancy happens, and I know what happens inside the body when a woman is pregnant. Now, let's add on the fact that I actually am pregnant now. I have been reading books, and researching information online, and talking to other mothers and other pregnant women. I think it is quite safe to say that I ought to know what "to expect when expecting" (the reference is completely coincidental).

So, that brings me to my complaint. (Just to cover myself, I am not addressing this to anyone. I am making a general complaint about something that I get from a lot of different people, so please don't think I am attacking you). I can't stand it when I make a comment such as: 1. "I have to pee, again" 2. "Oh, the baby is in my way" 3. "I could hardly reach to tie my shoes today" etc., then someone always follows with the inevitable "Just you wait..." AAAAHHHH!!!

Why do people insist on pointing out that whatever I am currently going through is nothing compared to what the end of my pregnancy is going to be like? Do they think that I don't realize that my baby is going to continue growing and therefore I will get bigger, and therefore have less mobility, more frequent trips to the bathroom (both day and night), and just plain discomfort overall? Why do they dismiss the fact that I am currently pregnant and I must pass through this stage first, before reaching the end of my pregnancy. And why do they always say with with such a threatening tone? "Just you wait!!!" Should I sit in my bed and rock back and forth and fear the rest of my pregnancy? Why won't people just allow me to enjoy my pregnancy? If I have a tiny complaint about they way I feel for a split second (i.e. "Oooh, he is sitting on my bladder!"), they have to always point out that it is only going to get worse (and I think it gives them joy knowing that I am going to be in as much pain/discomfort that they were in once upon a time). OH the doom of pregnancy!

If only I could make an announcement to the world: "Hey everyone, I am pregnant and sometimes a little uncomfortable. Overall I am having an awesome pregnancy, and yes I realize I may not always enjoy it this much. I realize that not every pregnancy is the same, and yes I feel completely blessed to be having such an easy pregnancy, so far. I understand and completely expect that as my child grows my body will be pushed to its limits! I realize that I will have a difficult time moving, getting dressed, taking walks of any length, breathing in general, getting behind a wheel of a car, fitting into my clothes, I will experience backache, sciatic pain, swelling of all my appendages, a possibility of hemorrhoids, stretch marks and incontinence, my face will get fat and I will look like I have been stung by 30 bees, I will have to pee 45 times a day, and 45 times each night (and yes, I've heard it a million times that "this is nature's way of preparing you for your sleepless nights with the baby..."), I also realize that my breasts will swell up to an unnaturally large size and will hurt while they fill up with milk, I realize that breastfeeding may not be comfortable, especially at the beginning, I realize I will leak milk (in the shower, when babies cry, and for no reason at all)." I know I haven't included every possible scenario, but I think I have made my point. I think that I should say this full disclaimer each and every time I dare say anything slightly negative about my pregnancy so I don't get the "Just you wait" speech. Or I can just stop talking about it all together, but that won't work either, because the only thing that people want to know about is how the pregnancy is.

To be fair, I completely accept and appreciate helpful information. If someone has had an interesting experience with their pregnancy, both the good and the bad, I love to hear about it, because maybe it is something I wasn't aware of. But I just don't like it when people are trying to scare me, or warn me, about the future of my pregnancy.

*Sigh*
Ok, thank you for letting me vent. I am sure it is just my hormones allowing me to get frustrated. :)

3-hour glucose test

So, I have another post about pregnancy...sorry, but it is probably the only interesting thing that is happening in my life right now.

I went and took my 1-hour glucose test last week, and I failed! WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? No, I failed. They want the glucose number to be somewhere between 60-140, and my number was a whopping 141...yeah, just one number too high. Dang.

Now, I probably failed the first one because I literally ate lunch right before I took the test. There were no instructions to fast prior to the test, or to wait a certain amount of time after eating, so I didn't think there would be a problem, but apparently there is!

So, now I get to go take the 3-hour glucose test this next Wednesday. I have to follow a 3-day diet and then fast for 10 hours prior to the test. The diet should be pretty easy. I have to consume AT LEAST the amount of food listed on the diet...but more is ok! I guess this will help them see if my body can adequately break down all my carbohydrates.

For the day of the test, my plan is just to take the laptop and a DVD (or 2) to keep myself occupied. *Sigh* so boring! Oh well...

Anyone else have to do this?

My prediction is...

Lately I have been really having a lot of interesting dreams. Some are about the baby, others are about visiting my mother, there was one where Matt and I had just gotten 3 puppies (they were so cute!). One of my dreams is somewhat a look into the future, and I thought it would be interesting to see how it played out.

In my dream a few friends told me about a very detailed and very reliable chart that is used to tell you the exact date that your baby will be born. This went beyond your actual due date, and was always right. The only reason everyone didn't have this chart to look at was because it was really expensive. So, my friends and I looked at the chart and followed its directions and came up with the birth date for my baby:

DECEMBER 15th! So, I am putting it out there as an early prediction, maybe a little later I will start a poll, but I think it would be really funny if the baby was actually born on this particular date. (For the record, my due date is December 10th, so it isn't that far off).

Tag, I'm it!

Thanks for the tag Aracely! Here it goes!
A- Attached or Single? Attached, hence the Matt portion of "Matt & Katie"

B-Best Friend? Best girlfriend is Candace, for about 13 years now.

C-Cake or pie? I am kind of avoiding sweets right now, so I suppose I will go with a small piece of cake.

D-Day of choice? Wednesdays. I look forward to them because each Wednesday I count myself another week pregnant!
E-Essential Item? Deodorant
F-Favorite color? Blue

G-Gummy bears or worms? Worms
H-Home town? Kearns, UT ('till I was 4); Camarillo, CA ('till I was 20); Anaheim, CA (current)
I-Favorite indulgence? I don't indulge too often. I suppose my answer would be food, but it can be as simple (and as unhealthy) as Jack in the Box tacos.
J-January or July? January (I love winter)

K-Kids? First one on the way...no names yet, we are working on it!
L-Life isn't complete without? Laughter

M-Marriage date? June 1, 2002
N-Number of brothers and sisters? 2 Brothers, 3 Sisters

O-Oranges or Apples? Oranges.

P-Phobias? Drowning, and being held down in general. I need to have control over my own body.
Q-Quote? Pretty much any line from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
R-Reasons to smile? Feeling the baby move after his daddy talks to him

S-Season of choice? Autumn

T-Tag 3 people: Candace (if you have time), Jennifer F., and Mike C. ha! (or anyone else that wants to)

U-Unknown fact about me? I LOVE to play cards

V-Vegetable? Asparagus
W-Worst habit? Going overboard when hanging out with a group of friends... I am usually the one that either crosses the line, or people start making strange faces at because I am acting just a tad too crazy
X-Xray or Ultrasound? I am not too sure what this is asking...as in do I prefer one over the other? No thanks. I take x-rays, and have a radiation safety license though. And I love seeing the ultrasounds of my little boy.
Y-Your favorite food? Mexican! tamales, chile relleno, tacos, burritos, rice, corn tortillas, carne asada, salsa verde, ohhhhh so good!

Z-Zodiac sign: Aries

Our new mattress

We had a great Labor day weekend, how about you? My favorite part was having an extra day not to work! :) But in addition to that, Matt and I went out and purchased a brand new mattress! We have been talking about going out and buying a new one for quite some time, but it always gets put off. Up until now our mattress has been fine, it is just old. Well, lately I haven't been getting great sleep, because every morning I have been waking up with extreme back pain, and has really been affecting me all day. To resolve the issue temporarily I spent about 5 days sleeping out on the couch. Our couch is REALLY comfortable and quite frankly I could sleep there any time, but it was kind of weird sleeping away from Matt. So, we finally gave in and went shopping!

We went to Custom Comfort Mattress, and we had a really great experience. And we had the mattress delivered the same day. So...here are a few pictures of our adventure (what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't take pictures of this!?!)

This has been my bed for the last week. It is super comfortable! (That beautiful afghan was knitted by my Grandma)

Here I am at 25 weeks. It isn't the best picture of me, but it does show my tummy!Out with the old!Here is Matt, patiently waiting, in the bed frame, for our new mattress to arrive.

Here it is, our first mattress!

But, we didn't really figure that it was going to be WAY taller than the other mattress...I feel like a toddler trying to get up onto mommy's bed! HA! I still like it though. (Apparently we can get a shorter box-spring to accommodate, but I don't think we will).Hooray! We are so happy!

For the record, the bed is really comfortable and I am sleeping much better now. I think that my pregnancy isn't going to allow me to be perfectly comfortable, but it is much better than it used to be!