Boredom

Today I'm 40 weeks and 3 days past my due date! This baby is definitely taking after his dad. Evan was 4 days past his due date, I was 1 week early. Maybe Colin will come tomorrow?
Thursday is my induction day...I've had mixed feelings about being induced. Part of me thinks it's playing God a bit. The other part of me thinks being induced might be nice..walk into the hospital, get hooked up to the pitocin to start contractions, and then be able to get my epidural right away?? That sounds like a pain free way to have a baby...we'll have to see!

I've definitely left the honeymoon stage of enjoying not working. Now, I'm pretty bored not working....it's werid, and I'm sure things will change when C arrives and I'm enjoying those sleepless nights and endless feedings, but staying at home has no appeal to me. I like being busy and productive...I know Colin will keep me busy but I'm sure once we get into a routine I'll be glad to go back to work.

Merry Christmas and Happy Due Date to me!

I really thought baby C would be here by now, but he's not :( He must be awfully comfy in my belly...

I still feel good and am getting good sleep...throughout my pregnancy C does not kick me when I'm in bed at night of which I'm very grateful bc during the day his kicks have become very strong!

I'm taking bets for when he will come now...my induction date is December 30th so I hope he comes before then. I'm happy to have all my family around me anxiously awaiting his arrival as much as Evan and I are!

39 weeks and 2 days

This morning I had my 39 week appointment, these are getting pretty redundant now...pee in a cup, weigh me ( i tell them not to tell me, as my scale at home seems much nicer to me than theirs??), take the blood pressure, listen to the heart beat, then check me to see dialation...still at 1 cm. I've been 1 cm for 2 weeks now, I guess baby C is pretty cozy in there! Every one seems to want to know when he's coming, I think my friends and family are more anxious than I am. I'm feeling very indifferent right now..I think my excitement level would be much higher if I didn't have such a mounting fear of the birth.

Am I really going to have a little baby in my arms any day? I can't wait to see what this little guy actually looks like!

Full Moon Baby

This week we are having a full moon on Tuesday and Wednesday. Evan has a thing with full moons. It seems to him everytime there is a full moon, the hospital is always busy busy with new patients esp. when he's on the trauma service!

So, Evan is predicting that if this baby comes early ( please please come early baby C!) that it will be either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week...let's see if he's right!!

Oh Christmas Tree...

I love decorating our tree each year. Whenever Evan and I travel, our souvenier that we pick up from each destination is a Christmas ornament. We've only been doing this a few years, but we've been a lot of places over that time frame, so we've got a nice collection going so far. I love all the memories it brings back when I pull out each ornament. This year, we added an Eifel Tower, a Buckingham Palace crown, and a street car from San Francisco.

Hands down though, this year, my favorite new ornament is the one my mom gave me- it's a stork carrying a baby. I'd been looking all over for a Christmas ornament for baby C, but didn't want to get anything that said "Baby's First Christmas" because I'm not sure if he'll be here by then...this ornament is perfect!!

Painted Nails...

Not really...these are the soft paws we put on Graycie this week in an attempt to protect Colin. I can't bring myself to declaw her, so these seem like a good alternative..they are basically caps that go over the nails, but only last about 4-6 weeks.So far, I actually am getting a kick out of these...she doesn't seem to mind them, and it looks like we just gave her a manicure!!

The New Mommy Car

After much searching and research, I dutifully gave up my baby, aka the BMW convertible and got my "mom car". Although, I have to admit, it's not too mommyish. After driving the Ultimate Driving Machine, I'm pretty picky when it comes to cars- I like something that has a good tight steering wheel, handles nicely, and has good pick up...to find a sedan in this category that also has excellent safety ratings is tough, but I think we found our winner! a 2008 Acura TL. The car was in pristine condition, the man who sold it to us had used it as his second car, and it only had 16k miles on it. I like it because it is spacious enough to fit Colin, his car seat, and his stroller and other gear ( which unfortunately my BMW did not) but still has a sporty feel to it. The one we got has a spoiler on it, which gives it a sportier look than the one pictured. I'm also loving the heated seats this time of the year, which comes standard in all the TL's.

Bad Mommy Blogger

Wow, it's been over a month since I've posted on this thing! So sorry, but I will try to recap for you what's been going on in the Tummy Household since the Baby Shower:

1) I am huge! My obgyn scared the crap out of me at my 37 week appt. and told me my baby is 8 lbs...and that was at 37, with 3 more weeks to go! I was quite shocked since most of my books were telling me the baby was weighing in around 6- 61/2. I'd be quite happy to have a chubby 8 lb baby as long as he fits...we'll see how much he really weighs when he pops out!

2) As of Monday, I'm 1 cm dialated and 60% effaced and cervix is VERY soft...which means it could happen any minute or could happen in a week...the anticipation!

3) getting VERY nervous about giving birth, I'm hoping for a nice epidural a few pushes and boom he pops out! ( wishful thinking right?)I know it will be one of the best days of my life but I still can't help being scared of the pain...you hear so many stories, some women who say it's a breeze, others who give you horrible war stories. I am just praying for a vaginal birth- I want to experience pushing this baby out of me, but I guess I have to prepare myself if it doesn't go as planned...what matters most is a healthy baby at the end!

4) I started unofficial maternity leave this week..aka working from home. It is such a slow time of the year though in my industry that the work from home part has been very minimal. I know I'm in the honeymoon stage, but this not working thing is kinda nice, I have to admit...ssshhh don't tell!

5) I got my push present early....it's sparkly!

6) Christmas is the absolute best time of the year to be pregnant...the weather has been great to be this big and the slow down at work has allowed me to really enjoy being out of the office and not worry about things too much. I might have to have all my babies around this time of year...the christmas cookies and desserts are a nice perk too when you're 9 months and counting!

7) Evan has stopped taking call as of today! I am so lucky to have a husband that has worked his tail off to build up our savings so I don't have to worry about anything financial for quite a WHILE..we are so blessed. He will be home with me every night until the baby arrives, and probably going will start taking call again after a month or so and I feel comfortable being home alone with C at night. After months of Evan taking call almost every night, I'm so happy to have him home. Hopefully we will have a few nights together before C arrives and our lives as a couple are changed forever!

Baby Shower Recap

This past Saturday was my baby shower and I had a great time. It was so nice to see all of my friends and family and to celebrate Colin's upcoming arrival!

My friends Rachel and Anna hosted and they did a perfect job, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful shower.

It was also very nice to receive all the great presents- I feel ALMOST prepared for Colin's arrival, a lot of baby items have been crossed off my baby list. I'll probably make a trip this weekend to get the final few things and then hopefully be close to ready!

P.S. No, I'm not wearing a fuzzy headband, it was a crown that Rachel got me that said New Mom to Be :)

Updated Belly Shots!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?startIndex=0&sid=0IbNXLJs1asWIQ&fid=68712ab1660a9ab2

Thanks to Natalie for graciously taking some belly shots for me this past weekend!

Happy Halloween!

I made these cupcakes yesterday, about the only "halloweeny" thing going on in our house this weekend. Evan's on call all day and night and trying to think of a costume when you're 8 months pregnant is pretty useless.

Next year, I'll enjoy dressing baby C in something like:

this

or this

or THIS. ooooh I want to order this one NOW!!!

I love getting packages!

Especially these kind...thanks to Great Grandma Rose and Great Aunt Heidi for the beautiful baby boy layette from Saks, I can't wait to dress him in these fabulous clothes...I was especially excited about the Trumpette socks!

The knit hat and booties will be great for a trip to NYC to visit or a ski trip to Vail!

The After.

Colin's clothes are all tucked away ready to be worn. Sometimes I'll come in here and open the drawers and pull them out and hold them against my ever expanding tummy...i can't believe there will be a baby in these in 2 short months, can't wait!

On top of this dresser is where I plan on having his changing pad station.


The closet has finally been straightened up and there is now some room for C's clothes.
And Evan did finally clean up his stuff and send it off to Salvation Army so our guest/baby room is now restored. I'm going to get rid of that rug and probably just put a neutral colored round softer rug in it's place...

Oh and in case you forgot, here are the BEFORE PICS...

I still need to figure out what to do with that chair, I think it is heading to the dumpster. Replaced by my glider....

Ta Da!

The crib is all ready for Baby C!!

Lately...

According to UPS, my repaired camera should be here Tuesday.
If it were here now, I'd be taking pictures of our newly put together crib! Evan put it together last night ( it only took about 20 minutes to put together-awesome!).
I hinted last week to dad that our nursery bedding on our registry was on sale and he took the hint and ordered it for me- I love how it turned out and the crib fits so nicely into our room. No crowding at all, thank goodness for our spacious master bedroom! The "plan" is to keep the baby in the crib in our room until he sleeps through the night. I also hope it will be easier to move him bc he won't be changing beds, just rooms!

Yesterday, I hit 30 weeks pregnant, 10 more to go! One big change I felt earlier this week was what I like to call "my curtain opening" ( stolen from a girl in my prenatal yoga class). I woke up in the middle of the night and my entire pelvis was in pain and it was difficult to move from side to side. I never realized how much you use your pelvic muscles when laying down and are trying to change sides. I think I've gotten a big shot of the relaxin hormone which has caused my ligaments in my pelvic area to loosen; it could also be pressure from the babys head down? Regardless, I now understand the attractive waddle that women get later in pregnancy...it's not just from having a big bump, but from the pelvic pain that happens later in pregnancy. This is suppposed to be a good thing, as it helps prepare my body to stretch for birth. In the meantime, it felt like someone has reached their hand up between my legs and stretched out my bones! It's gotten better than the first night, but it def. is still there. Another girl in PN yoga class yesterday, who is 39 weeks pregnant, knew exactly what I was talking about and says it doesn't go away....yay.

My weight gain...

So far I've been pretty happy with my weight gain. I've had several people tell me how great I look and that I'm "all belly"...my boss yesterday elaborated with a several funny facial expressions of how a lot of women seem to blow up when they're pregnant and he's quite impressed how I've handled my pregnancy.
With that said, I am still in my 2nd trimester, I know the 3rd trimester is a whole other ball game. So far I haven't had any cravings and feel like I eat pretty similar to what I was doing prepregnancy, albeit I've added more veggies and make sure I get my daily protein.
Anyways, before my pregnancy my weight was fluctuating somewhere around 125, right now I'm at 145....I'm really hoping I can stay under the 30 lb weight gain...we'll see it how it goes. Especially when I do have a sweet tooth weakness...this is a place I recently discovered, their Butterscotch Cupcakes are to DIE for. Next time,Tampa friends, you are in South Tampa near the Acadamy, you MUST stop in and try one!

AFTER THE BIRTH, WHAT A FAMILY NEEDS..

I wish I could tell you my house is always clean...but it's not, let's face it- with 2 full time on steroids aka way more than 40 hrs per week working adults, it's hard to accomplish.

My Saturday mornings are usually spent picking up the house...from what accumulated throughout the week...dishes are washed, laundry is picked up off the floor and done, grocery shopping occasionally happens followed by some cooking that we can munch on throughout the week, and the kitchen is wiped clean. I do refuse to do any hard core cleaning- aka toilet scrubbing that's what I pay a housekeeper for! When my house IS clean it is beautiful...but if you ever stop by on a day unexpectedly that doesn't immediately follow a Saturday morning clean sweep, don't expect much.

I actually envy people with always seemingly clean houses, like my friend Rachel...I've unexpectedly stopped by her house and it is always tidy!

So what will my house look like when I've got a newborn?! I'm going to try not to think about it...I know there will be many expected and unexpected house guests and my goal will be to

somehow keep this place looking as good as possible. I saw this recently on another blog and thought it was VERY appropriate!

AFTER THE BIRTH, WHAT A FAMILY NEEDS“Let me know if I can help you in any way when the baby is born.” … “Just let me know if you need a hand.” … “Anything I can do, just give me a call.”

Most pregnant women get these statements from friends and family but shy away from making requests when they are up to their ears in dirty laundry, unmade beds, dust bunnies and countertops crowded with dirty dishes. The myth of “I’m fine, I’m doing great, new motherhood is wonderful, I can cope and my husband is the Rock of Gibraltar” is pervasive in postpartum land. If you’re too shy to ask for help and make straight requests of people, I suggest sending the following list out to your friends and family. These are the things I have found to be missing in every house with a new baby. It’s actually easy and fun for outsiders to remedy these problems for the new parents but there seems to be a lot of confusion about what’s wanted and needed…

1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women’s size____).

3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over about 2 in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, beds or in the room corners. If there’s no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 a.m., make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don’t ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying “Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family.”

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It’s tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other r & r that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.'

These are the kindnesses that new families remember and appreciate forever. It’s easy to spend money on gifts but the things that really make a difference are the services for the body and soul described above. Most of your friends and family members don’t know what they can do that won’t be an intrusion. They also can’t devote 40 hours to supporting you but they would be thrilled to devote 4 hours. If you let 10 people help you out for 4 hours, you will have the 40 hours of rested, adult support you really need with a newborn in the house. There’s magic in the little prayer “I need help.”

I'll leave you with a picture of what my kitchen SHOULD look like and since my camera STILL is not working, here is a picture too of my friend Rachel's adorable daughter Charlotte!

What I've been up to the last few days...

So I haven't blogged lately bc my camera suddenly decided to stop working...I think it needs a new battery so I can add that to my neverending to do list :)

I really want to show you all pics of the cutest baby boy clothes ever!! they have all been washed and tucked away for Baby C's arrival in December. I get so excited to think of dressing him in these clothes!

I've still been feeling pretty good. Last week, I started getting some heartburn, which is no fun, but can be expected as I think all of my organs are in different places right now..weird!

I'm also quite frustrated that I'm officially big enough where I can only sleep on my left side and for some reason I much prefer my right side..of course!

That's about it for now...next time you are at the grocery store pick up a 2 lb roast and that is supposed to be size of the baby right now! Ha.

The TO DO list, just got a little shorter...

Evan came home at 6am Saturday and I did my "world's best wife" routine and got up to make him breakfast. I couldn't go back to sleep so I did some internet browsing on Craig's list. I was very happy with my finds, and I drove all over Tampa ( literally!) to purchase and pick everything up!

This is what I walked away with:

2 big bag fulls of baby boy clothes, about 55 pieces in size 0-6 months, and about 45 pieces of 6-12 months. The lady who sold it all to me finally went through her sons closet ( he looked about 4 years old) and was wanting to give it to someone who would just use and enjoy everything like she did. I hit the jackpot with this one- she had so much cute stuff! and such a variety of styles and for every season. I thought cute baby boy clothes didn't exist..until now. The best part- $40 for it all! Will I ever pay retail again?

My second stop was for the Fisher Price Starlight swing- $50!! ( retails for $150) I love this little swing and it is neutral in color and will be great for future kids.

My third stop was for a Glider-$85, ( retails for around $200?) I found one in great condition that matched the furniture in our guest room. It is also very comfortable, I see myself sitting in this for hours rocking little C to sleep...can't wait!

My fourth stop- the Graco Snugride car seat- $60 ( retails for $150) I also like that it is a neutral color for future use. I think the baby will be able to use this for the first 6months. When I'm not using my fabulous bugaboo, I can take this out of the car and carry it for quick trips- like to the grocery store! I also went with the Snugride bc it is also compatiable to snap into our Bugaboo if we need to!

Phew...I need a rest from the shopping..until next weekend!

Go Gators!

Weekend Recap: Part 1

I had a very productive weekend. We crossed several things off the baby to do list...

In between the productivity, we were able to cheer on the Gators to a victory against USF. It was a rough first quarter, but my team pulled through.

We watched the game at Ryan and Haley's house, which I've officially dubbed the new Gator watching spot. Baby C came along.... He enjoyed hearing the game, I could tell by his kicking everytime we scored!

Baby bump picture- 25 weeks!

Too funny...

I guess this is the joy that comes with having a baby boy!!

Birth Stories...

I have really enjoyed reading other women's birth stories throughout my pregnancy...this one in particular really hit home.
I hear that your first baby is often late, but if baby boy comes BEFORE christmas, I'd be one happy mama. I was a week early, let's see what he does....

Recent quotes I like...

I saw this quote recently and it's sooo true:
" The only time a woman wishes she was a year older is when she is pregnant."

From my Becoming Babywise book...
"A healthy husband-wife relationship is essential to the emotional health of children in the home. When there is harmony in the marriage there is an infused stability within the family. A strong marriage provides a haven of security for children as they grow in the nurturing process. Healthy, loving marriages create a sense of certainty for children. When a child observes the special friendship and emotional togetherness of his parents, he is more secure simply because it isn't neccessary to question the legitimacty of his parent's committment to one another."
I definitely want to make sure when the baby comes and we are baby gaga that Evan and I continue to have "us" time... I know I will love my child beyond any comprehension, but my love for my husband transcends... I guess this also means I don't like the child centered parenting or attatchment parenting methods I read about so often on other baby blogs..

The nursery? BEFORE...

This is what the baby's room looks like right now. Usually this is our guest room. Recently, the shelves in the closet collapsed from the weight of everything Evan has shoved into that closet. So out it has all come all over the floors and bed...waiting for Evan to somehow find the time between work and fishing to get rid of all of this SHIT so we can have a nice empty closet for all the baby clothes and gear we are soon to accumulate. I can't touch it as I'd get in alot of trouble bc Evan knows I'd basically gather it all up and throw it in the trash...this is stuff I think he's accumulated since high school and never had a spring cleaning to get rid of it.

I don't have high expectations for this room. I'd be a very happy girl if somehow all of this would just disappear.

If/when that happens, I plan on moving the bed to against the wall of the window, so there is more open space. I'm going to use the top of the dresser ( not pictured) as the changing table by just adding a changing pad.

The pink chair needs to go and replaced with some sort of glider. That rug ( if you can see it) also needs to go, maybe replaced by some sort of bluish baby boy rug. I'm also trying to sell the semi pictured glass bookshelf that was in our living room that I shoved in there bc I didn't want to look at it anymore!

The crib ( which arrived yesterday!)is going to start off in our bedroom and eventually will move to the nursery.

Oh and yes, if you can tell, the room is painted pink. I'd love to paint it a different color but Evan's not on board and, like I said, my expectations are pretty low at this point- I just want all that stuff gone!

I also think since the baby probably won't remember his room until he's 3 or 4 years old it is pointless to do the whole nursery thing and decorate it, but I do still think it looks nice and get a tad bit jealous when I see things like this, or this or THIS!

I hope to soon be able to post an AFTER picture.

yay yay yay!

I am finally feeling little kicks, they are very subtle, and I'm not sure how it transitioned from feeling like indegestion to a kick, but I was staring down at my tummy after I started realizing it might be one and then KICK!
I saw my tummy move oh so slightly- how cool and wonderful. I can't wait to meet my baby boy!!

22 weeks!!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant today!

Here is the updated baby bump.

I love this stage of pregnancy for these top 2 reasons:

1) People finally notice that I'm pregnant and ask me when I'm due

2) I'm still comfortable- I can do everything normally and can still sleep comfortably!

PS thank you to Rachel for loaning me a bag full of maternity clothes- including the top pictured here!

Happy Birthday to me!

Today I'm 28 years old!

Evan did a great job ( as usual) with my birthday celebration.

I woke up this morning to a new pair of RayBan polarized sunglasses. When Evan and I were in Portland, I tried these on at a store and really liked them. Evan was able to find them online and suprise me, long after me forgetting that I had liked them!

My other present that I picked up earlier this week is the Vera Bradley Barcelona baby bag, which I love love love!
And the deal closer- a Publix red velvet cake with cream cheese icing complete with pink and yellow roses and Happy Birthday Lauren message.

28 is looking good so far- I'm married to a wonderful man and have a baby on the way. Can life get any better than this? :)

Boston Med

Has anyone seen Boston Med on ABC( thursday nights at 10pm)? I watched my first episode last night and was instantly hooked.

Be prepared to cry, like I did, for the amazing stories of the patients and all the hard work and care that the staff at the hospital demonstrates.

When I watched it, I was also overwhelmed with pride. Pride for what my hubby does as a surgeon. I always tell him I wish I could be a fly on the wall when he's at the hospital with patients or in surgery. This show gave me a real life glimpse into his world.

Right now since he's in research, he doesn't get to operate and I know he is dying to get back to the OR next year, but I'm happy to have him these two years of research. This pregnancy fit well into our "plan", fortunately, he will be around alot when the baby is born and can help out for his first 6 months. I know I'll be sad when he goes back to the craziness of normal residency and I won't get to see him that much, but I am so happy he has a career that he loves so much, excels at and can affect and improve so many lives.

I only hope we can provide the same opportunities for our son and he finds something that he loves as much as his daddy!

* Image sums up the best lesson fromEvan's intern year- how to fall asleep standing up!

Smile!

There he is, 20 weeks old!! He looks like a real baby now, just pretty tiny. He was bouncing around through the whole ultrasound, but I can't really feel anything yet. My ultrasound tech told me I have an anterior placenta so I may not feel anything for a few more weeks...I'm secretly glad in a way bc once he starts kicking I'm sure it'll be mighty nice but mighty annoying at times :)

What we've been up to lately...

We were woken up each morning in the Keys with these cuties wanting to play. Learned the following from these girls this past weekend:
1) Moms work much harder than daddies
2) Nap time= favorite time of the day for a busy mommy
3) These girls are WORK, but worth it:)


Evan had fun attempting to catch us some Florida Lobster, the credit mainly goes toMatt, who got pretty much all the catches, bc lobstering is HARD!

We spent Sunday afternoon cleaning and putting together the Bugaboo, the end product made me quite happy!

MMM, nothing like ending the night with some homemade pizza. This was our first time cooking our own pizza and it was very simple to make and delicious!!

It's Official

There's a baby BOY in that Tummy!! Our 20 week anatomy check was today and it was quite obvious right away- his penis is growing at a nice health rate, hooray! Oh yeah, along with the rest of him. Now, he just needs to keep growing for the next 20 weeks and gain about 7lbs.

PS Just had my Mamour tell me my Dad was a 10 lbs baby- holy moly!

PPS Sorry if my tummy pics are a little risque, but this is all I got!

LazyDays

Evan and I are in the Keys for a long weekend with the Schad family and the Masicotte family. Yesterday, while the guys were out scouting spots for the open of lobster season today, the girls had a lazy day of shopping, lunching and swimming in the pool.

The picture is an updated baby bump shot with Daniella, who is 5 1/2 weeks ahead of me.Daniella is my roommate from college, and our college day pictures looked a lot different than the one above :) Oh how things have changed, while Anna, Daniella and I used to spend our nights at the bars and up very late, we now have spent them curled up on the couch talking newborns, breastfeeding, and anything else baby related!