Thursday, May 26, 2011

Is This a Joke?

I picture the Little Monster in my belly sipping Pina Coladas, basking in sunshine and ordering room service at 3am. Then I picture the hotel management trying to evict it from it's wonderful all inclusive resort, but the Little Monster is holding on to the walls and fighting every step of the way.

The real deal contractions started last night at 8:30pm, while I was at work of course. They started in my back and wiggled forward and then clenched me in a stop what I am doing and forget my name kind of way. Thank goodness my wonderful friend Lauren was there to do about an hour's worth of work for me while I sat in a chair and watched (thhhhaaankkkksss Lauren!) They weren't frequent, but they were getting stronger. By 11pm they were 10-15 minutes apart and lasting about 30-45 seconds. I got home at 12:30pm from work and laid in bed until 5am with these Big Girl Contractions, they were still about 10 minutes apart, getting stronger and lasting 45 seconds. Then they were gone. That's right, vanished into thin air like they had never been there!

I Googled these Vanishing Contractions and are you ready for what all powerful Google said? Normal, 100% completely normal! Little Monster....This is the hotel management and it is time to go!!

Colie

Monday, May 23, 2011

Nothin'

There have been no changes from last week's appointment. I was very disappointed, it feels like I have been doing a lot of work, but not getting paid for it. In my very knowledgeable medical mind I know that I can go from 2cm to 10cm and have the kid in the same day, but my first time mom and emotional mind wanted to hear that I was making progress.

Stay tuned for more updates (hopefully a post that announces we are on the way to the hospital)

Colie

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Perhaps the Last Weekly Post????

Good Morning!

I have been up since 4:53 this morning with some fake out labor contractions--really strong Braxton Hicks. I have been having them for the last few days and they are getting stronger and stronger, but none of them are regular. Rather than lay in bed and wallow in my lonely, false labor, contracting agony I got up, checked email, made some coffee and looked up the local sunrise time...6:24 for Indianapolis, IN. I packed my lovely 6 ounces of liquid gold, AKA coffee, into my adorable travel mug, laced up my old running shoes (which are more made for waddling these days) and set out toward the East.


I was bound for two things this morning. One was to see the sunrise and two was to walk this kid out. Unfortunately, both were a bust, but I did get some great landscaping ideas and all the little songbirds were very lively this morning. The sunrise was just that, the sun coming up, no pinks or oranges painting the morning sky. I also only had one stop me in my footsteps little contraction, so it looks like the tiny person is going to be hanging out a little longer...not that I expected them to fall out on the sidewalk or anything (well, I kinda did).



I have a weekly Doctor appointment tomorrow, hopefully I am making some more progress. Last week I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced, but all week I have been having stronger and stronger contractions. My doctor assures me that no contraction is a waste and each one gets me one step closer to the end, so I am curious to see if I am further along tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me.

Colie

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Drop It Like Its Hot

As my good friend Snoop Dogg says, Drop It Like Its Hot, and that is exactly what happened this week. The Little Monster is trying to make a break for it, is engaged and ready for take off (also known as "dropping"). I am able to breathe much easier, eat larger meals and my longtime sidekick, Heart Burn, and I are headed toward a breakup. I have no idea what I am going to do with all my free time now that I am not eating every 2 hours or running to the store for more Tums. Oh yeah, I will probably take care of a tiny person.


Shock Number One of this week is that the baby is the size of a small watermelon--are you kidding me, a watermelon? Here is a proportion picture for you, just in case you are having a hard time imagining something the size of a watermelon inside my belly.



Seriously?


Shock Number Two: The never ending patio portion of the Great Backyard Overhaul is complete. Sorry, it was raining so we didn't go out to take a completion picture, but you can see it in the background of the shocking watermelon picture. Now all we Matt has to do is dig through ridiculously hard soil laden with rocks in order to build my flower beds that will surround the patio, get rid of a thousand pounds of dirt and help me plant all my shrubbery and flowers. That shouldn't be too hard, I'm thinking like a day's worth of work. Ha.

Shock Number Three: Krum is lazy and always in the way. Not so much a shock, but definitely picture worthy.


Shock Number Four: The baby's room is done-zo, the hospital bag is packed and we have every item checked off our To Do Before The Baby Comes list. Yikes, is it really that close? I have been waiting 36 weeks to meet this tiny person and time has seemed to have dragged by, now all of a sudden it is hitting warp speed and I am headed directly to Panic City. Frazier, on the other hand, is completely oblivious to the fact that his whole life is about to change....



Have a good week!
Colie

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is celebrating the people who have helped create their lives.

Our Mother's Day

I unintentionally ruined Matt's Mother's Day surprise last night when we were coming home from Lowes (for the 10th time in one day...more on that in a minute). We had driven past the house a dozen times to and from Lowes and every time Matt effectively distracted me with something, but the very last trip on the very last corner as we rounded into home....I saw it.



I said "What the *bleep* is that growing up the side of our house? A huge weed?" He had the look of defeat on his face. He could have easily lied and made something up, I was NOT going into the backyard to investigate a giant weed...especially since we don't currently have steps to get my fat booty in and out of the house. Matt can tell an effective lie just about as well as I can resist chocolate (not well).

I am constantly lamenting over all the flowering trees and Matt bought me my very own for my first Mother-to-be Day. He also had a really sweet story about how we are planting right before the baby comes and we can watch both of them grow together. I am such a sucker for that mushy sentimental stuff!!

In other news this week

Matt and I chased down the Ice Cream Man just so I could get a Popsicle character with the bubble gum eyes. I really mean it, we stalked him out and chased him down. By the way, when did the ice cream man start playing a rap/techno version of the classic Ice Cream Man song? I was very unsettled, not that you can tell from this picture, cuz I look pretty happy with my Sponge Bob ice cream treat. And it's okay, go ahead and say it: "Daaaaaang, Girl, you done got HUGE!" I'm fully aware of this.


The patio remains a work in progress

This week consisted of many rainy evenings spent hauling, laying and leveling gravel all in effort to hopefully start (and finish) the pavers this weekend. Well, so much for wishful thinking, this project is by far way more labor intensive than anyone could have foreseen.

Matt is all consumed by this project as much as I am consumed with the need to clean, craft, decorate and wash baby clothes. We are both a mess and neither one of us is helping the other one get through this very difficult nesting phase of our lives.



Both of us can envision this impossible to obtain patio in our minds. It will be complete with flower beds on all three sides with walkways through them leading into the yard, there is going to be a beautiful round fire pit and a full summer of beer drinking and grilling out! Too bad the future is not now.

***Matt wants me to add that he has loaded and unloaded 235 pavers (35 lbs a piece) and 55 bags of sand (45 lbs a piece) all by himself.***  He thinks this is why it is not done already, coupled with all the rain we have gotten, he may be right.

Have a good week!
Colie

Monday, May 2, 2011

2 Posts in 2 Days! Lucky You

Hi again

We had our appointment today and I am officially on the books for a June 6th induction. Provided I don't go sooner of course. I wanted to do it earlier, but my gooooood friend Emily K is getting married on June 4th and I have to wear my Heifer Sized Bridesmaid Dress to support her on her day. I couldn't do that very well from the hospital--could you imagine me walking around the postpartum unit in a purple bridesmaid dress dancing to YMCA? Ha!! Because that is what I would be doing to show my support if I wasn't able to make it. Another good friend, Aspen, is getting married on June 11th, sadly I grew out of that bridesmaid dress around week 22. Doubtful that I will be able to wear that sexy blue dress by June 11th, but I will do a special dance for her in my sweatpants!

Hope everyone has a great week!
Colie

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Ice Cream, Patios and Nursery Progress

Hi

4.5 weeks left of pregnancy. Just when I was getting used it, it is almost over. Mostly I am kidding, but I have to say that I am enjoying the third trimester much more than any other part. If that doesn't tell you how miserable my first 34 weeks have been then I don't know what would! My only complaint right now is not being able to sleep more than a few hours at a time because it is a huge production to change sleeping positions and my ligaments hurt like the dickens. I have almost fully accepted the fact that I am large and my image in the mirror is only temporary, this is not that I will always look like (that's only taken 8 months to come to terms with, not too bad). Don't get me wrong, I am so totally over being pregnant and I want more than anything to hold this baby in my arms, not in my belly, but I am happier now than I have been in 8 months. I waddle when I walk, my body can't keep up with my brain and I swell to the size of a whale on a daily basis, but I am fat and happy.

I talked to our Doctor and they are going to induce me at 39 weeks, we just haven't picked a day yet. I have an appointment on May 2nd and hopefully we can choose an official birthday. There are pros and cons to wanting to be induced and awaiting the arrival to come naturally. Let me just say I have a 100% medical mind frame and I am 100% ok with getting induced a week early, I have zero desire to labor at home and time my own contractions. I am more comfortable in a hospital and that is where I want labor to start.

Today I wanted ice cream so bad I would have sold my left foot on the black market to have some. However, I am still counting calories like 100 dollar bills so we got low fat frozen yogurt and I mixed in 2 Oreo cookie for a semi healthy ice cream fix. Clever. (**Busted** I also ate 3 Oreos on the side)




My grandma sent the bedding this past week and I LOVE LOVE LOVE (a million times LOVE) it. She is so talented with a sewing machine, something I wish I would have inherited.


And here is the antique medicine cabinet in all its adorable glory hanging above the changing table/dresser. It houses the tiny tiny nail clippers, brushes, butt cream and booger sucker-outer




I wake up in the middle of the night (or day depending on when I am working) and I want to get out of bed to clean and organize the baby's room. I have resisted this temptation many many times, but it is becoming all consuming. The only thing stopping me is that we don't have everything we need yet so I can't organize it! While I am nesting on the inside of the house Matt has started to nest on the outside. He decided that he wanted to tackle our long thought out plan of a patio THIS WEEKEND. With no help, no official plan set in stone and did I mention no help.  This project was a huge undertaking for a few good men, let alone one man with limited tools.

Day One: Digging out a 18ft x 18ft patio section 4inches deep. Nice in theory, but our ground is clay and gravel. Not so nice and easy to dig up. 12 hours of heavy manual labor later, this is what Matt looked like...


And this is what the backyard looked like...



Day Two: Finnish digging out hard as stone backyard patch and lure neighbor over with a beer. Matt and the neighbor, Joe, worked from noon to 10pm with only a dinner break. They managed to dig, level and lay paver gravel over half of our hugely under-estimated patio. In case anyone is thinking about laying a paver patio anytime soon, here is a little Gravel for Thought: Each bag of paver gravel weighs 45lbs and we are using 231 bags. That is a grand total of 2,395 lbs of gravel schlepped. Day Two ended with 2 IBProfen and 2 large blisters.


The start of the paver gravel
Day Three was a wash. It rained. To be continued.....