Monday, June 29, 2009
10 Days and Counting
I am feeling better about everything. It has been incredibly helpful to talk to others who have had the procedure and have them explain what to expect- thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am sure I will get more nervous as the day approaches, but I am also sure it will be fine. I think the hardest part will not to be able to hold the baby right after she is born- but, Ben will get to and he will like that.
Hard to believe we will have another little one in just 10 days!!!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Anyway, it looks like I will be scheduling a C-section. I cried. I am a little scared about this (now would NOT be the time to share your c-section horror stories), but we are trying to see the positives. Ben thinks it will be great- I can make him do everything for two weeks and he doesn't have to watch me go through labor. Of course, he isn't the one who has to have the c-section either, so it would be easier for him. But, we can time our babies arrival which will be nice. We are thinking the 10th because that is Ben's Friday off from work, then he can take two weeks, and then my mom is scheduled to come the 25th for a week- right when Ben would have to go back to work, so the timing of it all could work out really well-provided I don't go into labor earlier then that. I won't have to go through actual labor and have the pain of the contractions, and all the yucky stuff that happens down there I will miss out on. That part will be nice.
Audra's labor was actually pretty good- until the pushing part. I pushed for three hours, and that caused a lot of problems with the recovery. In talking to my doctor a few weeks ago, she assured me my body now knows what it is doing and I would not push for nearly that long- thus making my recovery easier. I wouldn't say that I was excited about labor- but at least I knew what I was getting into and that it would be much better then last time. No surprises- until now. I am still trying to wrap my head around this and convince myself that it will be alright. I know it will be- millions of women have had c-sections, it's just trying to get a completely different version of how the birth will be that is completely unfamiliar and quite a bit scary that is hard. Needless to say, I will be reading up on this- and I appreciate the articles and info some of you have already sent- I will definitely be researching this so I know what I am getting into, as well as discussing everything with my doctor. (And, I will try the old wives' tales of how to get a breach baby to turn! The doctor said it is possible she will turn on her own, but very unlikely.)
So I guess I am feeling overwhelmed right now with the thought of a c-section, but I greatly appreciate all of your support! It really means a lot. I am also very grateful that I have Ben- I don't know if I could do this without him, and I don't envy single mothers who go through this alone.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Already a Problem Child
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mothers In Training
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Laughter
Daughter: Daddy, are you the boss of this house?
Daddy: Why, yes, honey- I am the boss of this house.
Daughter: Is that because Mommy put you in charge?
I thought that pretty well sums up most American homes!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Bald is Beautiful and Fat is Fabulous (or not)
So, only four more weeks- but I am really thinking more like 2. I go in Friday for another check-up, perhaps I'll know more then!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Shout Out To Dad!
Here's some photos of the greatest dad in the world:
Now, the next couple of pictures are a little amsuing. I searched through all of my old photos, and I could not find a picture of just my dad and me. But, I did find these 2 pictures:
My father with my best friend Danielle having a "beer" (root beer) and at Gettysburg! I hope you are laughing, Danielle, because I sure was! I suppose this should be proof to me that he secretly wanted you as a daughter instead of me:) Or, maybe that I just need to be sure and get some pics of me and my dad!
And, finally, I know you are all surprised, but Ben has the audacity to argue with me and try to tell me that HIS father is the best in the world, so here is a photo of the two greatest dads in the world (notice the clean-shaven face of my dad- it was a once-in-a-lifetime look at my dad's upper lip!)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Mom Advice
First, she has completely regressed out of her toddler bed. She will only sleep in her crib. We think it has to do with all of the changes, staying with Ben's parents for awhile, the madness of the house, etc. We don't know- but she won't sleep in her bed. She has not fallen out, to the best of our knowledge, she just has lost interest. Any ideas?
Then, at the same time she has regressed in that area, she has now taken a great interest in potty training. We bought her a potty for her Birthday, and for the last little while she will sit on it fully clothed when I go to the bathroom (sorry if it's TMI, but if you're a mom then I know it isn't).Today she decided she wanted to sit on the toilet without her diaper and she would say, "go potty, go potty." Of course I let her, and now she continually takes her diaper off and wants to sit on the potty. She has not gone on the potty, and I don't think she knows when she needs to go, so that is the dilemma. I have everything we need to potty train- pull-ups, plastic pants, etc. but I wasn't planning on even attempting to train her until after the baby was born- fearing a regression. What sould I do????
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Turning a House Into A Home
I don't care if you absolutely hate what we have done to the house. You are required to lie and tell us it is beautiful and amazing, even if you think the exact opposite. As my friend Arienne said, "you paid enough and deserve to be lied to."
I personally think the living room looks absolutely stunning, but I am a little biased!
After three weeks a functional kitchen! I never thought I would be so incredibly excited to cook dinner!
This picture isn't too exciting- but since the French Doors are the whole reason we committed to this madness, I figured I should throw in a picture of the new French Doors.
This is a picture of our front entryway- coming at it from the living room instead of the front door. I put this one on because Ben and I came up with the design- diagonal boards with a border along the edge- and we thought it turned out pretty cool.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Small Gestures
It was early in the morning- about 2 AM and I was in a semi-comotose state of sleep (I find it difficult to be entirely wonderfully asleep at this stage of pregnancy), when I noticed Ben was putting the blanket over me. It had gotten cold and he was carefully trying to cover me up so I wouldn't wake up because of the cold. I know this is an incredibly small act, but isn't it the small things that keep us in love with each other? He didn't know that I was awake enough to notice what he was doing, he was just doing that because he didn't want me to be uncomfortable. I thought to myself, "He really does love me!" What a lucky girl I am!
Monday, June 1, 2009
What Mess?
Holes in the wall, with varying levels of flooring. Also, NO furniture on the entire main level- makes eating at our house an interesting experience.
Rotten boards sticking out all over.
Disastrous kitchen- I know, I should be embarrassed, BUT: we had to empty out a bit of our storage, and it was better for us to just put it on our kitchen counters then box it all up and have no access to our food for a week (not that I can cook in this kitchen anyway...)
No diswasher- that's why there's a hole underneath the counter. That's the hardest part for Ben.
Fridge in the dining room. As of Wednesday it will be on our back deck so they can sand and stain the floors. That will be fun!
We couldn't end this post without a picture of our little gangsta Audra- she put the hat on herself and started strutting amidst the mess. I am feeling very much discombulated- I HATE that our house is virtually unlivable right now. But, Ben's parents have been AWESOME and have made our experience tolerable. They have invited us over for dinner several times, sent us home with dinner so I didn't have to try to cook or we didn't have to go out, they let Aud and me come over during the day so Audra can take a nap- they have been such a huge blessing- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
Our contractors are awesome as well- I can't say enough great things about them. They come in and they get the job done- they're clean, they show up on time, they're honest, they find the root of our problems (they also found a leaking roof- oh, yippee!) and fix it so we don't have to worry about it. They can do it all- I HIGHLY recommend them if you need any kind of work done- call or e-mail me and I will give you their info. The company is called Capricorn Construction, and they are fantastic!