Countdown...

Last Wednesday I had another doctor appt. They scheduled my induction and also set up an appt. for a non stress test and another ultrasound for this past Friday. The ultrasound was neat as we haven't seen her (yes we did confirm that she is still a she) in quite a few months. She is so much more human looking. We could see her eyes, nose, mouth, and chubby cheeks! The non stress test went fine too...baby doesn't seem to be in any discomfort (I could have told them that...it's the reason why she doesn't want to come out!)

Lately I have been feeling pretty ugh... Not sleeping very well and Friday I reversed back to my first trimester and became nauseous and sick. :( The doctor put me on a liquid diet until things settled back down, which they now have. The problem though is that when my stomach starts to feel queasy again I don't know if it is from lack of food in my system, if I am actually getting sick again, or (as the time is now quickly approaching) nerves. It's like playing cards in Vegas...what do I do?

Here is an updated picture too. It's sad to say but this is a 41 week and 2 days pregnant picture. I can tell you one thing, I am ready for non-maternity clothes. It's funny because when you first find out you are pregnant you want to wear all these cute new clothes to show off your belly...but by the end of the pregnancy you start to dream of shopping for regular clothes. The outfit in this picture is one that I have loved and hated. It is by far the most comfy but is also now one of the very few things that fit me which means I wear it A LOT. I really can't wait to have a bigger selection of clothing available for my choosing each day! I know this won't happen right away after birth but I am at least that much closer! :)

Anyways...Greg and I are off to do some shopping/walking for the afternoon. I got a call that my new end table is in at World Market so we get to go pick that up!

Yup...it's right

The baby countdown timer is accurate and will probably be so until I get induced....blah!

Passing The Time

I love to bake...just don't ever do it for some reason. However, with the recent "delay" of baby I got into a baking mood. It started out with making my annual batch of banket. I must say that this year's is probably the best so far, I think I am finally starting to get the hang of it. Quiet tasty! I am responsible for making it each year for my family (Great Grandma use to but since she has passed on I now carry on the tradition) and really didn't anticipate getting it done before Christmas because I thought I would be having a baby by now... :) Anyways, while softening the butter for the banket I saw a recipe for "Best Ever Butter Cookies" on the inside of the butter package. Being pregnant, it doesn't take much for me to suddenly crave something I had no desire for 2 seconds earlier. So, I made Christmas cookies as well. But we ended up with only tree shaped cookies because apparently that is all the cookies cutters that I have?!? They are quiet tasty I hear (I have had too much banket to try a cookie...sugar overload). So....for those of you wanting a good Christmas cookie recipe buy the Land 'O Lakes stick butter and on the inside of the packaging you'll find a tasty rendition (it even includes O.J. in it so you can get some Vitamin C while ingesting all that sugar!) Here are a few pictures of my "passing of time".... can you spot the cookie that I have labeled the "Feliz Navidad" Cookie?

I am growing...

frustrated
impatient
anxious
tired
bigger

let's go!

In Response to "Hmm...."

I guess I now have my answer.

It has come....and now it's leaving...

The due date is today! Did someone forget to give this little girl a memo explaining her role for today? Greg and I just returned from a day of walking the mall, walking long distances through parking lots, and walking through many other random stores. My feet and legs are so tired and sore yet still no little one. I have heard that women will go into labor after a day of walking...so maybe tonight? My doctor had told me that when you go into labor has nothing to do with heredity...whether or not I believe her will depend on if I go into labor soon. My mom and her mom were late with ALL of their kids....I really hope that doctor knows what she is talking about!

On a plus note...her room is getting very full. I now have a changing table fully assembled and stocked. Greg has the majority of the dresser done. He still needs to put a sealer on it and put some stops on a few drawers that like to be pushed in too far....but with the rest of the year off I have no doubt it will be done soon. Her closet is also getting pretty full....of pink! I really hope she is actually a she and not a he...

Hmm....

I wonder what happens to my 'baby countdown' at the top of my blog page if I go over my due date? I really, really hope to not find out though! :) I am quite okay to just wonder....

Thank You

I wanted to say thank you for all of you who have been praying for Greg, Baby, and me throughout this pregnancy. I really have had a good pregnancy. Even with the morning sickness that got me the first 4 months it hasn't been bad. As the doctors keep telling me, "you have a text book pregnancy". Baby has and is healthy and we have never had a hesitation that there may be complications, this is truly a blessing from God. Please keep Greg, Baby, and me in your prayers as we transition to the nearing labor and the new family that we will be.

39 And Still Waiting...

For all of you who are desperately trying to find out if I have gone into labor, the answer is... not yet. Over the last few days I have heard from many of you wondering if just maybe....given that I have not been returning emails and haven't updated the blog. I wish I had a good excuse, like I am in labor, but my only pitiful excuse is that I have been too busy with other aspects of life. I finished another 40 hour week at work. As much as I enjoy a 40 hour pay check.... I really hope to be done with that for a while. Next week I have no set schedule at work which will be nice...just come in/go when I can. Thursday night we had a church meeting and last night I had a baby shower (for another pregnant gal). Tonight my parents came over for dinner and brought us some early Christmas gifts which was awesome. Their generosity is such a blessing and so appreciated!

A little bit ago I finally finished my nursing cover....at least a version of a nursing cover. I have actually only seen 1 nursing cover in real life and so with no pattern I was just kind of winging it as I went along. I am pretty happy with it; there are a few things I know to do differently the next time but I think the overall concept will suffice. This is the first time I have actually attempted to "make" something with the sewing machine. Before this it has only been used to hem pants and alter existing curtains. I currently have the nursing cover in the wash so if I find the time later I will try to post a picture of it.

I also did laundry today...not as exciting as finishing a project but a necessary evil to be dealt with. I now have all of her newborn through 0-3mth outfits washed, as well as, all her burp clothes, bedding, blankets, and wash clothes/towels.

Now I think I will end my day by taking a bath and relaxing. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't have another 3 weeks (I think 3 days would be fine though).

Wash Your Hands!!!

It's flu season....

Out of no where it seems that the center has been attacked by the flu. I have staff, children, and parents getting it by the handful.....

What can you do? WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!!

What else can you do? Pray for me...I'm washing my hands but I also don't want the doctor to tell me "told you so" after I adamantly refused the flu shot this year.

Always an Issue

Why is everything such an issue? I recently changed phone service and got a new cell. Everything went fine with the switch over...I was content. Then after 2 1/2 weeks with the new phone/service I drop the phone in the tub (for literally 2 seconds). My fault...not trying to get out of anything there. After the phone's bath, whenever I turned the phone on it would go through the whole intro...get to my main page and then tell me the battery was low and it would be turning off. I tried charging the battery...but same results. I figured I had just fried the battery. When I took the phone into the company I was hoping that all I needed was a new battery but the sales lady immediately told me my phone was fried and it wouldn't work anymore so I would have to get a new one. I found it slightly odd, but figured this lady knows what she is talking about, even though she never touched or tried looking at the phone and just "knew" it was dead. So I bought a new phone, something that was not very easy to do financially but I had a 2 year contact ahead of me...I might as well have a phone to go with that monthly bill I am paying. The new phone was nothing spectacular...the cheapest one they had actually. However, after just a few days with it I new it had issues because it wouldn't hold a charge over 4 or 5 hours. I took it in, the battery tested fine, must be a fluke....try it again. I did....it didn't work. So again I went back and said fix it! They gave me a new phone. This phone has a battery life of about a day. It is better than 4 or 5 hours but seriously....a day? Anyways...out of curiosity 2 nights ago I turned on my "bathed" phone to see what would happen. Surprise...it works....now doesn't that figure! In fact it had 3/4 battery life and still does 2 days later. I am glad but at the same time now what do I do? I want to go back to the company and say full refund on this new phone that doesn't have any battery life, but I am so sick of dealing with issues that part of me doesn't even want to bother with it. Will they even give me a refund? Uuuggghhh...again I say "does everything have to be such an issue?"

New Month...New Polish...

WOW! This year has flown right on by. So, this fine December morning found me at a local salon getting pampered! My boss had given me a gift certificate to the salon last year and I finally got around to using it. I am glad I waited though because the way my feet have been hurting and swelling lately...a pedicure was the perfect answer! I have never actually had a pedicure and now I am wondering why I have waited so long to give it a try. (honestly...it's a money issue...can't seem to justify spending money so someone can make my toes pretty...but when it's a gift certificate...) I picked out a festive red color for the holidays for my new polish. I was able to keep the new polish too, it was all part of the package that I got: Soaking, Scrub, Massage, Polish...it was a great way to spend an hour and a half! I even got nifty green sandles to go home with...how could the morning of December 1st go any better?

Waiting on baby...

Yikes! It is fast approaching now, only 3 weeks till due date....I am now considered full term so as the doctor said "whenever she is ready". Crazy times!

All Good Things Come to an End

The good thing: last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday....days in which many things were accomplished

The end to the good: Monday morning...the day I dropped my 2 1/2 week old cell phone into a full bathtub resulting in the purchase of a new $150 phone (and this was the cheapest they had) and the day a cat decided to run full speed into my back driver's side tire resulting in a not so nice situation for kitty.

I'm glad Monday is nearly done....

The Accomplishments of a Long Weekend...

This has been a great long weekend! I have been able to get quite a bit done and/or started on my to do list. Here is a sampling of things I accomplished:

*Finished with all the upgrades with the pretty ribbon on my burp clothes
*Started my nursing cover (I still have to attach the fabric piece that goes around my neck and put in the boning but I am much closer to the end product)
*Did all of Greg's and my laundry
*Did my first load of baby laundry (I can't believe how nervous I was that I was going to ruin all her cute stuff by washing it!)
*Snipped tags off all the newborn clothes to make yet another huge load of laundry!
*Packed the diaper bag for the trip to the hospital
*Picked up the baby's room...she sure had a mess in there! :)
*Had Greg install the curtain rod and valance in the baby room (I was his cheerleader!)
*Tried to have Greg install the blinds in the baby room, however, this was not finished because when I took the blinds out of the package 6 inch sections of them started just falling off! I hate it when new things are broken! Now I have a trip to Home Depot added to my new list.
*Cleaned up my office and did bills :( not the most fun but a necessity...
*Bought a few more Christmas gifts. (I did not go Black Friday early morning shopping...I hate crowds!)
*Set up the Christmas Tree and all the decorations (this is a big deal since last year we didn't do a single Christmas decoration in the whole house...we were scrooges!)
*Finished writing all my thank you notes for the baby showers.
*Had dinner with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law at Olive Garden (very yummy!)
*Had dinner with some friends we hadn't seen in a while and then we went back to their new house and had some playtime with their kids...it was lots of fun.
*Cleaned up my email inbox....I hate it when I have more than 1 page of messages in my inbox.

Like I said before...just a sampling of things I was able to do with this wonderfully long break! And by the way...have you noticed my days until baby countdown? Crazy, huh?!?

Every Week Now!

I have officially moved to the every week doctor visits! It's crazy how fast this pregnancy really has gone. I have noticed myself having very mixed feelings lately. Sometimes I am so overly anxious and excited to have her here that I can hardly stand the wait while at other times I start to get sad at the thought of not having my belly and the moving inside it. Kind of a weird concept I think for those who haven't been pregnant. I know if someone told me that a year ago about themselves I wouldn't have fully understood. There is just something precious about knowing you have a child growing inside of you.

I have started to get the hospital bag packed. Greg and I went through her clothes the other day to pick out outfits to bring with us. We have such adorable things that everyone has given us! Greg has bought her coming home outfit but other than that we haven't bought any clothes for her. We wanted to see what others bought for her and then we would fill in the gaps afterwards. It turns out that the gap is pants. I have none for newborn size and I think 2 for 3-6. Let me tell you though, I am very excited to go buy her some clothes! The other day I bought her a cute pair of black dress shoes. I know she'll only wear them a few times before she out grows them...but they were too darn cute to pass up! Besides, they were only $4...I didn't invest too much into them. It use to be decorating items that would often justify my purchases of, now it's baby things! Funny how things change.

5 Weeks and Counting....

This isn't the best picture quality ever but nevertheless it gives you an idea of what 35 weeks looks like on me. My boss said to me today, "Yep, you are in the uncomfortable stage now...this is the stage where I don't envy you." There are definitely days that the uncomfortableness can be quite overbearing but for the most part I don't feel too bad yet, just anxious. Anxious on when she will come, what the weather will be like (do we have to drive in a snow storm?), where I'll be when I go into labor, will I have everything with me for the hospital stay, will labor go alright, what will she look like? For a planner....these are very anxious times. I worry about living so far from the hospital (45 minutes) and about working far from home (if I go into labor at work it is a shorter trip to the hospital but that may mean I don't have everything with me that I may want....I don't feel like packing every morning as though that day may be the day that I need it all!) I guess that if I have to be anxious it is better that I am more anxious about having everything I want (things I know I can have others get for me) than the actual labor process itself...but I am sure that will come in time :)

Any Helpful Suggestions?

I am attempting to make a list of things I need to make sure we bring to the hospital with us. Does anyone have suggestions of random or sometimes forgotten things that I should add to my list? Any suggestions will be much appreciated!

Too Tired To Pick A Title

I have been pretty bad lately about posting, sorry about that. I am trying to determine if I am more tired after work because I am getting closer to the due date or because I have been handling more responsibility at work. Today my entire back ached which has not helped the energy level. Dealing with pain like that really seems to take a lot of energy out of me and just leaves me completely exhausted. It also makes me have a whole new appreciation for people who suffer from chronic pain. Anyways, this post will be short; simply a combination of an apology and an excuse for my lack of posting. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon. Now, off to take care of laundry so it doesn't get wrinkly and I don't have to then iron....I hate ironing!

Time Change: Love it or Hate it?

I have a love/hate relationship with the time change. I love it because it is easier to get out of bed in the morning when I am starting to see cracks of dawn coming through my curtains. I hate it because when I get out of work at 6:30ish it feels like 11! With my extreme lack of energy lately to get things done this blackness after work is not going to help. I am not and have never been a night owl. When it is dark I want to sleep. It is as simple as that.

Have You Started?

51 days and counting....have you started your Christmas shopping? Given that I am due 4 days before Christmas I have started the process of purchasing all those gifts for the loved ones. I am not sure what Greg and I are going to do this year for each other. In years past we would often go shopping together and point out things to each other that we like; we then would split up for a few hours and go purchase those things. Yeah, 9 times out of 10 we know what we are then getting but we still have fun doing it that way. This year I am not sure that I will be up for the full day of browsing and then purchasing. My feet don't like to be used as much as they use to. I have entered the lovely stage of pregnancy that results in swollen ankles and feet. It's fun to take off your socks and see a 1/2 inch indentation around your whole ankle! Anyways, I want to say good luck to all your shoppers out there. It seems like each year it gets harder and harder to find that perfect gift for someone. Just remember 51 and counting! Get a move on it! :) Oh- and I choose this picture because sometimes just reading about having to buy Christmas gifts can get your anxiety up and so this picture represents the peaceful side of the upcoming season. This is the side that I hope we can all take the time to enjoy as God creates some beautiful images with all those tiny little ice crystals!

Are You Serious?

I checked my email this past weekend and found a link to the following article which discussed the baby Bumbo seats being recalled. When I first read the headline I thought to myself "what could be wrong with them? I mean their isn't much to them...is the foam breaking off and children choking on it?" Oh no...much to my surprise the recall is because of parent stupidity! I'm sorry but do you think they post those warnings on products because they have extra money that they want to invest in the cost per unit manufacturing? Parents, do me a favor and "READ" safety precautions before you leave your most precious item 3 feet off the ground.

"Recalled: 1 million baby chairs from BumboThu, Oct 25, 2007 (BabyCenter News) — Bumbo has announced a recall of about 1 million baby chairs in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

If the baby seat is placed on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface, a young child sitting in it can arch his or her back, flip out of the seat, and fall onto the floor, which poses a risk of serious head injury.There have been 28 reports of young children falling out of the Bumbo chairs, including three reports of skull fractures. These injuries were due to children falling out of chairs that had been placed on tables.

The recalled Bumbo "Baby Sitter" seat is made of foam, has leg holes, and comes in yellow, blue, purple, pink, aqua, or lime green. It has a round, flat bottom measuring approximately 15 inches across, and the seat back wraps completely around the child. The word "Bumbo" is printed in raised lettering on the front of the seat along with an image of an elephant. The words "Manufactured by Bumbo South Africa, Material: Polyurethane, World Patent No. PCT: ZA/1999/00030" are printed on the bottom of the seat.

The following caution label is attached to the back of the seat:WARNING — Never use on a raised surface. Never use as a car seat or bath seat. Designed for floor level use only. Never leave your baby unattended as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement.

The baby seats were sold online and at various retail stores nationwide including Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and USA Babies. The seats were sold from August 2003 through October 2007 for about $40. They were made in South Africa.

What you can do:• Don't let your child sit in the baby seat unattended, and don't use the seat on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface.• Contact Bumbo if you'd like to receive a new warning label and instructions.

The new warning label will say: WARNING — Prevent Falls; Never use on any elevated surface.• For additional information, call Bumbo International at (877) 932-8626, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, or visit the company's website.• See a photo of the recalled baby seats on the CPSC's website.• Keep abreast of children's safety recalls by checking our recall finder.
-- Alissa Merksamer, BabyCenter News " http://www.babycenter.com/

I Love My Bed!

Many times I have complained about my bed. In fact, this past summer we started looking for a new mattress. However, the Lord had (and still is) been trying to teach me the art of contentment and this was one thing I could tell he did not want me to pursue. This past weekend God reminded me again how fortunate I am to have what I do have. Thursday night I spent the night at Miracle Camp in Lawton, MI for our Fall Conference with work. It really is a beautiful camp and the view of the lake from our room was amazing; however, their beds are the amazing equivalent of cement slabs. For someone who is 32 weeks pregnant, this is not a good combination. Between the bed and the allergies that came out of no where I got almost 3 hours of sleep that night. This experience has truly taught me that I don't need a new bed...I LOVE MY BED! Lesson learned.

My Attempt At Creative

My cousin gave me some super cute burp clothes at a shower a few weeks ago. I knew I wanted to use the cloth diapers for burp clothes since they are so much more absorbent than others that I have seen but they are also pretty blah looking. So I loved this idea. Here are a few that I have done myself. Each one gets a little bit better as I am still new to the sewing machine. My lines are getting straighter and thanks to some great advice (thanks Anne!) the stitch isn't so noticeable on the backside. I bought a pack of 12 clothes and I have some plain ones from an earlier shower so I have plenty to practice with. My intention is to give some at a baby shower I am going to this weekend. I hope by then I'll have the art perfected! :)

The never ending list...

It seems that I have a disorder of sorts...I can't be without a project (or two, four, six). Since we moved into our house 4 years ago our life has been filled with projects. Don't get me wrong...I love having projects. I love seeing ugly things become beautiful. I love seeing an idea in my head come to life. I think this is why I always have projects. So here is a sampling of some of our current/near future projects:

Refinish Dresser: Greg is actually working on this one since I can't really be around all the sanding and staining that needs to happen. This project is actually something I have been wanting to do for about two years now. Given our need for another dresser I finally decided to tackle it...unfortunately for Greg that means he gets to do all of the work.

Paint Pictures: I have decided to paint the pictures myself for our daughter's room. I have never done this before but I have no doubt that I can give it a good attempt :) I figure that if they don't turn out than I can buy something than. But on the odd chance that they do turn out than I just saved some money and gave the room something with a little meaning. I'll let you know how they turn out (or don't).

Nursing Cover: Again, this is something I have never done. After seeing one that my cousin had I have decided to go ahead and give it a try myself. I have this inability to think I can't do something :) I have yet to find an actual pattern for one but I think I can wing it. I have all the material bought (even some extra if I mess up) and hope to start the cutting and sewing Saturday. Wish me luck!

Patio: This has been the summer project and something Greg has been more involved in that I have. We have a semi-enclosed patio off the back of our house that has been in desperate need of attention since we bought the house. When we first starting ripping out old screens from the windows I didn't realize I was pregnant. Shortly after we became aware of the new bundle so that is when Greg became the one in charge. I must say I like what he has done. It isn't completely done yet but it looks so much better. As the picture shows he is making it a rustic looking area with unfinished wood paneling. I guess all my forced remodeling has finally paid off...he has become a great designer!

So that is a touch of some of the things that we are working on. Rest assured I have a hundred more things in my mind that I want to do or learn to do. These are just the current or very near future projects. I still have pillow cases to make, diaper clothes to jazz up, ceilings to paint, trim work to finish....We'll see how I change once our baby comes. I am quite interested in seeing the changes she makes on my priorities. I am sure it will all be for the best!

Random thought...

When I run into something (I find myself doing this a lot lately) and it really hurts I often respond with, "that's going to leave a mark!" Yet I find it interesting that those scenarios never actually do leave a mark. However, I will find random bruises on my body and have no idea how they got there. Why is this? The other day my husband's eyes got large as he asked where I got the big bruise on the side of my leg. I had no clue I even had a bruise there let alone how it got there. Isn't that weird?

My belly...

For all of you who have been waiting for the pic....

here is my 30-week belly!

The Little Things

So for the last 2 months the car has had no radio and no clock. I must say....this was very annoying, more so because of the clock blinking random times than the radio being off. The reason behind this problem is quite simple: While trying to determine why our car wouldn't shift out of Park, Greg checked the fuses which then (due to anti-theft mechanisms) shut off the radio/clock. In order to restart the radio/clock you have to input your security code. This is where the problem lies....I seem to have lost the code. Ooops! At this point I had two options: call Honda and risk having to pay to get my code or just live without the luxuries of a clock in the car. Given the numerous issues with our vehicles as of late (the car not shifting out of park, the brake pad falling off the truck, and the deer wanting the up and close view of the car) the last thing I wanted to do was pay more money for something as silly as a lost code. So we lived without. A couple of times a week Greg would ask me to call our salesman and see if we couldn't get the code for free but I figured it was a long shot and just never made the effort. Besides that, I knew that as soon as I paid money for the code...I'd find ours. So the weeks went on. This morning I had to take the car to work because some part was in for it at the body shop (from the deer incident). When I got into the car this morning I had music and an accurate time keeping clock!!! Greg had told me he had a surprise in the car but I didn't realize what. Yeah for Greg....he fixed it!!! Then I had to ask the question "did you find the code or did you call the salesman?" He said he called..."hmmm, how much money did it cost?" Free! And now I am able to enjoy the simple things.....a clock and a radio in the car. (Kudos to you Greg for the great initiative...love you!)

Annual Family Campout 07

Greg and I actually made it to this year's Annual Family Campout in Cadillac. I think this is the first time we've gone in about 6 or 7 years. It was nice to see everyone again and just lazy it up. We took a few walks, a lot of naps, and ate way too much food! I finally had my first caramel apple of the season which was oh so good! I think I could eat one of those with every meal. I never made it out to the boat. The idea alone of being on something that swayed back and forth made me feel sick. However, I was able to get a few good shots of the lake.

Our First Piece of Baby Furniture!

Saturday night my parents stopped in and surprised us with a crib, mattress, and bedding for our little one! The crib is one of those lifetime ones so we'll be able to use if for a long time even if we don't have more children (which we are still not sure about so no one jump to any conclusions...let's welcome this little one first before we start making decisions!) I love the color of the wood on the crib. I was a little nervous at first when we registered for it since our walls and trim are both lighter colors; but, I am glad we choose the darker wood. It looks great against the sage walls. The bedding is so cute...so little girly! :) Now the room is starting to look like it belongs to a baby and not simply an oversized tool storage room (even though the air compressor is still in the corner)! It also makes me realize how close we are getting to welcoming our addition. I can't wait!

The Change Is Coming....

I love spring and summer and all the fun and beauty that comes with the 2 seasons; however, when the weather starts to have average highs in the mid 60's and low 70's I get so excited! This is the kind of weather that makes me want to go out and enjoy God's beauty. Fall has got to be the best season out there....in my humble opinion! In a few weeks we get to travel up north and check out nature at its best with the leaves starting to change colors and all the smells of change in the air. I am so excited!! I just hope my back can endure the long ride up.

The Attempt...

Alright, here is my attempt! I use to write a lot but it has been quite a while....we'll see how this goes. Wish me luck!