Monday, August 31, 2009

Just Waiting

My husband told me yesterday that it would be easier for me if I would just pretend the baby was not coming for several weeks. That way I wouldn't be living in a constant state of anxious anticipation.

I told him that it would be a lot easier to do that if I wasn't contracting all the time and if three times a day I thought I could be in labor due to their frequency and intensity.

I've shared with several people that the whole thing makes me a little bit nervous. As I mentioned the other day, when I was in labor with Reagan, even after my water had been broken, I didn't have any painful contractions until it was time to push. If that would happen again this time around....well, I don't know that I would even be at the hospital in time. (Do you see why I really want my water to break?)

I feel kind of like a blubbering fool lately when I post here on my blog. All I can really find to talk about is this impending birth. But all of you mothers know that once you're to this stage in the game, it pretty much consumes your thoughts. And by the way, if any of you want to call my husband and let him know that this is normal, that'd be great!

This weekend while I was just waiting, we managed to get quite a few things done. Which is good, because you know how people always say that the baby won't come until you have everything ready. Well, either that or it'll come before you have anything ready. But whatever. That second one is obviously not the case for me, so we don't even need to go there.

So our productivity list from the weekend looks like this:

-Went on a date w/ my hubby (thanks, Angel!)

-Played outside with the kids

-Made kitchen curtains

-FINALLY bought a new infant car seat (our old one was expired) and stroller

-Worked in the garage and hung lots of stuff from the ceiling (My husband's car might actually fit in again now that we're temporarily done with all our woodworking projects!)

-Cleaned out our master closet

-Put together the pack n play w/ bassinet

-Cleaned off changing table (being used as shelving) and prepared it for baby

-Got hubby's and baby's stuff ready for hospital (just need to get my own stuff ready!)

-Got baby stuff (swing, bouncer, playmat, etc.) out of the attic and set up

-Organized some business stuff in my office

-Made 7 sets of nursing pads (more on that later....)

Everything is pretty much ready. We have approximately 30 boxes waiting to go out w/ the trash tomorrow evening (although I'm not sure if they'll take all of that), and our garage is looking pretty great. The car seat is in the van, the baby's newborn "room" is almost complete (still lacking the nursing chair), my midwife is back to work, and this mommy is R.E.A.D.Y.!

So now....I'm just waiting....

Friday, August 28, 2009

It's Like Reagan All Over Again

Twice last night I thought I could be in labor. My contractions were coming about 3 minutes apart and I was NOT sleeping. (As usual.) I was trying to decide if I should get up and pack my bags or stay in bed and try to rest.

And then they stopped.

I had the exact same type of "symptoms" when I was pregnant with Reagan exactly two years ago. Contractions would start up and would come consistently 5-8 minutes apart for at least an hour and then....they would just....stop.

It's enough to drive an expectant mother crazy, let me just tell you.

I don't remember specific triggers when I was pregnant with Reagan, but this time around, I pretty much have a contraction every time I get up. If I use the stairs, it's a definite. And if I do any sort of sudden movements (in reaction to, say, a suddenly screaming child), it's an absolute.

All of this would be fine and dandy if the contractions would just LAST. But they don't. I remember now why I begged my midwife after 3 weeks of this nonsense to please just break my water. Which she did. And out came Reagan! After that whole...head getting stuck sideways incident, that is.

I suppose many of you don't really care about the details of my almost labor stories, but I like to blog them to keep them on record for later. It's all for me, really. You just get the pleasure of sharing in it.

-------------------------------

Today my friend Cari called to tell me a VERY funny story and I mentioned to her that I had just been vacuuming my blinds. Yes, the blinds that cover the windows to our home have now been vacuumed. After I got off the phone, I proceeded to vacuum the edges of most of the ceilings downstairs as well as most of the floor edges with that little tiny crevice attachment. Now I'm becoming very irritated that we have no way of reaching (and therefore, cleaning) the window in our foyer.

The things pregnant people feel the desire to do will never cease to amaze me. Even when I'm the one doing them.

-----------------------------

But back to Reagan. Isn't she cute?

res e DSC_0192 BW

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Fourth Time's A Charm?

You know the story.

A very pregnant woman sets out to go grocery shopping. She packs her children into the car and drives to the store. There, she hustles and bustles (or rather, waddles) around, trying to get everything on her list before her children get too cranky. Or tired. Or hungry. Or whatever.

As she reaches for a box of cereal, she feels it. There's a gush. And suddenly....oh dear.

"Cleanup in Isle Seven!!"

-------------------------------------

As weird as I realize it may sound, I've always wanted this to happen to me. It sounds so storybook, so picturesque, so perfect. I've always wanted my water to break spontaneously. You know, without the use of that darned crochet-type needle being administered by my doctor. Having my water break on its own would just be so serene. And quiet. And crazy. But exciting! And messy.

I'm sure you're with me.

Of course, most women who experience spontaneous water breakage don't actually have a GUSH. It's more like a trickle. Or so I hear.

You see, I'm now nearing the end of my fourth pregnancy and I have yet to experience this. A gush or a leak. Today, I was actually quite sure that my water had broken. But, after waiting in the doctor's office for TWO HOURS, it was to be discovered that...nay, no amniotic fluid is present.

It was kind of a bummer, to be honest. You see, as my contractions seemed to increase (or so I thought), the more I began to settle in with the idea that my baby might come tomorrow.

On the other hand, my midwife just had a death in the family so she's out for the weekend and I'd really like her to be present at the birth. She's very supportive of my birth plan and, considering I've only met the doctor who oversees her twice, I'd much rather give birth with someone familiar.

On the other other hand, I'm pretty sure I might have mentioned that I'm hardly sleeping at this point. So sleep was sounding pretty amazing. Even if it only came in 3 hours stretches.

On the other OTHER other hand (my goodness, how many hands do I have??), I realize that I am just now 37 weeks and that it's ideal to be closer to 38 weeks before delivering. Especially if it's a boy. Which we don't know.

If only contractions were a reliable source of labor indication for me. Unfortunately, with my last baby, I had zero painful contractions until I was near the pushing stage. And really, I had had contractions 20 minutes apart for about 3 weeks by the time I gave birth. So now I typically don't even bother timing them or attempt to measure their intensity since it seemed very unreliable last time.

All that blabbering to say this: I'd really like for my water to break on its own. Just once. I'd like to KNOW it's time to head to the hospital, not just wonder if I'm making the right decision to call my husband home from work and pack all my bags in eager anticipation...only to be turned down upon arrival.

So maybe....just maybe....the fourth time's a charm.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Sleep Deprived

I absolutely believe it's true when they say that nobody would have more than one child if they truly remembered what it was like.

And I'm not just talking about the labor and delivery part. I'm talking about the anxious waiting, the strained ligaments, the inability to see to shave your legs, the swollen extremities, the trips to the bathroom every 20 minutes, and the total lack of sleep in the 3rd trimester. Really, my sleeping hasn't been too bad up until this past week. I had been sleeping in 5-6 hour chunks. Now I'm just grateful if I can get back to sleep after my waking every 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

If I ever did (and I don't know if I ever did) blame mothers for their children getting into things or injuring themselves while they slept on the couch....I definitely don't do that anymore. Yesterday I took two naps while my kids played, because of course, I hadn't slept the night before. Nor did I sleep well last night. Perhaps because I took two naps yesterday. Or perhaps because I had to use the bathroom a lot. Either way, it's a vicious cycle. One I can't wait to end.

If I sound like I'm complaining, I'm really not. Well okay, that's a total lie. I am. But I'm trying to be content with this stage of my pregnancy. I know that I was about done with the whole thing by around 32 weeks so now, at 37 weeks, I'm totally over it. But I will wait...patiently, I hope.

Although I'm still praying for September 2nd. :)

Monday, August 24, 2009

PROJECT DAY 101

We made it through Saturday! We had quite the - eh hem - ambitious to-do list, but we actually made very good progress on everything! My "kankles" at the end of the day were living proof that I was on my feet way too much that day. But I'll spare you a picture of that.

The weather this weekend was PERFECT. It was amazingly cool (I'm talkin' like 70s - yes, in August!!) and balmy with a bit of rain. But it worked out great for our indoor projects.

My husband's main project on Saturday was making three twin platform beds for our children. I was way too lazy to get my camera out while he was actually making them and totally forgot to get pictures before we put the mattresses on top, but you can see the type of beds he made here. These beds are VERY sturdy and were pretty easy to make. Or so I hear. :) We custom fit the height of the beds so we could store some specific things under them in order to free up some space in our closets.

My main project was making curtains for both of the kids' bedrooms. I made living room curtains last week, but these curtains were a bit more complex. I added a liner to each panel since we wanted our kids' bedrooms to be as dark as possible. And the girls' curtains were made of two different fabrics on the front also. Considering I'm not a very experienced seamstress, these two sets of curtains took me most of the day. I also made the decorative pillows on the kids' beds and have plans to make bed skirts once my matching fabric arrives at Joann.

I wanted to make a crib set, but since we don't know the gender of our soon-to-be-born babe, that'll have to wait until after the little one arrives.

Ok, ready for some pictures?

I thought so.

Alright, first up are our lovely new living room curtains. I realize they don't look spectacular as is, but I still haven't gotten around to making the tie-backs for them. Just picture it in your head, if you don't mind. (These are currently hanging in our bedroom until my husband has time to build a curtain rod for the living room.)

Living Room Curtain

Next is Keaton's bedroom:

Keaton Room 1

His room doubles as our guest room when my parents come down
to visit, so....hence, the futon.

Keaton Room 2

A (blurry) close-up of his curtains...which are pretty basic...

Keaton Curtain

The girls' bedroom:

Girls Room 1

Girls Room 2

Their curtains (my masterpiece)...

Girls Curtain

And there you have it, folks! Our PROJECT DAY in picture form!

As I said before, I still have bed skirts on my list of things to make as well as a few throw pillows for the futon in Keaton's bedroom (which will take a matter of minutes), and I'm trying to finish up some fabric wreaths for the wall in the girls' room.

The comforters and stackable crates are from Walmart. I plan to do a full post later on how we pulled off these room makeovers on a budget, so stay tuned for that.

Oh! And I guess I shouldn't forget to mention that our kids were SOOOOO excited about their new rooms. It was pretty hilarious. They ran around from bed to bed, climbing on each one and squealing with delight. We were glad they liked them.

Alright, so now that you've seen our weekend in complete details....what did you all do this weekend?

Friday, August 21, 2009

A Little Lost

My children are gone for the weekend with my father-in-law and his wife, and I'm feeling...well...a little lost.

I have a to-do list that needs accomplished. I'd really enjoy a nap (although I'm not tired). I need to take a shower. I need to eat lunch. And I need to run to the post office.

Yet here I sit.

------------------------

In other news, I had my 36-week appointment this morning. Everything looks good, baby's head is down, and my midwife said I'm measuring a little big (although I'm quite sure of my dates, so nothing was changed). I was able to complete my birth plan this morning and go over it with my midwife at my appointment. She seemed very supportive of everything (except one tiny disagreement, but she didn't push me on it). I may post my birth plan at a later date...in case any of you are interested.

Next Friday marks my "safe date" and I'm praying for September 2nd if baby is ready.

I know it sounds silly to some to pray for a specific date, but as our Sunday School teacher is always saying, we should pray specifics. Of course, God is under no obligation whatsoever to fulfill my desire to birth on September 2nd and His timing is always perfect, but that date would work out very well for our schedule. That's all I'm sayin'. :)

-------------------------

Tomorrow is our big PROJECT DAY. We are pretty much geared up for all the things we'd like to accomplish and we've already decided in advance that our work day will end at 5pm, so we can be sure to get in a (probably final) date before the new baby comes. I'm excited for the changes we are planning to make once our projects are completed. I'll keep you posted....

-------------------------

The weather here in Indy is absolutely GORGEOUS this weekend! Hope it's just as nice where you are!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I'm Pretty Sure

I'm pretty sure I absolutely positively MUST have set a personal record yesterday. I mentioned yesterday morning that my to-do list was 24 items long. However, as the day progressed, it seemed to magically grow. It's amazing how to-do lists do that sort of thing. Anyway, at the end of the day when all was said and done, I had completed - are you ready for this?? - twenty-five out of twenty-seven things on my list.

res To-Do List

I know. I'm pretty proud too.

I'm also pretty sure that the (almost) completion of my ridiculously long to-do list is also the reason that I had ankles the size of softballs last night.

And I'm pretty sure it's the explanation for how I was able to eat three times my body weight in chocolate chip cookies over the past 24 hours.

And I'm pretty sure it explains why all I've done today is...well...nothing.

On an entirely separate note...I'm in the process of writing a birth plan for my labor and delivery this time around. You'd think I would have one sitting around from my previous birth experiences, but as it turns out...I've never actually made one before.

I did some research online and talked with a few of my friends and I think I sort of understand what I want to incorporate into it. I want to be detailed, but I don't want it to be so long that nobody will bother reading it.

Have any of you written a birth plan? And if so, were your wishes followed?

I could really use some help in this department.

Dirty Faces, Messy Hair

That's just how my girls roll sometimes....

wm res Sienna Collage

wm e DSC_0181

wm e DSC_0165

wm e DSC_0162

And if you look close enough, you can see the GIANT bruise on Reagan's forehead from her um...eh hem...accident yesterday.

More on that later. Maybe.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A Daunting To-Do List

Yesterday I had a mental to-do list. Since I mostly just worked on sewing projects all day....that to-do list didn't quite get finished. Well, okay....so I barely touched it with a 10-foot pole. Today I wrote down EVERYTHING I need to do today. My list is a full page long.

I left sewing off the list today and I still have 24 things written down - 7 things checked off as of 9am.

So why am I blogging? Because I need a short break, of course. :) Blogging is NOT on my list, but I did want to tell you that I finished my living room curtains yesterday! My husband is planning to make a curtain rod for the living room so right now they are being tested out in our bedroom. Me likey.

Ok, I'm going to get back to my list now. And before you all tell me to lighten up on the to-do list, please know that "relax" is on my list too. :)

Monday, August 17, 2009

It's Bizarre, Really

The whole nesting thing is such an odd reality. And it's definitely a reality. Don't even try to fight it, because if you do....well....just don't. It won't work anyway.

Nesting hits everyone a little differently. Some people can't clean out enough nooks and crannies in their home. Some people can't stop organizing. Some people can't get enough of cleaning their refrigerator. I've been hit with lots of different kinds of nesting over the spread of my four pregnancies, but this time...it's sewing.

I can't stop coming up with sewing projects. I have on my list this week:

1. Make living room curtains
2. Make bedroom curtains for my son's room and my daughters' room.
3. Make bedskirts for all three kids' beds.
4. Finish cloth book.
5. Make fabric wreaths for girls' room. (Kind of a sewing project....but not really.)
6. Make decorative pillows?
7. Make nursing pads.

And that's just until I think of something else.

Yes, some days I go crazy and clean the kitchen 3 times. Some days I very thoroughly vacuum the stairs. But today, in addition to my laundry and vacuuming and sweeping and toilet cleaning and cooking and trying to pretend it's not still five whole weeks until my baby is due....I'll be sewing. :)

And don't worry, I'll keep you posted on my projects with pictures and fun details and all that jazz.

Happy Monday!