My Little Girl

My Little Girl

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The most amazing man...

I don't think I've said it on here (and I know I sure as heck don't say it enough in general), but I think I have one of the most amazing men in the world beside me.

It can't be easy: getting up every single day at 4:30am and going to work a manual labor job, outside usually, for 8+ hours a day. Every day. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter--it doesn't matter. 100+ or -10 outside, it doesn't matter. Then to come home and help me with the things I can no longer do by myself being 8 months pregnant (well kinda 9 now). To make time for friends and family. And to prepare for our little girl.

My guy takes on so much that I feel like even I sometimes overlook all he does. Maybe it's because his day starts so much earlier than mine, it looks like he gets it easy because he's home by 3pm and has time to: play some video games, go to the gym, have lunch with friends, go visit family during the day. But then I stop and remember: He has been up since 4:30am!! He has been at work as long as I have and the day's barely half over!! He spends those few hours before I get home doing things--almost never stopping.

And then there are our weekends. He gets to "sleep in" until maybe 7:30 or 8am. He'd like to sleep later, but we always have things to do and it seems like no time to do them in, so it's more early mornings for us.

So here we are, "3 days and a wake up" as my dad likes to say, from one of the biggest days in our lives together. I know I'm freaking out. I'm making MAD LISTS and trying to get it all done now. I'm realizing how much there still is to do and wondering just how in the world I'm actually going to get it all done. And then I look at my boyfriend and marvel at how he does it every day. I mean, I am going to get all this time off after our baby is born. I'm going to have time to figure out what needs to be done, what can wait; what I need to have on hand, what was just a luxury. Him though... well he doesn't get all that time off. He will be back to the grindstone fairly quickly after her birth.

So that's it. Just a quick little "Thankful" post to someone who does more than you can imagine! In the words of Elinor Dashwood: "I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him, that I... greatly esteem him... I like him."
~~Clarification for those not so "Jane Austen-ified": I don't consider loving someone to be a choice; it is something that hits you and leaves you breathless at its force, but not a choice. You DO choose whether or not you like someone. Every day you make the choice to like someone. And every day I not only love this man, but choose to like him a great deal too! It's not that hard to do though when there is so much to like!  :)

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Emma's "Little Princess" baby shower

Yesterday I had my third--and FINAL! lol-- baby shower. It was at my mom's house and it was a bunch of family from my mom and stepdad's side. It was "princess" themed. Lots of pink everywhere! lol We even had some princess tiaras to wear.

Considering all the summer plans starting to get in full swing, we had a pretty big showing! Some of my cousins couldn't make it for various reasons. Work, camps, study abroad,... I wasn't sad that they couldn't make it. I was more like "Wow... they are all getting so big!! They are almost adults now!" And considering I remember when most of them were babies or little kids, that makes me feel REALLY OLD! lol   We also had some of my mom's neighbors show up.

We had an Italian-theme going with the food. The running joke with my sisters is that they claim to be 100% Italian. Umm... my mom is Irish and my dad is half Italian, half German! But when someone asks them what they are, they always say "Italian. 100%" lol  So we had my baby sister's homemade manicotti, lasagna, some chicken/pasta with capers, fried mushrooms, and cheesesticks (for my Wisconsin family!). There were a few kinds of cakes (a chocolate "Ms. Trunchbull"-type of cake", a vanilla cake, and a cheesecake) and a punch.

I can't believe all the things we got for little Emma at the shower! I think we are basically set. I know I need a changing pad cover, but honestly, that's about the only NECESSITY I can think of. There are the little things I would like to get, but as far as what we need, we seem to be all set. My aunts even got us a diaper bag that my bf would be okay with carrying around! LOL It's a black Eddie Bauer with green lining. So not girly, but durable and stylish.

Here are a few pictures of me and the gifts. Please don't mind the blanket over my legs: I didn't realize how much my dress could creep up as we opened gifts and I wanted to be decent! LOL












Monday, June 17, 2013

Busy birthday weekend

Well this weekend was by far the most PACKED weekend we have had in a long time. There was just so much going on.

Friday was my work baby shower right after work (check out the pics in that blog). After that, I headed home so I could change into comfy clothes... because we were going to my mom's for my birthday dinner. See, my anniversary is also my birthday, so my family decided we would just have dinner together the day before. So we headed over there for a few hours. Ate. Hung out. Told some fun stories. Just had a generally fun time.

Saturday was my birthday and anniversary. My boyfriend gave me gift on Friday. I was bringing in the gits from my shower and he asked if I wanted my gift a little early. OF COURSE! LOL He got me a Nook!! I am so excited about this! I mean, yes, I am traditional in the sense that I love my paper books. But I think this will be something amazing for when I am doing the late-night feedings. It has internet, games/apps, etc on top of the books. I will be able to read, check facebook, post some things on here.... all while I'm feeding her. Once I told him about this, he was even more happy he got it for me! lol (It will help keep me awake during those late hours.)
I have a Nook!

My Nook and cute cover!

The cover is adorable!

On Saturday, my guy had to get a lot of stuff done, so the morning was spent checking things off my To Do List. And boy did I get a lot done! I got all my Thank You cards filled out and ready to go. Got a haircut (this was a mistake... shouldn't have done that). Picked up my new prescription sunglasses. Cleaned up the house. Got all the laundry washed and dried (not necessarily folded! lol). Had lunch with my sister. Returned somethings to Target and Penney's. Picked up a dress for my anniversary dinner later that night....

I had made reservations at Rainforest Cafe for our anniversary. My guy had brought it up a few times that he wanted to eat there. I thought it would be fun. I told the lady when I made the reservations (and when I confirmed that day) that it was for a birthday and anniversary. When we got there, I told the hostess I was there for my reservation. I don't guess she understood, because she just put a "2" on a card and had them seat us anywhere. They ended up placing us next to a birthday party for like an 8yo. And the rest of the people around were families with little bitty babies crying. The food was ok, but not what I was hoping for. Ugh... Oh well, like my guy said: there wasn't a lot we could do since I am 8 and a half months pregnant. Maybe next year we will leave Emma with family and get a night out. Not sure we will be able to handle being away from her though!

I already posted about Saturday night's "adventure," so I won't go into that again. But it just added to the craziness of the weekend.

Yesterday was Father's Day. You would think after spending all night in the hospital, we would take it easy. Nope. Not our style! LOL My guy had to finish up helping his uncle. Then we went to his dad's for the rest of the day so he could fix something with their water. (It was WAY above my comprehension! LOL Good thing I'm dating someone who's smart enough to do all that!) By the end of the day, neither of us had any energy left. We basically got out of the car and went STRAIGHT to sleep!

I think we still overdid it though, because we both woke up sick as heck this morning. If I stood up, I would get dizzy or throw up. He was in the same boat. I ended up having to take the day off work. I'm realizing more and more how strenuous it is making a baby. And I'm just not able to do EVERYTHING like I used to. I'm being forced to take more breaks and cool it on the To Do Lists! Lol

Emma's "Seussical" Shower with co-workers

Friday was such a fun day!! I got to go to a baby shower thrown by one of the girls I work with. She had it at her house so it was low-key but lots of fun too. It wasn't a big shin-dig--with the summer and all, a lot of people had made plans beforehand. Just a few of my friends from work. And some girls who used to work with me showed up too.

My friend decorated her house in Dr. Seuss. There were Lorax puff-trees lining the foyer. She had a cute sign in the driveway welcoming us to the Seussical Shower. Red/white and blue/white streamers hung in her kitchen. There were cute little cards all over with some of the more memorable Dr. Seuss quotes.

And the fun was soooo yummy. There was her BLT dip which I actually took the last of home with me. She had fresh fruit and a sweet pina colada dip (Vanilla Greek yogurt, coconut shavings, and rum extract so I could try it). And homemade guac.

She also hung a clothes line in the living room. On it were all kinds of cute baby things. a few onesies, some burp cloths/cloth diapers, socks, mittens, hats, washcloths and even some hooded baby towels! Turns out all that (plus some diapers and wipes) were her actual gifts to me!!

Then there was the AMAZING CAKE!! It had scenes or moments from "One Fish, Two Fish" and "Cat in the Hat." The bottom layer was chocolate with raspberry creme, The top half was red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting. The story behind that is: I had told my friend a story about how my dad used to get me a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting every year for my birthday. Since the shower was the day before my bday, she went above and beyond and kind of incorporated my birthday into the shower. 

I couldn't believe all the cute things I got. So many outfits! We even got her some sunglasses! Another girl I work with knows that I am planning on breastfeeding, so she got me an awesome "starter kit."

I didn't get too many pics of the shower because we were all mingling around and having fun. I did get a few though, so here they are:
The clothes line with all sorts of things we'll need

My cake!

Even the base was fun! :)

The "hat" was red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting in between the layers in it. The "fish" layer was chocolate and raspberry.

Old fish and new fish!



Sunday, June 16, 2013

False Labor

Last night/This morning was a mini-adventure. Ended up in the hospital for what I thought was labor, only to leave with no idea what was going on....

Around 11:15 I started getting contractions. They weren't severe, merely uncomfortable. At first I didn't think anything of them, but then I realized they were pretty close together. I timed them and they were 6-8 minutes apart. I timed them for an hour and they came--every 6-8 minutes. I grabbed my "What to Expect" book, flipped to the "When you should go to the hospital section," and there it was. I had like6 out of 9 symptoms, the biggest one being consistent contractions for an extended period of time. Plus, whenever I walked, it felt like she was going to split me or fall out. Okay then, time to wake up the BF.

We got to the hospital, gave them all the information, and waited. And waited. And waited. Took the transport guy almost 30 minutes to come get me. My guy was like "Sheesh, I could have walked you up there faster than this!" Finally I get wheeled to L&D. I was still timing the contractions: Still 6-8 minutes. They take all my info again in the room. They ask if my water broke. I told them no, but my family has a history of requiring medical assistance to break the water sacs. We typically don't rupture on our own. Well after that, the nurses seemed to think I was an idiot and "one of those moms" because they basically just wrote me off. They started giving me contradictory info--from what the doc said on Thursday and what the OTHER nurse said!

On Thursday, doc said I was 1-2 and the head was all the way down. Nurse #1 said I wasn't dilated at all. She did agree that the baby was really low. She kept saying that I wasn't in labor, but when I asked what was wrong, she didn't know. She took forever to actually process the sample which would say if I was dehydrated or had an infection or what could explain what was going on... if it wasn't labor. Nurse #2 comes in an hour later and tells me I'm not dilated at all and that the baby is "really high up." Still haven't processed to see if I have an infection, so I had to ask like 3 times.

Finally around 3am they hook my up to an IV. Thing is, they say I'm definitely NOT in labor, and DEFINITELY not dehydrated. They don't know what's wrong. We ended up staying there until 6am. When they discharged me, they said they didn't know what was wrong. Still. But I could go home. I'm beyond frustrated by all this. I mean, what am I supposed to do? If I wasn't in labor, then something was going on. If it was something I could fix or stop, then I wanted to know. But I left with LESS info than when I went in.

Not to mention today is Father's Day. So after not sleeping last night (I only got an hour of sleep in the hospital and NONE all day yesterday), I am beyond exhausted. Glad I don't have to actually do anything today.  My stomach is all crampy. There's some mild Braxton Hicks periodically. My head hurts. And it still feels like she's going to fall out. So not a "jump up  and down" kind of day.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

A "Fun" Dr. Appt

As of today I am 36weeks, 4days pregnant. That means a little under 3 and 1/2 weeks to go until my due date. That's not a very long time when compared to how long I've already been pregnant. But they say these are the hardest few weeks, so it sort of evens out.

Today I had a doctor appointment. Second one with the new guy. Although I don't *Love* the wait at this place, I am already exponentially happier with them. And considering the type of appointment I had to have, that's saying something! LOL


Today I went in for the culture, cervical exam, and to review the results from the ultrasound on June 1st. Not to be too graphic on anyone, but one was nothing, one wasn't that bad, and one made me want to throw up.

First the doctor went over all the results from my ultrasound. He said the baby is measuring right on for July 7th. All the measurements were great. Amniotic fluid was good. No problems. 

Then I had to get checked to see if I am a carrier for "Group B Strep." Now, it's not harmful to me if I am a carrier, but when I go to give birth, it could pass on to Emma and get her sick. Not something we want. If I am a carrier, they just have to put penicillin in the IV bag when I go to deliver. Again, not a big deal IF I am, but we need to know. So the culture was done and I have to wait a week for the results. No biggie.

Finally came the cervical exam. There's no nice way to put this, so I'm not going to explain it too much. Let's just say I never want to do it again, and yet I have to at all of my following appointments! UGH! Results: I'm 1cm dilated, baby is in full on "go" position, normal delivery is expected... and there's almost no way I'm carrying her to term. Doc says no later than the 1st. Mainly because he can already touch her head! She's that far down!! All I have to say is she better stay in there until after June 22nd. Otherwise I think two of her grandma's would shoot me in the foot!! One because she will be out of town through the 20th. The other because she is planning a baby shower for the 22nd! LOL

Still, I think it would be kind of fun to have her this weekend. With my bday and anniversary on Saturday... and Father's Day on Sunday.... I think it would be kind of cool!

Friday, June 7, 2013

How much longer?!? (part 2)

So yeah. I was a little negative in the first part. Sorry about that. I just needed a little mini-vent.
Here are all the good things I have had recently and expect in the NEAR future.

Belly rolls. Not the unflattering kind they make fun of the stars with on those magazines. But the kind where you are laying down and suddenly your entire stomach feels like it just rolled on itself. *THOSE* kind! haha Like yesterday morning. After I saw my guy off to work, I thought I would lay down for the 90 minutes before I needed to wake up. Ms. Emma had other plans. She wanted to PLAY! I was laying on my right side and felt her shift over. Then she started kicking the "bed." I thought maybe I was squishing her, so I rolled over (gracefully, of course...haha) to my left side. But then I felt that rolling sensation again... And she started kicking the bed again!! We played this game for a full 30 minutes. I didn't even mind the lack of a mini-morning-nap!

Her kicks. They are a lot stronger now. You can see my entire belly move when she kicks. And when she has the hiccups, she always kicks me! It's fun to think about what she might be doing in there. If she's playing any "games." What might be getting her all excited... If she's ready to come out yet! lol

Reasonable countdowns. Example: I have 30 days until her due date. 25 days until my last day of work for 2 months. 15 days until my last baby shower. 9 days until Father's Day. 8 days until my bday. 7 days until the office baby shower. These countdowns are so TINY compared to what they used to be!!

Her nursery. It is really coming together now!! A good friend at work is giving me her glider she used with her daughters today. It's exactly like the one I registered for initially, but it will save me and/or my family almost $200!! That's money we can put on other things. Like wash cloths, receiving blankets, bottles for when Daddy wants to feed her and when I have to go back to work, diapers, wipes... all those little things that add up. I cannot believe how amazing her room is. I know I picked the "theme" of Oh The Places You'll Go... but it has taken EVERY ONE of our family members and even some friends to help make it the perfect vision. She has blue skies and green grass. She has an incredible tree in the corner which we will sit under in the glider. She has fun prints of Dr. Seuss characters on the wall. It's not all pink and frills but it is definitely fit for our little girl!

The baby showers. My boyfriend's mom threw me an amazing surprise shower last weekend. (Check out my post on it.) It was incredible. Fit for a little princess with all the shades of pink and the elegant decor. There was even a pink-themed candy buffet table! Next up is the office baby shower thrown by my friend who is giving us the glider. It's going to be Dr. Seuss themed. Every day my friend comes into work and tells me she has all these great ideas for the shower, or she went and bought some fun stuff for the shower. Mind you, she never elaborates... just tosses out the teasers so I have to wait until next week! Then my mom and sister are throwing a shower at the end of the month. Want to make sure all the little necessities are here before Emma gets here. Plus, the summer is hard with my family living in about 5 different states, and we all have birthdays/anniversaries in May and June. My mom and little sister did go to the shower my guys' mom threw, and invited his mom and aunts to this last one; so it'll be like a joint thing--but maybe not all the pressure of having BOTH HUGE families try to get together in one place at one time.

Maternity leave. Yes. I am VERY MUCH looking forward to being off of "work" for 2 whole months. I know taking care of my first child isn't going to be a vacation. And I'll probably get even less sleep than  I do now. But I am so excited to get 60 WHOLE DAYS with her. I have planned on a little vacation to my hometown to see my besties, introduce them to their newest "niece." Because, let's face it: my family isn't just the people I am related it. It's all the friends in my life who have been there for me through it all. My girls are my best friends/my sisters. Their babies are my nieces and nephews. And now I get to add to that. I can't wait to show Emma off to all my girl-friends in August. I hear that babies do well in car-rides the first few months. That it's actually better to try and take a trip then versus when they are older and don't want to be in the car seat. My guy is a little nervous about me making the trip "by myself" if something comes up and he can't come with me. He said I can only go if one of my sisters comes with me!! haha.

Announcement Cards. Yes, I am already registered on a site that does baby announcements! haha. But they are just too cute I needed as much time as possible to look over them and decide what I would want to send out when she's here. I have about 12 favorites!! Hopefully by the end of next week, I'll be able to talk to Emma's daddy about what he likes and we can narrow this down some. Otherwise: would it be bad to have 2-3 different TYPES of announcements?!?!? Seriously, they are THAT CUTE!

I was going to put together a journal of letters for her. And this item was ALWAYS on my To Do List: "Type memories to put in journal." Then I realized I kind of am doing that already with this blog. So I feel a little better. She'll be able to read these posts and know what Mommy was thinking and feeling throughout the past few months. Maybe I'll get Daddy to write something on here... Eh. That's a big MAYBE!

My Labor & Delivery Bag. Yep, it's packed. For the most part. Of course there are some things I can't put in there yet, so I wouldn't say it's done-done. But it's definitely more done than not. I printed a few lists from some sites, took those lists to my mommy-friends and asked them what was really needed and what wasn't--then packed based on that. I still need to pack a mini bag for my guy but he's not a big "planner" like I am, so I'm not going to stress too much about that. I have a list of things for him too, if he wants to get a jump on it, but not holding my breath!

Dr. Appts. I have one next week with The Doctor, then every week after that. Plus I have an eye appointment this weekend--get that out of the way before things get too crazy around here! Plus it'd be nice to have prescription SUNGLASSES for once. That way I can wear my glasses in the summer instead of contacts all the time. And I have a massage set up for about 2 weeks before her due date. Try to relax even more before she's here.

Okay, that's about it for now! I still can't believe I could be a MOMMY in like THIRTY DAYS!!

How much longer?!? (Part 1)

30 days! That's it. 30 days until little Ms. Emmaleigh Grace's due date. I can't believe how fast the past 8 months have gone... and dread how LONG I know this next month is going to be! haha

Every day there is something else I can't do, it seems like. Sleep, for example. I CANNOT sleep! I get into bed around 9pm because I know that's when I should be going to sleep. But it's impossible to get comfortable. I will literally spend 2 whole hours tossing and turning. I can't get the pillows right (and yes--pillows. As in: I need at least 5 just for me!). Or I'm already sweating just from laying down on top of the covers. My legs feel sooo heavy and there's no good way to position them so I can get comfy.

Housework is getting a LOT harder. I almost can't keep up with it during the week. I get out of breath when I try to bring the laundry basket(s) up or down the 2 flights of stairs. And when the laundry is washed and dried, then there's the whole issue of folding it. Ugh. I try not to make or leave messes when I leave a room, just so that's one less thing I have to worry about the next day. And just the upkeep of each and every room makes me exhausted. I make To Do Lists, mentally going through every room, trying to figure out what needs to be done... and as soon as it's done, I don't want to do it! It seems like so much. But I know me and I WILL NOT bring my baby girl home to a place that isn't *clean*! So let the internal/physical battle continue!

Making dinner is difficult only because nothing sounds good anymore. Except Rice. I could eat rice 2-3 times a day, every day. As a matter of fact, yesterday I had rice from the Mexican restaurant next door to where I work for lunch AND dinner!! I bought 2 side orders for lunch knowing I'd only eat one, and saved the other one for dinner. And that was about all I ate during those meals. Well, I had a baked potato with butter and ranch (no--not a pregnancy thing because that's the way I've ALWAYS had my baked potatos! lol). But seriously, eating is a chore too. My boyfriend said the other day that eating stopped being fun now that he's trying to get back into "fighting" shape. (In his other words: He wants to lose his Emma before I do!) I told him I've felt that way for a WHILE now!

Work is hard too. I have almost no energy. In part because I can't sleep. And in part because I generally feel worn out at work. I sit there and do computer work all day. But when I leave I feel like I ran a marathon. It doesn't make sense. If I have to walk from my office to the front to mail something, it takes me FOREVER because I have to waddle the entire way. I do it hoping it'll relieve some of the stress in my back from sitting all day, but after I'm done I just want to lay down! People ask me if I plan on working up to the due date. At first I was all "Yeah, of course." --Well kinda because with the holiday being on a Thursday... I'm just taking a "long weekend" before my maternity leave officially starts on July 8th. But if the holiday fell after her due date, then yes, I would work up to that. Now though, every day is a STRUGGLE to get out of bed it seems like. I'm still planning on working as much as I can up to July 3rd. But there are days where I COMPLETELY understand wanting to take off now and just relax this last month. I wish I could afford to do that. Mentally and financially. Even if money weren't an issue (Oh that'd be the day!!), I think I would go bonkers sitting at home alone all day with no "purpose." So it's 40 hr weeks for the next 3 and a half weeks.

Shoes. Seriously, with one month left, my tennis shoes DO NOT FIT! I thought they were just a little snug on the side, so I had a girl I work with loosen the laces for me. But nope. With 4 weeks left to go, I almost have to go up a 1/2 size in my tennies! I am refusing for now though. I'll make do at work as long as I can, and on weekends it's either my Roxy flip flops (because they have so much padding on the bottom---HEAVEN!) or barefoot-and-pregnant!

So those are all the bad things I have been experiencing. I have really tried to be positive on here. Writing mostly about the good parts of the pregnancy. But here lately I've realized that these not-so-fun aspects are part of it too. They are the parts people skim over when they tell you about pregnancy. The parts you read about and think "Yeah, sure. Okay." But to go through them is entirely different!

**Don't worry: Part 2 is all the good things lately!**

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Emma's "Pretty In Pink" Baby Shower

Yesterday I was surprised with a baby shower thrown by my boyfriend's mom. It was an amazing time and absolutely beautiful!!

For a few weeks now I had heard his mom would be throwing the shower, but no one tell me when or where or ANYTHING! For a planner like me, that was really difficult. haha So I would get teasers about it, but never anything concrete. I was starting to get worried because I had to book doctor appointments and work and everything else.

Well last Sunday my guy's best friend and his girlfriend went to a movie with us. Right before it started she asked me when my shower was "on Saturday." I asked her what shower and my guy tried to cover by saying something about a few weeks. She said "No, I know it's next Saturday, but I just don't know what time." HAHA My guy just shook his head.

Well it was still a surprise because I didn't find out until Friday what time or where. And NO DETAILS on what the theme was or anything. When I got there--it was PERFECT!! Here are a few pics from her "Pretty In Pink" baby shower!
My BF's mom and I

My mom and I

MY BUMP CAKE

My baby sister and I

Me with my guy's mom and aunts

Me with my guy's sister and her cousin

Little "A" wanted to take part in opening Emma's gifts!

Me and all the grandmas!

Me with the great grandmas

Me & granny! You would not believe she's almost 95!!

The great-aunts and I

The dog everyone signed and the cute party favor candle!

Some balloons from the party in her room
Me with some of Emma's aunts

The candy buffet!!

Emmaleigh Grace

Emmaleigh Grace