Today was the big day -- my due date finally arrived, but the little guy decided that he really HAD to have an October birthday. So waiting patiently we are!
I really don't have the energy to go into all of the details, but Matt and I have been up since about 3 am, so we're both completely exhausted. We made the trip to the hospital early this morning, and unfortunately came home without our new baby... My mom came over around 4, got up with the kids, put Katherine on the bus and then brought Caleb over to her house. After an exhausting and disappointing morning, Matt and I, along with the doctor, decided that this baby boy was not to be born today. So we are on hold until Thursday morning when my next doctor appoint is and then we'll decide on an induction time.
I do have funny stories from today, but quite honestly I'm just too tired... More to come....
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
A million bucks...
That pretty much sums up how I felt today -- like the proverbial million bucks. Actually, I woke up feeling better today than I've felt in ages. The kids went to bed like a dream last night, and both slept until 8:20 or so. I woke up feeling well rested and as "normal" as it gets the day before I'm due. Evidently we even had a huge thunderstorm too, but I slept right through that as well. It was amazing!
I actually felt so great today that I contemplated taking the kids to the apple orchard this morning and totally would have if everything wasn't soaking wet and the kids would have been able to enjoy spending the day outside.
Instead we went down to the Science Center with my mom and Morgan and the Hodapp's (Andrea and the boys) and were downtown until shortly after 2:30. It didn't really matter what we were doing. It was just so great to have Katherine with us and be able to spend the day with her again, doing exactly what we wanted. We had a wonderful day and I'm anxiously looking forward to the next day that she has off. It can't come soon enough!
Tomorrow our new cleaning lady comes for the first time and I really don't want to be hanging around here with Caleb, so after gymnastics, I'm hoping to get his haircut and then heading over to Launderville's house (his little buddy Caden) to have lunch and spend the afternoon. He'll have a great time, and can play with his little friend for the afternoon. I must confess -- I'm looking forward to hanging out with Michelle tomorrow too. There's nothing better for the soul than hanging out with a good girlfriend!! I'm incredibly blessed to have wonderful friends in my life.
Speaking of wonderful friends ......
I am overwhelmed and humbled by how many calls I have gotten from family, friends, and neighbors wondering how everything was with the pregnancy, offering to help in countless ways, wondering how I was feeling, and how the baby was doing. All of the calls, cards, emails, and packages I've received lately makes me truly realize how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives. I'm so thankful for each and every one of them, and for all they've done. It's such an incredible feeling to know that not only do we have such amazing people in our lives, but that this little guy will be brought into the world surrounded by so much love. He is truly blessed; we all are.
I actually felt so great today that I contemplated taking the kids to the apple orchard this morning and totally would have if everything wasn't soaking wet and the kids would have been able to enjoy spending the day outside.
Instead we went down to the Science Center with my mom and Morgan and the Hodapp's (Andrea and the boys) and were downtown until shortly after 2:30. It didn't really matter what we were doing. It was just so great to have Katherine with us and be able to spend the day with her again, doing exactly what we wanted. We had a wonderful day and I'm anxiously looking forward to the next day that she has off. It can't come soon enough!
Tomorrow our new cleaning lady comes for the first time and I really don't want to be hanging around here with Caleb, so after gymnastics, I'm hoping to get his haircut and then heading over to Launderville's house (his little buddy Caden) to have lunch and spend the afternoon. He'll have a great time, and can play with his little friend for the afternoon. I must confess -- I'm looking forward to hanging out with Michelle tomorrow too. There's nothing better for the soul than hanging out with a good girlfriend!! I'm incredibly blessed to have wonderful friends in my life.
Speaking of wonderful friends ......
I am overwhelmed and humbled by how many calls I have gotten from family, friends, and neighbors wondering how everything was with the pregnancy, offering to help in countless ways, wondering how I was feeling, and how the baby was doing. All of the calls, cards, emails, and packages I've received lately makes me truly realize how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives. I'm so thankful for each and every one of them, and for all they've done. It's such an incredible feeling to know that not only do we have such amazing people in our lives, but that this little guy will be brought into the world surrounded by so much love. He is truly blessed; we all are.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Nothing yet...
As frustrating as this is, we still haven't made the trip to the hospital. We're still at home waiting for the little guy to decide that he's ready to enter the world.... and he's a stubborn little one!
Our plans for getting to the hospital are constantly changing. One moment, my sister will come over and care for the kids while my parents make their way here, the next minute my mom will come and spend the night at our house. Right now the plan is that if we go to the hospital in the middle of the night, we'll bring the kids to my parent's house and they'll spend the day there until the baby is born and Matt can run and get them.
Originally, we were going to the apple orchard tomorrow, but since it's probably a 45 minute drive north of our house (and the hospital is about a 20 minute drive from our house) that's totally out of the question. Depending on how I feel, we'll either just go and relax over at mom and dad's house (and she'll help me with the kids) or we'll head to the Science Center. Actually, the Science Center would be perfect as it's right downtown and if something should happen down there, Matt could pick me up and Mom could take the kids back to her house in my car. So we'll see what tonight and tomorrow bring.... The only problem with that scenario is that my mom isn't exactly the type to feel comfortable driving the whale of I car I drive all the way back home, AND I'm not even sure if she could find her way out of downtown.... AAAAHHHH the details!
There's still a few more errands I have to run... I've had the thank you notes from Caleb's birthday done for over a week, but ran out of stamps, so I need to run to the post office, and I have a coupon to Archiver's (scrapbook store) burning a hole in my pocket, and I'm pretty sure it expires on the 30th, so if I don't use it now, it'll go to waste. What a shame!!
I'm off to bed. I need to try and relax before the baby comes because after he gets here, I'm sure any rest time on my end will be little to none!
I'll update soon!
Our plans for getting to the hospital are constantly changing. One moment, my sister will come over and care for the kids while my parents make their way here, the next minute my mom will come and spend the night at our house. Right now the plan is that if we go to the hospital in the middle of the night, we'll bring the kids to my parent's house and they'll spend the day there until the baby is born and Matt can run and get them.
Originally, we were going to the apple orchard tomorrow, but since it's probably a 45 minute drive north of our house (and the hospital is about a 20 minute drive from our house) that's totally out of the question. Depending on how I feel, we'll either just go and relax over at mom and dad's house (and she'll help me with the kids) or we'll head to the Science Center. Actually, the Science Center would be perfect as it's right downtown and if something should happen down there, Matt could pick me up and Mom could take the kids back to her house in my car. So we'll see what tonight and tomorrow bring.... The only problem with that scenario is that my mom isn't exactly the type to feel comfortable driving the whale of I car I drive all the way back home, AND I'm not even sure if she could find her way out of downtown.... AAAAHHHH the details!
There's still a few more errands I have to run... I've had the thank you notes from Caleb's birthday done for over a week, but ran out of stamps, so I need to run to the post office, and I have a coupon to Archiver's (scrapbook store) burning a hole in my pocket, and I'm pretty sure it expires on the 30th, so if I don't use it now, it'll go to waste. What a shame!!
I'm off to bed. I need to try and relax before the baby comes because after he gets here, I'm sure any rest time on my end will be little to none!
I'll update soon!
We're getting close....
.... or at least that's what all the signs are showing. I have to warn you, this post may have way too much information, so if you're not interested in hearing all about the early stages of labor, just ignore this post and come back later!!
Last night I couldn't sleep at all. Literally I was up most of the night. I woke up with cramping around 2 and could never fall back asleep. When Caleb woke up at 7:30, I was a total zombie so it was off to Starbucks I went to get a little pick me up. Oh, what a difference it makes! LOL.
After Katherine woke up, I took both kids into bed with me, put a show on for them and tried to rest for a while. Once again, I was totally unsuccessful... So Matt took them out for breakfast, and I finally got around to taking a shower around 11 (going to church was the last thing I could muster up the energy to do this morning so that just didn't happen). The cramping continued and about half way into my hour long shower, I realized that I lost my plug. I started having cramping and severe shaking almost immediately....
Oh, you should see my eye make up today. It looks like a 4th grader applied it for me. I had to put it on in the middle of shaking like a leaf, and it's just not pretty! LOL.
I realized that I was starving, so Matt took off to PF Changs and picked up lunch for us, and then stopped at a different place for the kids.
At any rate, I feel awful.... This baby has got to be close! I'm super crampy and shaking like my body is going through shock. I'm sure it won't be long!
So Matt changed the sheets on our bed and got everything ready for my mom to come and stay tonight if the little guy decides to make his entry into the world in the next 24 hours.
I'm not nervous about the pain or actually giving birth. In fact, it's just the opposite. I'm so ready to meet this little guy and hold him in my arms for the first time. What I am nervous about is Katherine and Caleb... leaving them for a couple of days, wondering about how they'll be when I'm in the hospital, and missing them like crazy. Sure they'll spend a lot of time there, but Caleb is such a Momma's boy that it's hard for other people to take care of him, and Katherine, she's my mini-me. I know they'll be fine, but I'd really like to be the one to make their meals, play with them, read them their stories and put them to bed.... Soon enough!!
Last night I couldn't sleep at all. Literally I was up most of the night. I woke up with cramping around 2 and could never fall back asleep. When Caleb woke up at 7:30, I was a total zombie so it was off to Starbucks I went to get a little pick me up. Oh, what a difference it makes! LOL.
After Katherine woke up, I took both kids into bed with me, put a show on for them and tried to rest for a while. Once again, I was totally unsuccessful... So Matt took them out for breakfast, and I finally got around to taking a shower around 11 (going to church was the last thing I could muster up the energy to do this morning so that just didn't happen). The cramping continued and about half way into my hour long shower, I realized that I lost my plug. I started having cramping and severe shaking almost immediately....
Oh, you should see my eye make up today. It looks like a 4th grader applied it for me. I had to put it on in the middle of shaking like a leaf, and it's just not pretty! LOL.
I realized that I was starving, so Matt took off to PF Changs and picked up lunch for us, and then stopped at a different place for the kids.
At any rate, I feel awful.... This baby has got to be close! I'm super crampy and shaking like my body is going through shock. I'm sure it won't be long!
So Matt changed the sheets on our bed and got everything ready for my mom to come and stay tonight if the little guy decides to make his entry into the world in the next 24 hours.
I'm not nervous about the pain or actually giving birth. In fact, it's just the opposite. I'm so ready to meet this little guy and hold him in my arms for the first time. What I am nervous about is Katherine and Caleb... leaving them for a couple of days, wondering about how they'll be when I'm in the hospital, and missing them like crazy. Sure they'll spend a lot of time there, but Caleb is such a Momma's boy that it's hard for other people to take care of him, and Katherine, she's my mini-me. I know they'll be fine, but I'd really like to be the one to make their meals, play with them, read them their stories and put them to bed.... Soon enough!!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Happy Fall!
It's official! Fall is here, and I'm loving the change! It was still about 82 degrees today and we were wearing shorts, but the leaves are starting to fall from the trees and pumpkins are everywhere. I love it! October is by far my most favorite month of the year -- the change in the weather, the crisp air, the apple orchards, the pumpkin carving, and watching the kids jump in piles of leaves. It's great!
This afternoon after the Hawkeye game, Matt, Katherine, Caleb, Isaac, Elizabeth and I went to Howell tree farm for the first time this season. The kids had so much fun playing in the corn, riding tractors, going down the slide, riding the tire swings, and driving these new little cars they added this year. Oh, and of course, eating kettle corn. YUMMY!!
We didn't end up getting any pumpkins yet though. I decided that I'd get some el-cheapo ones at Hy-Vee on Wednesday night after Katherine is done with dance to decorate the steps outside the house. Then, when it gets closer to Halloween, we'll head back to the patch so the kids can pick out their carving pumpkins. I can't wait!
Katherine has been practicing gymnastics all day today. Literally, every time she has 5 minutes of "down time" she's been working on her kickovers (you start standing up, lean back into a bridge and then kick your legs over your head and land standing up). However, she realized that she can "tick-tock" it back and forth (your hands don't leave the ground, but you kick your legs from the front to the back) so she's been obsessed with that today. I find it so amazing that she's willing to work on something with so much determination when no one (but Mommy) is watching. She's one determined little girl! And -- at least she's not practicing her beam routine on the side of the bathtub!
In other news ....
It's official. I have totally and completely driven Matt nuts. He's had enough of my cleaning fetish, and has officially begged me to stop. What totally threw him over the edge was that evidently I've been doing laundry when there is only 6 or 7 things that need to be washed and then expect him to put them away right away. Normally, he's OK with this, but not at 10 pm and not during some "really important football game". Let's just say, the poor guy is ready for this baby to arrive! Oh, and still... there's stuff I want to get done before the baby arrives.... sanitizing the refrigerator, cleaning out the pantry, and straightening this cupboard of random Tupperware that I have. Oh, that's been on list for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. There's been other, more pressing chores to do! LOL!! Our new cleaning lady comes for the first time on Tuesday, and I can't wait. OH, I'm WAAAAYY excited about it!
This afternoon after the Hawkeye game, Matt, Katherine, Caleb, Isaac, Elizabeth and I went to Howell tree farm for the first time this season. The kids had so much fun playing in the corn, riding tractors, going down the slide, riding the tire swings, and driving these new little cars they added this year. Oh, and of course, eating kettle corn. YUMMY!!
We didn't end up getting any pumpkins yet though. I decided that I'd get some el-cheapo ones at Hy-Vee on Wednesday night after Katherine is done with dance to decorate the steps outside the house. Then, when it gets closer to Halloween, we'll head back to the patch so the kids can pick out their carving pumpkins. I can't wait!
Katherine has been practicing gymnastics all day today. Literally, every time she has 5 minutes of "down time" she's been working on her kickovers (you start standing up, lean back into a bridge and then kick your legs over your head and land standing up). However, she realized that she can "tick-tock" it back and forth (your hands don't leave the ground, but you kick your legs from the front to the back) so she's been obsessed with that today. I find it so amazing that she's willing to work on something with so much determination when no one (but Mommy) is watching. She's one determined little girl! And -- at least she's not practicing her beam routine on the side of the bathtub!
In other news ....
It's official. I have totally and completely driven Matt nuts. He's had enough of my cleaning fetish, and has officially begged me to stop. What totally threw him over the edge was that evidently I've been doing laundry when there is only 6 or 7 things that need to be washed and then expect him to put them away right away. Normally, he's OK with this, but not at 10 pm and not during some "really important football game". Let's just say, the poor guy is ready for this baby to arrive! Oh, and still... there's stuff I want to get done before the baby arrives.... sanitizing the refrigerator, cleaning out the pantry, and straightening this cupboard of random Tupperware that I have. Oh, that's been on list for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. There's been other, more pressing chores to do! LOL!! Our new cleaning lady comes for the first time on Tuesday, and I can't wait. OH, I'm WAAAAYY excited about it!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Baby update...
This morning, I had my weekly OB checkup, and guess what???? Other than gaining a pound since last Friday, nothing has changed. That's right. Absolutely NO progress. In theory, I'm fine with this though, as I'd really like to have the little guy in October, but man... on the other hand, I was hoping for at least a little progression. I guess in the end, he'll come when he's good and ready!
My blood pressure was 75/115, which was higher than it's been lately and in total I've gained 14 pounds. My feet and ankles are starting to swell by around noon, and by the time the kids go to bed, they look like martian feet. Good thing it's summer and I don't have to stuff them in regular shoes! It's all about the flip-flops! LOL!!
The doctor I saw today was a total fool. I can't stand him, but it was either see him today or miss spending the day with Katherine on Monday when she's off school. No brainer there! I'm not sure exactly what it is about him, but he's the perfect combination of flake and creep that just makes my skin crawl. Oh, and on top of that, he's a D.O. which makes me shudder... I'm just hoping and praying that he's not the one that actually delivers me.
In happy doctor news, my doctor was on leave for a couple of months, and is back as of October 1st. I see him next Thursday, October 2nd, and if I still haven't gone into labor, I'll probably just ask him to induce me when he's on call.
Tonight is going to be a relaxing night. Katherine has gymnastics from 5-6, and then we're going to come home, make dinner and let the kids play outside for a couple of hours. While Matt and the kids are outside, I may try to make a short Hobby Lobby run to get a couple of scrapbooking "must haves" -- adhesive and CS. Then, my all time favorite show is on tonight -- Grey's Anatomy. I CAN'T WAIT!! Love that show!
I'm trying to come up with the perfect activity for us to do on Monday when Katherine is off school. Since we'll be going to the pumpkin patch about 4 or 5 times in the next month, I really wanted to do something else -- maybe the Apple orchard up by Ames??? If the weather is nice, I'd really like to do something outside, but more importantly, I want her to pick what we do. I want her to have a great day with Caleb and I on her day off, and a great day before her new little brother arrives. So well see.... Ultimately, whatever she wants to do is fine with me!
My blood pressure was 75/115, which was higher than it's been lately and in total I've gained 14 pounds. My feet and ankles are starting to swell by around noon, and by the time the kids go to bed, they look like martian feet. Good thing it's summer and I don't have to stuff them in regular shoes! It's all about the flip-flops! LOL!!
The doctor I saw today was a total fool. I can't stand him, but it was either see him today or miss spending the day with Katherine on Monday when she's off school. No brainer there! I'm not sure exactly what it is about him, but he's the perfect combination of flake and creep that just makes my skin crawl. Oh, and on top of that, he's a D.O. which makes me shudder... I'm just hoping and praying that he's not the one that actually delivers me.
In happy doctor news, my doctor was on leave for a couple of months, and is back as of October 1st. I see him next Thursday, October 2nd, and if I still haven't gone into labor, I'll probably just ask him to induce me when he's on call.
Tonight is going to be a relaxing night. Katherine has gymnastics from 5-6, and then we're going to come home, make dinner and let the kids play outside for a couple of hours. While Matt and the kids are outside, I may try to make a short Hobby Lobby run to get a couple of scrapbooking "must haves" -- adhesive and CS. Then, my all time favorite show is on tonight -- Grey's Anatomy. I CAN'T WAIT!! Love that show!
I'm trying to come up with the perfect activity for us to do on Monday when Katherine is off school. Since we'll be going to the pumpkin patch about 4 or 5 times in the next month, I really wanted to do something else -- maybe the Apple orchard up by Ames??? If the weather is nice, I'd really like to do something outside, but more importantly, I want her to pick what we do. I want her to have a great day with Caleb and I on her day off, and a great day before her new little brother arrives. So well see.... Ultimately, whatever she wants to do is fine with me!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
How sad is this???
Caleb and I play cars by the hour on the hardwood floors. Sometimes he sits next to me and we "race" them, other times he sits across from me and we crash them, and then we send them down this little ramp thing he has. By the time we're done, I'm hoarse from making car noises! You know... we play cars! Oh, and it's super fun!
Well.... Today we went to Target on the way home from Kindermusik as I had absolutely NO FOOD in the house, and had been putting off buying a bunch in case I went into labor -- as we all know Matt wouldn't be home cooking! LOL. Anyway, since it was going to be an involved trip (and I'm not above bribing my son) I told Caleb that if he was a good boy, I'd buy him a pack of the Hot Wheels cars they have in the checkout lane. He was a golden boy, so of course I bought them!
Anyway, we get home, I unload the groceries and make lunch, and he's quietly playing with his new cars on his own. After we eat, it's straight to the floor so that we can play with his newest additions. While we were playing, he was eating a package of fruit snacks and when he was done, I asked him to put the package in the garbage. He looks at me, GROANS, and says, "Oh Mommy... I JUUUUUSST can't. My tummy is getting too big!" LOL!! I had to cringe... How many times in the last month has he heard me say this? Clearly far too many!
Oh, what else ..........
About two months ago, I made all of my remaining OB appointments so that I could schedule them with the doctors I wanted to see. My next OB appointment was scheduled for Monday, but at the time I made it, I didn't realize it conflicted with Katherine's schedule. She actually has the day off school! Woo-Hoo!! Since she has Monday off, I changed my OB appointment to tomorrow, so that we could spend the day together, rather than sending her over to my mom's house for the middle of the morning (which I'm sure she'd be plenty happy with, but I must confess, I'm greedy and want her to myself)! So tomorrow I'm off to the doctor to see if things are progressing. My appointment is at 10, so I'll hopefully have time to update the blog when little man is napping.
So -- I don't want to jinx myself, but I really don't think this baby is coming in the next few days. The constant cramping and contractions I had for several days have subsided, and for the most part, I feel pretty good. Thankfully, my moodiness is gone too, which is good for all involved! Oh, and they did come back yesterday to pick up the garbage!
With that being said, having the baby before my due date isn't something I was super excited about. I have a ton of stuff I want to get done, and some things I want to do with the kids before their new little brother arrives. So... here's the deal. I'm due on the 30th, but since October is my all time favorite month, I was always hoping he'd be born sometime after October 1. HOWEVER, October 2nd, is my niece's birthday, so that wasn't an ideal date, and for reasons I don't want to put on this blog, I really didn't want to have him on October 3rd. Without any details, October 3rd is my day. It's the one day out of the year I use to reflect on the past and dream about the future. What this day represents to me is so much more than just a day, and moving "my day" just isn't an option. It's been my day long before my kids were born, long before I met Matt, long before I started college. There are emotional ties to this specific day that I just can't break, and having a baby on this day just isn't ideal. Which means, I can pretty much plan his arrival on October 3rd! Just keep your fingers crossed for me that he isn't born on October 3rd. I'd rather have him ANY other day out of the year, Christmas included!!
Well.... Today we went to Target on the way home from Kindermusik as I had absolutely NO FOOD in the house, and had been putting off buying a bunch in case I went into labor -- as we all know Matt wouldn't be home cooking! LOL. Anyway, since it was going to be an involved trip (and I'm not above bribing my son) I told Caleb that if he was a good boy, I'd buy him a pack of the Hot Wheels cars they have in the checkout lane. He was a golden boy, so of course I bought them!
Anyway, we get home, I unload the groceries and make lunch, and he's quietly playing with his new cars on his own. After we eat, it's straight to the floor so that we can play with his newest additions. While we were playing, he was eating a package of fruit snacks and when he was done, I asked him to put the package in the garbage. He looks at me, GROANS, and says, "Oh Mommy... I JUUUUUSST can't. My tummy is getting too big!" LOL!! I had to cringe... How many times in the last month has he heard me say this? Clearly far too many!
Oh, what else ..........
About two months ago, I made all of my remaining OB appointments so that I could schedule them with the doctors I wanted to see. My next OB appointment was scheduled for Monday, but at the time I made it, I didn't realize it conflicted with Katherine's schedule. She actually has the day off school! Woo-Hoo!! Since she has Monday off, I changed my OB appointment to tomorrow, so that we could spend the day together, rather than sending her over to my mom's house for the middle of the morning (which I'm sure she'd be plenty happy with, but I must confess, I'm greedy and want her to myself)! So tomorrow I'm off to the doctor to see if things are progressing. My appointment is at 10, so I'll hopefully have time to update the blog when little man is napping.
So -- I don't want to jinx myself, but I really don't think this baby is coming in the next few days. The constant cramping and contractions I had for several days have subsided, and for the most part, I feel pretty good. Thankfully, my moodiness is gone too, which is good for all involved! Oh, and they did come back yesterday to pick up the garbage!
With that being said, having the baby before my due date isn't something I was super excited about. I have a ton of stuff I want to get done, and some things I want to do with the kids before their new little brother arrives. So... here's the deal. I'm due on the 30th, but since October is my all time favorite month, I was always hoping he'd be born sometime after October 1. HOWEVER, October 2nd, is my niece's birthday, so that wasn't an ideal date, and for reasons I don't want to put on this blog, I really didn't want to have him on October 3rd. Without any details, October 3rd is my day. It's the one day out of the year I use to reflect on the past and dream about the future. What this day represents to me is so much more than just a day, and moving "my day" just isn't an option. It's been my day long before my kids were born, long before I met Matt, long before I started college. There are emotional ties to this specific day that I just can't break, and having a baby on this day just isn't ideal. Which means, I can pretty much plan his arrival on October 3rd! Just keep your fingers crossed for me that he isn't born on October 3rd. I'd rather have him ANY other day out of the year, Christmas included!!
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