First... Linda, you can get the tree here: http://storesense4.megawebservers.com/modernwallgraphics_com/-strse-250/wall-decal-sticker-graphic/Detail.bok

Alright... so as we speak my husband and my father-in-law are sawing a hole in my wall downstairs. *sigh* This is to install some super fancy flush in the wall digital thermostat that K deems "totally worth it"... Well, okay then. Although we already had a nice digital thermostat, but he promises more efficiency. We'll see. We have two AC units, one up and one down, and the downstairs one is now the test one. I am just not fond of unnecessary holes being cut into walls and promises of "simple patch work" if it needs it. K is awesome and he works hard... harder than most guys around or about his age, but it is the detail work of some of his little improvement projects that gets passed over. And everyone knows the details are often what counts b/c that is what "makes" something. Oh man, I love him for his enthusiasm though.

Alright... so last night K and I had a super enjoyable dinner with my parent's. We always do... they are so fun. This morning my dad and K went to Ikea to purchase some shelves we needed for the living room, oh and a nightstand for Sophie's room. Awesome, more things to check off the list. I woke up -annoyingly- at 6:30ish and couldn't get back to sleep... Soooo, I got up and started cleaning. Yay me. Three loads of laundry done, including Sophie's newest stuff. (I despise laundry so this is a big deal.) Vacuumed the entire downstairs AND the stairs and in a minute will do the upstairs. (Give me some credit... we have a 2600 sq ft house!) And then have been doing just general cleaning. K gets to dust. There is a LOT to dust. My portion of the hospital bag is just about done and I am about to go work some on Sophie's stuff. This isn't hard, as I am not bringing a ton. I need -want- to go finish up her room and put away the tons of stuff from the shopping spree.

I am in total go mode, apparently.

Sophie is energetically hiccuping right now and as much as I enjoy her rhythmic bumping, I am wishing it would stop. Feels weird... She gets them constantly. Work those little lungs, S!

Before I return to life, guess what I get to do for 24 hours starting tomorrow? A Urinalysis test! Oh boy. And I have to keep the *cough* product in the fridge. Nice. Then on Monday morning, I will transport it to my doctor's office for testing as well as get another exam. Sophie will get checked to. I am a little paranoid about her health since our Thursday appointment and will feel better when they check on her. From there I will get the official "Let's have the baby right NOW" [I hope NOT] or things look status quo so come back on Wednesday or Thursday to check on things again. Ideally, things will be as is on Monday and I will be given a tentative induction date for the week of the 7th. Who has been induced out there? The issue I have with being induced is the increased risk of a cesarean section. I know it is not the end of the world if this happens - and obviously, if Sophie is stressed, no problem, do it - but I would rather not. So, if you have been induced, let me know your experiences! =)

lv,
C

So you know that little elephant ticker in the header of my blog that says 33 days until Sophie arrives? Apparently it knows nothing b/c ready or not, she is coming early.

That's right. I had my doctor's appointment today and with all my confidence that "it was just PUPPPS" it turns out that I have a few other issues going on and now little Sophie does too. (watch "medical update" vlog to hear me get into it) Basically... I am too swollen, too itchy, have too much protein in my urine (again), slightly too high blood pressure (by my normal BP standards).... and so on and so on and have reached the point where my body has decided I am too pregnant to be normal. No clue why. As for Baby Hale, well she has too much flow through her umbilical cord which can cause respiratory issues as well as worse problems if the flow decides to go the other way.

So... shopping spree! Tonight we bought just about everything in our self-made category 1 (aka: items we deemed needed before she comes). It turned out to be a lot. It is all lying on her floor b/c we were exhausted by the time we got home and I will fix it all up this weekend.

I am doing surprisingly well. I think I got the majority of my freaking out done after my last Dr.'s appointment and now I have just accepted that this is all happening and so it goes.

I am SUPER excited to see her.

I was going to write more... but I am SO tired. And itchy. And sore. :) Vlog watch instead!

Night all!
C

Hey all!
So, feeling confident I just have PUPPPS (although, ICK!) because my doctor's office has a No News is Good News policy and it has now been a week and no call! Nice. Have my normal Dr.'s appointment on Thursday where we will figure everything out. At my last appointment the Dr. was all about getting the baby delivered at term (37 weeks) but I am hopeful we may not have to. We'll see. I am having an ultrasound to check her size and position as well.

Baby H (haven't called her that in awhile) has decided to head south, that's right... she is dropping down - and noticeably! I hope she is heading south head down, but we'll see. She definitely kicks up high, so....

And also, 5 weeks left *IF* I go all the way. Wow. And 1 week to 9 months. 9 MONTHS pregnant. Geez. I mean, at the longest... SO soon. That is just mind boggling.

I am finishing up my hospital bag this week. I have been trying to take in the advice from people who have already done this. I really don't want to haul in a bunch of extra stuff, but at the same time, I want what I want. We live maybe 10 mins away from the hospital, so seriously? We can go grab something if we want. I have also been thinking a lot about right after the baby comes. Do I want a bunch of people over? Probably not. And I don't want people crowding my baby. That's right. I haven't even had her yet and I am worrying about that. But you know what? She is my baby and I am going hog her and I am going to not leaving her at home with her father or a babysitter if I don't feel like leaving her yet and I am going to decide who gets to help feed or bathe her... That protective mommy-ness is kicking in! Apparently, pregnancy and future motherhood has brought out my "Don't even TRY that with me" side. Who knew? =) As mentioned in an early vlog/ blog, I am still highly irritated when people inform me of what I will feel like doing or want to do.

Besides that new "edge" to my emotions, I am feeling super happy and excited. I mean, BABY!

lv,
C

Watch my 34 week Vlog for a real update, I don't quite feel like writing it all out, it was easier to just talk about it.

Long story short, I either have PUPPPs or Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (see HERE or HERE. )

We are hoping it is PUPPPS (as weird as it sounds to prefer that) because it doesn't come with all the dangers. Honestly, I really think it is that, but I will find out soon enough.

Alright everyone, that is all for now!

Lv,
Court

Hello all! Had my Doctor's appointment today and my belly was looking HORRIBLE so I figured something was wrong. Turns out my skin is reacting very poorly to the stretching. Basically, the baby is growing perfectly but my belly is not. =( My skin freaked out! So it is all red and raised and looks AWFUL, but she said I am doing everything right (moisturizing, not scratching) and she prescribed a cream to help. She did say that I need to take it easy to allow the swelling in my feet to go down. I told her I didn't think I had been THAT busy at which point she said that our definitions may be different. I know, I KNOW. Moving on, everything else was perfect. No weight gain (part of why my belly is stretching too much) and perfect blood pressure. Baby sounded great. I have one more appointment in 2 weeks at which point they will do an ultrasound to check her position and size for labor.... then I start going every week! Wow. I am at THAT point.

SO excited.

I purchased some organizers and a diaper caddy so I can get her room organized. I have so many of the items from the shower just sitting about b/c I prefer to have a nice specific place for everything before I put it away. Now I do! Earlier this week I washed all of her bedding, clothing, etc. with Dreft so it is all ready! The crib is finally made up and looks WONDERFUL. =)

The house is SO close. Just random things left, like hanging pictures or taking things to goodwill.

The baby shower video is up on youtube. =)

Lv,
Court

Quick update.

The baby shower went very well... had a great time and will vlog/post pics about it later.

I did way too much this weekend so my feet were SO swollen, ew. I am going to HAVE to start turning some activities down b/c honestly it does get that bad.

The house is coming along quite nicely. More and more of those "little" things are getting done. I finished the work station in the game room and the office closet. I am going to go work on the master bathroom later today. Slowly coming along...

So my stomach, which is now littered with stretch marks, has been slowly driving me mad. Why didn't someone tell me that stretch marks HURT/BURN/ITCH like crazy? Eek.

Little Sophie has been quite the mover and the shaker lately. So vigorous. I love it.

More later,
C

Vlog will be posted delayed this week.

We went on the Maternity Tour at the hospital this evening. It was a lot of information and thankfully not a ton of walking, although I wasn't having an issue with that, fortunately. While the instructor was going through everything, I got this surge of anticipation/excitement. I wrote "Eeeeeee" on the bottom of a piece of paper and passed it to K. He wrote back "Eeeeee" as well. He was feeling it too. My favorite part of it all? Seeing tiny just born babies. K pointed out that newborns were bigger than he thought and I agreed. And I have to carry that.

We also made some decisions about who gets to be in the room with me. As it stands, during the actual baby being born part, just K. During the laboring part, we have a hierarchy which I am not going to post about, but yes, there is an ordered list. Honestly, there is only one individual we anticipate having a problem with and that is only because they tend to say stupid and inconsiderate things BUT not out of spite (they are very loving!), just because they DON'T think about the effect it has on others. Obviously, I anticipate being a bit tense and don't want to be in a position to get annoyed/worked up at someone. There is going to be a lot of "playing it by ear" *laugh*. I am just going to see how I feel. K has warned me that I don't have to be diplomatic. I tend to be that way... I would rather be upset than make others upset, but giving birth is not the time for that. So, personal goal is to not be worried about everyone else being okay, but to worry about the baby and myself. Phew.

It is just all SO real and I am feeling very excited. A baby -my baby!- is coming soon! Amazing. I am also feeling this surge of control.... you would think at this point I would feel like everything was happening too fast or was getting out of hand, BUT instead I am feeling more confident and eager to take charge and plunge forward towards the birth of Sophie. A form of nesting, I am sure. I am also sure it won't last, so I should be as productive and planning now before it passes. =)

I am so, so, so excited for the baby shower this weekend. My best friends from out of town are coming in and I am really looking forward to everything.

love,
C

Hello all. The house is coming along nicely. We are now at that "all the little things" stage, which is actually much more annoying than the "big stuff" stage. For example, the game room is done... except for organizing all the workstation stuff. The bedroom is done... except for organizing the closet. Get the picture? Just all the remaining "things" so the house is currently in this kind of disheveled state where you can almost taste completion, ie. organized finality!

We did order our living room furniture which I ADORE. We even splurged and got a leather gliding recliner that is gorgeous and of which my father will be very jealous of.

Well, I am (just about)8 months pregnant now and I am definitely getting more sensitive/emotional. I suppose I assumed since I haven't really been (only a little), I would just pass up this normal pregnancy symptom, but alas, no. My biggest issue as of late is being told what I can do. No, I didn't mis-write that, I didn't mean being told what I CAN'T do, but literally, what I can. I expected to be bombarded with the "you can't do thats" and "you shouldn't do thats" so those type of comments roll right off me and I can honestly take them as the loving/caring/concerned involvement that they are. Great. It is the OTHER side that is REALLY irking me. People tell me "Oh, you can do that, you'll be fine." or "Oh you will feel like THIS at that point anyway" and so on, and so on.

(here I go...)

Okay, so there is a BIG difference between telling someone how YOU were at x point in your pregnancy or post pregnancy and telling them how they WILL BE. You aren't me, I am not you. I have never been in this position before and I don't know exactly how I will be a) feeling b) feel like doing or c) feel like not doing. So how could you possibly know? Like I said, there is a difference b/w sharing your wisdom/experience and JUST TELLING SOMEONE that this is how it WILL be b/c it was that way for you. EVERYONE and EVERY PREGNANCY is different. And so help me if you scoff when I have the nerve to stand up for what I am feeling or if I decide what I want to do based on my situation and not yours. Oooo, and don't get me started on those who have NEVER even been pregnant telling me "I will be fine" or "Oh, at that point you will want to do this" etc. What?!?!

*Sigh* I never go off into rants like this except to very few private individuals. However, I believe that is exactly why I am in this situation. I just smile or vaguely agree to avoid conflict and so can I really blame people for deciding these things for me? Which is exactly why I have reached the point where I am speaking out instead of just being really irritated and venting to K about it. (Who always encourages me to SAY something.)

So there that is. I know this is a tone I almost never take and part of me will want to delete it all and stay "sweet" but... no, I think this time I should say something because it has been really bothering me, escalating and it IS something I suspect many pregnant ladies (especially the first timers) go through.

I promise I am very happy still. Just don't give me grief if I make up my own mind about what I feel like doing at this late stage in the pregnancy and postpartum with my little girl. =) Just tired of all that along with some crazy emotional hormones.

On the plus side, the shower is this weekend. We have our first Childbirth A-Z class tonight and the Maternity Ward tour is tomorrow. Yay! Baby related productivity!

More later.

Love,
C