Keurig = Coffee Time...

...and quiet time!  Danny is still in bed, coffee is brewed, the aroma of french vanilla creamer is in the air and the dogs are being as quiet as they can be, for dogs.  So it's bloggin' time for this momma-to-be!

It's been a busy week at work and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon before I go out on maternity leave.  Oh joy!

Today Danny is going to install both car seat bases (seriously, we're running out of time) and hopefully get some yard work done.  We did some shopping last night and I think it's safe to say we will never need toilet paper again, ever!  We just joined Costco a few weeks ago and buying in bulk is fun.  I even got a 3 pack of relaxing CDs for labor.  We need to update our iPods for the hospital, yet another thing to add to my never ending "to~do" list. 

Danny's parents came over a few days ago just to say hey and drop of this little gal!

How cute, huh?  I love monogrammed and personalized stuff.  Which brings me to our next presentation:

Ohhhh-ahhhh!  My co-worker, Linda, made this for me!  Isn't it beautiful?  I love it!!!  It is getting hung in the nursery, today.  She is so talented and put so much thought into this gift.  Love, love, love!  She even drove 6 hours to hand deliver it.  I don't know if you remember the ribbon holder I made, but it has officially lost its spot on the wall in the nursery, this frame will be taking its spot.  Miss Marissa must be one special girl. :)

Now onto the baby gear!  I promised I would have pictures of our rockin' new stroller that we will be sporting Marissa around in.  Thanks again mom, love you!

And our house is officially being taken over by baby gear.  This will probably become Marissa's play area upstairs when she gets a little older.  I think Danny is going to have to make her a play room downstairs at some point.

Some of my co-workers pitched in and got us our Pack N Play (PNP) and they also got us this adorable piggy bank that matches the nursery perfectly!

Marissa's doll collection has already begun!  I can't wait until she's asking daddy to play Barbie's and have tea time. 

We are all set for Marissa.  We got our changing pad for the dresser set up, which I think completes the changing station.  

Everything has been going smoothly.  I had an appointment on Tuesday and have had no progress.  This week I've had a few more braxton hicks contractions but nothing to watch the clock over.  I'll be 38 weeks on Monday and have my next appointment on Tuesday.  We'll see what the doc has to say!  Mom called to say that her bags are packed and she's just waiting for "the call."  She's making me look bad because my hospital bag STILL isn't packed...I'm slowly working on it though.

I will say, one thing I won't miss about being pregnant is my swollen hands and feet.  I feel like I'm a 50 year old woman with arthritis in my hands.  The doctor said it's normal and I should expect to feel that way until Marissa arrives.  Oh well, I guess I really can't complain too much.  I've had such a great pregnancy so far that I would do it all over again (ask me this again after giving birth, lol).

Well, laundry and chores are calling my name.  Til next time!

It's Marissa's Birth Month (we hope)!!

Believe it or not, it's August!  Which means a few things: 1) Marissa should be making an appearance this month 2) We will become parents in ~ 30 days (holy cow) and 3) Our lives are about to change, forever!

We are pretty much all set for Marissa's arrival.  We still have a few things to do, but I think we're ready!  We toured the labor and delivery floor at the hospital on Friday and wrapped up our last birthing class.  A few of us in the class exchanged numbers and contact information to create our own personal "support group" for once our little ones arrive.  Who knows if any of us will actually keep in touch or get together, but it's nice that the option is there.  One couple actually lives right down the street from us and a few other couples live in the county.  

Friday my co-workers threw us a baby shower, it was really nice and we got a lot of great things for Marissa.  I'm so grateful for such kind and generous co-workers.  Plus there was yummy cake and lots of food!  A pregnant woman's best friend. :)  Ha, ha.

A piece of this cake might be calling my name tomorrow morning for breakfast. :o)

Danny came to join in on the fun!

Here's a picture of our pack-n-play we received, it's loaded down with presents for Marissa. 

As always, we had a very busy weekend.  Friday we had our last child birth class, my mom came to visit and my Brother in Law (BIL) and Sister in Law (SIL) came to visit.  They are also expecting their first child in December.  We are so excited for them and it will be a lot of fun having our children so close in age.  Even though they live far away, it will be fun when we all get together!

Saturday mom and I went shopping.  We got a few things to get ready for Marissa, including a mattress cover/protector, a tummy time mat and my mom also bought our stroller for us (thank you, mom - you're the best!).  I also got an exercise ball and some nursing bras for me.  I made a rice sock and a tennis ball pressure sock to take to the hospital with us.  I love sitting on the exercise ball, it's so comfy and hopefully will come in handy during labor.  We learned a lot of different ways to use it in class.  So now we are all set!  Danny is *hopefully* going to install the car seat this week and set up the stroller.  Pictures to come soon. :)  I have started packing my hospital bag, but still need to buckle down and get it ready to go.  I've been working on the last bit of baby laundry that we got from my work shower and other than hanging up a few decorations in the nursery, I will have the next 3 weeks to relax and enjoy this time with Danny.

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks!  3 to go!  Can't wait to meet you, Marissa.

Ohhh...and I just have to brag on my husband for a quick second.  On Saturday we were at his parents house and his cousin had her baby there, Aubrey (who is almost 2 months old now).  She was starting to get a little fussy so Danny practiced one of the 5 S's on her -- shushing!  It worked like a charm.  He looked so cute rocking her and trying to calm her down.  I know he is going to be a great dad!

...Time is Running Out

I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday.  Marissa is doing good, measuring on track and in the head down position but not ready to make her entrance into the world yet.  I think she is going to be fashionably late!  But only time will tell.

Overall I'm still feeling great.  I know, I'm the crazy pregnant lady who actually enjoys being pregnant.  The hardest part is getting up several times in the night to use the bathroom and I have had some slight swelling.  At night my hands and arms fall asleep.  This is a typical pregnancy symptom.  I think I just get so dehydrated at night that it contributes to the swelling.  It will be nice to have my own feet and hands back!  I hope I can fit back into my wedding rings soon.  I miss wearing them.

The full moon is on August 24th and Danny thinks that Marissa will arrive on the 25th.  I'm really curious to see what a contraction feels like.  I wonder if I'll be able to handle the pain or if I'll be screaming for an epidural after the first serious contraction.  I like to think I'll be able to handle things, I just need to keep calm, relaxed, remember to breathe and take it one contraction at a time.  I know that only about 10-15% of women have their water break naturally, and it's nice because it's a sure sign to go to the hospital but I'm kind of hoping that my water doesn't break too early.  If my water doesn't break early in labor then I will be able to use the birthing tub during active labor.  I think that would be really relaxing but if my water breaks then I can't get in the tub because of the risk of infection.  I love that our hospital has birthing balls, the tub, a squat bar and other remedies to help women who want to have a natural, med-free birth.  Laboring on your back in bed is the absolute worst position to birth in (but it's convenient for Doctor's, go figure).  At our hospital, if you get an epidural, you have to labor in bed the entire time!  No walking, moving around, nothing.  Not how I picture things going.

In our birthing class last week we got to try some different techniques to relax, open the birth canal and deal with contractions.  I really like the birthing ball.  There's so many things you can do to ease some of the pain.  We also did things like slow dancing with our spouse, lunges, pressure points, therapeutic massage and dangling in a squat position.  We've practiced some breathing techniques, but I'll be honest, it's really hard to practice breathing through a "fake" contraction.  The instructor suggested that we keep our breathing as normal as we can for as long as we can.  When things start to get tough, we can try deep breaths in and exhale deeply.  Then when the pain really gets strong, we break out the he-he-hooo's (fast breathing)!

We have our last birthing class on Friday and it feels so surreal.  The whole ordeal feels so surreal.  We have a nursery in our house, we have a car seat waiting to be installed, I'm having my last baby shower on Friday, but it just doesn't feel real yet.  The time has gone by so fast and I can't believe we will be meeting our little girl in approximately 26 days.  We get to tour the labor and delivery floor on Friday, maybe that will make things more real for me?  I guess since I am still pretty comfortable, I haven't reached that point where I'm done with this pregnancy.  I see/hear of so many women complaining in these last few weeks of pregnancy (some women complain the day they find out they are pregnant, I think it's just a way to get attention).  They get so impatient and are willing to put the health of their child at risk just to have an outside baby.  It's absurd! People don't seem to understand that 37 weeks is considered "full term" but that doesn't mean the baby is ready to enter the world.  The baby can double its brain mass in the last few weeks in the womb, isn't that more important than your comfort?  Having your child early could cause problems such as learning disabilities later in life, ADD, ADHD, etc.  I just want Marissa to be a healthy baby and I'll do anything I can to make sure that happens.  I don't know that I could live with myself knowing that I did something to jeopardize her health.

Alright, enough rambling...here's my 36 week belly pictures and a quick update on how things are progressing (or lack thereof, hence why I think Marissa will be fashionably late):

• Dilation - I'm closed up like Fort Knox.
• Effacement - Zero.
• Appetite - Still going strong, but I think I've been a little bit better the past few days.
• Total Weight Gain - About 30 pounds so I'm still within my recommended weight range.
• Contractions - A few braxton hicks contractions but nothing to call the Doctor about.
• Bathroom breaks in the night - 3 to 4 a night!  How do I get any sleep?
• Heartburn - Some here and there, I have to watch out for certain foods but V8 tomato juice has been tasting SOOO good lately.  I can literally chug it now and before I could barely take a sip at a time.
• Movement - Marissa is still moving around quite a bit, considering she is probably getting pretty cramped in there.  It still amazes me to see my belly moving, I think I will really miss all the movements.
• Cravings - Still no real cravings, total bummer...I still have a little over 3 weeks to get some crazy craving that Danny has to run to the store in the middle of the night for, wishful thinking...maybe!?
• Swelling - Fingers, feet and ankles are a little swollen, belly is extremely swollen. :-P  I guess it could be worse, plus this heat probably doesn't help.  

Maternity Photo Session

This weekend we had our maternity photo session with Danny's sister.  I really like how the pictures turned out.  I plan to narrow it down to a few that I really like and get them framed for our bedroom.  I hope she will also do our newborn photo session, those will be the pictures that we cherish for a lifetime!

35/35

Happy 35/35 to me!  You might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about...35/35 means I've gone 35 weeks and I have 35 D-A-Y-S to go!  Woot, woot! :-P

Much Needed R&R

Another weekend has come and gone.  Danny and I had a pretty relaxing weekend for a change, which was really nice!  Friday we attended our second birthing class.  Danny got to feel what it's like to carry around an extra 25 pounds, that was quite comical.  He will kill me for posting these (it's a good thing he doesn't read my blog, huh!?) but they are too funny to resist. 

And this one had the whole class laughing...even the instructor said she's never seen this happen before!

Yeah, that's Danny breastfeeding, lol!!

I think he has a lot to learn about the male anatomy, but he was a good sport!  Saturday we slept in and we set up Danny's new "media center" in the basement.  He's like a kid in a candy shoppe and I can't peel him away from his new desk.  I guess you gotta love a good Craigslist find!

My little nerd :)  I <3 him...

Once the desk was put together, we headed to our favorite place, (insert sarcasm for good measure) Fairview Beach!  Everyone knows that we have a slight history at Fairview Beach and if we knew what was good for us we would steer clear of that place, but we never learn (we've had a few broken bones, a bar fight, an ER visit, and many a drunken night occur at Fairview Beach).  We met up with an old friend that I went to High School with, Danny and I shared a beautiful sunset together then headed to the beach to watch the fireworks.  The show was great!  It was such a nice night.  Then we went to the Pirate's Den for a quick drink, well, I had ice chips while Danny had a beer, then we decided to call it an early night before we got ourselves into any trouble!  We tried to order pizza and bread sticks from Domino's but we just missed closing, so we vegged out on frozen pizza and bread sticks once we got home.  Not the best food to be eating at midnight, but it was good nonetheless.  

We grilled out steaks with Danny's parents today and they stayed to watch "The Bounty Hunter."  It was a nice relaxing day and tomorrow Danny leaves for travel to New York.  I'm bummed that he will be gone, but hopefully this will be the last time before Marissa gets here.  And hopefully Marissa doesn't decide to come early, or Danny will be on an immediate flight back home!

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks until my estimated due date.  There's a full moon on August 24th, a day after my due date, so I'll be interested to see if that impacts her arrival at all.  I know it's an old wives tale, but it's still fun to think about.  

Eli wanted to have a little photo shoot this evening, Sadie however did not...

Sadie kept her little butt under the futon, out of camera shot.  Her loss, no blog appearance for her!

**36 Days** to go!

Marissa is Getting Ready!

So, I think it's safe to say I've dropped...

I still have 40 days to go, but it looks like Marissa is getting ready for her arrival into the world.  Not that dropping means that I will be going into labor anytime soon (which is fine with me) but it does mean that we're getting closer to meeting our sweet little girl. 

We still have three birthing classes to finish, so Miss Marissa needs to stay put!  Plus, Danny is leaving for travel next Monday and won't be home all week.  I can't imagine what I would do if things started progressing when he isn't here.  Eeek!

I had someone tell me this weekend how scared they are for me to go through labor.  Call me crazy, but I guess it hasn't hit me yet.  I feel pretty calm and collected about the whole ordeal.  I feel like if I get all worked up over it and start focusing on the pain, it's only going to make the pain that much worse.  My plan is to stay relaxed, calm and to not focus on the pain and discomfort, but to focus on meeting our first child and the joy that she will bring to our lives.  I know that labor will be painful, it will probably be long, and I honestly don't know how I will handle the pain, but it's inevitable.  It has to be done and stressing about it isn't going to help anything.  So I'm taking a positive approach.  And if I hear one more person scoff at me for wanting to go natural, I just might not let them know when Marissa gets here!  Is it so much to ask for a little support?  And if I end up getting an epidural...so.be.it!  What does it hurt to try and how does it impact you on what I wish to do for my labor?  .::End Rant::.

Marissa has been pretty active lately.  It's crazy seeing my stomach move and discombobulate.  Sometimes I think she is sticking her butt in the air, or she'll hunker down on one side of my stomach and make my belly look lopsided.  It's quite a site!  I love feeling her hiccups too, it's so cute!  I'm really going to miss all the little kicks and jabs once she is an outside baby, but I can't wait to meet her.  I think Danny is getting pretty excited to meet her as well.  He's going to be a great dad! 

In ~ 40 days, we will be parents!  Now that's a crazy thought!