Six weeks later...

And here I am. Still somewhat in awe of the fact that I have three children.

Let's put it this way - I can only offer to drive two children somewhere and I have a MINIVAN, people. There should be wayyyyyy more room in there! But, no -- we pretty much fill it up on our own. Very strange. (In a wonderful way.)

Anyway, I'm getting ready to go to bed soon but thought I'd do a mini update.

Mitchell just started (and is LOVING) kindergarten. He had to miss the 2nd day of school because of a cruddy cold, which we found out today ended up turning into an ear infection. Go figure -- healthy all summer and BAM. Instantaneous illness with school starting. Nice. Doesn't it always end up that way? He is all kinds of excited because his teacher is taking them on a REAL treasure hunt tomorrow. He keeps emphasizing the "real" part to me. They are all dressing in their pirate best and everything -- he could not be more excited. I'm wondering what the treasure will be. I'm hoping it's celery myself. I would love something like that to be the ending. Tee hee!

Georgia just started (and is also LOVING) preschool. I am told that "she is a pro" when it comes to school. Now, if we could just get her to be a pro on the whole potty training thing, I'd be good. My hair stylist recently informed me of some gray hair sightings...I blame the potty training. She is more into playing with her babies these days and has developed a serious need to sing every day. Not a preference. A need. The girl must jam or things go south. She is also all about anything princess or princess-related. I believe it is an illness, actually.

Mason is growing like a crazy man. He is a little chunk and those baby smiles and coos just melt me and then some. He is the sweetest baby boy! At my MOPS steering retreat this weekend, I believe the longest he was not held was for about 7 minutes. He was a spoiled boy and just ate those ladies up. He would just snuggle in and the next thing you know, all sorts of hormones and "I want another one" comments just started flyin' around the room! He is a joy.

So. There you go. Again, I'll leave you with some pictures. First day of school and Mason at 6 weeks. The picture of him is actually the result of Miss Sassy Pants refusing to stay in her bed tonight at bedtime. We had to remove her beloved Duck and Blankie from the room. Mason was guarding them with his life, as you can see.

I hope to get back in the bloggy saddle soon - both reading and posting. For now, I'm doing the best that I can. Love to all...

I went to the grocery store.

Yes. With all three children! (And lived to tell about it, which I think is most noteworthy.)

Seriously, this outing was one of my biggest fears about having 3 kids...which sounds sort of silly...but truly -- I really was worried about it. So, yesterday when I discovered we were in dire need of a few things...I got brave.

It really wasn't bad. My hope was that one of those dumb car carts was available so that Big M and Miss G could drive themselves silly and Little M could ride in the seat part by me. Yeah. Two of them left -- neither of them had steering wheels. (WHY are they still out then??) So, they were walking.

I must admit, I am NOT above bribery in times like these. No siree, Bob. We headed straight to that cereal aisle and I told them they could each pick whatever box they wanted. You should have SEEN their eyes...they were huge and dancing with excitement! (I guess that's what happens when Mommy decides to let something else in the house besides oatmeal, honey nut cheerios and kix.) One box of Fruit Loops and one box of Cocoa Puffs later, we were making our way through the store...and I'm happy to report that it was a successful trip. They took turns grabbing things off of the shelves for me and putting them in the basket, and were equally helpful when I was putting the stuff up on the belt to get checked out! It was -- almost -- fun.

It's funny what becomes a big deal to you as a mom in times like these. I mean, really. It is somewhat sad to me that a simple trip to the grocery store was the highlight of my week. Well, it's a toss up between that and Georgia pooping on the potty for the first time, if that tells you anything.

I'm taking each moment as it comes and trying not to lose sight of the blessings I have under this roof. And the more that I think about it, I'm GLAD that the grocery store outing was such a big deal. It means that I'm right where I want to be doing what I know I was meant to do right now, and that's enough for me.

Week One Reflections...

Well, I've officially survived my first week and a half as a Mommy to three children. That right there is a definite plus, don't you think?

My husband returns to work in the morning after three weeks at home with us. It has been just long enough to make it feel like a new way of life -- having him around and just having family time all the time. I am so very, very lucky that he was able to have that kind of time at home with us...I know that. But I won't lie. I'm already getting a little teary thinking about him walking out the door in the morning. We're all going to miss him so, so much. I think it might be a rough morning around here. I think I'll try and focus the kids' attention on doing something special for him though - maybe we'll make some special pictures or bake some treats. I just want to channel their feelings and energy into something that will make everyone feel better at the end of the day.

Anyway - I thought since true reality will hit me tomorrow, I would post a short update while I have the chance. Here are some of the happenings of our big first week together at home.

* My husband has taken a surprising (and completely unprompted) interest in styling Miss G's hair. I'm serious. He came to pick me up from the hospital and very proudly told me that he figured out how to put her hair in a ponytail for the first time. It was seriously cute. Since then, he's taken the initiative and done her hair most days and has even accepted some modeling and coaching from me. Who knew?

* Half of my family thought Mason's name was Nathan. I guess it sounds sort of similar on the phone or something. I believe everyone now knows that it's Mason, but still -- how funny would that be if we got a card or something for Baby Nathan? I giggle thinking about that.

* Georgia has definitely come around to the whole Big Sister and Baby Brother idea. She asks about him all of the time and frequently wants to hold and kiss Mason. The funniest thing to us is that she never seems to be able to see him when I'm nursing. I mean, my nursing boobs are big, but it's not like you can't see him there. She'll walk around all confused looking everywhere and look straight at me and say "Where's my Mason?" See. Now there's a girl for ya - looking anywhere BUT at the boobs. (If any of you watch that silly "Wipeout" show -- which is our new family favorite, by the way -- Chris had me laughing so hard one night. He said Georgia is like that crazy girl from Alaska who couldn't find the pole when it was sticking up right in front of her. It is JUST like that.)

* Mitchell is a great helper, just like we knew he would be. He is so smitten with his Baby Brother. Our favorite is when people come to see us or bring a meal over...he turns into sort of a mini Vanna White. He holds his hands up just like she does at the beginning of a new puzzle and says "And HERE is Mason. See? Here he is!" It's pretty cute. He also reads him books every day - and that gets me all misty. I mean, you just don't ever expect your "baby" to be big enough to read books (and I mean READ books) to a mini-him. Very strange. And special. And extraordinary. And bizarre. All at the same time.

* My husband looks pretty darn hot holding this little guy. What is it about the whole Daddy thing? He is a great Daddy and seeing him in action with all three of our special little kiddos just makes me weak in the knees.

* Can I tell you that I had forgotten just how much these little newborn people poop? Really. All. The. Time. Mitchell has gotten a complete kick out of the two times that I've gotten mega peed on. I thought he might have an accident himself the first time - he was laughing so hard. It got even more giggly when Mason started pooping on the changing table. I'm still trying to remember to cover that little fire hose with a washcloth every time I take his diaper off. I got out of the habit with Miss G.

* Mason is just about as sweet as he can be. I am finding it very difficult to put him down, not because he's fussy but because I know all too well how quickly it goes and how fast they grow. Right now, one of my very favorite things on the planet is true -- his little teeny bottom fits right in the palm of my hand when I hold him. *sigh* I just adore that. He is a complete snugglebug and I think that I might be setting myself up for trouble in the future, but I don't care. I am gonna hold and snuggle and love on that baby boy all I can.

So. There ya go. Just the tip of the iceberg but some of the latest happenings and learnings at our house. We are happy. We are in love. We are beyond blessed.

Georgia is here!!!

Okay, so a week and a half later...and I finally remembered that I have a blog! :)

After all of that stuff leading up to her birth, really all it took was someone telling her she COULDN'T be born last weekend, and boom...there she was, insisting on it! Apparently the doctor on call from my ob practice requested no inductions last weekend because she had a big charity function to attend. Well, Saturday afternoon Georgia decided to kick things into gear anyway.

I got a big, huge contraction out of the blue, enough to double me over on the bed and use some breathing to get through it. I told Chris that it was DEFINITELY a real contraction and that I thought this was the day. We kept our eye on the contrax and for the most part they were 8-10 min. apart for the better part of 2 hours. When we called the ob to tell her that, she was hesitant to let us wait for my father in law at the house because she said you just never know how quick these 2nd babies want to come out. It ended up being fine. He arrived like 15 minutes later and we were on our way.

We got to the hospital around 5, and by the time we got checked in, up to the L & D floor, settled in, paperwork filled out, etc. they checked me and I was at 5 cm and totally thinned out. I about did a happy dance!! I told them that my plan was to hang out and walk around as long as I could before getting my epidural because I didn't want to be stuck in bed the whole time. They were fully supportive of that and we were on our way. Unfortunately, it was all back labor again. That pretty much stunk, but you take what is given to you, right? I actually felt good about just breathing through them and doing this little hula hoop swishy circle thing my nurse showed me. My AMAZING coach and hubby did a great job of helping me through them and we had a good laugh at him hula hooping along with me for awhile. They started getting stronger and I had Chris push really hard on my lower back to get me through them for the middle-last part of the time.

Oh, I should add that since my doctor was at the charity function, she had another doctor covering for her. Not a doctor from my practice, but someone entirely different. Never heard of her, never met her, knew nothing about her. I do know that if our doctors trust her, then I have good reason to trust her, so I tried to go with that, even though I was pretty nervous about it. She came to see me and the plan was to get my epidural at 9, then break my water and go from there.

Well, at about 8:30 I got a KILLER contraction and I looked at Chris and said "Okay, this is getting stupid now" and we decided to just go ahead and get the epidural at that point. So, about 15 minutes later we got that going. Ironically, even though I lost the pain, the hour or so after getting my epi was the absolute WORST part of my labor. I got the shakes like CRAZY, my blood pressure dropped a bit and I was TOTALLY nauseated. I just felt really scared...our AWESOME nurse (Danny was his name) told me that it was partially because I'd been in total control of everything for so long and now I didn't have that control. Makes sense, huh? Anyway, we cleared out my family (mom, dad, brother, sister in law) to the waiting room and just tried to concentrate on resting, breathing and calming down. Worked pretty well.

I stalled out at about an 8, but you know, that may have just been Miss Georgia biding her time until my doctor was done with her dinner engagement. She got to the hospital around 10, checked me and had them start pitocin. An hour later and we were good to go. I pushed for about 20 minutes and everything was over. She came out and was good and healthy from the start.

I cried when she cried and just couldn't believe how fast it all went. She weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 20 inches long. She has black hair, just sort of peach fuzzy on top and then quite a bit in the back. She's gorgeous and sweet and we are SOOOO beyond blessed to have her in our family.

I was right...we didn't know we were missing her here until she showed up. It's like she's always been here. Mitchell loves her and Chris and I are completely smitten. It's crazy that you'd choose to return to these sleepless, worrisome nights, but every time we hold her and look at her, there's no question that she was meant to be from the start. She's a little miracle and my heart is full with love and appreciation for the gift of her life with ours.

What a great day!!

And I didn't even have my baby!! :) I know, I know...if you've read any of this then you're wondering how it's possible that my miserable self managed to enjoy an actual day of pregnancy at this point. Well, it's simple...my hubby and my little boy did it for me.

We got up yesterday morning, lounged around, ate some breakfast and got Mitchell ready for school. Chris and I dropped him off together -- he did pretty good again, yay! -- and came back home. Neither of us had showered yet, so we did that and decided to try and eject Georgia with another DTD session -- obviously unsuccessful, but we did laugh through most of it. Finished getting ready and had a nice lunch at Quiznos. I swear, they have the BEST sandwiches, but my good gracious they're expensive. It was $17 for a kid's pack and our 2 sandwiches. At a sub place, but oh well...we chowed down. :)

We picked Mitchell up, who promptly informed us that he had a great day!! Hooray!! Oh, and EVERYONE was like "You're still pregnant?" Um, yeah...thanks there Captain Obvious and crew. (See me rolling my eyes.) Seriously, what do people expect your response to be? I'm SO over telling people about my last appt, how far I'm dilated, when our induction appt is, blah blah blah. Just wish us well and move on with your lives, people. Oh well, that was the last time I have to endure that torture, because he doesn't have school again until Tuesday and that will be baby-having day if she doesn't come before then!!

So, after we got Mitchell settled in the car with his lunch, we drove to the fire station to get the car seats checked. I've had M's seat checked there several times and got the information off of our hospital's website. Well, we pull up and I go to ring the doorbell for some assistance and there's this sign on the door. "Due to city budget cuts, the educational programs and car seat checks have been discontinued." :( Isn't that sad? We called my mom to have her look on the internet and the only other place doing any checks yesterday was like a 45 minute drive. No thank you. (Besides, Chris wouldn't waste the gas -- hee hee.) So, that's still on the ol' "to do" list. I think there's a place doing them today so we might swing up that way and get it done.

So...Chris asks if I want to go see my Grandpa at the cemetary. I was talking about him earlier in the day and how much I miss him, and we didn't end up making it out around Christmas so I said sure. Mitchell fell asleep in the car, so we just left him in there while we visited the gravesite. (It was like 100 yards away -- don't worry.) Usually I just like to go see, remember some special memories and say "Hi". Well, I got really emotional yesterday -- just kept thinking about how much he would LOVE spending time with Mitchell and how he's probably hog the cuddling of one Miss Georgia Reagan upon her arrival. I just started crying -- poor Chris. He said he didn't mean to make me sad --well, duh. Not you making me sad, buddy. I just miss him a lot, but I'm glad we went to see him. I know he's watching over us.

So, Mitchell was awake when we got to the car so we changed his pull up and drove to the BEST park a few miles away. The boys had an absolutely FANTASTIC time together. They were climbing and sliding and running and jumping. Just having so much fun. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so that was a bonus, too. We let Mitchell play for about half an hour and then decided to get some walking in. There is a little pond you can walk around at this park, so we headed that way. It was like paydirt for Mitchell -- TONS of ducks and geese flying in and swimming in the melted section of the frozen pond, and on the other side, a HUGE excavator and dump truck working hard. He saw the truck after hearing the "Boom" from the rocks being dumped in and said "Whooooaaaaa...look at that, you guys!! That's AWESOME." :) So, we watched the trucks for awhile, then we watched the ducks/geese for awhile. He would just giggle like crazy when they'd fly in. It was such a fun time! We took my 40 week belly shots in front of the pond, actually.

Then we coaxed (okay, bribed) Mitchell back to the car with the chocolate chip cookie from his kid's pack lunch. Drove home and we all just bummed around until we were hungry for dinner. I watched Oprah and took a nap, not sure what the boys did -- they watched the repeat of the Daytona 500 and played ball, I know that. Then we got up, went to dinner and came home. We watched the Olympics and read with Mitchell. (By the way, Mitchell loves to watch "The Impics." :) Put him to bed and called it a night.

It was such a fun day. Chris and I were talking while we were driving and I told him I was so sorry that he was missing work. He said that he wasn't sorry at all. He said the reason he works so hard is so that he can enjoy some family time without having to worry about having enough vacation or sick days -- he can take them when he needs them. Says he doesn't have one ounce of guilt about not being at work -- said this IS paternity leave. I'm where I'm supposed to be. He also told me that there's a big wide world out there that he misses every day by sitting in his office and to be able to see it through Mitchell's eyes and share it with us as a family is his favorite thing to do and he wouldn't trade it for anything. It was really nice to hear him say those things because I really felt like my little false alarm meant he was wasting his time -- he thinks he'd really be wasting all of our time if he was at work. Sigh. Love him.

Not sure what's up for today...and I kind of like it that way. Don't get me wrong...I'm still READY for her to make her entrance and join our family, but another day like yesterday wouldn't be so bad.

Strange goings on...

Well, I had some pretty good contractions last night during Georgia's normal active period. Enough to make me stop what I was doing...and enough to start timing them when Chris got home. They were like 10-15 minutes apart most of the time. The funny thing is I got REALLY tired and just conked out, so I think I probably slept through quite a few of them last night. I'm HOPING this is the start of something, but who knows.

Chris was going to go to work today but decided he'd rather stay home -- doesn't want to leave me. I'm glad. We'll see what happens.

This sucks...

Okay, so EVERYTHING has annoyed me today. Mitchell woke up in a cranky, sassy mood and that pretty much put me in the same frame of mind, unfortunately. It's just hard not to start off on the wrong foot when you have a whiney, sassy kid following you around being mouthy at 6:30 a.m. Poor Chris -- I think he just really tried to stay out of my way today, which was probably smart. He took Mitchell to run some errands after lunch and they showed up at home with some ice cream -- even smarter move. :)

I don't know...I just felt sort of "on edge" today. Not mad, not upset, just very irritable. Mitchell didn't take a nap today so we're getting ready to head up to the bathtub and then bedtime early tonight. He's so cute...he's sitting there reading books to himself right now. I asked him if he wanted me to read to him and he said "No, mommy...I'm reading by myself." It's so cute to hear them read the stories in their own words. His favorite book right now is "The New Baby" by Mercer Mayer. He reads it probably 5 times a day. Hope that's a good sign.

We decided that Chris will go back to work tomorrow and Friday so that he can take 2 more days off next week and not go back to work until the 13th. That would be great if it works out like that...we'll just see.

I've had lots more contractions yesterday and today...when I have them now, it's strange. It's almost like it frames Georgia -- like I have a cinder block in there -- gets all boxy. They're definitely stronger and more obvious, but not hurting and not regular...yet. We'll see. Chris did leave to go coach his mock trial team...maybe that's all it will take!! Him leaving for that and threatening to go back to work and we'll trick her out! :)

Anyway...at least we'll come home to a clean, much more organized house. We got a LOT of stuff done today...sorted through the toys in the living room, moved some up to Mitchell's room, moved books/office stuff out of the other half of Mitchell's closet, etc. I also did the floors again, dusted, and cleared out the junk mail. I think I'll throw a load of laundry in tonight after I put him to bed and then I'll call it a day myself.

Did I mention I'm ready for her to come out? I am...very ready. Sigh.

Forget it...

I'm done trying to be happy and cheerful the whole time. I want my baby and I want her now!! I know in the grand scheme of things, a week is only a matter of 7 days. I know this...I'm a logical, rational, thinking person. I'm aware that a week's time is nothing. But you know what, when you've spent the last 40 weeks with this date firmly cemented in your family's future history -- a week beyond it DOES seem like a long time.

I mean, what if you had your dream vacation planned for the 20th and the 20th gets here, your bags are packed, the house is clean, everyone (and I mean the entire free world) knows you're "leaving", you get to the airport and find out your plane is delayed. Delayed? For how long? Well, not sure. It COULD be that things could go into motion on their own and your plane could leave anytime now -- go home and wait to see if that happens. If nothing happens before the 27th, then call us at 7:30 p.m. on the 27th and we'll tell you if THAT flight to Hawaii has room for you. If not, then we'll certainly get you in as soon as possible.

NOW does it seem like a long time, people????????? Because it sure does to me!!!!!! I think the thing that's also complicating things is that Chris had to schedule his paternity leave WAAAYYY ahead of time. I guess we should have anticipated this (hindsight-right?) and had it start NEXT Monday? But you know, then she would have been early.

Anyway... I know people just try to make you feel better, but in the moment, a week feels like an eternity to me.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

It's FREEZING here. Yesterday the high was in the teens and the windchill at night is WELL below zero. So what did Chris and I decide would be a great thing to do yesterday? Yes, that's right...we put carseats in the car. In the freezing car. Inside of the freezing garage. For like an hour and a half. As you can imagine, by the end of that time, there was a mix of laughter and snippiness with each other. I have no idea why putting that infant base in was such an ordeal, but for whatever reason, it was. By the time I got inside, my butt cheeks were LITERALLY frozen. Just so cold. So I sat on them...warmed them up nicely that way!! :)

I can't imagine not having somewhere to live right now and trying to deal with that cold. Just even walking out to get the paper puts a chill in your bones for at least a few minutes. I know there are shelters and places like that, but you know not everyone is able to get to one for whatever reason.

On that same topic, we were watching the Olympics yesterday and the announcers happened to mention that the bobsled hill cost $93 million dollars to construct. How in the world can Italy find that kind of extra money? Or Greece for the previous summer ones to build a big stadium? Or Salt Lake City? And then what happens to those places? Do they get torn down? Do they just sit? I guess I don't get it -- doesn't seem like the best idea to just keep building these random things in random places to get used for 2 weeks when there are so many better ways to use the money. I mean -- if you really stop to think about the Olympics and how much money it takes to put them on -- it's astounding.

Anyway...not sure why I was thinking about that, I just was.

I got all of the cleaning done, which makes me feel great. I was watching the video from when we brought Mitchell home the other day and GOOD LORD our house was nasty. There was stuff EVERYWHERE!! Now, true, it was the beginning of the Christmas season, so I still had some decorating boxes out and stuff, but it was clutter city!! Those were the days when we still had a coffee table (which is LONG gone now) and you couldn't even SEE it, there was so much stuff on it. I refused to have that happen again, so we're looking good now. Even all of our laundry (except for yesterday's stuff) is clean. Chris' dress shirts -- everything! Feels good. I think today I'll run the vaccuum again and clean the kitchen from top to bottom. I also need to sterilize my breast pump parts and the bottles and nipples so those are all good to go. I think I'll also get Chris to pull out the fridge and oven for me so I can clean behind there. Been bugging me for some reason. Other than that, we're good and she can come anytime now!! If not, we have a dr. appt on Monday morning.

In other words, don't look for a new post until after my appointment tomorrow. Sigh.

Well, if it means anything...

I cleaned like I'd never get the chance again yesterday. I'm a little sore today, but it feels good to have it done. I have several more things to check off of my cleaning list today, but we'll just see what the day brings. It sure would be nice to get it all done and bring her home to a nice, organized clean home. Ha!! Right. Like it will stay like this or something. Not.

With Mitchell I never had the "nesting" thing kick in. Might have been busy using that up at work, trying to get ready for maternity leave. With Georgia so far, it's just been organizing and de-cluttering. Yesterday though, I just felt like kicking it into high gear with cleaning. Plus, it was cold and snowy out, so that helped that we were in for the day. Same thing today, so we'll see what happens.

I'm at the point where the majority of our phone calls and/or emails are either daily checkins from family or "Is she here yet" inquiries from family/friends. It's nice to be thought of and prayed for, but it would also be nice to not have to say "Not yet" and tell how I'm doing 14,000 times a day. (Okay, maybe not quite that many.) Know what's funny? Even Mitchell asked me yesterday "Is she ready to come out of your tummy yet?" I guess maybe I must look like she can't possibly stay in there any longer or something, huh?

I'm really excited that Chris is done with work after today. Maybe she'll come this weekend on her own...or in the first part of next week? That would be GREAT!! We'd love that! Too bad we're not in charge. Funny how these babies run the show even before they take their first breaths, huh? Oh well...at least we still have time to install the car seat! (Um, yeah...can you tell Chris has put that little task off? I'm ANAL about it so I'm about ready to do it myself!!!)

The waiting game continues...

Stiiiiilllll going...

Had my 39 week appointment yesterday. No change. Nothing doing. It was with the doctor I'm probably least comfortable with in the practice. She's not very friendly...not unfriendly, just I always get the impression that she'd rather be somewhere else. She never tries to familiarize herself with me, my situation, anything personal like that. Just all business. I guess that's good because I'm sure she'd be great at actually delivering the baby -- but it's such a personal experience that I prefer someone who also wants to know you and a little bit about you. I would think it would be quite an honor and privilege to be part of helping someone's family grow and bringing a new life into the world. I guess that's just me...I'd try to make sure that the personal part of it was as as important to me as the medical/business part of it if I were an OB. Oh well... hopefully she won't be on call when I need to deliver, but if she is, it will be fine.

My friend gave me very good advice yesterday. She told me that as hard as it is, to try to take a step back and appreciate the experience. Focus on the amazing child I've been raising for the past three years and see him in a new light. Concentrate on what truly a miracle it is to have another little person growing inside of me and appreciate what a blessing it is to be able to do this. I think she's absolutely right. This is the last child for us, so these are the last few days I'll EVER be pregnant, and as miserable as I am at times, I know I'll miss it. As eager as I am to hold and cuddle and snuggle her, I know I'll miss watching her move inside of me...there's just something magical about it.

Anyway...I'm trying to not to be too big of a complainer here at the end, but sometimes it's just hard. It will be over soon and we'll have her to hold and this will seem like forever ago. I do remember that. Waiting is hard in general...like waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for a package to come in the mail, waiting for a phone call from a friend, waiting for a loved one to come home. I can honestly say though that waiting for a little person that you helped create and grow into a strong, healthy human being is the hardest waiting of all. That said, it's more than worth it.

Heartburn bites the big one..

Just in case any of you weren't aware, heartburn sucks. Especially when you're a week and a half away from your due date, snuggled into a warm bed while it's snowing outside, and otherwise generally comfy (which doesn't happen very often). I actually had such bad heartburn last night that I nearly vomited...that's rare for me, so you know it was bad. It is now 5:20 a.m. and I've been up since 1:30. Lovely, eh? Should make for a SPECTACULAR day. Not.

Well, I had my 38 week appt yesterday...not very thrilling. I'm one centimeter dilated but still have a high, thick cervix. My bp was fine, her heartbeat was strong, nothing up with the urine... in other words, nothing doing. I have my next appt on Wednesday morning...it's with the one doctor I really didn't "click" with so much last time, so I hope I feel better about it this time. I also still haven't seen the doctor who actually delivered Mitchell, but with any luck she won't be the one on call when I deliver and it won't matter. Otherwise, I guess I'll just make my next appt with her just in case.

My new dilemma is figuring out if we should try to push for an induction on or RIGHT after our due date (the 20th). Since I went into labor on my due date with Mitchell, Chris' leave worked out great. This time, I'd really, REALLY like to have some time to bond as a family before he has to go back, so I'd really hate it if half of his two weeks off was spent just hanging out, waiting for her to be born. As of yesterday, the doctor told me that we have my next week appt at 39 weeks, then if I make it to my 40 week appt, we can schedule an induction for 5-7 days afterwards before I leave the office. I'm *hoping* it doesn't come to that, but thinking about asking for an induction instead of an appt at 40 weeks was my idea in the car on the way home. I wonder if they'd give me a hard time about that? I haven't had any issues along the way (health-wise), and she's measuring a few days ahead anyway. I guess we'll just see.

Next Monday is a full moon...I wonder if it might "pull" me into labor? I wouldn't mind a Valentine Baby...not at all. I wonder if she would enjoy it though? I know some people don't enjoy having their birthdays near holidays...I wonder if that would be one she'd hate to share. Personally, I wouldn't mind...never been real big into Valentine's Day as it is. It might suck as a kid though...the Valentine parties were always fun...decorating your little "mailbox", passing out valentines and candy. She would have to share her birthday treats as part of the party I bet. Oh well...it's not for me to decide at this point! If she comes out then and ends up hating it, I'll tell her it's her own fault...she is the one who chose her birthday!! :)

Little Miracles

Kids are little miracles, aren't they? I guess the closer I get to meeting our little girl, the more in awe of our little boy I am. Chris and Mitchell were "playing wrestling" (obviously I've opted out of this activity for awhile now) and I was just blown away watching them. I'm feeling my belly and all these little baby feet and kicks and movements and watching someone who started out there and is now doing flying leaps onto his daddy's belly for fun. Crazy.

I think that's the biggest difference between my last pregnancy and this one. Last time I was running around (okay, maybe not RUNNING) like a chicken with my head cut off right up until like 4 days before going into labor. I was trying to get ready for a half year (ended up being year and a half, but same idea) maternity leave at a really bad time to do that in the schools. It was conference time, which for me meant 4 nights of parent-teacher conferences to prepare for and attend since I had 2 schools. PLUS, I was trying to train the woman who was taking my position and trying to get testing/reports done through like spring break. (Even though it was the end of November.) I remember my last day was supposed to be the Friday before Thanksgiving and I ended up coming in on Monday and Tuesday anyway to finish testing and write reports. All I would do is get up early, get ready, go to work, gut it out, come home, make and eat dinner and then fall asleep on the couch until Chris woke me up to go upstairs to bed. That was my life. That was it.

This time...um, a bit different. No full time job to go to...my job is here at home. Some days, if I don't want to get out of my jammies until noon (or ever), I don't have to. I haven't worn half of my maternity wardrobe...namely the dresses, jumpers, dress pants, skirts and dressy blouses. Save for a couple of dinners out, parties and things like that, I mostly wear jeans and sweats. Sad, but true. I mean, I'm coloring, painting, doing playdough, playing blocks, giving baths, going to the grocery store, etc. It's not like anyone but Mitchell sees me half the time anyway. The thing that goes along with being more comfortable and a slower pace (thank GOD for that -- literally-- by the way) is that I have had more time to contemplate this pregnancy. I feel like I have more time to think about everything associated with it...especially now at the end.

In addition to more time, I now also have experience on my side and under my belt which makes thinking about labor and delivery, bringing her home, and the whole newborn thing very different than when I thought about these with Mitchell. I feel like I know more, but at the same time, there's so much I don't know with this one...it's a GIRL. We know boys. :) Besides, now we have Mitchell to contend with and worry about in addition to Georgia. Being able to handle that aspect of things (and get out the door when I need to) is probably what has me the most nervous. I've heard people say that it's REALLY hard to go from 1 to 2 kids...much easier to go from 2 to 3, which doesn't make much sense to me until I think *duh*...it's this transition. It's probably similar to the difficulty in adjusting from being single to being married, I imagine...just OBVIOUSLY on a much bigger scale.

I'm looking forward to everything for sure. I've been a little nostalgic this week. I wanted to show Mitchell some of his birth video so he could see us at the hospital and what a teeny tiny baby he was. He loved it but couldn't figure out where Ryan was when he saw his Aunt Jen and Uncle Tim...Ryan is 4 months younger! :) He was intrigued and I was misty eyed. Could that really be HIM on the screen? Was he EVER that tiny? Hearing his little newborn cry brought back feelings and memories I didn't expect...very strange. I had the same nostalgic feelings when I was going through his baby clothes, too. I washed them up for my sister in law who is on bedrest and due 2 weeks after me (but will probably have her baby first, I bet) and was just in a pool of tears looking at and remembering all of those precious clothes. I remembered going places and doing things with him in those outfits. The outfit he wore home from the hospital, his first shoes, the outfit he wore to the hospital when Ryan was born, the little jean jacket he wore when we took him to meet my mom's friends at bowling, etc. It was all just flooding back.

I can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like and feel her cute little baby bootie all snuggled up in the palm of my hand and smell that wonderful baby smell. I can't wait for Mitchell to meet her and I already cry thinking about that moment. He's been SO excited about everything...picked out a special toy to take to the hospital for her...it's the turtle from Baby Neptune. He's named it "Turtle the Turtis" by the way. I just am excited to see another little person start this big adventure called life and can't belive how fast it all goes.

I've done this before, right?

You'd think I'd be more "sure" about what the heck is going on. I had an interesting night of playing "is it labor" vs. "is it not" last night. I've decided on it's not. My back hurt, but that came and went (same with Mitchell's labor) and I was really uncomfortable with some contractions and having to go to the bathroom way more often. I just was very, very uncomfortable. I also think I lost small parts of my plug two days last week, so who knows what that means!! I think the thing I just can't get over is how foreign it all feels. You'd think that everything would just come rushing back, but nope. I feel like I've never done this before and that I'm no more clued in this time than I was last time. It's all a waiting game and I know you just take it as it comes. I've said all along that I doubt I'll go before Valentine's Day, so we'll just have to see how this all plays out. For now, I'll just rest when I can and listen to my body. (Whatever that means.)

I guess I just expected to feel more like I knew what was going on, but I don't. I am hoping it's not like this when she's here -- I better know what the heck I'm doing there!!