One more thing...

I hope this doesn't come across as mean or ungrateful because I LOVE receiving comments (in fact, keep 'em comin!) I've turned on comment moderation though, just in case those who know baby girl's name accidentally mention it in a comment. I've been pretty lax about S (he's a big boy and can fend for himself) but will probably be more rigid when it comes to her. So if you forget, it doesn't mean I don't love or appreciate the comment, I'm just keepin control of what I can since this is technically a public blog. I always have the other blog up and running too, and will hopefully have more to publish now that she will be here (as always let me know if you want to read so I can add you to the list.) Thanks to you all and happy reading!

So we're having a baby this week.

I went to my doctor's appointment last Thursday only to learn that baby girl is now breech. It must have happened in the past few weeks, too, because everything was looking right on track before Thursday. I told S that she must have inherited his sense of direction :) Anyway, upon learning that she's breech and that there is little chance that my doc can turn her safely at this point we scheduled a c-section.

I think I was mostly shocked at first. I had my appointment right in the middle of my shift at work and when I came down to tell my coworkers the news I started to cry (embarrassing.) I'm okay now though and am actually getting really excited. Having a scheduled c-section is a planner's dream! I arranged for today to be my last day of work so I have a few days to get ready. S and I are going on one final date the night before and I am planning on waking up the next morning and relaxing to the max before I have to go to the hospital that afternoon.

I'm also really happy because (a) I know that S will be there (been nervous since he's a firefighter that he wouldn't be around when I go into labor) and (b) my doctor will be the one to deliver her. He and I share such a similar philosophy when it comes to pregnancy that I really wanted him to be the one to deliver her and I know that isn't always the case. I'm not too heartbroken about not having a "natural" birth (is it really natural when I am planning on taking any and every kind of drug they are willing to offer me?!)

It has occured to me a couple of times that I've basically spent the last 9 months getting my body "delivery-ready" for nothing. I have heard so many times (and probably mentioned such) that the better shape you are in, the easier the delivery. I still faithfully plugged in Denise Austin's Fit-and-Firm Pregnancy Friday morning and as I was going through the routine, I thought, what's the point now?! Oh well, hopefully it will mean a faster recovery? I also found myself wondering why I was still reading the Labor and Delivery chapter in What to Expect... Knowing she's coming via c-section has definately changed things!

About the only thing that has been a problem to deal with is the fact that it is surgery and I will be awake. I still get flutters of panic if I think about it too much because I don't know how I will handle it. I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible, though, and remind myself that I have a great doc and S will be right there with me the whole time. And at the end of it I get to see our baby girl!! I am SO excited about that part! (I came home last night and found a pack of little bows that S had picked up at Target--on his own. I think he's excited too :) )

So I suppose the next post I publish will be post baby (unless she completely turns back on her own and they opt to let nature take it's course...I have to admit I think I'd be a little disappointed at that point. I feel so psyched up for this now, let's get it done!) I don't know when that post will be but I'm sure it will include lots of cute pictures! And hopefully an account of how smoothly the day went. Let's hope!

We're getting down to the wire!

As the end of this pregnancy is now only a few weeks away, I have sort of been overcome with a sense of nostalgia in thinking back over the last nine months. Of course there have been things that I will not miss (I've never had heartburn before in my life. Now I am one of Tums biggest customers.) but overall things have gone really well. I've been giving thought the past few days to the things that I think I will miss the most about being pregnant.


~S's conversations with my belly. It is so sweet to hear him prep her for the real-world stuff (i.e. Disneyland) or read her books. I have no doubt that these conversations will continue once she is born, but I won't be privy to them anymore.

~A is for Anticipation. I was one of those kids who would actually have preferred to have Christmas come later because it was the anticipation of Christmas that was so exciting. It's the same way with this baby girl. I can't wait for her to get here but am also relishing all of this excitement that's building up. Sometimes I find myself just running my hands along the adorable clothes she's accumulated in the last few months. I can't bring myself to wash them yet.

~I don't feel guilty at all for getting out of bed past 9 on my days off. I turn the alarm off and let the sun (or the need to go to the bathroom) decide for me when I'll get up. I also don't feel guilty at all for paying someone paint my toes for me (maybe a luxury to some but a necessity when you can't reach your own feet.)


~The parties! I've determined that baby showers are much more fun than wedding showers. I don't remember anyone "ooo"ing and "ahh"ing over towels and salt-shakers. Thanks to those of you who went to such lengths to host these showers. I'm pretty sure the majority of stuff we have for baby came from these parties and put S and I in a really good place as far as final preparations go.


~Being part of the preggo club. It seems like there are so many babies being born right now. I may have mentioned before that another one of my coworkers was pregnant the entire time I was. It was so much fun to compare notes and milestones. She had her baby last week and I have to admit I feel a little on my own now!


~Never being entirely alone. Not that I am one of those people who has to constantly be surrounded by people, but it has been really nice to always sort of have a companion with me, especially when S is at work. While I don't adore the direct jabs into my ribs, I love feeling her move, especially in response to something I do (like trying to move her out of my ribs.) I also just barely realized the other night that the weird twinges I was having in my lower abdomen the last several weeks were actually hiccups. I'd heard it was possible to feel them and didn't know it was hiccups I'd been feeling. It made me smile and wish I had realized this sooner. My SIL told me at one of my showers how much she missed just knowing here baby was there with her. It's probably the most nostalgic thing I've felt recently.

Now this might all seem sad and sappy and let it be known that I am excited to meet our little girl. In a way I think it is probably good to feel this way towards the end of a pregnancy because it has helped me cope with these last weeks a little better. We'll see if I feel the same way if she goes past her due date :)

So you know that neat present I got last Christmas?

My new sewing machine has been sitting pretty much where I put it at the end of 2008. I told S that I felt bad that he had bought me such a nice gift and that I hadn't really used it yet. He said he knew how overwhelmed I've been the last 7 months and that he considered it more of a long-term investment.

Well, I finally decided to put this long-term investment to work a few weeks ago when I was working on a paper craft project (to those of you who don't make cards or scrapbook, sewing on paper is totally legal and actually kinda fun.) The end results were successful enough that I think I got over my fear of using my new toy and decided to pull out a pattern and get to work.

(Sidenote: anyone who has been reading my blog for awhile knows that I made a quilt for S last Christmas, so I'm not a total beginner but (a) I was using my mom's sewing machine at the time and, naturally, my mom was there if I got into a bind and (b) cutting out squares and sewing them together ain't exactly rocket science.)

I decided to not start with anything too difficult. I need a tote bag. Voila, found perfect pattern in my mom's stash (she has a million patterns she's collected through the years and was nice enough to loan me one) and headed off to JoAnn's to get some material. Talk about a kid in a candy store, I had no idea there was so much cute stuff out there!! I also realized why my mom has so many yards of unused fabric laying around. It's too much fun just buying the stuff! Here's what I ended up with.

And then I found this material that I knew I would regret if I didn't get it. I'm planning on making a jumper for baby girl. (We'll get through the tote bag first, of course.)
And then I realized they have all of this COOL organizing stuff for sewers too!

Don't laugh, I realize that an entire thread box is overkill for 3 spools of thread but they just look so cute in there.
I can't wait to fill it up with pretty colors. And don't get me started on the bobbin box.

Of course, I needed something to store all of the pins in.Pretty and practical.

So I pulled out my fabric and pattern and realized I had nothing to cut it with or on. Needless to say I ended up back at the craft store and scored a cutting mat (just like the one my mom has used for years and years) and some pink sewing scissors. Now I'm ready. I think. I'll keep you posted on the progress...or lack thereof.