Celebrate!!!

Happy Independence Day from our little firecracker!

10 Days and Counting

We are scheduled: July 9th at 10:30 AM. It seems funny to know exactly when your baby is coming (provided she doesn't try to sneak out earlier on her own, of course).

I am feeling better about everything. It has been incredibly helpful to talk to others who have had the procedure and have them explain what to expect- thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am sure I will get more nervous as the day approaches, but I am also sure it will be fine. I think the hardest part will not to be able to hold the baby right after she is born- but, Ben will get to and he will like that.

Hard to believe we will have another little one in just 10 days!!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Apparently this little one is as stubborn as her mother. I knew the baby had already dropped so it would be tough, but because I have a lot of fluid they said the chances of it working were better. Well, it didn't- and it definitley hurt! Her little butt is just nicely tucked into my pelvic bones and she wasn't going to budge. Thank goodness for my in-laws- we ended up being at the hospital for a VERY long time so Audra got to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa- THANK YOU to them (we owe them a lot of thanks- they are so wonderful to us!!!).

Anyway, it looks like I will be scheduling a C-section. I cried. I am a little scared about this (now would NOT be the time to share your c-section horror stories), but we are trying to see the positives. Ben thinks it will be great- I can make him do everything for two weeks and he doesn't have to watch me go through labor. Of course, he isn't the one who has to have the c-section either, so it would be easier for him. But, we can time our babies arrival which will be nice. We are thinking the 10th because that is Ben's Friday off from work, then he can take two weeks, and then my mom is scheduled to come the 25th for a week- right when Ben would have to go back to work, so the timing of it all could work out really well-provided I don't go into labor earlier then that. I won't have to go through actual labor and have the pain of the contractions, and all the yucky stuff that happens down there I will miss out on. That part will be nice.

Audra's labor was actually pretty good- until the pushing part. I pushed for three hours, and that caused a lot of problems with the recovery. In talking to my doctor a few weeks ago, she assured me my body now knows what it is doing and I would not push for nearly that long- thus making my recovery easier. I wouldn't say that I was excited about labor- but at least I knew what I was getting into and that it would be much better then last time. No surprises- until now. I am still trying to wrap my head around this and convince myself that it will be alright. I know it will be- millions of women have had c-sections, it's just trying to get a completely different version of how the birth will be that is completely unfamiliar and quite a bit scary that is hard. Needless to say, I will be reading up on this- and I appreciate the articles and info some of you have already sent- I will definitely be researching this so I know what I am getting into, as well as discussing everything with my doctor. (And, I will try the old wives' tales of how to get a breach baby to turn! The doctor said it is possible she will turn on her own, but very unlikely.)

So I guess I am feeling overwhelmed right now with the thought of a c-section, but I greatly appreciate all of your support! It really means a lot. I am also very grateful that I have Ben- I don't know if I could do this without him, and I don't envy single mothers who go through this alone.

Already a Problem Child

I am teasing a little on the title, but I just came back from the doctor where I found out the baby is breach, so Ben and I are off to the hospital so they can try and switch her around (it has to be done at the hospital in case I go into labor during the procedure). I really don't want a C-section- though I know some people love them- so I hope this works! We'll keep you all posted!

Mothers In Training

Yesterday Audra's friend Chloe came over and her mom (who just had a baby) and I were watching a video to figure out our Moby Wraps and the girls decided they wanted to get in on the action:

Tell me this isn't one of the cutest pictures you've ever seen! They look so happy carrying their baby dolls around!

Laughter

Here is a conversation as overheard by my friend's priest:

Daughter: Daddy, are you the boss of this house?

Daddy: Why, yes, honey- I am the boss of this house.

Daughter: Is that because Mommy put you in charge?

I thought that pretty well sums up most American homes!

Bald is Beautiful and Fat is Fabulous (or not)

Audra has a little bald spot (I know, you all thought I was talking about Ben, but I wasn't!). It looks much better now- she was looking like a little cancer patient (I am not trying to be offensive, that really is how she looked). She had cradle cap and I took her to the doctor and she said to use T/Gel shampoo so we used it, and it got the cradle cap out, but it also took out huge chunks of hair. Now it seems to be growing back a little bit, which is good. The poor thing looked pretty bad for awhile! I don't think it was the shampoos fault, I think her hair follicles were stuck to the scales and when they came out they took her hair with it.

This is right before we went outside so she could play in her little pool she got for her Birthday- and by playing I really mean using Tupperware to dump all of the water from the pool onto the lawn little by little. Anyway, it's over 90 degrees today and is supposed to stay this hot all week! Good thing we have the pool to keep her cool! Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa Marriott!

Then, here's some 36 weeks shots of me- looking ready to pop. I went to the movies with some so-called friends on Saturday night and all they did was tell me how fat I was (I know, I need some new friends!). At least they said it was all in my stomach and not anywhere else! But, with swollen ankles, constant bathroom breaks, and impossible sleep time positioning, it is quite apparent this baby is about ready to make her grand appearance! I am predicting she will come a week or two early- Audra was 6 days early, and this baby just seems ready. Of course, that probably means she will come 8 days late and I will be miserable.

I think Ben and I are finally starting to get excited about this. We have been excited all along, of course, but also very nervous because we know firsthand what a challenge a newborn can be. But, Ben keeps reminding me that it can not possibly be worse then Audra, and we survived her. Plus, we know the signs to look for if this baby has GERD or other problems. We can handle anything! And, we are doing things a lot differently this time which I think will greatly help. I'm going to do a lot more baby wearing, which I am very excited about- I have 3 different wraps and 2 videos about how to use them, and I am really anxious to give them a try. We're also going to do co-sleeping (thank goodness for the king size bed!). We have done quite a bit of research on both of these and feel like this will work well for us, so we're excited to try it out! Audra is getting excited too, I think. She comes up to my tummy and pats it and says, "baby here!" Then, she'll pat her tummy and say the same thing. It is very cute.

So, only four more weeks- but I am really thinking more like 2. I go in Friday for another check-up, perhaps I'll know more then!