Kimba

All thanks to Johnson & Johnson

Since Wyatt's cord fell off a day or so ago, we gave him his first real bath tonight. He loved the warm water, and we made it through without even getting peed on. It was a roaring success.

And now I can't concentrate because he smells absolutely delightful.

Between smelling his sweet neck and listening to his little sleepy grunts, I'm pretty busy here. So. Uh. I've got to go.

Look at that full belly! And those scrawny little arms! I can't get over it. I love him.

Gettin' all Martha on ya

I thought I'd get all crafty like this year and make some fun place cards. Bridgette showed me these, you can get the kits here. (For next year I guess...and if you're lucky enough to have this store near you, check it out. I love it.) My mom and sisters and I put them together the night before and I was again reminded about the lack of crafty spirit my family possesses. Immediately everyone began trying to cut corners and make things "easier", and "I know! What if we didn't curl the edges?"

I have to give them all an A for effort though, and for humoring me by indeed curling all the edges. See guys! It was worth it!

(Please also note the Diet Coke by my dad's cup. It's a necessity around here...)

Surprised, both of us...

We had our first real outing today with Wyatt. We packed everything, diapers, extra clothes, burp cloths (when do babies start spitting up? Because he hasn't...) hat, snacks (for me...) hand sanitizer (Caleb has become Purell's biggest customer). We didn't need any of it. We met my parents for lunch at a mall near by and he slept the entire time. Woke up two minutes after we got home. I'd call it a success, though it did nothing to prepare me for future outings.

(Speaking of which, where in the world do you change them if the bathrooms don't have those fancy little tables?)

Caleb and I spent the afternoon warm and cozy in the house. He built a fire and the three of us cuddled on the couch and watched "Young at Heart" (really really great, go rent it!) and roasted marshmallows. It was perfect. For me.

Caleb might have been thinking otherwise, he came to me this morning to say he had a surprise, he'd bought tickets to see "Australia" and had asked my parents if they'd watch Wyatt for us for a couple of hours. Very sweet of him.

I immediately burst into tears. Not the reaction Caleb had expected.

I couldn't possibly leave him for that long.

I know it will pass. One day I'll look back and laugh, but now? I can't. I just can't. I can't be the only one, right?

Thankful for...

This -

 

This -

This -

 

This, this, and right now? This.  

I hope your Turkey Day was equally fabulous, and filled with all sorts of delicious food and great people.

Favorites (so far...)

Smelling his sweet baby breath as he lays on my chest and sleeps.

His hiccups, especially the high pitched ones.

The frantic moving of his head and fast in and out breath right before he latches on.

All the many squeaks, squawks, and grunts.

Big yawns.

Watching his eyes roam the room when he's awake.

The smiles, even though they're not technically caused by anything we do (they mostly happen when he's asleep), I still like to think that it's my own little reward. My 3 am reward.

The way he smells. I could breathe it in for days.

Watching my family hold and enjoy him.

Playing with his feet and hands while I feed him.

My guilty pleasure: bringing him into bed with me in the early morning hours because he's sleepy but won't sleep, and I'm past the point of exhaustion. He falls asleep within minutes after I lay him next to me on my side, and we both sleep until Caleb's alarm goes off.

Watching Caleb hold him.

Wyatt's Story

 

The birth story! Finally! Appropriate, since Wyatt is a week old today. It took a while to write and revise, though I'm sure it's still riddled with things I'll want to change and add to later. I had to have Caleb help me with a large part of it since I either didn't remember things, or forgot the order, or only slightly knew what was going on. It was amazing to go over it with him, and realize how much I didn't know. 

So. It's Monday night, the day before my scheduled induction. We spent the day in a flurry of activity, trying to get everything ready for the next day. We cleaned the house, picked up groceries, made sure all the baby items were ready and waiting, dropped the dog off at the kennel, and then spent the evening at Mark and Bridgette's house, relaxing and enjoying our last child-free night. We stayed late, talking about the next day, and then got home and were finally in bed around 1 am. Crazy, I know, but I figured I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

Which was right, just not in the way I'd expected.

I lay there in bed, my mind racing with all sorts of holycraptomorrowistheday type of things, and trying to catch a few hours of sleep. Caleb of course, was out like a light. I envy his ability to fall asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow. (Especially now...) Around 2:30 am I felt a contraction, but didn't think much of it, I got up and went to the bathroom and then laid there for a while. They started up again, and by 3:30 I was taking them seriously. It was getting pretty painful. I didn't wake up Caleb however, until the shaking started. That's when I decided this was probably the Real Thing. I wasn't cold, but I was shaking uncontrollably. Sadly, I'd forgotten to warn Caleb that this was a normal labor symptom, because when I woke him up he got really scared. He called Labor & Delivery and they told us to definitely come in. I figured as much, since I'd been at 4cm earlier that day for my appointment. This also solved my What Do You Wear for a 10 Minute Car Ride dilemma, and I threw on my pajamas and slowly walked to the car, having to pause occasionally with the contractions.

"Well, " Caleb said as we were driving to the hospital, "at least we don't have to worry about the early morning traffic!"

It was his way of trying to calm himself down, I was breathing pretty heavily and we were both shaking.

We got to the hospital at 4 am and they wheeled me up to the third floor (so glad I accepted the ride, it was much further than I thought!). This is my favorite part of the labor story, bytheway, and not just because it was the last time I was really "with it". We walked up to the counter and the woman asked us what our purpose was there. I looked at her for a second and said, "Um, I'm in labor." Like, what else would we be doing at the Labor & Delivery desk at 4:00 in the morning ? And she said - get this - "Are you sure?"

If I hadn't have just started a serious contraction, the really great perspiring ones, I'd have throttled her right then and there. Seriously, I remember telling myself to give her a piece of my mind once it was all over.

Was I sure! You've got to be kidding me. 

By about 4:20 they got me settled in an observation room where they hooked me up with all sorts of things, two monitors on my stomach (one for my heartbeat and one for the baby's) and then a nurse came in to check how dilated I was. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "You're at a six!" So off I went to the delivery room, contracting and breathing.

I don't remember a whole lot about what happened next, except that I was in serious pain. The contractions were coming fast, and I was still shaking pretty badly, so that even in between the contractions I could never relax. Sometimes the pain from one contraction never really left before another one started. They asked me if I wanted an epidural, and I said yes. "Alright, we'll call the anesthesiologist," she said, "she'll be here in a half an hour."

I wanted to die. There was no way I could make it another half an hour, was there?!

She gave me something in my IV to "take the edge off" the contractions, and it did, for about three of them. At one point I got sick, though I never threw up, just a couple of really deep dry heaves, which really complimented the contractions, let me tell you what. That was the only time I can remember clearly thinking, this sucks, I can't handle this. The rest of the time, I couldn't think. I tried to focus on something, tried to take my mind elsewhere, but I couldn't. I couldn't talk, couldn't answer the questions the nurse asked, or Caleb asked. One of the only things that helped was that Caleb would watch the monitors and let me know when a contraction was peaking, and then coming down. I would hear that, and it helped me get through the rest of it. I remember not being able to get comfortable, it hurt to be on my back, hurt to not have my knees up, hurt on my side. They gave me oxygen, and I had to take the mask off with each contraction because I couldn't stand to breathe so deeply with it on. I'd start to feel one coming, and I'd rip it off and then I don't know, writhe around in agony. I tried not to make any sounds, because that's how I roll, I didn't want to embarrass myself. I'll admit, I whimpered and whined on several of them, but inside I wanted to scream.

At 6:30 the anesthesiologist finally came in and started getting things set up. About halfway through the procedure the nurse suddenly asked me, during a contraction no less, my hand digging into Caleb's leg, if I was feeling the urge to push. And it was my own dumb fault, but uh, yeah, I was. Had been for the last several contractions. I hadn't said anything, partially because I didn't believe it was time yet, and partially because again, I was out of it. So she stopped the anesthesiologist and laid me back down to check my cervix again. I was at a 9. A 9! I couldn't believe it. They said they could still give me an epidural, though it was a much smaller dose. I contemplated not getting one, I really did, I even remember wondering if Caleb would be disappointed in me if I still got one. But I did. I was exhausted, and not able to relax in between, and I wanted to be able to push. So she did it, and within a few minutes I got some relief. I could still feel my legs, could still move them and feel the cold, but the contractions became pressure.

I was in heaven! The pain was gone! I also finally was able to look at Caleb, something I hadn't been able to do before this point, mostly because I was totally out of it. He didn't look good. He looked worried, and I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I don't know if I ever did.

(This is where Caleb had to do most of the remembering...)

After a few minutes the nurse became alarmed and called for back up, saying she had a "de-cel" situation. When she called the resident doctor on staff she got totally chewed out for apparently calling her after her 6:00 AM shift. "I'm so sorry doctor, I thought I was supposed to call you until 7...well I don't know who trained me...Would you like for me to call the other doctor?" Shortly there after the resident doctor came in, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work. They broke my water and placed an electrode onto the baby's scalp to monitor his declining heart rate. As soon as it was on, 6 or 7 nurses came in to help. They weren't getting the signal that they wanted from the heartrate electrode, so the doctor told the nurse to "cut it". The nurse grabbed a pair of surgical scissors and cut the electric wiring that went to the machine.

Even Caleb knew this wasn't what the doctor had meant. The doctor paused with everyone else in the room when they heard the monitor for the babies heart rate go silent. The nurse stood there with the scissors silently for a moment and then said, "But doctor, you said you wanted me to cut it." There was a chuckle from the nurses and the doctor rolled her eyes and explained that she wanted the electrode reset and replaced. She then had me turn on my side and push when I felt a contraction. Since I couldn't feel much but pressure, and there was pressure anyway from him being so low at this point, I had to put my hand on my stomach and feel when it would get tight. At one point Caleb told me he could see the baby's hair, though I couldn't respond. Each time I pushed, his heart rate went lower. The room got so hectic with so many people in it, that it took a moment for everyone to find their groove. It seemed at the same time everyone was having problems. "Doctor I can't get the light down", and "Doctor, can you count the instruments with me?", and "Doctor I'm not getting a good signal from the monitor", and Caleb's favorite "Doctor, I don't know where Esther put the paper work." Esther was a 70 lbs 4'1'' Asian lady. She angrily piped up with, "I ALWAYS PUT IT WHERE I'M TOLD!"

The doctor barked orders left and right, got everyone in line and into position and she still managed to look at Cabe and I with a smile. Caleb had felt that this doctor was rude and abrasive at first, then he realized that the doctor was actually this way out of necessity. Without her strength and sharp orders all hell would have broken loose at a time when everyone needed to be fast and efficient.

I still don't remember much of this, but I do remember seeing Caleb reach up to pull the big light down for them. He told me later that this was because Esther was trying to get the light down with a hook and she didn't have the arm strength to do it. He watched her struggle as the doctor was shouting "LIGHT ESTHER, I NEED LIGHT!!" The next part I clearly remember is when the doctor stood over me and told me that they were going to use the suction device because his heart rate was very low and they needed to get him out. "If it doesn't work after a few pushes, we're going to have to do an emergency c-section", she explained, and then ran me through the risks of the suction device. I told her it didn't matter, we just wanted him out safely.

And then that was it, it was 7 am and time to push. I couldn't believe it, even then, that it was time. It had all happened so fast. It took three pushes, if I remember right, and I felt him slide out. It was the oddest feeling, and immediately I was overcome with relief. My entire body relaxed, everything went limp. They placed him on my chest and I couldn't even believe it was real, that this was my baby, that it was over. It was like my brain was three steps behind me, not able to process it all. I remember Caleb standing next to me, in awe, and crying. I finally started to cry a minute or so before they took him to be weighed, and I kissed his little forehead as they picked him up. He was here, and he was safe. The cord had been around his neck, the reason for his heart rate decelerating each time I pushed, and Caleb also said he came out head facing up. I am so grateful for modern medicine, and despite the huge round bruise that the suction device left on the back of his head and a cut or two,I wouldn't have done anything different. I would have gladly gone through a C-Section, anything to have him safely placed in my arms.

While they measured and weighed him, I lay there as they delivered the placenta and stitched me up (yes, and ouch!). I remember putting my hand on my stomach and feeling how flat and soft it was. Just minutes earlier it had been huge and hard and filled with a baby, and now it wasn't. He wasn't there anymore.

We'd checked in to the hospital at 4 am, I know because they made me sign my name, date, and the time we checked in, and he was born at 7:04, three hours later.

We had a few quiet minutes in the delivery room before they moved me, and I'll cherish that time forever. Holding my baby, watching Caleb hold him for the first time. It was so beautiful, so wonderful. Caleb said he kept getting emotional and he looked out the window and saw a beautiful sunrise and an orange sky.

We couldn't be more excited. It's been a rough few days, I feel like a zombie as is to be expected, my cell phone has been on silent since the hospital. (Sorry to everyone that's called...I'm getting around to calling everyone back, I swear!) We're loving it though, loving him. He's so perfect, so beautiful, and so sweet. He loves to cuddle and be held tight. He loves it when Caleb rocks him in the rocking chair. We spend hours a day just holding him and staring. Telling each other how much we love him. It's amazing how all consuming it is, how much love you feel for someone you just met. I left him at home with Caleb today while my mom and I went to the grocery store. I was gone for no more than thirty minutes, but it felt like forever. I couldn't wait to get back to him. I get emotional just thinking about him.

My favorite time of day is at night, when Caleb and I sit in bed and hold and rock him. We are so happy.

 

 

Lucky

He is such a good dad. This little boy is so lucky.

Lesson learned

As the oldest of 4 girls, with little baby boy experience, there are a few things I have learned over the last few days, the hard way.

I knew getting peed on was inevitable, I was prepared for that. The one thing I was not prepared for though, was what happens when things aren't...situated...the right way in his diaper.

Meaning this.

I can't count the number of times in the first few days (before I got all smart and stuff) that I'd go to check his diaper, find it dry, but then discover that his entire onesie up one side was soaked.

Lesson #1? Point all objects in the DOWN position.

(Birth story update: drafted, and currently being reviewed by Caleb. Apparently there was like, an entire hour or so that I sort of don't remember well. Or at all. So. He's helping me...)

Three

First, the winner of the Guess the Baby's Weight game we played, goes to Amber! She guessed it right on. I know where you live girl, and I promise to send something absolutely lovely. Thanks for guessing everyone, it was fun to read! And trust me, I was with the rest of you, we weren't expecting him to be as little as he is. Hence the quick run to Target to pick up preemie diapers.

Second, my mom and sister get in tonight, and I couldn't be more excited. I called home to make sure they'd left on time, and my Dad assured me they had, and that they were excited to get here. "I think they were ready to go two hours before it was time." he said. He and my other sister arrive next week to spend Thanksgiving here, and again, I can't think of anything better (except maybe to be home with the rest of the fam) than to spend Thanksgiving with my family and little baby.

Third, a little video showcasing the longest feet and toes you will ever see on a tiny baby. It took a day or so to take everything in, his fingers, his arms, his toes, and when I did, I noticed how his entire foot, including toes, spanned the palm of my hand. I don't know what this means, except that Hey Mom! We might be able to use the shoes you sent us sooner than any of us ever thought!

Enjoy.

I left the house! And other news...

I'm slowly working on the birth story, I am. Feeding and changing and feeding and changing and trying to get some sleep have sort of been taking up all my time.

Thankfully, things are starting to get easier. The length between feedings is getting longer, close to two hours instead of one, and I've actually managed to get a little bit of sleep in the last day. It's amazing what two or three hours will do to you! I feel like a PERSON! Might also have to do with the fact that we had our first check up appointment this morning at 10 am, meaning I had to actually get like, dressed and stuff. It was a whirlwind before we left, trying to get ready and eat something and time the feeding so that we could make it on time. Everything is looking great, he's at 6 lbs 1 oz, which is what he left the hospital at, so that's good.

He also had his first little sponge bath tonight, and oh the intoxicating smell of baby lotion! It's ridiculous.

 

Picture taken from a video we took with our new Flip video camera. Caleb bought one the day we brought Wyatt home, and I think we've taken a million videos so far. It's a super fabulous little gadget, you can upload automatically to YouTube, or send via email. Perfect for grandparents who live out of state.

(Side note: I hope to soon get out of this "post a little diddly and then throw up a photo" routine I'm in...you've noticed my routine, right?)

(Also: thanks again, you have all been so lovely and supportive and offered advice and sympathy and just seriously, thank you!)

Numbers

The only numbers I've been able to process today...

Hours of sleep accumulated since Monday night: 5? 6 maybe?

Onesies & sleepers we went through just last night: 4 sets

Showers since Monday: 2 (just had my second...as in like, 4:30 pm...)

Diapers used: 2,392,094,832 (Caleb is picking up more now. We have a nice large supply of some, they just ended up being too big. Didn't plan on having a 6 pounder...)

Tears shed: a few...

Number of times we've gushed on how adorable he is: a billion

 

Seriously. As sleep deprived as I am, and holy crap am I ever, I can't get over it. He's just too cute.

Huge decisions on no sleep

Another short and sweet post, because I'm dead. Two days and barely any sleep will do that to you, I guess. And my baby seems to think that short, frequent meals are more to his liking. Something we're going to have to work on...

Meet Wyatt.

 

Forgot a hair dryer in the rush. But oh, did that shower feel good!

 

I haven't even talked to my family today, how terrible is that? I've got to get some sleep...

We're home from the hospital, a good thing, since every time I tried to rest today they'd pop in for a blood draw, or shot, or vitals, or meals, or blah blah blah. So. Yeah for home. And I swear, details will follow. It's a good story.

Finally!

Baby Wehaven'tdecidedonanameyet

Born: 11.18.08 (yeah for mostly even numbers!)

7:04 am (please note that is prior to our 8 am induction appointment. All the details to follow, when I'm not so, ya know. Exhausted. And snuggling baby necks.)

6 lbs. 5 oz. (I haven't got the energy to figure out the winner...so that'll be later too)

20 inches

Insanely adorable, if you ask me.

(Thanks to EVERYONE for all the well wishes and guesses! Can't wait to share more!)

Let's make this fun...

Caleb suggested to me a few weeks ago that I do some sort of contest here regarding the baby. He was thinking more of a baby name contest, but I didn't want everyone thinking we were going to pick our  baby's name based on a contest. You start going down that road, and soon you're picking your baby's name based on what letters are left in your alphabet soup. Or the ingredients off an old gum wrapper.

So, let's make it fun. Guess what our little baby bump is going to weigh, leaving your guess in the comment field on this post. When my brain isn't so focused on cleaning, I'll come up with a fancy little prize. ITunes, Borders gift cards, cookies...something. We'll announce it tomorrow hopefully, if this baby cooperates. I've had visions of him holding out on me and making his entrance at 12:01 Wednesday morning, November 19th. That's just the sort of thing that would happen to me...

Holy. Crap.

Just got back from my 41 week appointment. Cue the, "What are you doing here?", and "Guess this isn't where you wanted to be, is it?" remarks.

She did an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid levels, which seem to be good, though riddled with "stuff". Vernix? Meconium? Who knows. Did a little check downstairs, and wouldn't ya know, I'm dilated to a 4! And 50% effaced! And this kid is STILL IN THERE. WHAT THE HECK?

Stripped my membranes again (cue a couple hours of cramps...woo...), and then they did a non-stress test, where they measure the baby's heart rate for a good twenty minutes, having me push a little button (Caleb called it the igniter button...kept begging me to let him press it. I think he's still on a James Bond kick...) when he moved. If he didn't pass the test, my doctor was going to send me to the hospital. Like, right then.

You best believe I was freakin' just a little bit. I AM SO NOT READY TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT THIS SECOND...

While we waited, we discussed when to set an induction date. My doctor had asked me about it, and after a second of hesitation Caleb launched into a "See, my wife is a little crazy about even and odd numbers..."

She laughed. I think.

So we're discussing, and I'm like, "So today is odd...we could do it tomorrow morning, and hope to have him before midnight....or Wednesday afternoon and hope it takes long enough that I'd deliver after midnight..."

And the entire time Caleb is making fun of me, of course. Even he thinks I'm certifiably insane.

But! I have a choice! LET ME BE CRAZY, PLEASE!

We decided to schedule it for tomorrow morning. 8 am.

Like, as in, I have less than a day to prepare.

Like, tomorrow we could have this baby OUT.

Like. Holy. Crap.

He passed the test by the way, after she gave me some apple juice, he kicked around a bit. Since I'm already dilated so far, they think it will be an easier induction...or maybe that's just something they tell everyone...I didn't necessarily want to be induced, I'd rather let things go as they are supposed to, but I also know that the longer he's in there the less fluid there is, the less effective the placenta is at delivering nutrients. So I'm okay with it.

I'm just running out of room on this paper I have going, this List of Things To Get Done paper. Like clean the house. Wash the sheets and duvet cover. Clean out the fridge. Stock up. Get the dog to the kennel (phew!). Finish packing. And about a zillion other things.

Speaking of which, I need to get going. And take some Tylenol, because I can't be held back by painful hips and membrane-stripped cramps. I gots STUFF to do!

And wow. This is happening fast.

And this might be the most crazed post ever, so sorry about that. And uh, I'll let ya'll know. And stuff.

"Missed it by that much..."

I found a local TV station that plays episodes of old sitcoms on Sunday evenings. I'm currently watching my favorite one,

Get Smart. My sister and I grew up on this show, thanks to Nick at Nite. Now they show such "relics" as The Fresh Prince, Family Matters, and Home Improvement. Back when I was a kid, it was Dick Van Dyke, Mr. Ed, and I Love Lucy. I feel so old.

Even as kids we understood the humor of this show (I have since discovered that's all thanks to Mel Brooks, I should have known!) and this was our favorite, by far. We loved his goofy ideas, the situations he got himself in, and all the gadgets they used. Shoe phones, and phones in nearly everything you could think of (one being a sandwich!), and the infamous Cone of Silence. So classic.

I haven't seen the new movie with Steve Carell because I promised my sister (who is serving a mission for our church) that I would wait until she got back so that we could see it together. I don't think I would enjoy it as much, without her.

What shows did you watch as a kid? What was your favorite?

Maybe the last

While we were lounging around in bed this morning (at 10...I know...one of the last times ever, right?) Caleb decided that since this might be our last parent-less Saturday, that we should spend it doing all the things we've been wanting to do but haven't, and won't be able to with a kid.

We brainstormed forever and came up with all sorts of ideas, none of which would be "impossible" as parents.

Then the pregnancy hormones kicked in and I got all weepy saying, "The pressure! It's too much!"

Because I don't know, pregnancy makes you crazy.

So then we decided to just uh, have fun.

Insert the dog park, which isn't so much fun as it was a necessity. An hour passes and we return to the car with a completely disgusting drool-covered mutt. We decided when we have the baby and send the dog to the kennel we'd have him shaved, bathed, trimmed etc. etc. etc. I wasn't exactly thinking about the whole I-could-possibly-be-overdue thing. This baby had better come quick, because the dog is getting stinky. Like, more than usual. For my sake kid, it's time to come out!

We ate lunch at a so-so place nearby, a diner reminiscent of an old forgotten Denny's, completely taken over by flamingos and parrots and fake palm trees. Caleb loves it because he says it IS California. It's a good thing he isn't in charge of the tourism campaign here.

While waiting for our 4:35 showing of the new James Bond movie, we wandered the nearby mall and discovered that Kara's Cupcakes  shop had opened. I had to try it, you understand. I stood in line trying to decide which cupcake was calling my name (it was pumpkin spice with cream cheese frosting), and met Kara. Very nice girl, (she gave me some baby advice - take everything that isn't nailed down from your hospital room) fabulous cupcakes. I highly recommend it.

And now we're eating leftovers from last night's dinner, the dinner that Caleb proclaimed was the best meal I've ever made. (Thank you again, Kelly!) (Oh, and the saffron...very fabulous! Very worth it.)

It may not have been The Best Day Ever, but we definitely had a good time. And that's really all that matters.

Doesn't hurt that Daniel Craig was in there somewhere too...

A whole decade

For the past several weeks my little sister Emily has been wishing and hoping that my baby would be born today. It's her 10th birthday, and she'd like nothing more than a nephew as her present. Sorry Em, looks like the presents we sent will have to do instead.

I wrote about the day she was born last year, and a bit about her as a baby. My mom was quite happy to have three other daughters to help care for her, and we all did just that, not minding because she was an insanely easy baby. I turned sixteen just before she turned one, and so she accompanied me quite often when I would run errands, and I remember several times getting The Look from older ladies as they passed the two of us in the grocery store isles. You know the look. Scandalous! That girl can't be more than sixteen...it didn't bother me though, not even that one time when an old woman actually shook her finger at me. I knew the truth.

When Caleb and I met and started dating, Emily was almost 4 and she came along with us on several occasions, and I never worried about bringing her. She enjoyed Caleb, and he was great with her. I think maybe they get along so well because they are both the "babies" in the family.

 

She's a goofy girl. She's grown up in a house full of older kids, so she acts older than her age. We taught her songs, phrases, and mannerisms, knowingly or not, that she picked up on over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Emmy. You are so fun, so sweet, and we love you so much. I can't wait to see you soon. And I'm workin' on this baby for you. He'll be here when you come visit for Thanksgiving. I promise.

More preparation

False Labor. Or, one more thing that keeps you up all night long while your husband sleeps on like a baby.

During the first part of the night I did actually feel some pain in my back on a few of them, and wondered if it was the real thing. Then two hours would pass before another one. In my groggy state I distinctly remember wanting it to stop so that I could go back to bed. No more contractions! Need sleepy!

Each morning now Caleb will do an assessment when his alarm goes off and decide whether or not he's going to work from home that day. After hearing about last night he got all grinny and wide eyed, and crawled back into bed to question me. Why didn't you wake me up? What were they like? That's progress, right? HE COULD COME TODAY, RIGHT?!?!

When I finally hoisted myself out of bed at 10 am (thank you Caleb, for working so quietly) I sat down at the table, my hair all disheveled, and told him, "I think the baby knew he couldn't come today. It's the 13th."

Caleb just rolled his eyes, as he is wont to do lately, each time I bring up The Date issue. It's a sickness I have, I know. I'm fully aware. And fully aware that I have no control over this. UNLESS my doctor lets me pick an induction date....do they do that? Do they give you OPTIONS?!?! Is she going to think I'm insane if I go in to the appointment with a list of acceptable dates? Probably. Can't hurt to be prepared though, right?

Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 40

So. Week 40! My due date was Sunday, but if we want to get all technical like, my ORIGINAL due date was today, hence the Baby Bump Wednesdays. So I figure it's okay, but um. Honestly kid, we're all waiting for you. So. Anytime you want to come on out is great. Preferably sooner than later.

This week he is supposedly the size of a small pumpkin, weighing around 7 1/2 lbs, though most sites were quick to point out that some babies are 9 - 10 lbs. Very reassuring let me tell you, especially as each day passes and he keeps growing and such.  He's officially full term and not considered past due until week 42, though I'm hoping that at my appointment on Monday she'll have pity on me and agree to induce sooner. That's if I make it until Monday of course, HINT HINT BABY BOY.

I'm interested to see how this whole labor process will go for me since I'm already dilated to 3 cm with no real contractions. Caleb says he's worried that it will happen fast, and that we should be ready to go to the hospital as soon as the contractions get close. My mom actually delivered my little sister in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, so I guess anything is possible. I've talked to several people who have gone in to the hospital having had contractions for hours only to find themselves at a 2 or 3. So maybe I'll walk in and BOOM. BABY IN 30 MINUTES. Then again, maybe I'm just a slow burner.

One site mentioned that since I'm larger I could maybe possibly be a bit clumsier. And hey! I am! Yesterday Caleb worked from home and so we went to grab lunch together. After arriving home I hoisted myself out of the car and leaned on the door to shut it, leaving my arm in the door as I did so. Don't forget, my leaning these days has a little extra oomph to it. I screamed. And now I have a really tender, really lovely bruise above my elbow. And a ridiculous explanation to go along with it.

Also, they say sleeping can be difficult these days. And it is, trust me, what with the peeing and the Braxton Hicks scattered with a few random painful contractions (nothing to write home about, sadly), and painful hips, BUT. Caleb fixed our bed. Or, temporarily fixed it. Our broken, squeaky,  bed frame has been creaking for months and poor Caleb has been woken up each time I've moved an inch. He took to it with a screw driver and nine million screws and voila! Good as new. Or, good until we decide to splurge on a new one. We got our Tempur Pedic for free (yeah for great health insurance with lovely FSA benefits), and it requires a fancy schmancy bed frame. To anyone out there wondering about getting a Tempur Pedic bed, we highly recommend it. Fabulous beds, just be careful when you move. Apparently the wooden frame is delicate.

We spent the weekend "getting ready" for the baby, since we were sort of under the impression that it was going to happen soon, like any minute soon. We cleaned, Caleb gathered a few of his toiletries to put in our hospital bag, we charged all the electronics, wrote a list of last minute items to grab...so this week I've been trying to find things to do to fill my time while I wait. I've been viewing this list  and have crossed a few off already. Pedicure? Check. Sleep? Checking it off every day.  Thank you cards? Caught up. #27? Check...

Our nursery is nearly ready, it just needs a few things on the wall, which I'm working on. We hung the mobile I made,

 

(Thanks to Cabe for bending the wire...and taking these pictures in dark light because I can't do it without making them blurry...)

And put down the Flor we purchased to warm up the room a bit. It's navy, and Bear has already decided this is his new nap area.

 

Oh, and have I shown you our rocker? No? It's pretty. We like it. And I know, I know, it's cream, a nightmare, BUT. It has tiny little flecks of...fabricy stuff...so I won't be tempted to vacuum it thirty times a day.

So we're ready, I think. As ready as we're going to be at least. And just...waiting.

 

A night shot! Because Caleb stole the camera and took it up to work today. So here you are, my huge post-dinner belly. Let's hope this is the last shot, shall we?

19 years and counting

Veterans Day. To some people it means a day off of work (and I'm missing the mail today...sniff...). To others it means a lot more, a day to remember all the people who have fought for this great country of ours.

All noble causes.

But for me, it's my best friend Abby's birthday. Last  year Bridgette and I went up to visit her and spent the entire weekend hanging out while our husbands were down in California getting into all sorts of mischief (I can only assume...three guys and a one year old? Definitely...). I wish I was up there again this year.

The previous year I wrote a little tribute to her, reminiscing on just a few of the many crazy and hilarious things we've done and been through together. There are at least a dozen other things I can think of right now that could go on that list, there's something about the two of us being together, we always find ourselves in the strangest predicaments.

I know how rare it is to have had a best friend for such a long time, we met when we were six and have been inseparable ever since. Even before I met her I vowed she would be my friend, a woman at our church told me that there was a girl moving into the ward that would be my age, and at the time I was the only girl in my class. That's all I needed to hear. I went to her house after church and we jumped on her trampoline. When it was time for me to leave, she gave me her phone number and I walked the entire way home chanting it out loud, and then wrote it down on a yellow sticky note that hung by our phone.

Growing up we decided that we were going to marry brothers. We were also going to be surgeons by the time we were 21 (we were VERY young when we decided this...obviously...), live in a mansion together, and own horses and Great Danes. I figure we're partially there, since our husbands are business partners. One day we'll get our "mansion", though maybe it will be a vacation home instead. She's working on the horses, and maybe we can substitute our dogs for Great Danes. Sounds good to me.

 

Picking raspberries in Oregon. Ah, I miss the U-Picks!

 

On the Riverwalk in San Antonio during the boys' yearly work convention. Our favorite vacation of the year! (Though the boys probably have different opinions...)

 

Enjoying some fresh corn on the cob at an Oktoberfest in Oregon.

 

Abby, Bridge and I at the Portland Rose Garden.

Not sure how I have this photo, since I think Mark took it, but whatever. This is The Gang, the people we hung out with nearly every single day in Oregon. Such great friends, you can't ask for anything better.

 

On a trip through Hood River.

 

Best friends, magazines, Cherry Pepsi, and a nap. Does it get any better?

 

Happy Birthday Abs! To many more years of Brain Flames, Wally Spots, and hotels without hot water and holes in the walls and ants on toothbrushes.

(Alright, maybe we can deal with the upgraded hotels...)

Because I ate leftovers anyway...

So here we are, a full 10 days into Nablopomo. Anyone scrambling for ideas? Biting your nails each night? Trying to decide if the way that guy looked at you while you were checking out of Target has enough meat to constitute a real live post?

Well then. I have a book for you.

I bought this book three years ago for Nablo, knowing I might run out of ideas. It's written by the lovely Margaret Mason, famous author of this blog, and creator of Mighty Goods, Mighty Haus, and Mighty Junior. All places I frequent and waste large amounts of time wondering why I didn't think of that, or why someone would ever buy that, or just plain oogling and drooling at all the wonderful things out there.

I picked one of her suggestions for tonight.

#15 - Fill in the Gaps

 

This picture was taken while I was studying abroad in Australia in 2004. That's my roomie, Becca, the perfect girl roomie for me because she was anything but your typical girl. I went to Australia by myself and was worried about the room mate situation - I get along MUCH better with guys than with girls, and the last thing I wanted was to spend the 4 months being driven insane by some drama-filled girl. Funny thing though, when I got to my apartment and lugged all three suitcases up the three flights of stairs (okay, some really nice guy helped me, but still...) and found my room and opened the door, I thought my room mate was a guy. He / She was sleeping, and the only evidence I could see were some rugged looking boots and a brown Carhartts jacket.  I went and sat on the couch, wondering how to tell my parents that all my room mates were guys...thankfully it was Becca, and I could tell my parents (and Caleb...) that only TWO of my room mates were guys.

Anyway.

On this particular day we were sitting at the bus stop heading to a Food and Wine festival in Hyde Park in downtown Sydney. Once we got there we discovered that it was a charity event for an AIDS foundation, and I think we were the only straight people there. They had lots of food and wine booths set up, and we purchased our fair share of desserts. My favorite was an organic waffle type pastry covered in honeycomb cream (the Aussies are big on honeycomb) and fresh fruit. We wandered the area, people watched (there is a LOT to see at a wine festival) and then watched several live performers (I remember one particularly dreadful artist trying to copy Britney Spears). When it started to get crazy we left and wandered around the city a bit, I exchanged a shirt I'd bought at the Hard Rock and she showed me a few of the more modern bars that she and my room mates would frequent. I also witnessed my first automated public toilet (like this one via some random person's Flickr account...). And it was awesome.

We returned to the apartment to find that the Halloween "pre-party" was being held at our place. This was a concept that was new to me since I didn't (and don't) drink, but which quickly became an every day (or at least every weekend) occurrence. Before going out to the bars to party everyone would gather together and play drinking games to get partially buzzed. The idea was that they wouldn't spend as much money on alcohol this way, though for the most part, it just meant they came home insanely drunk. This time was a little different since it was Halloween, a little more crazy, and I remember saying hi to everyone and then excusing myself to go hold up in my room until everyone left, as was my custom. This was all the Halloween I had, since they don't celebrate it in Australia. I ended the evening with a bath and relaxed on the couch watching The Simpsons, a little slice of home.  We all watched The Simpson's for our America fix (I also blame the girls across the hall for getting me hooked on The O.C.) and also because we had 5 TV channels and two of them were in different languages. We didn't have much choice.

Due Date

Dear Baby who I love and have carried these past 10 long months, who has given me hardly any trouble and who I can't wait to snuggle and rub with baby lotion and dress in cozy little onesies and gobble up whole,

 

GET OUT.

Love, Mama

Have found my way to his heart...again...

We just spent the evening walking around the mall. It was Caleb's idea, the walking part, and I sort of maybe suggested that we could possibly wander the mall.

This wasn't his first choice, of course, he kept suggesting we could walk around the neighborhood with the dog, you know, get some energy out of him (this is what he says to get me to concede, he knows the dog drives me insane).

Then it started raining. So I won.

And then? Then we walked past Gymboree and ooh! Look! A large sale...and oh! The nice Gymboree sales assistant just handed me an additional 30% off coupon. Hmm. Let's just have a look around, shall we?

And that's how we walked out with like, $40 worth of on sale baby clothes.

The mall was packed, as malls tend to be on the weekends, especially rainy weekends, and I felt bad for everyone who got stuck behind me. We certainly weren't moving very quickly.

Except for when I was rushing to the bathroom. Again. And I'd just like to tell Nordstroms that their bathrooms are fabulous. They have tissue dispensers RIGHT BY THE DOOR so that you don't have to touch the handle with your freshly cleaned and dried hands. It's like a dream.

We ended the evening  in our pajamas with warm bowls of my mom's taco soup. I decided to get the recipe from her last year after I watched Caleb down four heaping bowls of it. Because I am smart and pay attention to such minor details as your husband filling his stomach to the brink of overflowing. This is usually a good indicator of his approval.

It's really good, super easy, very filling and healthy, and the perfect meal for a rainy evening while you're waiting for your baby to arrive.

(I guess the baby part isn't technically necessary...)

Mom's Taco Soup

1 - 1 1/2 lbs hamburger (I used the Costco ground turkey)

1 onion, chopped

2 cans niblet corn

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans (I only used one, however)

2 cans tomato sauce

1 c. salsa

3 tsp. chili powder

Brown hamburger & onion. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot without draining the veggies. Heat on high to boiling, then turn to low and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Let all the flavors combine real good like. Top with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream...whatever floats your boat.

This is a doubled recipe, and trust me, you'll need it. Even knowing there would only be two of us eating tonight I decided to keep it that way because of the whole "four heaping bowls" thing. Caleb spent the entire meal groaning and sighing and thanking me. I almost felt guilty because it's such an easy thing to make. Almost...

The power of Wendy's

I had my 40 week appointment today, one I was sort of hoping not to have to attend, but there we were walking into the office. The woman at the front desk was like, "Oh! You're 40 weeks! So...has the date passed yet?" I'm sure she's had a zillion pregnant women jump down her throat for asking that question, she seemed so hesitate to even say anything.

Leading up to the appointment Caleb and I had been placing bets on what progress I'd made in the last two weeks. I told him all I wanted was SOME progress, I'd be happy with 2 cm's. Thankfully we were pleasantly surprised, I'm at 3 cm's and she asked if I'd like my membranes stripped (and yes, it's about as lovely as it sounds...) to get things moving.

You can bet what I told her.

She said everything looks good, and expects me to go into labor "any day now", joking that I may not make it until Sunday evening when she's on call. That sounds good to me, though I know it's not a sure thing.

We left excited anyway, and Caleb started rattling off all the things we needed to get done. "We could have this baby TOMORROW!" he said. He was positively giddy, and rolled down the window to "shout it from the rooftops." Luckily I was calling my mom to give her an update, so that didn't happen. Would have frightened the little old lady walking through the parking garage.

We went to grab lunch after, and ended up at Wendy's. As we were sitting there finishing our lunch I reminded him that the last time we were at that Wendy's was the day before we found out we were pregnant. I remember because I'd had a nice big Diet Coke and the first (okay, maybe second...) thing I thought about when I found out I was pregnant was that I'd had that Diet Coke the day before. Great, I've already messed up this baby...

Caleb says it's a magical Wendy's. So if anyone would like some good luck, a baby or two, come on out. We'll take you there.

Fall stroll

In an attempt to get things moving along I went on a walk today with the mutt. Again, not that my slow shuffle really does much in that regard, or even for the dog, but at least I can say I tried. I also took along the camera because today is such a gorgeous, warm, fall day, it just begs to be documented.

If only I had The Skills to do so. I tried, though.

 

First, my pumpkins. I documented them last year, and figured I should give these the same courtesy. I love the big fat orange one, it's called a Fairytale pumpkin. Very fitting.

 

This is one of my favorite houses on our street, I don't know who lives here but I like to imagine that it's some cute little old lady. Whoever it is keeps up their yard very well, it's always gorgeous.

 

I've always loved these flowers, whatever they are. They're a gorgeous blue, and have been in full bloom since...I don't even know. Early spring.

 
One of the only trees I've seen that is actually changing. Most other trees in this area just sort of turn brown and fall off.

 

Like so. These ones are hanging on for dear life.

 

All the homes in our area and old, some of them very old, and most still have many of their original charming elements.

I liked this as well, though the house has been updated, they decided to keep these.

 

Bear was pretty good about my slow pace and constant stopping to snap a few shots.

Especially as I tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to fiddle with the manual settings. Caleb always says the worst time of day to take pictures is right in the middle, but with the sun setting so early these days I don't have much choice. Dang daylight savings...

Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 39

Still pregnant! Woo! Which is fine, right? No biggie. But after Sunday I'm officially declaring this child a freeloader. Moochin' off my womb. It's time to get on out here. Join the air breathing! Come out so I can dress you in all these lovely smelling baby clothes. And sniff your neck and stuff. Kiss your baby down hair. Or your no-hair, whatever, just GET OUT HERE. We're ready.

Baby is maybe 7-ish pounds, 20-ish inches, the size of a mini watermelon. He's developing more layers of delicious baby fat, and losing the lanugo and vernix he's had protecting him thus far. That's about it, that's as much info as the pregnancy websites I frequent said this week, and they had just as much to say about what's going on with me. In fact, most sites have moved past the pregnancy, talk a bit about labor signs, and are now offering tips, info, and advice on what happens immediately following the birth. I mean besides all the gory stuff. Most mention at least something about the "baby blues" that affect about 80% of women and last a "short period of time". This is due to the sharp drop of hormones that happens immediately following the birth. It only makes sense that after living on such a huge amount of hormones for over 9 months that your body goes through some sort of withdrawal. You just hope it doesn't last.

I'm slowly getting used to this not-working thing, and am incredibly glad that I chose to take the two weeks prior to my due date off. So glad. I have been more tired lately and know I would have been pretty useless between that and my back. My upper middle back is also starting to hurt more, which is an early labor sign, and one I'm not going to complain about because of that. Any early labor signs are welcome here.

Caleb has been not-so-slyly trying to get me to walk more, though I'm not sure how effective my slow waddle is. Last night we went to an outdoor mall so that I could show Caleb the dish set I have been thinking about getting, since we are hosting Thanksgiving this year and currently own...service for four. Blue plates we got from Target for our wedding. Definitely have worked for us so far, but we decided it was high time to upgrade and get a proper white set for eight. And this is the funny part, I went in thinking I'd show Caleb the one I liked, hopefully he'd like it, and we'd talk about it for a little while, maybe I'd look online for a deal...you know, the typical girl shopping style. We walked in though, Caleb approved, and then said, "Well, let's get it." And I just stared at him for a minute. Really? Just...get it?! Now?! But...what about...don't you want to... I was totally not prepared to shop the "guy way". It was refreshing though, to walk in, like something, and get it. Novel! I could get used to that!

Anyway. I was talking about walking. So after we bought our set we decided to walk to the other side of the mall to get an ice cream cone from Ben & Jerry's. The mall isn't that big, but at my speed it took us quite a while. We got close however, and saw that the line was two stores back. Apparently they were giving out free ice cream cones for election night. Quickly deciding to opt for hot chocolate and ice cream at home, we turned around and slowwwwly walked back to the car. I was slightly aggravated at walking all that way with a backache for nothing, but Caleb was loving every minute of it, and kept suggesting I take the mutt on a "long walk" this morning.

Question #1: Anyone have any great ideas for inducing labor? Besides walking? Again, I don't think my slow shuffle is doing anything.

On to more fun topics. Like crib bedding.

 

Via a slanted picture. Very classy, I assure you.

 

Bought these little guys on sale at Target. They're ready to be gnawed and slobbered on. I opened them the other night to place them in the crib and discovered that the giraffe rattles and the rhino squeaks. Fabulous. I'm already trying to figure out how to convince the mutt that the baby's toys are not for sharing, and a squeaking stuffed animal is not going to make things easier.

Question #2: How do you keep the dog's nasty mouth off your preshus baby's toys?

In the meantime, I'm going to be looking up ways to tell if your baby is sitting posterior, inducing the dreaded back labor. So far I believe he is sideways.

I'm also mourning the remaining remnants of my caramel candy corn. Though this is probably for my own good. Until next year, sweet candy.

Notice the late morning sun pouring through the window. I couldn't pull myself out of bed today. I wanted to, I tried on several occasions to get up, rolling onto my other side, throwing back the covers, and each time that was as far as I got before I slipped into sleep again.

Also notice my belly button nubbin. That may be all we get, folks. A nubbin that pokes out just enough to make it visible through my shirts. A super hot trend, you should all be so jealous.

Our problem

So this is the problem. We're driving home for Christmas this year, as we always have done, what with all the junk (read: lovely presents!) we end up hauling there and back, and to have a vehicle while we're there, and really, because holiday traffic in the airport is a killer. That's not the problem, the problem is that this year we'll be hauling a new baby and all manner of baby gear along with the presents, suitcases, etc. etc. etc. Though that's not the problem either.

The problem is the mutt. There is no way on this earth that we can possibly haul the baby, the loads of gear, our suitcases, the presents, AND the mutt. We'll be jam-packed, and I know I'll be crawling into the back of the car more times than I'll be able to count. The last thing I want to be maneuvering around is a smelly dog. Even if that dog is my own. Which, I suppose he is, though everyone knows he truly belongs to Caleb.

Hence the "you totally need a van" talk from my dad and Caleb, bytheway. I stand firm (thanks for all the support! I've totally been gloating to Caleb about my "victory") in my I will never own a van stance. I am open to other options later.When we have more than one kid. Right now I'm enjoying the totally paid off cars, not-in-debt state we're in, and going back into debt for a van that is only really needed for a once a year car trip home? Not my idea of a good choice.

So I've been on a quest to find a boarding facility around here that will take the dog for the two weeks we'll be home. The place we usually use is not only expensive, but completely booked already, with a 50+ deep wait list. After WEEKS of searching, I found one that might just work out, one that will let him "socialize" with other dogs the entire day and that is cheaper than our original facility.

I took him up there this morning (a good 30 minutes "up" there...) for an evaluation to see if he'd play nice with the other dogs. Upon seeing the place I knew Caleb wouldn't like it, it's run by a guy and his wife in your typical by-the-train-tracks sort of joint (which, funny thing, it actually is by the train tracks...). It had several good reviews online however, and so I rung the bell.

It took Bear about 45 seconds upon entering to pull himself into a nice squat and poo all over the gravel.

I tried not to notice.

When I came to pick him up three hours later I caught a glimpse of him inside the gate. He was barking and jumping on the gate that led from the ground up to the poor man's house. I started to worry that he'd be rejected, too anxious, too vocal, too needy, too annoying. I walked up chanting ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleasedon'tmakemedrivehomewiththemutt, and rung the bell. Again.

The mutt passed, thankfully. The man said he'd been fine, had done well with the other dogs (as evidenced by the dried drool all over Bear's head) and that it was a 'good thing' we'd chosen the socialized service, as he didn't think Bear would do well in a kennel (read: manic barking). I agreed, thanked him, and tried to get out of there as quick as possible, though not before making a complete fool of myself as I fumbled with his leash for a good three minutes, long enough that the guy actually came over to help me. Hi, yes, I do know how the clip works, thanks, please ignore my fat pregnant self hunched over my dog.

In his defense, I am a little hard to ignore these days.

All in a day's work

I pulled up to our house this morning after running a few errands and sat and watched this homeless man walking down the street. I haven't ever seen any homeless people near our street before, which is why I started watching him. (Lest ye think we live in that kind of neighborhood...)

I wish I hadn't.

He'd stopped at someone's driveway and thrown down his three bags. He had a large plastic cup with him, and would  bend down to fill it up with the water pooled in the gutter. I watched in horror, thinking he was going to drink it, but instead he started flinging it violently around himself in a circle. He did this at least 5 times before slowly picking up his bags and moving on.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. What in the world was he doing? And why am I so disturbed by it?

The nasty and nice

Bear must have caught wind of Nablopomo starting, because yesterday morning he woke us up at 6:45 to puke.

I knew this would happen when I glanced out the window on Friday night to see the mutt laying on the grass in the backyard, chewing on a long stick. I immediately yelled out to Caleb to get that stick away from him NOW, because he'd puke. I'm not sure why my dog can't properly digest sticks like every other dog in the entire world, but he can't. I'm also not sure why he chooses to puke while we're sleeping, but that seems to be the best time for him.

Lucky us.

**********

We spent the rest of the day getting ready for the baby, which is the theme for our life lately. Get ready, get ready, get ready, get ready. In reality, none of these physical items are preparing us for a baby, but that's besides the point.

We moved our window air conditioner to gather cobwebs underneath the house. We, as always, meaning Caleb. I held open the doors so that he could stagger, shaking, through them. Each time he retells the story the air conditioner gets heavier. It was like 150 lbs...It was like...230 lbs...Kim, I swear, it was at least 300 lbs...

Caleb made the wire hangers for the mobile I'm making for the baby's room.

He tried, semi-successfully, to fix the drawers in the baby's room so that they would shut all the way.

He raked all the leaves in our front yard into a HUGE pile on the street, where they'll be picked up tomorrow morning. I looked out the baby's window and saw him, in his t-shirt and shorts, raking the leaves in the pouring rain.

(Items not accomplished because of the rain: spray the outside of the house for spiders, completely necessary as there were TWO in the bedroom last night, and shave and bathe the mutt. I forget how we functioned in Oregon...)

Me? I cleaned the kitchen. Organized that bottom drawer. And that's about it.

Later we went to Babies R Us to get a few of the larger items on our list. A week before your due date they send you a 10% off coupon for the remaining items on your registry, so we picked up a few essentials. Crib mattress, mattress protector, bouncer, breast pump, bottles...a nightlight that Caleb insisted we needed...

I keep feeling like we THINK we're ready, we think we have everything, but we totally don't. It's a little unnerving. What am I forgetting?!

We're currently washing the crib bedding and I've spent the last hour sniffing my fingers and sighing. If I were a sleepwalking kinda girl I'd need to warn Caleb that if he woke up in the middle of the night and I wasn't there, he could find me stuffed into the crib, my nose pressed up against the sheets.

But I'm not. So there's no excuse for that kind of behavior.

**********

My dad and Caleb have teamed up. They're on a mission to buy us a larger car. Like. A VAN. I'm not kidding. I wish I were. A Honda Odyssey, to be specific. Someone please side with me - we don't need that kind of room yet. We're way too young. I'm way too young to be driving a van...

**********

Caleb decided on Friday that I would have the baby by this coming Tuesday. Last night he "clarified", by saying I would be in labor, by Tuesday. I'm waiting to see what he decides to clarify tomorrow.

This may be the first time in history that I hope he's right and I'm wrong.

This is totally going to go to his head...

It starts...

Today is the start of Nablopomo (National Blog Posting Month). For those of you that haven't heard of it, it's something a few bloggers started three years ago, a challenge to blog every day during the month of November. (Or at least it was, after last year's some people decided to continue it every month. Because they're crazy.) It's grown pretty large since that first year, and many of the bloggers offer prizes, some randomly drawn, others about specific types of posts. It's a fun challenge, and a good way to find other blogs that might interest you.

The first year that I did it, I failed. I missed one day, the day we moved from Oregon to California. We got to our apartment complex around 6:30, then Caleb and Brian unloaded everything while I sat watching the truck (a little exhausted from the trip...). Knowing I wouldn't have connection to the internet for a while, my plan was to use Caleb's new Blackberry to throw up a quick "We're here! And there's lot of boxes!" post, but Blogger and the Blackberry got in a fight that night, and I couldn't.  The Nablopomo Gods had pity on me however, and I actually ended up winning a prize for "best dog post".

The second  year I succeeded. My first post for the month was this one, a retelling of the biggest earthquake we've experienced so far, and it's classic. Please do listen to Wendy at the end of the post, you won't regret it. Just fyi, it's an uncut recording of the news broadcast we watched that night. I can't make that kind of thing up.

I may be a little crazy to challenge myself this year, since, ya know, I'm going to have a newborn and all, but I figured I wouldn't be lacking for something to write about. The next thirty days may not be my best writing, but hopefully it will be coherent. At the very least. And hey! My family will appreciate the updates, right?

I'll just have to remember to steer clear of the camera. No one is going to want to see that...

So enjoy, and if you feel so inclined, join Nablopomo. It's a good time.