A glimpse into the day to day routine, social awkwardness, and simple life of the typical girl next door . . .who likes to rock out. . . and talk about babies.
Tomorrow is the big day! We finally get to meet our little girl. We are going in for a c-section because the baby is cozy and decided she did not want to turn head-down. It is very strange to know she will be here. . . and I won't be pregnant anymore. It has been a long road, but worth the wait. Josh and I are very excited. I don't really know what to do with myself tonight. I think Josh feels the same way. Thank goodness the Olympics are on tv.
We'll take one more photo tomorrow, but I'll leave you with a few pictures from the past two weeks.
Last week my doctor finally took me off strict bed rest!!! That doesn't mean I get to go crazy and climb a mountain or even go back to work, for that matter. It does mean that I get to walk around, drive my car, sit at the dinner table like a normal person, and get OUT of my house! I've been cooped-up since before Memorial Day, so this past week has been my first real taste of summer.
My first day of freedom I got to celebrate my sister Anna's birthday. We met up with friends for happy hour ( I had a mocktail w/ my sister, Abby); went out to dinner; and indulged in some delicious desserts. I also got to go to Josh's work BBQ for a little while on Thursday. I mostly sat and chatted with people, but it was nice to go to the park, even if it was 100 degrees outside.
The weekend was a lot of fun too, but I definitely over-exerted myself. During our doctor appointment last week we found out the baby is still breech. The doctor suggested going swimming to encourage the baby to flip head-down. I refused to go buy a one-piece suit for one or two swimming excursions, so I threw shame out the window and squeezed into a bikini. It wasn't pretty, but the water felt amazing!!!
36 Week Belly Shot
After swimming, we got cleaned-up and caught 3 bands at the Underground Music Showcase (UMS). Josh and I used to go all out for the UMS and attend all four days--mid-day to late into the night or next morning.
2011 UMS
This year, I was pushing it to stay for 3 bands. Even though I sat down a lot and drank a ton of water, my feet swelled terribly and my toes looked like vienna sausages. There also wasn't much definition between my calves and ankles. I officially had cankles.
2012 UMS
On Sunday I barely moved. My ab muscles killed from swimming and my walk was more like a 90 year-old shuffle. It was worth it though. Our weekends as a family of two are numbered. At the most we have two more. Who knows?! Maybe it was our last?? Baby M could come any day now. . .
Our nursery furniture arrived yesterday! We've been waiting on it for awhile now. Apparently, Dwell had shipping issues and had to redesign their packaging before our furniture could be deliverd (or they lied and they are just slow--not really sure). What I do know is that is looks amazing! I love it. Thanks mom & dad!!
Josh came home from work and put everything together. He and Anna got the rug centered and all of the bedding put on the crib. They worked so hard and it turned out adorable. My photos really don't do it justice.
Our crib. It looks so big right now! I can't imagine the baby in it yet.
The deer rug Josh picked out. Anna named him Nelson
Dresser/Changing table, bookshelves and woodland creature gallery wall
My Aunt Peggy sewed these curtains for me while I've been on bed rest. They turned out beautiful!
Josh just bought me these flowers, I thought they matched the nursery really nice!
Another view of the dresser/changing table and bookshelves (Ikea spice racks)
Bird mural over the crib. Josh and my sisters painted this--mostly by hand with a tiny brush!!
35 Weeks Down! 4 Weeks to Go!
The glider my amazing husband gave me for mother's day.
Time has been flying by this summer. I've already got 7 weeks of bed rest under my belt! The really exciting news is my doctor still thinks I'm on track to get off strict bed rest next week. That doesn't mean I can go crazy and go run around the block, but I will be able to get out of the house for a little bit. I'm really excited. Laying around the house all day is chill and all, but I'm ready to move around and get outside more. It will be nice to feel somewhat normal again. We hosted a little 4th of July BBQ last week. That felt more normal than usual, but it was still weird to be stuck in my lawn chair the whole time. I did take a break to light a sparkler. That was fun.
So far so good. This is me at 32 weeks. These photos are a little delayed. I'm actually in week 33 right now and will hit 34 weeks on Tuesday--big milestone. Tuesday will also mark 6 weeks of bed rest. Time is going by faster than I thought. There is a chance my doctors will start letting me move around a little more in 2 weeks. That is really exciting.
Right now the baby is measuring on the small side, so I've been working with my gestational diabetes nurse to ramp up my diet. I feel like it is working. I'll weigh myself on Monday and see if I've gained any weight. I haven't put on a pound the entire time I've been on bed rest even though I feel huge.
I've been on bed rest now for a little over too weeks. On the positive side, it seems to be working. We haven't seen any changes during our last two OB visits. Since things can't get better, no change is as good as it gets. On the negative side, bed rest is getting really old. It is really frustrating to lose your independence. Of course I've had lots of help and visitors, but having to ask people for help with EVERYTHING gets old really fast. At least we only have about 10 more weeks to go.
Oh yeah, I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes too. I'm just borderline, so all I have to do right now is watch my diet, document everything I eat and stab my fingers six times per day. At least I don't have to give myself shots, but I'm still depressed about it.
Here I am at 29 weeks. I refuse to take pictures lying in bed, so this is during one of my few "breaks" to stand. You might also notice our yard in the background is dirt. We are getting sod tomorrow!! I hope it looks pretty. I can't wait! I haven't had real sprinklers in at least 7 years!
Sorry this post is so depressing. Maybe I'll get Josh to guest blog again soon and pick up the spirit.
You know those days you find yourself just sitting and thinking about things you need to do, but can't seem to actually get up and do them, or maybe you're frozen because you don't know where to start? I've been having a lot of those days lately.
Last Tuesday, Josh and I went in for our 28 week appointment with our OB. The appointment didn't quite go as planned. First, I threw-up from my glucose test--charming. Next I got a rhogam shot in my butt check and bled through my skirt from the giant needle. Then we had an ultrasound that revealed my cervix is shortening (sorry if this is TMI for our guy friends). Usually around 28 weeks, women have lengths of anywhere from 4cm - 3cm. Unfortunately I'm between 1.6cm and 1.4cm. What does that mean? Well, basically, I'm already effacing and am high risk for going into pre-term labor. It also means I have to be on strict bed rest--reclined for 23 hours per day. I'm allowed to get up and go to the bathroom; take short showers; move from one room to another; and sometimes sit up to eat, but for the most part, I need to be reclined all day. It's basic physics and the only real solution to help keep the little muffin baking longer. Full term is anywhere from 37-42 weeks. I hit 29 weeks on Tuesday. You can do the math. This might be an interesting summer. Luckily we have lots of family and friends to help us out.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm still a little frozen trying to figure out what to do with myself. I'm slowly navigating what I can accomplish while reclined. It will be a tough journey, but I'm feeling very positive this week that everything will work out. It may not be according to my plan, but things will be ok. Most importantly, she will be ok.
Hi everyone. This is Erin. I'm back after Josh's inaugural blog post. Due to the overwhelming positive response to his literary debut, I'm going to try and get him to come back every now and then to share his perspective on life.
The past two weekends have been pretty exciting. One included the celebration of my first Mother's Day and the other the celebration of my sister Abby being a champ (yeah, I know, much more exciting than Mother's Day)
For Mother's Day Josh got me several nice gifts. The big gift was a custom glider for the nursery. It is still being built, but the one I tested in the store was one of the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in. I can't wait for it to arrive!! I'm sure the baby girl is going to like it too. Josh also gave me several sweet cards and flowers. One of the cards included a picture of cute chihuahua puppies kissing and my other favorite featured a handsome beagle on the front. The Mother's Day celebration included brunch with my in-laws and a trip to one of the most stressful places on Earth--Ikea. Brunch was delicious. Ikea was intense, but we emerged successful with a handful of useful items including a bookcase for the nursery, spice racks we are going to use as nursery bookshelves, and a step stool for the kitchen. The other highlight of the day was visiting my new second cousin, Jude. He was born on May 10th and is pretty darn cute. I bet he and our baby girl will be good friends.
Here are a few pictures from the brunch.
26 Weeks
I think I got the raw end of the deal perspective-wise on this photo. Marian got to stand on a piece of concrete in the background to look taller and smaller, while I had to be in the foreground with my enormous belly.
Now onto exciting weekend #2--The 2012 Colorado High School State Track & Field Championships!!
This year Abby competed in four events (4 preliminary events and 3 final events) over a three day period. Did I mention during those three days the weather shifted from blazing heat to freezing downpours? Yeah--it was nuts.
She qualified for the finals in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints. All three of her final events were ran in the pouring rain on Saturday, but it didn't seem to phase her. She took 2nd place in the 100m, 3rd place in the 200 m, and was #1 in the 400m. Yes, #1 = STATE CHAMPION!!!!! It was so exciting. Our entire family is so proud of her. I'm think I busted into tears as she crossed the finish line--but who really knows for sure, it was pouring rain.
That is Abby at the TOP of the podium!
Sweet signs Anna and I made the night before finals.
Mom and Dad drenched in rain, but still smiling
27 Week Belly Photo. Also note, Josh and I mixed-up our rain pants. I grabbed the larges and he squeezed into my extra-smalls. Also, I'm not sure who he is threatening.
The Champ
Hmmm. I look enormous in my rain pants next to Abby in her spandex pants. I think I probably out-weigh her by at least 40 pounds right now.
CONGRATULATIONS, ABBY!!
Oh yeah, Josh and Anna also ran this weekend. They were part of a Colfax Marathon relay team. They didn't look nearly as fast as Abby, but I commend them for their efforts. I just cheered from the sidelines.
Josh completing 6.3 Miles! He ran from the Broncos Stadium, through downtown and into City Park.
The relay team running the last 200 yards in together.
This is Josh, Erin's husband (in case you were unaware). Erin let me know that I would be writing the old blogster this time. I have also been informed that the topics shall be Abby's Birthday Fiesta and a photo of my ever growing daughter (from the outside of Erin's belly, a.k.a the 25 week belly picture.). As of late that is the way things have been going, Erin tells me what to do and I do it... unless the request is a bit, scratch that, very ridiculous. So I find myself writing. In addition to the aforementioned topics I will most likely go off on several tangents, such as Cheetos commercial sound tracks (I believe this one is "The Hit" by Richard Myhill).
Last week we went down to Pueblo and had ourselves a birthday fiesta (insert awesome mariachi music here). Abby is now an adult, 18 years old, although I still view her as the 8 year old I met 10 years ago who tricked me into trying to shake her hand goodbye as she pulled it away and brushed it over her head. Yup, still the same jokester now. At any rate, we thought it would be fun to buy a pinata, an Angry Bird pinata to be exact (a.k.a. Fat Bird in our house hold). We filled it with candy and car air fresheners... the Black Ice scent was for Anna.
Pinata, aka Pigata, aka fat bird, aka anger bird, aka about to get smashed for its sweet, sweet candy brains, mmmmmmmm, candy brains.
Erin's Pop, Big Tom Simpson, and Uncle, Lil' Dave Simpson, strung that sucker up and let the kids swing away while pulling it just out of reach. Then is was Abby's turn, she spun around with a blind fold on and went for it, seems the joke was now on her. The fat bird pinata was pulled as she swung and the bat came crashing into her shin (I laughed and barely felt bad about it, I think I might be evil). She was fine, most likely due to the toughness I have bestowed upon her though endless practical jokes and an unrelenting ping pong battle (no need to ask what our record is, what's in a number anyway?). Soon the pinata would break and enjoyment was had by all.
Abby preparing to hit herself with a bat.
Here is an amazing picture of our best beagle, Stanly, who is always up for a fiesta! He also turned eight or ocho en espanol.
And yet another great photo. This of Anna and Grandpa Lee showing a little fiesta flare
(please note the chili pepper suspenders)
After the smashing of the pinata we started making margaritas for everyone (a virgin one for my baby mama). We made them from limeade, OJ, and unsweetened grapefruit juice... nice nice. After the food and drink were consumed and the festivities came to an end. None to soon either as Abby had the toots (kidding, it was Anna [joking again, it was me, those fried bean/meat tacos are awesome but I should really try to eat only 1 or 2]).
Let's see what else is going on. I have been crushing the mountain on my bike and almost crashed the other day because I saw a snake. For the record it was a very odd looking snake, did some research and I think it was either a black mamba or a run of the mill red milk snake. There is really no way of knowing but I did what anyone would do as I road by it... teared up and screamed snake! I also learned that one of my best buds is having a baby too, congrats Chris and Rochele! Finally, I learned that a new micro brewery is opening up no more than a mile from our house, sweet (said like Cartman). This will bring the total bikable breweries from our house to 5. Don't worry, I will need to make use of these prior to August as I will liekly grow up and become responsible. Oh yeah, and I bought a sweet plush deer skin rug for my daughters room.
See, it does look scary, like some sort of death machine
In retrospect this might do some sort of damage to my daughter's psyche
Last but not least, here is a picture of Erin's belly... BOOM! I wish it was a movie of it because this sucker is moving a bunch. The baby might be a fighter, I think we are in for an interesting 18 years. I bet the rug is a good idea after all.
