30 Days to Go!

I can't believe it! 30 days, give or take and this baby will be done cookin'!

I'm anxious and excited and feeling very unprepared. I haven't spent much time around newborns, not since Jesse and Sarah were little, and even then I didn't have much to do with midnight feedings and dirty diapers.

Everyone seems to love telling me to soak up the sleep now....and I keep wondering to myself 'what sleep?' Between the thoughts circling in my head at night, the 6-7 trips to the bathroom, the hip pain, and the fight I'm losing with my belly, when am I getting sleep? I don't mean to be a whiner, but jeez I am starting to get uncomfortable. I'm okay during the day. For the most part, things are quiet, I do make several trips to the bathroom, but it's the night time that I have started to dread. I can't seem to catch my breath because baby is pushing on my lungs, and I wake up in the middle of the night feeling like there's an elephant sitting on my chest because I'm lying on my back!

Christmas shopping this weekend was quite an adventure as well. Never mind the 8 million people that were driving crazy, or pushing through the crowds. I had to overcome bathroom trips, swift kicks or punches to my cervix, and that overall heavy feeling I get lately. I haven't gained much weight, but the way I'm caring, I feel like I've gained 50 lbs. I would walk past two or three stores at the mall and start to get winded. I keep telling Jeff that I don't know how the morbidly obese handle it. I can't wait to get this weight off of me or should I say out of me....just so I can function again.

And now for the good stuff....Jeff finished painting the nursery! It took a month, but it's finally done. We haven't put anything in there yet. I'm waiting until after the holidays to do that. I still want to steam clean the carpet, and that will take a little time for it to dry since it's too cold to open windows. This next pay day is dedicated to ordering curtains and other little odds and ends that will make her room complete. I'm looking forward to having it done, but since we got the bassinet put together, I don't feel like I'm totally unprepared. She won't be sleeping in her room for the first few weeks anyway, so even if I went into labor next week, it wouldn't be a big deal if her room isn't done.

And..we went to our birth class. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was long...and didn't really offer much more new information. It promoted 'natural' childbirth. I was disappointed that they didn't go into more detail about emergency c-sections or different pain relievers. I know that the whole point for the class is to teach you to cope without those things, but the reality is, not everyone will be able to handle the pain. I guess I just felt like they shouldn't push one idea and should at least try to cover the other 'what if's.'

So, now I'm just working on getting through Christmas. I know that sounds bad, but really it's just another milestone for me on my way to babyland. I really couldn't have cared less if we put the tree up or exchanged gifts. It sounds horrible, and my mom likes to tell me I wish my life away, but I just want to meet my little girl already! I'm done waiting!

7 Weeks and Counting....

Okay, I guess at 33 weeks, the time has come. I am definitely feeling pregnant these days. It’s still not as bad as all of the horror stories I’ve heard, but if I had a nickel for every time I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I could retire at 25!

Last night has been the worst so far. I didn’t actually keep count, but I went to bed around 10:00p.m., and needed to visit the bathroom every 1-1.5 hours after that. Then while I’m stumbling to the bathroom with no lights on, I realize that I’m thirsty. So I get a drink of water, and before I know it, I’m rolling out of bed to do my business again. And to top it all off, the dog woke me up last night so I let her out, and she didn’t even go potty. She just stood there and ate grass. Needless to say, I was not in a stellar mood this morning and actually hit the snooze button instead of getting up at my regular time. Of course, that’s after I went to the bathroom when the alarm went off the first time….

I told Jeff last night that I’m starting to feel like a rollie pollie. I can’t actually sit up to get out of bed, I sort of do this half roll thing and grab onto the fitted sheet to pull myself up. Then, there’s trying to get off our couch. For some reason, my usual seat is the hardest one for me to wiggle out of. I’ve taken to sitting in the middle of the couch because I don’t feel so sunk in, which means less work trying to get up. Even then, I have to scoot to the edge of the seat and push up with my fists just to get up to…you guessed it….go pee!

Really though, I haven’t had much pain yet. I do feel like my ribs are starting to spread. They’re just sore most of the time. And this little girl seems to enjoy stretching, so it feels like she’s pushing on my bladder and making it impossible to breathe all at the same time. And, depending on how the baby sits, my right thigh has started going numb. It’s not painful, just a weird sensation. It doesn’t last long, especially if she shifts, but she must be pressing on something in there. I’m just glad it’s numb and not sciatica pain, which I’ve had before when I wasn’t pregnant and that’s no fun. I can’t imagine dealing with that on top of every other symptom pregnancy throws at you.

So, all in all I know I must me making progress and she must be getting bigger because I feel like there’s not much more room in there for her. We only have 7 weeks left until the estimated D-Day, and part of me feels like we’re no where close to being ready, while the other part of me just wants to get her out so I can cuddle her…and breathe again.

Time for an Update!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve been super busy at work, and our computer at home has been taken down so we can work on the baby’s room. If you’ve been reading Jeff’s blog at all, you know that we’ve been traveling like crazy and having a great time. I guess we’re trying to get it all done before parenthood takes over and we find it difficult to do even the most mundane tasks.

Everything is going well in babyland. I’ll be 32 weeks tomorrow and I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was waving my positive pregnancy test in Jeff’s face and yelling “I’m pregnant!” I remember thinking at the time when I was just a measly 5 weeks along that January 20th was so far away. Now I’m in the single digit countdown and I’m starting to get both excited and anxious. I’ve found it hard to focus at work and I lose my train of thought a lot because I am so preoccupied with this little one. I’ve been starting to wonder if she’ll have a lot of hair like Jeff did when he was born, will she be dark like me, or have green eyes like her daddy? Will she be an easy going baby or will we be pacing the hallway with her the first few months? And the most important ones…will I be a good mommy? Will I be able to handle the pain of labor and delivery? All these things are floating around in my head and they seem to consume me at the most inopportune times, like when my boss asks me a question, or Jeff’s telling me a story about something that happened at work!

My shower was a little under two weeks ago and it was great. Sarah is a great party planner/thrower and it all turned out perfect. There were about 30-40 people there and tons of good food. The theme: pink and brown polka dots! The cake: from a little bakery in Chico called The Upper Crust. I was actually sad when I finished the last piece. But, it’s probably a good thing we can’t get cake like that in Susanville. I’d be as big as a barn by now!

The baby and I were showered with tons of gifts that day and now I’m just focusing on the little things that we need to stock up on. I haven’t even begun to go through everything because I still have nowhere to put it! It’s mostly my fault. I picked a paint color that I thought I would love, and it turns out I don’t like it so much. So we’re going with a clean white and now the hard part is just getting the both of us motivated to work on it. Jeff won’t let me help paint, so I’m feeling pretty helpless. I have to say though, I’m feeling the pressure. I’m just itching to get it all done so it’s one more thing I can mark off my list. My nightmares these days have been that I go into early labor and I don’t have a single thing washed or packed. I know it’s ridiculous, but I suppose it a first time mommy thing.

And there’s something that I’d like to address right here, on my blog. A comment was made, I don’t know by whom, because I didn’t personally hear it, but it was said and feelings were hurt. Admist all the gift giving, the impression that some people got was that my mom didn’t get us anything because they didn't see a wrapped gift from her. That’s a very wrong assumption. The entire time I was opening presents I was sitting in a rocker/glider that she bought for the nursery. Draped on the side of it was a baby blanket that she quilted for the baby, as well as a huge stuffed bunny that works as a pillow and an overnight bag. She’s also crocheting something that she won’t let me see, which is driving me crazy!

But, that day was not about who got the baby the most gifts. It was about celebrating a new little life. Jeff and I are thankful whenever someone thinks about our daughter and decides to give her a gift. It doesn't matter to us who got her what, because we aren't keeping score. We're just glad that our baby girl is lucky enough to have so many people who love her and are excited to meet her.

Well Hello 3rd Trimester

That's right folks! The countdown has started. According to my ticker, I'm 28 weeks, 1 day pregnant. I'm still feeling pretty lucky, since my complaints are minimal. The biggest annoyance these days has been my lack of sleep, but I think that has more to do with adjusting to the time change since returning from Hawaii. (I'll post our story and some pictures this weekend...maybe....)

Baby girl is getting bigger by the minute. In the last few days her kicks and squirms are much stronger and feel like they happen all day long. It seems like the only time she rests is the hour or two before bedtime, and then she gets her second wind and kicks her daddy in the back all night.

My back has also been a little achy, which isn't helping me sleep. It seems I can't find a comfortable position and the bad part is, I know it will only get worse. I'm also having a really strange pain right next to my belly button. It feels almost like a pulled muscle, but it doesn't go away after a few days. The pregnant body is just strange sometimes.

The next thing I'm looking forward to is the baby shower. It's a little over two weeks away and I can't wait. I haven't bought anything for the baby except her home coming outfit and baby book, so it will be nice to have some of the necessities and cute outfits around the house. Aside from my expanding belly, there will actually be evidence of a newborn on the way! How exciting is that?

So, I'm a Slacker....

Most things have been quiet here in Honea land.

We've been slowly preparing for our baby girl. And when I say slowly, I mean at a snails pace! I know I still have time, but the anxious mama in me is starting to get antsy. Her bedroom is cleaned out, I just need Jeff to move all the heavy stuff and relocate the computer then we can start painting. I was hoping to have everything done by the this time next month, but I don't know if that's going to happen since I've been so indecisive on the theme. I finally picked out her bedding. I had the hardest time finding something I liked. I didn't want something too girly, but I didn't want anything gender neutral either. So I settled on a bedding set from Target that doesn't have too much pink all over it, and just enough polka dots to suit me.

My favorite part of the day has been after dinner, while Jeff's doing the dishes. I get in the bath and wait. After a few minutes baby girl starts wiggling and jumping around. It's precious to watch and makes me feel like I'm starting to get to know her.

So far, she seems to have stubborn streak, just like both of her parents. After much prodding and poking, and at least 10 tries, she finally let her Grandma Cannon feel her kick. That's been the way it goes with most people. As soon as she feels someone's hand on my belly, she stops all movement! Then I just look like the crazy pregnant lady who thinks her baby is kicking!

Oh and the shopping! I've refrained from purchasing anything until now. We have our registry almost complete at Target, but I still wanted to get some things that were just from us. I've only bought her baby book and home coming outfit, but that's only because we're leaving for Maui on Saturday and I knew I had to watch my spending.

Here are some pictures. As usual, I can't get them to load at the right size, so click on them if you have to.

Here I am at 25 weeks.

And here is little girl's homecoming outfit.

She's a Girl!

It's official. Baby Honea is all girl. We had our gender scan yesterday and our ultrasound tech said there's no mistaking it this time. It was a great appointment, we even got to see her move her mouth and they took a picture of her long fingers.

We are very excited and can't wait to meet her!

Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Here's a pic of her fingers and and her other hand is down by her knees. She was playing with her toes right before they snapped this picture.

This one is another picture of her face. You can see the lens in her eye and her chubby cheeks.

It's Been A Long Time

It's been a long time since I posted something. I guess that's because nothing much has really been going on. Baby Honea is growing and kicking just like they should be. Their kicks are getting so strong now that I can feel it with my hand on the outside of my belly. But of course every time I try to show Jeff, this stubborn baby decides to stop kicking!

At my last Dr.'s appointment they told me I'd gained 5 lbs, which was sort of a bummer. I know the scale was going to start going up eventually, but I was secretly hoping it would start in my third trimester. I'm still 6lbs lighter than when I first got pregnant though, which is a good thing.

Now here's a picture of me. I'm not really showing like a skinny girl would, but this dress seems to showcase the belly. Like I said on my myspace page, it's not all baby yet, but it's not all chub either.

And this is the diaper bag my cousin Veronica made me. Isn't she crafty? She also filled it up with a bunch of goodies and brought me a huge bag full of maternity clothes. She's one of my new favorite people! lol

I can't get it to load right, so click on the picture so you can look at the whole thing.