35 weeks (and more belly pictures, of course)

Thirty-five weeks! I am literally GIDDY at the thought of being able to meet our daughter in 5 weeks or less! It almost brings me to tears!

Babycenter.com tells me:
Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds (think bag of sugar) and is just over 18 inches long from head to heel. Of course, he's still curled up inside you: It's getting so snug in your womb that your baby isn't really floating anymore and he isn't likely to be doing somersaults. But tighter quarters don't mean less frequent movement; your baby should still be kicking at the same rate he always has. If you notice a decrease, call your health care provider. Your baby's kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete the next few weeks are all about putting on weight.

She's kicking, alright! Kicking, and punching, and thrashing about. And I love every minute of it! It makes me giggle and I try to imagine just WHAT is she doing in there? This AM, as I was lubing up my belly with the lotions and oils, I think I MAY have saw her foot kick out! She really didn't like me rubbing her that early in the AM, I guess! LOL.

The belly button has not popped at all - but if you touch it, it's actually a bit sore -and brown! LOL

Nice laparoscopy scar underneath the belly button, huh? And the ironing burn to the side of that! (*sigh*)
It is actually getting heavy to walk around with! 40 pounds, can you believe it? The ladies at work all tell me I look thin, and that's it is all baby-- I could kiss them when they tell me that!

More measurements

I measured my waist again this afternoon. 43 inches or so all the way around. Last time I did it, it was around 41 1/2 or so....so not TOO much growth, but yet it looks and feels like I've grown a TON!
Keifer is growing like a weed - I just know it - plus she must be dancing like a dancing queen inside me because when I lie down at night or to nap, the whole side that I'm lying on is just one big shake, rattle and roll!

Kids...and the things they say and do

I'm an early childhood special education teacher, so I teach young children - most with a wide variety of needs.
Lately, because my belly is popping out so hugely (growing each and every day by the mile, in my opinion!), they are starting to figure out that the baby I've talked about is indeed inside my belly.

Today, one of the kids, who is just the sweetest guy on earth, came up to me during free play and just gave me a huge hug out of nowhere, then walked away. Then, as I was sitting playing with them in the pretend kitchen, he came up to me (squatting on my rolling stool) and just gently rub-rub-rubbed my belly. LOL. His mom had a baby girl last summer, and he refers to his baby sister as "my baby" all the time, so I'm sure he has it figured out that my baby girl will be like his mommy having a baby girl. He was so sweet - just gently rubbing my belly, not saying anything. *sigh*.

A few weeks back, we were discussing colors and who was wearing what colors in their clothing. Nobody had any purple on, but I happened to have a stripe of purple that wove across my belly. When I pointed to the purple stripe, and asked "What's this?", one little guy said almost disgustedly, like "c'mon, Carrie, we all know what that is", "that's your BABY". LOL. I had to point out that yes, it was my baby belly, but I was also wearing purple in the stripe.

I love these little guys, and will miss having to cut my school year short with them. However, the fact that I have 5 weeks or less left is so exciting! Two of my friends on my message board (and the two that I've visited in the past - one in Utah (I visited for Sundance),and the other in California (but just moved to Texas) BOTH had their second baby girl this past weekend. I was GIDDY - jumping around like a kid in a candy store with their exciting news. It makes me SO excited to meet my baby girl. Ugg, my heart!!! It is so excited to meet Keifer!

Sunday night ramblings from a mommy-to-be

Can somebody tell me what happened to MY FEET and ANKLES? I know you get swollen with PG, but man, I have cankles every day now! Last night, before bed, I took my socks off and was laughing hysterically, asking "where are my feet? These aren't MY feet!". LOL. They look like some specialized slipper that is pure swollen feet with the toes popping out. *sigh*

I am soooooooooo hungry lately. Hungry hungry hippo. All. The. Time. Yes, I'm coming up on 35 weeks, and yes, Keifer is gaining most of her weight these last few weeks. But I am ravenous. All. The. Time. I've had the tortilla soup *YUM* from Teresa's right down the road at least 3 times this week *blushing, because I JUST had it for dinner tonight, and lunch yesterday*. Yum. Yum. Yum. Keifer likes spicy food.

CJ and I spent 2 more hours today in the nursery sorting the clothes, taking off tags and starting more wash. We are overwhelmed with newborn sizes, but now that we've sorted and gone through it all, we barely have anything BUT newborn sizes in onsies and sleepers - the items that she'll most need. I am hoping she isn't a BAB (aka Big Ass Baby,) and isn't able to fit in newborn sizes for very long *crossing fingers for an 'average' size Keifer*. LOL. We're going to have to check and see if Aubrie's hand me down bins have more of those. I was debating on washing the clothes hanging in the closet -- but seeing as literally nobody really gave us receipts for any of the clothes, I'm not sure where we would exchange them for larger sizes. So, we'll wash and hope she fits in newborn clothes, and if not, we'll save for HOPEFULLY a future child, or to give away or sell.

CJ went to Home Depot and got us another shelf/hanger thing for half of the closet under the hanging bar already. The closet isn't the biggest, so we just want to make sure we have room for longer items to hang. I also sorted through the stuffed animals and we're going to put some of them out in the room, but the majority of them in a bin for the beginning of Keifer's time here, as they are dust collectors and I have no idea what to do with them - the room is already bursting at the seams with the items we have in there! Maybe somebody in our family will win the Powerball and we'll be able to get a larger house with a walk in closet for all of us and large bedrooms to accommodate all of us! LOL.

We found a pee pee spot in the nursery. Apparently Sage was telling us what SHE THINKS of these changes going on in our nursery/former guest room. Uh, oh. Just wait til baby comes home.

I was turning into a caged cougar again, pacing and snapping and bitching at CJ after our nursery time today. I've been cooped up inside since Friday night, (well, I did go to lunch yesterday with my friend Missy), but we've gotten hit with major snow and ice, and I just felt like going and DOING something today. So, I went and saw a matinee of "Music and Lyrics" with Drew and Hugh Grant. I LOVE me my Hugh Grant (ever since he shook his ass to the Pointer Sisters in "Love, Actually"). It was a predictable, cute romantic comedy. The Oscars are on tonight; these are usually like my Superbowl. I am the biggest fan of movies and have been my whole life. I've never missed an Oscars show. However, this year, I have no desire to watch and I could care less who wins. WOW. I'm not sure if that's because of all the buzz going on around here regarding Keifer's upcoming arrival or the fact that none of the movies out this past half year have really appealed to me. Hmm. Have to figure that one out. I am rooting for the Departed though, CJ and I really did enjoy that. And I loved Marky Mark Wahlberg's performance in that!

More gifts, and Keifer's family!

A recap of just SOME of the wonderful gifts that Keifer received! Clothes, jackets, homemade afghans, blankets, odds and ends galore, her high chair, her swing, one of her strollers (*the Zooper Waltz*), a Bundle Me, a tub side kneeler, um, CLOTHES, car organizer, a Bebe Pod, bath towels and wash clothes, a robe and slippers, and on and on. I could go on -- and since our SUV wasn't done being repaired since my accident, we had to take my car up north, which didn't fit very much of the gifts in the trunk. My parents will be making a special delivery soon! LOL. Here's some of anxious family awaiting Keifer's arrival, some of the gifts, and her special cousin, Aubrie, as well as her fur siblings, Treble and Sage.

Daddy and Mommy are excited

The very excited Grandmas (Nanas)...

...and very excited Papas (or Bumpas, as my dad has taken to calling himself, after our egg donor's daughter referred to him as "Bumpa" last summer, since she calls HER Grandpa "Bumpa")

Odds and ends

CJ's favorite onsie EVER: a girlie VIKINGS one

Did somebody say "clothes?" WOWZA.
Winter coats that Nana found on sale -she said she could't afford NOT to buy them! The one on left is 12 months for next year, and the other one is 24 months for following year.More odds and ends being carefully inspected upon arrival by Tboy and Sass.
Bath gear
The gorgeous homemade afghans up close, along with 2 huge wicker baskets for storage *yay*
This used to be Aubrie (my cousin's almost 2 year old and CJ and I's Goddaughter's) Boppy - my aunt just got it a new cover - and CJ thinks he's so cute putting the PBK doggie "Max" in there! LOL. Max matches the child size doggie chair for Keifer! He is SO SOFT!
Aubrie thinking Keifer's new hearts bear is HER bear at my parents house! LOL. Isn't she gorgeous? *sigh* We miss being able to see her....we only see her once every few months *sniff*. And, thanks to Miss Aubrie, Keifer Lynn is going to be one very well dressed little girl - oh yes - we have MOST of Aubrie's hand -me-downs, all in perfect condition!

And of course, the end to a hectic day at my parents: Tboy and Sass doing what they do best: sleeping and snuggling!

Baby Shower #2 -- Wonderful Family & Friends

Last weekend, Keifer, CJ and I were immensely spoiled by our family and friends. My aunties, my cousin, and another cousin's daughter, threw us another baby shower. It was held in a wonderful room at a local hotel, and we were blessed and literally SHOWERED with gifts galore. This girl inside me will not want for much - she received more gifts than any baby I know! LOL.
It was a wonderful time and we are so fortunate to have such caring and loving people in our lives! Here's the pics!

My shower hostesses

The yummy cake & a back of heads - they had me sit in the middle of the tables *yikes* and I hate being the center of attention! *blush*

YAY! Our Nature's Touch Baby Papasan Swing!

One of two beautiful homemade afghans we received ~ the yellow one....
... and the purple! Two of my favorite colors together!
A party dress for Keifer!

My sweet little other Grandma, who was able to make it to my shower! She asked me before this picture was taken: "can I touch your belly?"

34 weeks and Keifer picks HER American Idol

Thirty - four weeks. Six weeks until my due date. Unfrickingbelievable.
Babycenter.com reports that: How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity.

It's amazing to me that my baby is about 5 pounds inside of me. No wonder I can barely breathe after huffing up a flight of stairs! Now that the freezing weather has temporarily passed, I've been walking the fur kids on their loop (around the townhome complex) again, and trying to get back into the mode of SOME EXERCISE! I get plenty at work in the mornings with the kids I work with, but I'm not too happy that I haven't kept up a regular exercise routine throughout this pregnancy, like I always said I would.

I was on the couch watching the girls on American Idol sing last night, and during contestant #4, Sabrina Sloan, Keifer started kicking, shaking, and making my entire belly move and shake. It was so funny, because then she stopped and was pretty quiet most of the night. Later, as the recap for voting was being shown, when they showed a clip of Sabrina with her number to vote, Keifer then gave one big, giant KICK, as if to say , "I like HER, mommy". It sounds unbelievable, but was true! I could NOT stop laughing about this!

I was not a very pleasant girl last night - we are dealing with daycare dilemmas and I told CJ last night I felt like a caged cougar, pacing and nowhere to go. LOL. (*where I got that analogy, I have no idea!*) I've just been crabby,and restless, and now I'm upset that the daycare we liked might not take us - that's a whole different story -but its stress I don't want or need.

And CJ picked up our swivel rocker and ottoman last night! YAY! His brother, Corey, came over and helped him lug it upstairs, and they took the guest bed out of that room, and also brought up our other chest, that my MIL had found at a sale months ago. It is looking very nice in the nursery -- all we need is our crib from my friends who are giving us their crib in a few weeks! (*and my friend's friend will be coming in a few weeks to paint mural on the walls! YAY*) Sage and Treble were a bit nervous about it all, especially Sage. She seemed especially traumatized that "her" bed was being taken away; she lays on a chiropractic pillow every day (in the curve of it) up in the window - her "window on the world". Poor girl, I hope she adjusts. We put her pillow on the ottoman, which also has a window view (as does the rocker) but she was nervous. *sigh*.

is it a Watermelon? 33 1/2 week belly pics

Over the weekend, we visited my Papa & Grandma Gina, as Grandma wasn't going to make it to my baby shower on Sunday. They were both VERY excited (as you can see by Papa's face) to "meet" Keifer again, and Papa asked me if I had a watermelon under my shirt? LOL. They are so excited to meet Keifer in person!

Shiny, lotioned belly - 33 1/2 weeks

33 weeks........

Thirty - three weeks and counting! Oh boy!

Babycenter.com tells me: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches from the top of his head to his heels. Thanks to his recent weight gain, he's losing that wrinkled alien look. Most of your baby's bones are hardening now, but his skull is still quite pliable. It's actually in separate pieces with spaces in between. This flexible structure allows your baby's head to compress so it can fit through your relatively narrow birth canal. The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance. This is totally harmless, normal, and temporary. Your baby's head will quickly take on a more rounded appearance, but his skull plates won't completely fuse until he's about 9 to 18 months old.

Keifer is continuing to flip and roll around, and the past 2-3 days, she has been rolling some sort of appendage to the left of my belly button - and it has been SORE! OWIE! Rolling over in bed has been a titch more difficult, as I can honestly FEEL her weight and body! It freaks me out! The ticker on the top of my blog page today says 48 days and I'm in shock and awe that this is all we have left! Keifer had the hiccups again on Tuesday night and CJ got to feel them! I feel like most of my maternity clothes are getting VERY snug and most of my shirts are starting to gap out on the bottom - it's almost comical! Keif certainly is gaining weight!
I had my Gestational Diabetes check up today again, and still, things look OK. The past 2/3 mornings, I've had higher than usual readings on my fasting numbers so if I get one more high number in the next few days, I have to start taking a prescription medication at night to try to lower that blood sugar.

USA Baby in Bloomington called, and our rocker and ottoman is now in, so we'll need to pick that up! YAY! The nursery is slowly but surely coming together. When the chair and ottoman are in place up there, the bed is coming out and the fur kids are going to go into depression. Oh boy. Tomorrow, I am getting my hair colored and cut for the last time before Keifer's arrival *gotta cover up all these gray haired roots, I told CJ I have to look like a hipster mama! LOL*, and then Saturday AM we are heading up north for my family baby shower! We are still driving one car, as our SUV is still getting repaired after my bang-up last week. I don't think we'll have much room in the Camry to bring stuff home.....but my parents said they'd bring a load down sometime in the near future!

King & Queen of Hearts

All Hail the King & Queen!

My Papa & Grandma Gina, married 64 1/2 years, were voted "King and Queen" at their assisted living home yesterday! It was a big surprise to them, and a happy one!

More siblings!!!! Mooshie is having a .......

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CJ and I got the call last night and I was able to chat with Michele/Moosh for almost an hour. There is no mistaking - she is having a baby BROTHER for 2 year old Maddie! YAY! CJ and I are over the moon, I'm just as excited for Michele as I was when we found out what Keifer was! LOL. I'm literally in tears of joy! Keifer has a 1/3 sister and 1/3 brother now! *sniff, sniff*. How wonderful is this! And I think the most magical thing to hear last night was (not only Mooshie's joy in her voice), was Maddie's little voice saying "hi" to me, and she is getting so big, and she told me "baby brudder!". *sigh*

And please keep Michele in your prayers - she is having continuous spotting and all things are FINE (her OB sounds wonderful) but how scary to keep spotting! Hugs and prayers, Mooshie! CJ and I love you so much!!! (and my parents say Congrats and are so excited, too!)

Instead of Google.com, please use this?

Please use this? I've added to my favorites instead of Google......I just typed in Homeward Bound Rescue and the option for a few came up - I chose the one in Monticello, MN and wham, its ready. Anything to help -they are so overloaded w/animals right now
:O(

Chris and I were there at an adoption on Saturday, dropping off donated bags of food,blankets, toys, rawhides, etc,. and the amount of cages w/doggies was crazy. There were so many - I left in tears; broken hearted I can't help more of them. (this is the rescue we got Treble & Sage from)

http://www.homewardboundrescue.com/

Here is from their website:
WHEN SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET...What if Homeward Bound Rescue earned a penny every time you searched the internet? Well, now we can! Goodsearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Just go to http://goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Homeward Bound Rescue (located in Monticello) as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word!!

Everyone at Homeward Bound would like to thank you for using Goodsearch! Through this search engine, we were able to raise an extra $86.31. The funds we raised will help provide food, shots, and other countless items we need on a daily basis. To learn more about Goodsearch, please check out our "How Can I Help?" page. Again, thanks to everyone who used this search engine and let's see if we can double...no triple the funds for this year!

The things people do and say

Its just part of life to always have people give opinions, whether they are unwanted, solicited or desired. Sometimes people can say or do things that aren't meant to be taken the wrong way in their eyes, but can sometimes affect the other person to feel a different way.
This whole TTC (trying to conceive) journey - all 3 years of it - has been an interesting journey of getting to know myself and how I view and say and do things if my own life. Before, I guess I never really thought about some of the things I may comment on to other people, in the view of how they might do things. However, having one too many people give you their opinions on infertility or choosing NOT to even discuss it with you when it clearly should be discussed has made me hyper-alert to interactions with others.
I guess, in my opinion, if you are unsure about what a person is going through, its better left to say either nothing at all to them, or to question them, if you feel comfortable doing that. I know for myself, I felt better talking openly about what CJ and I were going through, rather than sticking my head in the sand, although it may have appeared I was silent about it more than not. It actually made me feel like people DID care what we were going through, and wanted to know how we were doing in this very important aspect of our lives.

When it comes to our using an egg donor to help us conceive Keifer Lynn, I've had some interesting comments from people within my daily life, and its actually almost amusing to me as to what they say, how they say it, and how the tone of their voice sounds when talking about it.

As for CJ and I, we went through the grief and sadness when we were faced with the reality that my body wasn't cooperating with our earnest attempts to make a baby. Thirteen medicated cycles, down the tubes. Six inseminations, down the tubes. Tears and tears, and Kleenex. I should have stock in Kleenex. But once I realized that if we used an egg donor, I could most likely (there was no reason given that I couldn't) carry a baby in my uterus, my thought process began to change. I initially resisted CJ's desire to use somebody we knew. At first, I thought that it would make me somewhat jealous or feel feelings I couldn't explain knowing they weren't my eggs that helped us make a child (if we were lucky enough to get PG). Then, my thought process changed, after I realized I wanted to know my child's genetic background and know what their egg mother looked like. We initially were going to use a cousin of mine for our egg donor, one who looks very much like me. However, we decided not to, as she was going through personal issues in her life, and when my egg angel Mooshie contacted us, it literally made my heart SOAR with joy and excitement at the possibility of using her. If you've seen pictures of Mooshie, you know her and I resemble each other greatly. When a co-worker of mine saw her picture, she got the chills and said she just "knew" this was it for us. As I got to know Mooshie better, chatting and meeting with her, I knew I wanted her genetics - her personality, her love of life, her sense of humor, as much as I wanted her looks to be a possibility for my child. And looking at her beautiful 2 year old daughter, Maddie, I am honestly over the moon excited to think that Keifer could be as beautiful as her. I've had people come into my classroom that don't know who Maddie is, look at her picture, and ask me how I'm related to her (Maddie). They are always blown away that this child could pass for mine in certain pictures.

I've had people ask me: "won't you have a hard time, knowing your child's egg donor?", "aren't you scared that your egg donor might want to take Keifer and that could be a problem?", "are you going to tell Keifer about her egg donor", and when I say yes, I see shock and disbelief as if this is something not to be talked about.
I find myself to be a very open person, and knowing that some people might have issues with dealing with something as big as this in their life, well, that is their business. As for CJ and I, we were blessed to have Mooshie help us, and I feel blessed, special and extraordinary that our child will have parts of all three of us (CJ, myself and Moosh). She will have 1/3 siblings in Mooshie's children, and I hope and pray that Keifer and Mooshie's kids grow up knowing each other and eventually becoming close, knowing the history involved. Its very special to me - it is not something I am ashamed of, not something I find difficult to comprehend, not something that I find sadness or anger in. It takes a village to raise a child, and in our case, it took a lot of people to make Keifer - the three of us, as well as the doctors and nurses, and people who prayed (and are still praying) for us.
I guess I'm saying - I find it almost funny when people have these doubts and questions. But, I am not in their shoes - shoes that most likely have never had to even CONSIDER using alternative means to conceive a child. I always say, "think about what you might do in my place?". I never went into the TTC process in a million years thinking we'd have somebody else supply our eggs! LOL. We are lucky for the technology and people that are out there to help us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Onto another topic, one I find very interesting and very controversial.

*drum roll please*

Breastfeeding. Now, I'm an educated woman. I am actually VERY anal about researching topics (ask CJ!), and when it comes to baby making, IVF, egg donation, and now baby products, etc.., I find that I love to research and compare and review each and every opinion before we make decisions. Hell, you should've seen my wedding planning frenzy!
That's why I find it almost comical when I tell people that I am not sure if I am going to breastfeed Keifer - and then I hear the "well, I don't want to bug you/push this on you/tell you what to do, BUT...." and then the big BUT: the list of why breastfeeding is so good for babies, how important it is, the nutrition, blah blah blah. At our hospital tour on Saturday, I think the woman who gave us the tour actually promoted breastfeeding about 3-4 times during that 30 minute visit. And ironically, I've had about 4 different people "slide in" their views of breastfeeding on me in the past week and a half alone, as if I am not thinking about it at all. I'm *honestly* not saying I'm offended or put off by people telling me their views; however, don't you think I know all this? Do you really think I haven't thought about all the benefits, etc., and considered them, and the health of my Keifer? I have. I have not made up my mind yet - I told CJ that I'll make my mind up and see how I feel once Keifer is born and I'm in the hospital. Who knows, maybe I'll feel that instinctive urge to have her latch onto my breast and be a happy BFeeder. But for now, I'm undecided. I myself was not breastfed, nor was Chris. I have good friends who never breastfed their children, and their children are happy, healthy, thriving, SMART!, children who are excelling in all areas. I honestly don't think if I don't breastfeed Keifer, she'll be lacking in anything. The formulas they make these days are filled with the nutrients they need. I already know how connected CJ and I both are to her - even in uteruo. This child will not be at a loss for attention. She will be read to, cuddled, sang to, rocked, held, loved unconditionally, and I'm sure will develop a bond with us, as well as her extended family (who already can't wait to get their hands on her!).

I love this quote: There is no right choice, only the choice that is right for you, that I found on a Berkley parent newsletter regarding breastfeeding. They point out that even if I DO start out BFeeding, whose to say that I won't be a worried freak about how much she is taking in, will it even work, or will I go crazy trying to make it work? My body and hormones will be going through such dynamic changes, whose to say what might happen?

As my father in law told my CJ, "A happy wife is a happy life". I say, " a happy mama is a happy baby".

*as a foot note, I take no offense and MEAN NO OFFENSE to any of you who may read this and feel that I'm targeting you, or feel offended. I'm just summarizing thoughts*

Sunday musings.........

CJ and I did our hospital tour yesterday AM! It was very nerve wracking for both of us, I think. I was excited, nervous, and anxious all wrapped up in one. CJ said he got nervous when we were in the laboring room. Our hospital is currently undergoing a ton of construction, so I'll be birthing in an "older" room on one floor, and my 48 hour stay will be on another floor in a brand new room - a very NICE new room! Warm colors, great bathroom, and room for CJ to stay, too. I choked up and couldn't talk after peeking into the makeshift nursery they have. It made me realize this is real and soon, our little Keifer Lynn will be here! UGGG! It also made us start a list of what to bring to the hospital and CJ has been on me to get a bag ready! LOL. Its OK, though, we're only 10 minutes from the hospital. Of course, my favorite thing to point out to CJ is that there is a Chili's nearby, and if mommy wants some Southwest Eggrolls, its as easy as calling them for pick -up service and somebody can jet to pick them up! LOL. The things I think about when we're doing other things (*ahem, food?*)

Some Sunday musings -- from the weekend:

Hanging out after dinner, resting on Keifer (my new fave position, hands on top of her)

CJ thought he was so cute - he put Sasser on Keifer's PBK doggie chair instead of her usual pillow perch - she didn't know what to think of this (and the bed is there until we get our swivel rocker, which should be here soon (*fingers crossed*). We can't completely devastate the fur kids by taking everything they love out of that room YET!
Dinner last night with my good friends from college (Me, Louise, Michelle, & Kris) --and our hubbies --we all are ECSE teachers and have been good friends since college. We enjoyed our PF Changs (my blood sugar went over what its supposed to, oh well), and then back to Michelle's house to hang with the kids and babies and hubbies. Such a fun night-- notice I look once again like Shamu - or that I'm wearing a tent. *LOL*
Our new dresser, from Target.com! CJ spent about 3 hours or so Friday night putting it together! It looks so much better in person than online! We love it and are washing clothes RIGHT NOW to put into the drawers! The right side will be for diaper supplies... as this will be our changing table, too.

WHAT??? *pulling hair out?!*

$200 for a new sign and labor to install it. WHAT???????????????

The city is charging us (well, we just got a bill) for the "Deer Crossing' sign that I hit on Tuesday- after I hit an ice patch, spun out of control, knocked into the sign and went into the ditch.*sigh*. Nice.

32 weeks and OB check up

I had my 32 week appointment scheduled for tomorrow, but after yesterday's crash, CJ and I were so nervous that I rescheduled for today instead. I'm glad I did - for my peace of mind. I honestly DO think Keifer's actions and movements were slower than usual last night - but I'm not sure if that's because I spent the day lazing around, or if she had a bit of trauma from my emotions herself. Either way, things are fine. I got to see Addie, and she first measured my uterus and things are "right on" for 32 weeks, and we heard Keifer's heartbeat right away. *whew*. Then, because of the accident, Addie hooked me up to the fetal monitor for stress/distress monitoring and heartbeat/movement monitoring. Every time Keifer moved, I had to squeeze this little button. I was fascinated by the fetal monitor- all the little jagged lines going up and down and every time Keifer's heartbeat started to rise, sure enough, she would do a little moving and shaking. LOL. She was FINE. Thank God. Thank the angels who watched over us yesterday as we went sliding into the sign and ditch.

Babycenter.com tells me: By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long. Her toe and fingernails have grown in completely. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz. Your baby is taking up a lot of space in your uterus, but those tight quarters shouldn't reduce her activity level. You may have heard that it's normal for babies to slow down later in pregnancy, but that's not true. If you notice any reduction in your baby's movements, call your healthcare provider.

For some reason, knowing Keifer has little, tiny, miniature toe nails just makes my heart swoon! I can't wait to kiss her tiny fingers and toes! *sigh*. Here are the obligatory 32 week belly pictures.

Just call me CRASH: accident yesterday

Yesterday was NOT a good day in our house. It started out as a snowy, cold, below-zero temperature day. I was getting ready to leave for work when CJ came home: he said the traffic was already backed up pretty bad so he was going to work from home. He told me to take the SUV instead of my Camry, and drive carefully. I had the SUV in AWD, and was taking it what I thought was pretty slow up the side road by our house, hoping to beat some of the traffic and enter the freeway a bit more north (up the road).

Well, I hit an ice patch as I came to a curve in the road, started fishtailing, and ended up doing a 360' around, smacked into a DEER CROSSING sign, and dumped into the ditch. It's a pretty deep ditch. BUT: I am fine.All I remember is I started spinning, hitting the sign was very loud (it ended up completely off the pole), and white snow flying as I landed. Luckily, 1) the air bags didn't go off, I'd probably be worse off, and 2) I honestly think the sign saved me from flipping upside down into the ditch!

I immediately called CJ; he was panicked, but I assured him I was OK, even though I was unable to stop myself from crying (for 3 hours!). He called the police and came to get me. He helped me out of the ditch, the police showed up, and we proceeded to wait for the tow truck to come. During my toss into the ditch, a bottle of water had spilled sideways and flooded the driver's seat, making my bottom of my pants soaking wet. Of course, the first thing I did was check my crotch (!) because I wanted to make sure my water hadn't broken.

We got home OK, I am fine, just really stiff and sore neck, and this AM, my tummy was sore (is sore) from where the seat belt had strapped me in. I immediately called my OB yesterday, and she said as long as the baby was moving and I didn't have bad cramping, then I should be OK. I then slept like a rock for 2-3 hours, and spent the day huddled down on our sectional, watching movies and cuddling with the furkids.

I switched my 32 week OB appointment from tomorrow's date to today, so I'll be checking in with her this afternoon. CJ and I are still nervous, even though Keif is moving, she isn't as active as usual, probably because I was so low key yesterday.

I've included some pics of the smack up. CJ took care of the insurance claim, etc., right away once we got home yesterday, and initial estimates are for $5000 worth of damage -just for the front quarter panel (where I hit the sign, as you can see in the indentation) and the bumper. But we figure, we'll pay our deductible and thank GOD that I had an angel in the car with me, watching over Keifer and I - not allowing us to get hurt worse.

More generosity! My very own Cart Cover! and: Hiccups!

The mailman stopped by yesterday and dropped off a package from a friend of mine up in Duluth, Julie. She makes homemade cart covers (for when you go out to the grocery store, restaurants, etc., and want to cover the germy seat for your own child). I had mentioned to Julie a few months ago that I was going to eventually want to get myself my very own JulieMac cart cover, as they are beautiful and very popular with the ladies on our message board. I had told her I was imagining a lilac/purple color with yellows and maybe a flower print.
Well, imagine my joy and surprise when I opened the gift yesterday and there, with it's own carrying bag, was my very own JulieMac cart cover for Keifer!! YAY! I was soooooooooo damn excited. Yes, I'm a dork, but you see, it was EXACTLY as I had envisioned it would look. EXACTLY. So perfect. So thank you again, Julie, I love it!


And, that sly girl, she slipped in a puppy hat and bib for Keif, my *hopefully* future puppy lover! LOL. They are adorable! Julie told me she purposely got the hat in a bigger size in case of a big melon, and I LOL when she told me that, because we're already joking about how Keif is most likely going to have a BIG HEAD just like her daddy and his relatives! LOL.

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In acrobat news, I sat on the couch for an hour last night and just watched our daughter flip around inside me! It is the best feeling ever. AND: she had the hiccups!!!!!!! I've had so many people ask me if I've felt her have the hiccups. Well,there was no denying she had them last night: my stomach was jumping up in a rhythmic pattern for about 20 minutes straight! *sigh* I'm so going to miss these little exciting things when she isn't inside me! LOL.