Monday, April 25, 2011

Week 39, Isn't it Time?

Girl or boy, we are certain this peanut is definitely a stubborn little Taurus! Today I had my 39 Week appointment and the doctor has confirmed there's a high chance the baby will be overdue and we won't have him/her until Week 41. The baby has given no hints that he/she will be a bit early or even born on our due date of May 2nd.


I was having a feeling that'd be the type of news I would hear, so I proactively had a chat with him or her last night explaining that there would be fun things to do outside of my uterus such as playing with Shakespeare, snuggling with Daddy and going for long walks in the neighborhood with Mommy on beautiful days. Apparently that's not important to him or her. I know I'm pleasant to be around and all but come on already!


I have to say, the waiting has been the most difficult part of my pregnancy. Especially now that we are getting down to the wire. Being the positive spirited person that I am, I've challenge myself with staying positive and reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. It's clear that God has a special plan for Baby Ames. I will try to patiently wait for that plan to take action.


How was everyone's Easter? Kurt and I had a great Sunday - We kicked it off with the early church service and it was so packed we ended up sitting front-row. Well, if that doesn't wake you up, I don't know what will! It was a beautiful service and then we came home and Kurt cooked a yummy ham! We had a nice dinner the two of us! Later we dyed Easter eggs and I tortured Shakespeare with wearing his bunny ears. I counted, that was the fifth year we have dyed Easter eggs together - we have quite the tradition going!


Next holiday up is Mothers Day - I have to admit, I was really looking forward to enjoying my first Mother's Day with our baby. I'm kind of bummed it's looking like Baby Ames will grace us with his/her presence after this special holiday. Oh well, there's next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that and so forth.


I've decided to start taking Wednesdays off until we have Baby Ames. I think it'll be a nice break in the week for me. It's been so busy at work and I've been so focused, I could really use a mental pause from work. So the next two Wednesdays will be filled with things I can do around the house, relaxing, and spending quality time with our pup before he starts feeling like a second class citizen.


So that is where we are at 39 Weeks. Baby Ames has decided to extend his/her stay at the "Ritz Carlton of uteruses" and not join us quite yet. Little does he/she know I have all these fun plans for us while I'm on maternity leave and after! Oh well...until then I'll continue to stay positive (bc that's all you can really do, right?) and enjoy these last few moments of "me" time.


Hope your week is filled with moments of "me" time and we'll definitely keep you posted if any "hints" come up along the way from our little peanut.


Lots of love to all,
Tonya

Monday, April 18, 2011

38 is Great!

We have reached 38 weeks and yet no sign of Baby Ames joining us. Apparently this little monkey doesn’t believe in Lombardi time – which is something I’m very familiar with growing up in the Lazar Household. We will have to teach him/her the importance of being a tad bit on the early side.

I had my doctor’s appointment this morning and the doctor predicted I will be having the baby around my due date of May 2nd if not a little bit later. If we go to May 2nd that we week we will be induced.

I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed it’s not sooner as I’ve been feeling more contractions, cramping and back pain. I assumed my body was getting me ready for labor! My hopes were up a bit thinking we’d greet our peanut before May! But on the flip side, at least we know we will truly be going to May 2nd. No more of the sitting on pins and needles over here.

This weekend Kurt played Fire Warden at the Ames Household and put up new smoke detectors and changed out light bulbs! I think we’re going to get him a vest with a patch that reads, “Safety First” and a whistle to blow if any of us are violating any of the safety rules and regulations. He sure has taken the safety thing quite seriously – I have to say, I appreciate it though. All of his hard work allows me to sleep better at night!

Speaking of sleep – I must have been tired this weekend bc I slept from 10pm on Saturday night until 11am on Sunday? Sheez! I think the 3rd trimester and my go-go-go schedule has started to clash!

Tonight Kurt and I are squeezing in a Cubs game before the baby arrives! I’m quite excited! We have pretty good seats behind home plate – and even though it’s rainy, it just gives us an excuse to cuddle while we watch our favorite baseball team start their week off.

An office poll was taken today by a colleague and we’re looking at 5 think we’re having a boy and 8 think we’re having a girl. Looks like we’ll know more in about two weeks what the truth holds. Until then, Kurt and I will enjoy each other’s company and some beauty sleep!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Tonya

Monday, April 11, 2011

I Carried a Watermelon

If you are a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing, you'll know of the movie line "I carried a watermelon." Being a huge fan of the movie, I was quite excited today to find out I'm currently carrying a watermelon. Well that's the size of Baby Ames this week!


We're at 37 Weeks and I'm officially full-term. That means I can have baby any day now and the baby is fully developed minus the extra baby fat that he/she will accumulate over the next few weeks. I went to the doctor today to do my weekly exam and we are 1 centimeter dilated. Now it doesn't really mean that much bc you can be dilated for a few weeks before you go into labor, but it's a start! 


This weekend I could feel my hips widening as it's difficult to pop up from the couch and move as quickly as I'm used to. Now my bones are adjusting, making me move a little bit slower. I've never loved the walls and dressers so much as they are my helpers in getting me around the house. And handrails are a godsend - that's saying a lot considering I'm the biggest germ-a-phobe on the planet. 


Kurt and I did a final run to Babies R Us this weekend to pick up odds and ends so we're 100% ready for our little peanut to arrive. Even though I had a list and knew what I wanted to get, I can safely say I was still overwhelmed in that store. There is just SO much to choose from and it's hard to decipher what we should get. I'm sure there will be a few more trips after the baby is born too once we figure out what we're missing. For now, we have the big chunks to get us by - socks, hats, mittens, diapers, onesies, etc. 


Our child has the best daddy in the whole world. He's so particular of the safety of everything that our child will be "riding" in. He even has an appointment with the police station on Wednesday to check the safety of our car seat and ensure that it was installed correctly! I'm surprised Kurt hasn't gotten a helmet and knee pads for the baby to wear immediately after he/she is born! 


I've been getting more and more tired these days. This weekend both days I was exhausted by 3pm! Speaking of weekends, up until now we have filled them with long to-do lists since we found out we were pregnant in preparation for our baby.  Now we are finally seeing a bit of downtime and we both shamefully admitted yesterday afternoon that we were bored. Pre Baby Ames we would relish in downtime with the remote control and a blanket - now we want to be doing things. We must be getting ourselves prepared for the activity levels we'll need to have with our little monkey.


So that is that - 37 Weeks, 1 centimeter dilated and happy as ever! I have the best husband on the planet, I don't take him for granted a day in my life! I'm nostalgic of my favorite movie, Sound of Music and thinking of the duet Maria and the Captain sang, "Something Good" Bc truly somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done "something good" to deserve this wonderful life.


Hope your weeks are filled with all things good - and if you have some downtime and a chance to watch either movie I've referenced in this week's blog, I highly recommend. You cannot go wrong with either choice!


Much love,
Tonya

Monday, April 4, 2011

It's a Boy or It's a Girl - Which is it?

I think it's safe to say Kurt and I are on pins and needles over here wondering if we're having a boy or a girl. Up until recently, I've been pretty patient awaiting the news but now I can barely keep my composure. I'm really uncertain as to what we're having, shouldn't I have some sort of motherly intuition or something? Especially considering this little monkey is inside me!


Two strangers this weekend said with conviction that we're having a girl. Of course, Kurt ignored their predictions just as Shakespeare ignores the protruding bump I'm currently carrying around! At first I thought Kurt kept telling me we're having a boy bc he wanted to do all the father-son things like take him to Cubs games, throw the ball around or challenge him in John Madden's Football on the Playstation, but I'm starting to think he's afraid of what he'll do with our daughter's suitors? I have a weird suspicion he's going to be crazy protective if we have a girl. 


We had our 36 Week visit - The doctor did an ultrasound and concluded that the baby's head has dropped (meaning, it's in place for delivery) and that my cervix is starting to thin (meaning, it's getting ready to dilate). While we were there, she asked us if we had any questions and I felt silly bc we didn't really have any questions. Shouldn't we have a notebook filled with things to ask? I told her, we were just excited to take it as it comes our way. 


I did ask her how long she thinks it would be until we have the baby. She said that generally if it's your first baby, it's anywhere between 40 and 41 weeks. Kurt and I are very punctual so I guess we'll see if our child takes after us in this capacity. Our doctor did say, it could really happen at any time. The anticipation is KILLING us!


I now go to weekly visits with the doctor and they continue to check to see if I'm dilating, etc. I know it's crazy to say but I really want the time to fly. It's not bc I'm uncomfortable or anything; I just want to meet our little peanut! 


One thing I'd really like to squeeze in before we have this little bambino, is to go to a Cubs game - just me and my husband! It's something that I think we both cherish doing together and they just got a new food menu, why not take advantage of my teenage appetite and enjoy a "last supper" at Wrigley?


So we have four more weeks left. I keep equating our weekly countdown to the of the end of a basketball game when people start counting down the seconds 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We are at four?!! Soon enough we're going to have to hail the final shot before the buzzer goes off!


And when the buzzer does go off - we'll FINALLY find out if we're on Team Pink or Team Blue! Although I think it's safe to say, ether team is a winning team and we're certain to have lots of fans! 




With love,
Tonya + Kurt