Oliver scared me! my mind freaks me

Last night when I got up to use the bathroom, Oliver was sleeping right in the doorway. I wont crawl over him, so I nudged him to move. He wouldn't. I nudged him more, and actually shoved him with my foot a couple times. What the heck, he always moves! I thought he was dead! I flipped on the light and the crazy dog was looking at me wagging his tail.

Its amazing how my mind works... in those 5 or 6 nudges I had it worked out in my mind that he was dead in my doorway, and what are we gonna do with a dead dog in the middle of the night. How can he die in my doorway at just 4.5 years old? And he must have just died because he was still warm. I need to slow my mind down and relax a bit.

The baby did drop!

I had my 34 week apointment this week. At the last 2 appointments I was measuring 3plus weeks bigger then I should have been. This week I am 1 week big. Dr. felt for the baby's head and sure enough! The baby did drop into my pelvis last weekend! Dont know how significant this is, but it assures me that the baby is maturing and getting ready to come into the world.

Also at my appointment we were gonna do a flu shot. I mentioned I was ill the night before.... TMI ALERT!! with diahrea and nausea (diahrea cramps during pregnancy are horrible!!!! OUCH!). So they took my temp because if you have a fever you cant get the flu shot. I had a fever. They insisted I go home from work to rest and rehydrate my body. I did not feel that horrible at that time..... in the whole scheme of how I feel quite crappy on a day to day basis today wasnt so bad. But shortly I got more achey and noticed I was sweating and I have that fever headache too. So, I think it was for the best that I got alot of rest. I feel bad for putting work in a bind...... but I am 34 weeks pregnant and ill. It wasnt a good idea to fight out the day at work feeling ill.

I think my nurse and Dr. both enjoyed warming thier cold hands on my super hot belly.... It took them a long time to get thier measurments and feel for the babies head. LOL. I do have to say I enjoyed the cold hands on my hot belly! Time is flying. My next appointment will be in 2 weeks. After that I see them weekly till the baby is here. YIKES!

We had our breastfeeding class last night. The LC (lactation counselor) at the hospital is great. Chris and I learned so much. I am feeling a bit more easy about our decision to breastfeed. We know it is gonna be difficult and I may want to quit. But we need to go into it determined to be successful.

Is there any family or friends out there that were successful at breastfeeding? If so, please email or comment to me! The LC encouraged us to talk to family and friends that were successful, but I really dont know anyone. She also said the number one reason for failure is negative comments from others about our decision to breastfeed. That's quite sad, but believable.

cornered

Can I complain a little? I dont want to complain alot, I like to say "you cant complain until you try to fix it". But I feel backed into a corner too.

As of today, I am 49 days till my EDD! wow! I have been working some long ass days. 7:45-6:15, and often no lunch. I totally understand, the landscape crews are behind- everyone able is out working on the crews. So that leaves me to cover the garden center alone. For the past couple weeks I have been managing to keep my hours right around 45/week by working shorter days when someone else is here, and then the 10.5 hour days when I am alone. Next week it looks like I am working 52.5 hours with no lunches. UGH! That is just too freaking hard.

I feel backed into the corner, because I know the crews need help getting work done. And the Garden Center is slow. Literally- everyone but me and the receptionist will be in the job sites.

That's my complaint. Needing to work over 50hours a week and being 8 months pregnant. Can I add that the bathroom is over 200 yards away and it takes me an eternity to get there? I dont get to take my shoes off either, as soon as I do a customer shows. OK! enough complaining.

I have fat feet

I am down to just 2 pair of shoes that fit! AHHH! At least it is 2 pairs of tennis shoes, so they are COMFY, but not so cute to wear a blouse and dress pants with. Oh well, guess I have the perfect excuse?

The aches and pains are not stopping anymore. There ae so many bad days. Ugh. I knew this moment was coming, but was hoping it wouldn't be here for another 6 weeks. ;-)

Our first shower (well 2nd shower. my garden center staff threw me one this summer before they left for school) is this weekend. I am looking forward to it, and seeing my family again!

baby dropped?

I am about 32.5 weeks. Yesterday I noticed that my boobs dont touch my belly anymore, my ribs dont hurt anymore, and the kicks are a bit lower then before. My belly looks smaller and lower as well (chris said this too!) Also, there is pressure on my A$$, and I am peeing MORE then before. Something happened. Either the baby dropped, or switched positions. I dont know what to think just yet. I am enjoying that extra space in the rib region, I can eat! I can breath! My boobs are not sitting on my belly! yay!

Some things in life......

Yesterday started out so nicely. Chris and I had childbirth education class. We learned some, but it was pretty basic. It was worth going to, except that it was the most beautiful fall day outside that we were missing out on. After the class we went to Target and picked out a baby boy and a baby girl sleeper for bringing baby home in (we want to dress our baby in pink or blue, not neutral!). That was easy. The boy sleeper is green and blue with a bulldozer and a dumptruck on it. Very appropriate for the baby! And the girl sleeper is pink with flowers on it, yet again... approroptiate. We bought them in newborn size (5-8lb), but we are going to take a nuetral outfit in 0-3 months along too just in case this little one is big. We also go a laundry basket, and valance for the baby room.

Then we stopped to buy paint, that too was nice and easy. We got the paint home, and when chris opened the truck door the paint fell out and the whole gallon splattered in the garage. I am not going to even re-live the next 2 hours..... too tramatizing.... it was all bad and absolutly smashed our moods. We then took another hour or 2 away from each other to cool off, then decided .... yay, this sucks.... lets go buy another gallon of paint.

We are over it! I got up early today and started painting. I hope to get a lot done before Daddy even wakes up.

ouch, my toe hurts

I have an infected ingrown toe nail. Ouch! I totally blame it on my swollen feet being stuffed in my shoes and poor circualtion to my feet. And maybe I like the corners cut way low.... so I got an antibiotic today, and the Dr. stuffed some cotton under the nail to help it grow upwards. Chris is gonna LOVE changing that for me 2 times a day! I also got a lecture to cut my nails straight across too. Lesson learned!

See, I am totally a "I dont get it till I experience it" sort of girl. I ~know~ that I should cut my nails staight across to prevent ingrown nails. But now I completely get why I should not do it!

The nursery has been started!

I got home from work last night and found Chris in the new nursery setting up the crib! We just emptied it the night before! In my mind we would shampoo the carpets, paint, then probably shampoo the carpets one more time. Then set up the crib. He said he really wanted to set it up, so that is fine with me. The big turd enjoyed a few brandy old fashion sweet's while assembling it as well. The crib is really nice, it will be perfect! It assembled rather easily too.

The room looks so small now, or the crib looks so big? I choose the paint color, and that will be our next step. We are thinking a light beige for the walls. A sage valance, and maybe a sage crib skirt (this is still in the works!). Then I hope to paint some very simple branches with leaves on the walls too. I have some small box like shelves that will get hung on the walls too. And then hopefully we can do some accesories for our safari theme.

Dog Puke Tuesday

Good morning Sarah! We got the office emptied last night. So the nursery is ready to be started. I woke up, smiling and walked into the empty nursery just to see it ready to be started. There were 3 piles of dog puke on the carpet. It was 5 stinkin 30. They were pretty dried, so I knew it would take a long time to clean. I had to choose, shower or puke. I cleaned up puke for an hour and 15 minutes! I got the stains out, and my finger tips hurt. Then had just 20 minutes to get me ready for work.

Oliver has been off the last few days. He isnt quite right. The puke confirmed our thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had another ultra sound yesterday to check out the size of the baby. The baby is about 1 week big. 4.5 lbs already! The heart beat varied too, which is completely normal, it varies with activity. Honestly, this u/s hurt. She had to get up under my rubs (literally) to get some measurements. OUCH! My belly buttom is purple too. It hurt to lay on my back on that bed.... err board... and I kept feeling like I was gonna pass out. (artery compressed from baby) The images were not as clear as the first u/s either, because the baby was so much bigger. I did get a couple cool 3d/4d images though, and the baby is way cute. I saw fat rolls, and hair! Cute pudgy lips. I could not watch half of it either, each time she went below the belly button of the baby I had to look away. I could not find out if it was a boy or a girl without Chris there!

My new Dr. is ok. Only talked to him for a few minutes. Only really told me what I asked of him. The due date will stay the same, but they will keep monitoring the baby size and make sure he/she does not get too big.

Office is FINISHED!

Chris and I worked our butts off this weekend! It was all worth it. As of 8pm last night the office is finished and even cleaned ready to move into. (my goal was to have it moved into this weekend.... but some things did not go as smoothly as planned). The bar/living room area is also cleaned. It was so dusty from the project. There was some slop trim-work done be one of the previous owners, so we even cleaned that up.

Our house now feels complete. A true 3 bedroom home. And the office is so big that as we have more kids it can become a spare bedroom for guests. We still have enough storage area in the basement too.

So...... next we move the office stuff out of the future nursery. Set up the new office/craft room. Then we start on the nursery! As for other house stuff to do before baby gets here, the laundry room needs a cleaning, and so does the spare bedroom. The whole house will then be spik and span!

Ouch, watch where you kick me please!

I do love feeling our baby move in me. It is awesome. Today the kicks are blows to the ribs, and they dont tickle. The dont hurt either. They smart. I cant believe I am 31 weeks, and this baby is up to my ribs already. I thought that would be at the VERY end that I would get to experience this feeling.

The achey days are out numbering the comfortable days. My clothes tick me off. My undies bunch, my bra digs, my pants annoy me, the shoes and sucks hurt to put on, and my shirts barely cover my belly. (these are not complaints, they are merely factual statements)

This week has been a long on for me. Next week will be too. At work, the landscape crews are behind, so my assistant is out helping them. I am covering the shop my myself. I work 7:45-6:15 with no official breaks. Yes, I eat and sit down when I can. But I am not getting my lunch time naps!! I am drained when I get home from work, and I want to be doing dishes and laundry. This week it has piled up, and it is saved for the weekend. Next week I have made arrangements to get my lunch breaks covered so I can resume my lunch time naps.

Monday is our ultra sound to see what size baby is baking. Due to me measuring 3 weeks big at my last appointment, my Dr. ordered an u/s. I cant wait to peak in at the baby again.

life lesson #102

I am almost embarrassed to admit this story.

Chris tore into our dishwasher again yesterday. Concluding it was a $100 part that needed to be replaced. This dishwasher is 14 years old, and VERY basic. A new one just like it would be $200. So, not worth fixing. We set out to shop for a new one, and hopefully one with some more features.

We first went to sears. Learned all about dishwashers and narrowed down to what we liked. Then we went to Furniture and Appliance Mart, about 30 minutes away. They have been advertising that they are moving, and everything must go. Best prices ever and so on. So, we looked at what they had. The salesman was really helpful, and we feel he was honest too. We both liked one that is quiet, has delay start, split baskets, superbly energy efficient, and you can even wash half a load. The sticker said WAS $695, now $425. We got him to $395, and felt like we were getting a steal. So we took it home.

As we were walking out of the store, we went by the exact couch I purchased elsewhere 2 years ago. The sticker said it WAS $899, and it was now $xxxx, the exact price I paid 2 years ago when it was not on sale elsewhere. Right then I thought, oh crap.... we may have just gotten ripped off.

As soon as I got home, I went to sears.com and looked up the exact same model. they have our dishwasher regular price for $399! Looked at a few other places, all the same price. I told chris, he was so angry. So we debated what to do. It was in our kitchen, and we like it. We did not get a deal, but we did not get over charged either.

We installed it, and still like it. We think what the store did was bad business, marking it up like that and putting it on a must go sales, lowest price ever and then selling it for regular price. And we will NEVER shop there again, and discourage others from shopping there. We learned too, not to trust what the little handwritten sale signs are telling us either.

Live and Learn.....

dishwasher died

Grrrrrr. It doesn't work. Chris tore it apart last night, and found nothing obvious wrong with it. Lovely. We are going dishwasher shopping tonight.

During the summer our chest freezer died. We replaced that. We are waiting for our washer and dryer to die too. Arg. This is why we have a savings account I guess- to pay for the unexpected.

we're nesting

I knew I was in for a day of cleaning when I kept having these dreams last night of cleaning. I woke at 7, eyes barely open and I started cleaning. About 2 hours later, Chris woke, and joined me in the fun. We got the master bedroom and the 2 bathrooms ~super~ cleaned. Top to Botton, it so shines! Chris did things like the light fixtures and fan blades, moving the furniture too, he did the bulk of the vacuming too. I washed the walls (yes, ~super~ cleaned) the woodwork, the screens, and the windows. In the bathrooms all the drawers got cleaned out and reorganized. I saved some room for new baby stuff too in one of the bathrooms!

We really need to get the office done by next weekend. Including totally moved into. That leaves us just 2 weeks till our deadline to have the nursery done. In those last 2 weeks we dont have any completely open days. So time is getting short.

I got a prenatal massage yesterday, and a pedicure. It was all so fabulous! Big thanks to the parent's (including inlaws) for the birthday money, because I would never spend my own money on something like that. Chris is happy because he doesnt have to cut my toe nails for a couple weeks.

only time will tell

I have always had a pretty good sence about when I think things would happen. Check out this blog entry... the second part called in a perfectly planned world. http://sarah-rambles-on.blogspot.com/2007/09/12-19-2006.html In the back of my mind while TTC I had always thought my baby would be due in the winter.

I just have to say it. I have a ~feeling~ about when this baby will actually make his/her arrival into the world. I guess we will see if I am way off base here or what. Only time will tell. Our actually due date is December 14, and all along I have thought that the baby will arrive early. If I had to narrow it down, I would say the first 2 weeks in december.

Grasshopper way

There is a sidewalk at work, that I have named grasshopper way. They jump all over you when you walk down it. I HATE grasshoppers! They freak me out more then spiders do.

When I was about 17, a grasshopper made me hit the shed. I was wearing my short-shorts (I will kill for the legs I had at 17! they were still short, but they were cute!) and I was pulling into the shed. It even had one of those dummy poles next to the edge of the door- to keep you from hitting the edge of the door. Well, this big grass hopper landed on my inner thigh, and kind of pinched me. I freaked, let go of the wheel and hit the inside of the garage door. (missed the dummy pole!) Got the car all hung up, and left it there for my dad to figure out how to get it out of there.

When it came time to tell dad, I changed my story. I could not tell him a grasshopper was the reason I hit his shed! So I lied, told him it was a bee. He knows the real story now. And everytime I see a grasshopper fly by me, I think of the time one got on my leg and I hit the shed.

rest when tired

I was reading my pregnancy book last night, and it caught my attention when I read to rest when tired. Umm... this is often hard to do. The 2nd and 3rd time moms... I doubt they are able to rest when tired. Me, being a working woman, cant rest when tired. It sounds so unrealistic. I worked 60 hours a week on my feet thru 1st tri... in a haze of exhaustion and nausea. There was absolutly no resting when tired for me!

Then I thought some more... I doubt our grandma's who were pregnant women on farms were able to rest over 6 hours a night, let alone when tired. And thier babies seem to be just fine.