I'm Sure You're Wondering....

Well, my due date came and went and still no baby. We'll keep everyone updated on things!

9th Month

Candice: We now have only a couple days until D-day (hopefully she won't come too late!). This pic was taken at 39 weeks, 2 days so this is just about as big as I could possible get. I am starting to get nervous about things, as I'm sure most first time moms do. The unknown can be kinda scary after you learn about all the things that can happen during a delivery. As in the previous months, I've continued getting bigger this month than I could possibly imagine. The last week or so has been difficult. As my body is preparing for labor, the little aches and pains become more and more intense. I would say that I don't want to move much from the couch, but it seems I cannot get comfortable anywhere at this point which includes the couch! I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday, and found that I was dilated 3cm. My doctor predicted it would only be a matter of a few days, so we'll see if baby decides to fulfill doc's prediction. 

Despite all the little grips and complaints that I've had throughout the pregnancy, I've reflected this week on what a miracle this truly has been. At one point before getting pregnant, Jason and I wondered if the possibility for us existed that we might never be able to have kids. And now here we are. It has been amazing having this little thing inside me, forming from a mass of cells, to forming organs and developing a heartbeat, to feeling hiccups and kicks, to soon being able to live and breath outside me.  It'll be different to not be able to feel every slight move that she makes, but I am so excited to meet my little one. Despite all the "inconveniences" of pregnancy, there is not a moment of these 40 weeks that I would trade for the world. I would be ready to do it in a second. But, don't get me wrong. I will also be very excited to have my body start returning to "normal" as well. Until then, we're just waiting until she is ready to come out and meet us.....:)

8th Month

Wow - look at that belly, I mean baby!

Take a good look, cause these walls will be poop stained before long.

Expect many weary nights spent in this chair, PRAYING for her to go back to sleep.

Chloe testing out the new rug.

Overall view of finished room.  The window valences and the light switch even matches.

Jason: Well, only 1 short month away from a little miracle.  Candice had an appointment this week and the baby is very healthy, getting in position (head down) and she is 1 cm dialated.   Exciting!!!  I have been extremely hard at work getting the old office turned into the baby's room.  We started by putting up chair rail.  Then we painted the room a two tone color, pale yellow on top, and pale green on bottom.  After that it was the trim, wallpaper border, and window valences.  The room looks so cute.  I hope baby girl appreciates the hard work her daddy spent and the long hours.  Chloe (the cat) has already moved in and taken over.  We say she has to 'get kitty butt' on everything new (see picture below).

Candice is so cute, she wobbles every where she goes and I'm starting to call her 'Pippy Longstocking' because of these cute freckles she has gotten all over her face.  They say it's a medical thing with sensitive skin during pregnancy for some moms.

A few pictures above.  

Candice: Well, we've had another busy month and can't believe how quickly the time has gone by.  At the end of April my mom flew out to Richmond for a "baby weekend". She was able to go to a baby shower my Sunday school class threw to me. It really meant a lot to have her there. We also did a lot of shopping for baby stuff and even purchased the crib. I did not realize that some stores take several months to get the crib ordered and out to you. At this point, we're keeping our fingers crossed that it gets here in time. If not, we figure the baby can always sleep in a laundry basket or dresser drawer. I mean, does it really know the difference if it's sleeping in a crib versus a laundry basket? I have also been lucky enough to have wonderful showers thrown for me at work and by Sara, for which a group of friends came to the house. One of the attendees was Jen who flew in from New Mexico, which was awesome of her to do! Everyone has been so generous to us with gifts and helping to get things ready. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Of course, I am continuing to get bigger and bigger. The baby has been dropping for about 3 weeks now, which makes things more comfortable in some aspects, and less in others. Most of the time, I am able to breath easier since baby is no longer stretching into my rib cage. I also have not had any heartburn issues since she sits lower. However, it is difficult for me to find a comfortable sitting position anywhere! Even driving in my Crossfire is uncomfortable! It is such a low sitting car and since my belly sits so low, my legs get pressed into my belly. Of course, I will never get rid of this car. I love it to much! Even if I only get to drive it once every six months, it is worth keeping to me:). Moving continues to become more uncomfortable as well. I've finally reached the point where everything at the gym is too uncomfortable to do, so now I'm left with my yoga videos to do at home. 

We started our birthing classes this week. Jason is about ready to ring my neck with all the baby classes I've been making him take. In the class this week, we saw a video titled "comfort measures". Jason nearly got sick when they started showing clips of women in labor where the baby's head had started crowning. I don't know how he'll make it through this delivery unless there is a curtain blocking his view! But if that's what we have to do, I'm fine with that. The video also showed all the men giving their wives massages and one was even feeding his wife jello! I thought those would be perfect tasks for Jason during the labor!

Seventh Month

^ Waving or Sucking Thumb
^Sleeping

^ Skeletor Still

^Big Mama

Candice: Mom and baby are continuing to grow and stay healthy this month. I am very much visibly pregnant, and everywhere I go people want to talk to me about being pregnant. I'm not joking- everywhere! Strangers talk to me in the gym, at the grocery store, at the mall. People love to give you unsolicited advice as well. Don't get me wrong. I like getting advice from my friends and family, and sometimes strangers do give me some helpful tips. But it is the criticizing comments that tend to get under my skin. For example, there have been a few times when at work where I've run out to get a decaf coffee from Starbucks. Everytime I do do this, and people at work see me carrying a Starbucks cup, I get at least one person who says to me, "Are you really drinking that when you're pregnant!?!". I want to scream, "I'm a dietitian! I know what I can have when I'm pregnant!", but instead I politely say, "It's decaf".

I've had several doctors appointments this month. One was the glucose tolerance test, which everyone seems to scare you about. It really wasn't bad. The drink tastes like a flat orange soda, and was quite tasty. I felt a little shaky about 20 minutes after taking the drink, but all in all it was not as bad as what people say. At my other appointment, we had another ultrasound done to make sure baby was growing okay. Everything looked great! I was 29 1/2 weeks at the appointment, and they estimated she weighed 3 pounds .3 ounces! How exciting! On the ultrasound pictures, she actually resembles a little person now rather than skeletor!

Baby's movements are getting more pronounced as well. Although we can't yet identify what limb is moving across my belly, it is strange to see a small peak coming out of my belly at certain times of the day. The baby's movement just freak Jason out. He thinks it's like 'Aliens' or something.

As I get bigger, I'm slowing down some. I had to officially call it quits with my running. I got to the point where I had some strange cramping and didn't feel comfortable with it anymore. Now, I do the elliptical and walk on the treadmill. Thank goodness the treadmills at the gym have individual TVs on them that you can attach your headphones to. Otherwise, I would fall asleep on those things! Forty-five minutes of walking is not the most exciting activity, but I guess some people would say the same about running. I have more trouble with everyday things- getting in and out of cars, bending down to get things, walking up and down the stairs. Jason doesn't understand why I can't keep up with him when we're walking somewhere. I'd love to see him try this pregnancy thing out for a week! No way he would last! I can't wait to see what the next 2 months will bring......

Jason:

Once again, time just keeps dragging on. I can't believe it's been 7 months, seems like 2 years. Very thankful the baby is healthy and mom is doing great. A buddy in my hunt club just had to go to hospital because his wife was 2" dilated at only 30 weeks. So guess I shouldn't wish this baby would come any sooner than 40 weeks. Candice had one emotional breakdown in Ukrop's Grocery store. She cried for 10 minutes. Something to do with they didn't have her brand of yogurt... It's too long a story but ask me next time I see you and it will bring you a good 'ole belly laugh. I've been told that if I think she is emotional now, just wait till right after the birth, she'll really be a roller coaster of emotions then. Candice has been a trooper and still works out (more than me). Her favorite cravings have been: #1) Chocolate Milk, #2) Dried Mango, #3) Pizza. But overall they haven't been real weird. Candice has been nagging at me about getting the baby's room ready, but I have June 15th week off. I can get it all done then, just praying that the baby doesn't come early and ruin my procrastination plans. Four wonderful friends through Candice a baby shower last weekend and her mom flew into town. I heard they did a great job on the shower and decorated to a tea and the food was awesome. How come guys don't get anything like a 'guys night out', etc... I guess because we aren't carrying the baby around for 9 months. :) Candice likes to see the baby rolling around in her belly, I think it's disturbing looking and feeling. It reminds me of Alien. Scary!!!! I mean this little girl literally does cartwheels, you wouldn't believe it how active she is. I think she's going to be hyper just like me and C were when we were little. Oh my, we'll have our hands full. I guess I'll sign off for now. Only 2 more months, can't wait for that special day. What a blessing!!!

Sixth Month

Candice: The hormones are definitely continuing to ease up this month. I am less moody, hungry, and tired. My emotional outbursts are now filled with many forgetful moments. Just this morning as I was leaving for work, I grabbed my lunch and purse, then set the house alarm. No sooner did I slam the door shut when I realized I left my keys (house, car, and work) inside the house. I called Jason to my rescue.  To my surprise he didn't get mad at the fact that he had to leave work to help me get back into the house. I really think nothing ceases to amaze Jason at this point. I usually can't go more than two days without some sort of "blonde" moment. 

It is a good thing that my energy has increased this month because the baby planning has really hit full force. We have started taking parenting/baby classes that require homework! The reading and assignments have been a little time-consuming. I don't think Jason is keeping up with the homework as well as I am though. The class has turned out to be mostly about breastfeeding and a feeding schedule, neither of which I think Jason has much interest in (he may when those sleepless nights hit though!). When we watch the video in class, Jason and the other men get like giggly schoolgirls when it starts talking about breastfeeding. We registered for baby stuff last weekend and that was very traumatizing! I thought I did my research before we went to Babies R Us, and even brought my highlighted notes with me. But when you're standing in an aisle full of nursing bra pads, the highlighted notes seem irrelevant at that point. You just have to wing it and hope for the best, because you have a ga-zillion  more aisles waiting for you. Jason and I survived it with only maybe 2 or 3 meltdowns. And to that all too common question, "Have you picked out a name yet?".... No, we haven't. Jason and I tried looking at the baby name book together one night. It didn't go very well. Jason flipped through the pages like he was taking a speed-reading course. The names that each of us called out that we liked, the other person did not care for. We haven't discussed the topic much further at this point. I guess it's because we know it'll be a struggle to agree on a name. At this point, I figure we've still got a few months ahead of us. And if there is no success, we can always wait until we're in the birthing room at the hospital. Maybe I'll get my way when he sees how much pain I'm in while in labor:)

The baby's kicks are continuing and are getting harder. Jason has felt them on a few occasions. Usually, the baby stops kicking when Jason puts his hand on my belly. I think she's scared of him. My belly is growing by the week, and my belly button is sticking out farther than I knew possible. I get tired easily during more strenuous activities. For example, a few weeks ago, Jason and I were washing all (4) of our cars. Normally, I would've done this, and then gone on a long run later that day. I made it half way, and needed a break. I was wiped out, but managed to help finish the rest. All in all it's been a good month. 

Jason: Candice has been a great pregnant wife.  She continues to cook, clean, wash, mow the lawn, wash the cars, and even finds time to pack my lunch every morning.  What a wonderful wifey.  I even overheard her mention that after the baby is born I may only have to change diapers once a week.  Candice has also been more agreeable to some of my picks for the baby's name.  A few she seems to like are:  Edwina, Jasonyia, Lyleina, and Marcoshina.  

In all seriousness though.  The time continues to drag on.  I can't remember a time in my life that didn't go so slow.  I guess that's a good thing.  More patience for me.  The baby has been kickin something fierce.  I think she's going to be a runner just like her mom.  I went garage salin this weekend.  Got lots o' neat stuff.  Pack-n-plays (2), strollers (3), car seat, changing table, rocker, carriers, listening devices, bounceys, and a play pin.  All for next to nothing.  Now all we really need is a crib, jogging stroller and tons of little stuff.  Lord willing and everything continues to progress we'll see her in a little more than 3 short months.  Jobs are going ok, just thankful we both have one for now.  Candice has been just great.  She's doing so well adjusting.  I think she's so excited, even more than me because it probably seems more real being inside her.  Can't wait to hold her in my arms.  Oh the joy!

I'M A GIRL!

Profile ^

Skeletor? Scary ^

The Dr. said there were no 'twig & berries'.  And there was a clear sighting of 'hamburger buns' (see arrow above).  Thus we knew it was to be a girl.  ^

Feet ^

Fifth Month

Pregnancy is so rough ^

Candice: Things have definitely been easing up this month. I feel much better, although a little bit queasy until I eat breakfast. I'm not as tired and my appetite has improved. I felt the baby move at 17 1/2 weeks. For a couple days, I felt something that felt like a pancake flipping in my belly. But, the next week and a half I didn't feel much. My belly is getting bigger by the week. I'm fully in maternity clothes, and I don't feel so awkward wearing them anymore ( I felt like a pregnant women wannabe wearing them several weeks earlier). I'm noticing that I'm having more difficulty with things that I took for granted before- like bending over to tie my shoes. I don't know what I'm going to do in months 7, 8, and 9. I think Jason will have to tie my shoes for me! I'm trying to keep up with my running, but I only get a block or so before I have to pee really bad. I'm starting to train myself to hold it, but I can only go out for about 35 minutes or so before I feel like I'm going to bust! My doctor says this will only get worse, and usually by about week 28 most women will stop running due to their bladder issues. 

Jason: I'm getting lots o' sleep (see picture above).  Candice has really made some spectacular meals lately.  She's on a real string of first class dishes.  One after another.  They keep moving to my top 10 list.  Move over grandma you've got a little bit of competition.  But every time one gets on the top 10 list, another has to come off.  This pregnant thing seems to make her want to spend more time in the kitchen and eating different foods.  Works for me.  She hasn't been too emotional lately - good.  She keeps wanting me to tell her how great she looks and how she has ONLY put on weight in her belly.  Yep!  Sure thing!  But the other day I made her really mad when just as she was about to go through a doorway, I stopped her suddenly, turned her sideways and guided her through the door.  Hah.

Baby: My reflexes such as sucking and blinking are developing. My eyes are moving from the sides to the front of my head, and hair is starting to form on my scalp. I now have eyebrows and eyelids. My skeleton has started to harden from cartilage to bone. Pads are forming under my fingers and toes. My hearing is also improving and I can now hear my mommy and daddy.