7 more days!

I'm thinking it will probably be LONGER than 7 days. I haven't had any serious contractions (just the usual braxton hicks ones... they're a bit stronger, but nothing to write home about). PLUS... I'm still 1 cm and 50% effaced as of my appointment this morning. :-( But, I WAS able to get the H1N1 vaccine today, so I'm very happy about that. At least now I won't die, ha ha.

Meanwhile, my cold has turned into a little bit of a cough, which makes it feel like my ribs are going to explode. Rah!

Next Tuesday, if I make it that long, and I'm going to assume I am... I have my non-stress test and biophysical. They are going to strap some thingys to me and see if I'm contracting and make sure he's doing okay. Then they are going to give me another ultrasound (aka: biophysical) to make sure my fluid levels are good, he's in the right position, etc. We will see! I told my doctor, "I hope I don't see you next week!"

8 more days!

I kind of hope it's NOT 8 more days. Perhaps 5 or 6 would be okay with Baby G. I keep telling him there are great things out in the world out of the womb... such as Mommy, Daddy, Natalie, chocolate cake, the changing leaves, milk... but he doesn't seem to want to listen.

At my 38 week appointment last Tuesday, I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. For those who don't know much about it (or were too afraid to ask!), dilation is the horizontal movement of the cervix and effacement is the vertical movement of the cervix. Both need to be done to get the baby out. I need to get to 10 cm's and 100% effacement. So now you are in the know!

This past weekend, Natalie got to spend time with the Fitch's again as Todd and I went to Mandy and OB's wedding. It was a really great wedding... they were introduced at the reception following a small marching band of bagpipers! HOW COOL! 

I even got out on the dance floor and danced (I think people thought I was insane). I figured it couldn't hurt my cause. Oh, they had awesome cake too (pumpkin cake I think... something like a spice cake) and it was even served with vanilla ice cream. It made this extremely pregnant woman very happy!!! It was really great to hang out with the whole Wilmington crew (minus Greg and Jan... who are about to have their second baby out in California any day now). Greg was supposed to be in the wedding too, so it was sad we couldn't see him. But even Kern and Dorothy came out from Seattle! 

The dragon made an appearance at the wedding as well. He hasn't been seen or heard from since our wedding in 2005. It's a long story about a large dragon medallion that Kern's mom got him for Christmas one year. Now it makes appearances at weddings and bachelor parties. Everyone wears it and makes gang signs and we take a ton of pictures. 

I'm re-reading this as I'm writing it and it sounds rather lame, but it is actually very funny. I guess you had to be there. I especially liked the picture of Dorothy, her dad, and Mike Morris! And a wedding isn't complete unless Kern is making some kind of goofy face. The guy has a real talent for it! (See attached!) The other picture is of me, with a basketball under my dress! Or a baby... one or the other.

Meanwhile, Todd, Natalie and I all have minor colds. Nothing too bad, but enough to make us just want to hang out and rest and watch football on Sunday afternoon (even though we have a few more things to do before Baby G gets here). I'm already feeling better today and it seems like Todd and Natalie are too. If only all colds could be this easy!

Congrats to my friend Brian and his wife Shawn, who are expecting their second in April!

15 more days!

You can't tell that I'm excited about this, can you? I can't tell if I'm more excited to meet my little guy, or if I'm more excited to just NOT be pregnant anymore, ha ha. I feel like I'm not a very good mommy to Natalie when I'm this exhausted. Poor kid... if she thinks it's bad NOW....

We had a fun weekend, except that Natalie is coming down with a cold. (Shocking, right?) She sneezed about 100 times yesterday, which is always the first sign with her. Then she was pretty congested last night, but no fever or anything and she's still the same old Natalie.

Saturday, we went to drop off my car at the car detailing place before heading to Wellesley for breakfast at Maugus. It was YUM. We will definitely go there again. Then we went apple picking at Dowse Orchard Farm in Sherborn (which is just the town south of Natick, so it was only a few miles away). We were thinking about going to Belkin Farms, but it was a $14 entrance fee for adults ($12 for Natalie!!!) PLUS you had to pay for what you picked at astronomical prices. Of course, they have a maze to go through, a huge playground area, pony rides, a petting zoo, etc. so it would have been really fun, but it was already 10 am so we knew we were only going to get 2 hours worth out of our visit. (Not worth it). We definitely will go to Belkin's at some point, when the kids are older and don't need naps anymore! (It will still be fun for them). We just wanted to do some apple picking, so we went to Dowse where there is no entrance fee, and only $10 for a decent sized bag. We picked some Empires (Todd's favorite), Idareds, Courtlands, and Macouns. Then we got to ride a tractor (or as Natalie called it, a "loader" which is totally accurate) that took us back to the parking lot. Natalie thought that was pretty cool. We then went over to their farm stand where they sell other goodies. We picked up a nice pumpkin, and two small pies - apple crisp (my fave) and apple blueberry. YUM!

After picking up my car from the detail shop, which looked awesome by the way, we went home for some lunch. I got my haircut and colored in the afternoon (ahhh, much better!) and Todd started putting up the clear plastic sheeting over the windows, which helps insulate in the winter. He got our first floor done. Hopefully he can get the rest done by the time Baby G gets here.

Sunday was nice too. But it was rainy and snowy all day. YUCK. After church, Todd got a haircut, and made a crockpot meal (our second of the weekend). After Natalie's nap, we carved our first pumpkin as a family! It came out pretty well and Natalie really had fun. She was very good as Todd carved the pumpkin with a knife. She stayed back and watched. She also liked scooping the seeds out. I made an attempt at cooking the seeds, and followed the directions to a tee... but they still came out chewy (flavorful though, with salt and garlic powder). Oh well, maybe next year. It was snowing when we were carving our pumpkin. SAD. It's far too early for that!

22 more days...

I'm obsessed with the countdown clock.

We finally bought baby G some furniture. We got a good deal at Baby Furniture Warehouse in Reading. Natalie had a good time playing in the toy section, and we, sadly, had to watch the Red Sox season come to an end on the television they had there. G's furniture will be delivered next Thursday! Hopefully he won't come before then.

Todd and Natalie have today off... it's Columbus Day! They went to the park and to Panera Bread, and Natalie started complaining of ear pain. I can't really figure that one out. Of course, the doctor is closed for the rest of the afternoon as they are operating on a "Sunday schedule." Naturally! I was thinking about it, and since she hasn't had a cold, and we've been very diligent about not getting water in her ears at bathtime, I can't figure out why her ears have been hurting. But then I was thinking... she actually has sneezed a handful of times in the last couple of days. Not a ton, like she normally does, just maybe 5 or 6 times. No runny nose, only a few random sneezes. Can she be that sensitive? A handful of sneezes and we get an ear infection? I must sneeze 10-15 times every day due to the amount of dust in my office (and sadly, this is a company wide thing because it did not get any better when I switched offices!). It's actually become kind of a joke for those who sit around me. Anyhoo... so maybe she had a little cold that we missed? Unfortunately, I have my own doctor's appointment at 8:15 tomorrow morning. It stinks not being able to be ubiquitous for your family.

Back to the weekend... Todd and I had a fun time at the UNH-Villanova homecoming football game! UNH was ranked #5, and they beat #2 ranked Villanova! How about that for a homecoming game. Sheesh, Auburn usually schedules someone like the Citadel or Southeastern Louisiana Univeristy or someone like that for homecoming. UNH schedules the #2 team in the FCS! It was a close game though, and it was very breezy and the wind was a factor. Natalie got to hang out with her cousins and Aunt Helen and Uncle Gordie in Wilmington. Unfortunately the football game was at noon, which is pretty close to her naptime. Helen and Gordie were awesome to watch her. She had so much fun with cousin Lulu. They made cookies together and decorated a pumpkin with markers.

Now we are in the homestretch...

26 more days...

I like my countdown tickers at the top of this blog. It helps me stay focused.

So... only 26 more days and we still have some things to do. Very important things. Like getting a manicure, pedicure and pre-natal massage next Friday. This is VERY important. I also need to get my car cleaned (washed, waxed, inside cleaned, etc.). I am planning on doing this on Sunday - weather depending, and trip to New Hampshire this weekend depending. We are hoping to go to Durham, NH for the University of New Hampshire's homecoming football game. We have no plans to go to the game, but we wanted to see the campus and enjoy the homecoming festivities. TWC was calling for rain, but they keep decreasing the chances, so maybe we'll get lucky and have some nice weather.

We also are anxiously awaiting the swine flu shot. Natalie needs both flu shots (seasonal and swine), and Todd and I only need the swine flu shot. Whenever that may be!

AND... I need to get my hair cut and colored. I've gotta look good when this baby gets here. I can't have him coming out of the womb, taking one look at me, and crying his eyes out because he's frightened of his scary looking mommy! (OK, he will probably be crying anyway, but at least if I get myself put together beforehand, I know it won't be because I'm scary!). Meanwhile, we also have OB and Mandy's wedding on the 24th. Mandy has already made it very clear that I am not allowed to go into labor before their wedding. Duly noted!

This morning, Todd and I got Natalie signed up for pre-school... for NEXT September! She will be going to Face Children's Center in Natick for at least 3 days a week (full days). We have her on the wait list for the 5 day a week program. It seemed really neat and fun there, and we think it will be a good fit for her. She will be in the Teddybears class. They have a garden, a big playground, lots of arts and crafts time, a dance instructor that comes every other week, lots of reading and playing, cooking (yes, the real thing!) and overall, just a good well-rounded curriculum. I'm not wanting it to be too rigorous. I want her to have FUN while learning. Check out their website for more information (I'm providing the link to the daily schedule): http://www.facechildrenscenter.org/curriculum/daily.php

So that's all the news that's fit to print for now. Have a good weekend!