Day 1

I am sitting at home, watching the Today Show and making a grocery list. It doesn't feel real yet, but I'm just trying to be productive as possible :)

An update for those of you I didn't see this weekend.... My doctor's appointment last Friday went fairly well and as my doctor said, "You're going to have a baby soon!". She said that right before she told me that I had progressed to 2 cm dilated!! Progression is goooooooood :) I'm aiming for 3 cm by my Thursday morning appointment and labor by Thursday afternoon :) Seriously though, I'm just pleased that I haven't gotten stuck yet. If I continue to progress at that rate, then he really will be coming to meet us soon!!

I'm Out!! (Almost :)

Today is my LAST DAY at work!! It got moved up due to Micah being a fast developer and me not wanting to go into labor at work :P Odds are that I still won't have him before my old end date, but I have been anxious all week knowing that I was so far away from the hospital should anything actually happen. I am excited to start a new phase of life and, in terms of the immediate impact, to feel more comfortable about my ability to get to Memorial Hermann Katy when I need to....... I hate to shock anybody, but my faith in the ability of I-10 to get me home quickly at any given time of day is, shall we say, lacking :P

Fun Facts

Apparently when I make myself cough, I have a contraction. Random, yes... but pretty interesting. It feels sort of like when actors say they can cry on command. Well, I can contract on command, so beat that :)

(For those that may be concerned, these are not "real" contractions, they are pre-labor, normal, and can go on for weeks and weeks and weeks before labor starts :)

Growth Chart

The picture is me at 35 weeks along. As of today I am 36 weeks! From what I understand, I may not get much larger from this point on (this is a VERY good thing) even though Micah is gaining 1/2 a pound ish every week.


How big is your baby?

Your baby has grown to be between 16 and 19 inches long and weighs 5 3/4 to 6 3/4 pounds. (If the ultrasound lady was right, then Micah should be almost 7 pounds at this point.... however the weight estimates are notorious for being way off :P)


What is happening with your baby?

The fine downy hair, lanugo, that has covered you baby's skin is beginning to disappear, along with the vernix caseosa. Vernix caseosa is the thick, creamy substance that has protected your baby's skin while he has been submerged in amniotic fluid.

Your baby should be in the head down position, but do not panic if he has yet to attain this position. If by next week he is still not head down, then your health care provider may suggest trying external cephalic version. (Micah has been head down for 4 weeks now... he's a good kid :)

Bye Bye Bling Bling

It is now official.... it was the Aggie ring first, followed by my wedding band and now the last of the hold outs (my engagement ring) has stopped fitting. I can still get them on, but they are uncomfortably tight and you can see the finger puff up around them as the day goes on. Now, due to the fact that I look impressively teenage and get enough dirty looks even when I had my rings on (yes, people have given me the disgusted, you're too young to be pregnant, looks for months now) I am using a makeshift wedding band. It's simple, silver, and a size six... I bought the biggest I could that had just a tiny bit of resistance over my knuckle so that it wouldn't fly off constantly. Being a 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 sized girl before, it was nice to be buying a grown-up person sized ring :)

All in all I figured this was a better way to show that I was married than the other option I considered. Option 2 involved making the shirt I've been threatening to make the entire pregnancy: On the front it would say, "I'm 25 and I was married when this happened" (with an arrow pointing at the belly. On the back it would say "And I was a virgin when I got married". Just to clear up any other misconceptions. While fun to think about, this informative shirt, I'm afraid, may have been a bit uncomfortable to wear around :P

"What Does That Mean?"

I went for a doctor's appointment last Friday and Nate and I got a bit of a surprise. I was describing to my doctor the current weird things my body was doing (there is always something weird in pregnancy that your body is doing, so you begin to assume that all of it is normal and let your doctor sort it out :) and she got a curious expression on her face. I told her that I was suspicious that some of what I had been feeling had been contractions. She said, "I'm going to check you out and see where you are."

She started the internal exam and said "Oh, you HAVE been contracting....". "Really?" I asked. She finished the exam and said "Really. You are 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced." Whoa, what was that second number?? The 1 cm did not surprise me at all, but the 80% took all three of us by surprise. Nate was the most entertaining though.... he had a deer in the headlights expression as he said "What does that mean??" The doctor and I responded simultaneously... "Nothing." She then went on to say that I could go into labor that day or it could be a couple of weeks. By her best guess, I would likely be on the "early side of normal" which translates to 37 or 38 weeks.... this Wednesday I will be 36 weeks... how crazy is that??

My entire family is rooting for the 3rd of July (my dad's birthday), or the 4th of July (cause that'd be cool).... I REALLY want the 3rd though..... If only babies could be persuaded to come based on our timing :) The 3rd would be great timing too as my dad will be in town and any earlier than that will make it difficult for Nate's dad to come immediately. The only downside is that my brother's family will be in North Carolina during that time :( When it comes down to it though, it doesn't matter what I want because Micah will come in God's timing anyway, be that 1 week or 5 weeks or even 7 or 8 weeks away :)

(Please God, not 8 weeks :P And if it pleases you, then July 3rd.... please :)

Climbing That Corporate Ladder

My boss called me into his office yesterday and closed the door behind me (I hate when they do that.... I get so nervous and feel as though I've done something wrong). He said, "Now I feel silly doing this with how the timing worked out....." at this point he pulls out a letter and says "......but corporate saw fit to give you a raise. Effective this Monday." He smiled a sort of "can you believe it?" smile and I have to say I was dumbfounded. Let me break it down for you... it basically means that I will be getting paid at a higher rate for the last three weeks before I'm gone for good... oh, the timing!

We both had a good laugh and agreed that we supposed it was better than missing the raise, even if I only reap the benefits for 3 weeks. He also told me that it was a sign that they were happy with my performance and if at any time after Micah is born I wish to return, that he would make a spot for me no matter what. That's always reassuring to hear :) Nate got a good laugh out of the whole thing and I thought it was pretty funny that they got my letter of resignation 3 weeks before giving me a raise... further proof that with large corporations, the right hand almost never knows what the left is doing :P

Heavy Issues

We've all been there before... ok, maybe not all of us..... I mean, my Dad reads this blog, so not ALL of us :) But in general, we've all had a season in our lives where we start to worry a bit about putting on some poundage. We step onto the bathroom scale and when a +2 pound reading from a few days previous shows up, we begin to worry that this is a beginning of a trend. I used to have those feelings too. I never worried all that much about my weight, but I would get uneasy if it started to make a steady climb, albeit a small one.

Well, pregnancy is different. It IS going to go up and the ONLY thing that stops it is the birth and then it is up to you to turn the direction of the weight changes around. I haven't struggled with body issues during the pregnancy like a lot of women do... it just hasn't been an issue. I have gotten self conscious from time to time about how much bigger my belly is than the average women at my stage of pregnancy, but I get over it every time :)

Anyhoo, every time I go to the doctor (which will be weekly starting tomorrow) I get weighed. At my last appointment I reached a new milestone.... that's right Comers and Goers, I made it to the next big notch..... on the scale that is :) Instead of sliding the smaller weight over perilously close to the edge of it's capacity, the large weight made an extra jump to the right and it became official.... I am no longer a two notcher. I confess that I was strangely excited about this and somewhat relieved. I mean, earlier as I watched them progressively push the small weight further over I was beginning to feel like I was watching the Cliffhanger game on the Price is Right where the yodeling Swiss man got closer and closer to falling off the peak of the mountain. Frankly, I'm glad he is safe on the left again and unless something goes horribly wrong, I won't see him repeat his next dangerous ascent :)

Growth Chart

The (washed out) pic of me shows me at 34 weeks pregnant. As of today, I am 35 weeks pregnant!! You know what that means.... if Micah comes early or on time then I have less than 5 WEEKS left! Of course, we watched birthing videos in class yesterday, so I'm not sure I'm TOO eager for that experience. No wait, scratch that... I AM eager! I want to meet Micah and if I have to go through labor in order to do that, then so be it :)


How big is your baby?

Your baby is continuing to grow and most likely measures between 15.75 to 18 inches long and weighs 5.5 to 6 pounds.

What is happening with your baby?

The vast majority of your baby's growth is complete by 35 weeks. His kidneys are completely developed, and the liver is beginning to process waste. Because your baby has grown so much, you will notice that he will no longer be performing an aerobic workout. There just is not enough room for somersaults. (yeah, no kidding :P)

Maternity Pics

This last weekend, Nate, my mom and I went to San Antonio to visit with my brother's family and had a great time!! Amy has been perfecting her portrait skills on the kiddos recently, and so I asked her to take some maternity shots for me..... I am so happy with them!! They aren't super serious, but they are beautiful and I think will be a great way to document/remember the pregnancy. I have posted a smattering of them on here and have posted my favorite 30 or so on my photo website http://ezellfamilypictures.shutterfly.com/action/ . Check them out!

p.s.- Today is my mom's birthday!! Happy birthday Mom!!! I love you SO MUCH and I shutter to think of the kind of person I would be had God not blessed me with you as a mother. It was so great to celebrate with you yesterday and I'm excited to see you tomorrow!

Oh, Rats!

No seriously.... rats. Well, to be really specific... rat. I had an experience this morning that I really could have lived my whole life without and not have felt like I missed anything.

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Nate and I were leaving for work this morning (we carpool... it's green, it saves us green... everybody wins :) and I flipped on the porch light as we were about to leave. Some movement caught my eye and I froze halfway out the door into our screened-in porch. No way.... did I just see that?? After a quick double take, I confirmed my suspicion and quickly backed over Nate in my haste to close the door between us and IT.

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Sure enough, somehow a RAT had found it's way onto our lovely porch.... a rat, OUR PORCH.... EWWWWWW!!! When I flipped on the light, he frantically threw himself against one of the screens in an attempt to escape. He then disappeared into some dark portion of the porch to await his next jailbreak opportunity. For those of you who are curious, Nate also saw the rat and we are near 100% sure that was what it was. We used the other back door for our exit cause there was no way in God's green earth I was setting foot on a darkish patio wearing flip flops and knowing that a half crazed vermin was somewhere in there desperate to escape. RIGHT, I'm gonna be the one who opens that door... I think not.

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Nate and I back up to an empty, semi woodsy lot which we suspect was the source of said rodent. We have already begun to formulate our plan of attack which includes some sort of border control in the long run (rat poison by the fence anyone?) and Nate with a broom in the short term... assuming of course that our little rodent friend does not find a means of escape before then. In the car ride, I kept getting the shivers every 2 minutes just thinking about it. I mean, are you kidding me? I am trying desperately not to jinx myself, but I just kept saying "As long as he doesn't get into the house..." and repeating it like a mantra. Anyways, that was my morning... ***shivers***

"No Air"

Sooooooo, I know I talk about this all the time and any of you that have been with me for awhile are probably thinking, "Shut up about it already!".... but, I absolutely adore So You Think You Can Dance. Last night was the first "real" show where the Top 20 got paired up and got to show us what they really have. There was one routine, a hip hop routine, that was by far my favorite of the night. Apparently I was not the only person who thought so and I was able to find it on You Tube. Check it out :) (the dance is in the middle of the video)



THAT is why I love this show!

Growth Chart

The picture is me at 33 weeks and as the caption to it on Facebook says... Whoa baby!! I am now 34 weeks along and wondering exactly what I am going to be able to wear come 36 or 37 weeks. As my OB said when she felt my stomach on Friday, "He is taking up every single bit of space that you have in there!".

I haven't heard back yet on the cause of the rash (they said the bloodwork could easily take until the end of this week) but after yesterday I am feeling a little more at ease with it. On Monday when I went in to have it looked at, Micah had been having a quiet day which can begin to make a first time mom nervous, especially when other things appear to off as well. I asked God to increase his movement and all yesterday he didn't stop squirming! He was flipping, kicking, stretching, and generally having a good ol' time! It doesn't matter how uncomfortable it ends up making you.... when you feel your baby move like that, you smile and, in my case yesterday, you exhale :)
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How big is your baby?

Most likely your baby is somewhere between 15.5 to 17.5 inches long and weighs around 5 to 5.5 pounds.

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What is happening with your baby?

During the last several weeks, we have discussed that your baby's body has begun to fill out with the formation of fat under his skin. This is an important part of development because these fat stores will help him to regulate his body temperature once he is born.

The central nervous system is continuing to mature, and the lungs are well developed. While most healthcare providers would ideally like you to carry up to 38 to 40 weeks, your baby has a good chance at surviving outside of your uterus at this time.

The Unknown

So what is bumpy, red, and itchy all over? ME! For the last week and a half, my belly has been itching along the lower half and it's been pretty annoying. The most annoying thing is that it is totally normal to pregnancy and the itch killing things I have tried have had little or no effect. Now I wish I could go back to that phase instead of the one I'm in :P

On Saturday my extra-large belly broke out into a rash. By Sunday it was worse and by yesterday it had gotten even worse. I called my doctor yesterday morning expecting a prescription for anti-itch cream and instead I got to go in to have it looked at. Let me preface this story by laying out a few facts..... getting rashes in pregnancy is an indicator of three different conditions. Two if them are completely harmless (except for the constant discomfort of itching) and one of those, Puppps, is semi-common condition. The third is not so harmless and can cause preterm labor and fetal growth issues. Fact number two- my OB is very easy going and relaxed about things. I've known her for 5 years and I've never seen her worried.

So basically I go in and my doctor looks at the rash. The second she sees it, she looks concerned. She asks a few questions... I answer and she looks more concerned. She tells me that she thought when I called in that it was likely PUPPPs, but having seen it she now didn't think so. Anyhoo, I had blood taken and they are running some tests to try to figure out if what I have is serious or if it threatens Micah in any way. I should hopefully know by the end of the week what the results are. I am concerned, but I wouldn't say I'm anxious.... this would be God's doing since anxiety would be my usual response. The likelihood that I have something serious is very low as the serious conditions are very rare, but please still be praying for Micah's health and for my health. Also, please be praying for my tolerance of the itching... it is more of a constant burning now and has made life uncomfortable. Unfortunately, no matter what I have, it is unlikely that the rash will go away until Micah is born. I, for one, am praying that the Lord takes away the rash earlier than that :P

Checkup

A big thanks to Jennisa of "Once Upon a Blog" for my new blog design... I love it!! I still need to figure out how to make the coding do what it is supposed to do for a couple of the sidebar tabs and then we will be all set :)

Anyways, I had another doctor's appointment last Friday that included an ultrasound so that we could see how little Micah is coming along. The results? He's pretty much a superstar :) He has gotten himself into the head down, rear facing position that he needs to be in for labor (let's hope he stays like that.... the odds are good :) and at 5-5.5 pounds, he is in the 70th percentile as far as size is concerned.... I always knew he'd be exceptional :P. Everything appears to be going well and we can't wait to meet our little boy!

We went on the hospital tour on Saturday and OH MY GOSH!! The rooms were so nice that it made me want to have a longer labor just so that I could enjoy them more..... wait.... did I just say that? Anyways, the Labor and Delivery rooms are private, huge, and oh so nice. The Postpartum (recovery) rooms are semi-fantastic and I'll have a DVD player, so I'm set :P It was really nice to see the hospital ahead of time and get a feel for how things will work. It was also really nice to see some women on the tour with me that were just as big as I am!! Granted, they may have been further along than me and I know that one of them was having twins, but at least I didn't feel like so much of a freak show :)

p.s.- The condo closed successfully!! Every time I start to think that maybe things should run on my time line, God shows me how his timing is perfect!

Things, they are a-changing

Hey Comers and Goers!! I hope you like the new design.... I'm thrilled!! I am still working out some kinks, but everything should be back to normal pretty soon!!

Counting Chickens

Today is the day.... I hope..... PLEASE! Today we are (most likely) closing the sale of the condo!! The buyer has been super finicky and so I am trying to not get ahead of myself by assuming that it'll go through. Some may see this as pessimism, but seeing as how he threatened yesterday not to sign, I'd say I have the right to be a little apprehensive :P

I am SO EXCITED about getting the condo off of our hands with only a 6 day overlap in mortgage payments.... God has been so faithful to provide for us!! I have to keep reminding myself throughout dealing with this buyer, that for some reason, this is who God had picked to buy the condo and that his timing and his provision are perfect. Thank you to everyone who prayed for the sale of the condo, I hope that by 10 am today or so that we will officially be a 1 home family again!!!

In or Out?

Well, I knew this day might come. I hoped I'd be an exception, I hoped I would not have to endure the pain. I hoped I wouldn't have to lose a friend, I hoped that everything could stay as it was. I hoped..... in vain. Two days ago it happened... my cute innie became an outie :P You never realize how attached you are to your belly button until it walks out on you. Sure, I had read the signs, I knew this was probably coming but still I held out hope that maybe it would just go flat without popping up.... no such luck.

I chose this picture because this is pretty much what my belly button looked like that first day of the switch and still looks like actually.... at least some parts of the day it does :) Basically I woke up Tuesday with a fairly flat belly button and by 11 am that day, the area around my belly button had dipped down and the middle had popped up.... granted, I didn't have the water droplet column extending above the middle, but you get the idea :P

Here's the deal... outies freak me out.... always have and I figure always will. It's an interesting phenomenon to be freaked out and a little bit scared of your own belly button, so I am planning on attending counseling in which maybe I can form a new relationship (or at least a truce) with my outie. If anybody knows the name of a good belly button therapist, let me know :)

Growth Chart

Ok... the pic is me at 32 weeks and now I am 33 weeks along.... yikes! Birthing classes are going well and yesterday we learned about different positions to labor in.... after describing each one and having us practice them, she kept saying "Of course, this will hurt a lot more when you are in labor." I do like that she doesn't feed any sort of delusions that labor isn't painful or that her method will keep you from feeling pain. Rather she teaches pain management techniques along with the fundamental truths that God with be our strength and peace. Here's something crazy... I'm not wanting to go into labor right now or anything, but I do feel a peace about it overall. I'm not anxious or fearful. I do get scared in small spurts as I find out more and more about the process, but God has been faithful to calm these fears. I am by no means ready, but I trust that God will prepare me for the time of labor that he has set aside for myself and Micah. Growth chart :) -

How big is your baby?

Your baby is approximately 15.25 to 17.25 inches long and weighs between 4.5 to 5 pounds.

What is happening with your baby?

Your baby's skin is beginning to look less red and less wrinkled. Fat stores are continuing to be deposited under his skin. His bones are all beginning to harden except for the skull. The skull needs to remain soft and pliable for delivery.

Comatose Conversationalist

I had forgotten about this incident until reading a very recent post on Jana's blog in which she unabashedly admitted to sitting up in her sleep on a regular basis. I have done about everything in my sleep from hysterical yelling, to political conversations in gibberish (ask my mom), to sleep walking, sleep slapping (once again, ask my mom) and even some sleep tidying. Even with a lifetime of sleep related stories, this one that occurred a few weeks back was a first... at least to my knowledge :P

It was the day of my shower and I opened my phone to call Leslie. When I did, I noticed that Jen was at the very top of my recent calls list on my phone. I paused for a second and thought, "When did I last talk to Jen? It had to have been two days ago, so how is she at the top of my list?"

I decided this fell under the header of things I was not going to worry about and called Leslie anyway. Jen showed up for the shower in a bit of a frazzled state and said "I still couldn't come up with the platters, so hopefully Tess will get them here in time...." Uh, platters, what platters? Apparently my face told her I had no idea what she was talking about so she dove deeper.... "The ones I called you about last night? I'm sorry I called so late, I was in a panic cause I couldn't find anything in any of the stores." To this she received a blank stare which prompted her to ask;

Jen- "You DO remember me calling you last night, right? Around 11?"

Me- "No, I guess it didn't wake me up"

Jen- "You talked to me."

Me- "I what?? What did I say?"

Jen- "I asked if you had any platters and you told me you were sorry, but you didn't. I knew it, I knew you were asleep!!"

Me- "Not only was I asleep, I was a total liar.... I have at least three platters at home!"

I have to admit, finding out that I have a deceptive subconscious is somewhat disturbing. I mean, what if I start going around and spreading lies without even realizing it? Sheesh! Moral of the story is, if your going to call me, make sure it is before 10 if you want an honest answer. Oh, and if I tell you I have no platters, I'm totally full of it :P

Micah's Room!!

Micah's room is almost complete and I thought I'd share a few pictures! It has actually been in good shape for awhile now, but once you are in your third trimester, it takes a good amount of motivation to get your larger booty upstairs to take pictures :) Just trust me when I tell you that the pictures don't do the wall color justice :P

The diaper bag that Jill made.... isn't it gorgeous?!!

Mmmmm, the glider..... SO comfy

Micah's shelf

The crib (which I am still planning on making something to hang over)

Changing Table / Dresser

A close up of the letters that I painted.... I swear, none of these pics shows the real wall color... it's pretty, I promise :)

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And to close us out... a fun little tidbit from yesterday~

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We open our scene as Nate and Abby step into the elevator at First Baptist and are joined by a 55 ish year old woman~

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Woman- "Oh, I see someone is about to have a baby really soon!"

Me- "Well, actually I have two months left."

Woman- "REALLY?!!!"

Me- "Uh, yup"

Woman- "Is it twins?"

Me- "Nope, only one in there"

Woman- "Well, at least it'll be really healthy!"

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and..... scene.

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For those of you unaware, in this context "healthy" means "huge" :P