For realsies, this is the last birth story post. This time with pictures!

At long last, photos from Judah's birth!

In case you missed it here is the first, second, and third part of his birth story.

This is the one and only picture from The Birthing Inn. What a pretty room. And look at that nice big tub for a water birth. Sigh, if only, if only. Hopefully when it comes time for baby number two my blood pressure can not freak out on me. The other two women in the room are my doula and my midwife. The waste basket on the bed would be my barf bucket. Awesome.

Goodbye, cute comfortable room. Hello, hospital room and gown. And this would be where my ideal birth plan said, "adios, suckers!" Still went all natural though, boo-ya!

A very new Judah. Still all purple and covered in meconium and all sorts of gross birth goo. Bill and I both really enjoyed how he had one continual crease from one eye over the bridge of the nose and along the other eye. He reminded us of:

They could be long lost twins, right?

I got to have skin to skin with Judah right away. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. His temperature was a bit low. So they put him under a heat lamp and did a quick once over to get rid of his poo coating. Thankfully they were able to do it right in the room. Not once at the hospital was Judah taken out of my room.

Bill was a bit emotional (of course he was).

After I was stitched back together we were moved from the labor and delivery room to our postpartum room two floors down. Judah's little bassinet thing was right next to my bed. Even with having him so close it was hard for me to get him in and out of his bassinet. I couldn't do it from my bed and moving around was still very difficult and painful for me. The nurses were a big help and during the day Bill was as well. At night, not so much. He slept in a cot in the room, but he might as well have been back at our house. He was out cold during the night. I tried waking him up when I needed help either with Judah or getting myself to the restroom, but I was out of luck. Good thing the nurses were just a buzzer away.

He was so little (although, he sure didn't feel like when I was pushing him out).

I made it the entire first day with out changing Judah's diaper. Not on purpose, just happened to work that way between the nurses doing tests or monitoring (and changing him while they were at it) and Bill also changed him once of twice. As you can see, Judah found my execution somewhat lacking.

All ready to go home after an overnighter in the hospital.

I was so glad that we only had to stay 24 hours at the hospital. The nurses were very helpful, but it was so much nicer once we were at home. I think I only slept a few hours at most while at the hospital. Once we got home a nap was in order asap. It was so much more restful to sleep in my own bed than the hospital bed that would shift its alignment as to prevent bedsores (because, you know, bedsores happen in 24 hrs or less. Right.). It did it constantly and always with a not so pleasant mechanical whirring. Nothing like being thiiiiiis close to falling asleep only to be awakened by your bed. moving. on its own.

Bill was a natural. But I never had any doubts that he wouldn't be.

Somehow is three and a half months Judah went from this:

To this:

He's not so modest these days.

He's a wee bit bigger now.

Pregnant? Get a doula!

Part way through our pregnancy Bill and I decided to get a doula. Boy, was that the right decision.

Super early in the pregnancy we interviewed a few local Tacoma doulas, but weren't sure if we really wanted one or not, so we put the whole thing on hold. Then a few months later we revisited the reasons to get or not get a doula.

We decided to go for it because:
-we found out that at The Birthing Inn that the birth assistant is not there for the whole birth and there is only one birth assistant on duty even if there are two births going on.
-we figured that if we something ended up going wrong (which it did) we would want a doula to go with us to the hospital
-there might have been other reasons too, but those were the main two that convinced us that it was the right choice.

We hired Jessica, who we had interviewed in the beginning. We liked Jessica from the start because she was very down to earth and chill.

During the pregnancy we met up a few times, talked or went for walks. Then near the end we were in daily contact. It was so great having her to ask all these questions. I would share with her what was happening with my body and she would let me know what it meant and what to do. She was very knowledgeable and I alleviated my nerves on a daily basis.

The day I went into labor we were in contact pretty much constantly. She met us at the Birthing Inn and came prepared with a whole bag of tricks and drinks and the whole shebang. Too bad my labor went so quickly we didn't get to use them! Although, the drinks came in very handy. I downed those Gatorades after I finished pushing that baby out.

Jessica was super great during labor. She was such a calming and peaceful presence. Not only did I appreciate all her help and soothing words and actions, but so did Bill. He definitely felt more at ease with her there. When we had to transfer to the hospital she was right there with us every step of the way. She stayed with us throughout labor and hung out with us in postpartum until we were ready to be on our own. She also came and checked in with us after we brought baby Judah home to go over everything and see if there was anything we needed.

When it comes time for baby number two, there will be no hesitation. Jessica will be our doula from day one (or, you know, week 4)!

Judah's Birth Story: part three (the final installment! sort of)

So, there I was pushing away (in case you missed it- part one & two)...

Pushing. Screaming. Crying. Overheating. Pushing some more.

This goes on for some time (well, it felt like forever, but in reality wasn't actually that long).
I am minimally aware of my surroundings at this point. Every now and then I hear people telling me I'm doing a good job. Or to take deep breaths.

Then I hear the midwife saying that he's going to come out on the next push. Hallelujah! That is what I wanted to hear. What I didn't hear is that he HAD to come out on the next push because he heart rate was dropping. I must say, I'm pretty glad I didn't hear that part.

The next contraction comes and I PUSH and I feel a little release of pressure and then BLAM-O a big release of pressure. Judah was out. Next thing I now he is on my chest and I just cannot believe I now have a baby. What I missed in my daze was that I had an episiotomy at the last second (the first little release of pressure) because Judah was coming out with his hand up by his face (superman style, if you will). I also was unaware that when he first came out he was super purple and not moving/making noise. Bill was all too aware of all these things. It felt like forever to him from the time Judah came out to the time he took his first breath. That was a very scary time for Bill. When Judah started to wail, Bill started to cry and collapsed onto the floor (which was all gross with my blood and guts- according to him anyway). From that position on the floor he called his parents and tearfully told them Judah was here and it was all alright.

With Judah on my chest we let the cord pulse out before Bill cut it. I was surprised that his cut was made pretty far down. Someone else (the midwife? a nurse?) made the cut close to his body. I was able to hold Judah for a little while, but his body temperature was low so they had to take him away and put him under a heat light. Bill went with him (this all happened in the labor and delivery room, just a few feet from the foot of my bed). They also cleaned the meconium out of his orifices and did a preliminary cleaning of the rest of him (there was definitely still poo stuck in his hair, ears, fingers, whathaveyou).

While Judah was warming up and getting cleaned, they gave me a shot of pitocin, a drug used to induce labor in most cases. I was receiving it so that my contractions would keep going and I could get my placenta out quickly. It needed to come out asap, because I was bleeding quite a bit and my midwife wanted to stitch me up. Not only was I bleeding from the episiotomy, but I also tore. In several places. Inside and out. They gave me shots of local anesthesia to numb me up, but I gotta say, that shit still hurt. I definitely could feel her sewing me back together.

Judah was born at 5:37am after only 24 minutes of pushing. My blood pressure returned to normal as soon as delivery was over. It was a pretty quick and intense labor (well, I think so anyway). All in all, I spent about an hour at the Birthing Inn and an hour at the hospital (half of that in the freaking waiting room of the freaking ER). We stayed at the hospital until 11am the next day (it's hospital policy that you stay at least 24 hours).

Although things did not go according to our birth-plan, at least they went quickly. There was no time to debate our choices, or mourn that this wasn't what we had wanted. It all happened so fast that we just went with it. And, in the end, we did get what we wanted: Judah.

Oh, did I mention that when we first found out we were pregnant Bill and I talked about how cool it would be if Judah was born on the solstice? Looks like he was listening. Of course, later on in the game we definitely took back that wish and instead were hoping for before the due date rather than after. But our boy wasn't having it. He waited until the solstice and was born with the sun. I started pushing at 5:13, the exact time of the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Pretty crazy, no?

Hmmm, well I think that might be it. Except for pictures (no gross ones, I promise). Those will come another day. And, with that, I guess I finally have finished Judah's birth story (5 weeks and 2 days later).

Judah's Birth Story: part duex

When I left you I had been having bloody show all day Monday (part 1).

I was also having some contractions throughout the day, but that was pretty much par for the course. However, around 9pm I started having more and more contractions. They were a bit stronger than the ones I had been having previously, but still didn't feel distinct enough to time. Still, I was getting a bit excited and hopeful that it was really starting to happen. I had been in contact with my doula all day about what was going on. She encouraged me to try to get some sleep, because as the contractions intensified I would not be able to sleep... But, I was a bit too amped up to sleep (Bill was able to snooze for a bit). I tried to sleep, I really did, but I kept feeling contractions and they were just a bit too intense to really sleep through (and like I said- I was pretty amped up). 

Around 11 pm I completely gave up on sleep and decided to go downstairs and try to watch a movie. Bill went downstairs with me.  We got all set up for a movie, but it never happened. By that time the contractions were coming on stronger and we were timing them. At birth class they tell you how at first they are like 15 min apart, then 10, and on down, and then when they are 4 (or 5) minutes apart and lasting for a minute each it is time to go in. I never so much had that nice clear countdown. When we started timing them they were anywhere from 2 minutes to 6 minutes apart and lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute and a half. They still weren't super duper intense as I was able to facebook and play Words with Friends on my ipod.  Still, we decided to call the midwives and check in. She advised us to wait until they were averaging a minute in length and then call her again. So we kept going.

By 2 am they were really starting to come on strong. And then I started barfing during contractions. So much fun! About that time they were averaging a minutes in durations, so Bill called back the midwife. It was 2:45 by that time. She said for us to meet her at the Birthing Inn at 3:30. Bill let my mom know we would be going soon and I let our doula know. We didn't quite get out of the house when we hoped, because I was too busy having contractions and barfing to get going. We ended up leaving the house a little past 3:30 and got to the Birthing inn about 3:45am.

I was checked as soon as we got there. I was at 5cm and 90% effaced. So I still had 5 more cm to go... The midwife also listened to Judah's heartbeat, which was right where it should be, and took my blood pressure, which was not where it should be. It was high. Which is definitely not normal for me. Throughout the pregnancy I maintained pretty low blood pressure. High blood pressure is something you get booted from the Birthing Inn for, because it can require medicine and whatnot that they don't have there. My midwife decided we would keep laboring (and barfing) at the Birthing Inn continue to monitor my blood pressure to see if it would go back down. It didn't. Which meant I had to transfer to St. Joe's, a local hospital. 

So we all piled back into our cars to drive to St. Joe's. It is only about a 10 minute drive, but that was the longest 10 minute drive I have ever experienced. It sucks balls to have contractions in the car. You can't really move around, you are just stuck there in your seat. It is lame. During the ride I talked to Bill about how I wanted to have some drugs when we got to St. Joe's. Our birth plan had been to be drug free, but dammmn it hurt. And I was envisioning that I still had a whole day ahead of me of these contractions. I didn't want an epidural, just something to take the edge off a bit. 

When we got to St. Joe's we went to the ER to check in (as we had been instucted by our midwife. She had sent over our info and said we would check in and they would send us right up). They did not. We checked in and they are asking us all these questions. Bill is trying to explain that we are from the Birthing Inn and they should have our info. But they are still asking all these gd questions. And I am leaning on the counter, barfing into my bucket, trying to recite my social security number. The check in ladies tell us the labor and delivery people are on their way. But they sure seemed to be taking their sweet ass time. I'm telling them that it hurts and are they absolutely sure they are on their way? They tell me they are and ask me if I think the baby is coming. I tell them I have no idea (since I've never had a baby before) but that it hurrrrrrts. After at least 15 minutes a nurse finally appears to wheel me up (labor and delivery is on the 14th floor). 

We get up to my labor and delivery room and they begin to hook me up to a machine to monitor my blood pressure and the fetal monitors (the belt kind) that measure Judah's heart rate and my contractions. At that point I have to pee (I had been doing a lot of my contractions on the toilet, because all that pressure just made me feel like I had to pee). So I go into the bathroom, pee, have another contraction and hear a *POP*. That pop would be my water breaking- pretty convenient that I was sitting on the toilet, eh? It turned out there was meconium in my water, which can mean the baby is in distress, but it can also be pretty common for babies that are late (Judah was 5 days late).  At that point they had me get onto the bed and checked me again. Boom! I was at 10 cm and fully dilated. It was go time! It was 5:13am, which happens to also be the exact time of the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Pretty cosmic, huh?

Anyway, I'm asking for drugs. But my midwife is telling me there is no time for drugs. I guess it is somewhat common to think you really do need those drugs while you are in transition (that time when you are fully ready to go, but not pushing yet- as in the entire time I was in the car and standing downstairs in the ER). It is a pretty intense time. But, yeah, as it turned out there was no time for drugs.  I  did not have hours and hours and hours of contractions to work through. I was ready. It was pushing time.

I was screaming and grunting and yelling about how it hurrrrrts. I kept asking if they could see his head yet, and they had to keep saying no. Sad panda. The midwife asked me if I wanted to her to position a mirror down there so I could watch. I did not. I just wanted to have my eyes closed. It just seemed so bright in that room. I couldn't handle all the light. I'm sure it was a totally normal amount, I was just really sensitive to it. I was also super hot. Whenever I had a contraction I started overheating. I had been having ice packs and cool wash clothes on me for hours. I was able to stay well hydrated despite all my barfing, so I did not have to be hooked up to an IV. So, there I am pushing away. Screaming. Crying. Pushing. The nurses, my mom, Bill, the midwife, and my doula are all offering words of encouragement but I don't really hear any of it. However, I did hear one thing. A nurse saying, "Okay, we are all ready for the cesarian!" I lose it. I say, "WHAT?!? I'm having a c-section?!?" My midwife reassures me that that is not for me. They couldn't cut that baby out of me if they wanted to- he was almost here. I guess that stupid nurse had not been in my room, but just talking super loudly right outside me door.

Coming soon: part three...

Judah's Birth Story: part 1

Judah's birth story is getting broken into parts, because if it didn't I would never get around to writing it. Even now, I am writing while Judah is nursing. Blogger has a setting where you can email a special address and it will be the post. So that what is I am trying today. Here's hoping it works. I'm typing this out with my thumb on my iPod- so if there are more errors than usual let's blame autocorrect. Also, since this post is an email that means no photos. Later, I swear.

Part one of the story will last as long as breastfeeding Judah does. Anyones guess how long that might be, we have already nursed over five and a half hours today and its only 8:15.

So anyway, on Monday, June 20th, things started to happen for reals. But, of course, I had no way of knowing it was for real since I been having pre-labor signs for over two weeks at that point. Still, I was hopeful. I started the day by having bloody show, which only increased during the day instead of dissipating like it had in the past. Bloody show can mean labor will start imminently or it could still be days away. So, I went through my day as usual. My mom and I ran a bunch of errands around town. Sadly, I never took a nap. Something I would come to regret later.

And... Judah is done. Which means so is this post.

Sent from my iPod

Part 2
Part 3

40 Weeks

Judah's due date was this last Thursday, June 16th, 2011. Needless to say, he did not think much of that. The photo above was taken on his due date while my mom and and I were walking around downtown Tacoma trying to inspire him to make his move. My regular photographer (Bill) was at work, so this one was taken by mom. I've given her the task of photo taker during birth and I'm a wee bit nervous about her skills. She is not what you would call handy with a digital camera.

We had our 40 week check up on Wednesday. There was (some) progress. I was dilated up to 2 cm and effaced 20%. The midwives will let us go up to 41 weeks, 5 days, and then after that it is time to induce. That gives Judah until June 28th to make his move (but hopefully sooner!). If I do end up having to be induced then I do not get to deliver at the Birthing Inn. I will have to be at the hospital. At least I would still have my same midwives and there is still a water birth option (the hospital has 2 rooms equipped for water births).

I am still having all the same pre labor signs that I was two weeks ago, although they no longer get us all excited. The signs are just part of the routine now. We are just waiting. And waiting. And waiting.  And hoping my boy will make his move.

Our next appointment with the midwives is for Thursday, when I hit 41 weeks. We have the non-stress test scheduled, as well as, our regular appointment. The non-stress test is where they hook up two big belt like things to my abdomen, one to measure Judah's heart-rate and the other to measure my contractions. They measure those for 30 minutes. After I hit 41 weeks then I have to come in every three days. But, of course, here's hoping I won't make it to 41 weeks... We really were convinced he was going to be early, but alas, we were wrong. Now we are just hoping that he won't be forcefully evicted after the 28th.

Come on, Judah! Come meet the world. We are all very excited to meet you!

39 Weeks

39 weeks. Otherwise known as, LETS GO, BABY week. Everyday we think, "Ok, this is it. Today is the day. If not, then most definitely it will happen tomorrow." And, you know what? It hasn't happened. I am still very much pregnant. I have had so many early labor signs over this last week or so. Judah is such a tease. He must have gotten his sense of humor from his mom.

Here are some super awesome (read: gross and disgusting) pre labor signs I have had:

• the poops
• nausea 
• lost my mucus plug
• pressure in my pelvis from his head dropping low
• some bloody show... well, maybe. It happened the day after having a cervical check- so I thought it was because of the check, but then I had some the next day too... Which made me think it was bloody show. But now I'm not sure since I'm still freaking pregnant. 
• dilated at 1 cm as of last Thursday and partially effaced (didn't catch what percentage).
• lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions (where as I hadn't been feeling any at all as of a week ago).

Now we are just playing the waiting game. Luckily, my mom is now here. So she is keeping me entertained during the day while Bill is at work. Otherwise, I would just be sitting (on my birth ball) or laying (on the couch) waiting for labor to really start. 

Also, turns out my due date is June 16th, not the 18th. I think what happened was at the beginning of the pregnancy there were quite a few dates being thrown around (since I don't track my period). I believe the 15th, 16th, and 18th were all on the table at some point. We started telling people the 18th and just kind of went with it, even though later ultrasounds determined the 16th as the actual due date. So, yeah, Judah is due on Thursday. Not like it matters though, something like only 2% of babies actually arrive on their due date.  

This last week of pregnancy has been the longest week of them all. It is just so hard to be patient knowing he could arrive anytime. Labor could (potentially) start in 15 minutes!... Or... it could still be over 2 weeks. Only Judah knows when he's coming. And he is not telling. 

Keep your fingers crossed he decides to come today. And, if not, then definitely tomorrow ;)

Could it be? An actual real contraction? Huzzah!

This morning, around 4 am, I went pee. Nothing new and exciting there. That happens pretty much every morning at 4 am (and 2 am, and midnight, and you get the idea). But, then... When I came back to bed and laid down I felt something a bit funny. I think it just might have been the first contraction I have actually felt. My midwives say I've probably been having them, just not noticing them (which is a nice thing). This time, though, I did notice it. Yay, progress! I have heard that contractions kind of feel like cramps when you are on your period. Not so much for me. That probably has something to do with the fact that my period cramps make me feel like I'm dying for about 10 minutes straight. This was more what I wish period cramps feel like. Of course, this was just one and I'm sure they will get about a septillion times worse. After it was over Judah started moving around like cray-zee! There were fists and elbows and knees and feet flying everywhere.

I think maybe I've felt one or two more besides that, but that 4am one was definitely the most noticeable. Makes me realize, I really need to get my butt in gear! Report cards need to get done- NOW. Hospital bag needs to get packed- NOW (even though it is really The Birthing Inn bag, but that doesn't have the same ring to it). Car seat needs to be put in the car- NOW.

Shit could really get serious here. At. Any. Time.

Of course, watch, now that I have written all this, Judah won't show up for another month.
Knock on wood. No one wants that to happen.

I promise I am go, go, going on report cards and he's going to promise to wait until I'm done. Right? Right??

38 Weeks

My first week of maternity leave has been pretty busy. I would like to say that I have finished up with school stuff (like report cards), but, alas, that is not the case. I made a serious dent in report cards, but still have quite a bit of work to do on them this weekend. They are due Tuesday, so I know I will get them done before that. Nothing like a deadline to get butt into gear.

Other than plodding away on report cards, this week I have:

• finished getting stuff ready for my sub
• thank you cards to my kids for their sweet gifts
• met with our future pediatrician 
• weekly midwife appointment (everything is still looking good)
• met with my doula and went for a nice walk by the water
• attended my first La Leche League meeting
• Lunch with coworkers
• been working on the nursery
• and a bunch of other stuff too

My hope is that Judah will be ready to come next week. Maybe Thursday or so? That would be perf with me. And we all knows that is what matters: my timeline. Ha!

37 Weeks

Full term! Wah-hoo! We are all registered at the Birthing Inn. And... here is the most exciting part: I am now on leave! Yay! So far the best part of leave is being able to take naps in the middle of the day. It is a glorious thing, I am telling you. My last day was Thursday and we had a little going away party in my class. My students decided it was my 4th baby shower and they were very excited since they got to go to this one. They didn't think it was quite fair that they were not allowed to attend the work baby shower. It was a very nice way to end our time together.

Actually, since it it Memorial day weekend my leave has not yet officially started, since school is out anyway. But, tomorrow, the kids will all go back to school and I will stay at home. Well, I actually will need to go in after school to drop off a few things for the sub, but you know, whatever. Also, in exciting maternity leave news- I have been approved to take a full year leave of absence. So I will be a SAHM for the next school year. Even though I am now on leave, I am not quite done with work. I still have to complete the end of year report cards. Judah and I have a deal- he is not going to arrive until after I have finished report cards. Good deal, right? I should really get on that report card thing then, because he could come at any time...

That being said, I still have yet to experience any Braxton-Hicks contractions. I have had lots of dreams about having contractions, my water breaking, and general going into labor stuff... Every now and then I think maybe I am having a contraction, but then I realize it is just Judah changing position (so there is pressure in just one area not across my whole uterus) or it is just that I have to poop (because contractions are said to kinda feel like period cramps, so you know...).

We had our 36 week ultrasound the other week to check size and position. Everything looks good. He is right where he should be. He looked to be about 6 lbs, and they said to anticipate an 8lb baby at birth. Of course, ultrasounds are not super accurate on weight, so give or take a pound. He continues to be very responsive to getting poked and prodded, which is a good thing. Being able to raise and lower his heartbeat shows that he should be able to handle the stress of being born well. Way to go, little buddy.

Here are some photos from the ultrasound. I actually found it harder to tell what everything was this time around than at week 20. He is just so much bigger that you only get bits and pieces on the screen at one time as opposed to the whole shebang. We couldn't get any super clear shots of his face because he had the umbilical cord right in front of his nose and his face was pressed right into my hip bones. Oh well, soon enough we will see his face clear enough :)

He has gotten so big at this point that when he moves it kinda hurts (especially up in my ribs). It is like someone slowly punching me on the inside. There is just no more room for the little guy. His head is also pressed into my pelvic bones constantly, so there is always a dull pressure down there. I have also had crazy heart burn these last few days. I have had it quite a bit throughout the pregnancy, but these last couple days have been insane. It used to be just after eating I would feel heartburn, but now it just comes on whenever it damn well pleases. So much acid. Blech.

We continue to work on the nursery. It is still a mess with baby stuff everywhere. We are making little dents in the piles each day, but there is just So Much Stuff. It is crazy times how many material goods this baby has.

35 Weeks

We had an appointment with our midwives at week 34 and our next one is this upcoming week at 36.

At our last appointment we listened to Judah's heartbeat and the midwife poked around to feel where his butt, back, and head were located. Usually we do the heartbeat first and feel around for him second. However, this time they did the poking first. There was a lot of head poking because he has begun settling pretty low down. Then, when we listened to the heartbeat it was racing. Baby boy was pissed! He was not a fan of getting poked in the head while trying to sleep (aw, he is just like his mom). It took about a minute for his heart rate to come back down. Not even out of the womb and he already has a temper. Great.

This week we get another ultrasound (yay!). It is to check his position and size. I'm pretty sure his position is good. He has gotten so big that he can't really drastically change his position a lot at this point. He usually has his butt up in my right ribs and his back then goes down my right side to end with his head down low.  I think he has dropped as of last week or so. I have started feeling a kind of dull pressure in my groin. All of the time. He is pushing down on my bladder, so I always feel like I have to pee. But, then, I try to and it is just this tiny little trickle because his head is pushing on my urethra. So, yeah. We are really getting close to go time here.

Some other changes: I can no longer wear my wedding ring (it was getting too tight) and I only wear sandals. My feet are not swollen, they have just spread a but wider. Here's hoping that goes away after he is born, amIright? Thankfully, it is May and sandals are appropriate to wear (at least some of the time). I don't know what I would do if he was a winter baby. Sandals would not work so well then.

Rolling over in bed is now quite the production. I have to make like a 5 point turn to get from one side to the other. There is no smooth rolling. It happens in stages and is definitely accompanied by grunts. If I move to fast I get a sharp pain in one side- movements just don't quite happen like they used to. I have also started getting leg cramps at night. So, that's fun.

Last week, my good friend and my neighbor both had their babies. It is pretty crazy. It just makes it that much more real for me. We have all been pregnant at the same time, but now they are not pregnant. They have newborns! That means, very soon I will too! Crazy!

The nursery is still not done- but major progress has been made. Bill finished the floors. We bought a rug, moved up the crib (and assembled it), moved in the rocker and the bins of clothing and whatnot. Bill tried to assemble our dresser/changing table, but we are freaking missing a part (one of the guide rails to a drawer). Bill called the manufacturer and they are sending out a new part, but that will take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Lame. So the dresser isn't quite usable yet. We still need to reattach the closet door and I need to touch up the trim (where is got floor stain on it) and paint the inner part of the door. We also want to attach quarter rounds to the trim to cover the gap between the floor and the trim (from where the carpet was). We will see when we get it that. It definitely feels more like a nursery now. It is not finished, but is much closer than it was... And may I say, it is very nice to no longer have a crib in the dining room, clothes in the living room, and toys/gear in the kitchen. So very nice.

Next weekend we are having a shower/bbq at our house. Here's hoping the weather is decent! Most of our free time lately has been dedicated to getting ready for Judah and getting ready to host a party. Just like the nursery, there has been serious progress but we still have quite a ways to go!

Oh, our porch restoration project is almost finished. Our contractor anticipates Tuesday being the last day. Next up, getting the exterior painted!

32 Weeks

We had our 32 week appointment today. Everything went well. A boring pregnancy is a good pregnancy, right? We now have appointments every 2 weeks.

My cravings have switched from Mexican to Pizza. Mmmm, pizza.

The legendary pregnancy brain is definitely going strong. I can't seem to keep track of everything, and feel like a bit of a space cadet. Ah, well. Post-its are a godsend, if it wasn't for them I really wouldn't keep track of anything! The lack of continuity in this post is a good example of pregnancy brain operating at its finest.

Judah has been kicking me a lot in the ribs lately. I can feel him move around (like switching  positions) as opposed to just punches and kicks,.

I'm still getting over my cold from last week. It is fading, but I'm still really congested. And, of course, I'm tired. But that is a constant, so I don't know how much I can blame that on the cold.

Ummm, what else? Work has started on our front porch. It is pretty crazy to come home after work and see what is new out there (or what is missing- like all the columns at the moment). Our contractor's estimate is the work should take about 2 weeks.

Bill is still working on sanding the floor in Judah's room. He was feeling pretty discouraged this weekend while working on it. I think he kind of hit a wall, but that has past. Now he is back to feeling pretty pumped about the project. He just has a bit more sanding to do (he is actually working on it right now). Then we are going to check out EcoHaus to find non toxic stain and finish. Then.... the floors will be done! Yay! I will have to do some touch up painting on the trim where the sander has scraped off spots... oh, and I still haven't painted the closet or the inner bit of the door frame (b/c the door needs to be removed for me to have access it).

It is pretty crazy that Judah could be here as soon as 5 weeks... Or as long as 10 weeks. I'm really not trying to focus on the due date, since something like only 3% of babies actually arrive on their due date. I'm thinking more of the due range. Here's hoping he won't be on either side of the range. If he is here in 5 weeks, I won't quite have report cards done and my mom won't be here yet, if he waits until 10 then my mom will only get to be here for a few days before she has to head back down to Oregon.

And... here are some pictures of me and the pups enjoying the fact that is is not raining! Goooo Spring!

My Baby Shower

... happened 2 weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it.

This was from the baby shower- I am now at 31 weeks and even larger. 

I feel like our lives have been pretty busy lately. Most nights we have something going after work- be it our bowling league, birth class, appointments with the midwives, getting together with friends, or just having to stay at work late for meetings... Weekends seem to be similarly busy. Our weekends are pretty much booked up until almost baby time. This weekend we had been planning a getaway to Ocean Shores, WA with friends, but we had to postpone it because there was the chance Bill was going to have to work Saturday. He didn't end up having to work, but I'm definitely glad it got pushed back because my kiddos at work gave me a nasty cold. After I finish writing this post, it is back to bed for a nap. Even though I have sooo many things I need to do. Oh well, getting healthy comes first.

We ended up having out last birth class on Saturday morning. They have normally been on Wednesday evenings, but we had to cancel a week or two because our instructor is also a doula and she needed to go deliver some babies. So... we help our last class yesterday since it worked with everyones schedule. The class was nice. We definitely learned a lot and the classes we always very engaging. Our last class focused on the newborn. It is funny we have spent so much time preparing for the birth, but really haven't done anything about learning what to do once Judah is actually here. Of course, the material things are being taken care of- but the how to stuff is still kind of mystifying. I'm really happy that Bill will be able to have some paternity leave and be home with me. I'm also glad my mom will be able to be up here to help for at least part of the time.

Anyway- the shower:
My guess is there were somewhere between 30-40 women there (plus some kids). It was nice getting to visit with everyone. It was a definite mix of people- some girls that I had grown up with, some from college, some from post college, my mom's friends, my mother-in-laws friends, and... my dad. That's right. He was there too. He wasn't planning on it, he was just going to drop my off, but then he decided to stay to chat with some people. And... then he just never left.

We had really super yummy cupcakes from Sweet Cakes to Go. We had the mini cupcakes in four flavors:  Oreo Black Bottom, Red Velvet, Boston Cream Pie, and Vanilla Bean. I (ahem) sampled them all and can attest for their tastiness. I definitely recommend them. There are about ten thousand flavors to choose from- it was very difficult to narrow them down to just four. Sadly, I don't have any photos to show you of them, but trust me, they were cute.

The other food to nosh on was a mix of fruits, veggies, crackers, and cheeses. Simple, but tasty. My sisters-in-law prepared Blue Hawaiian; there was also wine and some non-alcoholic drinks for me, my other pregnant friends (2 in attendance), and the kiddos.

The atmosphere was very casual and relaxed. People had fun crafting onesies. Which I swear I will eventually write a post all about. There was lots of good conversation and more than enough good things to eat.

A big thanks to my mother-in-law and mom for putting it all together!

I had lots of little helpers to bring me presents and haul away wrapping paper. Sometimes they got a bit overzealous and just opened the presents themselves. :)

My crafty friend Joy made me the button J. I had posted a link to it on her FB not two days before the shower.  Girl is on it (she also took over gift recording and organizing duty- Thanks Joy!).

This gives you an idea of the amount of people... except there was actually way more than this because there is another level behind this with a bunch of people...

Our sons are going to be BFFs, whether they like it or not.

Me with my Mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Me and my mom

And now with my dad as well. Isn't it funny how at this angle you can't really tell that there is this huge protrusion in the belly area? It just kinda looks like I am doing ballerina hands.

Bill and I went through the piles and piles of gifts yesterday in an attempt to become organized (and get our kitchen back- which is where we had been storing everything). It is just amazing how much stuff this little guy has and he isn't even born yet! I know I've said it before, but I will say it again: I cannot wait for the floors in the nursery to be finished (side eye to Bill) so I can put all of his stuff in his room! And get the gd crib out of the dining room.

Now I need to get Thank-You cards out. But... first I have to make them. Which requires me to not have a cold. Hopefully, I can get the cards made by doing a bit of work on them each evening this week. So, if you came to the shower- know that you will get a thank-you card. You will. I'm just not sure when.

Nap Time

Like now. I am sleepy. I had plans to write posts today. But I am far too tired to actually write the ones I had planned out in my head. So, instead, this is what you get:

Suffice to say that last weekend I had my first baby-shower down in Oregon. It went really well. There was booze and there was not baby shower games. Success! There was lots of onesie decorating. I will post photos of the shower and the oneseis once I get them on my computer along with how-to directions for the onesies.

Also, had an ultrasound with the midwives this week. Judah is right on track size-wise. He is in the 50% range for size. Perfection. Alas, they didn't give us a cd this time, just a couple printed out photos. We didn't really get any clear face shots anyway, because he had both hands, feet, and his umbilical cord all up by his face. However, we did see hair on the ultrasound. Pretty crazy, I wasn't really expecting that to show up. I'm guessing he is going to have quite a head full of hair when he pops out.

Another update: we decided to get a doula after all.

And... here is a something pretty to look at.

Sorry, I didn't mark down the source. 

29 Weeks

Well, I'm now at 29 weeks and, according to The Bump, Judah is the size of a squash.

Actually, Judah might be bigger than that. The midwives tell me that I'm measuring big. At my appointment last week, I was at 28 weeks but measuring 31. Therefore, next week we have another ultrasound to check his size. Here's hoping the little guy isn't too big, because if he ends up being a gigant-o baby, then I can't deliver at the Birthing Inn! Sigh. Come on, little buddy, don't put on the tons of adorable baby fat until you are out of the womb. Please?

Even though the reason I'm getting a third ultrasound isn't super awesome, I'm still really excited to get one. It is just so cool to see him in there and watch him move around. I hope they give us a dvd of it again.

Some good pregnancy news- No gestational diabetes! Yay! I had my second glucose tolerance test last week. Usually, you only take one test (just week 28), but I had to take two (one at 20 and then again at 28). My asthma medication put me at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, so they wanted to test me twice. I'm happy that I don't have it... if I did, I couldn't deliver at the Birthing Inn. So, I'm clear on that front. Now Judah just has to say fetus sized and not 3 month old baby sized and I'm really in the clear. Well, that and I have to deliver between weeks 37-42.

Having work off this week (Spring Break) is just getting me that much more excited to start my maternity leave. It it so nice to be home and getting things done around here. Plus, I am able to work as my energy level allows- which is not-so-much true about teaching. It is nice to still have energy in the evening, as opposed to being completely and utterly drained and not being able to do anything but chill on the couch.

Awesome pregnancy symptom of the week: Stretch marks! So awesome! Yay! Every little girl's dream come true! They are all over my belly. There are a few starting to crop up on my hips. And, inexplicably, one little one on my arm. Wtf, stretch marks? Of course, if puberty taught me anything, it is that my skin is not so elastic. I shouldn't have been surprised to see these angry red tears appear, but, still, I had hoped maybe they wouldn't. And, damn, are they visible on my (porcelain- if you're feeling nice, pasty- if you're not) skin. Oh well, it is all part of the process.

P.S. If you are confused about the 3 year on the photo- it is written over one of our wedding pictures... which happened (duh) 3 years ago.

Bring It, Third Trimester!

Judah's due date was three months from Friday. Cray-Zee. It seems books and websites cannot agree on when exactly the 3rd trimester starts, but I say 3 months until the due date seems like a fair beginning. So with that, I am declaring myself to be in my 3d trimester!

I certainly am feeling pregnant these days. My belly seems huge and has started getting in the way of things... like bending over. When I eat, I inevitably spill things on it because I have to lean back while eating.  I also noticed I have started making little noises (dare I call them grunts?) when I have to get up from sitting or in/out of a car. Awesome, right?

It is hard to believe that Judah will be here in about 3 months. Bill said that he hopes he comes a little early, but bets that he will be super late (Gee... thanks, Bill.). I'm also hoping he comes a bit early. You have to be at 37 weeks to deliver at the Birthing Inn, so anytime after that would be great. My maternity leave starts May 26th (that would be 2 months and 1 week from today, not that I am counting or anything...). I will need to get my report cards all squared away for the end of the year and after that I am ready. Game on, Judah! I just hope the nursery will be ready before he is (hint, hint, Bill).

I realize that I do not have the best follow through. So here are some updates on previous posts:

• We decided not to hire a personal doula since we will get one at the Birthing Inn anyway.
• Natural Childbirth Class is going well. It is actually super small- only us and one other couple, who are also due in June and plan on going to the Birthing Inn.
• We had two contractors come out the house to look at the porch so far- another one is coming tomorrow.
• My itouch is still not freaking uploading photos to my computer. Which pisses me off.
• I mentioned at one point that we got carpet treads. I did not lie. We have them... And they are sitting in a pile on a chair in the foyer until we get carpet tape to adhere them to the stairs. 
• I finally did the last coat of white paint on the trim (well, except for in the closet, because we ran out of frog tape and the inner part of the doorway to the hall, because the door has to be removed for me to do that). Bill is now up on project nursery with the task of refinishing the floor.
• I still craze Mexican food and still miss sushi. I also cannot get enough donuts. 
• Also, I have not puked again (yay!) but I did have to leave work early last week because I felt lightheaded (Not cool, but once home I just laid down took it easy- and a nap- and when I got up that evening everything was kosher.).
• Ummm... I think that is it. But I could be totally wrong. Baby brain is a bitch.

Oh, and here is a picture of my cute dogs (and me). Ralph has been totally needy lately. Not sure why. Maybe he knows that baby is on the way and the percentage of my time that is dedicated to him will take a drastic hit. He is getting in all the loving he can now. And Gert? Well, she is still a monster (a poop eating monster at that. So gross.).

Barf

As in what I did today. Very. Lame. So, if you are not into reading about puke and gross pregnant lady stuff, I would suggest you stop reading now.

Before today I hadn't thrown up in at least 2 months. I thought I was done with all that. After all, barfing is suppose to go along with your first trimester and I am just two weeks shy of being in my third trimester. But, nooooo. At first, I felt kinda off, then I felt kinda nauseous, then I felt REALLY nauseous, then I ran to the bathroom and yelled at the porcelain. There went all my breakfast. I was sad to see it go. Bonus, because the whole baby business presses on your bladder I also peed while puking. Never mind the fact that I have been Kegel-ing like crazy. All in all, a really great way to get my day going.

I still felt pretty blah after that, so I have had done little to zero today. I napped. I played Angry Birds. I read. I pet the dogs. I watched the crazy online footage of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Umm, I think that pretty much covers it. Oh, and I pooped. Because that is what pregnant women do. Although, as of yet, I am very happy to announce that I have NOT gotten any hemorrhoids. I know that the vast majority of pregnant ladies get them, either while preggo or during labor. So far I am in clear, and here is hoping it stays that way. At least until labor. I think I could deal with them a bit better then, because at that time everything hurts, so a hemorrhoid would just be part of the general pain and unpleasantness down there... but, if you got them while pregnant it would be the only thing hurting down there. I'll take the barfing over the 'rhoid, I guess.

Pretty awesome day, huh?

Also, I've noticed the simple things are starting to get a bit more difficult. Like getting out of low slung chairs, or rearranging my position on the couch or being in any one position for an extended period of time, And, of course, these things are just going to get harder to do. I suppose that is why the third trimester is the weary one (from the saying that the trimesters are dreary, cheery, and weary). Another thing I have going on pretty much constantly is indigestion. Which is something I had never experienced before being pregnant. Oh, and I can't wear earrings. I talked to my midwives about it and it has to do with all the hormones that go along with pregnancy. They can do funny things to the skin, but hopefully the sensitivity will go away after I give birth. I am glad that my wedding band and nose ring are not irritating my skin though. I guess titanium and platinum get the thumbs up of approval from my pregnancy hormones.

Wiggle and a Wobble

This weekend marks the first time Bill got to feel Judah move. He probably would have been able to feel it for at least all of last week, but the times Judah is awake and moving hadn't been very convenient for Bill to feel it- like in the middle of the night or right when I wake up in the morning. He is usually also up and about on my morning walk to school. I'm so busy during the day at work I'm not really sure if he is moving and I'm just too preoccupied to notice or if he just kind of snoozes all day. I know he is up more on the weekends (or at least I feel it more), but I think he is moving more because I am usually moving less and relaxing- and taking glorious naps.

Anywho, the real news is Bill feeling it. It took a couple of kicks before Bill could tell that it was what it was. The movement still feels pretty subtle, thanks to my placenta being in the front of my uterus and therefore muffling some movement.
I'm trying to do my daily exercises to prepare for labor (given to us by our natural birth teacher). I usually manage to do at least some of each exercise, but don't manage to complete them all, since you are suppose to do them throughout the day and usually just do them at night before bed.

We look forward to Judah's movement getting stronger and easier to feel.

25 Weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks. Somehow I've started to get really quite big. And, of course, this is nothing to what it will be in another 3 months. It is starting to get a bit tougher to get up and down (I sit on the floor a lot for my job). I need to kind of give myself a boost, as opposed to just popping right up.

We had an appointment with the midwives last week. Everything is going fine and dandy. So far it has been a nice boring pregnancy, and I'm hoping it stays that way!

Exciting news from the midwives: we get another ultrasound! Yay! We will have it at week 30. My next appointment is my last monthly appointment (at week 28), then I go to every 2 weeks, then during the last month it is an appointment every week. Luckily, we have been able to schedule our appointments pretty late in the day so neither of us has to take work off (or at least not a lot of work off).

Tonight, we start our natural birthing class. The woman teaching it is actually an assistant/doula at the Birthing Inn, so there is always the off chance that she could wind up as the assistant at our birth. That would be pretty cosmic...

Well, here is hoping the class is interesting and fast paced (it will need to be to keep me awake in the evening after a full day of work). Also, I'm hoping the other couples are cool (but, I mean, duh, right? Who hopes for lame classmates?).

Ok. Time to get the dogs in, coats on, and out the door. Wish us luck!