How do I love/loathe thee, let me count the ways!

Pregnancy is an experience. I can't say whether it is a good or bad one . . .but here are a few highlights before I have this baby and forget everything about the pre baby stage.

Pros
- I get to eat whatever I want, and I usually know exactly what I want. I have single-handedly consumed enough oranges to fill a grove, the same amount of avacados that Chipotle says they prep daily for guacamole, and enough slices of cucumbers to . . .well I have no comparison for that one.

- I get away with more things. I park in the visitor parking for the last few weeks under the pretense that if I need to go to the hospital or if someone has to drive me, its easier to find my van.

- I get to take naps.

- Someone is always there to help me.

- Strangers let me go first . . . sometimes.

- Six weeks off from work!

Cons

- I may know what I want to eat, but 90% of it gives me heartburn.

- Maternity clothes are not made with A-B cup, tall women in mind.

- People randomly stop you to ask questions, or just shout at you from across the mall. (Yesterday someone shouted at me from across the food court "GIRL or BOY?")

- The lack of energy to do much of anything in the first and last trimesters.

- Pains in places that shouldn't feel pains . . .

All in all, this pregnancy hasn't been the wonderful thing that I had last time because, well, the lack of new discovery isn't there. I know what's waiting at the finish line and I'm anxious to get to hold my new little girl!

I'm also anxious to get Alaina aquainted with being a big sister. We need to have this baby so that I can quite buying her "big sister" things. Yesterday I bought a digital camera with a gift card that a friend gave us with the full intention of letting her have it in the hospital as a big sis gift.

But like all the other big sis gifts, I give it to her right away because I can't wait to see her play with it. she took 105 pictures in about 20 minutes. It is pretty neat to look and see the world through her eyes.

What I've been waiting for???

So Jeff gave me permission to go into labor this morning. . .

Seriously.

He mentioned how perfect it would be if I went into labor about noon today or tomorrow so that we could be home by Saturday and be able to call both of our parents in time to pick Alaina up from daycare.

Seriously!

The midwife said last night that I was the only one of her patients that was close to being done that DIDN'T go into labor while she was on vacation last weekend.

SERIOUSLY!

Add all of these to the list of things I didn't want to hear today . . . . if I don't have the baby by next Tuesday, she said we could talk about inducing. Hopefully that day doesn't come.

But to help try to keep the smile on my face, here is a pic of Alaina and I making our princess hats this last weekend.

Do you see the button jar Aunt Stacey? This morning we woke up really early and Alaina spent 30 minutes looking at all the different shapes and sizes of buttons. It was like going back in time and watching us at Grams' house.

No baby, but plenty of pity.

Nothing like getting looks of pity from your co-workers everyday as you come in and sit at your desk.

That and the occasional nervous/helpless man comments.

"Just let me know if I need to go boil some water!"

"I used to have an EMT license . . so let me know if you need some assistance!"

"How far away is your hospital?"

The ladies just want to be helpful.

"Let me know if you need anything!"

"Can I grad you something from the cafeteria?"

"Do you have a sitter for Alaina?"

"Call me any time!"

Now the only words that I want to hear are from the Midwife at today's appointment

"Would you like to be induced?"

YES PLEASE!!!!!

(And yes sister, just for you I have waited to have this baby so that I will be on maternity leave for your entire visit in July. I expect lavish gifts, aka flipflops, and a babysitter for at least one nap while you are here.)

Fun weekend . . . but no baby.

So I tried to sleep as much as possible this weekend for no other reason than I can barely function. I'm tired, crabby, cranky, snarky . . .you name a negative attitude and that's me.

I'm just ready to be able to move around again.

Alaina wants me to dance with her.
I can't.

Alaina wants me to play in the sandbox.
I can't.

Jeff would like to see the counters and floors in our house again.
I can't get around enough to clean up my growing piles.

And I have to have Jeff carry the laundry baskets up and down the stairs for me to do laundry because . . .
I can't.

So to distract my family from me being pretty much a decoration around the house, I brought home food from the farmer's market on Saturday, Alaina and I made princess hats (I didn't bring the right camera to download the pics), and made little pink cookies.

Jeff pronounce the pink cookies horrible, but what do you expect from a kid's recipe book? They were just powdered sugar, flour, vanilla and a little milk with food coloring.

Alaina thought they were wonderful so I declared them a success.

And I'm not the kind of person to post videos, but Alaina has started singing all kinds of songs.

One is the bumblebee song . . .which I thought they would never teach the kids at daycare because in the version I learned, you barf up the bumblebee, but they modified it to 'coughing up.'

And the cutest new song it the Tiny Tim Turtle song. Alaina has such good diction, Jeff and I were able to catch all the words by the third time she sang it.

I found a little turtle
His name is tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim
He drank up all the water
he at up all my soap
And now he sick in bed
with bubbles in his throat.

(Accompanied by adorable actions and a cute voice.)

I think its time to get out my Philadelphia Chickens cd to start her on broadway style tunes.

A week and counting!

How unfair is it to dream that you have went into labor?

Very unfair.

Almost as unfair as your sister calling you and saying that you can't go into labor yet because she will be coming back for a visit exactly six weeks from yesterday, so hold off on the labor thing so that she can see the baby.

I hope she is volunteering to babysit during that time.

I'm ready to have this baby so that I can get some sleep.

hey now . . . STOP LAUGHING!

Seriously,
I want to be able to sleep instead of toss and turn all night long and get up every hour for a bathroom break or snack.

At least with a baby I'll get a few hours of good solid rest in between feedings.

Not to mention it will be a lot easier to get things done around the house. I have no energy to cook and have been living out of a laundry basket of clean clothes for a week and a half.


If I go late, I'll pity those around me. I'm getting less pleasant by the day.

TIme off for bad behavior, please?

Its time.

or at least I really want it to be time.

The midwife says that the baby is as low as the baby can possibly go, but that doesn't mean things are going to happen any time soon.

So I'm taking matters into my own hands.

Ever heard that energy drinks could start labor? Well I'm having Juice Stop put energy supplements in my morning smoothie (please hold your gasps of astonishment and criticisms)

And how about taking the stairs? Yep, I did my first set of hustling (not to be confused with running) up and down four flights of stairs at work. I'll probably do this 3-4 times a day.

And lots and lots of bouncing, plies, jumping anything that I can think of.

And it doesn't help that I have this insane craving to go running.

Seriously, all I want to do is strap on some running shoes and just move!!!

Its not that I'm sick of being pregnant, although I'm ready to feel a lot cooler during the day, but work has just taken a big dive and I don't want to be here anymore.

Heaven help me go into labor today!

Birthday!

Happy Birthday Alaina!

It seems just like yesterday I was obsessing over your first birthday party.

I've let the obsessing go this year and have already had much more fun!

I'm looking forward to another year of
"Oh, mommy, its sooooo beautiful."
"That'd be just great if you could do that for me mommy!"

And lots of hugs and kisses!

You had so much fun staying home with Daddy yesterday. You got to play princess all day and eat your birthday cookie, too!
I'm impressed that the first present you got to open was Mater. I'm so excited to have a big girl who likes to play with all kinds of toys, not just dolls and makeup.

And today is the big party day! I can still remember the little thrills from last year as you attempted to open your presents by yourself, this year is going to be even more fun!

I'm just sorry that I couldn't give you the present you really wanted.

"Mommy, I'm going to have my birthday and a barbie cake and I'm going to share it with my baby sister."

As close as I could get was the barbie cake.

Thanks for the Barbie aunt Stacey! She worked perfect! Jeff thinks I should compete with HyVee for making barbie cakes.

They charge about $50 for a barbie cake. I think I came in at under $10 and about 3 hours (excluding baking time).

Now I just need to wrap all those presents I've been hoarding all year.

Did you know that barbies have patterned underwear 'built in' now? I'm so silly I can't wait to hold her up to one of my old dolls and see how matel has revamped the vamp!