Tuesday, August 2, 2011

One day to go?


So, we are nearing the end of this pregnancy journey and I've got a mixed bag of emotions. I'm completely comfortable physically, as the baby has dropped significantly. However, I'm starting to get really anxious to meet the baby.

I believed it. . .I fell for the hype. . .

My doctor (who is AMAZING!!!!) Told me a few weeks ago that my body was progressing faster than usual, and that I could come at ANY MOMENT. That, of course, put me in overdrive. I got everything cleaned and organized thinking that at any hour, I could have our sweet baby in my arms. Here we are almost 3 weeks later, and I'm still pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I feel fabulous, and ultimately want the baby to come when he/she is ready. My due date isn't until Wednesday of this week, so I'm not trying to rush things one bit. I've always known that first time moms usually deliver late.

It's just that with all the excitement, I thought the baby would be here by now, and I'm having a harder time with that emotionally than I thought I would.

I know that all good things are worth waiting for, so I just need to be patient, and let things happen as naturally as possible.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Baby O

34 weeks and counting! I've started journaling to our little one. Every day I write to him/her to talk about the days events, or doctors appointments, or hopes for the future, etc. It's been very nice to spend that time each day focusing on our baby.

Our shower happened last weekend and was a beautiful success. It was nice to have all of our family and friends in one place. There are only a few things left to get now! Today, we took care of getting the car seat. I still can't believe we are so close.

Friday's doctors appointment went great. The doctor says that I've dilated 1 cm, am 50% effaced, have a soft cervix (on a scale of hard, medium, soft), and the baby's head is stationed at -2. All signs point to an early or on time delivery. . . which freaked me out a little, but I'm so excited.

At this point, I'm not yet tired of pregnancy. Some discomfort has set in. I'm peeing 7 times a night, and have a fortress of pillows around me for support. I don't know how Patrick puts up with it, but he's so wonderful.

That's the update for today!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Slowing Down




Hey friends. First, I want to say that my bed is my new best friend.

Things are moving along so fast. We are 28 weeks and 5 days today. Unbelievable! It seems like yesterday I was observing that there were 204 days to go. . .now we are less than 80. Until about 2 weeks ago I felt amazing! I could do what I wanted, had lots of energy, and all that jazz. Now, I'm slowing down a bit. I have to give myself breaks when working on projects, and at then end of the work day (particularly one where I travel a long distance and give several presentations), I just have to "take it to the sheets"

Also, I'm HOT! And, not in the good way, but in the menopausal way. Thank goodness there was some relief in the weather this weekend. We've been holding out on the air conditioner as long as possible. I don't want to freeze poor Patrick out! I did, however, buy a kiddie pool, which I plan to spend the entire summer in! I find that by simply standing outside, I drip sweat in all kinds of new places. . .ugh!

On a brighter note, we started the nursery yesterday! At first, we were going to paint yellow and green. Then we thought about 2 years from now when our little prince or princess would need a definite gender-specific room, so we went with a tan color. That way we can accessorize accordingly. Patrick is going to get a second coat up on Tuesday, and then we are going to get the crib set up over the weekend! We also have a shelf system with 9 cubbies which we'll use for books and toys. I'm on a hunt for a dresser now. We would love something that is low and long with 7 drawers in it (three staggered on top, and four on bottom) preferably in espresso. I've found a few that would work at consignment shops, but I'm keeping faith for the right one. Other than that, we'll have a glider, lamp and lots of wall art to complete the room. YAY!

The neatest feeling is that of my precious child moving inside me! It's strong enough for Patrick to feel now, and his first reaction was so sweet! Patrick makes a point to talk to our baby every day when he gets up, and every night before bed. I adore our little family already!

I'm going to make an honest effort to blog more, especially now that it's getting close. Being able to reflect once the baby is here will be nice!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Rub my belly!!

I totally mean it! Some people get super annoyed by that, and perhaps by June/July I will too. For now, however, I'm feelin' the love!

We have our next ultrasound on Thursday. I thought we were going to see the baby last time, but I was mistaken. I can't wait until Thursday. Patrick has been to every appointment, and gets to come again this week, even though it means totally disrupting his teaching schedule. What a champ! Also, my mom is going to come, which I'm super excited about.

The last few weeks have been busy with work and sleep. I'm a total slacker. In fact, our house was a complete COMPLETE wreck until I was able to convince my mom and sisters to come over and help clean today. It was actually a wonderful day! The weather was amazing, I got some work done for the job, was able to buy some cleaning supplies, take a nap, wake up in time to clean with the fam, make dinner, watch some March Madness. . .and now a quick blog before bed.

The pregnancy seems to be progressing just fine. I'm feeling like we really need to start on the nursery. I just want to get things ready, you know? I've gained about 20 pounds, and am feeling HUGE. I don't mind it so much, though. Patrick continues to be rock solid! He's now talking to the baby every chance he gets. Oh yeah...I felt the baby kick during Patrick's Disney concert last night. I think it likes hearing Daddy play on stage!

I'll have to post some pics when I get a chance, and it's not past my bedtime!

That's all I've got for now, folks.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Oh yeah. . .


Patrick got me a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of roses for Valentine's Day! For those of you who don't know, Patrick's birthday is February 14th. We try to keep it low key, but he really surprised me this year!

The other thing I wanted to mention is that SPRING IS SPRINGING!!! I saw the first sign in my neighbor's yard:



Hooray for warm weather making it's way to Bowling Green!

Also, I worked at a college fair in Louisville over the weekend. My co-worker (and soulmate), Casi happened to have all of her materials loaded up in her car. . .2 1/2 blocks away from our site! So what did we do? We called on a few good young men to carry 10 boxes of books for us! Below is our "slave-driver" pic:


Ahhhh. . .good times, good times

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Ummm. . .Oh, no he didn't!!!!

Yesterday I felt a little betrayed when I happened into Patrick's car and found. . .EMPTY BOXES OF GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. I mean, I thought what we had was special. I've only promised my life to him. . .and I'm carrying his child. How does he repay me? Empty boxes of thin mints, samoas, and a few lemon cookies. Aw, man. . .

Luckily, I ordered a mass amount which was delivered later that day! To Patrick's credit, he was traveling a LOT, and in order to make it home faster, he didn't stop for breakfast. Instead, he ate the cookies. He's a keeper!

Ok, so I'm 16 weeks and 5 days. I slacked on my 15 week picture. I think my mom may have one, but the picture below is a solid 16 week bump.

Here's what Babycenter has to say about Baby O'Rourke this week:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

How exciting! My energy is back, although after last week at work, I'm pooped just from driving a bazillion miles!

I find myself sticking my belly out as far as possible so that people can't mistake that I'm pregnant. During a college fair, a lady told me that I didn't look pregnant at all (FAIL). I pretended to take it as a compliment! During the same college fair, I had a long conversation with a new mom. She gave me some pretty graphic scoop about breastfeeding, and lack of sleep. I was very appreciative of her. Mostly, people want to tell you all the wonderful, happy, adorable moments of pregnancy, delivery and motherhood. I want to real deal, folks! It was good to get some insight from my new friend.

To celebrate the end of a long week, I bought an ice cream cake for Patrick and me. Yummm! I also made burritos a la Pioneer Woman. They were delightful. Plus, the recipe made enough for me to have leftovers for the next few days.

My friend and her husband are about a month farther along, and they just found out that they are having a little boy!! Hooray! Their reveal party was on Sunday. I'm so thrilled for them! It gets tougher and tougher for me to stay strong about not finding out the gender of our baby. I want to know, but I don't want to know! I'm leaning on Patrick to stay strong for us! Our next appointment is March 3, and I can't wait to peek inside my belly to see our baby.

Today I swear I felt the baby move, but I know it's still too soon. I just can't wait!

I feel like there was so much more I wanted to comment on. . .oh well. I'm just glad to get an update in!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Huge. . .

Yep, that's about how I feel today.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

It's great to be back!


I know, it's been a while. I'm now officially 15 weeks, but I didn't update at 14 weeks. Here is a pic from 14 weeks! The last few weeks have been awesome. My job is amazing, I got to host a birthday party for my two nieces, we got sporked, I'm coming to terms with my need to reconsider the book challenge, we had a great doctor's appointment for Baby O'Rourke, SNOW!, and I discovered Family Guy on Netflix! Also, Patrick is away at a conference this week, which is really kind of sad because I just want him home (I've become needy during this pregnancy. It's like I'm super duper extra insanely attracted to and in love with my husband. Not that I didn't feel that way before, but now I just can't stand being away from him.) Oh, AND, my BFF got engaged!!!

So my job. . .I've been working with families all across my area on the FAFSA. The form is not too difficult, but there are some tricky things if you're new to it. Every time I leave a school building, or a library, or wherever the FAFSA happens to take me, I feel like the Pope! These people are so thankful to have me sit beside them while they complete the form. Every now and then they'll ask questions, especially if they have a special financial or family situation, but mostly I just smile and nod and tell them they are doing a great job. WOW!!!! At the end of every day, I know that I have made a positive difference in my area. I'm meeting some fun-loving people in the smallest Kentucky towns. They all have stories, remedies, superstitions, etc. about pregnancy too! Sometimes I'll end up in a place ready to present, and instead we talk about boob tenderness. . .crazy! I've seen some pretty sad situations with students. I try to tell them that they are not alone, and that they are doing the right things to ensure a positive future for themselves. I guess it teaches me even more about what type of parent I want to be.

PAR-TAY!!!!!! Ok, so Patrick and I got to open our home for a birthday party for my two nieces. First of all, I can't believe that they are one and three. My how time flies! I don't even recognize baby pics of Aniyah anymore. They are very very very very special to me. My mom got a lot of the decorating done, and my sister came over in time to help with some stuff. Her friends all came over with their children and so did some of our family. We had a blast! I can't believe I only got a picture of Alayah, and not one of Aniyah, but here she is. . .



Alright, so last Friday night, I got a call from one of Patrick's students. We'll call her Betty Rogers. So Betty says that she's feeling sorry for Mr. O because she know's he's had a particularly rough week (mainly because of her own behavior along with that of her friends). Anyway, Betty is honestly a really good kid, and I was curious to see how she was going to "remedy" Mr. O's week. She asked if it would be ok if she sporked our yard. After I got off the floor from heavy laughter, I told her that I thought it was the best idea in the world! She said she would come the next morning to clean everything up, which made it work even more for me. I told her how to not get caught, and made sure Patrick stayed in the basement during the deed!

The next morning, Patrick took our dog, Lee out on a walk. It was so early that the sun wasn't up yet, so sadly, he didn't see the yard. Once the sun came up, Patrick went to the front porch to get the paper. When he looked down, he saw this. . .



He says he thought. . .how curious that the newspaper man would leave a taco sauce packet and a spork with the paper. Then he looked out into the yard and saw this. . .



That's when I heard it. The sound came straight from the depths of his belly. In a low, growling voice I heard Patrick yell, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"!

BAM! The eagle had landed! I raced from our room to the front door, and all I could do was laugh. I imagined that as he yelled, he clenched his fists and looked to the sky! I asked him if he had any idea of who could have done this. Instantly he said, "This is the work of Betty Rogers". He knew!!!! What he didn't know, was that his sweet loving wife was in on the prank. So when his reaction was to clean up the sporks, I had to stop him. I told him my role and that he needn't worry about cleaning because the girls would be over later to take care of it at breakfast. He couldn't get over the fact that I was going to prepare breakfast for these vandals! I wasn't able to convince him to wait for the cleanup crew, so he went to work picking up all one-hundred-and-five sporks!

I found out a few interesting things at breakfast once the girls and one of the mom's came over. 1.) Sporks are individually wrapped. They had to put in a lot of work to make our yard art a reality. 2.) While they tried to be sneaky about collecting the sporks at Taco Bell, they got caught. After explaining their malicious plan to the worker, she gave them a giant bag full of sporks. That worker was one of my family members! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! She still doesn't know that it was our yard that she helped vandalize!

So one last thing about getting sporked. . .the taco sauce packet had these words typed upon it, "I'm with the band". This is extra hilarious, because Patrick is an Orchestra director (not a band director). Oh the charm of teens these days!

As far as the book challenge goes, I'm going to have to modify the terms. My goal was to read 100 books this year. I calculated that it means I'm going to have to get through 8.3 books per month. From the looks of the panel to the right, you can see that I'm approximately 7.3 books behind. I think I'm going to have to change this to the 12 book reading challenge. When I finish, I will still have completed more books this year than last. . .and that's a great start. . .right. . .RIGHT!?!?

We had a doctor's appointment for Baby O'Rourke. You'll probably remember from earlier posts that I had become really concerned about being over the morning sickness. Part of me thought that meant the baby was not OK. Well, at the appointment, our first nurse wasn't able to find a heartbeat. THEN, the second nurse couldn't find the heartbeat for what seemed like a LIFETIME (which probably meant it was only like 45 seconds). Anyway, once she found it, I took in deep breath and sighed in relief. Then, I cried (imagine that-I cry at EVERYTHING right now!) Our doctor asked if we wanted to hear it again once he came in. We told him that we felt confident, and would be alright moving along with the appointment. Needless to say, my worry was for naught. All is progressing as it should with Baby O'Rourke!

It is snowing like crazy in Kentucky. It's quite beautiful really. I love taking Lee out in it because it's comical to watch him bury his nose deep into the snow to catch a whiff of something delectable. When he pulls his face up, there is a mini mountain of snow on his schnoz! Such a cutie! Since I don't like being out in the snow at night, it allows me to catch up on some incredibly important matters of business. . .on Netflix. . .like the Family Guy. How did I just get on this bandwagon? It's HILARIOUS! Anyway, I'm mostly through the first volume, and loving every second of it.

As I mentioned before, Patrick is away at a music educator's conference until Saturday. I've kept myself busy by inviting myself to people's houses. Last night, I had dinner (a feast really) with my best friend, Angela, her new fiance, Willie, and his father and brother. We had a great time! So great, that I spent the night. It was an awesome impromptu slumber party! One less lonely night for me!! Tonight, I'll end up at my mom's house and Friday I'm going to watch the Justin Bieber movie with my little sister. I can't believe she invited me to come with all of her girlfriends. I'm really thrilled to see Justin Bieber shake it on the big screen that my sister still thinks I'm cool enough to hang out with. It's going to be the highlight of my week!

I'm going to save the engagement of my BFF for another post! I'm so excited for her, that she deserves her own entry!

So. . .that's all for now, folks!




Wednesday, January 26, 2011

13 Weeks



Here we are at 13 weeks. My how time flies! I'm feeling great. Very hungry all the time, but nothing too bad. I've made it a mission to concentrate on drinking more water. I was terrible with that my first trimester. You can see I'm wearing my Motherhood shirt. I'll continue to wear this shirt in my weekly pics as I continue to grow.

According to BabyCenter.com, here's how Baby O'Rourke is growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Doppler

In light of last night's post, my friend offered to let me use her doppler! How exciting! She and her husband are around the 15 week mark, and everything is progressing smoothly for them. It is really nice to be able to share this experience so closely with a friend.

As she told me would probably be the case, I wasn't able to find our baby's heartbeat. I'm not worried, though. I know that it is very early, and even though we will be 13 weeks tomorrow, I still have a few weeks before I'll be able to hear it at home. It was still very comforting to feel that much closer to our baby. After probing around for a while, I decided to shift the doppler up to my heart, you know. . .just to make sure it was still beating!

Tonight, Patrick and I had an impromptu date night. He baked pizza and we watched "In the Womb", a documentary from National Geographic. I am so amazed at how everything about pregnancy just knows how to work and where to go. All the cells move to the right place, the organs start pumping and functioning, the senses begin developing. It's awesome. There is nothing more reassuring of our God than the process of a child developing in its mother's womb. I am awe-struck!

I'm truly excited about hitting the 13 week mark tomorrow! Pictures to come!

Monday, January 24, 2011

12 weeks. . .and 5 days!


So, obviously I didn't get to update last week, but 12 weeks is here, and now almost gone. This picture was taken on the day I hit 12 weeks, so at least I got that right! Oh, I also didn't get to wear my new Motherhood shirt, but there will be plenty of time for that. Anyway, the baby needs to understand early on that it is a Hilltopper! GO TOPS!

This week has been good. . .almost too good. It makes me worry. Here's the thing. . .during the first trimester of pregnancy, I experienced morning sickness. It sucked, BUT, because of it I knew the baby was ok. Just a few days ago, I realized that I felt great! No nausea, no extreme fatigue, some breast tenderness, but nothing like the first trimester. Initially I was pretty excited, but then a dark cloud started to sweep in. I mean, was I feeling ok because I'd entered the second trimester, or was I feeling ok because. . .

I tried not the think the worse, but I also couldn't help thinking about the "what ifs". I mean, until I can feel the baby kick in a few months, I really don't have much to go by between doctor's appointments for reassurance.

It was at that point that I started to have an inkling of the meaning of the phrase "a Mother's prayer". I prayed so hard that our little baby was ok. Patrick has been rock solid through this. He's helped me to keep from worrying. I feel a lot better now, but I can't wait until our appointment next week.

In other news, I have some terrible congestion going on. I got no sleep last night, and although it isn't even 8 pm yet, I'm probably going to sleep as soon as I post this blog. I gave 5 presentations for work today, and am now completely exhausted from having to mouth-breathe all day. Plus, I had to take a sip of water after every slide, and still felt all dried out. Pretty annoying. I took some tylenol last night and today for the headache, and will see the pharmacist tomorrow about which decongestant is the best one to take while I'm pregnant.

Otherwise, things are going well. Oh yes, last week I gave a presentation and one of the ladies asked if I had kids. I told her I only have the one that's growing in my belly! She said that she could tell that I was pregnant, or had just given birth. I took that as a compliment. . .mainly because it means that I actually am starting to look pregnant now, and not just fat!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Motherhood is Cool!

I mean the store, of course. I'm sure real motherhood is totally cool too!

I got my first official maternity shirt today. . .and cardigan. . .and dress. . .and bra too. I initially went into Motherhood in search of those morning sickness candies, however, I came out with a lot more than I intended. (including a book for Patrick called So You're Gonna be a Daddy)

I'm glad I got the shirt though. Looking back over the pictures I've taken of my "bump", I've quickly realized that my green shirt is not going to make it too much longer. This shirt should definitely stand up to the 6 months ahead. I'll be revealing it in my 12 week picture tomorrow. . .well, at least by the end of the week. This week is really crazy with my job, so I'm not exactly sure when I'll get a chance to truly reflect.

Anyway, the BEST part about trying on maternity clothes is that they give you an actual baby "bump" that you can attach with velcro! I could tell what I will look like in a few months. All of a sudden, this whole pregnancy became very real to me. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a momma! Hooray!

Tonight, I leave you with a funny picture of Patrick. I was pretty happy to find this shirt online. I can't tell if he's happy to have it, or if he's just being silly. Anyway, I like it!




Monday, January 17, 2011

Birthday Spectacular!

I'm so excited that my mom finally posted pictures from my birthday party online. I have to get a new camera, but in the meantime, she supports my memory collection!

The party was on my actual birthday, December 29. We hosted at our place and had lots of family and friends help celebrate. That morning, I had leftover stomach virus with a side of morning sickness. If it weren't for my sisters and brother keeping me company, and Patrick cleaning the ENTIRE house, the party could not have happened. At the time, I hadn't told my family about the pregnancy (except for the older of my sisters), so I had to play it off like it was only the stomach virus giving me issues.

We set up a taco bar, enjoyed karaoke and danced to my kinect (which I can't wait to start playing again next week!) My sister got on to me pretty badly for dancing too hard, but I had something to prove that night! I'm a champion! Anyway, I've sworn off kinect until I'm 12 weeks (2 more days!!)

Several of Patrick's friends came over too. He and his best friend decided to be twins for the evening. . .how sweet!

The only accident of the night came to the younger of my sisters, Essence. She mysteriously tripped over. . .herself as she played the kinect. After a night in the emergency room, she came out with a thigh-high brace, crutches, and lots of pain medication. She had some fluid on the knee, but thankfully didn't break anything.

It was a blessing to have my brother in town to help celebrate! I think he had a good time. I really enjoyed having him here.

Enjoy the pictures!









Wednesday, January 12, 2011

11 Weeks

. . .and counting!



I don't look all that different, although I'm starting to feel better. I've been eating more often (even still) and trying to give myself breaks when I need them. I find that my energy seems to be coming back to me, which is really nice!

Here is what's going on with Baby O'Rourke (according to babycenter.com):

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to apprear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two - nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I was able to find a really neat baby tracker at babystrology.com. You'll notice it in the bar to the right.

Is is sad that I want it to be more interactive? I mean, I would love if I could click on the picture, and the baby would move its arms. I like to imagine that's a real window into my belly. Crazy, I know!

More to come!





Help!

Freinds, I've GOT to get my blog together. I'm seeing some really cute things out there, and unfortunately, mine is lacking. So, I'm asking for help. Is someone willing to give me a "crash course" on all the features? Or at least, can someone direct me to a site that gives help? I'm mostly interested in adding labels, getting that "you might also be interested in" set of buttons that I'm seeing EVERYWHERE, and other fun tips.

Thanks for any help!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Lucky girl

I love that Patrick learned to play "Don't Stop Believing" tonight just so that I could sing along! What fun!

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Usual Suspects

These are the people who are closest to me in my life. I will probably talk about them more than any others, so I thought I'd take this time to introduce you to everyone!


This is Patrick and me on our wedding day, October 11, 2008

Our doggie, Lee!

My mom, Lori. Yes, she's always like that. Probably where I get it from!

My sister, Marquisha. Fabulous!

Marquisha's daughter and my oldest niece, Aniyah!

Marquisha's other daughter, and my youngest niece, Alayah!

My sweet sister, Essence. She's so grown up!

My awesome brother, Tyrell. I still got him in height! Ha!

My mother and father-in-law, Jennifer and Richard

My sister-in-law, Christine and her husband Will.

My besties! Tina is on the left and Angela is in the middle!


So there you have it. The usual suspects!


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