.::there are only 24 hours?::.

Oy! It seems there are never enough hours in the day! This morning I had to take my car in to the collision center to get an estimate on my damages. To give you a little backstory, Captain Oblivious himself backed into my bright red car last week in the bank parking lot. Crushed my driver's side back door and scuffed the front door and the back wheel. The back door is now coming off the hinge and the seal is broken (hope there's no rain!). When he hit me, after he pulled back in to his parking space, he gets out of his truck and starts saying, "What happened?" I just shot him this GTH look as if to say, "Um...you were backing your big commercial truck out of a parking space at 1000 miles per hour and crashed into my poor little sedan." Instead I just managed to heave out the words, "I don't know...you tell me!" Suffice it to say, I was pretty shaken, but not hurt. I called my boss to let her know I was going to be late getting back from my lunch break while he called the police - turns out, KPD doesn't come to the scene of an accident on private property unless there is an injury. Thankfully, the only trauma was to poor Gretta - an no, Samuel was not with me. At the end, it took me about 2 hours to settle the issue between my insurance company and his. My State Farm agent said that I had two options: I could either go ahead and let them pick it up, pay my deductable, get it fixed, and let them deal with the liability with his company. This may or may not end with me being refunded the amount of my deductible. My other option was that I could call his company, file a claim, and find out if they are going to cover the damages at all. She did say that usually in these cases, the driver who was backing out is automatically at fault because he is not moving. I fully expected to get the runaround from his insurance company - after all, the truck is owned by a commercial company, but they agreed pretty straightforward that they would accept all liability for the accident. They're covering the expense of my car - all $2700 of it, as well as my rental car for 10 days.

So that being said, I am due to drop my car off on September 12 and pick up my rental. I'm glad it went smoothly.

On top of dealing with that, my schedule has been a little crazy at work. Instead of my usual 8-5, I've been doing 9:30 to 6:30 this week. It's been fun getting to feed Sam his breakfast and get him down for his nap in the morning, but the problem is just that...he goes down for a nap at about 8:00, and I have to be at work by 9:30, which means I have to leave the daycare by about 9:00. His morning naps vary in time - they could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how well he slept the night before, and how he's feeling that morning. We managed to survive it though. Only one day did I have to finally wake him up at about 8:50. The lady at daycare said that he was fussy when I dropped him off, but after he finished his nap, he had a great day. Yesterday the poor guy fell asleep on the way to daycare, so I had to wake him up to get him out of the car. I felt so bad, but she said that he took a very good nap when I dropped him off - she immediately put him down and he was out before she even shut the door.

I'm still amazed at him. This morning he was decked out in his Tennessee colors in celebration of the first Vols game this weekend! I spiked his hair up as well. I just can't get over how much he looks like his daddy!



Then there was the issue of the cat. Yes, we found a new home for Cheeto. We've finally rid our home of critters. Why, you ask? Well, Cheeto liked to poop in my closet. He was jealous of the baby. And understandably so. After all, he didn't get attention like he did when he was an only child. Thankfully, he was never really hostile toward Samuel; in fact, Sam had just learned how to pet him. But nevertheless, we just felt like we weren't the home for him anymore. I found a nice lady in Greeneville that agreed to adopt him. She has 3 children and they were really excited to get him. So Tuesday, after I left work at 6:30, I had to drive from Knoxville to Jefferson City to meet her. Not a bad drive - it took me about 45 minutes with traffic. I felt bad about handing him over, and I even shed a few tears. I'm going to miss my furbabies. Minerva went to a great home a few months ago and from what we hear, she's very happy with her new life. This guy's house is like heaven for cats! Maybe someday we'll get a new pet...when Sam is a little older and we have more room. But right now, we've got to find time to steam clean the carpets before he figures out this crawling business!

That's pretty much been my week. With the schedule I've had this week (which I volunteered for, btw), I just feel like I've had no time at all to do anything. Sam goes to bed at 7:00, and I haven't managed to get home before 7:15 any night this week. Between trying to run last minute errands and closing at work, I feel like my batteries are running low. I wish I could add just one more hour to the clock every day! I am working on Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30. Daniel is taking Sam to the family reunion since I can't go. Maybe before they get back I can enjoy a little time at home. I don't have to be at work until 12:30 today, so I'm taking the opportunity to wash a couple of loads of laundry, make the bed, and blog. That way I don't have to worry about it tomorrow when I get home. There's always too much to do! Ah, the joys of being a working mommy.

I'm thinking mommy may need nap time on Sunday!

It's dusty in here!

So if the lack of posting has told you anything, it's that being a working mommy doesn't leave much time for blogging!

So let me bring you up to speed on everything that has happened in the last, oh, 4 months. Samuel is now mobile. A little. He rolls everywhere. He is so funny! We lay him on his belly, and he takes off! He 's trying to crawl, but he can't seem to put it together. He gets his knees bent underneath him, or his arms straightened out with his palms on the floor, but doing the two together seems to confound him. He's not sitting up yet, but he's getting better at it. He can't quite keep his balance. He's transitioned into some solids. He gets 3 baby foods per day along with his bottles. So far, his favorite is peaches! Still sleeping all night - 7 to 7. Don't be jealous :o)

He had a checkup on August 9, and he weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and 26.5 inches long (my little linebacker!). He's laughing a lot more - which is the sweetest sound I've ever heard! I love to make him laugh.

His eczema is definitely showing improvement. At the age of about 2 months, (about the time I began going back to work) he developed some very bad eczema all over his body. Some days it would be weeping, and other days it would just crack and start bleeding. We tried everything - Cerave lotion, Aveeno Eczema cream, Gentle Naturals baby wash and lotion, as well as Aquaphor (which helped a lot, but not entirely). We began to explore the possibility that his diet could be playing a role. I did a lot of research on the topic and, after speaking to Sam's pediatrician, we stopped giving him Similac Advanced and switched him to Similac Sensitive. I also took away any grains he was eating. We originally started him eating rice cereal or oatmeal with breakfast and dinner. But with the eczema getting worse, we made the decision to pull grains and most lactose from his diet. The Similac Sensitive has something like 1/500th of the lactose that the Advanced has. Thus far, his face has gone from red and weeping to a little red and smooth. I've also begun to use pure aloe on his cheek, and I'm seeing a major difference. He doesn't scratch at his face nearly as much, and it doesn't bleed anymore; in fact, it's not open at all like it used to be. We are going to give it about another week and then began adding grains back in to his diet. The plan is that if the eczema gets bad again, we will know that there may be a grain sensitivity; however, it there is no worsening, then we'll know there is a lactose sensitivity. Either way, I'm glad we've taken this step. Samuel seems a lot more comfortable now - he's not grabbing at his face and chest like he used to. He still has some redness, especially after a good long cheek-kissing session with his mamaw and papaw! The spots on his chest and stomach have almost completely resolved, leaving only one small round patch above his right nipple (which the doctor calls numeral eczema) that continues to shrink in diameter.

So that's basically Sam's world. He spends his days at daycare. He loves it! The lady who keeps him sends me an email every day at lunch time to let me know how his days are going. He loves to be around the other kids, and she says that they really engage him. He's always happy to see her when I drop him off in the mornings. I didn't think it would, but it really does get a little bit easier. I had a lot of guilt in the beginning. I felt like I was failing him somehow. I still deal with some issues, especially when I don't get to see him very much in the evenings. He goes to bed at about 7:00 in the evenings, and I usually get home around 5:30. That basically gives me time to feed him, play for a few minutes, then put him to bed. I try to savor every minute of it. I love to cuddle him and rock him before I put him down for the night. He makes the sweetest little sound as he's drifting off :o) I sing to him and he "aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"'s and "aaaauuuuuggghhh"'s very softly until he drifts off. I try to commit those sounds to memory every chance that I get.

Work is going well. I have moved from clinical staff to front office staff. It's definitely made a big difference on my stress level. I don't worry as much as I used to. My hours are more predictable. When I was clinical, I wouldn't get home until 6:30 or 7 some nights. With a little one that goes to bed at 7:00, that just wasn't going to be an option. My employer was very understanding of that. It's defnintely a change of pace. Everyone asks me if I miss clinical staff, and truth be told, I do some days. I miss being "the nurse." It feels strange to call my old desk and hear someone else's voice on the other line. But I wouldn't trade the time I get to spend with my little boy for anything else.

Daniel and I are doing very well! We're adjusting to life day-by-day. The thing with babies is that life is just so unpredictable. He is going to be crawling any day now, and before we know it, walking. We try not to get too comfortable in a routine, because it's subject to change based on Sam's needs. We kind of like it that way though. It keeps us from getting into a rut! We try to keep a steady level of humor and calm. Life has become a lot different, that's for sure. We used to go to movies and out to dinner on the weekends. Now we have to plan 2 weeks in advance for a babysitter. We used to sleep in on Saturdays. Now we have a little alarm clock right across the hall. Instead of sitting on the couch and watching TV, we have to DVR everything and watch it after Sam's in bed asleep. We've come closer together spiritually and we've leaned on our faith more than ever to make us good parents. We rely on God to help us make decisions for him and to keep our marriage strong because we don't have as much time for one another. Couples without children tend to take things for granted, us included. We have learned to enjoy those times that it's just the two of us. We kiss a little more, hug a little longer, and we always make sure to try encourage one another. We made a vow to each other that we would not lose ourselves in parenthood. We are still individuals and we are still husband and wife. Mommy and daddy are our major roles now, but we can't forget!

So it's Sunday afternoon, and my little one is down for his nap with his grandma. I think I may go stretch out on the couch and catch a little cat nap myself. I'll try to update more often, and definitely post some recent pictures!

Free time?

I'm going back to work on Monday. I'm feeling a little torn over this. On the one hand, I'm eager to get back, because I am itching for my old routine again. I want to be in an office, surrounded by ADULTS (who don't do baby talk), and get paid. I want to get out of bed and get dressed and drive to a place without reaching into the backseat at every red light to put a pacifier back into a screaming mouth. I want to eat lunch...every day! It's going to be awesome!

On the other hand, I want to listen to Sam's cute little noises when he eats, and talk to him while he marvels at the ceiling fan. I love when I actually wake HIM up in the morning (rather than vice-versa) because he looks so cute when he's getting his bearings. He looks up at me and smiles now, and when I pick him up he snuggles into me. I don't want to miss a single moment of his life, especially right now because everything is so new for him. I'm afraid the babysitter will get all the first giggles or words. She reassured me that in her experience, babies generally save it for their parents, but I can't help but worry that I'll miss something important.

I guess it will make me more appreciative of getting home to see him every evening.

He's actually at the babysitter's house today. I am trying to ease him into being there, and ease myself into dropping him off. I can tell that she's seen this a thousand times. She stands there holding him and grinning at me while I fuss over the diaper bag...making sure that every little thing is packed in its proper place. I don't know why I feel the need to tell her that the bottles go in the fridge. Like she just has no idea how to take care of an infant. She sends me e-mails midday to let me know how he's doing. So far, so good. He's been there 2 days, and he was perfect. He napped for her, he played well...stuff he doesn't like to do at home. My sister told me just to accept the universal truth: your children are always better behaved for other people. When he's here with me, he doesn't like to nap. I get maybe an hour out of him the whole day; thus, he is cranky and usually spends his afternoon yelling at me because he's overtired. I do a lot of shushing and rocking.

That's another sad thing about going back to work. I spent the first several weeks of his life dealing with baby blues and the beginnings of post-partum depression. I didn't really enjoy being a mommy. When he slept, I just put him in his swing and either cried or watched mindless daytime TV. I didn't spend enough time just holding him. I am realizing how much of a blessing it is just to hold him. He's not going to be this little forever. He's almost twice his birth weight now, and I haven't really relished the new-ness of him. I would get so frustrated with him when he was crying because I didn't know why. I feel really bad now that I know - a lot of those times that he was crying his head off, he was hungry. I didn't know that at the time. They get a growth spurt at about 3 weeks, and every hour or so he would just scream. I'd spend about an hour trying to get him to stop, scolding him for crying so much before I'd finally say, "Fine. You can't cry with a bottle in your mouth." I didn't even realize it, but that's exactly what he wanted.

See, now that he's on the E.A.S.Y. Schedule, I know exactly why he's crying. I can tell just from the volume and pattern of his cries exactly what he wants or needs at that moment. If I had known that, say...5 weeks ago, I would have had a much better post-partum experience. But, I guess that goes along with being a new mother. It's on-the-job training. You have to just kind of dive in and tread water for a while. I'm by no means "experienced" at this point. Hell, I'm lucky if I make it through one day without hearing that first cry and thinking, "Oh, what now? Give me a break!" But you just have to remind yourself that he's a baby, and he can't speak. He has to cry to communicate, and even then he can't do anything himself.

I look back at all those times that I got frustrated with him, and I said and thought a lot of things that I can't believe I was capable of. He was hungry and I didn't even know to feed him. I felt like a failure. I still feel like I failed him there. I'm learning not to beat myself up over it. But I feel like by going back to work, I'm losing the opportunity to make up that time that I lost. I wish I had 8 more weeks to get it right.

So right now, aside from actually having time to blog, I have baked a cake, made my bed, cleaned the kitchen, taken out the garbage, and even bought groceries on a mini extreme couponing trip AND put them away! That's a major accomplishment! I may even cook dinner tonight!

As for the next 5 days, I'm going to spend those rocking and cuddling my little boy.

Mommyhood: lessons learned

I am beginning to get a little more comfortable with this whole mommy thing, and I'm starting to acquire a little knowledge here and there. I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned and maybe give some insight into where we are on our journey :o)

- LEARN TO SWADDLE! Watch the Youtube Video Swaddling 102: Escape Proof Swaddling. Think about it: your baby has only known the inside of a uterus for 9 months, and now he's out in the big, cold world. Swaddling makes him think he's right back in there...he's all warm and toasty, and he's closed in by the blanket. We use Aden + Anais swaddling blankets because they're big and breathable, but any good receiving blanket is perfect for the job. When you have a fussy little one, a swaddle is your first step to a blissful baby. There are 4 more steps. Pick up a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block."

- Lean on your husband. Daniel has been absolutely amazing since Samuel was born. When I had baby blues and couldn't stop crying, he comforted me. He has volunteered to do the housework and cooking while I feed/rock/bounce/sing to Sam, or vice versa. He immediately picks Sam up and plays with him when he gets home from work so that I can take a nap/shower, or just decompress, or get some housework done. He still cooks dinner most nights. When we get into bed, and Sam is sleeping, we still lay in the dark and talk and giggle - it's as though we picked right up where we left off. Daniel has been the most normal and routine thing in the last 7 weeks, and I couldn't do this without him.

- Use the nurses at the hospital! I can't stress that enough! They are a wonderful asset, both during labor and after delivery. They give great advice, and can be very comforting. Plus, they do their jobs day in and day out, so they know everything there is to know about newborns. If you have any problem or need any help, they are there to help you. There were a few times that Samuel would have a little trouble latching onto a breast. All I had to do was hit a button and tell the nurse's station that I needed some help, and within a few minutes, he was happily sucking away and getting a full belly! When I wanted to rest, they took him to the nursery and gave him all the cuddling and attention he could stand. Nurses are a blessing and don't get enough credit for the role that they play in bringing a baby into the world! I had the most incredible ladies helping me out, and I never felt like I was bothering them or asking them to do too much.

- Let people help! In the name of all that is good and holy, let people help you! If they want to bring a meal, then welcome them with loving arms! The first week home, we re-heated all of our dinners. It was fantastic! We had chicken pot pie, chicken casserole, chili...all delicious and all prepared with love! My mother stayed over the first week, and she made the whole transition a little more bearable. She stayed up with the baby while we slept, and she stayed in with him while we went out for the day to run errands. She did laundry, and did dishes...it was great! Never turn down help...especially with a new baby in the house!

- Babies NEED a routine, even if they reject it at first. The routine saved our lives! Babies need to know what to expect, and it's up to you to make a pattern for your little one. Every night, Samuel knows to expect a bottle, bath, lotion, jammies, and a swaddle. And every night, he falls asleep quickly and sleeps through the night. He knows that this routine means that it's time for bed. Set up a routine as soon as possible, and don't get discouraged if the baby isn't on board to begin with. Stick with it, and eventually, when you accidentally forget a step, he or she will remind you!

- It's okay to give the baby formula. For 9 months, I was hell-bent on breastfeeding my baby. I just knew that I was going to have him on my breast on demand for as long as I could, and then pump for him when I went to work. It was going to work out! That lasted 1 day. On his second night at the hospital, Daniel and the nurse had to talk me into sending Samuel to the nursery so I could rest. I hadn't slept in 2 days, and I was so exhausted that I couldn't stop crying. Sam wasn't pleased with anything I did to comfort him, and my milk hadn't come in yet. I reluctantly agreed to let him go to the nursery and to allow her to give him formula. I was worried about nipple confusion, so I made her promise to finger-feed him Similac with a syringe and a tube. On our third night home, I was again exhausted, and I traded my soul for sleep when I told Daniel and my mother to give him bottles so I could go to bed. Breast feeding is hard work! And when you realize that other people can feed the baby when you don't, it's a very tempting offer! Since that first bottle, Sam hasn't been as keen on breast feeding as he was those first couple of days in the hospital. He still nurses on occasion, but I don't rely on strictly breast feeding to give him his nutrition; in fact, when he's really hungry, he won't take the breast because he has to work for the milk. I had some guilt about stopping altogether, and for a while I just pumped so he could at least have my milk if he was going to drink out of a bottle. I soon realized that breast pumps suck, and I began to feel more like a dairy cow than a mommy. Now I just nurse between feedings and at night before bed, and he gets Similac Complete the rest of the time. He's growing and gaining weight, and his development seems to be on track...I'm happy if he's happy!

- Sleep is precious! Before I had a baby, I could go to bed and sleep for a good 12-14 hours. I made napping an art. Daniel was always amazed, and would sometimes check me for breathing because I slept so long and so often. For a while, when Sam was about 3 weeks old, I only slept about 3 hours at a time, and it's hard for a body to get used to that. People always tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps - and while I don't believe that this is great advice, I can say that you should sleep when you get the opportunity. We forget just how much we need sleep. When I had baby blues, my mother, Daniel, and my doctor all told me to get some sleep and I'd feel much better. I didn't believe them, but my mom sat up with the baby and let me just go to bed, and I did feel worlds better! I still feel a lot better after I've had a good 4 or 5 hours uninterrupted by fussing or crying. I'm a better mommy when I'm rested. Sleep deprivation makes you feel things that you wouldn't normally feel. Keep in mind that sleep is a commodity, especially when you bring a new baby into the house. You don't have to sleep whenever the baby sleeps, but do take the opportunities when they are open!

Samuel's Newborn Pics

My (very long) birth story!

I can't believe it, but he's finally here! Samuel Perry made his entrance on March 4, 2011 and 2:48 p.m. He was 20.25 inches long and weighed 8lbs, 7oz.

I came to the hospital on Thursday morning at 5:30, and was started on Cytotec at around 8:00. By 11:00, I wasn't making any progress, so Dr. Roberts placed a double-dose of the med...then came the chain of events. I was doing very well - I was cramping here and there, socializing with everybody that came to visit, still hoping to have my little one here that night or at the very least, early Friday morning. By 5:00 Thursday evening, I was at 3cm, and she decided to go ahead and start my Pitocin drip. WOW! The contractions got a little stronger, but she said that she wanted me to have an epidural before she broke my water. I wasn't quite ready for it pain-wise, but I knew I'd be getting one anyway, and I was anxious about it that I gave in and said I wanted to just get it over with - like ripping off a Band-Aid. I made it through that, but it made me very sick and drowsy. Dr. Roberts came back at 7:30 and broke my water. Now is a good time to remind you that I had polyhydramnios (too much anmiotic fluid). That's why we were inducing labor - we were afraid that it would cause complications during the delivery (i.e. - cord prolapse, fetal distress, etc.) I thought it would never stop! It felt very strange, almost like peeing, but somehow more gross :o). I joked that I hoped Dr. Roberts brought her Ark.

So by 8:00, I was numb and ready to dilate. My family and friends came by to say goodnight, and wish me luck. When they left, I felt pretty confident we'd have a baby in the wee hours of the morning.

10:00 Thursday night, 4cm. 11:00 Thursday night, 5cm. 3:30 Friday morning, 5cm. Dr. Roberts told me at that point that if I didn't move after 4 hours, she'd go ahead and do a Cesarean. By 6:00 a.m., I was up to 7cm. She was pretty comfortable letting me continue on to a vaginal delivery. By this point, I could feel the internal exams and contractions on the left side of my cervix. They called the anesthesiologist to come and re-bolus my epidural line, and laid me on my left side. I got sick again, but it worked. I stopped feeling much of anything over there, and absolutely could not feel a thing over on my right side. I slept in and out over the next couple of hours. The nurse came and checked me again at 10:00 a.m., and I was at about 9cm. At 11:00, 9.5...where I stayed until 12:30. The nurse said that there was a little bit of cervix that just wouldn't soften up, so we decided that I would try to push, and hopefully his head coming down would push it out of the way.

By this time, I was feeling all of my contractions on the left side of my pelvis, and I was exhausted. I had labored for over 24 hours, and I was so tired of breathing through contractions, finding focal points, and counting that I broke down and started crying. I was almost afraid to push, because I knew it was going to hurt. Nevertheless, by 1:00, I was pushing for all I was worth. I kept teling myself that yes, it was going to hurt, but the harder I push, the faster he moves, and this will all be over. Ideally, anyway. My cervix still wasn't moving. His head was coming down, but then moving back up right after the contraction. Finally, at 1:45, Dr. Roberts came back in and checked me. She agreed that a Cesarean was the best choice at that point. I was so discouraged and scared. The nurse kept reassuring me that I would be okay and they would make sure I was out of pain, but I still got very anxious.

At about 2:30, my friends and family came to wish me luck one last time before we headed to the OR. My mother was awesome through the whole thing. She has had two C-Sections and she prayed with me and kept telling me that it would be okay. My two best friends and I were crying. I was scared to death, but I knew I didn't have a choice at this point. The anesthesiologists kept pushing meds into my epidural line, but I could still feel a lot on my abdomen and in my pelvis. By the time we got to the OR, I had lost count of the number of syringes that they emptied into the port. Finally, I got to a point where I couldn't feel below my belly button, except my left leg. I didn't feel her cutting or opening...just pressure. Then I my chest started to hurt really badly. The anesthesiologist pushed another syringe into the port, and stroked my head. I kept looking at Daniel and praying. Then...I heard him cry. They passed him over the barrier to the nurse, and there he was! My beautiful baby boy, all pink and wrinkled, screaming his head off! I immediately burst into tears. I couldn't believe he was actually here, on the outside! Daniel was great - he still got to cut the cord, and they handed Sam to him fairly quickly. Daniel brought him over to my head and when I spoke to him, he stopped crying. I kissed his cheek and told him I love him. He turned his head toward me and whimpered.

Then came the pain. I guess my body just wanted me to suffer! I could feel Dr. Roberts closing me up. I have always heard mothers say that after the baby is born, you really don't remember the pain. I've found that it's true. I remember that I felt the pain, but I can't tell you 14 days later what it exactly felt like. It hurt, but I don't really remember how much. I just remember I wanted off that table as fast as possible.

We got back to the room at about 3:45, and by 4:00, Sam was on the breast, latched on like a pro! I was so proud of him. I remember looking at the nurse and bursting into tears and saying "thank you" over and over again. She smiled at me and stroked his head and said, "You've done a great job!" Our favorite thing was putting him up on my chest for skin-to-skin time. He still likes to lay snuggled against my chest just after he eats. He folds his whole body up like he's back in the womb and sleeps so peacefully I don't even breathe for fear of waking him.

That night, I was sitting in the rocker next to the bed, and the next morning I was up walking. The pain has not been as bad as I thought, though I have taken the occasional pain med. I finally worked up the courage to look at my scar, and I have to say...it's not as bad as I thought. My doctor doesn't use staples or sutures on the outside. She glues. So it looks almost like a wrinkle. I'm healing nicely. It's two weeks later, and I'm getting around great. My incision still hurts from time to time, but I'm sleeping on my belly again (ahhhh!) and I'm already 5 pounds below my pre-baby weight. I've almost given up on breastfeeding at this point. He just doesn't want the breast anymore because he's gotten so used to having the bottle, and I just can't bond with my Medela. Don't get me wrong...it's cute in its little carrying case and it doesn't cry, but it just doesn't have the same little fat rolls and it doesn't look up at me and make cute little noises like my baby boy.


Speaking of food, my sweet little man is fussing for his 3:00 feeding, so I will go tend to him. It only took 2 weeks to finally post it, but that is the long and winding road that got us here. There's so much more to post, and I will have to keep more on top of it. That will be easier now that we've gotten into a routine.

Let me just dust this off...

I know. It's been a long time since I updated. We have gone from 6 weeks to 36 weeks! So far, everything has been great throughout the pregnancy. We have decided to name our little one Samuel Perry. Samuel comes from the Bible, and I just love the name Perry :o). The last 30 weeks have been filled with so many surprises - good and bad. First, my cyst had gone away by my 12-week appointment. His anatomy scan was flawless, and up until now, baby Samuel has been cooperating as far as growth. He has stayed either right on target or a couple of days behind. Today we had our 36 week appointment with a growth ultrasound. He is measuring at 39 weeks, at 7lbs 9oz! Just to put that in perspective, the average baby is only around 5 right now. I tested negative for Gestational Diabetes, but this kind of worries me for the future. I'm definitely going to have to step it up with my health after he's born. I'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced today, which is really nothing to write home about at this point, but due to his size, she has offered to go ahead and induce me on March 3rd. I will be 38 weeks at that point.
Right now, I am confined to a desk at work instead of my usual clinical duties as a Medical Assistant. This is a precaution because for the last 6 weeks or so, I've been finding it increasingly more and more difficult to breathe. This is normal for all pregnant women in the third trimester, and usually a process called lightening - when the baby moves into position - helps to ease it. Unfortunately for me, I've got a HUGE uterus full of way too much amniotic fluid. Originally, she was concerned that it was a heart issue, but it turns out that my big ol' uterus is crushing my poor little lungs! This is another reason she has offered to induce - to put me out of my misery!
So that's basically the whole last 30 weeks - mostly uneventful. We're pretty much ready for Sam to get here. The nursery is done, and all the baby showers have been had. Although I must admit, I'm not even close to finishing all my thank you cards (sorry!). I'm nesting like crazy - all I want to do is make this house look like a museum. Daniel is quick to remind me that the baby does not care what the house looks like. I know that, but I still can't stand the thought of dust laying dormant in the corners or a toilet being left unscrubbed any longer than necessary. We're going to work on all the little nooks and crannies over the next 2 weeks.
So the next 2 weeks is really just waiting it out right now. We have an appointment on the 23rd, and as far as I know again on March 2nd. We're super excited and can't wait to meet this little guy!