Down for the Count

Happy Thanksgiving!!

So this will be the first thanksgiving in four or five years that will not be at our house, and I am so relieved! I loved playing hostess and getting my family and my husbands family together for the holidays, it was always so much fun, but being 32 wks pregnant, the thought of having to organize and clean and cook right now makes me nauseas. LOL. I am however looking forward to seeing everyone and eating the wonderful food that thanksgiving is always known for.

I saw my doctor on Monday, after getting back from Miami. My husband had a convention there for his business, so we decided to go and make the most of it. The airlines required a note from my OB clearing me for the flight, which was no problem. It was so nice and relaxing and sort of a last " hoo- ra " before Taylor makes her grand entrance. I had experienced some cramping before we left for our trip, but didn't say anything to my doctor and thought that it would just go away. I experienced some on our trip, but on the way back, they came on stronger and stronger. He put me on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy ( something that I was hoping wouldn't happen) but the cramping and sharp pains seem to be aggravated by walking and standing for long periods of time , which is what my job mainly entails. So we will see how things go, as of right now she is moving about and jumping around in there. There is a hard pointy part sticking out right below my right rib, and I'm thinking its a foot, but I could be wrong. Who knows how this whole thing will go, I'm just hoping that she stays in there as long as possible and I keep feeling that foot kick me =)

Childbirth Class

So we started our child birthing classes two weeks ago now. Joe had to work late so we missed last week, and seeing as how I'm in LA this week, its sort of hard to be there as well. But our first night was rather interesting. It was exciting for me, to get to see other preggers, hear how far along they are, look at the bellies and compare to my own. I know my husband was trying to be supportive and loving, but anything past seven thirty for the man is like asking for a miracle. So I would gently nudge him when I felt him slowly drifting out of reality and hear his low groan of a yawn. The instructor had us all introduce ourselves and our spouse, say how far along we are, what we would be doing if we wern't there, and what , to date, is the hardest part of pregnancy to tolerate.

So we start at the front, and couple after couple say " Hello, my name is _____. This is my husband ____. We are ___ along and ......" so on and so on. So it suddenly is our turn to share and I introduce myself and then my husband Joe. I say that I am about 30 weeks, and the hardest part to tolerate so far has been the weight gain and heartburn. My husband chimes in and says that if he were not in the class , that he would be sleeping. Naturally. =) Once again, going back to the whole when the sun goes down, his mind starts to shut off. But I loved hearing other couples stories, seeing how far along they were, noticing little things the husbands would do to show support and affection, and being in the presence of women who know EXACTLY what I am going through.

So at this point in my pregnancy, I am almost 31 weeks. Crazy huh? Taylor is kicking me like crazy lately, moving all around. I think I even saw a foot the other day. My ankles are starting to swell, and when I bend down I can feel the swelling due to fluid. I have started the deep breathing periodically to try and get a good breath in now and then. They say my uterus is about 4-5 inches above my belly button and that she weighs approximately 3 lbs. Such a big girl! I seriously cannot Waite to meet her and hold her for the first time. Its really starting to hit me that this is it....8 more weeks ......a mere two months.........what a wonderful miracle....


Baby at 31 weeks:

Your baby's arms , legs and body are finally proportional to her head. She weighs about 3 1/2 pounds and looks more like a newborn measuring 16 inches from crown to rump. You may notice baby isn't moving around as much ...dont worry, shes just running out of space. You can expect her to gain around 2 more pounds before birth.

Baby's organs continue to mature and she is passing water from her bladder. Soon you can wonder what your baby is wishing for- brain scans have shown that fetus's have periods of dream sleep around month 8...

You've probably gained 3-4 lbs this month. A pound a week is quite normal during the last few months as your baby has her final growth spurt before birth...

My darling Family....

So today I met with our OB and had my seven month check up. My grandma and my mother both came with, bright eyed and bushi-tailed and ready to jump all over every opportunity to ask any question that could possibly come to mind.

My grandmother just turned 77 and is the cutest little thing. She ends every sentence with a joke, has her hair done every Sunday before church, and still pinches my cheeks like I'm five. Her eyes lit up when I asked if she would like to come with me to Taylor's appt. She looked like a kid in a candy store waiting to hear the thump-thump of her first great grandchild. I love her dearly and hope she is as big a part of my child's life as she has been of mine..

My mother is a character to say the least. She has strawberry blonde hair, is about five ft tall, and still has the same three sayings she had when we were kids. She calls everyday to ask how I'm doing, how I'm feeling, and how Taylor is. She laughs when I'm honest and tell her that I cant breath at times, cant sleep at night, and have unbelievable heartburn and leg cramps that seem to last all evening and into the wee hours of the night. Every time I see her, she proceeds to jiggle my belly from side to side, hoping to wake Taylor up ( or piss her off ) and get a kick, or a punch of some kind. Her blue eyes are kind and she has the biggest heart of anyone Ive ever met. She is a wonderful loving woman, and I hope I'm at least half the mother to my children that she has been to my brother, my sister and I.

So after the Dr. found the heartbeat, measured my belly and answered my questions, he was bombarded by the two women sitting in the corner of the room, with stories, quotes and jokes. I have to say he took it rather well, smiling and nodding, and slowly making his way towards the door. But I wouldn't have it any other way, this is my family I was thinking , and I'm proud of them. Even with all of the same stories, the weird jokes, the cheek pinching and belly jiggling, I love these women, and couldn't help but think about one more little woman who will be gracing us with her presence soon enough...

" Holy Cow, she's kicking the crap out of me!!!"

It is the weirdest experience to feel something inside of you moving around. Kicking, punching, rolling, and stretching seem to be her daily activities lately. When she is on a roll, my husband will place his hand over my belly ( and yes, it practically covers the entire thing) lol, and when he feels her his face lights up like the Griswold's house on Christmas eve. His facial expression is priceless, and something I wish I would have gotten a picture of the first time he felt his daughter. When she has the hiccups, which seem to be at least once a day now, he can feel her jumping and moving and swears she is getting pissed the longer they go on due to her restlessness intensifying...And he's probably right if she is anything like her mother with the whole " patients" isssue....

She seems to start her kicking right around the time I down my first bowl of cereal. ( yes, sometimes I even have TWO!!). And it just continues from there, on and off all day long. Sometimes its our little secret she's poking me, others its not so private as I am popping out of my seat and saying " What was that !!". lol.

So now strangers are coming up asking if they can touch my belly, when I'm due, what I'm having, if it's our first, and if we've decided on a name. And yes, some people don't even ask anymore, they just come right up and put there unfamiliar hand on my stomach and start reciting their own personal experiences with baby making, baby pushing, baby having, and baby raising. Some share more than anyone would ever care to know. But as much as this may rub anyone the wrong way, once again , I am excited beyond words that this entire experience has been placed upon my husband and I.

And I would answer questions from sun up to sun down everyday for the rest of my life if it meant seeing my daughters beautiful face. . . . . . .

Taylor Anne Bates

So after much heated debate and late night discussions, my husband and I have finally come to decide on a name for our unborn daughter. Taylor Anne Bates. There it is, the name she will be given, have to live with for the rest of her life, write everyday on her little piece of binder paper, and someday hopefully come to love. Naming a child is a scary thing. At least to me it is. This is something they are going to live with every second of their lives. A name is something that even Shakespeare had a hard time with. But there is a certain relief that comes with finding the right one. The one that you always go back to , no matter how many different names are thrown at you everyday or are written in those little name books that grace the shelves of Barnes and noble. Now instead of saying " she", the little girl inside will be given an identity. Miss Taylor Anne.....

The beginning of our Baby Story

Ive decided to share my experience with pregnancy, the good, the bad , the ugly. and all of the glory that goes along with " the belly". I hope you enjoy this day to day journal as this is the first time that I will be experiencing the things that I will be writing about....





I am currently almost 25 weeks pregnant, and I cant tell you how it felt to not be pregnant. I dont remember, it seems like so long ago now. From the moment I found out, I couldnt disassociate the being within me and myself. Ive enjoyed every moment of it, even tho some days have not been as much fun as others.





I knew I was pregnant before I even thought about ripping one of those little boxes with the test strips open and peeing all over the thing. I was laying in bed one morning and felt a wave of nausea come over me, and instantly knew that it was nothing I had ever felt before. I was tired, and I mean the kind of tired that comes along with running a 10K race, then cleaning the entire house top to bottom and finishing the day off with mowing a five acre parcel of land. And all I had done was take a shower. Im bloated, grab my belly everytime I stand up as if its going to fall right off, and seem to gain five pounds by just looking at a loaf of bread. But am thankful every single second of the day for the little girl inside...........

My husband and I officially went off the pill in February. We were going to Wait and " see" what happened. If we got pregnant, then great, if not, it wasnt a big deal. But I sort of had my heart set on it and would shed a little tear when each of the three tests month after month came out negative. We finally got pregnant in April, and I couldnt contain my excitement, so I called my husband and all he could possibly get out was " Oh my god". He is excited beyond words, has always wanted to be a father, and looks at me sometimes like hes saying " thank you so much for carrying my child, I love you".

The first three months were up and down. It was touch and go at times, due to non stop nausea and the stress of working nights. My husband would come home and find my on the couch, one leg slung over and my head hidden behind a mountain of blankets to block out the sun. Poor guy. lol. I knew I needed something different to change the pace and was praying to the pregnancy gods above that a change would whisk the morning, afternoon and night sickness away for good. I switched jobs and just as I did the second trimester came flying in and swept the sickness away for good. Only to be replaced with leg cramps that would bring Arnold to his knees and heartburn that felt like a blow torch was being slung down my throat.



We found out we were having a girl on August 27th, and the pink hasnt stopped since. My husband says he had always wanted a girl,so I guess his dream is coming true =) Me, I didnt care either way. I always knew I was having a boy, just a feeling. I was sooo wrong. As the doctor squirted that icky glue like crap on my belly that is always as cold as hell, and started poking around with the little prod thing, all he could say was " Hmmm.......ah......hmm....". I wanted to grab him by his little tie and scream " Just tell us already! boy or girl!". But just as I started to reach for his throat, he said " Congratulations, your having a baby girl!!". I started laughing hysterically and my husband turned tomato red and looked as if he would need serious medical attention in the near future. But it was a moment neither one of us will ever forget ....

So now that I have brought you up to speed, I will be chronicling day by day this pregnancy up until birth, and maybe then some. I want to share this experience and give my daughter the opportunity someday to read her life's journey in the womb from start to finish. God only knows I love her m0re than anything in this world, and I haven't even met her yet =)