Living the Dream

I finally feel like I can put the word out there, as I gave my boss the news last week.

On November 11th I will be leaving my current job to begin my new one. It has always been a dream of mine to be a stay at home mom and that dream is going to come true! I'm leaving about 10 days before my due date just to have a little last "me time" and to finish getting ready for Daniel's arrival. (Unless he decides to crash the party early!)

I can't even  begin to express how excited I am to do this! I've always done well with budgeting money and while I know that money is going to get tight and we're going to have to cutback on things, I can't imagine not being at home with him. I've had my moments of panic and wondering how we're going to do this, but somewhere deep down I know it can work.

There are so many kiddos in daycare...and if there weren't then I wouldn't have had the jobs that I've had in the past 10 years or so. I've always had the thought in mind though that I just couldn't put my child in daycare. Not if I could find a way to make it work. Jacob has been very supportive of me staying home and is happy that I am. Sure, I'd have the perk of being with my child still (especially that first year that he'd be in my room), but there are pros and cons to that. Then he'd move along to other rooms and I would have to accept or respect the way that other teachers felt was the right way to teach and discipline my child. To me, that's my job (well mine and Jacob's). I can't listen to my child call for me from another room without it breaking my heart. It's just not for me and the cons clearly outweighed the pros.

My mom stayed at home with us and I'm so glad that she did. I have lots of memories of doing things with her. We weren't poor by any means, but we wore a lot of 2nd hand clothes or "cheap" clothes and it never really bothered us. That's the way I plan to shop. Who cares if clothes have to come 2nd hand if it means being at home?

Eventually I may take a child in to babysit as a little bit of extra income, but to start with it'll just be Daniel and I!

I'm excited to be able to watch him learn and grow and know that I did a huge part to help shape him into what he becomes.

Showers, and Nesting and Sickness. Oh My!

So...I for sure hit the "Nesting" stage of pregnancy. I had cleaned the kitchen and living room. By cleaned I mean scrubbed top to bottom. Saturday afternoon I did the dining room, Daniel's room and our bedroom. Yesterday I tackled the bathroom. I saved it for last because who really likes to clean a bathroom? That was the deepest cleaning I think I've even done. I'm pretty sure it's cleaner than when we first moved in. Just wish it would stay spic and span without any effort!

The beginning of the weekend wasn't too exciting. Jacob came home from work Friday not feeling well. I wasn't feeling good either, but mine had more to do with forgetting to take Lactaid for our potluck at work! He ended up sleeping from the time he got home until 7:00 that night and was back in bed by 9:00! He did lots of sleeping on Saturday too. Poor guy!

Yesterday was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. I won't really go into why, but it was. Oh well, I was still happy with the fact that I had a clean house! My work was throwing me a baby shower yesterday at 2:00. I finally decided that I should get ready at 1:00. Since the weather was so beautiful I was able to wear a dress! The first one I put on made me look like a whale (seriously...haha!), so I had to change again.

I had a little issue of getting to the house where the shower was due to a road closure. Oh man, was I ever frustrated! Thankfully my GPS decided to not go all crazy on me like it has been and got me looped back around on another route. Needless to say, I was late to my own shower.

About half of the people weren't able to make it, but I'm thankful that the others were.

This picture was at home. Ashely wasn't able to make it, so she dropped my gift off. She swears by this tub and I'm thinking of taking my bulkier one back now. This one even folds up after use!



At the shower. The pregnant lady wanted food! (Especially because I didn't have time to eat lunch!)





My friend Jenny did a devotional that had little gifts to go along with it!



Opening gifts.





Hawkeye shoes!



The awesome letters that Jamie made for Daniel's room. They'll be going above his crib!



When I got home I unloaded everything and showed Jacob. I got everything put away or thrown into his hamper to be washed. He got a cute Christmas onesie that says: "All mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night!" Haha! So cute.

Jacob also took my 36 week pictures!



This is my favorite pregnancy picture I think.



I have one more shower coming up this weekend. Jacob's mom is throwing it for me in Villa Grove! After that I think we'll be pretty well set. I'll still need to buy a few things I'm sure, but we're doing pretty well.

I didn't feel like cooking last night, so we had Pizza Hut and then hung out watching the Cardinal game.

I worked a full day today and Jacob ended up leaving school early with a fever. Hopefully this sickness passes soon! I feel bad for him!

More Baby News

It's all starting to sink in more now. As each day passes I get closer to my due date. In fact I am due in 1 month now!

I started my weekly appointments this week. My drive to Springfield wasn't enjoyable. Any time I have to drive more than a few miles lately, it becomes pretty uncomfortable for me. Daniel hates my seat belt I think. He goes nuts the entire time I'm driving and uses my insides as his punching bag. Plus my back ached the entire way there (and didn't stop until late last night). 

They were running a little behind yesterday, but I finally got in. I really love my doctor because she takes the time to explain everything and lets me ask questions. She checked his position yesterday. I knew he was low, but apparently his head is EXTREMELY low. (Explains the trips to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so!). His heartbeat is still in the 130's range. She also asked if I'd like have a cervical check yesterday. I opted to do so and as it turns out, I am ever so slightly starting to dilate.

That really doesn't tell me anything though. As I knew, and she explained, I could go basically any time between now and my due date. I was happy to know that my body was already starting to make some progress though. That's encouraging. I also asked what her views are on inductions...because I REALLY want to avoid that. If he hasn't made his grand entrance by a week after I'm due, they induce, but she said she really doesn't see me going past my due date. They do allow elective induction at 39 weeks, but I told her I'm not interested in it and she was glad, because she doesn't really recommend it. I'm praying to stay away from Pitocin and from having a higher risk of C-Section.

I have moments of excitement and others of fear. The other night I said to Jacob, "Only a few more weeks of just the 2 of us." and he replied, "I know. I'm going to miss that." Both of us are SO excited for Daniel's arrival, but it's strange to know that there will be another person living here soon! Life is about to change in a huge way. I'm ready for it about 90% of the time. I don't think anything can fully prepare you for it until it's reality.

Now I'm getting nervous about going into labor. Knowing that even though it probably isn't likely, it COULD happen soon. I need to get some things together so it will be easier to pack for the hospital (because I honestly can't figure out how people pack in advance. I wear the clothes that I plan to wear there and use the items I need too!) I also have to figure out how to properly install the car seat base. Those suckers are tricky.

Last night Jacob had his first concert of the year. I even got a special chair to sit in, instead of the bleachers. Thank goodness, because my back still hurt so bad. His kids did an awesome job! When he started teaching he had 19 middle schoolers in choir. This year he has over 70! I'm proud of him!

We got home and I laid with heat on my back and took some extra strength Tylenol PM. My back felt better, but I woke up at 4:15 this morning and only managed a 15 minute nap this afternoon. Jacob isn't feeling well and has been asleep for going on 4 hours. I decided to let him sleep...maybe it'll help him get better faster!

This weekend I have a baby shower that my co-workers are throwing for me and next weekend Jacob's mom is throwing me one at her house. I've informed Little Man that he has to stay put until after the showers, so hopefully he listens.

Playing Catch Up

This will probably just be a random post of things that have happened since I last wrote because I have nothing particularly interesting to write about.

I haven't had any trouble with my tooth since getting the filling repaired, but my jaw hurt really bad that night once the Novocain wore off. I ended up sitting with an ice pack on it for the rest of the night.

Friday I only worked 3 hours because I had my OB appointment in Springfield. After much debate, I finally opted to get the flu shot. I feel like it will at least help benefit Daniel until he's old enough to get one. The appointment itself went well. My doctor told me that Daniel is head down (which believe me, I already knew!). I can tell that he's dropped more because my bladder seems to have shrunk to an even smaller size. I think I spend half of my life in the bathroom now! It doesn't help that I am constantly thirsty and probably drink around a gallon of water a day! His heartbeat was 132, which is the norm for him. This week I start my weekly appointments, which means I go every Thursday from now until he makes his appearance!

I was also able to get a little bit of shopping done. I had some returns and exchanges to make and my first stop was JC Penny. I'm pretty proud of the deal I scored there. With the return I made I received around $11 on a gift card. I had planned to look and see if I could find a Christmas outfit for Daniel. While I was making the return I noticed their ad had a coupon...$10 off a purchase of $25 or more. Needless to say I got Daniel this:



and this:



My total was around $26, but after the coupon and gift card I got them for $6!! 2 brand new outfits for $3 apiece!

Next stop was Target. I had to doubles of things to return from my shower and a few things I wanted to exchange. Thankfully I got a really helpful customer service person, because Target is known for their strict return policy, and not everyone had gift receipts. I got store credit for the returns and merrily went on my way to shop for more baby things. I ended up with over $100 worth of stuff that I paid nothing for because of gift cards I had received and my store credit! Plus I got an additional $5 gift card for buying 3 packs of diapers (which I also had coupons for).

Oh and while I'm on the topic of diapers and deals...I had heard about something called Amazon Mom. I scored a box of 260 diapers for  $30! If you know the price of diapers, you know that's a good deal! Plus they ship free right to your door.

I finished at one last store and then headed home.

Saturday and Sunday both, I did some deep cleaning. I'm trying to go room by room. Saturday afternoon I scrubbed the living room down. Baseboards, window sills, curtain rod, all of the woodwork, the entryway floor and the tile in front of the fireplace. On Sunday I worked in the kitchen scrubbing the cupboards, window sills, baseboards and ceiling fan. I still need to clean the fridge and scrub the floor, which I plan to do on my hands and knees.

I did find time to relax over the weekend too. I especially enjoyed watching a Hawkeye victory and cheering on the Cards as they made it to the World Series!

Now we begin a new week. Hopefully it passes by quickly!

Nothing But The Tooth

Guess what I did this past weekend?

I broke another filling.

Anyone who knows me well, knows of my irrational fear of the dentist. I sucked it up and called on Monday to see if I could get in that day. They were full until today and I was told that the dentist I saw the first time was on vacation. Fine by me. I didn't like him anyway. I had an anxiety attack in the chair. He didn't numb me good enough (which was over half the reason I was terrified in the first place) and I cried.

I actually went into this fairly calm today. I shed a few tears this morning, but I was fine through the day. I prayed all the way to the office and then when I got there I was a little afraid they weren't going to let me get any work done. They hadn't told me that they needed an okay from my OB. I called their office and they faxed the okay over right away.

The dentist came in to take a look and told me that the filling broke because there's another cavity. I had no idea a cavity could get a cavity. He told me that he could see more and that after I have Daniel I need to come back and have a cleaning and get them fixed. (Besides my fears...not having dental insurance has been the other thing that holds me back from going). He put a temporary filling in for now. I'll probably go back in January for the rest.

Anyway...I explained to him that I have some anxiety issues when it comes to going to the dentist and he promised he'd be very nice to me. I never get numbed well. Dr. Smith gave me a double shot of Novocain. It's a miracle. It worked and I had the work done pain free. I still hate the sounds, but it's not so bad when you can't feel pain ripping through your mouth. In fact, he numbed me so well that it's been almost 4 hours since my appointment and I'm thinking it's finally almost totally worn off (although now my jaw hurts! Haha!). Maybe I can finally eat some supper though.

I did have to take some deep breaths to try and stay calm a few times when I'd get jittery, but no tears. Daniel helped me. He kicked the whole time the dentist was working on me, as if to tell me, "It's okay, mom!" That's what I choose to believe anyway. He was probably like, "What the heck is going on out there!?" (Because babies totally have thoughts like that...)

Anyway...I survived Round 1 and now I'm feeling far less scared to go back knowing that I found a better dentist.

For My Son

October 9, 2011

Dear Daniel,

In about 6 weeks I will meet you for the very first time and I cannot wait to hold you in my arms.

I thought I would tell you about your journey so far.

I found out that your daddy and I were expecting you on the morning of March 23rd. Your daddy had already left for work when I found out, so I kept it a secret from everyone all day long. When he fianlly got home that night I was about ready to burst! I wrapped up a bib that said, "I Love Daddy". He stared at it for a long time before it finally sunk in. We laughed, we cried, we hugged. From that moment on, we've been so excited to welcome you into our lives.

We decided to call our families 2 nights later. The grandma's to be went crazy with excitement. Everyone was excited for that matter. You'll be the first little baby for both sides to spoil (and believe me...you are already spoiled!).

I went to my first doctor appointment on April 11th. Your dad couldn't make it, so Grandma Brenda came with me. I had an ultrasound and got to see you! You looked just like a little peanut (and that's what we referred to you as for quite awhile afterward). We could see your little heart beating and even got to hear it. 172 beats per minute. It was probably the most amazing thing I have ever heard. I was told I was 8 weeks pregnant and given my due date, November 21st.

Thankfully, you were kind to me all through the 1st Trimester. Most moms-to-be have the dreaded morning sickness, but you spared me. I only got sick twice. I was very tired all the time, and touching raw meat was really disgusting to me for awhile, but that was the worst of it.

As I entered into the 2nd Trimester, I started anticipating feeling you move. It's a hard thing for a mom not to worry when she can't feel her baby moving around yet. On June 14th, at 17 weeks, I felt you move for the first time. It was more like little flutters and tickles inside of my stomach. In fact, I wasn't really sure if that's what I was feeling or not until I had felt the same thing consistently for 3 days in a row. You tickled me a lot. Especially when I would lay down to watch tv at night!

We had an ultrasound scheduled for July 8th to find out if we were having a boy or girl, but you had another plan in mind. You gave me a little bit of a scare and so on the morning of the 7th I had to go to the Emergency Room. The nurse found your heartbeat right away. I can't tell you how relieved I was (especially because your daddy was over an hour away helping at camp!). They gave me an ultrasound that day and I couldn't believe how much you had changed in 12 weeks. You weren't a peanut anymore, but a little baby! You were squirming and moving all over the place, even though I couldn't feel it. I saw your heart beating and you were even opening and closing your mouth over and over again! The lady asked if I wanted to know if you were a boy or girl, but I wanted to find out with daddy, so she put the pictures on a disk and sent it home with me. Later that day, we found out we were having a son! We were both overjoyed!

I had several more ultrasounds in the 4 weeks that followed because they saw a little spot on your heart. You had me worried, but the doctors decided that it is a calcium deposit and that there's nothing to worry about at all. I enjoyed getting to see you. You've never liked to cooperate. You do flips and turns whenever they're trying to get measurements. You give the doctor trouble too. You don't like to stay still long enough to find a heartbeat!

On July 19th I felt you kick for the first time! You made my stomach move several times, but would always stop when daddy came in the room. He finally felt you 2 nights later! You haven't stopped since!

I never got any of those crazy cravings that some people get. I've just always wanted sweet things like ice cream and chocolate...but you'll soon realize that I always crave those things. My worst symptom in the 2nd Trimester was heartburn/acid reflux and I'd say it's been the worst of the 3rd too. I have it all day every day, but eventually it will end!

I got to see you one more time at 30 weeks, although I didn't get a very good view of you because you were hanging out really low. They wanted to make sure you were still growing because my stomach always measures small. They said you were perfect! You were weighing in just over 3 pounds. Your heartbeat was around 130 beats per minutes, which is has been at almost all of my appointments. The ultrasound tech also said that she could see that you have some hair on your head. The doctor said that you'll probably weigh around 7.5-8 pounds when you're born, so we'll see how close her guess was.

Now we're reaching the waiting game. Your bedroom is pretty much ready for you. Your daddy put together your crib, dresser and changing table. Grandma Thatcher helped me decorate your room, and I put together your swing and stroller. I've had 2 baby showers and still have 2 more before you arrive! (I told you, you're spoiled!).

I LOVE feeling you move around every day. Most days you make my entire stomach move and morph into funny shapes. Sometimes your kicks really hurt, but I still love feeling you. Today you kicked me clear up under my rib cage. You must be getting longer. Your daddy loves to talk to you and read to you. You loved it yesterday when he sang the Illinois song to you during the football game. I somehow have the feeling that I may be ganged up against...but maybe you'll cheer for the Hawkeyes with me every once in awhile.

Each time I walk through your room, I look at your crib and I can't wait to bring you home and see you in it each morning!

You can feel free to come about a week early if you'd like. There are a lot of people who are excited to meet you, so don't play shy and hang out with me past your due date, okay? We'll still have plenty of time together!

Love,
Mommy

Weekend In Iowa

This weekend was my baby shower in Iowa. I was anticipating it and was excited to get off work early on Friday so I could start my trip!

I got to Cedar Rapids around 3:30 and my grandma and aunt got there less than an hour after I did. We had supper and hung out for the evening waiting on Jeff, Heidi and Zach to get there. They didn't end up getting in until 9:45 and Zach decided that it was play time! We eventually all made our way to bed. Heidi and  I shared the bedroom downstairs and ended up staying up way too late, just like we always do. I think we finally turned the light off at 12:30 and I was up again by 6:30!

Everyone left around 8:30 to go the church and Heidi and I left at 9 to go pick up our grandma before heading over to the church. About 5 minutes after we got there the first guests started showing up. Not long after, everyone started pouring in. Although I know everyone who attended, I get nervous when I have to walk around mingling with people, and my mom (the queen of mingling) was holed up in the kitchen getting the food ready! I think I feel flustered because I feel like I should be talking with everyone, but couldn't get to everyone! They all seemed to be having a good time though.

We had a whole spread of brunch food. Bagels, muffins, fruit salad, mini "Piglets" in a Blanket. It was all so good! We did a couple of games after that. The first was Mr. and Mrs. Right. My mom read a story and you had to pass a prize to the right and left when she said those words. It was pretty entertaining.

.

Then I had to stand in front of everyone and they had to cut a piece of yard to the size they thought my stomach was. Kendra ended up winning, but there were 3 people who were very close. Everyone thought I was bigger than I was!


Then it was time to open the gifts. I couldn't believe how many there were! The pile just seemed to keep growing. You'll have to check Facebook for all of the pictures, but here are some of the gifts that Daniel received:

Winnie the Pooh Lovey:



Afghan made by Marlys



Hand print clay



Basket of gifts from Aunt Rachel and Uncle Micah.



Great Grandma Smith picked out a blanket and sleepers!



Tag Blankie



Such a cute onesie and daddy says it's true.



Outfits (plus matching bibs and hats) from Emily!



My friend Tracy made 2 tie blankets. A Hawkeye blanket and a Pooh blanket!



Cutest little shoes ever!



My group of Valley View ladies.



Sheila and I (Thank you for taking pictures!!!)



High school friends! Tracy (the one on the right) surprised me by coming all the way from Minnesota!



Some of my favorite people!



The preggos



Overall, the shower was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better day and I'm so thankful to everyone who came to help make the day special for our little boy! I've got some great people in my life.

After the clean up we took the gifts back to my parents house and put everything into bins. Amazingly everything but the high chair fit into my car. Mom, Heidi and I hung out for the afternoon and then. Then the 3 of us walked over to Grandma and Grandpa's so they could see Zach.

Mom and dad watched Zach last night while Jeff went to a hockey game and Heidi and I went out for some Olive Garden. It took forever to get a table because it was Homecoming night. There was no where to sit inside so we went to wait outside and as it turns out, people will give up their seats for a pregnant lady. Score! When we got back, Zach was snoozing so we all just hung out and talked again.

Heidi and I stayed up late again and slept in a little bit today. They left around 10:30 and I left about 45 minutes later. I did good with goodbyes, but a few tears spilled over when I got in the car. My mom realized the next time they see me, I'll be a mommy! How exciting is that?!

I made it home safe and sound and I'm thinking I'm going to go to bed early tonight. I'm wiped out. Organizing Daniel's things will have to wait for another day.