Made from scratch with love.

What I am saying probably doesn't come to a shock to anyone, it is probably rather cliche actually. But I can't explain how deeply I feel it.

Becoming a mother has changed who I am immensely. I don't even know if immensely is the right word. Radically. I can feel it in my bones. Nothing is the same, everything has changed. The love I feel for my son and husband overflows. And it has put in to prospective my whole existence and everything I have pretty much ever done. How foolish I was when I was younger and what I valued as important. The little dramas I use to fill my life with, the time I invested into things and people. I really was such a silly girl, I was grown and all but I don't think I was quite yet a woman and I know that sounds funny but I really believe it to be true.

I can't say I am one of those that became a mother the second I found I was pregnant. The idea of becoming a parents was kind of terrifying to me and it took some getting use to, he was just an idea up to the time of his birth. Even as my belly grew and I could feel him - It took him being placed in my arms for everything to click. I was responsible for the tiny human being. I didn't know what to do at first, even holding him, he was just so tiny and felt so fragile. When we left the hospital initially he started choking the second we came home and I freaked out. That was followed by a trip back to the hospital for jaundice that very week and then we had a few weeks of getting into a routine before we were rattled again by the emergency surgery on his tummy. There are no words for the feelings we were having during that time. It was gut wrenching to see our little boy in pain and in trouble like he was... having to agree for this little infant to be put under and cut into in the first few weeks of life. However, it saved his life and it was a swift kick into the nitty gritty of parenthood.

Over the last several months we've learned as we've went along. He is growing so dang fast, part of me is sad to see his independence increasing but at the same time it is so exciting to see him learn and adapt. From rolling over, sitting up on his own, entertaining himself... His first tooth started coming in yesterday. I just stare in awe something. I made him from scratch.

The birth of my son was also the springboard back towards my faith, something I have from lingering away from for quite sometime. There is nothing like bringing life into this world that solidifies your faith. From finding out you are pregnant, to hearing the heartbeat for the first time, to feeling those kicks and the squirming in your belly, to having your child, the little being you made from scratch, being put into your arms. It is awe inspiring and so significant. My emotions and feelings are so much more immense and deep, I wish I had to words to translate how I feel these days. Everyday with my son is a gift and a blessing that I can't even begin to describe, Watching him grow and learn - I am SO blessed to be at home with him to be able to witness this on a day to day basis.

Getting married and having a family has shown me this whole new side of life and I am overjoyed that I am fortunate enough to experience it all. I can't help but laugh at the immaturity and things that I use to think matter. All the drama, people and insignificant things that use to fill my life that I earnestly thought mattered. In the broad scheme of things none of it did, none of them did. It was just lessons in life and really nothing more. Funny how all that happens, how quickly things that mattered so much in retrospect doesn't matter at all and truly never did.

All that really matters is this...

The aftermath

It has been 257 days since we welcomed our sweet little boy into this world. 257 since delivering a 8 pound 13 ounce bundle of joy.

257 days since I looked like this

And I was sporting a large and in charge bump

I topped out at 235 pounds when I was pregnant, and that was with eating as healthy as I could and walking, now I wish I had continued to do mild weight training and elliptical but shoulda, coulda, woulda right? I lost 47 pounds within 2 weeks of having RJ but still had a ways to go to get back to my before pregnancy weight. I am now 180 pounds, which is my pre pregnancy weight and was my first target weight - yet my body looks nothing like it once did. My stomach is different, my hips wider, my stretch marks... ugh... don't get me started there. Luckily they have faded significantly but they are still there... but I don't know what I was expecting with a almost 9 pound baby - escaping stretch marks would have been difficult for anyone with a baby that size. I want to lose an additional 15 pounds, and after this initial 20 I have lost I am confident I can do it without the use of gimmicks and fads.  I was posting postpartum pictures for a couple months after labor and delivery but haven't in several months. So without delay here is the ooey gooey unedited goodness that is the baby bump without the baby.

I am starting a squats and kettle bell which will hopefully help to tone up a bit more. Honestly I I am not super concerned with toning, probably because just when I get to my ideal toning there is a chance we will be working on baby #2 and I will be resetting right back to where I started. So I am mainly focusing on weight loss and what the scale says which I never did in the past. My goal weight is 155 - 165, which will hopefully keep me out of the 200s next go around when we decide to have another baby.

Gym Class Hero QUICK update 10/5/13

Starting Weight: 199

Current Weight: 185.6 
Progress: 13.4lb down

Current Goal: 180

5.6 pounds to go

My progress has slowed down but at least I am still making progress so I won't complain too much. I am not using the weight watchers app as closely as I should. I need to get back to using it more closely because I am sure that will increase my weight loss faster then going at it as I am now. My fast food intake is pretty much nonexistent these days and I am eating a lot less fried foods. I have maybe one regular type soda (decaf of course) maybe once ever 2 or 3 weeks but other then that the Mr and I have been trying to find safer and healthier alternatives to big chain soda in all of it's high fructose corn syrup goodness. We've cut our high fructose corn syrup intake in half already which is a great start but I am eager to eliminate even more from our diet.

For a soda alternative we totally love the brand Sprecher, which has several different types of soda. They use kola extract, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon to make a MUCH healthy alternative to the major brand soda companies and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER! I highly highly HIGHLY recommend it.

We also have tries the brand Zevia which is also caffeine free and is sweetened with stevia. I don't like it as much as Sprecher, but they do make a great lemon lime that tastes just like Sprite.

Gym Class Hero. Update. 9/16/13

I haven't been as persistent as I would like maintaining this blog with my progress in my weight loss. And this post itself will be pretty short because I've been working this evening after a long day and I am beyond ready for bed. Juggling my many hats has me exhausted. So without further ado...

Starting Weight: 199

Current Weight: 187.2 
Progress: 11.8lb down

Current Goal: 180

7.2 pounds to go

Gym Class Hero Week 4

Yup. Missed a week - Work, pledge, and raising a 4 1/2 month old kept me preoccupied. Seriously, keeping up with his demands all day I don't know how the weight isn't coming off more quickly!

My progress has slowed a bit but I am still seeing progress, I cheat here and there which contributes to that. If I was more strict to adhering to the rules I am sure the pounds would shed more quickly. It isn't easy to always find a healthy and weight watchers approved meal when taking care of the little one (who will be 5 months in 2 days!)

Seasoned baked chicken has become a popular one for me, usually with some roasted veggie of some sort. It's easy and light. But I find cooking at home regardless of what I cook, as long as it isn't fried, is healthier then anything I would buy outside of the house. Right now we are in the process of fixing our diets here at the W Abode. We are trying to eliminate our use of high fructose corn syrup and that alone is helping my meal making to be healthier. However it is also what is helping making my grocery bill higher.

Starting Weight: 199

Current Weight: 191.0 
Progress: 8.0lb down

Current Goal: 180

11.0 pounds to go

Gym Class Heroes Week 2

I wasn't quite as strict this week as I was the previous week - I blame a lot of that on the fact that it was pledge week with my job and I haven't had the time to commit in cooking. So I tried to focus more on portion sizes more then anything.

And sadly I slept through most of the farmer's market so no fresh veggies for this family this week. I might go to the health food store tomorrow though so I can get some organic veggies and fruit.

The progress is slow, but it is progress all the same. I am also finding it to be pretty easy to keep my portion sizes down which is key. I still cheat every now and then, but with the workload, housework, and a baby I think I deserve a little cheat here and there.

Starting Weight: 199

Current Weight: 193.8 
Progress: 5.2lb down

Current Goal: 180

13.8 pounds to go.

Gym Class Hero - Week 1

OK so I have avoided every giving completely factual numbers when it comes to my weight gains and losses. I think even when doing my weekly pregnancy updates I would fudge numbers here and there and round. I've always been pretty self conscious about my weight and it was hard for me to see the pounds pack on. But in order to be held accountable I figure a more honest approach will help achieve my goal best.

I gained roughly 60 pounds during my pregnancy. Yes the truth is out. I lost 47 of that within 2 weeks of having my little man.

As a friend, Lindsay Fogarty, reminded me not that long ago - It took 10 months to get my body to weigh it was when I had Raiden so why would I expect it to snap back to normal overnight? I wish it did but I have a couple things working against me - I don't have a teenage metabolism anymore and I don't always have time to cook an extremely healthy meal. Me personally, I am the type of individual who needs something that can hold me accountable, it usually is my husband but he is working 70+ hours a week currently and our gym dates have been interfered with by work and you know this little baby of ours. So after some thought I decided to sign up for Weight Watchers to help me with staying on track with what I eat on a daily basis.

Last Saturday I weighed in at 199lb. I weighed in today and am now at 195.4lb. It's a start.

My June 2012 weight was 180 lb. so that is my first goal is to get back to where I was then.

My second goal will be to lose an additional 25 pounds and ultimately weigh in at 155 pounds and to bring my BMI down from 27 to 22.

My third goal is to start participating in community runs next Spring.

So here we go. The first of many posts hopefully sharing my triumphs week to week!

Starting Weight: 199

Current Weight: 195.4 
Progress: 3.6lb down

Current Goal: 180

15.4 pounds to go.

July.

My blogging is so nonexistent these days. I'm too busy raising a child, working and preparing for my first long distance pledge drive, and still steadily unpacking. The unpacking being probably my most least accomplished tasks.

My little man is 4 months old now. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by and all the changes my family has faced in such a short amount of time. We are settling in well in Oklahoma. In June the husband had a business trip so I went to Texas to see my parents with the little man and he got to experience his first plane ride. I can't tell you the stress of flying with a infant by yourself. I had a bag for me, a bag for him, his stroller and car seat, and his diaper bag. I waddled over to the shuttle bench and once I got dropped off at the airport and was checking in I realized I had forgotten the car seat base. I had no time to go and get it so for the trip his car seat had to be seatbelted in during our stay in Dallas. It was so nice to see my family - I know we had really just moved but Oklahoma was a big transition, especially with an infant, and everything felt so foreign.

My new quest is in researching cloth diapers. There is this whole world of terminology and information that I admit it is quite overwhelming but I think in August we are going to attempt it. I will keep you up to date on that adventure.

I am also going to start doing weight loss posts that I will work on through the week but will post on Fridays when I weigh in. I will go further into that in the post I will be putting up shortly after this one.

Well, I am off to be a momma to a screaming baby who doesn't realize he is tired. Oh the joy of babyhood.

Hello Stranger.

So I haven't posted in FOREVER, I sincerely apologize, been kind of busy raising a baby! So much has happened in our life in the last few months.

In May, when Raiden was just 6 weeks old we had quite a scare. For 2 weeks he had started to spit up large quantities, well that is what everyone was telling me it was - spit up. I kept saying he was throwing up because there was just so much of it with every feeding. 2 doctors and a nurse practitioner kept reassuring me that it was just reflux and that he was fine and to make his feedings shorter. Well on the day of May 4th I was fed up, the husband and I went to go eat brunch with our little man, and during brunch I had to change him twice and used 3 spit up rags because of his "spit up" - following brunch the husband went to work and I went to my parents. It was there that I held him as he slept and he would throw up every 15 minutes or so from feeding to feeding. Around 4PM I noted that he had only had 2 barely wet diapers all day and so I called our doctors after hours hotline and our ped's partner answered and told me to take him to the ER because my concern of dehydration was very real. I picked up Mr. W on our way to the hospital and they got us in a room quickly, unfortunately things slowed down after that. The ER doctor insisted he was just dehydrated and needed some pedialyte, which was frustrating because I told him very firmly that Raiden couldn't keep ANYTHING down, it wasn't like I was not trying to hydrate him - nor did I see him again after he instructed us that he just needed hydration (probably because he was embarrassed!). Raiden wouldn't take the pedialyte and the nurse said to just nurse, I didn't want to because at this point I think it hurt Raiden when he threw up and I knew it would happen. But they insisted so we nursed and within 5 minutes he was vomiting it back up. At this point we were left alone for quite awhile, and it was during this time that I could hear the nurses in the hallway discussing that it was just spit up and it was normal and I was just a paranoid first time mom, which just infuriated me as they went on and on... Then the ped doctor who had instructed me to come to the ER in the first place came in, and he was our saving grace - it feels like everything went super fast after that but all in all we were in the ER for about 9 hours before we left. He listened to what was going on and said he had 2 concerns that it was either reflux or pyloric stenosis. He ordered a ultrasound and while we waited he tried to put an IV in Raiden's hands. He was so severely dehydrated though his veins were super tiny and they couldn't get one in and blew the veins in his hands. Then they sent us to the ultrasound. Every 4-5 minutes we had to stop the ultrasound to roll him on his side so he could vomit, twice we had to pick him up and clear his airways cause he was choking. It was clear that his condition worsened significantly that day and no one was telling me it was just spit up anymore. His pyloric sphincter was only suppose to be 6-7cm and his was 16... in other words the muscle that allows processed food from the stomach to the digestive system kept growing after birth and had grown so large it had sealed off the digestive system from the stomach so the only place for food to go once it was in the stomach and broken down was right back up and he was literally starving to death, surgery was required - I called my mom in the hallway sobbing and she & my sister rushed to the hospital to be there with us and my father in law came as well... I was inconsolable. So we went back to our room and there were 3 nurses waiting to try and get an IV in Raiden's arm. Seeing your little one at just 6 weeks being held down as they put a needle in him and tried to get it into a vein is one of the hardest things to watch and endure. I had to leave the room several times because I was in tears at watching him in so much pain and not understanding what was happening and my father in law and mother stayed in there with him.

Eventually they got the IV in and wrapped and we were told that we were going to be taking an ambulance ride to a town 2 hours away that had a pediatric surgeon waiting to perform surgery on our little baby boy. Mr. W went home to pack bags and Raiden and I waited for the ambulance. I rode in the ambulance with Raiden in his car seat strapped to a bed and Mr. W drove behind us up to the town 2 hours away. We got to the hospital at around 6AM, my little man did so good and slept the whole way. Once we got there he woke up horribly upset and it took a good 45 minutes to calm him down and get him back to sleep and at that point the husband and I were able to get about 2 hours of sleep before they came and woke us up for surgery. I carried my little boy to another room where they were doing the paperwork for the surgery and I had to hand him to a nurse as I signed papers to let them put him under and all that jazz. I was an emotional wreck. We kissed him and they took him off to surgery where they cut a one inch incision in his tummy to cut his pyloric sphincter. The surgery took about an hour before they brought him back to his room. Seeing him lay there moaning was heartbreaking, but I was so thankful that the surgery was successful.

Raiden in recovery

From there we waited a couple hours and then had to bottle feed him 40cc of pedialyte, couple more hours we did 40cc of pedialyte 20cc pumped breastmilk, couple more hours it was 30cc pedialyte 30cc pumped milk, couple hours later 20cc pedialyte 40cc pumped milk, and a couple hours later we were able to do 60cc of pumped breastmilk - he threw it up within 20 minutes, but the nurses reassured us that probably had to do with the thickness of breastmilk and so we attemped another 60cc of breastmilk a couple hours later and he successfully kept it down. Thru the next day every 2 hours he would get 60cc of breastmilk. Towards late morning we were so happy because he was starting to get very angry that he was only getting 60cc of pumped milk, he was expressing the want to nurse and he wanted a lot more then 60cc and we were given the go ahead to nurse and boy did he go to town! We were released that day.

The day we got to go home, 5/6/13

Going home outfit from the hospital!

You wouldn't have even known he had a life threatening issue 2 days later, he was eating up a storm and as alert and active. I can't tell you the relief I felt.

So that was the first part of May, then on May 14 my husband was offered his own store and we found out we would be moving to Oklahoma and we had to be there with a place to live confirmed by June 2. So we found a cute cottage home on Craigslist of all places and on June 1 we packed up our little family and made the 2 day drive to our new home in Oklahoma.

So as you can see a lot of changes in our household. I will go into further detail later. But that is enough for one sitting. I have a kiddo to attend to!

Introductions

Well, it's been over a week since our little man entered the world and I really wanted to find the time to take and to write out our birth story before it get's any blurrier then it already has. So without further ado...

Our birth plan went completely out the window. Seriously, pretty much none of it went as anticipated or hoped for but when all is said and done I am still perfectly happy with our labor and delivery, even if it wasn't the textbook natural birth with the soft music in the background and serenity that I might of been planning on.

We went to the hospital Monday morning at about 5AM, we were running late and I think both of us were a bundle of nerves about what to anticipate that day. We arrived to labor and delivery to be admitted. Our first nurse was Christine, she was super nice, only problem was even after I warned her of my small rolling veins she insisted on taking a IV needle to my hand and dig around for about 10 minutes before going and getting another nurse with more experience. We ran into the same problem when it came to draw blood and it took 3 nurses to find a viable vein to draw from. They checked my dilation and I was 2 cm and 85-95% effancement. It wasn't until 7 that the pitocin was started at 2ml an hour, but 7 happened to be the nurse shift change so the 2ml was bumped to 4ml within maybe 5 minutes. This is where it got boring to me, waiting for contractions to start. I waited and waited and felt nothing, so in boredom I grabbed my makeup bag and proceeded to do my makeup and hair. Then I sat there texting away waiting to feel anything. The nurses would come in about every 15 - 30 minutes and ask if I felt anything and I would say no and then they would proceed to bump up the pitocin by 2ml. It was just before 9 when the nurse came in and suggested I roll over to my left side and the pitocin was pushed to 10ml an hour. Within minutes I felt my first labor contraction, the best way to explain it was just a really heavy menstrual cramp that came and went. by 9:15 I was having these heavy cramps were 2 minutes apart for about 47 seconds at a time. At first it really wasn't that bad. I held Mr. W's hand as they reached peaks and he would talk me through them. They had checked my dilation and I was at about 3 - 3 1/2 cm and had thinned out little. I hated the cervical check, it was worse then the contractions at that point. Within an hour my contractions went from heavy menstrual cramps to much being much more intense, I was still joking and talking in between contractions though and able to work through them as Mr. W counted down the last 10 seconds of each one for me. They would do cervical checks every hour, unfortunately TWICE because there was a nursing student there that had to do it as well. I went from 3cm to 5 cm in an hour, then 5cm to 8 - It was that time of the rapid increase of 5 to 8 that I started asking Mr. W if he would be disappointed in me if I used pain medication. I was gripping the rails and asking Mr. W not to touch me as politely as possible... I was just trying to work through it by myself in silence. The pain was excruciating but I was so committed in not using an epidural that I asked the nurse what other pain management I could use and they suggested demoral. I agreed to take the demoral to take the edge off and they brought a bag and connected it to my IV, one contraction in I realized I needed more then just the edge taken off and asked my husband for the epidural as the contraction was peaking, with my breathing I would take my big inhale and exhale the word 'epidural' to him. He called the nursing station and let them know I wanted the epidural, of course it was my luck that the anesthesiologist was about to head into a c-section and she was going to try to get to me before the surgery. Yeah, that didn't happen so they told me I had a good hour and a half that I had to get through before she would be available. At this point the dang small amount of demoral I had received had kicked in and I started falling asleep in between my contractions. They slowed the pitocin down significantly to ease the pain but at that point I was too far gone. I had another cervical check and I was at 9cm and the urge to push was vaguely starting to happen during each contraction. I didn't want to tell them because I was afraid that doing so would mean I couldn't get an epidural and I was sure I could resist the urge, but of course it was pretty evident where I was at in labor. I knew they were thinking i probably wouldn't be able to get the epidural come 1PM because I was 9cm and the anesthesiologist was still out, but thank GOD that close to 2 they said those magical words, she was here. They asked if I was able to stay still while they put the epidural in, sane Randi would have said no because these contractions felt like someone was ripping out my intestines, but desperate pain stricken Randi said I would figure out a way. I had 8 off the chart contractions while they were putting the epidural in I grasped on to Mr, W's hands and stared straight into his eyes to focus on remaining still - I still don't know how I did it considering my contractions were less then a minute apart and were one on top of the other. Once the epidural was in I felt about 10 more contractions before everything went numb from the waist down. From that point forward I would consider the rest of labor to be pretty pleasant. The two nurses and Mr. W coached me through about an hour of pushing and holding my legs up. The pushing was weird because I honestly didn't feel anything and I was never quite sure if I was pushing, I just kept focusing on pushing with my abdomen and from all the "Good Jobs!" and "You're doing great  each time I pushed I figure I did it somehow, at one point they said that I had birthed his hair, I was confused and then they had me reach down and feel the top of his head and all that hair - it was surreal to say the least. Then the OBGYN came and finished the job with some more instructing of pushing and a small episiotomy. When researching labor and delivery the thought of an episiotomy scared the hell out of me but looking back I know it was either going to be an episiotomy or a tear. It was shortly after that small incision that my little man came into the world. It was crazy to see my stomach deflate as the doctor pulled him out and there he was, I didn't expect to cry but the tears came flowing the second I put eyes on him, with a quick wipe down from the doctor's hands to the nurse in just a couple seconds my son was placed on my chest and I just stared in awe. I will never be able to accurately explain the feelings and emotions that swirled through me in that moment.

And then there were 3...

Introducing Raiden Jensen Williams, 

he came in to this world on March 25, 2013 at 4:01PM 

weighing 8lb 13oz and measuring 21 1/2 inches long.

Being treated for jaundice 2 days after being released from the hospital

Dear Son,

Dear Son,

I am mere days from meeting you yet I know you so personally, so intimately, holding you for the first time will be as though I am gaining a piece of my that I never knew I was missing. I will cradle you in my arms, sun up and sun down and provide everything I humanly can. We loved you before we knew you even existed, and we have talked to you daily, your daddy gives you kisses on my tummy. We've treated this gift with such care as you grow everyday. It all seemed so surreal to us at first, but as we had our first ultrasound, got to feel the first kick, and then got to physically see you moving within my womb you've become more and more real to us, and now we have just a matter of days before you are in our arms and we start this whole new journey as a family of 3.

I pray for guidance, guidance on raising you to be a good man. You will grow and we will teach to the best of our abilities. We will make mistakes as will you. We will fight and not see eye to eye. You will think you hate us at times, and sometimes we will be so frustrated with you that we won't be able to stand it. I will cry... Lord knows I will cry. I will cry the first time I lay eyes on you, I will cry the first time I see you in pain, I will cry when I can't figure out why you won't quit crying, I will cry your first day of school and your last day of school. I will cry the day you meet "the girl" and will cry when you take her hand in marriage. We will be here to talk to you about life, to cheer you on in the stands, to give a shoulder to cry on, to give a hand to help you up, to give you an ear to listen, to give you advice to take.

I hope and pray that we are able to raise you into a man just as great as your daddy and I hope that you never doubt our unconditional and steadfast love that we have had for you since the moment we knew of your existence. We love you a million times over & we can't wait to meet you.

Your mom.

Week 39

Well here we are with my last weekly update. We are in our last 3 days one way or another. I'll admit it's been a rough few days and I anticipate a rough couple days ahead as well. There is nothing like the weight of a 7+ pound baby on your bladder on top of a UTI. Yup. The two combined equals a world of hurt and misery. There were 2 negative cultures in the course of a week and a half before there was finally a positive UTI culture was found on Monday. I'm on Augmentin now, which I will remain on through Sunday just in time for the scheduled induction! Luckily I am on the mend and feeling much better!

Week 39 has brought with it the blatant and obviousness that I am done with being pregnant. Yup, I am completely over it. I love this little boy and I am ready to be holding him in my arms. Baby W has pretty much 2 1/2 days to decide to come on his own, otherwise we will be induced medically at the hospital on Monday morning.. I am so full of emotions and thoughts in this last week I can't even begin to express everything going on in my head, I am literally days away from meeting this little guy who has been camped out in my tummy for months and months... who started out as nothing but a bunch of cells and a unexpected positive on a pregnancy test and now here we are. Brace yourself world... Baby W is on his way.

How far along are you? 39 Weeks && 4 Days!

Total weight gain? 33lb.

Maternity Clothes? Nope, wearing a lot of sweats or sundresses though thanks to the warm weather!

Stretch Marks? No more... unfortunately no less.

Sleep: This week has sucked thanks to the UTI I was up for hours at a time multiple times a night. Now that I am on the mend though I wake up maybe once a night.

Best Moment Last Week? Just getting another week closer to getting to see my little boy!

Movement: I can tell he wants out as much as I am ready to have him out!

Food Craving: Anything spicy... but that's more of a ploy to go into labor more then a 'craving.'

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.

Labor signs? A few contractions here and there. 

Symptoms? Just this big ol' tummy!

Belly button in or out? flat.

Wedding Ring on or off? Keeping it on a necklace still just to be cautious.

Most common emotion? Excited.

Looking forward to? Our baby boy making his appearance any day!

38.

Week 38!

Can anyone really believe we are nearing the end of this journey? That technically I could go in to labor ANY MINUTE!? I sure as hell can't! It feels like this pregnancy has flown by, at least the last trimester - which I am thankful for because it really is true what they say... the third trimester is by far the roughest. Don't get me wrong compared to many women out there my pregnancy has still been pretty Easy Street Ville, but that doesn't hinder the fact that I am pretty uncomfortable. What has taken the biggest beating? My bladder! As Baby W continues his decent into the pelvic region this little guy has added extra pressure to everything down there. I can't stand or walk without the need to know where the nearest lady's room is. That has by far been the most frustrating and uncomfortable of all that I have faced during this pregnancy. I have no tolerance for it. So it's been suggested that I get a lot more rest, lay down more and get pressure off my lady bits for some relief which I gladly do.

In other news we are 2 days away from our 38 week doctor visit, unfortunately my doctor is out of town however his nurse practitioner will be seeing me and doing a membrane sweep to try to induce labor. I didn't even know what a membrane sweep was until I was in my third trimester and googled 'inducing labor' and it was one of the many things that popped up. Membrane sweeps are performed by your doctor (or in this case my nurse practitioner) during an internal examination, they sweep their finger around your cervix which separates the membranes of the amniotic sac surrounding the baby from the cervix which releases a hormone that can induce labor. Membrane sweeps don't always work but they do have the potential to. I have my fingers crossed that this sweep or the one at 39 weeks is effective because as we all know I don't want to be induced with pitocin on my due date! I'm also trying to walk more, bounce on a yoga ball... and whatever else is suggested that could help Baby W decide to make his appearance early, but I know he is stubborn like his mama and will come whenever he is good and ready and there isn't much I can do to sway him otherwise.

Speaking of being stubborn, I think my hormones might be getting the better of me. I'm learning that at this present time, when it comes to my child... boy oh boy can I hold a grudge like nobody's business. If you've been MIA pretty much my entire pregnancy don't expect me to go out of my way to make you feel involved or to really discuss anything regarding my pregnancy or little family with you, "family," friend, or acquaintance. If you've made no attempt to be involved don't expect me to give you the courtesy of trying to involve you.

I forgot to take a picture today but I will post a quick one in the AM at some point. Is it crazy to think about how this could very well be my last baby bump picture!? On one hand it will be weird to have my stomach begin shrinking back down but on the other I am SO ready to be able to get out of bed without it feeling like a physical chore.

38 weeks 1 day

How far along are you? 38 Weeks!

Total weight gain? 33lb.
Maternity Clothes? Still sporting the same gear.
Stretch Marks? Has stayed the same.
Sleep: Pretty much the same as last week.
Best Moment Last Week? Getting to full term!
Movement: More defined, just cause he is running out of room I can feel every little movement.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? He is moving lower into my pelvis. Contractions aren't really happening much.
Symptoms? Having to pee every 15 minutes. Yeah... It's super.
Belly button in or out? flat.
Wedding Ring on or off? I can still put it on but I am keeping it around my neck still in case of sudden swelling.
Most common emotion? Excited.
Looking forward to? Hopefully having this membrane sweep work in a couple days!

Baby W is the size of a Pumpkin!

Due Date Countdown : 13 days!!!

37 Weeks! Full term baby!

There is light at the end of the tunnel! With week 37 here it means that Baby W is considered full term, meaning if Baby W was to want to make his appearance now they wouldn't stop my labor and the chances are high that his lungs are fully developed and will adjust well to life outside the womb. Hard to believe we are at that point already. As much as I have tried to continue to stay upbeat and positive I have to admit that I am getting a little tired of being pregnant, or at least tired of some of the symptoms that seem to plague me. My hips are hurting more and more each day, I swear if I didn't know better I would have thought that I pulled a groin muscle. My right bottom rib aches pretty much on a constant basis. And I get up 2 - 4 times a night to visit the bathroom. All in all I got off pretty easy, I know I could feel miserable and be dealing with a plethora of other symptoms that I have luckily avoided like the severe morning sickness and hemorrhoids so I really shouldn't be complaining. However, at this point I can't imagine getting any bigger then I already have... I feel like my tummy is at maximum capacity.

I had a prenatal massage today. Oh. My. Gosh. Simply heaven, if only for the mere fact I got to lay on my stomach thanks to the special bed pillow they use for us knocked up gals. It was an hour of pure bliss, unfortunately the second I stood up from my massage my body made it perfectly clear that 'Hey, you're 9 months pregnant you didn't think that the relaxation and comfort was going to last past this comfy bed, oils, and unnecessarily calming music that almost made you fall asleep did you!? Hahaha...' Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what my body said to me. But hey... for 60 undisturbed minutes I was happy as a clam. I was also dangerously close to committing a crime and stealing the pregnancy pillow that was applied to the bed that allowed me to lay on my tummy, but I figure I don't want to deliver my baby in the clank so I left the pillow there.

How far along are you? 37 weeks!

Total weight gain? 33lb.
Maternity Clothes? Still sporting the same gear.
Stretch Marks? Just the 2. Dammit. Still slathering on lotion at a ridiculous pace to prevent them getting bigger or getting more heaven forbid!
Sleep: I am waking up 2 - 4 times a night to pee, and I usually take those opportunities to lay back down on alternate sides. I am waking up with pretty severe hip pain now though.
Best Moment Last Week? Our birth month got here!!
Movement: Constant.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Apparently my hip/groin pain is signs that Baby W is getting into position and I am having sporadic light contractions.
Symptoms? Exhaustion and a lot of "down there" pressure.
Belly button in or out? flat.
Wedding Ring on or off? It could be on but just to be safe I wear it around my neck now.
Most common emotion? Impatient for his arrival.
Looking forward to? Thursday. Here is hoping I am further dilated! It's Operation Get this Baby Out time now!

20 Days till our Due Date / Induction Date!

Week 36!

Well here we are, our last week before Baby W is considered full term! We are 29 days away from our estimated due date of March 25th! This pregnancy has been a pretty easy one thankfully (knock on wood!) and I've really enjoyed every minute of it - About 2 days ago or so though it started to kick in, as Baby W is running out of room I find his foot lodged into my rib cage on a pretty regular basis. He is starting to pack on about an ounce a day of weight and is close to 6 pounds now roughly according to the standard growth pace at 36 weeks. With that comes extra pelvic pressure, bladder pressure, and severe lower back pain. Yup, at 36 weeks I can officially say I am pretty uncomfortable on a regular basis. At this point doing anything has become a chore of great magnitude. At our last doctor appointment they did the oh so fun Strep B test and then the doctor checked for dilation of my cervix. He was disappointed to find that I had only dilated to 1cm and he was wanting that dilation to be a 2 or 3cm. So I was put on orders to be more active and do more walking and activities... a far cry from the week before and being told to rest more and get that blood pressure down, but considering my blood pressure when back down to 128/85 they seem less concerned with my blood pressure.

Last night was rough, I had my first real stint of nausea occur, of course it was when we were out for dinner and I didn't even get to my entree before I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to go throw my brains up! Then we went home and I rested, my stomach looked like a scene from alien as Baby W was stretching his feet out against my stomach wall making it protrude in all sorts of crazy ways. I swear my kid is already preparing to be a MMA fighter and had me wincing in pain quite a bit. I wouldn't change it for the world though. It is so crazy to to physically see him moving around and boy let me tell you he is super active on a constant basis. It has started making work and minor tasks more and more difficult though. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am super thankful to have such a supportive and helpful husband through all of this because I couldn't do it without him!

36weeks3days

How far along are you? 36 weeks today!

Total weight gain? 32.5 lb..
Maternity Clothes? I bought a couple more larger Buckle tops but no additions to the maternity purchases.
Stretch Marks? Seems to not be increasing any. Whew.
Sleep: I wake up about 2 times a night, getting to sleep is starting to be difficult just because of the discomfort.
Best Moment Last Week? We got our crib in this weekend
Movement: Constant.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? I am 1cm Dilated. Wah wah.
Symptoms? A lot more movement and lots of lower pressure starting.
Belly button in or out? flat.
Wedding Ring on or off? On, however I am about to start wearing it around my neck because I don't want to risk it getting stuck!
Most common emotion? Anxious for March!
Looking forward to? Next doctor appointment on Wednesday. Here is hoping I am dilated further!!!

Baby W is the size of a honeydew!

The dreaded "I" word

I knew the discussion would come up eventually. Despite my resistance and persistence I knew. My doctor had made it quite clear he didn't like pregnancies getting past the 41 week mark. But at 36 weeks I thought we still had time before this discussion was had.

Induction.

My doctor was called away for an emergency c-section so I got to visit with his assistant who fills in when he is off delivering babies and whatnot. The conversation started with a question, which was encouraging.

How do you feel about talking about medical induction?

I quickly shot it down, saying I don't talk about it because I don't believe in it especially at this point and in a pregnancy that has had no complications. But of course I get the spill, they feel better scheduling a induction date now so come my due date coming and going I will have a spot secure to make sure I don't make it to 41 weeks. I was hesitant to say the least, but these were my doctor's policies and I didn't see winning the argument. So I stressed how important it was that it be pretty much the 41st week before I would be okay with it. They seemed to understand and encouraged more physical activity and such in hopes that labor could be induced naturally.

About an hour later I got a call with my induction date. March 25th. For those who have been keeping up, when is my due date? March 25th. Yup my wishes were completely ignored and if this kid hasn't decided to make an appearance before his due date doctors want to stick an IV in me and force him out.

At first I was super frustrated with this decision as was Mr. W. But after a little but of time to come to terms I am determined to look at the brighter sides of things. In no less then 26 days I will be holding my son regardless. I am scared about the thought of using pitocin and how much more painful the contractions will be. I am going to ask for membrane sweeps starting on week 38. A membrane sweep is done during a routine internal examination, usually when they are checking for dilation. The doctor sweeps his finger around the cervix (the neck of the womb) separating the membranes from the amniotic sac surrounding your baby from the cervix which causes prostaglandin hormones to be released which can kick start labor. Not all women approve of this invasive procedure but I feel faced with either a medically induced labor with pitocin or a membrane sweep I would prefer the latter, I feel like I have a better shot of withstanding labor and not being as tempted to allow an epidural if I go into labor via the sweep rather then with pitocin.

So there you have it... Looks like we are just days away from holding Baby W in our arms and starting this new chapter of our life. I can't begin to express the many emotions running through me. I am scared to death, but excited at the same time to enter this thing called Mommyhood.

Because 2 is better then 1.

I've had a couple requests for wedding pictures on my blog. It was just a month after our Jamaica wedding that we found out we were expecting little Baby W and many people don't realize that was our second wedding. By second wedding we don't mean we divorced or separated and then married again. We decided after already making arrangements for our destination wedding to marry before hand at the JoP for our family and friends who couldn't make the trip with us to Jamaica.

So to make sure we still had a special day we decided to marry on our 4 year dating anniversary which we celebrated each year on Halloween, so we originally married on Oct 31, 2011 at the Justice of the Peace but we went in to it saying it was just paperwork, and although it was special we don't consider that our actual wedding date which confuses a lot of people. We scheduled and planned everything for the JOP wedding in a one month time frame. FYI finding a white dress in October is a hellish task. We kept our spur of the moment wedding under wraps except to our family and a couple of close friends who we wanted to attend, no one else found out until after we had swapped our vows. It was one of the happiest days for both of us, but as when we were finally alone that evening we repeated to ourselves that it was just our paperwork since legally we had to marry in our county anyways because they wouldn't except a Jamaican marriage license.

October 31, 2011

If you ask either Mr. W or me when our wedding anniversary is we will both say June 7th, it was on June 7, 2012 that we wed in front of 4 witnesses, Andy & Shannon Bell and Dominque & Julia Kasindi (both newlyweds on their honeymoons) in Montego Bay, Jamaica under a gazebo overlooking the ocean. Getting ready that day was casual and relaxed. I wore minimal makeup (humidity was so thick it would melt right off in a matter of minutes anyways) and Shannon did my hair for me. I walked down the "aisle" to steel drums playing Pachelbel's Canon in D, Mr. W may or may not have shed some tears when I walked around the corner. :) Honestly we both agree this was our wedding, especially afterwards we could agree that the October trip to the Justice of the Peace was merely paperwork. Jamaica was a trip of a lifetime and we are both so thankful we had the opportunity to go. It was utterly amazing and unforgettable  We got to cut our wedding cake, have a first dance to Robin Thick's 'Angels' and got to sit overlooking the ocean and enjoy champagne and cake before going and taking pictures.

June 7, 2012

My Husband's Reaction to Baby W

I recall the day well, the day the pregnancy test decided to leave the "Not" out of the result window. I wanted to record Mr. W's reaction. Anyone that knows my husband knows he is extroverted to boot and can be larger then life so I was expecting a humdinger of a reaction. I carefully started recording without making it obvious when I surprised him with a gift that had 4 unisex newborn onesies and 3 pregnancy tests that all showed "Pregnant." I should have known when I walked in and heard him all congested and cranky that this was not the day for this kind of surprise, however I couldn't hold it in me for another second. Anyways here is his reaction, poor guy was feeling under the weather so I can't be too upset with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8vaUG0xWHA

Week 35 & A case of the Mondays

Week 35 is upon us, meaning we are just 14 days away from being considered full term, and 34 days away from our estimated due date. Its so crazy to think that in a months time I could very well be holding my son! What, what!?

My doctors appointment last week told us that my blood pressure has spiked a bit and it is something we need to keep an eye on. I am suppose to take it easy even more so and not do so much walking or using lots of energy and rest more. I already rest a ridiculous amount so the thought of laying around doing nothing even more so then I am now!? Ugh. However I am fortunate enough that they didn't demand bed rest of anything so I should be thanking my lucky stars.

We went with my father in law this weekend and picked out our crib and crib mattress... we should be receiving it this week. Still contemplating about rather or not we will set it up right away or not. We didn't go all crazy, nothing fancy. Just a simple understated white crib. Perfect to go with our bright bold colors. It was good to check those off of our To Do List, which FYI is not nearly as daunting as I had originally thought it would be. I made out my list last Friday because I felt so overwhelmed by what I thought we had left to do. But in all honesty once I got it down on paper it wasn't nearly as long as I had anticipated it to be. It all fit on a single page for instance.

This is the crib but in natural wood, the picture of it in white was too difficult to see.

In other news have I mentioned how stocked we are on 0 - 3 month clothes? Seriously... this kid is going to have 4 different outfits a day for 3 months without repeating. It's crazy! And trying to choose a take home outfit for him has become my most recent challenge, I think I have it down to 3, however with a month to go that could easily grow and change. Yay for indecisiveness!!

It's only 7AM on Monday morning and I can already tell you it's going to be one of those days. As the weeks progress I am more and more ready to let my body have some time off before the baby get's here but unfortunately I don't think that is going to be much of an option in the coming weeks other then weekends. I think the next 2 - 5 weekends are going to entail me locking myself up in my room sleeping watching Netflix and not doing much of anything and enjoying my last days of solidarity... something I feel like I am going to miss and not get much of after d-day.

35weeks0days

How far along are you? 35 weeks!

Total weight gain? Still at 31 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing the same things as always.
Stretch Marks? Not any more thankfully. Lathering on lotion like it's going out of style!
Sleep: Actually other then waking up once to go to the bathroom I am sleeping pretty sound this last week.
Best Moment Last Week? Buying the crib. Made it that more real.
Movement: Constant.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Nada.
Symptoms? Rib discomfort continues. Have some high blood pressure. And exhaustion... major exhaustion.
Belly button in or out? It's not in, but it's not out either. I would say it's flat.
Wedding Ring on or off? On.
Most common emotion? Tired
Looking forward to? Our crib actually arriving.

34.

This child has a fascination with my right rib cage. Seriously, he loves it up in there it's perfect to kick his legs out and stretch all up in there. Glad he is comfortable because slowly but surely I am getting uncomfortable. However if this is the worse that pregnancy has to dish at me I am more then welcoming, it could have been so much worse. I could have had severe morning sickness, swelling, and I could have blown up all over. Granted I still have anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to "blow up" and the swelling could start at any time really. But as of week 34 I have to say I have been blessed with a pretty easy pregnancy.

My baby shower was last Saturday and it was great, it was super hero themed just like the eventual nursery will be. My hostesses did an amazing job! I can't wait to put some pictures up. The food, decorations, the guests, the games, everything really was perfect. Mr. W got to be there for it which honestly calmed my nerves and I was so thankful he was there to partake. I was completely overwhelmed with the generosity of all that came. I have diapers overload now! I hope to upload pictures to this blog post on my lunch today.

How far along are you? 34 weeks!

Total weight gain? 31lb..
Maternity Clothes? Not anymore, I did buy some amazing regular tops at Buckle which are so much better then maternity tops!!
Stretch Marks? No further progress there thank God!
Sleep: Baby W likes to dance in the middle of the night which wakes me up from time to time
Best Moment Last Week? We got to see Baby W again and my baby shower!
Movement: Constant.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Just good ol' practice contractions
Symptoms? Rib discomfort since Baby W is running out of room.
Belly button in or out? Still in.
Wedding Ring on or off? On.
Most common emotion? Tired
Looking forward to? Going crib shopping!

Serendipity.

If you had told me the 9 years ago or so that the seasonal cashier at Best Buy would eventually become my husband and that we would be expecting a baby I would have laughed pretty hysterically. Mr. W was such an extrovert and I am painfully aware of just how much of a introvert I have a tendency to be. My first impression of him wasn't favorable in the least.... I specifically remember a 7AM meeting at Best Buy and this tall lanky guy was clapping and speaking in a volume about 2 times higher then it needed to be trying to pump everyone up for the meeting. I'm not a morning person, so I just grimaced at him as I leaned against a display in my department and yawning. He was way too alert for it being so early in the morning. I remember making that remark to my then "fiance"/boyfriend or whatever he really was to me. Not that Mr. W thought all that much of me at the time, only really remembering me always frantically walking around, I was less then memorable.

Fast forward.

Here we are... happily married and a month away from becoming parents! I can't tell you how happy I am these days, how thankful I am that the stars aligned and somehow we ended up running into each other again, starting hanging out in the same circle, finding him on MySpace and the flirting starting, dating, getting married, having our son.... If that isn't a divine intervention in life I really don't know what is. I love our story, the serendipitous of it all. I know this is a bit of a random post but I was thinking of it late last night when I couldn't sleep because little jerk baby here felt it necessary to nestle his foot into my rib cage.

Real Life Emoticons.

So I notice today, sitting here on my lunch, that for the last 2 days my emotions are on overdrive and I am not enjoying it. I feel like I am on a roller coaster and I want off! With 45 days until our due date I think I am just starting to really get nervous about everything. What is everything you ask?

• My shower is tomorrow and deep down I am so scared that no one will show up, and with these emotions flying off the handle I can see myself just being completely irrationally devastated by a small turn out.
• I feel completely unprepared for Baby W's arrival. To a degree I am unprepared, but not horribly. There is still enough time to get things done, it just doesn't feel like it and I am getting overwhelmed with the thought of everything left to do. I tried making a To Do list which inevitably set me more into a panic.
• I LOVE being pregnant. Sincerely. Other then these recent whirlwind emotions, this pregnancy has been easy and a real learning experience. That being said... I'm ready to fit back into my old clothes that are all hanging in my closet all nice and small. Dressing around this big tummy and slowly running out of options while refusing to buy more clothes that I will only be wearing for another month has me slightly frustrated. I don't feel all that attractive these days as the couple of stretch marks have appeared and my belly and booty are in a competition of who can grow fastest. I have the dilemma of my husband working at my favorite clothing store and walking in and seeing racks and racks of clothes I want to buy but can't is beyond frustrating.
• I am stressing about my maternity leave, or lack there of. I am scrounging the time I can together and planning on working at home for a time.... but still I feel uneasy about it.
• The discomfort is setting in. As Baby W has started to drop I find myself less and less comfortable. It isn't anything that can't be handled perfectly fine, it's more just irritating more then anything. Sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day Monday through Friday is becoming more and more difficult. I find any reason to get up and stretch since my son finds it appropriate to put his feet in my rib cage whenever I am sitting at my desk.
• I'm going to be a parent. 
• Labor and delivery. Enough said.

I just feel like I am just one big bottled up ball of anxiety right now. It really wouldn't take much of anything to make me just start crying uncontrollably for no real reason at all. I know it's coming... God willing I will be at home by myself when it occurs. 

I don't know. I think I will just blame my hormones for my current disposition and hope that it passes as quickly as it started.

33 weeks & a bag of chips!

Today is a cause for celebration! Our ultrasound this morning shoes that little Mr. I Do What I Want is finally no longer breech. He is head down and already starting to drop slowly but surely. But of course even with such great news he had to make it clear that he was in charge and wouldn't quit moving during the entire appointment. I just watched as my stomach moved and moved and moved. Getting a profile or face capture was damn near impossible. However they got images of what they wanted to see and I am happy to report that everything looks great. He is measuring one day early from his due date so we are right on schedule. They were amazed at how much he was moving at this point and with the limited room he has, and I just laughed because he is like this everyday through out the day. If anything he is getting more active with each passing day.

It is amazing to see how much he has changed throughout the ultrasounds and even still baking away it's clear that he has a personality developing. I'm getting so anxious to meet him, although I will miss this time of feeling him growing inside of me. I have several friends and acquaintances that announced their pregnancies shortly before me and they are all having their babies or due any minute and it makes me excited that in a month I could very well be able to deliver our healthy baby boy.

My baby shower is this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. We are doing it at the house so there is no concern about anyone having to load all the gifts or anything plus I think I will be the most comfortable at home. And then in a few weeks it is time for Just Between Friends, and this time we know what we are having and will have a better idea of what we need so I am looking forward to that too!

How far along are you? 33 weeks & 2 days

Total weight gain? 31lb.

Maternity Clothes? Nothing more then what I've bought.

Stretch Marks? I'm nursing the 2 I have with tons of cocoa butter. I think my tummy will be spared but I am not too optimistic about that of my thighs.

Sleep: Up one a night to walk around for a minute and use the bathroom. Other then that sleeping like a baby!

Best Moment Last Week? Just feeling the increased movement.

Movement: He moves SO much these days.

Food Craving: Same.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.

Labor signs? Having braxton hicks.

Symptoms? My right ribs are feeling pretty uncomfortable everyday starting around noon.

Belly button in or out? Believe it or not it's still in!

Wedding Ring on or off? On.

Most common emotion? Excited!!!

Looking forward to? My baby shower!

Week 32

At 32 weeks Baby W is still breech. His determination to never change positions is staggering. I would much rather him be kicking my ribs then playing with them with his hands! It's bizarre how it feels to have him moving around in my innards all the time. It's gone from occasional kicks to constantly feeling all his movements and actually seeing the movement is down right crazy! I don't think I will every get use to it but I can already tell you I am going to miss it after labor and delivery!

How far along are you? 32 weeks & 2 days

Total weight gain? 30lb.
Maternity Clothes? Haven't bought anymore then what I already have
Stretch Marks? 2. pout, pout. :(
Sleep: I am so thankful that my sleep has been barely harmed.
Best Moment Last Week? First childbirth class.
Movement: I think he is a kickbox fighter.
Food Craving: Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Having braxton hicks every now and then.
Symptoms? It takes me 5 minutes to get out of bed.
Belly button in or out? Still in, but barely.
Wedding Ring on or off? On.
Most common emotion? Content
Looking forward to? Our sonogram next week!

Week 31

Hard to believe that we will have our precious son in our hands anywhere from 8 - 10 weeks from now but yet here we are! The days go by so slowly but the weeks go by in a flash it seems. Sorry for the photo... I was about 2 seconds away from going back to bed and realized I needed to post a 31 week picture before I forgot.

I went to my first childbirth class, my mom when with me since Mr. W is still out of town. This week was more of an overview of what is to come. I will say I am pretty sure I am the ONLY woman in my class who intends on not getting an epidural!

31 weeks & 2 days

How far along are you? 31 weeks. 8 - 10 weeks to go!

Total weight gain? 29lb.
Maternity Clothes? No more then the week before.
Stretch Marks? Not yet.
Sleep: Sleeping though the night... I could easily sleep through most the day too!
Best Moment Last Week? Getting my maternity break sorted out.
Movement: I can actually feel his little feet from time to time when he starts moving.
Food Craving: Any spicy... I should just leave my craving as is... It never changes
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Not a one, baby has a couple months of cooking left
Symptoms? Exhaustion.
Belly button in or out? Still in!
Wedding Ring on or off? On.
Most common emotion? Pretty torn because of the husband being out of town.
Looking forward to? My husband being home in a couple days!!