Dave says good-bye to bachelorhood...finally!

Well, we decided to bite the bullet and get a mom-mobile! We needed something a little easier to get in and out of than Dave's 2002 Solara. He was very upset to part with it. I reminded him that I had to give up my house for the good of the cause...he had to sacrifice too! We also needed something that Dave could use to get things from Home Depot without begging a friend with a truck to help us. We weren't ready to completely commit to a huge SUV. We also weren't ready to go to the mini-van life (we seriously considered it though). So the Element gave us the most options with the least money. They also had a special going with .9% APR so we really couldn't pass it up. Dave's a little troubled with the fact that whoever has the baby gets the Element and who ever doesn't gets my little Mazda. He's trying to figure out how we can pay that off soon and get something he likes better! I'm thinking I got the best of this deal! We also may have found a new tenant for the Round Rock house. Our tenants will be leaving at the end of Jan. Our salesman is looking for a house up there. We think it may be a little small for him and his family, but we'll definitely talk to him about it! Keep your fingers crossed!

Connor is doing fine. We went to the doctor on Fri. He's still measuring exactly what the books say he's supposed to....even though I feel like an elephant! He gets the hiccups a little more strongly these days. He's getting kind of tight in there so I can feel lots more. He's still butt up and likes to stick it out. His feet are in my ribs on the right side and they move often...esp. when I'm "asleep." We finished our Child Birth Prep class. Connor's bag is packed for the hospital and I have a list of what we'll need to take. The pet-sitter is on notice. We just need a baby!

Our Christmas was nice. We got some fun toys. The doge were into their stockings. Sophie had de-stuffed her toy and Marley's before we finished unwrapping all the presents! Dave's trying to get some of his house projects finished so he can start brewing his own beer which he's named Lot 1 Lager. We've had a nice week off and are looking forward to another. Although we should probably get off the couch a little more in this coming week and get some of the projects finished that we had planned to do.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Last night we had a little Christmas party. We are thankful that we have so many great friends and that a few of them were in town to join us. Here are the Wyatt's. Aleah (in the middle) was in my first grade class 3 years ago. Her little sister, Lauren, was in my first grade class last year that I left for my new job. Aren't they cute?

Dave got some really big presents this year. They were so big that he actually had to wrap them himself. I hope he doesn't look too closely at the tags because he did those himself too!

My dad's cousin, Joyce, sent a hand-made sweater and blanket to Connor for Christmas. They are beautiful and very special.

Connor has been busy lately. He's not letting Mommy get much sleep. I think he's trying to dig his way out! The books say that he is around 4 lbs. and 17 inches. One even said "No wonder you're feeling massive!" And that's pretty much how I feel. He decided to try hanging out on the right side this week, but he changed his mind and went back to the left. He's still getting the hiccups a couple of times a day (2 am is the current favorite time). We go back to the dr. on Friday.

Sophie too has been busy....stealing. We have baby gates around the house these days. She's eaten her fair share of books, notebooks, carpet, grass, trash and who knows what else this week. We need to be better about walking her. I contacted a doggy daycare center. She can go for $20/day and I think it's worth it to the house to send her once in a while. She's definitely spending more than that in destroying things. We did get a laser light last night and that was big hit with the pups! Sophie runs around chasing it. Marley just stares at your hand waiting for you to drop it so she can try to eat it! Fun for all!

We hope that everyone is happy and healthy and stays safe this coming year!

Baby Days!

We had a doctor's appointment on Friday. Everything's fine. Still gaining weight as fast as possible, but Connor seems happy so I guess I'll just have to deal.

Saturday morning we had our 2nd Lamaze class. We got to see a birthing video. I'm thinking I can handle the pain part of the labor. It's the actual coming out of my body part that is giving me a hard time. I mean I've walked 21 miles in the rain with huge blisters on my feet, walked 26 miles in a marathon and run 21 miles with severe leg pain. I've worked through pain before...granted not in that part of my body, but I have had severe pain before. It's the whole baby coming out of my hoo-ha that's got me worried. We went to the Labor & Delivery floor and got to see a room. Then on the way out we saw our doctor. Atleast we know she knows where the hospital is.

Then we got to babysit James and Laura's baby, Addie. It was fun. She's a good baby. Sophie spent the first 15 minutes trying to get at her, but then she settled down. Marley did her usual "Baby? What baby?" and sat on my lap while I was holding Addie. We were supposed to double swaddle her but couldn't figure out how to do it with a little blanket so we just used the dummy proof one....which thank goodness Laura has gotten us 2 of those so maybe Connor will be alright. We had a good time! Dave told her about how to buy pickles at the store and also a story about a princess buying a king an office chair. (His birthday present.) I want to know why he was a king and I was a princess in the story. Addie got to sleep in Connor's room. It is all ready to go and she seemed to think the mattress with the vibration motion to it was a grand idea. Hurry up Connor!

Lamaze

Yesterday was our first Lamaze class. The lady changed the name while we were there to "Prepared Childbirth." She talked for 2 hours about what's happening to our bodies. We watched some videos...not too explicit, but she said those are coming next week. We did one breathing exercise, one yoga pose to help with back labor and then 12 MINUTES of silent visualization. That was where I hit my biggest problem. It's hard to relax and see colors wash over you, but when you're huge, on the floor with 20 strangers and about to pee your pants. Only one color is washing over you...YELLOW! I didn't feel like I could get up and go because there were bodies all over the floor and of course we were on the opposite side from the door. I'm not the most graceful person anyway, but add 30 lbs. and limited downward vision and you have the recipe for disaster. So I sat there and looked around and waited for the end. Then took off at a sprint to the RR.

The class did kind of spark us to action though. We went to Target and got some "emergency" baby supplies just in case Connor decides to make an early entrance. We met a lady at Beagle Brigade whose baby decided to make his entrance at 33 weeks and that's only 3 weeks away for us. So it's time to start packing bags and getting ready. We figure this will most definitely ensure that he's late!

Connor is still VERY busy. He kicks and punches all day. This morning when I got up he seems to have moved upward...not too comfy for Mommy! He still gets the hiccups a few times a day. It helps me figure out where he's sitting. The book says he will start gaining 1/2 lb. a week from now on. WOW! Like I'm not large enough.

On Friday I went to the maternity store to buy some nursing bras. That was hard work! I hate bras, but the nursing tank tops are bunchy. The bras are like wearing a protective vest. Their large and armor-like. For a girl who's used to wearing little bras, these suckers are definitely a change.

I've also been busting my butt this weekend to get ready for my Level I Assessment for grad school. I have to write 6 papers. Right now I actually have 5 done. That's amazing considering that I don't have to have them done until Tuesday. Last night I was working on my personal and professional goals. That was surprisingly hard. At this point in my life my professional goals don't really matter. And my personal goals are all tied to being a good mother and wife. So, I was honest about the stage I am in life and I hope that goes over well. I'll let ya know!

BTW, I have tried to edit this post 5 times to get the paragraph breaks in, but they are refusing to cooperate. Sorry if it's hard to read!

29 weeks

Well, here I am! Connor is growing everyday. I went to the doctor yesterday and he's getting big and so am I. He's head down and I'm hoping he stays that way. I kind of suspected he was because when he gets the hiccups, about 3 times a day, I can feel them "down under." Everything is right on target and actually they told me I was measuring wrong and my belly is measuring exactly the way the books say it should...it's my butt that's the problem now!

Marley also went to the doctor yesterday. We had to take her to a veterinary internist, who happened to be a beagle owner. She did an ultrasound and found that her kidneys are full of stones. So much so that surgery would do more harm than good. One way of treating them is to change her diet again, but that would trigger her pancreatitis...which we've survived once and are not wanting to repeat. So our option is to put her on some meds for the rest of her life that will hopefully prevent the development of any new stones. So we went to the pharmacy today to fill it. I was a little concerned after the almost $400 vet bill. H-E-B has new drug plan prescription card that we can put the dogs on. It costs $5 to join and then each month we get $5 off her meds...making them $13. So, we're going with the medicine.

Dave's had a rough week. On Thursday morning I burst into tears before work because he had forgotten to turn on the dryer the night before and I had no bra/tank tops to wear and I couldn't find the only pair of jeans that are actually comfortable. Then today is his birthday. I got up early and made a coffee cake. I tried to surprise him with breakfast in bed, but he got up just as I was walking into the bedroom. I made him go lay back down and blow out the candle. Then I let him get up and go to the bathroom, but I took everything back downstairs and started eating without him. Let's hope dinner goes a little more smoothly.