A Week Old

My little pumpkin is a week old.
Is it possible to be so in love with someone so much that you just met?
YEP

She is here

And she rules!

Tomorrow is the day...

So tomorrow is supposed to be the day my little one comes. However I am pretty confident she is pretty comfortable where she is.
I have had some contractions but nothing to write home about. I am gradually getting more uncomfortable so I am ready for this little one to come. Fingers crossed she does...

About 5 days

So I am about 5 days away from my first due date. The doctor told us it could be anywhere between the 19th-22nd. At this point I am ready now. My new alarm clock is the contractions in my back. Those usually going on and off every two hours until I finally get up between 5:30-6.
Add to that my feet look mutant, I struggling to walk and at this point most anything can make me cry. It's all very lovely. :) Now I understand why most women aren't big fans of the last month of pregnancy. I am excited for what this all means and the baby's room has easily become the nicest room in our house! But the process could speed up.
My Mom has been a huge help and I am a waiting for my sweet husband to collapse from all is hustling.
I have a doctor's appointment today and fingers crossed I am more than 1 cm dilated...

Grandma is here to save the day!

My Mom is here and I am so happy. One of the first things she said to me besides giving me a big hug and grinning from ear to ear is "you aren't that big, the way you were talking I thought you would be huge." This is why I love my Mom. :) Everyone else keeps telling me I am huge (mind you non pregnant people) and my Mom doesn't.
I showed her all the baby stuff we got and she said she felt overwhelmed she can't imagine how I am feeling. Again so nice to be justified!!!
We are going to get a bunch of stuff done today and spend some time together while we can.
It is just so great to have her here. My Dad had her bring along a gift for the baby. A really obnoxious stuffed dog. It's huge. If you knew my family it would make sense why I find it so comical. Basically we have a tradition every year for a holiday or birthday we get each other really cheesy gifts as well as nice ones. One year I got my Dad a stuffed frog from Mexico. So Gabby is now being ushered into the tradition in utero. :)
Another nice thing about having Mom here all the cleaning I can't do because I can't bend she has volunteered to help with.
Just makes me even more excited for her to meet the baby. Moms rule. I hope I am as cool when it comes time.

How to be uncomfortable by Me

I can not seem to sit, stand, or lay down comfortably right now.
SUCKS!
I fortunately have ben able to sleep for a few hours and Chris is home with me, he woke up this morning and had decided last night that he would hate for something to happen and miss out. So glad. I have been able to move around and get cleaned up and we actually grabbed some breakfast. Now however I am having contractions in my back and it doesn't matter how I move - they hurt.
I know all this for a good cause but could the good cause get her toes out of Mommy's ribcage please? :)

2:30 ish AM

So I had a doctors appt. Friday morning and found out I am dilated. About a cm. which doesn't sound like a lot but a week ago I wasn't at all. And officially at 4 you are considered to be in active labor.
None of this would even phase me except Chris is traveling to Green Bay tomorrow for a family wedding leaving me here. A friend has volunteered to hang out with me but my fear is I will go into labor and Chris won't get here in time. Something I have tried to convey to him but he is just not grasping.
I have had contractions all day and have tried to be stoic about it, but I will be honest I just want to cry. I am so afraid my husband is going to miss this and for what? A cousin's wedding? I love my spouse dearly but there are times he just doesn't get it. Case in point. :)
And of course my Mom is freaking out because she flies in on Sunday and is not comfortable with me being sans my husband for that long.
But what is a pregnant lady to do? Grin and bear it. Or in my case during the last few hours grit and bear it.

Most expensive vet visit ever...

So we took the whole crew to the vet yesterday. We do it yearly so everyone can get their updated shots and any quirks can be addressed.
Oh my! We have a lab with a yeast infection in his ear. And a cat who they think has dare I type it.... Feline Herpes!!! Did I mention she is so tubby we have to get a haircut called the Lion Cut?
Only one animal out of the three did not have any issues. We were a little frustrated because we have taken the tubby cat to other vets expressed our concern over her problems and been given some ointment and sent on our way. Luckily for us our current vet is very thorough and takes us seriously even when to the average person we sound a little mental about our animals.
It's all so worth it though everyone is now vaccinated and on meds to treat their various ailments and surrounding me with snores and purrs as I type this. So even though my Free cat is no longer free she is healthy. :) Once she gets her haircut I will post it because she is 12 lbs. so this haircut should look pretty interesting. I just hope she doesn't hate me for it.
Also all of this is added insurance for an additional ten years or more from everyone. I am really looking forward to baby Gabby having a house full of animals. I always wanted one as a kid and I am going to be able to give that to her. And what a great crew to surround her with!
Now if my retriever would learn to retrieve all would be right with the world! :)

Early...

So I have been up since about 3:3o AM. I have started getting contractions, not the real kind but the practice kind. Sometimes I can sleep through them but most times I can't. Weird side note lately said practice contractions are accompanied by hunger. So I got up and ate a little something and here I sit hoping I can get back to sleep.
Besides the contractions I had a my dog's head tucked under my booty! Which was also a tad awkward and uncomfortable.
Max then got up with me and proceeded to nestle down in my lap. He has been at my side all morning. I worry that when the baby comes he won't understand that he is still my baby just I have someone else who is a little less self sufficient to deal with.
Since I have started working part time and especially since I have become pregnant he and I have bonded even more than we were before. Even though I had my cats first Max is my little sweetie. Which is even funny to type since he is a 95 lb. lab. But he is. He makes me feel safe and secure which is huge for me and he is a character.
Aside from hanging w/Max I have been watching the local morning show. Wow it takes them a good 1/2 hour to wake up and lighten up. The show starts and 5 and what a difference 30 minutes makes. When I first turned it on they all looked like they had just sucked on lemons and small talk was strained to say the least. Now they are smiling and joking ...
I suppose I hear one more doughnut calling my name then I am going to try and go back to bed just in time for my husband to wake up.
Here is hoping one of these early mornings I will be up because a baby is coming ...

A Mere 16 days

So my official due date is anywhere between the 19th or the 22nd. Which to me is crazy. Crazier still the fact that I have started having contractions. Not the real kind but the practice. They don't so much hurt as they annoy and you just want them to stop. They also tend to make me a little sleepy. My sweet husband has been a trooper about letting me rest and making sure I don't overdo it. Thing is still so much to do.
With every contraction I get a little more excited mentally thinking this could be it!
Soon it will be I just hope I am not alone or driving.
At this point those are my two fears, something will happen and I will be by myself, luckily Chris works about ten minutes from home.
I would like her to come sooner than later but am well aware it's kind of out of my hands. Although I have been eating a lot of Chili dogs to encourage her to make an early appearance.

Maternity Leave Officially Starts today

It is really odd not to be rushing off to spend the day with preschoolers. Now I am spending the day with my animals and trying to figure out what project I want to tackle first.
We are about 18 days away from official arrival date of the little lady and I can honestly say I am ready now. Emotionally, physically, around the house we still have tons to do but she has somewhere to sleep, clothes to wear, bottles, a car seat, and diapers so we are sitting pretty well. :)
My Mom will be here in about a week and it will be nice to have someone here who can help us get a little more organized. And just be here. Yesterday I was having contractions and thought my water broke, which is scary when you are twenty minutes from your doctors office and alone. It turned out to be a false alarm but for the first time in 9 months my doctor actually commented on my blood pressure.
I have become a morning person which is a little weird for me but it is nice to get up and get going and get stuff done.
On today's agenda some breakfast, perhaps a mini shopping trip (I got a ton of gift cards from my kids for my last day!), and then odds n ends around the house. Specifically packing my bag for the hospital. My Mom told me a funny story about my Dad packing her bag and how she ended up in dress that he loved but didn't quite fit post baby. Chris has packed a bag for me before and let's just say I love him but sometimes comfy is better than Cha Cha. :)