I'm Going to Miss that Gummy Smile

FINALLY!!!

Ethan's 1st tooth is coming in. I know hygentically or dentally (however you want to say it), that research shows the later children's teeth do come in, the healthier their teeth are. Supposedly, they are stronger and will have less cavaties. So, I am very thankful for that. But it was seeming like forever compared to all the other children his age. He was the only one without any teeth.

I guess everything is bitter sweet. Because there's a side of me that is sad. I'm going to miss that gummy smile. Just another sign of he's getting older. Yes, I know. They are supposed to get older. I just wish time could slow down just a little bit. I don't feel as though I am capturing every little moment like I had hoped to do.

It's kind of an ironic story as to how I even noticed his first tooth. He was taking a bath Wednesday night (June 24th), and poor thing, as I was getting some more of his bodywash to shampoo his hair, the bottle slipped out of my hand and fell, barely knicking him on the back of his shoulder. It was enough that he cried pretty intensely. I felt really bad, but then the guilt was quickly replaced with joy when I saw that hint of white sticking out of his gum. That's about the only time we get to see his tooth...that is...when he's crying. Therefore, it's extremely hard to get a picture. Hopefully, I'll be able to get one soon so that I can post it.

No Stoppin' Him Now

Ethan is walking. And, he's very good at it. Sajid and I often talk about how crazy it is, that Ethan now walks where he wants to go instead of crawling. I mean he prefers walking...like he's been doing it all his life. It's just funny how babies transition from stage to stage with no sort of amazement or even acknowledgement of their new accomplishements.

I should be ashamed of myself because I can't remember the exact date that Ethan took his first step. I think it was some where around June 4th or 9th. He walked the fartherest (across our living room floor) on June 16th. He's still a little wobbly at times, but he can walk from our living room into our kitchen then to the dining room and back to the living room.

The most amazing thing was last night (Wednesday, June 24th). Immediately after finishing his bottle, he wiggled his way out of Sajid's lap and walked into our bedroom (by way of the bathroom) and went straight to the bed. I put him in our bed, laid down w/ him. He flipped through his "Courdoroy" book a couple times, then laid down. For some reason, though, he ended up crawling on me to finally go to sleep. Most nights he doesn't want to be touched. He just wants me in the bed, but no snuggling. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool that when he was tired, he walked to the bed and with no hassle at all, went to sleep.

Random "Firsts"

Ethan's had quite a few "firsts" here lately. So many that it is hard to capture all of them...especially on camera or video.

(Oh my! I am about to be really frustrated.) I was about to post a really cute picture of Ethan eating his first blowpop at a softball game (May 30th). BUT...for some reason a nice big gray block has just overtaken the one picture that we have of that "first" moment. Urgh!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will have to keep trying to restore this picture. Hopefully, my mama has a copy on her computer. Keep your fingers crossed.

(July 2, 2009) Look what I came across...on my work computer. YAY!!!

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(June 1) Ethan received his first bite from another child at daycare, 'lil miss Riley. He's so tough though that his teachers didn't even know it. I noticed a mark on his left arm as I was getting him out of his car seat last Monday. I wasn't totally sure what it was. As we were visiting our neighbors house, I had Mrs. Sally look it, and she quickly confirmed that it was a bite mark. This all was a little bit funny to me so please don't think I am complaining about of this.

The next day I told Ethan's teachers that we thought he had been bitten, and they said that they would review the video tapes (Ahh - the benefits of daycare). BUT they really didn't think Ethan had been bit b/c he would have cried. Huh - Ethan cry? My gut instinct was that he probably just smacked the other kid (only b/c he's notorious for smacking people in the face...not sure where you got this from). Anyway. The video tape confirmed that: Riley bit Ethan, he pushed her off of him, and just crawled away.

Well, Ethan made it known the other 2 times last week that he was bit. Yep. You got it. He was bit 3 times in one week. One day I think every child had been bitten.

What's a little humorous now is that Ethan has been caught trying to bite......and he has NO TEETH! I think one day he gave a kid a hicky trying to bite him. I know. I know. It's funny now, but it won't be after his teeth come in.
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Helping "Momma" do the dishes. He climbs up there by himself.

Eating a pickle. This is a "Whatley thang". (June 5)

Climbed in rocking chair all by himself. (June 6)

Ending the Ear Cycle...Hopefully

Unfortunately, Ethan has had quite a few bouts with ear infections. So much, that the last two times, his eyes were oozing 24/7. He was one pitiful baby. I was in great turmoil at that time, not knowing what was the right thing to do. -take him to pedriatrician? -take him to ENT? -just do nothing (as the chiropractor suggests)? -put him on meds? don't put him on meds? Ugh!

I turned to the one person who I knew would provide the best advice, my wonderful friend Lisa Cantrell. She was amazingly helpful and thanks to her, Ethan is now back to his same ole cute sweet happy self. The latest and greatest news (from today's check up w/ Dr. Brar) is that the infections are gone; everything is cleared up. And, we're going to start giving him Zyrtec 1x/day to keep the infections at bay. This is so exciting to me b/c the only other options would have been either a very very painful shot, an IV, or tubes. Please pray that the Zytec will do the trick.

(P.S. the only reason those would have been the only other options is b/c Ethan's Nasal Swab showed that the bacteria he had is resistant to the common antibiotics administered for infections. That explains why they kept coming back (almost 1 week to the day after we stopped the antibiotic). Hopefully, beginning the Zyrtec will stops this cycle.)

Time Out

(May 20th) I never dreamed that I would hear Ethan's teachers tell me that they had to put him in timeout at 10 months. Now, I know I'm probably being a little dramatic about it, but the point is...he was placed in his crib for a couple minutes b/c he wouldn't leave the other kids alone.

After talking to all the teachers, I learned that he plays extremely rough with the other kids. That doesn't really surprise me. Every since he started crawling, he's always wanted to "wrestle" with the "big" kids. What I mean by that is...anytime another child is around, whether it be 2 year old Hannah or 17 year old Anna, he plays w/ them like he is their age. Which has always been kind of cute. But now that he's doing that w/ the kids in his classroom, and laughing when they cry, I'm a little bothered. I know he means absolutely no harm, but I certainly want and feel the need to start really trying to teach him how to play nice. I don't want my child to already be labeled the "bad kid in the class".

(May 21st) After speaking w/ my mama, the pediatrician, and Kay Kay (owner of daycare), I feel much much better about the situation. All of them pretty much agree w/ my original thought of "Ethan might already be bored in that room." I hope some of my blog readers don't take this the wrong way, but Ethan has been ahead of the game developmentally from the get-go. Believe me, I don't thinks it's mine and Sajid's parenting skills; I think it's just Ethan's personality.

We're going to skim through some of the video footage to see if Ethan's behavior might be due to boredom. If so, Kay Kay said she would consider going ahead and moving him up. I definitely want the best thing for Ethan, but I kind of hope he's able to stay in his current room a little while longer. Those teachers have been so wonderful and instramental at getting him on a great eating and napping routine. Plus, they love my baby, and that by itself means the world to me. I have no doubt though that he could hang with the big kids though!

Something New Everyday

It seems like these days, Ethan is doing something new everyday whether it be trying a new food, going new places, playing, talking, or even sleeping. Things are happening so fast, it's hard to keep up. Let's see...

(April 28) Ethan had is first chiropractic adjustment (for reflux and sinusitis). Definitely has worked for the reflux. Which...in turn cut down on his fussiness.

Ethan can clap his hands. He's been doing this for awhile. He'll do it on cue and just for no reason sometimes.

A couple weeks ago, Ethan taught himself how to crawl on top of our stone hearth (sp?) which is about 12 inches high. I think it took him about 1/2 a day of trying before he finally got it. But once he was successful, he became a master. In order to keep Ethan off of it, we actually rearranged our living room so that our love seat is directly in front of the fireplace.

He knows what a ball is...from as small as a golf ball to as big as a beach ball. And, he LOVES to throw them. When he sees any of the various balls he's acquired, he says, "Baw".

He also knows monkey and duck. No - he cannot say monkey or duck. But if I say, "Ethan, where's your monkey?" He'll crawl straight to this stuffed monkey. Same thing for his little rubber duck.

LOVES to push toys across the floor -mostly his little matchbox car at home and at school, a dump truck. It's so amazing to me how he knows that's how you play w/ those type toys.

Did I mention that Ethan holds everything in his left hand? He even throws his ball w/ his left hand. I've been told that nothing can really be said for that at this age, but....when we put toys in his right hand, he switches it to his left. My mama is a lefty, and there's nothing wrong w/ her :)

He went to his first birthday party on May 2nd (Cousin Lindsey's). It was a Hawaiian Luau.

He had his first 4-wheeler ride on May 9th. He actually rode two 4-wheelers that day. The first was w/ Mr. Billy Brookins, and the second was with his daddy (at Michael's 16th Birthday party).

Ethan also got on an adult horse that very same day (May 9th). My sister's house lent a lot of firsts for Ethan.

At Brinley's 1st Birthday, Ethan slid on the jumbhouse slide.

May 16th - Ethan had his first taste of hotdog.

This will be the first week that Ethan has eaten the daycare lunch every day. And, he's weened himself off of his lunchtime formula this week.

And...Sunday night (May 17th) Ethan decided that he no longer wants me to rock him to sleep. He doesn't want me to lay him down in his bed to fall asleep either. What does he want, you ask? He likes for me and him to lay in our bed, and he drifts off to sleep in a few short minutes. It's kind of sweet. I enjoy it. Once he's good and fast asleep, I move him to his bed.

Ethan has been exceptionally tired here lately as well. Where his bedtime had drifted to about 8:15pm. It's been 7:15/7:30 the past few nights. My baby still has no teeth. So, maybe he's cutting one now. I dont know. That's the only thing I can come up w/ to explain the extra sleepiness.

I really should have typed this in chronological order, but as scattered as my brain is, I'm doing good to even remember all of it. I'm sure I've left something out.

Bear Crawlin'

o, almost as soon as Ethan started crawling, he also started getting onto his feet. This is somewhat are to explain. As he was on his hands and knees, in a crawling position, he would lift his heiny into the air so that he was still on his hands, but on his feet as well. Kind of like a rainbow.

Well, now he's actually started bear crawling. But he only does it on strange surfaces - concrete and grass. Yes, concrete. My mother...and father...and sister witnessed this as they had him Saturday at Anna's softball tournament. "Grandma" had a beach towel for him to sit/play on, but of course he didn't stay on it. And, so that's why he was "bear" crawling on the concrete.

I was able to get some pics of him bear crawling this afternoon when we got home from work/daycare. He's so precious!

The Much Awaited..."Ma Ma"

Yay! Ethan finally said "Ma Ma". Sajid swore that he said it sometime last week when it was just the two of them outside. But yesterday morning (April 23rd) as I was getting Ethan out of his carseat to go into school, he looked at me and said, "Ma Ma". It was the greatest feeling. Then, last night, everytime Sajid or I would say "Ma Ma", he'd repeat it after us. Yay!!!

Long Awaited Update

Yea - I'm not very good at keeping this thing up anymore...which is really sad b/c so many "milestones" have and are taking place and if I don't write it down or get a picture of it, chances are I will totally forget. Poo!

So, here's what I can remember from the last few weeks.

Monday, April 6th, I decided it was time for Ethan to move to his bedroom. Therefore, I asked my Dad to (once again) take down his crib (out of our room), move it upstairs to Ethan's room and put it back together.

Well, that very same day (April 6th), and to my surprise, Ethan started visiting the "baby blue" room at daycare. I would have thought that LCDC would have informed me prior to it actually taking place, but ... oh well. The good news is that Ethan LOVED it! However, I would have never moved him out of our room if I had known he would be undergoing another major transition. But, he handled both of them pretty well. Typically, the children "visit" for a week then permenantly move the next week, but he was doing so well AND a new baby had already taken over his crib in the infant room, that I went ahead asked them to permenantly move him after 3 days.

The baby blue room is a whole lot different than what I was used too. It used to take me forever to drop him off and pick him up. But now, I'm in and out in no time. I do wish the morning worker was more friendlier, but as long as she's taken good care of our boy, that's all that really matters. I love the fact that all the children lay down at the same time for their midmorning and midafternoon nap. And, Ethan LOVES that they go outside. I think he would sleep out there if we'd let him. He loves to be outdoors.

Thanks to my friend, Brandi Snider, Ethan also began a new eating schedule the same time as the "moves". He now eats...
- Breakfast at 8am - 1 stage 2 jar of oatmeal, granola or cereal and an 8oz bottle
- Lunch at 12pm - 1 stage 2 veggie and an 8oz bottle
- 4pm - 1 stage 2 fruit and 1 stage 3 dinner
- 7:30/8pm - he gets his last bottle which is when he goes to bed for the night.

The week before (March 30th I guess), I felt like it was time for Ethan to learn to go to sleep on his own instead having to be rocked to sleep. Which again was sad to me. I always said that I would rock Ethan 'til he was 18 if he'd let me. But he wouldn't let me anymore. Each night it was getting harder and harder to manage him and get him to relax and go to sleep. He was fighting it; wanting to get down and play. So, once again, I took Brandi's advice. I was very uneasy about letting him cry it out, but I must say that it went much better than I had expected. The first night, from the time I put him in his crib 'til he fell asleep was about 20 minutes...which I thought was good. The next night, it was only 5 minutes. And, the third night, Ethan was asleep before I ever got out of the bedroom and into the living room. Needless to say, that was the extent of that. Nana B visited that weekend and we had lots of stuff going on (Easter Extravaganza at NCC and Anna's prom). So, we were off schedule a good bit. And, as you read above, the following Monday is when he moved rooms at daycare and at home. Now, he is so pooped from playing so hard at school, that he falls right to sleep after his last bottle. Sometimes before he finishes his bottle.

Needless to say too that he has been sleeping back in our room again. But while he was in his own room, Ethan did sleep longer in the mornings which was great for me b/c I could get ready without having to juggle watching him at the same time. The reason he's been sleeping in our room again (in his pack-n-play) is b/c he got sick AGAIN (fluid on ears and eye infection). He was extremely clingy. It took me awhile but I think lying down was causing pressure on his ears. I eventually got smart and laid him on a pillow. Yes, an adult pillow. And, that seemed to work great. So, anyway, that's how he made it back to our room. I must admit though, I love having him in there with us. I don't have to worry about him being upstairs all by his little lonesome self. I did start noticing though that he wasn't sleeping as long in the mornings; waking up at 6am, then 5:30am, then 5am. Can't go back down that road again.

Not realizing that we were expecting Severe Thunderstorms, I made up my mind last night (April 23) that he was going back to his crib...which he did. But, I quickly brought him to our bed when the thunder and lightening started. I have a lot fears, but one of them is that when we have severe weather, that a tree will fall onto our house...which would hit him first seeing that he's upstairs. That might sound crazy, but we've had 3 trees fall in our yard in a year, damaging our fence twice and our shed. I'll try his crib again tonight; we'll see how it goes.

Ethan's Arrival

(From my recollection) I received the epidural between 4:30am - 5:00am Tuesday, July 29th at which time I was only dilated a whopping 2 centimeters. Before I knew it and 5 hours later, I was finally 10 centimeters. About 10:30am my nurse, Joy, instructed me on the proper delivery technique, and so we began to try to push little Ethan right on out. I must say that ...that whole scenario was nothing like I thought it would be. The doctor didn't even come in the room while I was trying to deliver. It was very quiet, and it was just me, Sajid and Joy. This part really isn't too exciting.

Once again before I knew it, 2 hours had passed (of pushing) and still no Ethan. He came a little ways down the birth canal, but he wasn't coming any further. Joy suggested that we take a break for a little while b/c she said that I was exhausted. At that point, my epidural was wearing off, and I requested another dose. After they administered the second dose, Joy and Dr. Brown informed me that I would have to have a C-section. There again, this was extremely upsetting to me. Looking back, I don't know why, but at the time it just broke my heart. When I ever imagined the birth of my child, I never imagined it by c-section. Plus, I was very scared. My wonderful mama reminded me that I had never had surgery before nor stayed overnight in the hospital. I was so upset, but I didn't have a choice. Sajid did an exellent job throughout the unsuccessful labor process and at comforting me.

So, they wheeled me down to O.R. And, boy when that door flung open it was a mad house. There were people (nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists) everywhere. They quickly lifted me from my bed to the operating table. Strapped my arms down, place tubes in my nose, put a blanket shield over me, and who knows what else. Sajid, dressed in his scrubs, sat down right next me and held onto my hand as best he could. He knew how scared I was.

Then, someone else dressed in scrubs leaned over and said, "Amy, I'm here." I said, "ok." I gues she knew that I did not recognize who she was. In fact, at the time, I didn't even know if it was a man or woman. All that was visible was his/her eye glasses. Then, this individual said, "it's Dr. Palmer." I never doubted Dr. Brown's abilities - not once not for a second - but to know that Dr. Palmer was also in the room assisting with the c-section was a huge comfort. I can't explain that either, but it was. A few things I remember are:

1) the anesthesiologist who was at my head the entire time and wearing some sort of headphones said, "it's about to feel like I'm sitting on your chest." I remember thinking, "ok - whatever." 2 seconds later, Dr. Palmer comes around behind me, and it feels like she's literaly pushing on my chest, but now I know she was pushing from the top of my stomach downward I guess to help Ethan come out.

2) Sajid saying, "he's about to come; he's about to come." How did Sajid know that? Oh - he had his head peeped around the blue shield the entire time, watching the whole process. Then, sure enough I heard my baby's cry, and Sajid and I both burst into tears. Sajid leaned in towards me and we just cried tears of joy together.

3) Lastly, I remember Dr. Brown whisking Ethan to a table behind me where the nurses washed him off and wrapped him up. Then, Joy, breifly brought my precious bundle, swaddled in a blanket over to where I was still laying and let me see him. I think she brought him close enough to me where I could kiss him.

(ALL Photos by: Kyle Hitchcock http://www.kylehitchcock.com/)

Ethan was born at 1:30pm on July 29, 2008 at Oconee Regional Medical Center.

Epidurals are Amazing

The cytatec sent me into contractions, but did nothing towards dilating me. I was 1 centimeter for about 4 weeks prior to "checking in" to the hospital, and after a very exhausting night of contractions, I was now dilated 2 centimeters.

They (I guess it was Dr. Brown) finally decided it was time for the epidural. At the time, I was so frustrated and a little angry that they wouldn't administer it sooner, but looking back I realize that doctors have to strategically time it just right since epidurals tend to slow the labor process instead of speeding it up. As I was sitting up, slightly hunched over, trying to be still and relaxed, I felt this gush of liquid leaving my body. I don't know why but that upset me a little. I didn't know why once again body fluid was involuntarily coming out of me. The nurse (Haley)said, "Your water just broke." Poor Haley, I was so out of it; I kept calling her Hillary. The 'gush' happened a second time before the anesthesiologist completed the epidural.

It seemed like it only took about 2.5 seconds for the epidural to kick in. Boy - I had never been so relieved in my entire life. I told the anesthesiologist that she was an angel sent from heaven. I felt very tired and worn out, but I felt no pain. My whole body was numb except for my head and arms. My legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each. From that point, things went pretty well - except for my delivery nurse (Joy); she was very aggrivating. She talked a lot about herself and what she had done for all her previous patients. Sajid was great. He kept feeding me ice chips. Some women are starving for food during the labor process, but that never crossed my mind. My mouth was just dry. We just watched the monitors for a few hours noticing how my contractions were becoming for intense and closer together. It's weird to see monitor charting that and not actually feeling it happen.

Photos by: Kyle Hitchcock (http://www.kylehitchcock.com/)

Headed to the Hospital

After reading through my blog, I realized that I left off with "Cozy as can be" explaining that I was past my due date and if Ethan didn't make his arrival over the weekend, Dr. Brown was going to perform a couple of tests on the following Monday to see what the next step should be towards Ethan's arrival. So, this is where I'll pick up with our life story.

No sign of Ethan over the weekend (July 26-27). Monday, July 28th, Sajid and I went to Dr. Brown's office. Kim, his nurse, hooked me up to the stress monitor. We had to stay there until Ethan moved 3 times. It was slow in the beginning. My baby was sleeping. So, they gave me (and Sajid) a soda to try to wake him up and get him moving. After a few hours, we accomplished the goal of 3 movements. It was at that time Dr. Brown strongly suggested that we induce labor. He said that I have a very healthy baby at this point and waiting for Ethan to "make the first move" could result in a more risky pregnancy/delivery. As much as I didn't want to induce labor (b/c of the horror stories of extremely loooong labor), I didn't want to create a more risky situation. Therefore, Dr. Brown called the hospital, and sure enough they asked that I "check in" - like it's a vacation getaway - between 5 and 8pm that night (Monday, July 28th).

Even though it was exciting to think about Ethan finally joining the outside world, it was kind of weird "planning" our trip to the hospital. Then agian, it was kind of nice. I was able to go home and get some much needed things accomplished around the house. I was able to miticuloulsy pack my bag, and make the necessary phone calls to our family and friends. Sajid was able to get in one last nap.

Our goal was to check in on the OB floor about 5:30pm. When we stepped off the elevator, it seemed like they were not expecting us. It was extremely quiet and stuffy. To our dismay, the maintenance man was changing air filters. Therefore, the air was cut off. So, the nurses basically told us to come back later. We filled out a few forms; left our bags in one of the rooms; then, went to eat :) We had a nice dinner at Sylvia's. I think we may have gone back home for a short while before heading back to ORMC. Our second check-in time was 8:30pm. In no time I was in the very fashionable hospital gown in the oh-so comfortable hospital bed with the monitor hooked around my big ole belly.

Of course, the nurse was a good bit later starting the Cytatec (spelling?) than originally planned. I think I was supposed to get it about 9pm. And, I think it was closer to 10:30pm. To my understanding, the Cytatec is used to thin the cervix and potentially start the labor process (contractions). Well, I guess it worked. I think (and I keeping saying "I think" b/c (1) it's been 4 months and (2) I now suffer from mommy brain) that the contractions started about 12:30 am. All I remember is squenching (if that's a word) my eyes closed and squeezing the crap out of Sajid's hand to try to endure the EXTREME pain for about 45 seconds to a minute every 2 minutes until about 4:30 AM. Then, once the contraction was over, my bladder automatically emptied. I could not control it. It just happened. This may be TMI for most people, but poor Sajid not only had a very sore hand, he also had to empty the bed pan after every contraction and replace it before the next one started. Once upon a time, I handled pain very well. Not these days. My famous quote while having the contractions was, "We're not having anymore!!!!" And, believe me, I meant every single word of it. There is no way I could go through that again. Yes, the nurse gave something for pain, but as she was handing it to me, she explained that it would not completely take the pain away, but it would reduce it a little. I would hate to know what it would have felt like with out any sort of pain reliever.

Oh - Where do I Begin

As you can see I haven't posted an update since Ethan was about 2 weeks old. He turned 4 months this past Saturday (Nov 29, 2008). There's just so much I can and want to share, but it's very over whelming to think about chronologically updating the blog. I'm going to put a lot of effort towards it though. Just bare with me.

4 MONTHS OLD

Our Precious Angel

Ok - So - as most of you know, I have tons of updating to do. I'll include all the details at a later time. For now, I'd like to just share the most wonderful blessing we've ever received.

Ethan's Nursery

Theme: Noah's Ark - Two-by-Two

Floor Rug

Crib - Given to us by shower hosts:
Doris Santarone, Jen Garner, Traci Rollins and Jamie Steinmeyer. Thanks so much, Ya'll!

Old chest-of-drawers of Sajid's that my dad sanded and stained. I think Sajid said he has had this since he was in either elementary or middle school. I can't believe it made it all the way through his "college" years. I am so proud of it. I think my dad did such a wonderful job. Thanks, Daddy!
I also need to thank my mom since it was her idea. I had forgotten that we even had it. It's been at her house since we move out - since we married in July 2005.
Thanks, mama!

Changing Table
We purchased this with the gift cards that we received.

Rocking Chair-I bought off the GCSU sale list for only $5
Quilt-Given to us by "Nana B" (Sajid's mom); quilted by Mrs. Few (brother-in-law's mom)

Cozy As Can Be

First, let me say - a very dear friend of mine, Tracy Norris, was due to deliver her precious little Abigail on July 27th. Another 'hunch' I've had was that she was going to deliver this week. Yesterday morning (July 23rd), I texted her, "Just checking on ya", as I've done every day this week. And sure enough, she replied, "We've been at the hospital since 3AM". I couldn't believe it. Person #2 who was due after me, has now delivered before me. It's just the way it's supposed to be though. As ready as any 9 month-pregnant woman is to deliver, I was comforted after we saw Dr. Brown yesterday.

According to him, Ethan is "a happy baby". His heart rate was perfect. Dr. Brown said that from a physician's viewpoint, I have a perfect exam. He realizes that it's hard for me to understand, seeing that I'm past my due date and still haven't dilated beyond 1 centimeter - which I've been for 3 weeks now. But he assures me that everything is great. He did say that my cervix had thinned quite a bit. And, he said he slightly stripped my membranes which could move things along a little bit, but of course, there's no guarantee.

Basically, we just wait to see what happens. If nothing changes before Monday, we will have a stress test and sonogram Monday morning to monitor Ethan and see where we need to go from there. I REALLY do not want to have to be induced. I want Ethan to come when he's ready.

For now, I just like to think I've provided a cozy little home for him, and he's content right where he is :) I also tell myself that he's already a mama's boy :)

The most amazing thing is how amazing I feel. Most people wonder what in the world am I doing still at work. I just don't see any reason to use up my time, when I feel there's no real reason to stay home. I would love to be at home. But I also know having the extra time at home after Ethan's born will be much more important.

Well, until next time...

Bathroom - Check

Okay the bathroom is cleaned and still no Ethan. Guess it was silly of me to think the LORD would 'contain' Ethan until a bathroom was cleaned. Anyway - at least I feel better about it. Sajid probably wanted to kill me, but we both survived. I had him go to Wal-mart at 8:30 to get a swifter mop and a new broom. Then, as I was wiping counters, cleaning out cabinets, folding clothes and towels, vacuuming (the bathroom floor, chair railing, and ceiling), I had him mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors. It wasn't all that funny that night (Tuesday, July 22nd), but now I get chuckled up thinking about it. I was definitely on a mission - feeling like I was running out of time. Now, I just have to make sure we maintain what we've accomplished.

One Day Away

Well - only one day until my due date and I'm at work. I sort of had a hunch that I would be late though. I know there is still time, but I feel my patience is probably being tested. I'm too anxious!

I went from thinking I was in labor about 2 weeks ago to feeling the best I've felt in the last 6-8 weeks. Especially, Thursday (July 17) - I felt like I could go run a couple of miles. I had so much energy; no cramping; no back pains; no nothing. It's really weird. My feet are pretty much swollen all the time, but it's not painful unless I'm on them for a really long time.

I wonder what these sudden changes mean. Some people said that they felt wonderful just before going into labor. So, does this mean I'm about to go into labor? I mean, I know it can't be too far away, but is it going to be soon? With everything little thing now, I wonder, "is this it?" Like last night. As I was trying (very very hard) to go to sleep. I started having those cramping/contraction feelings again. They weren't unbearable like before, but I wondered, "Is this it?" Everyone says, "oh - you'll know!" And, I'm sure I will. I'm just really horrible at the waiting part. However, as impatient as I'm being, I truly don't want anything to take place before the LORD intends for it too. I know HE has a plan - a perfect plan. HE knows the day, the time, and how it's all going to happen. And, I need to be reminded of that every moment.

Plus, I keep forgetting about the 'signs' to look for. One is the hardening of my upper stomach. Dr. Palmer says I won't be able to push it in. The second - is that the cramping/contractions will be above my bell button not below it like they were last night. There is a third sign (other than my water breaking), but I won't mention it.

It's hard to go about my day the same though. I have a really hard time concentrating and staying on task. Everything about labor, delivery, nursing, and raising a child consumes my every thought. My world - our world - is about to be changed forever. It's going to be the greatest change of our lives though.

PROCRASTINATION UPDATE
You know I think the LORD is also giving us more time b/c HE knows we still have some preparation work to do. Let's see -

The nursey is almost complete. We have the crib, the changing table, and the bedding decor in place. It is so beautiful, if I may say so myself. I am an admitted procrastinator, but nine out of ten times, I love the end result. I wouldn 't change it for nothing. I am so proud of the funiture and decor Sajid and I chose.

The only thing we're waiting on (which really isn't a big deal) is the small chest of drawers (of Sajid's) that my dad sanded and is currently staining and replacing the handles. I'm sure we'll get that either today (July 21) or tomorrow.

The Pack-n-Play and the Co-Sleeper are assembled and in place.

I washed some of Ethan's bedding sheets and his going home outfit. This evening I plan to wash more of his things (wash cloths, towels, sheets, clothes, bibs, blankets, etc.)

And, the biggest project I'm most proud of (next to the nursery and the upstairs) is our bedroom! Sajid and I worked very hard in there yesterday for about 2 hours. It is clean as a whistle. So clean it looks like we just moved in. A clean (and dust-free) room is such a wonderful feeling. Now that we've tackled our bedroom, if nothing else in the house gets done before I go into labor, I'll be just fine.

But - I'd love to get our bathroom clean as a whistle. That's going to take some real elbow grease though. And, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to talk Sajid into doing it. Our bedroom was a big-enough project for him. I do hope the LORD isn't waiting on us to clean the bathroom before HE initiates labor. Ethan may never get here.

Labor? Nope - Not Yet.

As I near the end of my pregnancy, I've often thought/worried about going into labor - where will I be (work or home)? -will I know what labor pains really feel like? -what if it's those Braxton Hicks Contractions I've read/heard about? -how will I know the difference between Braxton Contractions and real contractions? -what if don't watch the clock and count contractions right? -will my water break? -if I I'm at work, can I drive myself to the hospital? -and so on. I think all my worries are pretty natural for a first-time pregnancy. And, I know that no one knows the answers to my questions; every pregnancy is truly different.

However, I feel a little more at ease about knowing the difference between Braxton and the real thing. Wednesday (July 9), I started having terrible pains. I mean stop-you-in-your-tracks, take-your-breath-away pains. They lasted for a few seconds; then they stopped. A minute later, it happened again. After about the third time I started watching the clock and counting 'pains'. Within a 15-minute time period, this 'pain' occurred 10 times. So, my wonderful Nana picked me up and took me to the doctor's office. I didn't even call Sajid b/c I had a gut feeling that it was too good to be true that I'd be in labor 2 weeks early. (I didn't want to worry him for no reason. I called him after I left the doctor's office.) And, I was right. Dr. Palmer found no change in my cervix - still only dilated 1 centimeter and only 20% effaced. She said my body was just 'practicing' for labor. (OMG - if practice hurts that bad, what on earth is the 'real thing' going to feel like?) "These are Braxton Hicks Contractions," she informed me. So - I asked how I'd know the difference, and she said where all my pain is below the belly button right now, real labor pains will be above the belly button. That was totally new info to me. Out of all the books and websites I've read and people I've talk to, none have mentioned that my labor pains would be above my belly button. It was all I needed to hear though to ease my worries about labor.

It's also all I needed to hear to get my butt in gear and get things ready for Ethan's arrival. There was no way I could go into work that day, and as bad as I felt, I was determined to get my hospital bag ready, which I did. As for the nursery, it' almost ready too. The bedding arrived Thursday. Sajid and I absolutely love it. I'm so thankful that things worked out the way they did, and that he came across that Noah's Ark pattern. I received an email from Wal-Mart Friday night letting us know that the crib had finally been shipped ('site to store'). So, that was exciting. I was worried that we might have this beautiful bedding assemble and nothing to put it on. We're not even going to have to paint the nursery - it already matches. We also bought the mattress Saturday morning when we picked up the crib. And, a great big 'ole thanks to my mom and dad who spent their weekend at our house organizing and cleaning the entire upstairs. I know it wasn't easy by any means- not to mention how hot it was up there (the air hadn't been turned on this summer yet). They even steam-cleaned all the carpet. Thanks to them, guests can actually use the spare bedroom. The only thing we're waiting on now is the changing table. It too was shipped 'site-to-store'. They said it would arrive to our Wal-Mart within 7-10 business days. If they're right, then we should get it one day this week.

I wanted to say thanks to all of those who gave us Wal-Mart gift cards. I think we ended up with at total of $240 which was used for the changing table, the extra car seat base, the mattress, and some nursing items. I feel like so much weight has been lifted off of me now that things are coming into place. - Okay - No weight jokes, ya'll :)

Belly Photos by Kyle Hitchcock

So, it seems that the running theme during my pregnancy has been...me running late - Me Procrastinating! (Unfortunately, that's not completely out of character for me.) I scheduled our 4D sonogram one week after the preferred time; the nursery still isn't complete (we're only 2 weeks away from the due date). In fact, we haven't even started on the nursery. The bedding should arrive tomorrow (July 10th) which at that time we'll decide on wall color.

Then, on July 4th, Sajid and I had photo shoot with Kyle Hithcock. Keep in mind that these too are typically done between 32 and 35 weeks. I WAS 37 AND 1/2 WEEKS!!!! It was totally my fault - again. In my mind, the 4D experience would replace the professional belly photos. As time (quickly) passed, I quickly realized that I had no photos of my pregnant belly, and even though I wasn't excited about showing off my rather large physique, I knew I would regret not having those memories. Like I wrote on Kyle's blog (http://kylehitchcockphotography.blogspot.com/), being almost 38 weeks pregnant and feeling "photo worthy" don't really go hand-in-hand. I had a lot of hesitations; not about Kyle's abilities, but about my size. It turned out to be one of the best experiences. Kyle is such a wonderful, fun-loving person. She made me feel like I was the most beautiful pregnant person and that Sajid and I were the most adorable couple she'd ever photograph. Now, I realize that I'm not and we're aren't, but it was the atmosphere that she created that made it enjoyable and extremely comfortable. In fact, out of all the pictures I've ever taken - candid and professional - some of my favorite are those Kyle captured (and I'm the biggest I've ever been - obviously and for good reason). All of our pictures can be viewed at: http://khitchcock.photobiz.com/cart/gallery.cfm

Something else I've been toying with is having Kyle "capture" Ethan's birth. I knew I wanted it, but I didn't know how Sajid would feel. I was also timid about asking Kyle. Well, as we were wrapping up the belly shoot, I began flipping through a photo book of The Sappe's ceasarian birth of which Kyle photographed. It was at that time she mentioned photographing Ethan's arrival. She also informed us that she had never done this type of "shoot" before and her services would be free of charge. AWESOME!!! However, since Sajid and I had not discussed this beforehand, I told Kyle, we'd think about it and get back to her. I didn't want to put Sajid on the spot - especially since I thought he wouldn't be comfortable with it. I'm not sure if Sajid could see the glow in my eyes at the thought this possibility or if the thought of him not having to be responsible for taking pictures while in labor and delivery was appealing, but HE said, "Let's do it; let's go ahead and make arrangements for Kyle to be there." I can't explain how excited I was - and still am. I know Kyle is going to do an awesome job. THANKS SO MUCH, KYLE!!! We can't wait.

P.S. Don't worry, Everyone! There will be no "graphic shots." I haven't lost all modesty yet.