39 weeks

From the outside looking in, 39 weeks pregnant may seem like a joyous time in a young pregnant mother's life. The nursery is ready, she's received wonderful, cute and cuddly gifts, she's got the pregnancy glow and she's just absolutely beautiful... how could she be negative during a time like this? She's getting ready to give birth to a brand new life! It's a glorious occasion!

...now, let's move on to reality...you mothers, pregnant or not, can more than likely relate to at least one of the following reasons why from 39 weeks on, a pregnant mother is truly miserable.

1. I cringe each time someone asks me how I'm feeling. I'm 7 days from my due date. I'm 33lbs heavier than I am usually. I'm tired, I'm sore, I have a 6-8lb mass of human being pressing down very firmly on my lady region. How the hell do you think I'm feeling?

2. Don't give me the evil eye when I choose the handicap stall in the restroom. Have you ever tried to get into and successfully close the door of a regular sized public bathroom stall while carrying a watermelon? No? Well, you should try it and let me know how that goes for you.

3. I have an unbalanced mixture of estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, oxytocin, relaxin, connexins and prostaglandins swimming through my body. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I'm hormonal.

4. My legs are hairy because bending over to shave them requires that I hold my breath.

5. My toes look quite sad... see the reason in #4.

6. My husband has to tie my shoes... see the reason in #'s 4 & 5.

7. The following phrases shouldn't be used when addressing a pregnant woman. "Wow, you're about to pop!" "Umm, you're getting bigger by the day!" "Don't eat that, it's not good for the baby." There are a ton more, but I've chosen to forget them.

8. Rolling over in bed is just comical at this point.

9. Sneezing is my enemy. My bladder strength and capacity is equal to that of a 90-year-old woman.

10. The advice from others... enough said.

11. Clothes, even the maternity ones, aren't comfy. My husband's basketball shorts, boxers and cut-off t-shirts are. I don't wear them to look like a slob, I wear them so you don't have to look at me naked.

12. The invasion of personal space. My personal space is defined as everything within a 1 foot perimeter around my body. If you want access to my personal space to touch my protruding abdominal area, you need to ask first.

13. And finally, don't make remarks such as "You haven't had that baby yet?" or "Why are you still here?" Those are stupid questions that absolutely will result in an answer that will make you feel stupid and make me look like a hormonal witch.

**Disclaimer: let me end by expressing my sincere thanks to God for blessing me with 2 healthy pregnancies and the ability to carry my children to full term. I know there are women out there who don't get to do that. I know how blessed I am.

Now, for an update. :) I had my 39 week appointment today. I am up to 159lbs, which is 33lbs gained. I am still 3cm dilated and 25% effaced (no change from last week). My bp was good, urine looked good and the nurse got 'mad' at me because I have no stretch marks. :) Haha! My doctor stripped my membranes as well. I'll save you the details of what all is involved with stripping membranes... utilize Google for a fantastic definition. But for a short explanation, the procedure *may* help get my labor started. If it is going to work, it will most likely work within the next 48 hours. So far, other than some dull lower back pain, I have felt no change since she did it.

I've been told to do all sorts of things... and I've even had someone try to scare me into labor. Sorry folks, Liam is half Dippolito and half Radford. I can assure you he is quite stubborn. It's in his blood! He'll come when he's ready. Until then though, I'll have fun eating chili, bouncing on my ball, walking, cleaning, eating pineapple and all the other old wives tales. It gives me something to do!

Ready.... Set....

Wait! Ok, seriously... shall I name off everything that I've cleaned and done to get ready for this child's arrival? I was joking last night that I feel like we've done more to get ready for our second child than our first, which just seems backwards to me. I've been cleaning, organizing, throwing away, moving, purchasing, painting, re-doing, etc. Mama joked with me last night that there is nothing left for me to clean so maybe he'll come now.

Yesterday Ryan and I washed the jeep... actually, it turned into water play... and then vacuumed and detailed the inside. I moved Ryan's carseat over to make room for Liam's carseat on the other side. I put in the mirror so I can see Liam's face and I added sun shades to the windows. I didn't have sun shades before. When Ryan was born, Brett made the comment that the sun shades were silly looking and he wasn't putting them on his car. Therefore, as to not look silly, I didn't use them on mine either... no worries, my windows were dark enough that it really didn't bother Ryan. Only until recently has he said anything about the sun being in his face. Anyway, all that rambling just to say I have new sun shades on either side of the jeep for each child. Who cares what my husband says! :)

So, with the house clean, the car clean, new crates for the dogs, car seat installed, nursery done, Ryan's room painted, toys out and ready, baby laundry done, new stuff purchased, rental house in Benson ready for new tenants to move in, work stuff in order... what is there left to do but wait?

I had 6 contractions last night that were 8 minutes apart. I texted my Fayetteville bff and my dad to have them be on stand by in case it was 'go time.' I was a bit nervous though seeing how as my mother was in the air... on a plane... out of town... to Houston, TX. Houston... 2,000 miles away, 18 hours by car, 2.5 hours plus 1 layover by plane and here I am going into what I thought was labor. Liam received strict orders from his Nonna (my mom) to stay put until she returns home tonight. I think he is showing his sense of humor early on. I'm not surprised in the least bit. His middle name is Earl.

Speaking on Earl. How about this hurricane we're expected to receive a visit from. Has anyone noted the name? Yes, of course. Earl! How ironic. All of you may not know, but there is a sequence of events that could potentially happen in the next 5 days that could be considered coincidence, Divine intervention or just out right funny... just depends on how you look at it. Everyone knows, if you've been following my blog, that Liam is named after Brett's grandpa William and my Papa Earl. Well, obviously Liam will be making his appearance some time in the "near" future. Depending on when he decides to come, he could be gracing us with his presence at the same time Hurricane Earl will be gracing the coast of NC with his... the coast of NC, right exactly where our trailer is at Indian Beach, NC, which belongs to my Mimi and Papa Earl. And oh, to add to this NCSU football starts this weekend. Earl was a life long member of the Wolfpack club and die hard NCSU fan.
So, here is my prediction... dare I say it 'out loud', Hurricane Earl will hit the coast of NC on Thursday night causing minimal, if any at all, damage the our trailer, William "Liam" Earl will be born on Friday, and the Wolfpack will win their season opener to Western Carolina University on Saturday evening. Either way, Liam has the perfect Pack outfit to wear to cheer on his team if he is here on Saturday.

No Mommy... Daddy do it!

Ryan is currently in a phase where he wants Daddy to do everything. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm 38 weeks preggo tomorrow and moving around, getting up, getting down, reaching, holding, stretching, etc. is getting very difficult, painful and quite exhausting. But, come on! I still want to read books, play, interact with and love on him. But no... "I want Daddy do it, Mom!"

I am so blessed to have a man who loves and does for our son the way Brett does. I should not be complaining one bit! However, this morning when Ryan wanted Daddy to put his clothes on instead of me I made the mistake of asking him if he likes me. I said "Bubs, you like Mommy this morning?" He gave me "the look," shook his head no and hugged Brett. I wanted to break down there, but I left and walked down the hall so he wouldn't see me tear up. Most of it is hormones, but damn, it breaks my heart.

I think that's the hardest part of pregnancy... when you have another young child. I've been feeling so guilty lately because I am so drained by the time I get home from work. Half the time I can't even cook dinner. Lucky for me Ryan is just as happy with rolled up ham and cheese, or a bowl of cereal for dinner. But it's when he wants to go outside and play at 5pm that I can't handle. It's too freakin' hot! The heat indexes around here have been 97 and up for the last 2.5 months and I can't get out in it without feeling like I'm going to pass out. But yesterday I said forget it... we took a walk. We went to the park and played for about 20 minutes and then walked to the fire station to see the firetrucks. We were going to stop and get ice cream at the store, but he said he didn't want any. Then, we came back home and he rode his new power wheels truck in the backyard while I sat on the deck in the shade and watched. He was so excited to get out. But, oh, it was so hot.

I'm so ready to have this baby, I'm so ready to be normal again... or I should say, establish a new normal, I'm so ready for my energy level to come back and I'm so ready to be an active mommy again!

He can come now...

As if it is my decision! Ha! But, nonetheless, our house is ready for Liam's arrival. Somehow, someway, the monstrosity of a to-do list is now virtually complete, with the exception of a few very very small things that actually can wait until after he's born, the big stuff is done. Ryan's room is painted and new curtains are up, Liam's room is ready for him, the carpet is cleaned, the house is as clean (for now, until I clean again!), we put a new water filter on the sink (important for bottles) and a new shower head in our bathroom (the old one sucked), the laundry is all done, our bags are as packed as they are going to be until it's time to go, the carseat is ready to go... geez, the list goes on. Tonight or tomorrow night (depending on the weather), the dogs will get a bath so they are all fresh and clean. I was going to do it last night, but it rained so that would have been absolutely pointless.

As for Liam, he's getting cramped in there. He no longer kicks like a mad man, but he rolls around and makes my belly look like the ocean in a bad storm. He still likes to poke some sort of appendage out of my right side just like Ryan did. It's funny though, when Ryan did that, I'd push down a bit and he'd pull whatever it was back in towards him. When Liam pokes out, I'll push down and rub a bit and he pushes back. I can only guess what his personality will be like!

I went to the doctor on Tuesday at 37 weeks. I'm still holding at 157lbs, which is 30lbs gained. Doc says I'm just evening out my weight, which is fine by me! I think I've mentioned before that I was 157lbs when I delivered Ryan, so I'd like to stay somewhere close to that for Liam. I was 1-2cm dilated on Tuesday as well! Whoo hoo! Progress! I never got to 1-2 cm dilated on my own with Ryan without the help of pitocin. When I went in to be induced at 41 weeks I was only .5cm...which some would say that doesn't count for anything. But I was pleasantly surprised with the progess since my cervix was completely closed at my last appointment. I guess all the work we did over the weekend made a difference! Although, now I'm getting nervous. I have 2 big work events between now and next Tuesday the 24th that I need to get through before delivering. I'm giving a bus tour on Saturday and I'm hosting a luncheon for about 50 people on Tuesday. Plus, I still need to train the girl who's filling in for me while I'm "out". I say "out" because I'll still be very much in tune with what is going on with my customer service program. I just need her here to do the things in the office. So, come 2pm on Tuesday the 24th, he is free to join us! Until then, I'm busting my arse to get all the ends tied up at work.

Next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday...

Nursery & Ryan's updated room

Ryan went to the beach with my parents and Mimi this weekend. So, Brett and I took advantage of our kid-free weekend and got as much done as we could to get ready for Liam's arrival. We got a ton done, but my body is furious with me! Oh well. Who else would have done it? :) We painted Ryan's room, hung new curtains, and pictures, purged some of his toys (the broken ones and cheap happy meal type things), and cleaned all toys. Here is what we ended up with...

I wish I would have taken a before picture. It was this puking nasty looking green. I hated it! So finally, 6 months after we moved in, his room is done! :)

As for the nursery, I still can't find curtains that I like. But, I did have some valences that don't look horrible in there, so I hung them up until I find what I want. I also still want to get new cushions for the glider, but I'm not willing to spend $100 for them, which is all I've found. So we'll wait on that too.

We don't own this house. So, we couldn't do anything with the paneling, which I hate, but I've tried to work with it as best I can. I'm debating whether or not I want to put his name above his crib. I'd do it in just plain white letters.

We brought the swing, bouncy seat, baby toys and baby gym down from upstairs and washed everything. I've washed the seat cushion from the infant carseat, organized Liam's closet, started packing my bag for the hospital, washed at least 5 loads of laundry (baby stuff included), and I don't think the vacuum was able to rest all weekend!

Needless to say, I'm exhausted! If he were born tomorrow then we'd ready. :)

Friday the 13th

Today is one of those days that I stay on my toes, over analyze everything and refuse to do even the simplest of things in fear that something will go wrong. Today is Friday the 13th. Yes, I'm one of those people. One of those people who believe in silly superstitions. I won't walk under a ladder, or split a pole. I won't cross the path of a black cat without crossing him out first and if I witness salt being spilt, well, the person behind my left shoulder is getting a salt bath. My OCD tendencies ventured over to my child as well. Ryan wasn't allowed to have his hair cut prior to being 1 year old even though he put Billy Ray Cyrus's mullet to shame. Oh and how could I forget our wedding? I made my matron of honor walk down the aisle during rehearsal because it's bad luck if Brett saw me do it before the real moment and who knows what I would have done or thought if he had seen me on the day of our wedding prior to the ceremony. It's quite possible that I would have attempted to call off the whole thing... or at least thought about all the bad luck we'd have.

I'm not sure where my insaneliness (yes, I just made a new word. You like it?) came from. It certainly did not come from my parents. I think it started when I was young. Every once in a while I'll have a birthday fall on Friday the 13th. I think I was in second grade when I had a bowling party for my birthday. It was on Friday the 13th and the first Friday the 13th birthday that I remember. I bowled like crap, got frustrated and then one of my friends and I got in a fight at my party. Maybe that's when it all started. However, I'm getting better. 3 or more years ago I would have called in sick to work or skipped my classes for the day, lock myself in my house or apartment and wait the day out. The one time I did ignore my anxieties, Dakoda decided that Friday, June 13th of 2007 (I was 5 months pg with Ryan) was a good day to chase a rabbit into Duke Forest. She was gone for over 5 hours. I thought she was gone for good and my mother thought I was going to go into premature labor. With a job, husband and a child, it is no longer possible to lock myself in my house, so now I just suffer 3-4 times a year for an entire day just doing what is necessary and waiting for something to happen. I know. It's sad.

My parents are taking Ryan to the beach this weekend. DRIVING 2.5 hours with my child TODAY... Friday the 13th. How am I feeling right now? I was packing his things last night and literally shaking off negative thoughts and anxieties about him traveling today. I told Brett that maybe we'll just keep him home with us... of course he gave me "the look." He has asked me before if I'm going to keep our children in a bubble all their lives. Well, that's one idea. I'm meeting my parents at the intersection of I-95 and I-40 so we can trade off Ryan. My ride home alone with my stomach in my throat will be miserable.

This morning Brett dropped me off at work (we're down to one car again because his alternator went out yesterday). I asked him to humor me and text me after he dropped Ryan at school and got to work himself. All he said was ok. Either he's just accepted it or he just doesn't fight it anymore.

I think my mother thought I'd "grow out" of this. If she's right I've got some more growing to do.

I'm Baaaack!

Wow, it's been almost a month of no blogging! It certainly wasn't intentional. We've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to stop and write about what we've been up to!


So, first things first. I hit the 36 week mark on Tuesday. I am no longer allowed to travel, and to be perfectly honest is just fine with me since we still have a fair amount of stuff to do before Liam decides to arrive. But, after yesterday's doctor appointment, it is clear that it won't be any time soon. Everything is closed up tight. No dilation at all! Actually, I'm a bit surprised by this. I've been having a fair amount of braxton hicks contractions and a whole lot of pressure down yonder so for her to say nothing has changed was a bit of a shock. But no worries, he has 2 more weeks before I will REALLY be pushing for him to come out. No pun intended there.


I remember with Ryan (Bless him, he's still just as stubborn) I was so desperate for him to get out. I bounced on my exercise ball, I walked 2 miles every day after work, I drank wild raspberry leaf tea twice daily from 38 weeks on to "help ripen my cervix", I ate spicy foods, we had sex, I walked some more... I mean I did it ALL (with the exception of drinking caster oil or eating refried beans... GAG!). Still, no baby. At 41 weeks on the dot the pitocin started rolling and almost 12 hours later he was born. I have a hot feeling that Liam has the same stubbornness as his brother and will not be joining us unless we force him to. We shall see....



On another note, I've maintained my weight for the 7th week in a row! I was so shocked. This past weekend we went to Maryland for the annual Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast and also for a surprise shower for my bff, Jody. (YAY! I can talk about it now!) I stuffed my face with crabs, hot dogs, corn, etc... plus cake at the shower. Oh and let's not even mention all the eating out we did for breakfast...by the way, the absolute BEST place for a cheeseburger or breakfast in the Annapolis area in Chick & Ruths in downtown. Ok, so anyway, I'm still at 157lbs, which is the weight I was when Ryan was born. Which is 32lbs up from what I was at the start of this. Once again, we shall see!



Last night I hung some art pieces on Liam's bedroom wall. Everything is coming together. I still need curtains for his room and I'd like to get a new glider cushion. The one I have is blue and certainly doesn't match the green and brown in his room. It's so exciting to see it almost done. I brought the swing down from upstairs last night too and opened a pack of diapers and put them away in his bins on his changing table. Oh, and I finally found an outfit for him to come home in. It's going to be hot when we bring him home. Early to mid-September is still usually in the 80s or 90s. So I found a really cute onsie, socks and a light hat for him to wear and I just so happened to have a receiving blanket from Ryan (I don't think he even used it) to match it. So, what do you think?

I didn't get anything frilly for Ryan to come home in so I didn't want to go over the top with Liam. Ryan wore a cute doggy outfit by Carters that Dakoda gave him. :) It says "I love my pup" on it.

Once the nursery is finished, I'll post pics of it too. You can see a little bit of the theme in the picture above, but I want to wait until everything is done before showing it. That's the goal for this weekend, as well as paint Ryan's room and shampoo the carpet in the living room. Ryan is going to the beach with my parents, so I hope we can get it all done!