UGH!

I know I've sounded so chipper and happy that I've had such an easy pregnancy.. but I did jinx my self just a little bit. I'm 9 days till my due date, and I'm miserable!!! I had to stop working a week earlier than planned due to horrible contractions, which led to a nasty shot, and an overnighter at the hospital. I thought we were sooooo having our baby that night, but unfortunately the shot put an end to the contractions it knocked both me and the baby out for about 18 hours... I don't feel like i've totally come out of it. Great news though is the baby is doing so well. When the doctor came in to check on us, she said the nurses were all admiring how cute our baby is. She was so squirmy and rolling all over the place, and to top it off had the set of the hiccups.. it was as if they had never experienced this before. It was comforting to know she is doing so well. I'm assuming that's why she is still in my tummy... even though she's out of room, she seems to be fine in keeping herself entertained.

I know with first pregnancies the anxiety of wondering when it will happen is torture, but it's worse being told you are in early labor and then having it cut off! I know I will miss feeling the baby move and having this time all to myself. I'm not looking forward to how fast little newborns grow. Reading Brianna's blog makes me appreciate these last days with her even more.. however, I am so ready for our little girl to arrive. I know Daniel is at the edge of his seat! I'm sad however because each day she's in my tummy gives me one less day before I go back to work... so I try to make that a point every time I have our little chats with the baby. Daniel will be home with the baby while I'm at work which is so great, and I'm only working a few days a week, but I already dread the day I have to go back.

So everyone cross your fingers and pray for us that our little Natalie will make a safe healthy entrance to the world!!! We are so excited to be parents and progress together as a family!

38 weeks!!

Time is flying! I can't believe we only have 2 more weeks till our little Natalie will be here! I don't think we could be more prepared for her arrival. We have everything we need for her to come home.

Crazy me is working all next week. I pulled a 10.5 hour day on thursday... I don't know where I have the energy to get thru the long hours of standing, but I have to say it has made time go by so much faster. When I'm home I find ways to keep busy.. Daniel caught me today on all fours wiping down the base boards with clorox wipes. I'm sure he thinks I've totally lost it, but i want my nest to be immaculate for our sweet Newborn. I do have a confession! It's Zelda.. the dog! I've always been an animal person, but the dog, me, and the arrival of a new baby are not a mixing well. I constantly tell her that she's ruining my life, which is awful... the thing is she's creating more work for me. I've used everything from febreeze, to glade plug ins, candles, room sprays, carpet deodorizer, I even bought a bissell shampooer to help with the hair, and the dog smell. You would think my house smells so fresh and clean but it smells like febreeze and dog. I'm sure pregnancy hormones amplifies everything more than necessary... but I just can't get over it! I need help! The plus side to Zelda is she is a very sweet and very obedient dog, she's been around children, and if Daniel ever wrestles with her she never opens her mouth. If I could just get over my phobia and stop obsessing... I need my baby to come so I can forget about the dog and focus on being a good mom!

Moving on... The baby is doing so well! She actually dropped into the birth canal 2 weeks ago and I am starting to slowly dilate! So hopefully not to much longer. She is super active and we get a set of the hiccups at least once a day. I asked the doctor if I was going to have a 10lb baby.. he laughed and said "No, I don't think so" I hope he's right!! I have no fear of delivering I've seen every type of delivery possible.. as horrible and ugly delivering a baby can be, I see what miracles come of it... so I can't be afraid. We will keep everyone posted!!

Free time!

I now don't work Wednesday's anymore! So I had some free time to work on the baby's room. My sisters, and sister-in laws all seem to be so crafty... I feel like I lack in that department.. If I can cut hair I should be able to cut fabric and make fabulous things, but I struggle in the creativity department.. I took a chance, and I thought I did a pretty good job!

I really don't have a specific theme for the baby's room. I did do a little shabby chic piece with a mirror that I had and wasn't using... I love it! I also painted letters 'NATALIE' and did a few shelves, but they aren't done yet. I'll post the final results when we finish the room! I also made headbands for the baby, I still need more practice, I ended up with a lot of mistakes which was a bummer cause I wasted really cute ribbon :( I had fun, my back hurts a little, but it was worth it!

My bun is almost done!

I've finally reached 36 weeks... I couldn't imagine being this pregnant. I imagined pregnancy a lot worse than this, so for all of those who dread carrying a baby for 9 full months, there's nothing to it... it's pretty easy. I have worked standing on my feet for 10 hours a day, although I do have vericose veins, i have no swelling, no back pain, and no stretch marks! I can even still wear my wedding ring! My trick is tons and tons of water.... I'm talking about a gallon a day. I do get tired and I know the extra weight is straining on the rest of my body, but as long as I get a good nights sleep, I'm good to go. I'm sure now that I've written this these next few weeks are going to be terribly difficult, and I'll be 2 weeks late.....

My wonderful work thu me an amazing baby shower this past weekend. I am so lucky to work with such incredibly talented people. They spoiled our little baby!! We got everything from blankets, to lotion, to even a pair of heels for my little princess, all the way up to the jogging stroller we wanted! We are so excited!
We appreciate everyone so much... we wouldn't have been able to have the things we have if it wasn't for our great friends and family! We are blessed.

LAUNDRY TIME!!

Today ended up being my "it can happen any day" kind of day. I feel the need to over prepare myself for the big day. I have another baby shower coming up at the end of the month, which will make us even more ready.

I have so much clothing for this little girl, but I keep thinking... 'I don't have enough sleepers, or swaddle blankets, or wash cloths etc.' So i broke down and sorted through everything. I carefully removed tags, and those stupid plastic tag holders... I counted over 12 newborn sleepers, tons of onesies, 5 newborn outfits, about a hundred washcloths and burp cloths, and of course plenty of swaddle blankets. Plus I have so much more clothes and sleepers from 3 months on. I decided to go ahead and do a load of Laundry. I got a huge thing of dreft from costco!!! I did a test run with our regular laundry to check the smell (i normally use fragrant, free dye free) I was curious. I'm pretty sure Daniel went to work smelling like a baby... I thru a few of his white shirts in.. hee hee :) I'm not sure if I like dreft for us, but for our baby the smell of it will be perfect!

I just started her first load of Laundry. I just did wash cloths, burpies, towels, blankets, and socks. Since I now have a place to put everything I might as well get a head start on washing the basics. I was told babies provide you with a lot of extra Laundry. I can totally see it! The basics filled my washer! I still have another load to do... yay!

Today I also put together my hospital bag... I kept it simple but included everything I use daily. I appreciate the tips, hopefully I don't forget anything. I have about 5 weeks until I'm due... Daniel was 5 weeks early. So I think that's what motivated me to really get moving and make sure we have everything ready. I couldn't imagine going into labor this early, but it does happen, so instead of stressing I just want to be as prepared as I can.

6 more weeks!

I've decided to have the baby March 25th... so I need everyone to pray that'll happen. I read the birthday book the other day, and it said that people born on this day tend to be the happiest people... so that's what I want for our child. I know I can't control it, but I've been having little chats with her... I hope she gets it. The real reason I want to have her on that day is because I would have exactly 8 weeks of maternity leave.. which gives me little extra time to recover... and enjoy every second I can with our baby girl.

Daniel and I are lucky that we can both work and not have to leave our baby with someone else. I'm cutting back on work to 3 days a week, so the day I work are Daniels off days... plus we'll both still have Mondays off together. It couldn't work out more perfectly. We of course do have friends and family close by to help out when we need them... but I'm grateful that between the 2 of us we are able to make things work!

As the time approaches we really feel like we're ready. I'm not even nervous for the delivery. Daniel is so calm all of the time... It's really hard to get too worked up about anything. I know when the time comes, he will be my rock and keep me focused and relaxed. He's the BEST!

So far we've made out like bandits. We have everything we need to bring our baby girl home. We really appreciate all of the wonderful thoughtful gifts, and gift cards we've received. We feel so lucky to have such great friends, and family. The only thing I really need for myself is to pack my hospital bag! I'm so excited to do that! So any suggestions on things I might need that isn't on the usual list would be great!!

BABIES!!!!

So far in the month of January 5 of my friends (including Brianna) Have had Babies!!! It's making me crazy! We are so ready for ours to come... I'm 32 weeks... so not too much longer. Thankfully both Daniel and I are super busy at work, so this month will fly by!

I had an opportunity to visit my friend Stephanie and her new little baby boy. She desperately needed her hair done and I was anxious to spend sometime with a newborn... since it's been awhile. So I spent the day with them. He was such a good baby... only 3 weeks old. When I held him he would just curl up into a little ball. I got to feed him, burp him, and Change his diaper... I loved every second of it. I was nervous at first thinking that babies are so fragile... but they really aren't. Of course you need to watch their head, but I didn't feel like I was going to break him. He smelled so good... that's one of my favorite things about babies! I am so ready to have our baby girl!!!