A Record?

Wow, 4 posts just in the last few days. Can you tell I'm trying to catch up? If you're looking for pictures, you'll have to look at the posts below. I'm relieved not to put any on this one.

I've got a busy day of errands today including shopping for Matt's birthday, dropping off a vehicle for alignment (I think, ha!), and then my doctor's appointment. I forgot to let you all know, since it's so important, that we took my Subaru in for inspection last week. Remember all those posts last year around this time, during inspection? I wrote about how ridiculously expensive the parts were and the work needed on it. I was wanting that white horse to ride off into the sunset with my then deployed husband. We were both so upset because Matt could have done a lot of the work himself had he been home, saving a ton of money, and it was just another stressor we both didn't need at the time. Well, guess what? First of all, Matt is home this year!! Yeah, I know you know that. (Actually he's been home about 9 1/2 months now...I can't believe it, except for this little bun in the oven...umm, we have seen the onesies that say, "Product of Deployment.") We did not have any extra fees this year! I believe that is the first time ever a vehicle of mine has passed inspection with, dare I say, flying colors! I know, probably boring to you, but so thrilling for me! This time, we're dropping Matt's car off for a little wheel deal, and then we're off to my doctor's appointment. I'm really hoping to hear I'm on my way to having this baby! I wonder if the baby announcement will end up being my 100th post? I'm getting pretty close!

Speaking of baby, do you want to know our names? I'd love to share them with you. Let's see. I'm 37 weeks this week, so you should know within 3 weeks...hopefully, sooner. If I have not had the baby in a couple weeks, I will share the initials. We may end up going with an entirely different name anyway if our baby just does not look like the names we have picked out. What we do know is this: If Matt doesn't have any idea of what to name the baby, he will have to go speak with this man named Pipes. Matt had a dream a week or so ago that our baby was a girl (though he still believes it to be a boy...hehe), and apparently, we didn't know what to name her. He carried her (ohh, I can just picture it...he is sooo excited for this baby) to Pipes and asked what her name should be. After the baby is born, I'll share his response. At this point, it is so very similar to our girl name (in a round-about way), we're kind of holding onto it. Since it is similar, I told Matt if the baby is a girl, he can call her Pipes' name (not Pipes, the girl name. You know what I mean), as his little nickname for her. Yes, I'm a sappy 9 month pregnant lady. So, we have no idea who this Pipes is, but to be honest, the picture I get in my mind is some sort of giant with big muscles, haha. Actually, if you ever read Max Lucado's children's series, You are Special, I picture the wood carver...who is our Creator. Just had to jot that down so I don't forget. Sometimes this blog is a bit of a journal for me since I've neglected a personal one for awhile now.

Time for me to get busy!

The Picture Post

Well, here are some belated pictures from my shower on April 5th and some pictures of the baby's room.


The cupcake cake












The teddy bear my niece, Hannah (7!), sewed on the sewing machine for the baby. My favorite gift!


"Daddy's Little Speedster" outfit


Sorry it's so dark. The baby will be rocked in Matt's grandpa's (so, great grandpa's) old rocking chair!




There's that teddy bear!






Our cute little high chair we got a great deal on!

Swollen with Love?

Taken 4/28... 36 1/2 weeks
I sure am being real with all these pregnant pictures....I don't care to show them, but I know people are curious.

Oh, the comments and name-calling have continued. I mentioned in the last post a few cashier's comments to me and my ever-glowing, ahem, ever-growing, figure. Instead of fat lady (yes, the neighbor asked me, "How's the fat lady doing?"...yes, referring to me), I prefer to call myself swollen with love...lots and lots of love...or maybe just, with-child? Thankfully, 40 pounds is not all baby (despite what others have said, and no, I'm not carrying twins), or else we'd really be in trouble. Yes, I still have about a month to go, contrary to another cashier's belief this past week, "When are you due? Yesterday?" Though these aren't the most thoughtful or pleasant of comments, I try to keep my sense of humor while Matt tries to hold onto my sanity. Anytime I share these little niceties (ha!) with Matt, he gets this serious, loud tone and says, "You're pregnant!!" trying to help me feel better that it's not all ice cream cake and candy bars. I must admit the baby does like those though!)

I'm thinking of starting a list, or maybe writing a book, "Things No One Ever Told You About Pregnancy...Or Maybe Warned You About."
1. All the comments (I knew about the horror labor stories and advice for your children...but comments about my size are much more frequent than anticipated).
2. No matter when you get pregnant, you are going to be in the midst of several holidays, which means, lots of opportunities to eat really yummy food that is not so good for you. Refer back to #1.
3. Body pillows do not fit well on the bed with 2 grown people, one with a giant belly. It doesn't happen! Also, you can't just flip it to the other side when you turn over (a chore in and of itself). It gets tangled in the sheets and just becomes way too much work.
4. Invest in a cheap hot dog pillow. You know, those little cylindar pillows that look like, well, hot dogs? They are wonderful to put behind your back during long times of sitting or when you're on a plane. I even put it along my back when I lay on my side.
5. Maternity clothes really are hard to come by. Some stores have maternity in one location and not in another...and there are not many items to choose from. Actual maternity stores are quite expensive, well, for this lady anyway. I think someone business minded could make a lot by selling cute, affordable maternity clothes.
6. Hot flashes aren't just during menopause. Not everyone has troubles with this, but whooo boy, you might. You might also be thirsty all day and especially at night, increasing the countless bathroom trips you already take.
7. The cowboy syndrome...which I named to describe to my doctor, but apparently someone already thought of "saddle sore." Yes, near the end you might feel like you've been riding a horse across the country.
8. When you have a stuffy nose and are blowing it, your husband just might ask if you're losing your mucus plug.
9. Some baby stores have Expectant Mother Parking! I just took advantage of that myself a couple weeks ago and wanted to take a picture to document the memory. The only down-side of such parking spots is they're only located at baby stores, and there are like a hundred pregnant mothers. Be prepared for demolition derby type aggression in maneuvering and claiming one of the four spots.

Well, there are a lot more, but I won't bore you with them today, I mean, you'll have to wait till the release of my book! Though I joke about the sometimes craziness of this pregnancy, I have to say I am still thrilled to meet and hold this baby of ours, our little miracle!

In Practice

We had our birthing class on Saturday. It was all day, and it felt like it. I was tired, and even though I am usually quite interested in this topic, that day, I was not. First of all, we arrived at the class quite early, almost a half hour early. True to form, I had to use the bathroom, so we ran into the grocery store next door. While roaming, we happened to stumble upon fresh donuts of the morning. So, we bought a couple and drove back to the office, pulling into a spot. A few other couples had arrived and hadn't gotten out of their vehicles yet. So, we sat and enjoyed our donuts. We were given a folder of outlines and papers...and of course one of the items on the list was nutrition. Umm, hopefully, they didn't see our frosting covered faces in the parking lot! Our instructor should be vote #10 on my side bar. We had to introduce ourselves, share our due dates, and whether the baby was a boy, girl, or surprise. There were 4 boys, 2 girls, and we were the only surprise. (We were also the youngest couple there and the only ones due in May.) The instructor said very matter of factly, "If I ever saw someone pregnant with a boy, it's you." Ok..? She then asks me if I have brothers. I say, "yes, 3." The question is then directed to Matt. He says, "yes, 2." The matter was settled. She did still mark the "question mark column" though.

I came to the conclusion that I think Matt will be a pretty good coach. He took all things the instructor said very seriously...umm, a little too seriously at times, including breathing along with me (the other coaches weren't so enthusiastic), and telling me...rather loudly... after each fake contraction she led us in, how great I was doing, how wonderful I am (isn't she grand?...refer to baby shower post), etc. The other coaches did not. In fact, it was hard to even hear the other women's breathing...I felt like I was the only one. I also had a very difficult time keeping a straight face. I have no idea how the other ladies did it, but Matt stared at me each time we breathed and did, "hee, hee, hoo," and I could not keep all my chuckles in. I have a very difficult time containing laughter in serious situations as it is. I suppose we were the annoying, immature ones, but hey, Matt was the only coach to take notes and answer some questions (correctly!). We broke for snack, and all the ladies took out a banana, one lady had grapes. I didn't get the memo. I munched on my crackers and cheese. We broke for lunch later. Matt and I sat in the parking lot with our packed lunches and everyone else scattered. We, of course, had extra time, so we made our way over to that grocery store again. Do not take this lady out without a mission! We pull back in to the office parking lot eating our icecream cookie sandwiches! (This truly was an exceptional day in the nutrition department.) The other couples sat in their cars, and I can only imagine what they were thinking about our food choices of the day. The best part of the afternoon was when we learned the different massage techniques, and the most important piece of information I took away from the class was this: If a 128 pound young woman on the day she gave birth can deliver (her first) naturally an 11 pound baby (which was quite the surprise), I can give birth too (to my petite baby...that's what you have to tell yourself...what good does it do to anticipate a 15 pound baby?)! That was my confidence builder and one of my info peices I wrote on my hospital bag index cards. (Oh yes, I have a list of things!) There you have it. I'm all about the positive thinking and confidence builders.

38 Days!!

I have 38 days left to go till my due date! How excited am I? Very! I've had some significant soreness that was just getting worse going down my legs, and my doctor says the baby's head is ready to go and sort of pushing on my pelvic bone and nerves. I call it the "cowboy syndrome" since I end up walking like a cowboy by the end of the day. Hoping that means the baby will come sooner rather than later.

Last Sunday, I had my baby shower! It was so wonderful to see so many friends, family, and church people. This baby sure is loved already! I am still blown away by all we were given. We are ready to bring this baby home. Pictures are on their way...I need to get them from my Mom then they'll be posted. We also have some pictures to post of that baby's room. So, be looking for a picture post! We got an amazing deal on our high chair. I love coupons and deals! Matt was excited to set it up, and I love seeing every glimpse of that. I told him there was no rush since the baby obviously won't need the high chair right away, but nevertheless, he wanted it all set up. He even put it right at the table...Oh, he makes me smile.

Funny little story. I have not been able to sleep very well lately and the week before the shower, I was just way too excited to sleep. I was thinking how this means we're getting closer to the baby's arrival and how blessed we are to be given this little miracle. So, one morning, I decided to write our baby story. (We totally could be on the show...haha, whatever.) I thought it might be neat to put together a few scrapbook pages with ultrasound pictures and little Matt and little Becky pictures. So the day before the shower, Matt and I went out to get some cute baby scrapbook paper on an errand run. I enlisted Matt to look down one end of the racks while I looked down the other. I found some boy paper for his pictures and wanted a girl sheet for mine. He pointed to a red page, and I doubled over laughing. He was completely serious, as always. The bottom of the sheet said in big letters, "Isn't she grand?" Apparently, he thinks I'm quite grand. So, I had him pull the sheet out all the way, so he could see all the other lovely sayings for a Grandma! This man makes me laugh more than anyone else. He has seriously given me contractions from laughing so hard. We did end up finding more appropriate paper to use for the occasion.

It's been interesting hearing all the comments and seeing all the looks I get when out and about. Yesterday, I got several. They usually include how big I look or how small I look (it's like different people see different me's). One cashier was quite talkative and asking me many questions. Being in a clothing store that does not sell maternity clothes, makes me feel quite awkward these days. I get these looks like, "you think you can really fit in that?" as I head to the dressing room. So, while checking out (yes, I got 2 shirts...I just buy them in the bigger sizes), I mention how hard it is to find maternity clothes. She just looked at me and said, "Well, you are pretty big!" Then in like another breath she asked how I stayed so slim. Huh? Didn't you just tell me I'm basically ...huge? (Matt enjoys calling, "Timberrr" when I, ahem, gracefully fall into bed at night!) Anyway, another cashier asked me when I was due. I said another month, and she said, "Ohh, right in the heat of the summer!" She must not be from around here. It could still be snowing!

So, a pictures' post is coming, and I'm still working on the post about the new blog name....and Saturday we have our birthing class! We should provide some good entertainment for our instructor and have some funny stories to share.

Happy Easter!

I have some updates to share, but today is Easter! Happy Easter!

For some excellent Easter truth reading, click on over to dear MckMama's blog. And, how wonderful it is to hear little Stellan is doing much, much better!