How COOL is this??

My dad found my birth announcement! - I scanned the front and inside - I'm anxious to see how my little baby favors me when he comes! Now I'm on the hunt to find Brad's baby pics.

The pic below the hospital is an extra baby photo of me.

This is the inside saying that I was born August 31st, 1982; the day was left blank; born at 9:30 in the evening; I was 3 kg (or 6 pounds 6 oz); the parents field was left blank; and the last entry was the doctor who delivered me - Nikos Kapetanakis

Now I just need to find a baby pic of Brad!

Update

We'll it's been a while since I've logged on (to anything for that matter). So I guess I'll update my latest. Thursday I had the shower at work, which was so nice.
Friday: I spent half the day working with my mom in her house since they are trying to fix it up and sell it. She even came back with me and spent the night at my house!
Saturday: Brad and I had a rare day to spend together. We took a lot of the gift cards, and a lot of duplicate gifts and hopped from store to store to pick up things we think we need. Here's what we got:
- co-sleeper thingie (it goes in the middle of our bed) *I had mixed emotions about this, but if it puts the animals out of our bed for a while, I'm willing to do it :)
- a natural rubber pipila (no PVC, phthalates, BPA free) -- a pipila is a pacifier
- grooming/first aid kit
- nipple cream
- hand mittens
- glass bottles
- um...I can't think of what else....

I had a really great surprise on Saturday! I was originally going to have a baby shower thrown for me....things didn't work out and it is too late in my pregnancy to have it postponed, so it was cancelled. Becky and Danielle (Beck's best friend) came over and surprised me with GREAT gifts!! Danielle was awesome and got us the bottle drying rack we registered for, hangers and the most adorable photo album. Becky got me my diaper bag (which I love!) and her and Charlet (her MIL) got me the pack n play!!! - It was really expensive, and I'm so greatful. Those girls actually made me start crying it was so sweet. (Brad thought I was crazy for crying ... which in turn made Becky cry... hahaha!)

That evening Mary and Jeff took me out to dinner. That was so nice of them. - Brad went to hit baseballs, so it was just the three of us. It really made it scary when Mary said she'd see me in a few weeks to see the baby....ah! - Plus the ticker saying 11 days now is making me more nervous and frantic!

Sunday: Brad had baseball so I went to help my mom out again. We made really good progress, but my limitations with pregnancy have finally caught up with me. All I did was sit on a skate board and scoot around the floor cleaning baseboards. I'm so sore. I feel like I weigh 500 pounds and my bones are breaking under all this weight! So I'm definitely taking it easy now. Amy gave me this advice last week...but I just hate not being able to help people when they need my help, but, unfortunately that had to be my final straw. Sorry mom.

So that's my update. I go to Dr. Chen today at 3:45...so hopefully everything looks okay. I'll update later!!

Surprise shower for me!!

At work some of the ladies got together and gave me a shower! I had anticipated having cake, but when I walked into the conference room they had bags of gifts for me. It was so thoughtful, especially because some of the 2nd shift ladies who couldn't make it sent their gifts anyway.

We again, got great outfits! A bouncer, gift cards, wash cloths (I haven't bought any of these yet!) blankets, socks....I'm so touched! My boss got me safety things, I thought that was cute :) (plug covers, safety mirrors, etc).

Andrea picked up a cake for me (I need to mention that she had gifts sent to my house). Thank you Vi-Jon ladies so much!

I think they're hoping to not see me Monday...hahah....

SOOOO tired.

Hopefully this is the LAST time I ever have to work shitty hours. I had to be up at 2:15 this morning to start work at 3:00. yes... a.m., as in morning...as in the sun's not up yet!!

So now it's hit 6:30 and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. I am counting down until nap time at 11:00 when I get off. - We had to provide a safety lunch for 3rd shift employees (I was nominated to run 3rd shift because I'm the only one who doesn't have kids yet) ::BS::

At least I like the group we served.

Anyway, part of the exhaustion is due to not sleeping until midnight! I went to see Natalie, Tim and new baby Logan at St. John's yesterday. Unfortunately he was still in the NICU, but doing very well. Natalie looked a little tired, but still great. I didn't get home until nearly 11! What an amazing miracle. Here are some pics of Logan. Hopefully today when I swing by (before my nap time) I will get to hold him!

He looks like Tim!!

As for me baby-wise, not much has changed. I still feel pretty crampy, no solid poops (sorry TMI) and he is kicking and moving like a crazy man! Hopefully he gets the idea soon that he'll have more room out here ::but baby...please wait until after I've had a LONG, GOOD nap. Then you can come - thanks::

It is also been ridiculously hot here lately. I could barely make it up a small parking lot hill yesterday without blowing up like an air balloon and feeling like I had all my breath punched out of me. My feet are really starting to swell badly. The rest of me is too...I finally had to take off my wedding rings. - Oh well, I have a tan line there and an indention line that indicates that I swelled out of them.

Here are my poor tootsies (they're not so bad here). -- okay, wow. I just dozed off again. I need to take a few laps around the office....

Natalie had her baby!!!

Congratulations Natalie and Tim!!!! Yesterday morning Natalie emailed me and said she had been feeling contractions off and on - even at the shower she told me she started to lose her MP. The MP came out and her contractions became regular and they admitted her into the hospital late last night.
Brad's mom called us around 11 to tell us the news. This morning before 6 Brad's mom called to tell us that Logan Abel (I'm not sure how to spell Abel) arrived naturally at 4:30ish this morning!!! How exciting!
I am SO glad Natalie had a quick delivery. She truly needed a break from pregnancy and a speedy delivery! I get to meet my nephew probably later this evening or tomorrow....

all I can think now is,

O. M. G.
I'm next.

Baby Shower Pics!

I found the charger to my camera! Here are some pictures Tracie took for me. I'm sad that I didn't have on the right setting for her and they turned out a little dark. There were plenty of people with cameras, so I'm sure I'll get some more.


GEEZ! What's bigger?? my boobs or my belly?


This was the only pic on my camera of me and Natalie. And one of the few where I am not making a ridiculous face.
I had to stuff tissue paper between my legs so I didn't give everyone a show :)


Me and Brad's mom cutting the yummy cream cheese filled cake!!!!!!!

I can't thank everyone enough (especially Brad's aunts and Natalie) for throwing me the shower. It means so much!!

37 week appointment

I'll be honest...I'm a little disapointed.

yep....no dialation and barely starting to efface. That's okay, I was just hoping to be one of the lucky ones. I'm also a little disappointed that my usual Friday appointment is being pushed back to Tuesday next week. - the office is closed that day...but I don't really like it when my routine is messed up.
Oh well, I guess it gives me that much more time to progress. COMEONBABY!!!!!

This weekend was EXHAUSTING. Moving, packing, stressing - those are all pretty good adjectives. My mom and dad's house is now bascially in our basement. They still have plenty to pack up, but it's a start.

Saturday Brad's family gave a baby shower! It was so nice and thoughtful. We got a bunch of things for the baby (obviously, right?) Onesies, spoons, a bouncer, baby carrier, hangers, blankets, outfits, a humidifier, a nightlight, toys....it was pretty exciting! We were at Cheri's house and had lunch and a really yummy cake filled with some kind of cream cheese filling...

So...my camera died during the shower. I did manage to get a few pics, but I'll have to upload them later.

Not much to report 'feeling' wise. I still have the crampiness...some D and lots of fatigue. The 90 degree days probably haven't been helping that much. It's kind of funny how pregnancy for me has come full circle in a way. The very beginning I was always paranoid looking for blood or scary discharge to indicate something about the pregnancy isn't going right. Now I'm looking for the same type of thing, only to tell me that becoming "unpregnant" is going right.

That's a thought...no longer pregnant?? that may mean:
1) no longer so huge???
2) no longer being stared at like a freak show???
3) no more swelling???
4) no more feet/elbow kicking my lower right ribs???
5) an end to the stretching???
6) not getting winded trying to get off the couch???
7) eventually wearing something hanging in my closet???
8) not worrying about a-bowling-ball-is-falling-out-my-vagina-feeling all the time???
9) no longer having to pee ALL the time???
10) FINALLY getting to feel the squirms and squiggles in my arms???
- those are nice thoughts, especially the last one

Until then...I must remember the flip side of things....at least I can try and sleep.