Christmas Morning! October 12, 2009

Dave's intuition was right! Early the next morning, around 2:30am, my water broke which meant the best gift we'd ever receive was going to be coming soon. To help remember this glorious day, I am going to write about every detail from the time my water broke to 18 hours later when Vaughn Steven Thompson was introduced to the world.

After I wrote the Christmas Eve blog, I joined Dave in bed and began to pray. I prayed...

Dear Lord, please let baby Vaughn come before Tuesday. I really don't want to be induced. I want to experience my water breaking. I want him to come on his own time. I know he's in your hands. This labor is in your hands. Lord, please be with me as I embark on this journey of motherhood. Lord, I ask you that you give me strength to get through this. Please let me water break before Tuesday. I'm ready for Baby Vaughn to arrive with your help...

I fell asleep and when I woke up around 2am to pee, I was still praying. I totally drifted off to sleep while praying. I think the three hours I was asleep, my mind continued to talk to the Lord. This pee was a "rush to the potty" kind of pee. About 45 minutes later, I felt like I peed the bed so I got up, opened my drawer, got a new pair of underwear, changed them, went to the bathroom and returned to bed. Another 15 minutes passed when I wet myself again! I repeated the same steps as I did a few minutes before. From the sound of my drawer opening for the second time, Dave woke up. He asked, "Sweetie, are you okay?"

I wasn't sure if I was okay or not. I mean, why did I keep peeing the bed? I didn't drink anything right before going to sleep, yet I kept wetting the bed. Then, I told Dave that it could possibly be my water breaking. I mean, I prayed really hard! haha. He got super excited. I started to walk around the room. Rocco was very confused so he started following me. The flow of water increased. Then, I started cramping up. I went into the bathroom one more time, stood over the toilet as a gush of clear liquid filled it. "Dave, my water is breaking!"

Dave popped out of bed and ran downstairs to find the hospital's phone number. In the meantime, I grabbed a towel to put in between my legs as my water continued to break. I called Dave's mom to catch her before she got on a plane to come out here. While I was on the phone with her, I could hear Dave downstairs sounding confused on the phone as to what hospital we were delivering at. I think he was still half asleep mixed with pure excitement and adrenaline. Then, I called Cathi. It worked out well that Pennsylvania was still three hours ahead of us as everyone back home was already up...well, the moms were.

Dave hopped in the shower while I grabbed my lists to start checking things off. By the time Dave was ready, all of my stuff was waiting at the door. I was ready to meet Baby Vaughn!

On the way to the hospital, we tried stopping somewhere so I could get a milkshake, but no milkshakes were being served that early in the morning.

We finally arrived at the hospital around 5:15am. They took me back to check-in and hooked me up on the monitors. I was barely 1 centimeter dilated. Therefore, my water broke, but I was technically not in labor. The Lord works in amazing ways! That baby had to come that day because of my water breaking regardless of if I was in labor or not. Before heading up to Labor and Deliver (L&D), they had me walk around the hospital for about 30 minutes. The cramps started to get stronger and more painful.

We made our way upstairs to L&D by 6:45am. Our nurse, Debbie, got us all set up before her shift ended in 15 minutes. She told us that when she came back at 7pm, if I was still in labor, she would request me. I was thinking at the time, that is 12 hours from now, I will already by in Postpartum by then. Needless to say, I was wrong and Debbie was the nurse who delivered Vaughn along with another nurse named Jen. The nurse we did have for the whole day was Sheila. She was super sweet and loved to talk like me. While Dave would go get food, talk to his brother and mom in the waiting room, or go to the bathroom, Sheila kept me company. Whenever I needed something, she was right there to comfort me. She had been a L&D nurse for over 20 years. It was very apparent.

The roughest part of the whole process was getting the IV. It was awful! Sheila blew the first vein she was trying to put the IV in (which caused me to have a huge bruise). My hysteria probably didn't help. Also, while I was crying , the song that was playing was Diana Krawl's Cry Me a River. Oh, the irony.

Sheila decided to have the anesthesiologist work his magic. For Vaughn's sake, I tried to keep my composure (sort of) as I endured the pain. Soon after, I got my epidural, which to my surprise, barely hurt at all.

After thinking the needles were done, they brought in another person to do some blood work on my right arm. He, too, blew a vein! Actually, he blew two :(. He couldn't do it so he called in Seth. Seth was my man - quick, easy, painless.

Finally, I was all "stuck" up and was no longer in pain. However, soon after I got the epidural, Vaughn's heart rate began to plummet. I didn't really know what was going on until I saw Dave's face of terror as he watched the monitor. Sheila called in another nurse so they could start flipping me around. Apparently, Vaughn was lying on his cord. Sheila then proceeded to go call Dr. Sawyer. Dave was nervous. I think I was so exhausted at this point that I was sort of oblivious and not panicked at all. They put an oxygen mask on me to get Vaughn's heart rate stabilized. Everything was fine!

The time flew by. Dave's mom, Dusty and Jamie came in to visit for a while. It was rather nice to just relax with family. After all the visitors left, I tried falling asleep when my stomach started to hurt really bad. It felt like a severe stomach cramp caused by running. Sheila gave me Tums which helped for a little bit until I started puking...a lot. This caused Vaughn's heart rate to drop again. Apparently, he didn't like the pressure I was putting on him when I would puke. When I stopped throwing up, Vaughn's heart rate returned back to normal.

As I began to drift off to sleep again, the pains returned to the left side of my stomach. These pains were followed by another bout of puking. This was not fun especially since I couldn't brush my teeth or drink anything of flavor to get rid of the horrible taste of stomach bile.

After I puked the second time, the pain resided. It then started to increase and wrap around to my back. They brought the anesthesiologist back in to increase my meds. I soon didn't feel anything, which was good because I was reaching 9.5 cm dilation.

Around 8:15pm, they checked me to find that I was still around 9.5 cm dilated. To fully dilate me, Dr. Sawyer (by phone) had Debbie put ice up there. I have no idea what that does, but it worked. It was time to start pushing so we could meet our little boy.

Once Dr. Sawyer arrived, I only had to push a few times for a duration of about 10 minutes before Vaughn was covered in vernix snuggled up on my stomach. And I have to mention his head - he has the biggest, longest cone head ever for being in my birthing canal for so long. (His head was nice and round the next day).

The whole delivery process had me laughing hysterically. It seemed like I was given laughing gas I was so giggly. The laughter stopped and turned into pure joy while I could hear little gurgly cries coming from my son's mouth.
BABY VAUGHN arrived at 8:38pm on Monday, October 12, 2009 at Banner Thunderbird Hospital in Glendale, AZ. He weighed 7lbs, 11oz, was 21 inches long and had a 14 inch cone head. He is absolutely beautiful. Dave and I still can't believe the amount of love we feel for Vaughn and for each other.

Christmas morning now has a whole new meaning!
Shortly after Vaughn was all cleaned up, I got to nurse him for the first time. It took a little while for him to latch on to my left boob, but when he did, it was as if he were nursing his whole life. Wait, he basically was at this point!

Dave's mom, Dusty and Jamie were eagerly sitting in the waiting room ready to meet Vaughn. They were brought back after 10pm. It was a wonderful birthday celebration with family. We finally made it to Postpartum around 11:30pm. Dave took his mom back to our house, got a shower, and returned to the hospital around 1:30am. All three of us got a few hours of sleep; but not good rest. We ended up opting to wait for the 24 hours after Vaughn was born to get him checked out and then, we were on our way home around 10pm the next day. Aunt Nay Nay and Grammie helped us pack up. We were all super excited to get home and SLEEP!

This is the end of a journey...an amazing nine month, two day journey. Dave and I pray that we can provide the best care for Vaughn. We're excited for Vaughn to be able to read about how he became a person when he's old enough to read and to understand. Oh, the memories are just about to begin!!!

Christmas Eve

Tonight, Dave has been the giddiest boy. It all started in the backyard while I was drawing fishy pictures for Vaughn's room that I'm going to paint. Dave attempted to pump Christmas music into the backyard. It didn't have the sound quality of Dave's standards so he turned it off. I came in shortly after to find him with Evergreen Christmas candles lit while watching The Santa Claus. The house did feel nice and cozy like around Christmas time.

We went upstairs to get ready for bed. Dave proceeded into Vaughn's room, cranked up the mobile, and danced around my bathroom with both baby monitors in his ears listening to Rock a bye, baby. Then he said, "I feel like it's Christmas Eve. I'm just so excited. I feel like I'm going to get the greatest gift tomorrow or in the next few days."

I had to come downstairs to document this oh-so cute-Dave moment. He's going to be a daddy in less than two days. He's going to be the most excited, best, adorable, fun daddy ever!

It's late - tomorrow will be 2 days after the due date and 1 day left until induction. I'm still praying I don't have to be induced. Good night!

three days or less...

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

One day past my due date. As I ate breakfast (yummy Cinnamin Toast Crunch for me - the first food I made Dave go out at night and get me the other night...and eggs and cheddar cheese for baby - lots of protein for development), Vaughn was hiccupping. Typically, his hiccups annoy me because of the monotonous pulsing that lasts for 15 or more minutes. This time, I appreciated every hic and cup. This may be the last time he spasms in my belly. He's all mine right now. I'm going to enjoy every last moment of having him all to me. I never thought I would feel so selfish about my baby. But that's what he is...my baby. At least for now before he's ready to be shared with the world.

Belly Pictures - 40 weeks

due date

I made it. I'm officially 40 weeks pregnant and no sign of a baby. I just got back from a 1-hr 45 min walk with Rocco. I feel like all it did was make my fingers swollen and make Rocco want to swim in his water bowl...

just not ready yet

The doctor's appointment went well today. Blood pressure is good. Haven't gained weight for the past three weeks. Heartbeat is good. My belly was the right length. Nurse Christi examined my cervix, which didn't hurt at all like when Dr. Sawyer does it, and it was completely closed for business! Is that how the saying goes? ...the cervix is still very thick and closed.

We talked about the induction. If I don't go into labor before Tuesday, which it doesn't seem like I will, I am to call the hospital at 10pm to see if they have a bed for me. If they don't, we'll get further instructions then. If they do have beds, we will go in so I can start the induction process by taking Cytotec pills. Nurse Christi said it will be a longer process where I'll have a lot of time to rest. She recommended taking a nap on Tuesday and eat a light meal.

Dr. Sawyer gets back on Sunday so I will up my walking from an hour a day starting tomorrow. Hopefully this will thin the cervix a little. I feel like if I get induced, I won't be fully experiencing the labor...I'm probably wrong but I really want to do this on my own.

FOUR days or less!

Resting to the end

Wednesday was my first day at home. I thought I rested all day, but apparently not enough. I had a terrible headache all day. In between resting, Dave and I went to Target to return some things in order to buy a car seat base for his car. To get me out of the house one more time so I wouldn't go insane, we went to Barnes and Noble. I looked at baby books. Dave focused on website building magazines and books.

SIDE NOTE>>We ended up buying two books, one of which I've been reading and love about baby's first year. I have two different "What to Expect in the First Year" books, but it's very text heavy and almost text book like. This new book is full of detailed pictures allowing a visual learner like me to really learn what to do with this baby that is coming soon. It's divided by newborn, 3-6 months, 7-9 months and 10-12 months. I'm almost through the newborn section. Basically, the baby is going to be happy or sad. A happy baby is comfortable, changed, fed and rested. An unhappy baby is not. Also, I learned a lot about the umbilical cord stub and how to dress a newborn. The second book is a discipline book from newborn to age five; can't start disciplining too early. Well, can't start trying to be a good parent too early. <<

During the entire day, I had a very terrible headache. After we got home, I continued to rest on the couch with Dave. As I was putting my laptop away after checking my email, I started to not feel very nauseous. I had a surge of intense headache pains engulf my head. I looked up and said, "I think I'm going to throw up."

I ran to the bathroom where I was just spitting a lot. I threw up a teeny bit. After I was done, I started to feel well for about three seconds before I had to sit down on the steps. My friends whom I have come to know very well this past week (tears) came to visit my cheeks once again. As I sobbed, Dave helped me up the stairs to the bedroom. I was in the room for no more than five minutes when I felt extremely sick. "I really don't feel well," came out of my mouth followed by a sprint to the bathroom where I proceeded to puke uncontrollably. Vaughn decided he didn't want hamburgers for a third time in two weeks. Thankfully, once the food was gone, I was done. No dry-heaving which is the worst!

Dave was extremely supportive while I sat there helpless on my bathroom floor. He held my hair, got me water, dressed me, helped me brush my teeth and tucked me into bed. He started to call the doctor, but I told him to wait until morning. He's already a wonderful father!

When he came to bed later that night I woke up because I had to pee. Dave informed me that he found a lot of blogs confirming what I was going through as completely normal. He said it's a possible sign of dilation. The headache followed by nausea and vomiting were all very common. The number one advice he read was that I needed to REST!

I am really trying to rest - promise. Yesterday, after going to breakfast with my boss, I went to Goodwill for kids books and mommy books, came home and organized the books by author then Rocco and I slept in Vaughn's room for most of the day. I love the Murphy bed! Not only is it comfortable, but Vaughn's room is nice and cool compared to our very hot room. After I woke up, I laid on the hammock in the gorgeous 80 degree weather reading my new baby book. I had a little system with a highlighter, pen, sticky notes and pillows. Dave put the surround sound jazz music on to complete the ambiance of our gorgeous backyard. Dave took this picture from the backdoor from his phone when he discovered me resting.

I do have to say, I didn't blog about this yesterday, because in effort to rest, I did not open my laptop once! Today, I am going to take Rocco for a walk, do the relaxation portion of my yoga DVD and write thank you cards. I'll try to squeeze a nap in to please Dave :).

We have a doctor appointment (with the Nurse Practitioner) today at 1:20.

Tomorrow is the due date...I'm going to REST until he comes!

Belly Pictures - 39 weeks

Oh, wait that's next week

"Hi, puppy. Hi, cutie. Hi, baby. Oh, wait, that's next week." ~words spoken by Dave on Monday after I got home from work.

Next week! Can you beleive it? I honestly can't even fathom it. I can read about what's going to happen, listen to others and their experiences, watch videos of what's to come, but I still can't wrap my mind around it. My entire life is going to change. On top of that, I am bringing a LIFE into the world; not just a baby, but an actual life which is a start to another forever. Dave's and my forever.

Yesterday was my last day of work. I was there until a little after 7 making sure everything was ready for my replacement. As I took all the rest of my Disney Princess stuff down, it just seemed routine until I approached my car with all the stuff in my hands. Without warning, tears welled up in my eyes. I opened the back door of the 4-runner, put the bag into the back seat (next to the car seat base) to find tears pouring out of my eyes. It was one of those cries that I didn't even see coming. Driving away from the office, the tears turned into a full out sobbing hysteria. I'm pathetic! However, I think it just shows how imporant my job is to me, which is a good thing that I love what I do so much. This isn't the end necessarily, but even if I do return in three months, I will be a different person. I will be a mommy.

Are you nesting?

Okay, so if I hear this question one more time, I'm going to scream. Oh, wait, I've already screamed, now what?! haha...

For some reason, I can't stand when people ask me if I'm nesting. It's almost as if I take offense to it. I have no idea why; it just drives me nuts! I think it might be the way people ask - it's all the same..."So, are you nest-ING yet? (with the inflection on the "ing"). It really annoys me. First of all, I had never even heard the term, nesting, until I became pregnant. I didn't even know what Alex was talking about when he asked. Second of all, do you know me? If so, you know, I'm always busy, always organizing, always setting things up.

So I guess the answer is, "Yes, I'm nesting, I've been nesting since I was four years old!"

*this blog has been written in good humor - just needed to vent a little pent up feelings :)

It's October!

***Doctor Appointment***
We had our weekly doctor's appointment today. After scheduling appointments last week, we had a feeling our doctor may not be here for the due date. We were correct. He's going to the World Medical Mission's conference in North Carolina from October 7 - 11. I'm due on October 10. However, he did his little checking (which definitely HURT this time, but in the back of my mind I was trying to remember that labor hurts much worse) to find that my cervix is back by my tailbone and super thick. This "discovery" makes him think I will be late. At this point, I do hope I'm late.

I've heard and read stories about women who have had a hard time when they found out their doctor couldn't deliver their baby. I sort of brushed those stories aside as I didn't think that would happen to me. Now, it's a huge possibility, and it bothers me a lot more than I thought it would. Dr. Sawyer said his nurse tries to deliver a lot of his babies when he's gone. If she can't, he has a team of 8 doctors who are on call for each other. That's nice and all, but I don't KNOW those doctors - I know Dr. Sawyer. want him to deliver my baby.

Dr. Sawyer did give us his cell phone number; he took both of our numbers to store in his phone as well. We are to text him as soon as I go into labor if it's during the time he's gone. Even if he has just landed when I go into labor, he assured us he would head straight to the hospital to deliver our baby. Do you see why I just love him? He told us he has done that a few times; one time was when he flew in from Germany! Being in Phoenix for less than an hour and a half after sitting on a plane for an eternity, he delivered a baby. That is commitment to his patients!

If I end up being late (which again, he thinks I will be), he is not going to let me go past October 14. We are to call him if I still haven't gone into labor by October 13. If that's the case, we'll go to the hospital at 11pm to start the induction process so the baby's birthday will be October 14.

***Work update***
Yesterday, I talked to Missie about making Tuesday my last day. I figured this would be a good time to have some Adriane time before it's Vaughn time, all the time. I hope I don't get bored, but I do have a few things planned like paint fishy pictures for the nursery, finish all the thank you cards, finish the nursery, organize all my pictures, make some scrap books, exercise, maybe read a book...okay, I don't know how I'm not going to work for three months! *Below in Hubby Love, Dave had some ideas of things for me to do before the baby comes. According to him, I have lots I can do instead of work.

***The end of my pregnancy***
All in all, I'm feeling fabulous. I feel beautiful (this is the first time I have felt this way in my pregnancy). My back doesn't hurt. Most nights, I get at least six and sometimes eight consecutive hours of sleep. I can walk around at normal pace. When I think about myself, I have positive thoughts. I don't feel hindered by my normal work day becaues I'm pregnant. This whole third trimester thing is working out for me. Now, talk to me tomorrow and it may change. But as I said in the previous post, every day is a new day!

Hubby Love...it's been a while
- Dave: "He wants to meet daddy - it's not fair he just knows mommy's insides. Then, he's going to come out and say, 'HI YA!'"

- Dave: "Pretty soon, we're going to open the oven to smell cookies for little Vaughn." He opened the stove, looked up at me, and smiled really big.

- One night, I was super tired, but Dave was super hyper like every night after 10. I "politely" asked him to leave the room so I could finally go to sleep.
Dave: "You can't tell me to get out of here. I'm the one that helped you make the baby, and I'm going to buy you a conversion van."

- Dave: "I can't wait to get peed on."
Me: "But we have the awesome pee tee pees. I even washed them; they're all ready to go."
Dave: "But I want to get peed on, at least once. It'll be my induction into fatherhood."

- On Tuesday night before bed, I was balling hysterically and had no idea why. I do think there was a reason; however, I can't even remember what it was about anymore. Dave just kept looking at me, trying not to laugh. He kept telling me it would be okay because it was my hormones and that's what boys do to girls. He stood by my side supporting me as I sobbed. I finally calmed down and went to sleep with Dave still by my side.

- Tonight, as I was writing this post, Dave was doing the dishes. I told him I was concerned about being bored when I take off from work. I still think I NEED it, but it'll be hard for me. This is what he told me I could be doing:
Dave: "The backyard needs mowed. There's lots of sales calls that need made. You can learn kung fu. You can read a book on home lipo suction. The waterfall has some cracks that need to be sealed. The 4-runner could use a good wax job. Why don't you find a good martial arts school for baby Vaughn so he can be the best ninja? Or you can google how old little boys are before they can beat up their daddies... "
He kept going, but I stopped listening :)

- So, this isn't "hubby love", but it's definitely friend love and worth posting for Vaughn:
This is the PS from an email from Leah (Mrs. Powell): "...one of the homecoming court member's name is Vonn!!!! I think it is a sign...Labor on Friday...When I am announcing him...prob about 8 ish...hehe..."

henderson nicks, convulsions, spreadsheets and nausea

While making dinner last night, I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions. Just as I pulled out the salmon, I started to feel pains/tightening under my belly. I bent over the kitchen island to make me feel better. Dave looked at me and asked, "Are you having convulsions? I bet they are Henderson Nicks?" Through the pain, I laughed hysterically. Convulsions? He definitely meant contractions. Henderson Nicks sounds like a band or something. He was trying though which was just so cute! And it made me laugh, helping the pain go away. Dave didn't hesitate to finish making dinner with my verbal instruction from the couch. After I ate, I started to feel better.

I woke up early today even though I tried sleeping in. I can't complain though because I got 8 solid hours of sleep; something that's been happening a lot lately, surprisingly. I got up, started the "labor call list," finished the hospital checklist spreadsheet, and updated the baby needs and necessities spreadsheet since all of the showers are done. There's only a few things we need to get before the baby arrives. Yes, I have an obsession with lists and spreadsheets, but they are helping me be prepared and organized for an unorganized baby. It's aiding my mind to relax so more power to the lists!

Dave got up around 9:15 so we could go to church. By the time we left, I wasn't feeling very well. The drive to church was rough. All during church, I felt super nauseous, tired, and just didn't feel well at all. We went to a diner for some breakfast/lunch afterwards where I started to feel a little better. The ride home mimicked the ride to church. When we pulled in to our garage as I tried getting out of the car, I threw up a little. I hadn't even stood up. I finished in the bathroom - needless to say, I had a few flashbacks from my first trimester. Dave was super sweet by cleaning up the garage floor and being there to help with anything I needed.

Dave and I took a nap (we both slept on his bed so I could lay on his shoulder for him to comfort the sick me). I didn't wake up feeling that great; in fact, I woke up in a sweaty mess. I started to feel a little better as I did some baby laundry. Rocco even helped me take apart the diaper cake. The curtains got ironed and hung too, which made me feel better.

I've been feeling so great that I forgot I'm still pregnant, which can make me not have the best day. Today was not the greatest day but tomorrow is a new (and hopefully feel-good) day!

mmmm...

I had a ho-ho today and it was super yummy!

Busy Day!

Doctor Appointment

We had our 37 1/2 weeks appointment today with Dr. Sawyer. As soon as we entered the room, Dave totally became a little boy. Again, it was the cutest and most hilarious thing ever.

I had my first internal, which I can say, was not very fun. He kept saying to relax my "muscle." A lot easier said than done when a big hand is shoved up my precious area. However, it really made me laugh. It was almost an uncontrollable giggle. Whatever hormones he stirred up down there made me laugh so hard even though it was not enjoyable one bit. Maybe labor will be that way; now, that deserves a huge chuckle!

The baby's head is right where he needs to be. My cervix is still thick (like the tip of my nose) so I need to walk, walk, walk! The heartbeat was 154 beats per minute and everything is healthy. Total weight gain to date: 24 pounds.

Habitat Baby Shower

The ladies of Habitat (Missie, Angie, Lisa and Liz) threw me a baby shower at work. They invited all the staff and many volunteers. It was super cute, quick and fun. Dave got to come, too. We had a really good time. They even had games; everyone just played them on their own time.

Vaughn got a few more outfits (one with a super cute wrench on the butt!), a cross for his room, super awesome pirate/sea quilt, socks and...........the car seat and stroller!!!!!!!!!! I was so relieved to see the car seat. We are officially ready to rock and roll. Maybe there won't be too much rockin' though.

All great things come to an end...
I got home just in time to run upstairs (while on the phone with Cathi), get dressed and head to yoga. It was a good class, but I just need to face the fact that it needs to come to an end for now. I started to get super light-headed. It was also hard to see at times. Therefore, I have decided this was my last class especially since it's not prenatal. I'm super sad but am excited I was able to continue it until I was almost 38 weeks. Now, it's time to walk, walk, walk!

Speaking of Walks...
After dinner, Dave and I took Rocco for a walk with the stroller. He was totally freaked out at first so he would run way ahead of me and the stroller. If he got to where he was right beside me, he wastotally fine, just a little jumpy. By the time we made it home, he was doing really well. Dave and I went into the living room while Rocco stayed in the front room sitting next to the stroller. He's super curious about what it is. I hope walking with him next to the stroller every night will help him overcome his anxiety before Vaughn arrives.

Oh! And the pack n' play arrived today! I'm so ready to have this baby!

Nursery Update

With all our fun stuff from the shower and our recent trip to IKEA, I can't help but post the most updated Baby nursery pictures. I just love that room or maybe it's the idea I love. Dave and I both find ourselves walking in at night to just stare. Dave has made it so there is indirect blue lighting in the upper bookshelf with blue rope lights and the small lamps have blue light bulbs so the blue glow make it super relaxing, too.

We have a few last minute touches that need to be made. The awesome Murphy bed that Dave built needs to be painted, the rest of the curtains need ironed hung, and the closet still has some stuff in it that needs removed. Other than that, his room is DONE. I even have my hospital bag all packed and ready to go.

We're ready for you, Vaughn!!! Ready or not...you're IT!

Baby Shower!

Heather, Stephanie and Jamie threw me a baby shower on Sunday at the amazing Lisa's house in Surprise. It was just perfect. There was a lot of mingling and fellowship, some fun (and gross) games, and super fun presents for little Vaughn.

Vaughn got lots of cute little outfits (Halloween included), fun shoes (that he'll wear for 5 minutes at a time before kicking off), a fun Baby Einstein's exercaucer, a rocking chair and ottoman for me, Dave and the baby (Dave already has a little rocking/feeding area all ready to go), a toy bin, hamper (for his stinky clothes), books (he's going to be the smartest baby ever), a diaper genie, his first train set and lots and lots of diapers!

Lately, I've been battling with myself as I often do. I've been feeling quite lonely with a longing for people...a longing for friends. Life is so different than it was in college. Keeping in touch with friends seems so much harder, but does it need to be? In college, if I needed a friend to talk to, I would just walk a few feet in my apartment or hop in the car and have friends surround me in matter of minutes. I love Dave. I love being with him, but as I go through this pregnancy, I have found that I need something else. I long for friends.

The shower helped me realize that I am loved. Vaughn is loved. It may take more effort to keep people actively involved in my life, but I am thankful and blessed to have those people already in my life. I just need to work a littler harder to become closer with them. This will be more important than ever when Vaughn is here.

I have one more baby shower that work is throwing me on Thursday. Dave gets to come to that one. We're very excited to spend more time with people who already love our little boy!

Just a small thought...I feel grrrRRREAT!

I am truly blessed to be 37 weeks (FULL TERM, by the way) and feel really good. I feel great about me, the way my life is going to change, the whole labor and delivery process...I just feel wonderful. Physically, I feel better now than I did at 28 weeks. My belly is stretched so much that it doesn't hurt anymore with the growth. I still go to yoga at least two or three classes a week. The weather has finally changed so I have been able to go walking every night with Dave and Rocco. Sure, I feel lots of pressure in between my hips, have acid in my throat and have a burning rib, but besides that, I honestly feel great. I am even sleeping mostly through the night - at least 6 solid hours. I think I'm going to be sad when this is all over...

Who am I kidding? I'm going to have a beautiful baby boy to stare at and look at and hold in my arms.

Doc Appointment 36 1/2 weeks

We went to see Dr. Sawyer again today and everything is right on track.

While we were waiting for the doctor, I wish I had a video camera. Dave was being the cutest thing ever. I was talking about work while he was acting like "a little boy" to distract me which didn't work. He was wiggling from side to side like little boys do when they're bored (so he tells me). It was the absolute cutest thing ever. Our little boy is going to have the biggest personality ever if he even gets a touch of Dave!

When Dr. Sawyer came in, he apologized for the wait (a whole 10 minutes). He had delivered five babies in the previous 12 hours. One of which was a family where the dad was flying in from Iraq; well, from Iraq to Kuwait to Germany to Atlanta to Kansas to Phoenix to make it to the hospital 10 minutes before his wife gave birth to their baby. All the nurses applauded him as he ran into the delivery room.

Dr. Sawyer just did a tummy check and checked the heart beat. We asked him if our distance we need to drive to the hospital will impact when we should leave for the hospital or not. We also asked how many of his patients had babies in the car. Being as personal as he is, he told us three stories of early deliveries that all turned out great. The car one was because the husband refused to let the wife (who had a 2-page birth plan all mapped out) go to the hospital as he thought he was helping her avoid the pain medications at the hospital. Needless to say, he delivered the baby on the side of I-17. He also told us of a lady who hadn't planned for childcare for her four kids, went into labor at 3am, and her 6 year old delivered the baby - CRAZINESS!

23 days to go - wooo hoooo!

Total weight gain to date: 23 pounds

updates...almost to the finish line!

I know, the title is totally cliche, but I can almost visualize myself running toward the finish line, with a big belly bouncing up and down. As I make the last few steps, I pass through the finish line rope one huge stride at a time with a baby in my arms. My baby in my arms. His hair blowing in the wind...

...as Dave rushes from the stands.

Doc Visit - 35 1/2 weeks
We had a doctor's appointment on Thursday (as we will have them every Thursday until Vaughn's arrival) where we discussed my rib pain, epidurals, bowel movements, eating and anything else I had written in my little notebook.

• My rib pain: Dr. Sawyer said it's being caused from my liver being trapped up under my rib so there's nothing I can do about it except pay attention to my posture.
• Epidurals: He suggested to not wait too long to get one as it takes a while to get it and then for it to start working. The plan still though is to wait to see how fast I'm dilating to determine if I need one. I'm a huge baby, so I'll probably be begging for one...we'll see! We also talked about him being pooped on and he's totally cool with it. LOL...I'm not going to discuss that matter any further. Lastly, we talked about how it's taken out. He told me it's like taking an earring out which I can deal with, I think.
• Bowel movements - see above
• Eating - He suggested to go get a Wendy's milkshake before coming into the hospital. This way, if I do throw up, it'll taste almost as good coming up as it did going down. It's nice to have something in your stomach if possible and the milkshake should do the job.

Total weight gain to date: 24 pounds

Baby Gear
All the baby furniture is hear and then we have a diaper bag and fun bath stuff. We are missing the car seat and stroller though which we need to make sure we get. We went online on Saturday to buy it with the gift card Dave's mom gave us, and few other gift cards. It was not working. Finally, after I was getting super annoyed, Dave called Target. When a live person came on the phone, all they said was, "We apologize as we cannot speak to you right now. We're having a system upgrade. Call back later." Click. So we tried Sunday with no luck again. I went on Monday to find that it was no longer on sale so I wouldn't be able to use just the gift cards (you can only use up to four). Dave called yesterday and guess what! someone bought it. Hopefully, Vaughn doesn't come early because we definitely need that car seat. We do have a back up plan just in case :)

I went on today and bought the pack n' play as this is what Dave's mom decided she wanted to get since the stroller was already purchased. It comes next week. SO FUN! Now, we just have the high chair as a big item needed.

Organization
Kim came over on Saturday/Sunday to help wash baby clothes. I can't believe how many he has already. She was so sweet and cut all the tags off, sorted all the clothes and washed what she had time to do. On Monday night, I organized all the clothes so I could start hanging them up. Dave shut the lights off on me though because he said I had time to organize later. It was late so I guess I understand his reasoning for stopping my organizational escapade. I just want to make sure they're all ready before he gets here. I'm told this is called nesting. For some weird reason, I CAN'T STAND when people say I'm nesting. It's almost like I'm taking offense to it. I have no idea why. So let's just call it prepping for the bambino!

Belly Pictures
Dave and I got our pictures done on Sunday with the amazing Carrie Fay. We went to a neat little park that had random chickens, roosters and peacocks running around. I can't wait to take Vaughn there to chase after the livestock. It was super hot outside, but with the amazing husband I have holding a fan in front of my face every chance he got in between shots and feeding me with Powerade, I managed to not get sick. I did feel like I ran a marathon the next day though.

I think the best was when we kept wondering where Kim ran off to and then would see her eating fruit from the grapefruit trees or wondering after the roosters. I'm glad she got to come with us!

Flu Shot :(
In order to protect the baby (and me), I finally got my flu shot on Monday. The pharmacist wasn't going to give it to me as he said I had to wait for the clinics, but he saw my belly and got me in right away. It definitely hurt but I was a big girl with Dave by my side, of course. Today wasn't a good day though. I think I got side effects of feeling icky. I ended up coming home early from work to get a few hour nap. I still feel really achy, but hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight and go to work tomorrow.

WADDLE!
I've officially started waddling. Not terribly bad, but the back is arched back, the feet move slowly and surely. Not the most attractive gait, but I only got to do it for a few more weeks.

Oh how our life is going to change is just 20-some days. I can't even wrap my mind around it all.