Baby Test

Had our 2nd nonstress test today. Isabelle passed just fine. She is being quirky lately. Some nights you would swear she is looking for the way out.. other days so quiet (but always passes her kick tests)

And I have a new best friend! They're warm, comforting, and ease some pain. I LOVE MY HEATING PAD!! I look absolutely ridiculous with a heating pad tied around my chest, but hey I'm up for anything these days that reduces the pain.

Thomas is being super supportive and loving. Couldn't ask for a better hubby!!

And every animal in this house is love starved. They are getting their normal lovey times, but I think they sense that baby will be here VERY soon!!

I Just Want to Bang on the Drum All Day

So I called into work yesterday and have released my last 3 shifts for subbing at the library. I will be going back in April, but I'm at the point in the pregnancy where everything hurts. Apparently I grunt alot too (according to Thomas) Right now bras are the worst enemy known and I'd give anything to not feel like my rib cage is splitting.

But of course you know what that means... the brides are rolling in. They are a quirky bunch. They can sniff out the weak gazelle! They always tackle me for work when I'm least inclined. And I found out today that I'm one of Envelopment's best accounts. My little business does better than alot of the retail stores. Sadly this had motivated me... NO!

Thomas and I are going on the hospital tour tomorrow. Apparently they have super comfy beds for the proud papa's and big screen tv's.. We shall see.. And I have decided to have a "walking epidural" for a number of reasons. I thought I'd be all about the drugs, but given some factors it seems like having some feeling "down there" might be the best situation for Isabelle & I.

And the basement is almost done.. almost.. But I still hate contractors.

Another Night at the Movies

Well since Thomas is on nights and my work is decreasing, I'm back to my movie habit. I try to pick ones that Thomas would refuse to watch or sleep through. However last night HBO aired "Children of Men", a movie I thought would be worth TIVO'ing for us to watch later in the week.

I got hooked in, and I want those 2 hours of my life back. What a piece of crap!! I'm sorry, it's very hard for me to watch something for its pure entertainment value. Blame it on my BA or my own pop's need to dissect, regardless I analyze too much.

This movie does not try to explain why fertility ceased or why it starts again. It doesn't try to explain why the world (or at least the UK) has been brought to its knees or the connection to infertility. It doesn't explain "The Uprising" or "The Human Project". There is no insight nor thoughtful scientific discussion. It's 2 hours of crap.

Boo Hiss. I typically love Julianne Moore's choice, but was this just for money?

And last week we watched "The Kingdom". Very hard for me to accept the movie set. It was largely filmed on the ASU East campus.. I know that place like the back of my hand.. Really weird to see it as "Saudi Arabia"..

Oh and we watched "The Last King of Scotland". It was okay.. parts of the movie were interesting. The acting was good..

P.S. I hate contractors.. It is starting to feel like our basement is cursed. Note to self, make contractor voo doo dolls..

Sneak -a - Peek

Here's a peak of nursery & crib (lots more photos to come!!!)

Here is a sample of our v-day card... seriously, self portaits of belly buttons are not super easy!

Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting!

So Miss Isabelle passed her first nonstress test with flying colors! Nurse confirmed that she indeed is one active baby. And even with all the movement I feel, that I probably only feel half of what she is doing! I swear this girl is WonderWoman!!

And of course near the end of test she started the hiccups. This has been her thing lately. We had 2 bouts 2 days ago, another set yesterday, and these today. They crack me up - because her head is so low, it makes my bum vibrate.. a very odd sensation to say the least. Aparently when a baby has hiccups, they can't stop the test until she finishes.. It was a long late morning :-) And lucky for us hiccups are a VERY good sign of baby well being.

We'll be back next week for another look.. we'll see what tricks she comes up with then..

Ramblings

So much little things going on here and there.. couldn't think of a title or way to connect everything in a linear formation..

*very bummed about Heath. i have some friends that grew up with him down under. no i never met him or anything, but i always like him and thought he was just coming into his own. can't grasp that is was suicide.. who books a massage when they off themselves? just plain tragic..

*can not believe the Mormons are gunnin' for "alco-pops". ugh. our grocery stores are allowed to sell watered down beer and "alco-pops" (aka. Mike's Wicked Lemonade, etc.) well someone in the LDS community is positive it is encouraging underage drinking. really.. cause i thought it was fake id's.. and if it's not fake id's & someone is buying it for them, i don't think they'll stop because now they have to go to the state liquor store as opposed to our local Smith's grocery store. PURELY ABSURD! let's all get on our knees and pray Mitt does NOT end up in the oval office.. somethings I truly love about this state and some make me bang my head against a frying pan

*had an electrical shock last night while unplugging my laptop. apparently shocks are bad, bad, bad for pregnancy.. however Isabelle is doing awesome. she's been rockin' and rollin' almost nonstop since 8pm last night and has had 2 bouts of hiccups.

*we are planning on having Miss Isabelle's baptism in May. if you are interested in coming, let us know. at this time we are planning on inviting immediate family and the godparents of course!! the more the merrier, so just speak up if you want to attend!

i think that's all..

WTF?

Okay so I'm a tad blog happy today..

Catching up on the Rep. and Dem. polls.. and there is an article on why Chuck Norris doesn't think McCain is up to snuff.

Um, since when do must people care what the infomercial exercise equipment salesman thinks anyway?? Seriously! Do you? Does anyone??

Next week are we going to be covering why the Olsen twins think Clinton is just totally super??

Ugh... this country's media outlets are so sad sometimes..

P.S. And no I'm not voting for McCain.. there are things I do like about him, but he sold out a few months ago. Most likely going Dem this year, but who???? AND this is actually there first year I will have voted. The vomit in my mouth that W can take credit for has pushed me to get involved!

Snow Angel

We got pounded this morning in Utah. I think we ended up with like 6-7 inches of fresh snow here in the valley in a matter of hours. And sadly my hubby, my reliable snow plower is getting some zzz's (on night shift again).. so Izzy and I had to shovel snow! Shoveling 6-7 inches off our 3 car RV driveway sucks butt in general, and when you're weeks away from the epidural.. it gives new meaning to SUCKS!

Oh well, Isabelle and I had a doc apt this afternoon that could not be rescheduled..so I forsee a long hot shower to heal the inevitable back ache that will occur tonight.

On happier news we found a Catholic church we both like. It is very family and community oriented. We attended their Italian dinner feast this past Saturday - yummo! And Isabelle LOVES church! She totally rocks out to the music and has a grand ol' time in my belly!!

**UPDATE**
Our friendly polygy neighbors (what?? they totally are.. not that I care, at least they like us!) finished shoveling for me!!! I just did my part of the driveway and walkway before Isabelle starting hitting the sciatica nerve too hard.. Oh, I'm so happy!!

And yes Julie it IS totally time to get a snow blower!! We were fooled by last year's winter, I think we have a better understanding of Utah snow now :-)

Wohoo! DVT's Get Some Attention

Since my personal email accounts are through Hotmail, I usually get my "news" from MSN. It is typically blurbs on where Ms. Spears has shown her wooha, but today I was SO happy to see some news on the danger of hormones - specifically birth control.

Don't get me wrong, I want everyone to have access to methods that prevent unwanted pregnancies (we certainly don't need more Jamie-Lynne Spears shopping at Babies R' Us), but it SO frustrating to me that Ob/Gyn's do not educate women on the very real danger of blood clots and test their blood for any increased genetic risk.

Here is the article

((Stepping down from soapbox))

She Get It From Her Mama

When we visited the high risk doc, we received such a treat!! We had our third u/s! We didn't expect to have anymore after the 20th week. Can I tell you my girl has HUGE FEET! Oh my goodness!! I guess since I'm 5'5" and wear a 9.5 shoe it's no wonder that our Isabelle will have large feet too. And that girl has found new ways to kick inside my rib cage and squish around.. Oh my crazy girl!

So for right now we are planning an induced vaginal birth in my 38th week. People that is 5 weeks away (our cute baby counter had been wrong)! And I will now be going in for weekly nonstress tests to make sure our Superhero daughter is continuing to thrive. Her kick counts are insanely high, so I am optimistic that they can wait till the 38th week. But yes, if the results start to go down they will induce me.

People keep those cell phones on and close by!

I can not wait to meet this angel, but I'm loving every day I have left with her inside me. What a special time this is! To feel her kick and respond to my touch.. and the books say she'll know my voice instantly when she is born (and she responds to Thomas as well, so I'm sure she'll know her daddy by that unmistakable, adorable laugh of his!)

Keep up the prayers and good thoughts!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Just Plain Ugly..

The Good
What can I say? Life is grand. Aside from the joy of bringing Isabelle into our lives, my baby showers have been so good for my soul. It has been an emotional year, and I have forgotten just how much loves surrounds Thomas and I. All I can say is THANK YOU! And I'm happy to hear that so many of my favorite ladies had a fun time at the AZ shower. It was exactly what I wanted - a night to laugh, catch up, and just enjoy each other's company!

We are starting on Isabelle's nursery this weekend. Every time someone would ask about it, I would shrink inside. We couldn't start on it till the basement was completely finished. We've created a fabulous 2nd master bedroom in the basement and all of that furniture was in Izzy's room. BUT now we can move it out and get started on some nursery fabulousness!! I will be a sewing maniac in these next weeks!

And we have a WII! I will contain myself for if I go on about our love for the WII you would think it were dear Isabelle. So let's just say it's GRAND! We don't see going out too much in our future, so this is our toy :-)

The Bad
Sigh.. Just when I think Isabelle and I are out of the woods healthwise, I get kicked with a heavy dose of reality. The pregnancy has been great - no complaints. I have truly loved being pregnant and my Ob has been fab. It's the birth that can change everything.. There isn't too much good to read on the Internet about childbirth and blood thinners. And I have been kept awake at night for several days terrified about what could happen to either or both of us. So we are going to be speaking with a specialist at the U and hopefully get some answers and work out a safe, feasible birth plan. It's so hard to be at the 3rd trimester classes with these other moms who's greatest fear is what they need to pack in their overnight bag.. Isabelle's mom is a damn good fighter and I'm sure she'll pick up the Jedi way - may the force be with us!!!

And some guy pushed me on the airplane on my way home to AZ. Had he not been 90 and if my mother hadn't been holding me back.. he would have lost his dentures! As it was, I gave him a damn good tongue lashing full of non approved Mormon words.. You don't mess with Mama Bear!!!

The Ugly
I was SO convinced I would escape from stretch marks. NOT! My boobs became trashed early in the 2nd trimester. Why on Earth I ever wished for big tata's is beyond me! And while in AZ I've noticed those war wounds appearing on the bottom curve of my baby belly! ACK!! Oh and here is the topper!!! My belly button is not an innie and it is not an outie. It's some weird thing in between.. It's very shallow and sometimes part of it falls out. GROSS!!! So when I get the appearance of a flat stomach, I am repiercing my belly button with a long barbell and creating a closed system!!!

All in all we are good :-)

Blessed

I am beyond tired, but feel the need to voice my appreciation. We had my AZ shower tonight. SO overwhelming! So much love, so many amazing women in my life.

Thank you for sharing your evening with me. Thank you for sharing your laughter, your love, and of course WAY too many gifts. I hope that everyone had fun. I never feel like I am able to spend enough time with everyone, and tonight was no exception. Please forgive me.. starting my 8 month of pregnancy and moving is not so easy LOL..

All I can say is that I'm extremely thankful and feel very blessed to have all of you in my life.

I will blog more soon.

What lucky girls Isabelle and I are!

P.S. Annalee you were very much missed, just get better soon!