Expect the Unexpected Part 2

The last few days have been a whirlwind and I have not had the opportunity to follow up on the first post to finish the story of how little Noah Zelman made his way into the world.



Flash back to the recovery room on Sunday, September 25th:
I am alone, doped up on morphine and am in total shock. The entire thing felt like a dream. I could not believe it was real. I just had an emergency c-section and my little boy is here...and his Daddy just got to go with him to the NICU. While in the recovery room I get my cell phone and realize I have a missed call from my Sister, who is in India on business. I call my Mama and tell her that her grandson is here and she let's me know that my Daddy, Kateland and her are on their way. Soon after I get a phone call from Malissa. She is so upset and I felt so bad for her. My Sister and I are best friends, we are so close and I can only imagine how hard it was for her to be completely cut off from our family during this difficult, yet extremely exciting time. She ended up being my biggest support system after Matt in the hospital, when I wasn't able to get right to sleep at night I would send her long email updates of what I was feeling and what had been happening with me and my little boy. Matt ended up coming in 30-45 minutes later. We were both extremely optimistic about our little one because of how much he weighed, our doctors and nurses were constantly commending it which made up feel better. We finally got ourselves a moment together to discuss what had happened from the blood scare to the delivery of our son. We had just been on the biggest emotional roller coaster of our life and now we had a precious little boy with no name. We had been discussing names for a while and had our top 3 choices: Noah, Joshua and Lucas. We'd decided that we were gonna wait to see what he looked like in order to finalize his name. We had already decided on his middle names: Clinton after my paternal grandfather (my Pop PoP) it was his middle name and Irving after Matt's maternal grandfather. Both men played important roles in our lives growing up and we have very fond memories of them. So we decided on Noah in that recovery room with Mama all doped up, but it just fit our sweet cheeked little boy! Matt went back up to the NICU to check on Noah while I was recovering. In order to move to a post partum room I first had to be able to move my legs. It took about 2 hours for the spinal to wear off enough that I could wiggle my legs back and forth, that was about it. In the recovery room I realized the following:
1. I had things on my leg that are like blood pressure cuffs that help to keep my blood circulating to prevent blood clots
2. A diaper like pad was in between my legs.
3. I had a catheter and its bag was strapped to my right thigh.
4. IV still in my left arm.
5. Gauze on my incision and a gauze/Velcro belt strapped around my waist to keep it in place.
6. Medicine pouch with a catheter/iv into my incision to help me heal quicker. The medicine would empty by my discharge and then they would remove it. The first thing I asked would be if I would need to have a stitch when it was removed and thank sweet baby j the answer was no.
7. My blood pressure cuff was still on my right arm.
8. I still had my oxygen.
9. My pulse rate finger thing was still on too.

I was soon told that when I was ready to leave recovery then I could be wheeled into the NICU to get a look at my little Noah. I worked as hard as I could to get feeling back in my legs and was willing those suckers to move! I finally got wheeled to the NICU to get a look at my sweet boy. At this point I really don't remember very much. Matt said that while I was in recovery I was acting like a heroin accident going through withdrawals....seriously I had the shivers, then I was sweating bullets and the worst part was after we left Noah's room and I was being wheeled to my post partum room...I threw up in the hallway. No worries I gave the nurse warning and she was able to get me this high tech barf bag. When I got to see my little boy for the first time this is what he looked like:

Due to Noah being 6 weeks early, his lungs are underdeveloped and he needs some help keeping his oxygen levels up. He was in an oxygen tent to start with to help with his saturation. He has an IV in his little hand and a monitor on his little foot. The stickies on his chest monitor his oxygen levels, heart rate and heart beat.
I was then moved to my post partum room where our families could come visit. Marty, Debbie, Dan and Liz had been at the hospital for a while and were able to come up quickly. My parents and Kateland made it to the hospital about 10-15 mins after they got there. Matt was then able to take them by twos into the NICU to see Noah.
Later in the afternoon my Mama helped me to pump for the first time. I was able to get out two droppers full of collostrum. Breastfeeding was something that I was ready and willing to work extremely hard for. And with Noah being a premie, I was more determined now to pump him some good milk.
I was told that I would get the catheter out at 10PM and then once I peed twice in the potty I would be able to have the IV taken out. All went as planned and my nurse Vange was fabulous. I was lucky and she was the night nurse my entire stay at the hospital so we got to be good friends.

The neonantologist came to speak with us about Noah later that evening and explained his oxygen/lung situation. With Noah coming early, his lungs were not quite developed. In the last weeks of gestation surfactant is generated by the body to coat the lungs and it helps you breathe. Noah's lungs did not have as much as they should with caused him to work harder to keep his lungs saturated. Luckily surfactant can be given in a quick intabation procedure. We consented and Noah received his first surfactant treatment that night. Soon after the treatment was over Matt went back over to the NICU and checked on him. In that short amount of time he could see progress from our little fighter. When he was first taken to the NICU the amount of oxygen having to be pumped into the oxygen tent to keep his oxygen rate in the 90s was 48%. After the surfactant treatment they had reduced the amount of oxygen to the low 40s!

Time for a little TMI...just so you know you still bleed after a c-section. People think because all your stuff is taken out that you won't but everything still contracts and is reducing back to its original size, which still creates a heavy period. Due to this little predicament, I got to wear a diaper...not really a diaper but it was the biggest damn pad I have ever seen in my life. It felt like a diaper.

I got myself on a breast feeding schedule and started pumping every 3 hours. Matt stayed in the room with me. And he would help me in and out of the bed when I had to go to the bathroom and he set me up and helped me pump. He cleaned all the bottles and equipment after each pump. Hands down the most supportive and wonderful husband in the world. He was extremely encouraging and I know that the only reason I have done as good as I have is because of him.

We went to visit Noah in the NICU that night which was a B with all the stuff that had to be taken with me, my IV, catheter, and medicine bag. But we made it work. The only thing that was annoying at all was my IV any time my arm was not completely straight out it would beep and as long as I moved it back the beep would stop. This was hard breastfeeding because I need to get situated and use both my hands...so often the IV would go off and moving my arm didn't stop it. So the nurse would have to come in and reset me. It was hard for me to go see Noah and try to touch him from a wheel chair in his warmer as was, but then add in the face that the IV would go off...frustrating.

Expect the Unexpected Part 1

I am extremely Type A personality. I plan for everything. I love lists. I have a very hard time with extreme situations that deffer from the normalcy that I am expecting. So of course this is how my son would come into the world: completely unexpected, unplanned and unprepared for. But I would not change one minute. This weekend has been a whirl wind. I'll try now to flash back and give you a detailed breakdown of what the last few days have been like for me, Matt and our little precious boy.

First may I please introduce you to the most precious baby boy in the world (I know I'm biased): Noah Clinton Irving Zelman born September 25, 2011 at 6:35am weighing in at 5 lbs 13 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Might I add that he was 6 weeks early.

Let's start at the beginning a very good place to start (Sound of Music reference in case you didn't know...and yes I was singing it just now as I typed that!).
On Saturday September 24th Matt and I woke up early for our birthing class at the hospital and received a lot of valuable information. We felt very prepared for Noah and at that point we were pretty much just waiting for him to finish "baking" and decide to join us in the world. We went to bed early Saturday because we planned to get up very early on Sunday because Matt was running a 10K so Baby Z and I were planning to support Daddy. That afternoon I planned to wash his newborn clothes and start getting prepped for any last minute things we might need to start thinking about doing.

Sunday, September 25th:
Being as large as I am turning over in a HUGE production for me. It requires me to get on my other side, move my large body pillow to that side, then get my belly and legs situated around my pillow so that I'm comfortable. After I had gotten settled and was about to drift back off to sleep I felt a little trickle....things just seeping out is normal during pregnancy sometimes it might be a little bit of pee and sometimes it might just be some discharge/mucus. But this time if felt different it felt like it feels when you start your period unexpectedly. So I jumped up and went to the bathroom. This was the scariest moment of my entire life and I really have no idea how I was able to get myself together and keep so calm. I think my Mommy instincts kicked in. My underwear were completely covered in bright red blood and since I sat down the toilet was completely filled. I calmly called to Matt that we (everything is we since we got pregnant it refers to me, Baby Z and Matt cause even though he isn't carrying our child he is just as much a part of everything as I am) were bleeding. Matt was so calm too he was fabulous. I managed to grab a new pair of underwear and get myself dressed. The worst part in this entire situation is that I had not yet purchased pads...it was on my list of To Dos since we still had plenty of time before his due date arrived. So I felt like that little girl in school that forgot she was about to start so had to wad up toilet paper and stuff it in her underwear until she could find a friend to lend her something, but in my case it was just get to the hospital. I told Matt about the situation and he smartly grabbed a towel so we wouldn't make a mess in Helga. Matt was so white, I knew he was as scared as I was. On our way to the emergency room I called the emergency line for my OB and they did as expected and told me to go to the ER and they would call ahead so that they would be expecting me. Matt is holding my hand and I am squeezing it for dear life praying that everything would be okay with our little boy when I started to feel him move again. That was a huge relief to both of us. With him moving we knew that whatever was wrong at least he was still okay. I waddled into the ER, half because of my pregnant walk and half because I had a wad of tp being used as a pad. We calmly got registered and taken up to the Labor & Delivery floor where they were expecting us. We were then taken to triage and I had to be put into a gown. The bed they put me on was covered in what our family refers to as pee pads. They looked exactly like the pads my mom puts down for the dog when we leave him at home for an extended period of time. With everything going on I'm quietly laughing in my head that first I waddle in with a wad of tp and now I'm sitting on dog pads! Once I am settled down on the bed I get strapped into a fetal monitor and we hear his strong heart beat and the remaining anxiety dissipates for us. We are at the hospital and his heart rate is at 140, whatever reason for the bleeding at least he is still doing okay. They then hook me up to another monitor and I discover that apparently I've been having contractions and had NO CLUE! We are talking about some major contractions a minute or two apart and I am oblivious. The nurse goes isn't that contraction bothering you, and I go "what?" she responds with "your stomach has harden you are having one right now." "Oh I thought that was braxton hicks because I don't feel any pain" Most likely I had been in preterm labor all week, when I first started feeling some pressure I just thought it was normal because he had moved a little lower and back pain that was a little more intense but again I just thought it was from where he was sitting. The irony of this situation, me the biggest hypochondriac in the world not realizing that I had a real issue, but all my non-issues are made into diseases or symptoms of a problem. We had to answer a lot of question and provide a lot of detailed information. I was told that we would then be going to get an ultra sound but they wanted to get an IV in me first. At this point we didn't have any information on what happened or why I was bleeding, but I just had this odd sense of calm. I think it's because 1. It felt completely surreal. 2. Mommy gear kicked in and I kept it together for my little boy to keep him from getting stressed. The nurse tried to stick me in my left hand, blew my vein. Tried to stick me in my right wrist, blew my vein. Another nurse came in tried to stick me in my right hand, blew my vein. Tried to stick me in my left wrist blew my vein. At this point another nurse come to tell me that I would not be moving to ultra sound that most likely what had happened is that my placenta was punctured or I had a placenta abrasion. She asked a lot of question: car accident? No trauma to your stomach? No smoking? No Cocaine? No Apparently all of these can cause the placenta to abrupt, but also there are just random situations where you have done everything right and it just happens. By this point my OB had shown up after she had finished a c-section. She checked me and apparently I was a few centimeters dilated. She explained that I had a placenta abrasion, that is just sometimes happens but the good news is I'm at least 34 weeks. She told me she had one recently where the Mama was only 28 weeks along but there was no reason for hers either. Dr. Donald then explained that I would be having an emergency c-section, that I would be getting prepped, matt would be prepped and I would be getting a spinal. The anesthesiologist came in and talked me through the process of getting a spinal and asked me a lot of questions about allergies. Other than my bad stick experiences I have no negative comments to say about any of the staff. They were amazing, the best nurses and doctors I could ask for. The anesthesiologist then was the one that put in my IV which went into the crook of my left arm. I also had blood drawn out of my right arm twice while this was going on.


When I realized that our little boy would be here in a matter of hours (minutes techincally once I was set and ready for the C-section) a million thoughts, feelings and emotions were running through my head.

1. Excitement-I was extremely excited to meet our little guy, both Matt and I are emotionally ready and so happy to have him in our lives. Not once did either of us fret over the fact that he would be early. We are both prepared and ready to take on our new role as parents.
   


2. Fear-We were not prepared for a c-section. The irony that we had just completed our birthing class not even 24 hours and now all of it meant nothing. Yes we touched on c-section, but honestly neither Matt or myself actually took in any of that information...why would we? He had been healthy and my pregnancy had been going smoothly we were set and prepped for a natural birth.
   


3. Anxiety-I need to be in control. This change shook me to my core. This is not how I wanted to bring him into the world. This is not how I wanted him to be born. This is not how I wanted to start my maternity leave. I know it sounds rediculous but I was running through a list in my head to calm myself down over what I would need to do to make me feel more comfortable (**cough**in control**cough**). This is the only time I think Matt and I were on opposite pages. I confessed about my anxiety over work...he gave me that look that i know and love and just said "seriously?" Immediately I realized how stupid this all was that I just needed to let it all go....give up my control...give it to God.
   

At this point Matt and I had a little talk and I cried a little. The first time that I had lost it since we got to the hospital, we both confessed how scared we were but how we had kept it together and remained calm for the other. We both confessed how scared we were, but this is where I have the best husband in the entire world. He has been the best and biggest support system that I could ever ask for and I would not have been able to remain calm and get through this entire ordeal without him. He constantly offered me encouragement and reassurances. He told me how proud he was of me for remaining calm and keeping it together for so long. I truly believe Mommy mode kicked in and I was able to stay calm and be okay for my little boy.

I then walked from triage down the hall to the OR that I would have my c-section in. Before I left they had already started to prep Matt and he was the cutest soon to be Daddy I had ever seen. He had a white jump suit on and blue booties on his feet and had his blue hat ready to be put on. I think this was the hardest part of the entire day. When they took me into be prepped Matt had to stay out in the hallway, so I was alone for my spinal. However, the nurses and staff were AMAZING. I didn't get scared or upset not one time. They talked to me and helped me to remain calm. The spinal was actually less painful and easier than getting my tramp stamp back in the day! I told the doctor and he just laughed at me. I immediately started to feel the affects. they helped me get laid out on the table and I was put on tons of monitors and such. I had two contraptions put on my legs that looked and felt like a blood pressure cuff but they went from my ankles to my knees and were to prevent blood clots and keep my blood circulated. I also later found out later that I was given a catheter as well. A pulse monitor was put on my finger and a blood pressure cuff permanently on my right arm that monitoring and took my pressure at timed intervals. They then prepped my belly and put up the sheet separating my head from the rest of my body. At this point one of the nurses brought Matt in and he was put in a chair right at my head. The whole procedure and process went quickly. I can honestly say it was the weirdest sensation of my life. I could feel the pressure and tugging and pulling...and I could feel when the baby was taken out before I even heard him cry. Immediately all the pressure was removed off my back. When they took the baby they worked on him right in my view so that Matt and I were able to watch the entire time. He scored 8 on his first apgar and 9 on the second which is AMAZING period but even better considering he was 6 weeks early. Everyone was really excited and positive about his weight considering he was so early its a very solid weight. My OB later told me if I had gone full term I would have been looking at 9-10 pound of baby...I knew I was growing a little porker in there! ;) Once they had finished doing his tests and cleaning him up they swaddled him and brought him right to me. I was able to touch his fat little cheeks and kiss him. Then I got to see Matt hold him for the first time. Hands down the best moment of my life is seeing the two of them together. I cried and cried. I was beyond happy. Matt then got to go with our boy to the NICU. Once they got me all fixed up I was taken to a recovery room.

The rest of the story of Noah Zelman will continue later :) Please stay tuned!

Pregnancy Week 33

Better late than never right?! I swear I plan to do this post on Monday, but something ALWAYS comes up that prevents me from being on time. I guess this is something that I will need to start coping with now and prepping for when Baby Z makes his appearance. We will now be on his time :)

Our Baby Care class on Wednesday was very informative, we got a lot of good information about general care of the baby (especially taking care of a little newly circumcised penis...not something I can ask my Mama about). Surprisingly, we were the youngest couple in the class which I guess is typical in the NOVA area. However, if we were back in Carrsville, we would have definitely been the oldest couple in the class. Matt was much more relaxed going into the class having excelled at Baby Training camp with Liam the week before...he was able to proudly answer that he had indeed changed a diaper before! :) We learned different ways to hold the baby and somehow for Team Z it always came back to a sports reference: there is the Heisman and the football holds for example. The bath information was also extremely useful. I think we both appreciated the section on when to call the Doctor and what information you should have ready (ie the baby's current temperature!). Good stuff! We also found out how many dirty diapers the baby should be providing us on a daily basis starting day 1 until....lets just say it multiples...quickly! Of course with us being the mature adults we are there has to be a good story from our class experience right?! Well here goes....so there was a video all about soothing your crying baby and different things to check (diapers, hungry, etc) to see what the cry might mean. The video got to the point where the baby is crying and you cannot figure out what is wrong and suggested methods for calming/soothing the baby. One method was skin to skin contact. In the video there is a dude with his little baby on his naked chest...not too alarming at first. But the dude then goes "oh yeah! That's better!" in a completely in appropriate tone. I can feel Matt laughing and I can't look at him. When I do I about lose it. We are both in hysterics over the absurdity of how skin to skin contact was portrayed. The worst part is we look around the room and no one else seemed bothered by it...oh well. We had a good laugh. Needless to say when our son arrives, if skin to skin contact is needed and Matt volunteers his services I have no doubt in my mind that it will be followed with an "Oh yeah! That's much better!"

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 33 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1 (total +28..ugh!)
Maternity Clothes: I caved and purchased a nice pair of Khakis and a pair of jeans and a few fall tops to get me through these last few weeks :) Old Navy is the best!
Best Moment(s) this week: We got to park in the Expectant Mothers spot at work (two weeks in a row!) SCORE!!!! I'm telling you its the little things that really matter :)
Gender: Boy
Movement: He is still moving A LOT, but I can tell he has gotten MUCH bigger and therefore his space is limited. Movement is now restricted to hiccups (which happen at least once daily...little porker!), limb stretches (I can see little hands, feet, knees and elbows poking out--sick but totally awesome at the same time) and slight position adjustments. No more flips and major movements.
Food Craving: Peach Milkshakes, Apple Juice, Cheese & Crackers
What I miss: Being able to wear my rings :( I miss them!
What I am looking forward to: Tonight we have our Breastfeeding class and on Saturday our Child Birth Express class. They should be entertaining no doubt! :)

Weekly Goals: Here is a recap of how well I did with my To-Do list last week
Put away Baby Z's towels and wash cloths-Success!
Finish helping Matt hang up all this stuff in his Man Cave :)-We get half credit...almost there!
Wash sheets and make beds in guest bedroom-Half credit again, sheets washed (and I washed ours too!) but no beds were made
Organize guest bedroom-Success!
Schedule Eye Appointment-Fail!
Assemble stroller-Fail!
Put car seat in Helga for next week's inspection-Fail!
Get car insurance straight-Success! Thank you Husband!
Call HR about maternity leave-Success! However, I will have to follow up....booo!

This week's goals:
Make beds in guest bedroom
Schedule Eye Appointment
Assemble stroller
Put car seat in Helga for inspection on Friday
Start washing Baby Z's newborn clothes (hopefully he will be able to wear them for a little bit!)
Cancel my old car insurance

And without further ado here we are with less than 7 weeks to go, unless he decides to be early! :D Hey Baby Hey Baby Hey! My future little Hokie is on the way! :):)

Pregnancy Week 32

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 32 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1 (total +27..ugh!)
Maternity Clothes: I caved and purchased a nice pair of Khakis and a pair of jeans and a few fall tops to get me through these last few weeks :) Old Navy is the best!
Best Moment(s) this week:
Meet Helga the Highlander our new family friendly vehicle. How about she doesn't need a key?!?! That blows my mind! We cannot wait to drive our little boy around in this! :)
In edition our visit to the hospital was amazing, minus 29 being flooded in multiple sections due to the torrential down pour of rain we had last week. We were both very excited about the rooms...PRIVATE holla! :) And they have a full service Starbs in the cafeteria!!! WOOT! Can we say Pumkin Spice Latte?!?! :) If you are preggers I would recommend the visit especially if this is your first it helps you get acquainted with the hospital and have an idea of where you need to go to get checked in depending on time...even though Matt says he has completely forgotten only after a week! :P At least he knows where to park ;)
Gender: Boy
Movement: He is a wild one!
Food Craving: Apples
What I miss: Being able to really shave my legs! It's gotten messy as of late and I apologize to all that have to see my bare legs.
What I am looking forward to: Tonight we have our first class at the hospital, this one is Baby Care. AND Sister is coming to visit tonight. I'll be dropping her off at IAD tomorrow for her business trip to INDIA!
Weekly Goals: Here is a recap of how well I did with my To-Do list last week
Pay bills -Success!
Wash all towels and wash cloths and put them away -I get half credit on this. I washed all OUR towels and put them away. And I washed Baby Z's towels, but they still need to be put away.
Wash Baby Z's clothes and put them away - Epic Fail
Purchase Stroller -Success!
Wash Mustang (we'll be trading her in) -Success!

Purchase new vehicle -Success!
Finish helping Matt hang up all this stuff in his Man Cave :) -Fail
Wash sheets in guest bedroom -Fail
Here are my goals for this week:
Put away Baby Z's towels and wash cloths
Finish helping Matt hang up all this stuff in his Man Cave :)
Wash sheets and make beds in guest bedroom
Organize guest bedroom
Schedule Eye Appointment
Assemble stroller
Put car seat in Helga for next week's inspection
Get car insurance straight
Call HR about maternity leave

And without further ado here we are at with 8 weeks to go...Oh Hey there chunky baby!

Pregnancy Week 31

Holy Moly! We are in the single digits counting down our remaining weeks! Whoa!
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 31 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +3 (total +26..ugh!)
Maternity Clothes: Well its finally come to that point where my shirts that I have been making work no longer hide the ENTIRE belly...so I will be making some maternity purchases this weekend to get me through the last few weeks and the beginning of Fall!
Best Moment(s) this week: In no particular order
1. Our Ohio Visit for Labor Day!
We had an amazing time! The main purpose of our visit was for Matt to attend "Training Camp", his words not mine. With football fast approaching you can see where this reference came from. Bill, Sara and Ali Scott welcomed their newest edition to the Scott family a week before...William Warren Scott IV or Liam for short.Isn't he precious?!?!
It worked out perfectly that we were able to see everyone and also give Matt an opportunity to hold a newborn, change a newborn and burp a new born. Unfortunately, Matt doesn't have the proper equipment to feed a newborn ;) It was also wonderful for me too to get to talk with Sara about her pregnancy and breastfeeding a new born. :) They are amazing friends and we are so lucky that they shared their house with us...and both their babies! :) Here is Matt holding Liam and watching Tangled with Ali and Bill.
Such an alert little fella :) Look at those cute lips! :)
Matt changing a diaper for the first time! He did an excellent job! :)
Successful change and no causalities!!! :)
Ali and her Uncle Bear playing in her castle!Matt burping Liam :)Liam was getting a tiny bit fussy because he was ready for a feeding, so Matt was calming him down until Sara was able to bring him his food :)Look who is a pro at holding a baby now! :) Cannot wait for our little guy to get here!
The whole big Ohio Family threw us an awesome surprise shower on Saturday, which was extremely sweet. Matt has some truly amazing friends and I am so blessed to have been welcomed into the family with open arms :)
Emma cleaning away on Ali's play kitchen set :)
Emma and Matt playing together!
Laura put together some really fun games for the guys to play. The highlight was by far the guys having to chug a beer out of a baby bottle.
Here is Matt looking like a bear eating him some honey!
The other game was guess what the baby food is...hilarious!
Here is Kevin sniffing out before attempting to eat it...turned out to be turkey and yes I gagged on the smell of it!
2. Pumkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbs...they made their appearance on Sept 6th (Matt and I had been together exactly 4 years!!)
3. I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!!!! :)
4. Our little guy's heart rate is still sounding great! We had a check up on Wednesday.
5. We found Baby Z a pediatrician. :)
6. We hit up the outlets while in Ohio and I found the CUTEST sweater vest outfit for Baby Z for Christmas!!!

Gender: Boy
Movement: None stop! I can tell he is getting much bigger...his movements are so crazy these days!
Food Craving: Salad :) A nice healthy change
What I miss: Well I cannot wait to escape my own personal summer...my poor husband has suffered through some crazy low air settings this summer. Hopefully with Fall quickly approaching we can fix that thermostat without me dying of a heat stroke! :)
What I am looking forward to: Tonight we tour the maternity ward at the hospital we will be delivering at! :) AND this weekend we will be purchasing a NEW family friendly vehicle. :)Weekly Goals: Here is a recap of how well I did with my To-Do list last week
Mail Thank You Notes -Success!
Unpack bathtub set -Success!
Store Car Seat in Baby Z's closet -Success! (Thanks to Matt for relocating it upstairs!)
Assemble rocker -Success! (He room is now complete!)
Wash all towels and wash cloths and put them away (Baby Z's of course) -Fail
Get packed for Ohio :) -Success!
All in all not too shabby!
Goals for this week:
Pay bills
Wash all towels and wash cloths and put them away
Wash Baby Z's clothes and put them away
Purchase Stroller
Wash Mustang (we'll be trading her in)
Purchase new vehicle
Finish helping Matt hang up all this stuff in his Man Cave :)
Wash sheets in guest bedroom

And without further ado here we are at with 9 weeks to go...can we say HELLO BELLY!

These are my confessions...

Following in my friend H's footsteps, here are my confessions:

-I am so excited for FALL!!! I love it with a passion! Here is why I love fall in no particular order:

• Pumkin Spiced Lattes (even though my intake will be limited I can still **hopefully** have the occasional treat)



• Pumkin bagels and cream cheese at Manhattan (bagel shop near where we live that is AUH-MAZING!)



• Crisp cool air in the morning which normally means jacket weather is approaching which I LOVE, however currently nothing I own fits so I will have to invest in some new sweaters and a pair of maternity jeans for the fall.



• Changing leaves! I love seeing all that orange and maroon!



• HOKIE Football!!! :) I could sit all Saturday and watch college football for hours, NFL sunday and monday nights with Matt are a different story. I normally have a book in my possession.



• My little boy will be here!!! :) Which means next Fall we'll get to celebrate his BIRTHDAY! Woo hooo! :)

-I have to admit my glucose test on Friday went better than anticipated. I felt a million times better (physically) than I did the previous week doing the one hour test. Let's hope this is a good sign! I was given some great advice to walk around as much as I could after drinking the nasty drink and did so. I started getting a headache and tummy pains towards the end but at that point I'd been going 12+ hours without food or water...so it makes sense my body would be hating on me! I found out talking with my doctor in person that I misunderstood the phone message (go figure!) and that the highest they want my sugar levels to be in 120 which I clearly missed by a long shot with a level of 153...AWESOME :( To pass this test I have to have 2 out of the 4 blood sticks to be normal. Fingers crossed I will find out tomorrow.

-I gained 2.5 pounds since Friday.

-I horded treats over the weekend while in Ohio like it was my job, I figured now or never in case I have to be put on a diet for my last 8 weeks...wouldn't that suck?!?!

-I'm scared for everyone around me and all who I work with if sugar has to be removed from my diet.

-We went on a shopping spree this weekend for the little fella at the outlets! :) I love shopping for him! :) We bought him a little Christmas outfit: khaki pants, red and green stripped shirt and an reindeer sweater vest! I LOVE SWEATER VESTS!!!! :)

-When does the whole nesting thing kick in? I'm having to force myself to do housework...which is just the opposite of how I normally am. I don't ever mind cleaning and I normally jump at our free weekends home to clean house. Lately I have huge stacks of papers lying around that I need to organize and sort...WTF! I can honestly say this is not the case in Baby Z's room :)

-We've decided that Christmas/Hanukkah gifts will be small this year with the exception of two LARGE purchases: new family vehicle and a new family camera.

-We're car shopping this weekend. We have our eye on the Toyota Highlander...and if we can swing it we would like to go hybrid.

-We'll be getting our new camera in October (early present!!) before Baby Z makes his appearance.

-My list making has gotten out of control recently, I write everything down because I'm afraid I will forget something really important.

-I've realized what I want to be when I grow up, but with our current work from home situation and the baby coming in the next few weeks, I've decided to put off a career switch until fall of 2013. Our contract ends at that time and even though there will be a new contract, we aren't sure of the changes and what it will entail for us (will our telework have to end?). So the benefits that I have in my current position outweigh a career switch that could make me a much happier and nicer person.

-I fear career change. I know it sounds silly, but regardless of how bad I may feel my situation is at times I have a good support system around me and I have found a really good mentor on my project. I fear losing those relationships and not being able to replace them in a new position. I also fear that it wouldn't be a better move, that I would regret leaving my current job.

-I over-analyze situations.

-I am a pleaser, I always want everyone to be happy before I worry about what I want/need. Especially when it comes to our families. I worry about my mother bear instincts coming out and causing a HUGE shock to everyone when I say "no" and disregard other's feelings to do what is best for my little boy. I have a hard time speaking up/standing up for myself (shocker right??), when I do LOTS of emotions are normally involved (cue crying and/or yelling). What I do not have a hard time doing is standing up/speaking up for people that I love and care about. It comes very easily for me. I would rather piss off/upset folks here and there, rather than having something pushed on me/him that I don't feel is right. So here is hoping that I am worrying over nothing :P

-I've been slacking lately updating the blog and need to step it up!

-Sometimes I just walk in his room and look at the crib thinking he'll just appear! hahah wouldn't that just be so much better than a delivery!?! ;)

-I've been singing Usher the ENTIRE time I've been writing this post. :P