So Far...

So far: exhaustion at home is MUCH preferred to exhaustion at the hospital

So far: breastfeeding=massive failure. Thank goodness for formula. Not so much for mommy guilt.

So far: jaundice isn't bad, but holding down a brand new baby for a heel prick isn't fun. Monday is round 2. Hopefully also the last round.

So far: Cooper is much more laid back than Garrett was.

So far: Garrett LOVES his brother and wants to hold him and take care of him whenever he gets the chance.

So far: my hormones are much more in control than they were with Garrett. Here's hoping that continues.

So far: I'm definitely allergic to the tape they use to hold down the epidural line. My back looks like a horrible sunburn and itches like a mound of fireants crawled all over it.

Most definitely: My mom is the best. She's been such a big help with the kids and the housework, not to mention just helping me maintain a modicum of sanity. I'm so glad she's here for 2 weeks. I'm not even going to think ahead to the complete basketcase I'll be when she leaves.

Most definitely: I have the best husband EVER. He has been awesome with keeping up the laundry and dishes. Not to mention helping with the boys, finishing up the project in our bathroom, staying with me overnight in the hospital, even though I insisted he go home and get some sleep, covering my back with hydrocortisone cream every night, and many, many more. I couldn't do this without him. (Of course I wouldn't be in this situation without him either. LOL)

I promise I will post more later. But for those who are not family or friends with me on facebook, Cooper Gage was born on June 17 at 9:30 am. Pictures will be posted soon. Maybe.

Tomorrow's the day!

Yesterday was my last doctor's appointment. Keith's mom came up to keep Garrett for me and I headed for my last appointment for a few weeks. As I sat in the waiting room, I was feeling pretty anxious. One reason was because I wasn't sure what I was going to hear once I got into the exam room. Would he say I was far enough along that he would send me to the hospital immediately? What day would I be scheduled for otherwise? The other reason was because the waiting room was packed! Who would have ever thought that Monday mornings would be a busy time in an ob's office? On top of this, it seemed like every time my doctor's nurse came to call someone back, it was NOT me and that someone was inevitably someone who had just walked in the door. That sort of thing really frustrates me. Especially if those patients are running late for their appointment. After sitting there for more than a half hour, I was on the verge of snapping. I realize that the wait can be much much longer than this, but I was not in the state of mind for waiting. Plus I can't help but wonder if the receptionist put my paperwork in the correct place for the nurse to even know that I'm actually there and waiting. I've worked for a doctor's office, I know how easily things get misplaced. Heck, last week my file was missing and I've been a patient there for 5 plus years.

Anyway, I decided to attempt to take matters in my own hands and walked up to the receptionist. I asked her how much longer she thought I would be waiting because I really needed to use the restroom. (Not urgently, but hey, when you're 9 months pregnant, you always have to go to the bathroom, so it wasn't a total lie.) She told me I could go to the restroom, so I explained to her that if I went to the restroom right then, I wouldn't be able to do the sample in the cup that you always have to give at these appointments. So she sent me back to the restroom where the samples take place so I could go ahead and take care of business. When I was walking back to the waiting room, the nurse was in the doorway calling my name. Finally!! Is anyone surprised that my blood pressure was high after all this? I didn't think so. Thankfully it's been normal up until this point, so they weren't concerned.

I waited for a bit in the exam room, which is always fun when you're undressed from the waist down and only covered with a sheet the size of a small towel. I actually don't mind waiting in the exam room because I know that eventually the doctor will make his way in there. Which he did. I had only dilated about 1/2 cm more than I was last week, which both irritated and surprised me because I've been having a good number of contractions over the past week. But I was still far enough along that he asked me if I was ready to have the baby this week. We all know the answer to that question! He said that he would have his nurse call the hospital when she had a chance (they were obviously swamped so there was no way she could call right then) and she would call to let me know what day was available. He said that normally he would let me pick the day, but the hospital where I'll be delivering has been insanely busy with baby deliveries. He said it's nice job security for him, but it makes for hectic days and crazy schedules. The nurse called me within an hour of when I got home and said I was scheduled for Wednesday morning at 7:30. She said to arrive about 30 minutes early and to eat a light breakfast but "nothing that you don't want to see again". haha Unfortunately I had that problem when I was in labor with Garrett so I think I'll pass on breakfast in the morning.

After getting that good news, I met with the church secretaries for a fun luncheon that was for the new secretary who started yesterday along with celebrating Cooper. We ate at the Tea Room, which is so good. It was only my second time to go there, but I definitely want to go back many more times. Their lemonade tea is so good! And we had the best time talking and laughing. Those women are so funny! I'm going to miss seeing them regularly over the next several weeks.

So now I'm passing the time of my last day of pregnancy. I also wanted Garrett to have a fun day. I thought we could go eat breakfast at McDonald's and he could play in the play area. We RARELY do that. I'm not a fan of those places and find them to be mostly gross and the other kids rude and the other parents oblivious. But I was going to suck up my issues and let him go have fun. Of course when we arrived, the manager informed me that the play area was closed for a good cleaning. Which is nice to hear, but didn't really help me after I had talked up going to McDonald's last night and first thing this morning. But Garrett really surprised me and did not throw a fit or anything. I think it helped to see a couple of workers walking through the slides with a broom. We ate breakfast and then ran a few errands. After that we went to a new park in our area. Garrett was thrilled and mostly had the preschool play area all to himself. We had been there for about 30 minutes when a daycare group of school aged kids showed up. For the most part, those kids were pretty nice to the other kids who were already there and playing. Garrett found an older girl, probably 3rd or 4th grade, who he followed around and attempted to do everything she did. It was pretty funny to watch. After an hour, I was ready to go. The play areas are under a big shade, which is so nice, but the benches for the parents to sit on are not. Thankfully there was a nice breeze, but it was still in the mid 80's and not even 10:00, so it was time to leave. Again, Garrett surprised me with his willingness to leave when I said it was time to go. My baby is growing up. *sniff* He even told me in the car "Thank you for taking me to the park. That was my best time ever!"

It's hard to believe that at this time tomorrow I'll be in labor. (I'm not going to get my hopes up that he'll already be here. Garrett's labor was 10 hours, so I'm just going to assume my experience with Cooper will be similar.) I will attempt to post fairly soon once Cooper is here. We'll see how my wireless connection is once I'm settled into my hospital room.

Pregnancy Ramblings

It's hard for me to comprehend that by this time next week I will have a new baby.  (Assuming all goes according to plan, of course.)  Who knows if he'll be 1 day old or almost a week old by next Friday, but, regardless, he should be here.  Part of me keeps thinking that I'm going to go into labor on my own since I did not experience that with Garrett, but another part of me has just decided that it's probably not going to happen until the doctor schedules the day.  

Keith and I have decided to just let our doctor and the hospital pick Cooper's birthday.  As soon as I get my heart set on him having a specific birthday, I'm sure my doctor won't be available that day, or the hospital will be completely booked.  So we'll just see what he tells us on Monday.  This weekend is going to be full of house cleaning and project completing.  I am hoping to get all my floors vacuumed and mopped, all the laundry caught up as best as possible, Garrett's room picked up and our bedroom cleaned.  I should be doing one or more from that list right now, but I have seriously lost my motivation to get up off the couch this past week.  I'm so glad I had the energy that I did up until this point because the important stuff is done and ready to go.  But now I plan what I'm going to do around the fact that I HAVE to get up to go to the bathroom.  Once I'm up for that reason, I make myself do a few other things before crashing on the couch again.  It's borderline ridiculous, really.  

At some point this weekend, we are planning on celebrating Father's Day.  I already have the gifts and the card, so I just need to plan a special meal for one of the next couple of days and hopefully he'll feel celebrated.  I think he'll really like the gifts we've bought for him and I know Garrett is really excited to give them to him.  He goes in my closet every day to talk about Daddy's surprise.  This morning he asked me where his surprise was.  As if he should get a surprise anytime someone else gets one.  But I did tell him that he'll be getting a surprise soon and just left it at that.  We've bought him a Leapster that we'll be giving him when he meets Cooper for the first time.  We plan on telling him that it's from Cooper, in hopes of smoothing the transition for him, at least a little bit.  

He has been noticing babies a lot lately.  We went to Target on Monday (and bought him a new car seat for almost half the original price!  I was so excited!) and he was talking about all the babies we saw.  One of which was crying and he said "Cooper's not going to cry." and I told him he most definitely will cry.  I don't want to upset him, but at the same time, I don't want him to have some strange expectation of what it will be like to have a new baby in the house.  

I feel like I'm going into each day, each activity, with the thought in the back of my mind that this may be the last _____ until Cooper is born.  I'm also trying to soak in the pregnancy as best as I can.  God willing, this is my last baby, so these next few days are bittersweet for me.  On one hand, I'm very ready to be done being pregnant, as all women are in the last weeks/month of pregnancy.  But on the other hand, it's hard to believe my pregnancy is almost over and that I won't be experiencing this again.  There's definitely something to be said about being pregnant and the connection that is there with that unborn baby and the excitement that everyone usually has as a pregnancy draws to a close.  

A part of me feels like I'm mourning the passage of one stage of my life into the next.  Up until this point, I've been anticipating my 2nd and final child, the thoughts of someday being pregnant with this child and everything that goes with it.  And now I'm at the end of that.  Moving on to being fully invested and focused on raising my 2 boys and everything that entails.  No more looking forward to when we might have another baby, or wondering if I may be pregnant.  And while all of this may sound like I'm not done having kids, I really and truly am.  It's more about the fact that things change and sometimes it's hard when that change happens.  Even when it's the best, most exciting change that you might experience.  It's still hard to move on to that next stage, that next step.  I don't even know if this is making sense or if it's just my weird pregnancy hormones talking at this point.

Assuming my doctor doesn't send me straight to the hospital on Monday after my appointment, I plan on blogging at least one last time to just get my final doctor's appointment info down here on the blog.  

Cooper's Room

And now for Cooper's room.  

As I mentioned earlier, we still plan on painting the letters that spell his name and hanging them on the wall, but that probably isn't going to happen before he's born at this point.  But I don't really care either way.  When they do get hung, they will go to the right of the window.  As you can see in this first picture, that wall is blank.  I think I explained before, but we never bought a changing table when we had Garrett because his nursery (which was the room you're currently looking at) had a full size bed in it so we just changed him on the bed.  But now that bed is where Garrett sleeps.  However, I have a hard time paying money for something we won't use for very long, so I hauled out the Pack N Play which really doesn't get used much, and set up the diaper changer in there.  Hopefully this will serve as a nice substitute for a changing table.  The mobile on it came with the Pack N Play, so I figured I would go ahead and put it out in hopes that maybe it will hold Cooper's attention while he's getting changed.  I hung the blanket that goes with our crib bedding on the outside of the Pack N Play in order to hide our stash of diapers.  FYI, the bottom of that Pack N Play is almost full of diapers!!  For some reason, the lighting in this picture is off.

The lighting here is much better.  In the corner behind the crib is where I currently have the baby swing, bouncer seat, activity mat, and diaper pail.  On the side of the crib that you can see, is actually an exersaucer and bouncer seat that some friends of ours loaned to us before we were given brand new ones.  I need to take them back to their house, but haven't gotten around to it.  So, those are not ours and will not be staying there.  We also have some baby equipment under the crib.  I'm trying to utilize every inch of space in his room.  And you can see Garrett talking into the baby monitor like it's a walkie talkie.  I'm sure that won't be the last time we see that.

In case I haven't already said so, the nursery theme for Cooper is the same as Garrett's.  Barnyard animals and John Deere tractors.  The "Texaco" sign is one that was given to Keith when he was little.  It doesn't exactly fit the theme, but I thought it would be cute to hang.  

The lamp on this shelf was made for me by my sister Christie when she was in junior high woodshop class.  The baskets in the shelf have baby toys in them and other miscellaneous things that Garrett has outgrown.  Like his Tickle Me Elmo and a Bouncing Tigger.  Of course now that everything is out and organized, he's more interested in playing with these toys again.  Funny how that works.  

Right by the door, is our stack of things that will be accompanying us to the hospital when the time comes.  Cooper's room seemed like the best place for them.  I would keep them in my SUV, but one of the bags has snacks and bottles of water in it and I don't want anything to ruin.  The bag on top is our new diaper bag with Cooper's name monogrammed on it.  I found when I had Garrett that having my Boppy pillow at the hospital was a big help, so I've put it with our stack to be sure I have it.  The chair in the corner was mine from when I was in college.  We have a set of 3 that float around the house as needed.  I realized that Cooper's room wasn't going to have anywhere to sit down.  We have a rocking chair, but it's in the living room and I have no plans of doing any rocking in the middle of the night, so I just stuck that chair in there in case we need a place to sit at some point.

This just gives you an idea of how full his closet is.  Of course when you don't have a dresser or chest of drawers in a bedroom, that adds more things that need to be kept in the closet.  My current method of organization is as follows: the top basket has an assortment of things in it, mostly things we'll need in a few months time, that are also small and needed a place to hang for the time being.  The second basket has crib sheets and waterproof pads.  The bottom basket has blankets.  You can also see that I have blankets stuffed next to each basket as well as a stack on the bottom shelf.  Garrett was given a TON of blankets when he was born.  The organizer next to the shelves has hats, socks, onesies, bibs, burp rags, sleepers, and more receiving blankets.  The clothes hanging on the left are 0-3 month outfits and on the right are an assortment of outfits ranging from 6 months to 12 months.  I also have onesies stacked on the top shelf that are in bigger sizes.  And I won't begin to list out all the other baby equipment hanging around up there, waiting until they're needed.  While it's nice to have most everything you need when baby #2 comes around, it's hard finding places to store all the equipment until the baby grows into it.

The elephant with the mirror on it and the bear in the corner of the crib were both Garrett's.  The elephant has a handle that the baby pulls and makes a mouse run around on the mirror and it plays music and lights up.  The bear is actually strapped onto the crib and has a sound machine inside its stomach that plays heartbeat sounds.  That is supposed to be soothing for newborns and Garrett loved it when he was a baby.  Draped over the side of the crib is a "lovey" that my friend Kelli gave to Cooper.  

And finally, the diaper changer/Pack N Play.  I've already got a waterproof pad down just waiting to be peed and/or pooped on.  The pillow will get moved I'm sure, but it was one that was handmade with Cooper's name embroidered on it by someone that Keith works with.  

And that's it.  I applaud you if you read through all of this.  Since I've been asked this question a few times, I will say that, while most of the furniture and decorations are from Garrett's nursery, everything is hung in a different spot, the crib sits in a different spot, etc.  I did attempt to do things differently so they won't one day be looking at pictures of their nursery and have a hard time figuring out whose room was whose.  

So that's it!  Hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks, the inhabitant of this room will be here.

No Stage Fright Here

I think I mentioned a week ago about Garrett's school program.  On a Sunday night, the kids who attend our church's Mother's Day Out and Daycare joined forces and performed several songs for all the parents.  I took a video of one of the songs from Garrett's class, but Blogger takes forever and a day to upload, so that will have to come at another time.  But here's a pictorial overview of the night.

"Where are my parents?  I want to be sure they're watching my every move.  They're gonna love this!  There they are."

"Smile pretty and get ready to sing!"

"Aha!  The microphone!  I know the singers in the worship team on Sunday morning sing into these, so I should give it a shot."

"Hmm, a little closer.  I don't think the people in the back row can hear me."

"And, now I'm done.  I don't know this song, so I'll just look away from the audience and then they probably won't be able to see me."

After all the groups had finished their songs, our pastor came on the stage to thank everyone and had the kids sit up there for a minute.  During that time, Garrett and his friend, Avery (the girl in the purple shirt standing next to him in most of the pictures), sat directly in front of a speaker that sits on the edge of the stage.  They both started talking into it and then running their fingers up and down the metal grating on the front until one of the adults up there told them to stop.  I have a feeling that Garrett and Avery will be getting into trouble together for many years to come.  They've known each other since birth and have always been in the same Sunday school class along with being in the same MDO class.  (And we're friends with her parents and swap babysitting back and forth.)  It will be fun to show them these pictures when they're older and have forgotten how long they've known each other.  There's just something to be said for friends you've known since birth.  That's the way I feel about my friend, Mary.

This Sunday, Garrett will be performing again with his VBS class.  That should be interesting.

The Countdown Has Begun

Of course I don't know exactly how much time is on the countdown, I just know that it's started.  My doctor told me this morning that I'm dilated to 3 cm, 50% effaced and at a -2 station.  Cooper is definitely head down, too.  So for those of you who have not had babies, that means that my cervix is open 3 centimeters out of the total of 10, and it's halfway thinned out/shortened.  The station means the approximate location of Cooper in the birth canal, +4 station means birth is imminent, so he's not super low, but that's normal with a second or subsequent baby.  They don't drop as quickly as the firstborn does.  I can't remember the exact numbers from my last appointment with Garrett except that I was 3.5 cm and I was induced the following Monday.  Of course that was 1 week further along than I am right now.  I'm sure if I had encouraged my doctor this morning, he would have agreed to induce this week, but for many reasons, I decided not to do this.  

So next Monday morning is my final appointment and at that time, we will decide on a date for induction.  Keith and I are currently considering our options along with what his birthday would be and what our preference would be of all the dates available next week.  It's silly, I know, but hey, if you're given the chance to choose a date that you'll need to remember for the rest of your life, you might as well pick a good one.  Not to mention working through logistics like where Garrett will be or with whom he would be with.  The fact that my mom flies in next Thursday.  The last minute things we would like to have done, etc.  Of course all of this planning could fly out the window if one of two things happen.  1. Cooper decides to come on a date of his own choosing between now and next Monday.  (That will be fine, son, so long as my water doesn't break in the middle of VBS this week.  Or, worse, at Walmart.)  2. The date we pick for the induction doesn't work for the hospital or our doctor.

I will keep you posted on how things progress.  For now, I feel the need to rest and clean my entire house from top to bottom.  We'll see which urge wins out.

Weekend Recap

This weekend has felt busy, but for the life of me, I can't really put my finger on what we've done exactly.  Our bathroom shower had the unfortunate timing of totally springing a leak, throwing mold on our sheetrock and baseboards (it's been there for a long while, we just didn't know it until Keith tore into the wall) and breaking a couple of floor tiles.  So we spent the day on Saturday running all over to get all the supplies needed to fix this project once and for all.  Then Keith ran many experiments trying to pinpoint where the leak was coming from.  I think we finally found it this afternoon.  We now have 2 holes in the sheetrock next to the shower, 2 tiles that have been pulled up, and baseboards missing.  I told Keith that as long as our shower is useable once Cooper is born, that's all I care about.  I can overlook missing floor tiles and holes in the sheetrock.  I just don't want to be kicked out of my bathroom shower at that time.  I'm not enjoying using Garrett's bathroom for shower purposes at the moment, but hopefully that time has come to an end.  When Garrett first saw the holes in the wall, he asked Keith what happened and Keith said "Momma did it."  haha  So Garrett took that ball and ran with it.  He immediately came up with the following scenario: "Momma got mad and she punched a hole in the wall."  Wow, what does that say about me?  Thankfully when Keith's mom was here this week to watch Garrett for me while I worked at the church, he told her that "Daddy did it", when he showed her the holes in the wall.  So at least he spared me from sharing his story with everyone else.

This morning we went to church.  The sermon was awesome!  Then we went to Sunday school.  It turns out that my group had planned a little surprise party for me as it was my last day to teach SS in our preteen department.  Since I'm due in a couple of weeks, they've told me they want me to go ahead and enjoy sitting in on an adult class while I can do so without a newborn accompanying me.  After enjoying a cupcake, I was promptly kicked out and told to go join my husband for the remainder of the SS hour.  (And sent with a dozen cupcakes too!)

This afternoon was spent helping Keith to determine the shower leak's origination, along with finishing up some laundry.  Then we went to Home Depot to get a few more supplies (it feels like we live there sometimes) and ate supper at Spaghetti Warehouse.  Once we got home, Keith and Garrett played ball in the backyard, which was a lot of fun for both of them.  Now Garrett's in the tub, Keith's taking a break from shower repair, and I'm sitting here on the computer.  I'm really looking forward to my doctor's appointment tomorrow.  I've had quite a few sporadic contractions over the past several days, with several more today.  

I will leave you with a couple of pregnancy profile shots.  The first one was from last month and I'm finally getting around to posting it.  The second one was taken this afternoon.  Just to give my family an idea of what I'm currently looking like in my final days of pregnancy.  Not the most flattering of pictures, but I know I'll be glad we took these many years from now.

8 months pregnant

9 months pregnant