Mother-to-be...No More

This is officially my last post as a "mother-to-be". Baby Addison should be here by this weekend. My appointment yesterday went very well, as I was given the news I was dying to hear! I am ready to be induced! Although I am only 5 days from my actual due date, knowing that I am going to have her sometime in the next day or so is very comforting as opposed to just waiting for it to happen - since I'm a HUGE fan of WAITING and everything. So now I sit and wait for the phone call, which is sure to drive me insane anyway. I am going to receive a call from the hospital as soon as a room opens up. Now I am going to rant...

The only reason I am not in labor as we speak is because so many damn people go out of their way to have babies at the ONE hospital I happen to live NEXT DOOR to! Scottsdale Healthcare - Shea Campus is said to be "the nicest hospital in the state". However, I don't exactly agree. With all the babies coming into the world lately I've seen my fair share of hospitals and maternity wards and although SHC Shea is very nice.. so are many others. And for crying out loud people - your having a baby! Is that not enough? You need to go to a hospital that has a Spa?? AS IF you are going to use it!! So in short here, I am angry with people who drive way out of there way so that they can say they had their baby at "the nicest hospital in the state" and leave me - an actual RESIDENT to that hospital - sitting on a damn waiting list! I'm a tid bit frustrated. So if you ever plan to have your baby at SHC Shea and don't live within a reasonable radius of the hospital - don't tell me! I wont have nice things to say.

That being said - I sit here and wait.. When there is an opening that isn't filled by some person from Avondale going into labor - I will get a call and drive ACROSS THE STREET to the hospital and have my precious baby girl! :)

I am so excited and overwhelmed with the reality of the situation. I cannot wait to see her face. I just keep imagining the first time I will see her and hold her. I have a feeling I am going to hold her hostage and not let anyone else get near her! I just want to hold her and stare at her forever.. Or at least that's what I think, prior to the actual "labor" part! Everything is ready to go - as it has been for ages. The car seat is in my truck all ready to bring her home. I am thrilled beyond belief. It is going to be a wonderful day! (Aside from the wanting to pull my hair out while I wait for the call.)

I cannot wait to meet you Addison Rylee..

Passing Time

Being cooped up at home with nothing to do doesn't leave me with much to talk about. I've already done everything I could think of to prepare for Addison coming home. All the clothes are washed and my bags are packed. I even started a scrapbook to pass the time - but I quickly ran out of things to put in it since there's no baby yet! I had a lot of fun starting the book though. I put the ultrasound pictures and photos of the baby room, along with a couple of the prenatal photos we had done in Hawaii. I want her to have plenty of pictures from her childhood, since Rob and I don't have as many as we would like from our own.

Since I finished that project I have had nothing constructive to do with my time. I've been cut off from spending money - especially on baby clothes. So, I stay home in order to stay out of trouble. I signed up for Netflix yesterday so I can watch endless movies now and after the baby arrives, since I will be further constricted to the house to provide nourishment to the little one and keep her safe from RSV and other germs I am continuously reminded of. Still - I cannot wait for her to arrive.

In the ultrasound on Tuesday we could see her face and my-oh-my, this little girl has some seriously CHUBBY cheeks! They must account for all the extra weight on her right now. They have got to be the chubbiest little cheeks I have ever seen. I cannot wait to see her chunky little face. I have been going crazy wondering who she is going to look like. There's only one way to find out...

I hope to know soon!

The Appointment

I have just returned from the long awaited appointment. I am 38 weeks today. I received an ultrasound to determine the size of the baby. She is basically average. She measures in the 49th percentile, at approx 7 lbs. To my dismay I have not progressed any further toward labor. I am still 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and dropped to a -2. (I'm not entirely sure what they call the "-2".)

I am happy to know that our little girl is healthy and her heart is pumping along perfectly. We are very lucky for that. I just can't help but feel extremely frustrated while I sit and wait in anticipation of her arrival. I've never been a patient person, so this comes as no surprise to me. I just feel overwhelmed with anxiety and I get more uncomfortable by the second. There are more things to be happy about right now than there are to be upset about but I feel like an emotional wreck. It's not because I'm nervous, or scared or I feel like I can't handle what is about to happen. It's because I'm extremely excited and anxious to meet this wonderful little person. I am also frustrated with the discomfort of being 38 weeks and counting - the restless nights, the constant "heartburn", peeing every 10 minutes, never ending back pain, etc.. Although I know it will have been worth every moment of it when I see her face for the first time.

So, I have no other choice but to wait. Either she will make a surprise entrance or I will be having another check up in 7 days to see where we stand. Wish me luck!

A New Begining..

I have been inspired to create a new blog on behalf of my soon to be daughter Addison Rylee and myself! I hope to share the wonders of becoming a new mom with friends, family and whoever else stops by.

As of now, I am just weeks away from welcoming our little girl. I am anxious beyond belief. The past 37 weeks have been difficult, but thankfully the pregnancy has gone wonderfully. Of course I am more than ready to have my body back! More than that though, I just cannot wait to look into the eyes of our baby girl for the first time. To study her face and her little fingers and toes. I can't even begin to imagine how that moment is going to feel. I am sure it will be the most wonderful moment of my life, with many more to follow as she grows and surprises us each and every day.

As for me - I am currently working on getting a BA in Accounting. I have been attending Scottsdale Community College part-time. I have taken this semester off in order to care for the baby, but I plan to enroll again in the Fall semester. Other than attending school part-time I am fortunate enough to stay home with Addison. I am more than thankful to have that opportunity! It's something I will cherish forever - knowing that I was there for all of the milestones in my baby's first years of life. I look forward to spending time with her each and every day as she discovers new things and we learn together how to grow as a family. I also hope to meet other moms and get involved in some groups where Addison and I can each make new friends and socialize. I hope to avoid getting lonely as an at-home mom and I also wish for Addison to have social interaction with more than just her mom. I think activities will keep us both feeling good! I have already investigated a group of moms in my area on meetup.com that seems to be a great group of people. Once Addison arrives I hope to meet them and build some new relationships.

Until then, I am impatiently awaiting her arrival. Since school is on hold and I am not working, the last few weeks of anticipation have been torturous. With (hopefully) less than 3 weeks to go, the wait is almost over! Although 3 weeks of boredom and anticipation can move quite slowly. I am trying to relax and enjoy the ride - as much as possible.

I had a weekly check-up yesterday. I went in hoping for good news - such as "oh my goodness you're 3cm dilated and should begin labor any time now!" Okay - so I knew that wouldn't happen.. but to my surprise the doc measures my belly and gets a strange look on her face.. makes a "Hmmm.." and asks me if I felt like I grew much recently. Apparently I measured quite large.. I'm not yet sure how to feel about this. She scheduled an ultrasound for my 38 week check-up (next Tuesday) to see if Addison is as big as she seems to be. I am glad that she may be a big healthy baby - however, I will be disappointed if it means I will have to deliver by c-section. That has been a worry of mine since day one - being that I am a small woman. Either way, she s worth whatever it takes.. but I am quite nervous about the whole thing. The funny thing is - when the doc asked me that, I thought - No.. not really.. But when I got home I decided to measure my waist as I have been doing from the beginning just to see for myself how much I am growing.. Turns out I'm 1.5in. wider than the last time I measured which couldn't have been more than a few days ago.. and my belly button is completely flush with my stomach and my skin is noticeably tighter than even the day before! I guess I overlooked it, but she must have grown overnight! I hope for good news this Tuesday. Maybe she is big enough and ready to come out!! Maybe not... We'll see!

Here are some pictures of our journey the past few months!