Wait? It's New Years Eve!?

I was going to slowly write this and actually post it on New Years Eve but I finished it early so I'm posting it on the 30th instead..

So this year has flown by and it's been majorly crazy but I definitely wouldn't trade it. Let's recap..
Jeff moved from Tulsa.
I moved from Fayetteville.
We got our first apartment together in Rogers.
We put down the payment for our wedding--
1 week later found out we were going to have a baby.
Got married in June and went to the Bahamas for a week.
Moved back in with my Mom in September for a year.
Jeff gets deployed to Egypt in October.
Oliver is born December 4th.
Jeff comes home December 10th-26th.
Now he is back in Egypt until at least September.

Good news is starting Saturday I can say "Jeff will be home this year."
Bad news is it's still another 250+ days (8 months just sounds better though.) 

So on to the New Years Resolutions..
Normally I don't really set any that are serious. I know most people set ridiculous expectations and then don't achieve them so I tend to make funny resolutions. This year I'm setting realistic resolutions with high hopes. With my pregnancy with Oliver I managed to only gain 19 lbs and now at 4 weeks postpartum I have lost all but 2lbs. Sadly I don't look anything like what I did before Oliver. I know that the skin on my stomach still has to shrink back up and that will take 6 months to a year but I would really like to lose the extra weight I have gained over the last 3 or 4 years and get back to my comfortable weight. I'm not going to post the actual but I'm planning on keeping track of the weight loss along the side of the blog. So anyway..

My New Years Resolutions are:
lose weight (goal: 45 lbs by September 1st)
remember to take meds every day to help with the anemia
get a good job before Jeff gets home (40 hr/week entry level desk job.. do you know of anything for me??)

Well.. that's that! An update on Oliver. He's still eating a ton and plumping up a little more so I'm sure he's gained weight again. We don't have another appointment for 2 more weeks but there's no doubt that he has. He's sleeping pretty good once he gets to sleep but the last couple of days he has been fighting it and getting cranky. Hopefully this isn't something that sticks.. I know you don't want to read anymore so here's the fun stuff. 

Oliver has this terrible rash right now. The doctor thinks its just a combination of newborn rash/acne and a reaction to detergent, soap or lotion. I have tried everything and he still has it though.. Hopefully it's just newborn rash and it goes away asap.

He got a bath, a fresh diaper and then ooh'd and ahh'd in his lamb seat while I got a shower. He's just too dang cute!

My mom and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Oliver to watch OSU play in the Alamo Bowl. Oliver was even dressed up. (picture below)

The shirt is huge on him (it's a 6-9 month and he's barely in 0-3 month), the paci is too big and he spits it out quickly, and the sunglasses probably wont fit until this summer at the earliest BUT he was a trooper and let me take a picture of him in his OSU gear.

My mom with Oliver in front of his crib with the new dots I put up that match his bedding exactly! :)

Back up to birthweight!

Oliver has been taking his sweet little time gaining weight lately so my doctor has asked us to come back every week since he was born to get weighed. Today he was weighed and gained quite a bit! Here's how his weight has gone so far:
Birth weight: 8lb 8oz
3 days old: 7lb 15oz (lost 9oz)
1 week old: 8lb 1oz (gained 2oz)
2 weeks old: 8lb 3oz (gained 2oz)
3 weeks old: 8lb 11oz (gained 8oz!!)
Since he has finally gained a significant amount my doctor said as long as he is eating, peeing and pooping regularly that we don't have to come back until our 6 week appointment in mid-January- woohoo!!! He has a pretty gnarly rash right now that my doctor thinks is just a reaction to something he wore or he just has sensitive skin but we are watching it pretty closely just to be on the safe side and I'm checking his temperature at least every 2 bottles just to make sure he didn't get something.

So I haven't posted much lately because Jeff and I were so busy while he was here and over Christmas. Sadly, Jeff had to go back to his deployment yesterday (my birthday) but he will be back in 8 1/2 months or so and then he will be done with deployments for good!! We had a good time while he was here though. We were able to take Oliver to get his picture with Santa. He was out the whole time but the picture is precious either way. We also took him to see my sister at work at Twin Peaks so she could show him off and I could get a picture with him and all of the Santa's helpers. Jeff's stepmom, Vanessa, and 2 of his siblings were able to come up from Texas for the weekend to see Oliver and my mom made a big Christmasy dinner for them. And of course, we did all of the usual Christmas stuff with my side of the family- Christmas eve with my Dad's side and Christmas morning with my mom's side. I think Oliver is still tired from being passed around so much. He has been slightly cranky but sleeps pretty good still! Ok, well.. enough of me blabing, here are a few of the pictures..

My sister is slightly obsessed with Oliver.

All dressed up to go see Santa!

Oliver with the Twin Peaks girls and his Aunt Malibu/Sarah.

His outfit for going to Twin Peaks. I thought it was only appropriate that he was with 8 girls that were dressed up as Santa so he must be Santa's little helper.

Meme and Oliver were all festively dressed.

Our cute little family including Big Brother Oscar :) (No, I did not cut my hair. It just looks short here)

Oliver had a little accident in his first outfit so changed into this one and matched my sister so they "had" to get a picture together.. I'm telling you, she's obsessed!

Oliver was pooped when we got home from Oklahoma so we snuggled while Jeff and Jason went to see a movie on his last night in the states. 

Jeff holding Oliver at the airport before we said goodbye one last time. :(

Just in case you haven't seen his birth announcement, here is a picture of it. Picture by Kelsey Gaithe.

Yesterday, after seeing Jeff off at the airport, Oliver and I went shopping. I got a new digital camera and a few little goodies at Baby Gap and exchanged a few things. Jeff gave me strict instructions to get a nice camera with a decent lens so I did. :) Yay for decent pictures of Oliver (once I figure out how to use it..) I tried to test it out earlier on Oliver.. my skills are not so great yet.

Yes, he is sleeping in his Lamb Seat that is in his crib. He fell asleep in the seat and she didn't want to wake him up but put it up in the crib so the dogs couldn't get to him.

Oliver has plenty of clothes!!! the top rack is up to size 3 months and the bottom rack is 3-9 months his pants are in piles on the shelf and then he has all the bigger sizes in buckets/boxes. Spoiled. Rotten.

Looks like Oliver and I start back to work sometime this week or at the latest a week from today so I'm sure we will have plenty to post about next week if not before then. Have a good one!

2 weeks old!!

HOLY COW!! Time is really flying! In this time I have learned and discovered...
1. I hate Huggies diapers. Oliver's legs are much too skinny for their newborn diapers and so everything leaks no matter what. I'm officially a Pampers Momma now. I love the swaddlers- they are perfect for my skinny little man!
2. Oliver is the gassiest baby I have ever met-- and I have taken care of well over 50 newborns and infants in the last 3 years in the nursery at the church that I work at. Luckily, he is still very happy 95% of the time when he's gassy.
3. Going by what the books recommend is not recommended. You have to do what works for your baby, not what the books say. As long as he is happy and healthy I'm perfectly content. i.e.) breastfeeding v. bottle feeding, giving him a pacifier too early, letting him sleep in his baby seat for the first week instead of his crib, etc.
4. I'm not sure how other mothers do it.. I'm blessed to have a baby that is so calm (knock on wood!!) and sleeps so well. I'm having to wake him up through the night to feed him (to be fed every 3 hours due to his initial weight loss) and as long as he has a full belly, clean diaper and he's warm he will just sit there in his baby seat and let me take a shower, dry & straighten my hair, and do my makeup!!! He's such a good baby. I couldn't imagine how I would get anything done with a normal baby...

So here are a few pictures for those that haven't seen them on Facebook already..

Oliver in his baby seat

Oliver and Oscar's first meeting-- brotherly love!!

Oliver at the doctor for his check up-- all healthy!

Sweet cuddly baby at the doctor again to get weighed

Jeff's friend, Jason, bought Oliver another Cowboys shirt since his is too big still. They didn't win but oh well..

He has super chunky cheeks but he's super long and skinny. These newborn size "skinny" jeans are too big on him. hahaha

I'm so glad Jeff was able to come home on leave to meet Oliver and spend Christmas at home. How sweet is this??

Baby Oliver is here!

So I'm sitting in the hospital room waiting for them to bring Oliver back to me. He's getting his vitals checked, getting some blood drawn and then getting his circumcision and going crazy so I figured I would go ahead and answer all of the questions I've been getting and post a few pictures for your entertainment.

First.. what everyone wants to know.. THE STATS!!!
He was born 12/4/2010 at 2:44am, weighed 8lb 8oz, and was 21 3/4"

Now, the whole story.. I'll try to keep it PG and not super descriptive ;)

I woke up Friday morning when my mom was getting ready to go to work and thought I had just peed on myself just a little bit but dismissed it as just discharge and went back to sleep for an hour. Then I woke up about an hour later and felt pretty good so I decided to go ahead and go to Target to get one last thing for Jeff for Christmas and breast shields for breastfeeding. While I was in the baby area I bent over to get something off the bottom shelf and I accidentally peed myself a little bit.. just a little bit like the commercials for old people! Ok, well I just finished going about my business and then it happened again a few minutes later-- so annoying but I just dealt with it and figured it was a fun part of pregnancy that nobody mentions when they say how much they loved being pregnant! So I finished getting a few things and then went and checked out and then I had to go to the restroom so I went to the bathroom and realized it wasn't pee so I figured it was just watery discharge but it was happening a lot so I decided to call the doctor anyway.

So I called the doctor, and the desk lady said that she was in labor and delivery with another OB patient but to go ahead and head on up to Rogers and they would check me and see what was going on. I called my mom to let her know what was going on and told her how I was in denial and thought it was just watery discharge but who knows! I get to the doctor at just about noon and get checked in, go get weighed, give them a urine sample and then went back in my patient room and waited forever! Turns out she was still over in the hospital with the OB patient that was in delivery.. but oh well! So then she comes to check on me about 45 minutes later- she did the chemical test on the discharge-ish stuff and turns out that my water did break but I still was only dilated to 2cm and my cervix was high. The nurse wheeled me across to the hospital and got me checked into my room. Because my water had broke he had to be born within the next 18-24 hours because of the risk of infection after that.

So my nurse came in and got my info, and got me ID'ed and banded with my patient bracelets and I had a few forms to sign off on. Then she came in to get my IV started. Let me first say if you're in training or you're new, people can tell. There is no need to tell a woman who is in labor that you're new. Well, she starts by saying she's new and then attempts to find a vein to put the IV in.. I have a couple of really good veins and then I have a couple that are ok but not great-- she tried to put it in a vein that I couldn't even see unless I looked really close.. and then she moved the needle around all over the place. She ended up getting one of the veterans and the veteran got it in and set in 2 minutes. She even laughed at how easy my vein was to find. Then the new nurse checked to see if I was anymore dilated and "couldn't find my cervix" ---uh WTF??? so the veteran nurse came back in and checked me, with no problem and even said she felt hair!

Anyway.. I was just not happy with that nurse. They started me on pitocin right after I got the IV (this was at 1pm) to get my contractions started and to get me more dilated. I was contracting a lot but not in a whole lot of pain. My mom, Kelsey and Jason all came and just sat there with me and tried to keep from being bored.. it didnt work too well.. Anyway, so at 6pm my doctor came over and was going to put the internal monitors in me so they could monitor his heartbeat and my contractions much better and more accurately. She went to put it in and discovered that I had a "forebag" which is just an extra bag of water that had not broke yet. Apparently it was acting as a cushion keeping me from feeling many contractions.. once she did and got the monitors on I not only increased my dilation but I felt every bit of it. I got the epidural and then I was much better!!! :) At this point I went magically from a 4.5 or maybe a 5 cm dilated to an 8 in just under an hour!

Then it was all a matter of just getting a little more dilated and getting him to come down lower and then by 1:30am they were kicking everyone out and setting up things for delivery. I started pushing at 2:10ish and at 2:44am little Oliver Jackson Massey was born! I was so lucky to have such a great nurse and doctor that got me to move and push a certain way (different ways and times) so that I wouldn't tear. Of course I'm still really sore but I'm not torn and no stitches or anything so woohoo!! :) I'm just taking super strength Motrin for the swelling and then I'm going to have to the doctor to get checked up tomorrow, Tuesday.

So I started this post at the hospital Sunday morning while they were checking his vitals and doing his circumcision and it is now Monday morning and I'm finally finishing up while eating some oatmeal and Oliver is sleeping like a rock. So far he is by far the easiest baby. He's really calm unless he's hungry or needs his diaper changed and he's sleeping on a pretty regular 3 hour schedule. Yesterday was rough because of the circumcision and then my lack of sleep but I got in a shower, nap and some dinner and it was a little better. Luckily my husband was there to reassure me that he's going to love me no matter what I feed him and that I don't have to be super woman to be his mommy-- definitely what I needed to hear at that point. ***brownie points to Jeff!***

I have only been home 18-20 hours and I'm already planning on trying to do something today to get out of the house because I'm getting stir crazy. I don't know how people can have their entire family in the house and stay there for the first 2 months.. definitely not for me! I need to run to the bank (that will let my mom show him off too, I'm sure she will be ecstatic!!!) and possibly back to Target since the bottles I bought for Oliver aren't going to work. I guess it all depends on how much energy I have in a little bit. OK! Time for Mommy to try to nap a little more while Oliver is snoozin! Goodnight (Yes, I know its already almost 8am!)

I just realized I forgot to post pictures.. MY BAD!!!

Daddy getting to see Oliver via Skype just after he was born and cleaned up. Jeff's face gets me everytime

Little guy in his car seat about to head home from the hospital. He was too tall for the newborn setting on the car seat so we had to put it on the tightest 6 month setting!

Sleepy little boy cuddling with Mommy-- all snuggly in his thermal shirt and sweat pants

My enormous foot. I didn't swell too much until the very last bit of the pregnancy but my normally very thin ankles, feet and toes turned into one big "cankle" The right side isn't as bad but it's not cute either.

Pregnant: Week 39

Doctor Appt Info
Well, good news is I got in to the doctor very quickly.. like 5 minutes after my appt was scheduled (a miracle!) My urine came back positive for protein, my blood pressure was high, and I had lost 3 lbs since last Tuesday. Not so good. They ran a few more tests and the tests all came back that the levels were low and retook my blood pressure and it was lower so my doctor just said to come back next week like normal but if I have any signs to come back immediately. Signs to look for: headache(s), lightheaded, double vision, high blood pressure, or any cold or flu symptoms. Pretty much if I feel like crap, come back ASAP! They're worried that I might have pre-eclampsia but as of now I don't. I told her when Jeff will be back and asked her not to strip my membranes again. From what I have read if it doesn't work the first time (last week) then it will be very effective on the 2nd or 3rd time but I want to keep Oliver in there as long as possible so hopefully Jeff will be able to be there with me in the delivery room. She agreed saying she has no problem with skipping the normal checking and membrane stripping this week as long as I feel fine, which I do. So as far as I know, I'm still sitting at 1cm dilated and 60% effaced-- which was last weeks numbers. I may have her check next week and just not strip the membranes if that's possible because my pelvis and hips are KILLING me and I'm thinking I'm definitely more dilated than last week.. but no contractions so who knows!!!

Baby Facts
One uncomfortable complaint of late pregnancy is frequent hiccups. No, not you, your baby. Because there is no air around your baby, when she practices breathing, it can cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe, resulting in those regularly spaced thumps that make you think you're carrying a jumping bean in your belly.  The lanugo (an exotic word for soft, downy hair) that used to cover your baby's body has mostly disappeared, but you may find a bit leftover on the shoulders, forehead and neck. Don't freak and think you've given birth to a monkey: It'll fall out soon. The color of baby's skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color (even in babes with dark skin). These changes are due to the amount of fat your little pudger is putting on. The circumference of your baby's head and abdomen are about the same size now (though you may not be able to tell if your baby's born with the common cone-shaped head!). The placenta is lending your Mini antibodies that'll keep him strong and healthy after birth. That said, it's still a good idea to invest in that mega-size bottle of hand sanitizer.

At this point your little critter is about 19 to 20 inches long and weights about 7 pounds. That's just around the size of a large rabbit. What's up Doc?


Life Happens (it's a little longer than normal this week)
Thanksgiving was good for the most part. Stressful and tiring but good. My mom drove us over to Oklahoma on Thursday morning and we got back late Sunday night. I learned that I hate being dependent on people to drive me places but mostly just not having my car available whenever I please. I know if I would have drove myself to Oklahoma I would have been miserable so it was for the better but I just wanted to be able to leave the house whenever I please and that didn't happen.

Jeff's flight is booked for him to come home but I'm not telling you when! He's mine, all mine! (Kidding, of course!) I'm pretty sure it's classified information as to when he's coming home and leaving so I can't give out exact times and dates on here but he will be home fairly soon and leave shortly after Christmas! woohoo :) Oh and I just realized that Jeff will be able to take Oliver to get his first pictures with Santa and maybe even get our first family Christmas pictures taken (all depending on how I'm looking by then and when Oliver decides to arrive, of course!) I'm thinking Christmas pictures with Santa at Utica Square and then go see the lights at Rhema.. not a bad idea!!

I just want to let the world (or at least my blog followers) know that I have found the most comfortable and cute lounge pants that are long enough for me!! Not special order long pants like I normally have to buy but just regular off the rack pants.. I know, I'm in shock too. They are "sweater pants" from Target of all places and they're about a 35" inseam. I'm guessing they will shrink up a little bit but even if they do they will still be plenty long enough. Tonight I went to Target to get some longer tank tops and some panties for after labor & delivery and I felt of them just wandering through the isles and fell in love. So of course I had to see if they were long enough by chance and just my luck they were so I took 2 pairs to the fitting room to see which size fit better and to my disbelief they were almost too long but with shoes they're perfect! I'm just glad to have some pants to make it through the rest of this pregnancy and the first couple weeks after birth ( or more likely the first month..) I only bought 1 pair but I'm sure I'll be wearing them every other day for the next few weeks since I'm ruling out my jeans for the most part and I only have a few pair of pants that are comfy and long enough. Anyway.. I love these pants and I thought I'd share my joy with you. (I attempted to look them up on the Target website to share with you but I couldn't find them. Sorry!)

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do the blog once Oliver is here. I'm about to start stalking other mothers to see how they do it because of the ones I follow none of them do it how I'd like to. I'm going to for sure make a column on the side to keep up with his stats (weight, length, etc) but I'm not sure how I want to lay it out.. maybe I will just stick with how I've done it throughout the pregnancy? Any tips or ideas? Comment on here or email me if you have any!!! :) They're much appreciated!

For those that don't follow my Facebook account, here is the belly picture for this week. ;) My Daddy says he's due first and is having twins! haha

Me and my Daddy comparing bellies at Thanksgiving dinner at Granny & Pa's house.

Pregnant: Week 38

Doctor Appt Info
Cervix is still high but strangely enough I'm starting to dilate. Nothing major yet but she went ahead and did a membrane sweep to hopefully get things started up. Now I know most of you haven't had babies before and you're not doctors so here's what a membrane sweep is:

"Membrane sweep, also known as membrane stripping, or "stretch and sweep" in Australia and the UK - during an internal examination, the midwife moves her finger around the cervix to stimulate and/or separate the membranes (the "bag of water") around the baby from the cervix. This causes a release of prostaglandins which can help to kick-start labor. A membrane sweep increases the likelihood that labor will start within 48 hours."

Now don't get your hopes up. She's already expecting me to be back next Tuesday at my regular check up and not expecting this to actually start my labor. It is in hopes that the cervix will move and get things moving slightly quicker. Either way, no baby yet. :)

Baby Facts
Your baby's intestines have accumulated a considerable amount of meconium (the code name for black, tar-like baby poop), which is usually eliminated shortly after birth and gives you your first experience with the 100-wipe diaper change. Here's what else is up: Your baby might just scratch himself in the womb as the fingernails have grown over the fingertips now. Baby's lungs continue to mature and his brain and nerve function are working better every day. The latter two will continue to mature until Junior is a teenager, at which point she'll know it all (or at least she'll think she does).

Life Happens
This week has flown by. I'm guessing with the combination of the pregnancy coming to an end and the holidays getting so close that I don't just count the days on the calendar anymore. I'm pretty sure I have the majority of things ready for the little man. Today I went and got my oil changed so the car is finished now -they were supposed to when I got my alignment and brake job recently but I guess they managed to forget to. I also have his gear all ready for the most part. I'm sure there will be things that I realize I need once he is here but that will hopefully give me a reason to get out of the house. Now it's just time to wait for Oliver to make his appearance and to wait to find out if Jeff will be able to come home for the holidays and to meet Oliver.

Scatter-brained

I'm irritable- VERY irritable. I'm pretty sure the combination of being sore and achey all of the time, not sleeping well, and dealing with grouchy people is getting to me. I have now become the cranky pregnant woman. I really am trying to keep my composure and not blow up on anybody but it takes all that I've got in me not to sometimes. I'm just sorry for the poor soul that it happens to if/when it happens.

...Like the ToysRUs people I almost went off on today when returning my beautiful stroller. If you don't already know, when folded down for transporting it wouldnt fit in my trunk. The front tire was too large and didnt swivel so I couldnt close the trunk and when I put it in the back seat it took up the entire back-- it would sit on the carseat base. I'm not going in to why the ToysRUs employees made me mad but let's just say I won't be going back to that location again unless it's an emergency. The ones in Tulsa are so much more friendly and knowledgeable. I sadly knew more about their procedures and products than they did. Oh well.. 

RIP my beautiful stroller.. (don't judge me on how messy Oliver's stuff is right now, I'm trying to find room for everything! -which is on my to do list for tomorrow..)

In other news, I've been trying to keep things semi-orderly around the house and life in general but it's causing me to hurt more than normal. I'm thinking it's just my body preparing for this baby but either way it hurts. I'm starting to get more cramp-type feelings but they feel more like Oliver is just out of space and having problems moving more than contractions. I have been doing more walking than normal.. not much but when I go window shopping/mini-shopping at the mall or go get groceries or something that requires me to walk any measurable distance I get really achey. I guess we will see at my appointment on Tuesday what the deal is. From everything I have read and been told when it's a contraction, I will know it. Sadly my pain tolerance is quite a bit higher than most so I'm not sure that it will be THAT obvious to me. For instance, I never have had period cramps that keep me in bed and double over. At most I will just take a couple Aleve or Midol and be good to go. I guess I just focus it out.. Hopefully this isnt the case with contractions and I will know when they're starting up and be able to have ample time to get to the hospital.

My Mom is in Kansas for the night and tomorrow to go to the OSU game and so I'm home all alone-SAD! But that means I'm doggy sitting and they're being cuddle monsters. :) I attempted to get a picture of them and when Oscar looked cute the girls weren't looking so I settled for the one with the girls looking and Oscar being a goober with crazy eyes.

Sophie, Oscar, and Lexie.

So, Jeff was invited to a Fijian ceremony earlier as a way to thank the US soldiers for helping them. He was so excited and was just so excited that he got to hang out with these guys and how cool they were. They even offered them a special tea/drink that was ground up root and tasted terrible but Jeff said it made his tongue go numb- HA! The Fiji guys gave them several things, one was a traditional dress... I just want to say I'm glad my hubby can even look good in a skirt (but I'd rather him wear pants/shorts.) He got a long weekend this weekend Thursday-Saturday because of some holiday they celebrate over there that I forgot. I think he was pretty stoked about that but even more so next weekend he will finally be free to go vacation and explore on the weekends and have a beer! He is one of the few that will get to do this- the others in his unit will have to wait another week or 10 days or something because they came over later. I'm sure he will rub it in Josh's face that he gets beer HA. Ok, enough.. enjoy the picture of the guys!

a Fiji guy, Calvert, Barnett, Croft, the hubby, and Hester.

Ok, well I'm done posting, sorry that I was so scatter-brained and unorganized. I'm making a mental to do list for tomorrow and contemplating doing some of it now while I have the energy and it's getting me sidetracked. Plus I'm staring at Oliver's carseat and super soft blanket sitting by his crib and trying to imagine what this little guy is going to look like.. AH! Ok, I'm done. Goodnight!

Pregnant: Week 37

Doctor Appt Info
So according to my Dec9th due date I'm 2 days early to be checked for the dilation and all of that good stuff so that won't happen until next week. But no contractions, cramping, spotting, etc so no worries. No big news.. but no news is good news for now!

Baby Facts


You made it! Your baby is considered full term at the end of this week. So kick your swollen feet up and swig back a glass of milk. All that hard work has finally paid off! At your checkup this week, your doctor or midwife may do an internal exam to see how things are progressing. We're not gonna lie to you, an "internal" can hurt like hooey. But hey, it ain't labor! While she's in there, your practitioner will check three things:
1) dilation (how open your cervix is),
2) ripeness (how soft your cervix is) and
3) effacement (how thin your cervix is).
For baby to come on out, the cervix must be open to 10 centimeters, as soft as the skin on the inside of your mouth and 100 percent effaced.

Huge news this week: If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven. Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he's born. More great news for your birth canal. So if he's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can't practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he's hungry—but he'll do plenty of that in a few weeks. At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds.

Life Happens
Saturday was my baby shower in Oklahoma. I'm the goober that forgot to take pictures AGAIN but it went over really well and that's what matters. My grandmas, aunts, and other relatives all came and a few family friends. We ate enough for 3 days and Oliver was completely spoiled! I got home on Sunday and unpacked everything- took me almost a full 3 hours (including assembling the bouncy seat) but was totally worth it. The only bad thing I have discovered so far is that the really cool stroller that we got is too big to use regularly. The front tire is too big and doesn't turn so it wont fit in the trunk and it is too long to go in the backseat. I'm keeping it because it's an amazing jogging stroller (and has a really cool iphone/ipod connector with speakers.. SO cool!) and I'm just going to get a small lightweight umbrella style stroller for everyday use, shopping, etc.

Oh one other slight problem I have come across is that I don't have enough room for all of his stuff!! I'm going to do away with Oscar's crate and just have him sleep at the foot of my bed (which he seems to prefer) and that will free up enough room for Oliver's swing but we still have to figure out where to put his bouncy seat, humidifier, and the huge jogging stroller! Who knew a teeny tiny baby could have so much stuff???

Oh and tomorrow I'm going to get the world's biggest honey-do list finished. I'm going to have to get up really early and probably go all day until I go to work but I need to get it all done and off my shoulders. I felt terrible today when Jeff asked me if I had sent his box of toiletries and they were sitting on the desk. :( Anyway.. the huge list will be done tomorrow.. no worries! 

Happy Veterans Day!

FYI The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are grammatically acceptable, the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.

Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Poppy Day... No matter what you call it make sure you thank our military for all that they do and have done.

I'm sure I could go on for days listing all of my friends and relatives that are Vets but here are my favorite 3 :)

I started on this post early not because I'm dumb and think that Veterans Day is on November 10th but because it will soon be Veterans Day in Egypt where my hubby is deployed right now.

He makes it easy to find him in pictures like this because he has the transition glasses that turn to sunglasses in the sun. 

Jeff and I at dinner this summer. --Please ignore the baby bump that just looks like whale-blub.

My grandpas are Vets too so I have to include them in on this!!

This was at Papa Jack's birthday last year. If I remember correctly he was on the USS Franklin/Big Ben (which was the most heavily damaged United States carrier to survive the war.) The only reason I remember that is because his license plate says Big Ben.. plus he told me all of his stories about war when I was really young so I don't remember much.. :(

This picture of Poppy and Meme is from our wedding rehearsal dinner earlier this year. I can't remember what Poppy did to save my life but he's still a Vet! I def need to brush up on my knowledge about my grandparents!!!

Anyway.. Thank a soldier! If it wasn't for them you could be living in a totally different world.

Pregnant: Week 36

I just want to say first and foremost that I'm glad I'm not super huge like some pregnant women. I went to get groceries earlier and saw a lady that looked like she was 13 months pregnant and absolutely miserable! I thought I was getting big, uncomfortable and had a waddle that competed with the cute little ducks at the park but NO! This lady put me to shame! I really hope that she was carrying twins because if not that may be a big ole baby!! Anyway..

Doctor Appt Info
No appointment this week. I'm actually slightly disappointed that my doctor wanted to go 2 weeks before the next appointment but I'm going to trust her judgment. If I have any major contractions or anything before the next appointment on the 16th I sure will be calling her though!

Baby Facts
Oliver is now approximately measuring 18.5 inches long and weighing 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!

Your baby continues to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help your baby regulate his body temperature after leaving your climate-controlled womb. In fact, your baby will be 15 percent fat at birth. Even in the womb, your baby can listen, feel, touch and see. The only thing separating him from living in the outside world is a little thing called the birth canal. Other highlights this week: His gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though his actual pearly whites won't start breaking through until he's between three months and a year old. Your baby has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Your baby will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would. 

Life Happens
Can I just say how weird it is that I'm having a baby any day now? It seems like yesterday I just found out I was pregnant and kept taking test after test to make sure it wasn't wrong. I guess a lot has happened since then and kept me busy so time has just flown by.

I know that I have a darn good excuse to slack off for Christmas this year but I really don't want to. Jeff and I already figured out what we are getting/got from each other already so that is pretty much done (I got the Coach purse that I have wanted and he's getting some really cool running shoes and a new watch- his rusted on the inside somehow on our honeymoon..it was so sad.) I'm sure I will get creative and send him a care package with some Christmas-ey goodness but that won't be too hard. And then I'm going to make my bosses small little gift baskets but that just leave my parents that I need to find something for. If I find something along the way for my siblings or grandparents that is great but I'm not stressing over it. I just don't see myself having much more free time before Oliver gets here to do that much more shopping, wrapping, shipping, etc so don't get mad! :) Maybe I will bake a couple of tins of goodies again this year.. but that is only if I have a TON of extra energy and patience.

So this week is a big deal. It's my  first work week since I have worked at the church (a little over 2 years) that I have only worked a 5 day work week. I love working at the church more than anything but it takes away from my weekend sometimes so I think it will be good for me to be able to rest a little bit before Oliver comes.. even if my Sundays are already filled with other activities until Christmas anyway-- like the baby shower this weekend at my Dad's house! :)

OH and just in case you don't already know.. Jeff is very angry that the box I sent with his mattress topper and his PS3 controllers is somewhere between here and Egypt.. LOST! The box with the PS3 made it The box with his games and all of his goodies made it.  The envelope (that was sent a week later) with our bank checks and Netflicks CD made it. OH and to make it even better.. the box that was sent last week with goodies in it made it.. but not the 2 things he's really wanting. And since I didn't get delivery confirmation they can't find the box.. ugh! So it looks like I'm going to be going to get him new controllers, a mattress topper and sending it to him again. --completely sucks that he's sleeping on a crappy mattress and can't do much in his down time in BFE but I will get it to him ASAP and hopefully he will be a happy camper....errr soldier!

Pregnant: Week 35 or is it 37??

Sorry that I'm a day late but I ended up working extra late last night for the family I'm a nanny for because the oldest had their championship football game and it was too cold and too late for the younger child to be out so I stayed home with her and got her in bed. Sadly the team lost.. again. Same team, Same score as last year BUT I told him that it's just an accomplishment in itself to make it to the championship game so that made him feel better! By the time I got home I literally crawled in bed and went to sleep. Oliver was destroying my insides while I was at work and so I was trying to walk around and change positions- nothing worked. However, I finally slept fairly well and feel better this morning so oh well!

Doctor Appt Info
The doctor is seeing eye-to-eye with me now and I couldn't be happier!! When they did my ultrasound about 3 or 4 months ago my amniotic fluids were low and when they did all of the measurements of Oliver and he was showing 20 days behind. Because of this they moved my due date back to December 9th.. almost a full 3 weeks-ugh! So then I had several other ultrasounds and they all showed that he was on course size-wise for November 21st and my fluids were back up to normal on all of the others. My theory was that because of the low fluids in 1st ultrasound that they either a)couldnt get a good reading/measurement or b)he was small because of the low fluids but my doctor kept my due date at December 9th and was going to let me go until mid-December if he didn't come on his own before then.. OMG talk about a huge baby! So yesterday she looked over the ultrasound results from 2 weeks ago and I asked her about my theory and she agreed!!!! She said he's still on track for November 21st and that she isnt going to change my due date again but keep it in the back of her head about November 21st instead. Since I'm not showing any signs of labor or anything yet I'm going back in 2 weeks and from then on she will be checking if I'm dilated and all of the good stuff. If all goes as planned we will have a baby sometime in the next month! :) I'm going to post the info on week 35 just in case he does make it to December but who knows with this boy!!

Baby Facts --I'm going to post the info on week 35 just in case he does make it to December but who knows with this boy!!
Oliver is now approximately measuring 18 inches long and weighing 5.5 pounds... according to the website.

This week the final touches are being added to your mini-masterpiece and most of his development is going to packing on the pounds. Your little Karate Kid can't quite pack the punch he used to due to the limited space inside the womb these days. You're likely to feel more wiggles, stretches and rolls than kicks and jabs. The extra layer of fat your baby is adding will create those cute dimples on your baby's elbows and knees. His liver has begun processing his waste products, so you know which organ to thank when he has his first blowout up the back of his onesie. Baby's nails are growing so long they may curl over the tips of his tiny fingers and toes before he sees a pair of clippers. He'll be in serious need of a mani-pedi once he's born (as will you).

Life Happens
Well the good news is Jeff is all settled into Egypt for the most part. He says the food is funky but I'm still thinking he will get used to it or find something he likes. They are keeping him pretty busy but I'm sure that makes the days go by quicker for them! Everyone keeps asking "Where is he?" and "What is he doing?" and to make it easier just go to their website. It's not like he's on a top secret mission.. they have a website explaining what they do. The easy way for me to explain it is.. he is in Egypt close to the Israel border and he's working with the MFO (Multinational Force & Observers) with his unit of medics. Look at their website if you want more info.. http://www.mfo.org/

35 weeks belly picture- he's getting BIG! :)

Pregnant: Week 34

Well, it's a day early to be posting but I've got a little extra free time on my hands so I figured I would post the weekly blog to update everyone.


Doctor Appt Info
No doctor appointment this week. I think I start the weekly appointments next week? I can't remember! (that is Pregnancy Brain at it's best!!)


Baby Facts
Oliver is now approximately measuring 17.5 inches long and weighing 4.5 pounds... according to the website but we all know by now that he's actually measuring slightly longer and about 2 pounds heavier (...I'm still in shock that he's so big already but I'm still not huge. That's a tight little ball you're in, little big man!!) I'm still taking suggestions as to a nickname for Oliver other than Ollie. If he was a little girl I was dead set on Peanut or something cutesy but you just can't do that with a little guy.. suggestions for a nickname/petname???

Your baby kind of looks like she's coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she's born you'll probably see some vernix lingering in her "hard-to-reach" places like under his arms, behind his ears, etc.. The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby's body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone. Your baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.


Life Happens
I haven't been sleeping very well lately which is really odd for me because usually I sleep like a baby and hardly even notice when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (TMI, sorry) but luckily last night I finally got to sleep around 10pm after laying in bed trying for an hour and then I woke up this morning at around 6am when my mom was getting ready for work.

After I finally convinced myself to get out of bed I decided to go get groceries. They weren't kidding about the hormones making you irritable!!! The lady checking me out took 20 minutes to check out the people in front of me. I thought it was over exajurating and tried to calm myself down but she really did take that long and the lady ended up with 5 bags of groceries.. seriously?! I wanted to scream "there is a pregnant lady that needs to pee back here!! let's move it along people!!" Some people really don't need to be working at a fast paced job like ....WalMart! (ha)

Anyway so then I get home and get everything unloaded and still had quite a bit of energy so I decided to go ahead and install Oliver's carseat in my car. Well, I'm leaving the carseat base installed but the carseat is staying happily planted beside his crib until we rush off to the hospital sometime in the next few weeks. BUT I had to obviously use the carseat attached to the base so I could move the seat around and make sure it was firmly installed. :) While installing the carseat I realized just how nasty my back seat is from the kids (the ones I'm a nanny for). I'm guessing it's from their sports gear but who knows! Anyway.. here is the picture of his carseat installed with my nasty, dirty backseat. Don't worry, as soon as I post this I'm headed to the carwash to thoroughly clean out the inside!

Why do my seats look purple??? Hmm.. maybe the lighting?? Ugh- I just realized they have been putting their feet on the back of the seat too.. grrr!!!!

Doctor appt news & Oliver's bedding

First and foremost, BIG news at the doctor today.. So on Tuesday at my regular 33 week checkup my doctor measured me with the ruler thingy and said Oliver is a little behind size-wise and had me schedule an appointment for an ultrasound to check his size and the amniotic fluid levels again. So I went in and the doctor was very happy at the end and told me that my fluid levels are back up (YAY!) AND that Oliver is actually measuring  17-18 inches, 6 pounds and 35.5-36 weeks on all of the measurements (except for his head which is measuring 39.2 weeks!!!! OMG) So my thoughts are that they moved my date back but he is actually planning on coming a little bit earlier than December 9th. I'm planning on asking my doctor at the next appointment about possibly inducing me early since he is so big. So we will see about that.. anyway.. On to the bedding!

So I just knew if I waited until next Tuesday to post these pictures of Oliver's bedding I would be in big trouble by a couple of you and I would probably have to make another really long post. Just to warn you- this isn't completely finished but you get the idea of the basics. I'm not sure how much more I want to do for now though. This has completely worn me out so until I get my energy back I'm going to just lay off and kick back and relax. I keep telling myself "Oliver won't sleep anymore just because the room is cuter/prettier" and so far it's working :) So anyway.. 

Ok so here is your reminder of the beginning stage right after we put up his crib..

And the end result from today. Bedding on and letters are hung.

This picture is kind of crappy but you get the idea.. :)

I'm thinking he needs this mobile and maybe a few of the little throw pillows and then I'm done

New lamp, rug and finally got his bedding. Big difference! Alright, that's it for tonight!

Pregnant: Week 33

Well, I thought I would try to make more than 1 blog entry so that this week wouldn't be so long BUT that obviously didn't happen.. SORRY! :(

Doctor Appt Info
Shortest doctor visit EVER! Hallelujah! I was the first patient so they got me in and out in about 45 minutes total with the waiting room and all! :) Seems like the annoying super early morning appointment would be a great idea but I went ahead and made my next appointment for the regular time even if it means hanging out at Mercy for 2 or more hours. With early morning appointments that means I wake up at 6am, get ready, drive the 30 minutes to Mercy and then drive back home and kill time (in today's case I'm doing laundry so it's not a total loss, but annoying either way) and then at 2pm I will have to drive back to the same area for work.. It's just a lot of extra driving that I dont want to do so I will just deal with the extra time in the waiting room from now on.

Anyway-- So Oliver 'sounds' good as far as his heartbeat but he's measuring just a tiny bit small again so she scheduled me for an ultrasound on Thursday before work so they can measure Oliver and the amniotic fluids again and see if the fluids are low or if he is small and then we will go from there.

The big news for today's appointment is that she's completely ignoring the original due date now (which was November 21st) and is just sticking with December 9th and unless he is just huge and measuring for the original date at the next ultrasound then she will let me possibly go as late as December 24th now!!! HOLY COW! I sure hope not for 2 reasons: 1) having a birthday that close to Christmas sucks 2) I dont want to be possibly in the hospital or still in massive recovery mode on Christmas and my birthday (the 26th) and 3) that would be a HUGE baby if she let's him cook that long! Hopefully Oliver decides to make his appearance somewhere between November 28th and December 4th (AKA the week after Thanksgiving) but we will just have to wait and see! Wow, sorry this went much longer than I had anticipated.. on to the baby facts!

Baby Facts
Oliver is now approximately measuring 17.5 inches long and weighing 4.5 pounds.

The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are he'd be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from his friends (aka, the NICU). Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once he's born and up all night screaming). His pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, "Cut it out, Ma. You're soooo annoying." The bones in your baby's skull are soft and are not yet fused together. In other words, now is not the time to teach him how to do a headspin while breakdancing. This pliability allows the bones to overlap; making that trip down the tight birth canal possible (and resulting in that surprising cone head look your baby will sport for the first few days post-birth.) Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.

Life Happens
Thursday Oliver's crib arrived and my mom and I put it together (most my mom!) BUT his bedding won't arrive until later this week or early next week so for now his crib is sitting bare with just gifts on it from the shower (I'm doing laundry later, I promise!)

Friday my boss took the day off work because her stepdaughters were in town and so they spent time with them and I got the day off too. I took advantage of it and got my nails filled and a pedicure and I also got my mom a giftcertificate for the same thing as a thank you for putting the shower on for me and Oliver's crib! And then Kelsey went with me to the mall to get some new bras (yes, they're still growing) and lunch. I had intended on going to a few other stores but I was pooped so I just decided not to.

Saturday my mom and I did a few things around the house to get it picked up for the baby shower the next day and then we drove to Talequah to my cousin's wedding reception. I was the grumpy pregnant woman but I put on a happy face for most of it. At least they had some good food to make me shut up! :)

Sunday I was stupid enough to work my normal 8-12 shift in the church nursery. I thought I would be ok to do it but apparently it wore me out! --and my boss even let me off about an hour early! After I got off work I went to Walmart for a few things we forgot to pick up, came back to the house and just sat in the big comfy chair in the living room for a good solid hour just trying to recuperate. I think staying out past 9pm on Saturday at my cousin's reception was what did me in.. doesnt she know that I go to sleep at 9pm?? Haha! Anyway, then people started showing up at the house for the baby shower. We had a nice small turn out of a few of my mom's friends and coworkers, 2 of the ladies from the church nursery and the Farnet girls- plus Kelsey and Ashley (I would be in trouble if I forgot them!) I got a ton of cute clothes and some diapers and lots of cute things and couldn't be more thankful! After everyone left I managed to get all of the baby gifts to the bedroom, took a shower, and then plopped down- I think I was asleep before the sun went down but I'm not for sure! I was just exhausted..

And then of course today, Tuesday was my doctor's appointment and you already read about that above! Anyway! Here is my picture for the 8 month point.. He's really starting to get big and wear me down throughout the day- especially my back and hips. and my waddle is starting to be more painful- but he's SO worth it!

Update about Jeff- He's still in Washington doing his final 'training' before he leaves.. AKA they aren't doing much other than freezing their booty off but he will be leaving this week for Egypt at some point and then the rest of the unit will follow sometime in the next month. (yes, the Army requires us to be this vague.) Oh sometime today I have to go mail Jeff's goody box to him- it will make him a very happy hubby! Playstation, mattress pad, good pillows, hair gel, and his movies.. all of the things that this man loves and then a few other small surprise things but I don't to post them here because he occasionally reads this and it will take a few weeks to get it there.

And now time for the pictures! :) 

This is the beginning stage of the room. Dont worry, the rug isn't staying! That was the remains of my sister's old safari themed room from high school. And hopefully the decorations will begin shortly!

Oliver's crib is currently holding all of his gifts from the baby shower on Sunday but I'm about to start laundry so it wont be full for long.

The storage I came up with since I'm not going the traditional route of having a dresser and changing table. Plus his cute little Build-A-Bear puppy and diaper bag are filling in the spaces for now.

Pregnant: Week 32

Happy Tuesday! Time for the weekly blog update! I'm still only going to the doctor every other week so next Tuesday I will have news from the doctor. For now all I can tell you is that he is laying different and so now my stomach sticks out a lot more and it also feels like he's head down because he's been kicking or punching my ribs and lungs-- NOT FUN! (but so worth it.) I was told that if he gets in the head down position from now on he will probably stay and not go breech WOOHOO! Anyway, here is the weekly Oliver Facts from the pregnancy website.

Baby Facts
Oliver is now approximately measuring 17 inches long and weighing 4 pounds.

Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks. Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Life Happens
Not much more going on right now other than just trying to get everything ready for Oliver, working and trying to rest as much as possible. Good news, my rings still fit!! KNOCK ON WOOD!! I thought for sure I was about to have to stop wearing them at 28 weeks but now that the weather has cooled off a little bit it has helped, I guess. OH! And I'm getting my first baby shower this weekend! I will have to post the pictures from that next week with the weekly update-- or maybe I will make 2 separate blogs if I get a ton of pictures.. I will just decide after I see how everything goes! Anyway! Have a good week!

Baby Oliver Wish List

Since people keep asking what else I need for Oliver I have compiled a list of the larger things that I still need. Keep in mind most are fairly expensive and if you do purchase them, it would be wise to split the cost with someone.--And most of these are available at all 3 stores so you might want to compare prices but I included the link to Walmart, as they usually have the lowest prices. Anyway, here is the list of things in no particular order with a link to each of them. At the bottom of this blog entry I'm including links to our registries too- hopefully this makes it easier.

LINK:Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Breast Pump

LINK: Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Cradling Baby Bouncer- Biscotti

LINK:Schwinn Turismo Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller

LINK:Graco Lovin' Hug Plug-In Infant Swing - Hamilton NOTE: BabiesRUS Exclusive Item

For those that have asked 400 times about bottle, diaper, etc preferences... I know from working with the babies in the nursery and childcare in general that every baby is different but I'm hoping to try these out first and hope for the best..

• Bottles- Avent BPA Free (this is just a link to the 9oz bottles, obviously we will use the other sizes too)
• Diapers- Pampers Sensitive Swaddlers

And last but not least, for those that want to know the theme of his nursery.. the color scheme is mostly browns and lighter green and I'm leaning towards the safari animals-- mostly giraffes, of course! Hopefully this answers most of your questions!! Thanks!

Registry Links
Walmart 
Target 
Babies"R"Us/Toys"R"Us