Random Stuff

We took a trip to Greenville, NC on Saturday, Feb 7, to buy East Carolina University clothes for the baby. Photo of me at 38 weeks and 2 days. Oh, and my new haircut. Yes, I got about half my hair chopped off at the beginning of February. It was weird at first but I think I am getting used to it and so is Mike.

Mike proud of his school.

It snowed in North Carolina in January. Photos taken on January 20. Kind of lucky, school was canceled (that happens in the south where it hardly snows and there are no plows) and it also was inauguration day. Mike wanted to watch it so he was able to.

Due Date

Due date came and went :( . Thought I'd share some belly photos from the pregnancy. We found out we were going to have a baby on June 18, 2008. That put me at about a month pregnant. I only have up to 22 weeks on this computer. We have more but they are on our home computer. Maybe that could be my labor project, upload them all to kodakgallery.

At the 39 weeks doctor appointment, there was no progress. But yesterday's (40 weeks), progress started. We continue to be in alert mode.

I feel it in my legs now and my feet hurt. I'm carrying quite a bit of extra weight. Have some swelling too. Sleeping is getting hard, having a tummy to lug around when rolling over. Baby found my bladder too, my goodness, he/she likes to just lay his/herself on it.

But something I think is amazing, to have a human life growing inside you. Men should be jealous.

Okay, so I cannot figure out how to move the photos so they are in order. I'll list the order:
blue tank top/white shorts=7 weeks
white tank top/pink capris=8 weeks
OU clothes=12 weeks
Mike=soon to be new father at 12 weeks
Bear=soon to be new big dog at 12 weeks
brown cardigan/jeans=22 weeks (two weeks after my appendectomy)
black shirt and pants=22 1/2 weeks (I thought I looked pretty pregnant that day. Little did I know 10 weeks later and having that outfit on, my belly would stick way out.)

The "Bestest" Man

And what can I say about my husband. He is the "bestest" thing that has ever happened to me, a gift from God. He is my best friend, my strongest supporter, my closest ally (and also can be my worst enemy :) ). I try hard to be his greatest cheerleader too. He is a band director at a local high school and has done quite well in the school's first few years of existence. He is very dedicated to his work, he is a very dedicated person in general. If you are a friend of his, you have a friend for life.

Some older photos of us, my computer at work does not have as many pictures as our computer at home.

Bear

I cannot start a blog and not include any info about the cutest dog in the whole entire world, the Bear. She has been part of my life since 1996, a birthday present to myself when I turned 22. She turned 13 this past Saturday. Unfortunately, Mike and I left her at home alone (unfortunately only if she didn't throw herself a party while we were gone) to go to Greenville but we made it up by taking her on a nice long walk along the ATT on Sunday and today, she is at Camp Bow Wow, the best daycare/boarding place for dogs. We'll stop at Petsmart after work to buy her a birthday toy.

Is she ready to become a "big dog?" We ask her that all the time. She seems oblivious to the fact that I am pregnant. Either that or she is taking it a lot easier than I thought she would. She has been my number one baby for so long, she will have to share my love with another little one.

She did pick up some bad habits when Mike moved to the triangle area. She goes on the couch now which she never was allowed to do that before and she rattles her food bowl when it is empty. That is annoying. We ignore her when she does that. And last night when we were making dinner, she was begging like crazy. I knew she was begging for food but I was not going to give in because I learned that you should not feed your dog before you feed yourself. So when our food was ready, we finally gave Bear her food. She had a couple of swallows and then was finished. I am one of those people who just leaves the food out and lets the dog eat at his/her leisure. I will put my next dog on more of a schedule.

All in all, Bear is a great dog. She has a wonderful personality. She also has aged quite well, when people see her, they think she is a puppy; I want to age like her. And even though she is 13, she still loves long walks and plays like a puppy. She is a lot like me, don't let a day go by without taking her on a walk, she will let you know. Don't let me miss a run, I will let you know. You couldn't get closer matched personalities.

So it takes having a baby to get me to start a blog. We shall see if I can keep up with it.

Baby Alert

Photo taken at 28 weeks. Taken by sister-in-law Melissa Biasi

We are officially on baby alert. I hit 38 weeks on Thursday, February 5. Four couples from our birth class already had their little ones. All were early and all have been boys so far. I wonder what the statistics are for first timers having early babies and percentage of boys verses girls.

When Mike and I heard about the first two having their babies, we started freaking out. It was a kick in the pants for us to get some stuff done. We got the car seat installed, I'm washing clothes, we took a trip to Greenville to buy ECU clothes for the baby, and we are going out on what could be our last date(s) as a couple. Now if I could only find time to make a freeze some dinners.

And now Mike thinks that every time I call, I'm going to say I'm in labor. I think we've got our plans in place should I be at work when it happens. My mom and dad are also "on call." Yes, I do plan to work up till that day. I want to be at home with the baby for as long as possible after the birth. Baby B, cannot wait to meet you in person.

Ultrasound photos at 18 weeks, September 16, 2008