The Grandma is coming...

I haven't been able to get a hold of my mom for a while. They're busy, and with the time change it makes it hard to catch them at the right time. My brother talked to my mom this morning and asked her when she wanted to come out here. December 9th it is! I'll have my mom here for my birthday! I'll have my mom here for Christmas! I'll have my mom here for my child's birth. And she'll stay here for a couple weeks after I have him to help me out. I am beyond excited.

I feel like I've missed out on a lot because she hasn't been with me to tell me about her pregnancy and labor. Or to tell me those crazy old wife's tales. Or even to just sit and talk to me about all the stuff I'm scared about. I'll get to have her here for the best parts of it. The parts where I'm getting all the last minute things ready and preparing for The Kid to show up. I can't wait to just have her sit and talk to me. I miss her so much.

My dad will probably make the trip over once my mom heads home. They tag team it. I think my mom wants my dad to meet my son while he's still tiny. Brand new enough, but long enough so that I've had time to recuperate.

I can't even begin to explain how excited I am.

1 in 10,000...

I went in for an ultrasound today. They wanted to take another good look at The Kid's heart, since he was being stubborn last time we went in for an ultrasound. They went over my results of the blood tests they ran to scan for abnormalities that could be passed on to The Kid. 1 in 10,000. They cheered. It was a great feeling to hear that so far, everything appears to be OK. He's growing nicely. He's got his heart chambers all nice and strong, his brain is growing nicely. It was wonderful to just see him moving around in there. I got a nice shot of his profile, his face and his foot.

When things were wrapping up the Dr. was telling me "Everything looks great, and I really hope it all goes well for you. If you need anything, give us a call" And with that, it made me realize how close I am to the end. About 3 months, and I'll have a baby in my arms. No more ultrasounds. Now, it'll be the actual baby.

A co-worker of mine is about a week ahead of me, and she was telling me that she's already planning her maternity leave. Now I've got to look over it all and see when I'll be leaving. When I'll be taking off work to get ready for him. I think the closer I am to taking off work, the less prepared I feel.

We really need to buy him diapers. And possibly some socks or something. I feel like I'm not ready.

26...and counting...

Today marks 26 weeks, 4 days. I had a Dr.'s appointment, and as always, she made me feel really comfortable and commended me on doing a good job. I haven't screwed him up yet! Gold star for me. I gained 3 pounds since last seeing the Dr. about 4 1/2 weeks ago. She felt my belly and told me, he's a "Good size" and his heart was racing, just as it should be.

We're a go, for going to Nevada for Thanksgiving. I knew she'd say yes, and I feel comfortable going because Cindy would be there if anything were to happen. But it's always nice to have a reassuring word that I have nothing to worry about.

I have an appointment in 4 weeks, and then it'll be every other week. Yeah, that's the point where I came to the realization that this is all really going by fast. Very fast. Sometimes I feel like I'm so ready to be done with this part of it. Just ready to have this kid to laugh with. I am excited to see his sense of humor blossom. I'm ready to have him in his dad's arms. I know he's ready too. But, then there are moments like last night, when he's kicking up a storm, and I have to practically sign to JT to come over and feel, because I know if I say anything, The Kid will stop kicking. So he comes, feels and we both stare at my belly in amazement.

I want to remember every part of this pregnancy. And I can't wait to start the next part. The part where he calls me Mama.

Preparing

We're trying to get the house ready for The Kid. We've frantically begun to throw out or donate furniture, old clothes, blankets, pillows, etc., etc. It's very liberating to get rid of stuff. It's amazing to see how much STUFF we just gather. And really it's all just Stuff. Stuff we at some point think we'll need, or use. I really get critical of myself when I think about how much stuff I've bought that really wasn't a necessity. So I've decided to narrow things down a bit. Just minimize the number of things we have. It feels great.

First the kitchen. We have pots and pans for days. You'd think that I could bare that down to maybe 1/3 of what we have, and that will be my mission this weekend. Just look over everything we own, see what's worth keeping, and decide what stays and get rid of the rest.

I feel that the closer we get to being ready for The Kid, the more calm I get. I hope that when we are finally at the point where we feel ready, we'll be able to sit back, and just relax until The Kid is here. Maybe stock up on some sleep.

We're just preparing.

The Kid...

We have your name picked out. We thought about making you the Third, but then decided you needed a different name. It's nice knowing what we'll name you. Now to get some Spanish speakers to pronounce it just so I get used to what it'll sound like to have my family members pronounce it.

When we first started mulling over names, we told people what we had been considering, and they all had their input. I like when people are being "fake nice", they tend to smile and pause first, and then say "Oh that's nice" or "Oh, I like it...". Because of that, I'm considering keeping The Kid's name to myself until he's here. It's easier to hand someone a baby and say, "This is our baby, his name is _____". Then they get to know the child, and the name is not even an issue. So we shall see.

I was raised with an odd name, so I wasn't looking forward to giving my child a name that no one could pronounce. Mainly it's a name that's unique, yet simple. We're giving him a great middle name too. I'm excited to meet out little guy. Just a round of holidays to go, and he'll be here.

My little reminder...

I've been a bit under the weather for a few days now. It all began with a scratchy throat, and escalated to sinus pain, mucus, and bouts of sneezing and coughing that left me just miserable. I ran a slight fever, but nothing so high that I worried about The Kid.

When I'm really sick, I can tell because the day will fly past and I won't remember to eat. I'll sometimes remember, but usually I don't feel hungry, so I'll just continue my marathon sleeping, or continue working. Depending on where I am.

The last few days though, The Kid is my reminder to eat. Even though I wouldn't feel hungry, like clock work, he began doing a jig and I'd remember "Oh wow, I need to eat". First in the morning, then around lunch time, and dinner. When it's feeding time, he's sure to let me know.

I don't know if he felt all my sickness, but if he did, I'm so sorry that he had to. I want him to feel no pain or discomfort, but I know that every time he'd dance around, he was letting me know he was OK, but it was feeding time.