My mobile boy...

December 28th was the first day he decided to really let go of any one's hand and just go for it. He had taken steps before and we knew he could do it, but that was the evening when he actually lost his sense of fear. Since then he has been non-stop. Now, nothing is safe.

My child has always been a curious boy, he has always wanted to know what that thing does, how does this work and "hey I wonder what this tastes like", but now it's amplified. He's a climber, and he uses toys, brushes, anything within reach to augment his reach. His nerve and curiosity keeps me on my toes and I love it.

It's wonderful.

Life is wonderful...

My life is different from what it was 1 year ago. It's amazing, yet so odd. I am at home with my boy now and I would not change it for the world. He makes my life wonderful. I have such a good time with this little guy, he's got a wonderful personality. I can't wait until we see how his personality develops, he's showing glimpses of having a great personality and sense of humor. Whenever I fake die he just about has a fit laughing. I could not have designed him better myself.

My little chunk of a man is making every single day wonderful and I can't thank him enough for it.

Ok, ow!

Just a little bit of pain this weekend. Enough for me to know that 1. The Kid has dropped. He is now low into my pelvic region, and shows no signs of deciding to move up north. Sitting is now painful and 2. Even though it's not enough for me to think Labor is starting, it's enough for me to know that it's sooner, rather than later. So home I will stay after this week.

I've had a wonderful pregnancy. But, I am getting the "You look tired" comments left and right. Maybe more napping and some wonderful cashing in of 2 60 minute massages Cindy bought me for Christmas/Birthday would work wonders. Since I've got (according to my little calendar here) about 3 weeks and 3 days until my due date, I may use one next week, and one after The Kid makes his appearance. Just as a nice treat.

My family is making a trip up north this weekend. Only 1 1/2 hours away, close enough so that I feel comfortable going, but if anything happens before then, I'll be staying home. Really it was my idea. I have been craving a burger from King Felafel's in Santa Maria. Oh how I dream of their fries and juicy burgers. It will come true this weekend.

This kid better know what I sacrifice for him. :)

Multiplied...

We were in the Christmas mood a few weeks ago and decided to put up a tree and put on some decorations. It was fun. We strung popcorn and cranberries. Our tree was without gifts until a few weeks ago. One showed up. Then another...and another....And now there's no room under that tree.

We're blessed to be able to gift each other with small, and wonderful things. We're blessed to have each other to give things to. We're blessed to have others think of us while doing some shopping. We're blessed to witness another Christmas in our lives. This is the last Christmas with us being a couple. Now we'll be a family, and we're so very blessed that this is the case.

JT and I were talking about how this baby of ours was a long time coming. We are so very ready to have him here. We're so very ready to be a family. We're already started to debate who's Christmas traditions The Kid will get to experience.

Personally, I think there's something magical about opening presents Christmas Morning. But, I have always loved our tradition of opening gifts at the stroke of midnight on Christmas day, and then playing a rousing game of Hide-n-Seek. I guess we have some time to figure it out. And we have time to start our own traditions.

All I know is that we have multiplied.

Birthdays and baby showers and ultrasounds...

The 12th I had a surprise baby shower at church. It was lovely. The weather was horrible, so maybe 1/2 of the people that were going to be there showed up, but you couldn't even tell. The food was amazing, the games were fun (I won 1 of them), and I got more clothes than this baby may be able to wear.

The 15th I had an ultrasound. My mom got to catch a fuzzy glimpse at her first grandchild. It was grainy and hard to see. I did make out cute chubby toes. I can't wait. He seems to be measuring on-point with his due date, but the Dr. will talk to me more about it tomorrow at my appointment.

The 16th was my birthday. 28 years. I never thought I'd be pregnant at 28. A mom at 28. I had just assumed that by now this would be old hat for me. I'm glad this is how it's happening though, because The Kid comes at a perfect time for us. We're mature, and ready to teach him all we know. And we're ready to learn a ton from him.

At this point I feel ready to have this baby. I feel like we're prepared and now all that's left is some last minute Christmas shopping and to enjoy the holidays with family. What a good way to finish off this pregnancy. Family, food, and fun.

OK Kid, come when you're ready.

Closer....

With a smile, a hug and some tears, I greeted my mother at the airport. She wrapped her arms around me and said 'Oh...How are you?!' I responded that I was doing great. And then she put her hand on my belly and asked 'How's my baby doing?'...with that it all felt right.

She told me her stories of pregnancy and motherhood as we drove home. My other family members were in the car too, but it could have just been us. Me and my mom. She caught me up on news of the family in Guatemala, and how my dad was doing. Turns out, they're great. My dad is bummed he couldn't come out too, but he's good.

Having my mom here is one step closer to this baby coming. Having her close to me just makes everything feel like it is in its place. Now to get my dad here.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

It's beginning to look a lot like I'm going to give birth to a pretty large baby. A lot of it is me, I'd like to think, but I can feel him so close to the surface that I know that's not going to be true. I'm still 8 weeks away from the due date, so I know I aint seen nothin' yet.

It's beginning to look a lot like we're home. Starting to settle in and get ready for my mom to make her appearance next week. I'm happy that every day it feels more and more like home.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I just had to. I am much more in the Christmas spirit than I was in years past. I suddenly want to make things so next year we can do them again and add to this. A tradition here and there. We will definitely be having our traditional Hide-n-Seek game with all the lights out on Christmas Eve. And that's just the way we like it.

It's beginning to look a lot like we're really gearing up to have this baby. Baby books everywhere with creases on the covers and bookmarks in them. Bags of baby clothes and baby cloth diapers. I feel good about our progress, but we're nowhere near ready.

I hope he can wait a little longer. Mom and Dad need just a little more time.

Off we go...

Tomorrow evening we'll be heading out to Pahrump. We'll make the trip and stop every hour, because The Kid loves to punch me in the bladder every so often. This may be our last trip to Pahrump for a while. By the time Christmas comes around I'll be far enough along that I won't be able to fathom making the 4 hour trip. Even with frequent stops. I'm sort of dreading it now, but I want to go more than anything. So we will go. After The Kid is here, I'm sure it'll be a while before we make the trip again. Family will just have to come to us. All a part of my evil plan to make my family and JT's family come to California.

My brothers, aunt and cousin will all be going to Nevada with us. I'm excited. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to spend the holiday with them, but thankfully I get the best of both worlds. It's wonderful.

JT's family is known for having an obscene amount of pies and desserts. I promise, that is not the reason I married him. Although, it was the cherry on top. I cannot wait!

Getting closer...

We're getting closer to being done moving. We have some minor cleaning and a few things to get from the old house, and then we're done. All that will be left is settling in.

We're getting closer to the end of this pregnancy. I go back to the Dr. in 2 weeks. I'm anxious that this will almost be the end.

We're getting closer to being in Nevada with my family and JT's family for the holiday. Just being close to all of them will make it a wonderful holiday.

We're getting closer to being prepared for The Kid. I think that once this move is completely done and Thanksgiving is over, we'll be able to start getting some things for The Kid.

We're getting closer to having this wonderful little guy in our lives. I just can't wait.

Hectic...

This week has been just hectic. Work has been hectic. Life has been hectic. Just hectic.

We are signing the paperwork for the new house we'll be renting tonight. Then we can start moving in. Trying to get all the utilities on and in our name ASAP, isn't always easy when some places are old school and require you to walk in there yourself. Who does that anymore? Seriously? So I'll take care of that Wednesday which will be our last 1 month appointment to the Dr. After Wednesday's appointment, we'll be going in every 2 weeks. The end is near.

Work has been a pain. A busy, hectic, nagging pain. But I'm employed, and I can seriously thank God for that. Money is good. The more work I feel like I did, the more came in. Fun, fun.

This weekend will be hectic with moving, but a good kind of hectic. The kind of hectic that will end with pancakes and new cupboards to fill with all our dishes. I love moving in to a new place, but oh the soreness I will feel. Umm...can't wait?

He will not sleep in a drawer...

We may have found a place. Like may have, to the point where I already notified our current landlord about us leaving. May have, like we may be able to move in this weekend. I'm excited, overwhelmed, and just ready to start. It's a roomier place than where we are now. 2 more bedrooms, and a nice big spacey back yard. The front yard is fenced in as well, which will make The Kid playing in the front yard a nice thing.

We will be signing lease agreements on Friday. I think it's great that we'll be able to go at our own pace for a few weeks. I can't do too much because of The Kid, and we are all hoping we still get to go to Pahrump for Thanksgiving. I miss JT's family. It'll be nice to see them all.

Now let's all cross our fingers that things continue to move forward with this.

Birthday bash!

Today is JT's birthday, and since it's a Monday and we can't fully celebrate all day, we had a bit of a celebration yesterday. We grilled some food, made him the sides he requested, Grilled Smashed Potatoes and Potato Salad. My boy truly is Irish. It was wonderful to just sit and talk with my family. They were all present to celebrate with us. I wouldn't have it any other way.

We had a great opportunity to just sit and go through an online registry. Mainly just to get us in the mind set that we need to start getting ready. I think we'll do fine, but I feel like I should be doing something to prepare. Maybe I should fish The Kid's blanket. I'm more than 3/4 of the way done. I should be able to finish this week.

Our anniversary is just around the corner. Just about 2 weeks. I keep thinking back to how amazing it is that this man I love married me, and together we've carved a life out for ourselves, and now we're adding to our family. I can't believe how blessed I am.

This weekend was truly amazing. I can't wait until JT's birthday next year. There will be another person to add to the festivities.

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.

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.

He's a maniac...

There are certain times when our boy starts moving around like crazy. I like to think he's dancing. Especially when it happens and there's music playing.

The last couple weeks Jason and I have been going to church together on Sundays. And while Jason plays music in his car, and I sit in the passenger side just listening and looking at people in their cars, I feel my baby start to boogy. Once at church, during our songs and worship, I can feel him really get down.

Once in a while it really does feel like he's tap dancing in there. It's an amazing little reminder that my boy's got a personality already. Are we in for a treat! JT was a character. Still is. And I was a smarty pants. So this should really be fun. I cannot wait until I get to meet this little guy. Tap shoes and all.

Ahh, today...

Yesterday I had a Dr.s appointment. It went well. I gained another 4lbs. My blood pressure and glucose seem good. I have a Gestational Diabetes test in about a month. I also have a Chiropractor appointment next week. It's all zooming by. I'm having some trouble with my final decisions. I want to do things a certain way, but I may not have that option, financially. It's tough that my options aren't always mine. They are the wallet's. I want to make the best decisions for my child and for myself.

We're still not sure what will happen after the baby's born. We know he'll be out and ready for some TLC. And we'll be there to give it to him. At this point we're just trying to figure out who will be home with him and who will bring home the bacon. We're also trying to figure out how we'll pay for the birth. If only I could go into the woods somewhere, birth this child and then just jog on back to my house. At which point my family will gather, marvel and bask in the glow of my newborn and I will get to lay in bed recovering for a few weeks. If only that were how it worked.

I have to just pray that things will work out for the best. I am just short of giving up and just letting the system push me through, as it is prone to do. I'll be put on this conveyor belt: check in, lay and labor, be poked and prodded, lay and labor, push, push, no really...PUSH, and then at some point I'll have my child. I really just want it to be February so I can just look back at how I survived it all and how wonderful it was.

Where is Marty McFly when you need him?

Decisions Decisions...

Doula? Midwife? OB? Hospital? Home Birth? Birth Center? Out in the woods?

Man, I'm really having a hard time pinpointing what I'm going to do. I love JT for supporting whichever birth method we'd like to pursue. So far the Dr. has been great. But I worry when it comes down to the actual birth. Just the IV being put into my arm. To the immediate rushing off of my baby as soon as he's born. I have decisions to make. And I'm scared I won't make the right one. The ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby. It's the journey getting there that's scary.

Oh yeah, and then there's everything after...

Lord help me.