38 week update!

View of nursery from bedroom door

I couldn't figure out what to do with the bedspread, so I stuck it on the wall as decor. It's too cute not to display!

The Astros mobile didn't fit on the crib, so I hung it from the fan for now.

As this pregnancy is winding down, I've been thinking about some of the things that I may miss about being pregnant. Probably the #1 thing I'll miss is the feeling of Colt moving around inside of me. It is such a cool sensation to feel his foot sliding across my uterus or to feel him punch me (if it's not too strong)! I guess what makes it so great is that I'm the only one who knows exactly what it feels like! I'll also probably miss knowing that everything I do (what I eat, my exercise routine, what I breathe in, how I sleep, etc) directly effects someone else. It's a little bit intimidating to know that I can be so influential on someone else's life, but it also has helped me to develop better habits. I'll also miss how quickly my nails grow and the thickness and shininess of my hair!


On the flip side, I am REALLY looking forward to again being able to do the following: sleep on my back, eat brie cheese, drink a glass of wine, RUN!!, eat carbs without gestational diabetes, fit into my old clothes (my maternity wardobe is severely limited!), sleep without having to get up a zillion times to pee, go throughout my daily routine without having to get up a zillion times to pee, put the Tums away, watch tv without crying at the drop of a hat due to out of control hormones, walk around without back/hip pain, lift heavy objects, waterski, paint, do things without my belly in the way.


At my 38 week appointment, the doctor said I am still dilated to 2cm and 80% effaced. I gained 2 pounds last week! All looks good otherwise. He wants to induce me by July 17th if Colt hasn't arrived on his own by then. But, I've been having contractions (last night they were every 10 minutes for 3+ hours and the night before they were 8-10 minutes for 2.5 hours), so hopefully he'll come soon and I won't have to be induced. We are getting excited!!

37 week update

I went back to the OB today for my 37 week checkup. She said everything still looks right on track and that I am still dialated to 2 cm and 80% effaced. She was much more supportive today of my birth plan and said some encouraging comments about my desire to deliver Colt without any pain meds. It makes me feel better to know she is on board!

Also, Ty and I took maternity photographs last week. You can view them at http://www.inhisimagefoto.com/Charislview.html. I haven't figured out how to post them on my blog yet, but will do that if I can figure it out. The pics are a little bit cheesy, but we wanted to capture the fun and excitement of our first pregnancy. Plus, the photographer was only $50 so it was hard to pass up!

Lastly, God has really blessed us with lots of good relationships and friendships in the relatively short time we've been in Tampa (3 months). He has led us to Oakwood Community Church, where we joined a yound marrieds small group. Last night, they surprised us with a baby shower before our Bible study. Thank you again to everyone in the group for your support and friendship, and of course, the baby gifts. You really demonstrated Christ's love to us in how you guys took us under your wing so quickly and unconditionally. We are blessed that we have made like-minded friends with whom we can have fun and laugh with in such a short time.

Pics of our small group at a Devil Rays game!

36 week update!

I went to the obgyn yesterday for my 36 week appointment and all is well. They are happy with how I've been managing the gestational diabetes. Colt is growing right on track, even though I still haven't gained weight in the last 6 weeks (since changing my diet and exercise program to accomodate the GD). But the best news yet is that I am 80% effaced and dialated to a 2!!! I was very excited to hear of this progress. However, I have known several people who were dialated to a 2 or 3 for like 2 or 3 weeks, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much about Colt possibly being early. I have been having mild contractions, but nothing regular or too strong. At the very least, yesterday's appointment lit the fire under my butt to get things organized and ready before Colt's arrival. Today I took time to do all the tasks that I've been putting off for weeks and it kinda feels good to get things done! (I arranged for a recycling bin to be delivered, got rid of our extra boxes on Craigslist, connected the security system, etc).

I also went over my birth plan with the doc yesterday and it was mostly good. She doesn't want to let the umbilical cord stop pulsating before cutting it and doesn't want to let me deliver in the position that I choose. But other than that, she was mostly on board with what is most important to me. The reason she didn't want to let the cord stop pulsating before cutting it was b/c she said that if the baby is on my chest, he can't get any of my blood from the cord b/c it is going against gravity. she said she'd have to lay him on the floor for the blood to keep pulsing through the cord. That's the 1st I'd ever heard of that! I mean, my brain still gets blood even though it is above my heart and my legs still circulate the blood back to my heart and that goes against gravity. As long as the cord is pulsing, it is still circulating the blood. Come on doc!

We're all moved in!

So it's been 2 weeks since we got all of our furniture and belongings delivered. I've been working slowly but surely and finally have unpacked everything! (We had a visitor from Austin come spend the night with us this week, so that was a good incentive for me to get things in order before his arrival!) Here are some pics of our new house! I am extremely amazed at how much of a difference wood floors, nice paint colors, and granite countertops can make! I mean, we have all the same furniture from Austin, but this house just feels a lot nicer and more homey. Anyway, we are just renting this place for now, so even though I am finished unpacking I am also reminded that I'll probably just have to do this routine all over again next year! We are still working on Colt's room (it's being painted yellow), so when it's done I'll post pics of the nursery.


Also, we LOVE our neighborhood! They are very active. There were 3 events this week where we hung out (a ladies night, a baby shower, and a cookout!). Three neighbors go walking several times a week with their dogs and kids and have begun to invite me along... which I love! Ty cleaned up in poker with the guys recently, which may mean he doesn't get invited back!! :) It's great to get to know them and God has really blessed us by leading us to this neighborhood.

The outside of our house The dining room (to the left of the front door)
The family room (inside the front door)
our bedroom
kitchen
view from the back porch

Molly patrolling the backyard for frogs and lizards (her daily routine)
In other news, Ty and I went to the AVP pro beach volleyball tournament this weekend. We watched Misty May and Kerri Walsh beat their opponents and saw several other people play as well. The atmosphere at this event was cool because the players just walked around the venue, so anyone could take pics or get autographs as desired. The players would come up in the stands to watch their friends or opponents and were just joking around with each other. Gotta say I might take up beach volleyball after Colt is born b/c if it'll help me get abs like those girls, then I better get started! I also tried on Crocs for the first time (they were the sponsor) and am definitely in love. Even though I think they are really ugly... their comfort level is the best I've ever experienced, plus they just came out with new styles that are much better. Here are some pics from the event.

The Rocket in Tampa and moving lessons

Me at 34 weeks pregnant... 6 weeks to go!!
Ty and I at a baseball game
Roger Clemens in Tampa
The Rocket in perfect form

Ty and I have been attending lots of baseball games lately. Roger Clemens was in town playing for the minor league Tampa Yankees (the Yankees A ball club). We got awesome tickets for $5 a piece pretty much right by home plate! Ty spent most of Roger's 4 innings heckling him for selling out and moving to the Yankees from the Astros. I gotta say... for $15 million over 6 months, I'd probably do the same thing! How come social workers don't get an opportunity to make that kind of money??? Anyway, despite the fact that we are saddened the Rocket is no longer playing for our beloved Astros, it was great to see this baseball legend in what could be his last year.

In other news... our stuff from Austin FINALLY arrived and we are getting settled into our new house in Tampa! Yea!! Moving has been such a hassle and the moving company did not help make it any easier. We have learned many lessons from this experience. The company packed up our belongings in Austin, unpacked them in a warehouse in Dallas, then spent 2 weeks stringing us along - promising us unfulfilled delivery dates before reloading our stuff on a semi! When our things finally did show up, the movers were pressuring us to sign paperwork stating our belongings were all in good condition, when we hadn't had time to inspect everything yet. For the most part our stuff was in good condition... nothing those furniture markers can't touch up. A few of our glass pieces were broken... but nothing sentimental.

Here are a few of our moving lessons learned:

1) Hire a company who will come to your house and give you an estimate after looking at your furniture. Don't hire a company who has an online checklist of furniture. (We did the online version... but when they got to our house to pack they started saying our furniture was too big so counted as two or three pieces of furniture, instead of the one piece option listed on the website). Then our quoted price went up significantly.

2) In the contract with the moving company, state a delivery date. For every day they are late, make sure there is a penalty they will pay.

3) Make sure the movers mark any unpacked objects on the inventory list. We had a really nice ladder that wouldn't fit in a box. They conveniently didn't write it on the inventory list and somehow it didn't make it to Tampa! The same with our dolly.

4) Make sure you have plenty of help on delivery day. Have one person take the inventory sheet and check off the objects as they come off of the truck. Have someone else inspect all furniture, and open up any boxes with glass in them to see if anything broke. Maybe a third person to direct the movers to the proper rooms with your furniture and boxes.

5th anniversary, 1st mother's day

Last weekend was our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in style at the Rusty Pelican, on the coast. The food was really good and our server was entertaining, which always makes for a good night out. The view was beautiful, except for this big white dam that was erected since someone is building on the property next to the restaurant. You can see it vaguely in the photo. But it turned out okay b/c lots of birds would come sit on the dam, so they entertained us for most of the dinner. Anyway... it's hard to believe we've been married 5 years already!! I remember on the day we married I didn't think I could love Ty any more than I did at that time. But love is amazing and it is strange how much it has grown over the years to be much deeper and more mature. I look forward to how our love will continue to grow over the next 5 years and to see where else the Lord will lead our family!

This weekend was also my first Mother's Day! Even though Colt isn't born yet, every thing I do already affects him! Ty was so sweet and bought me a print from an artist we both really like. A copy is below. We used to go to the artist's gallery in Union Station in St. Louis after Cardinals/Astros games. If you want to see more of his work, it's at www.baseballfineart.com.

"Please, let it be a slugger."

Fires in FL

So there are like 250+ fires in the state of Florida right now!! Most mornings when we wake up it is all smoky outside and smells like burning trees. They keep issuing health warnings... saying not to spend too much time outside because of all the smoke and toxins in the air! Molly hates it because we either forego her daily walk, or cut them really short. Because of the strong breeze in FL, we are getting smoke all the way from some fires in Georgia and the fires in Florida. Crazy! Parents - there is no need to worry, the fires aren't really close to us.... yet.

Also, the doctor told me I have gestational diabetes. I had to go in for a 3 hour blood glucose test and then to a class with a dietician. They taught me how to test my blood which I have to do 4 times a day and gave me a meal plan to follow! The meal plan actually isn't too different than my normal eating plan, except it has less fruit and typically one less dessert per day. The good news is that since the class, my blood sugars have been well in the "normal" range, even on the lower side of normal. It's just kinda scary cause one of the potential complications can be a really big baby (over 9 lbs)! I want to give birth vaginally and know it will be harder the bigger the baby is! The good news is that the diabetes goes away after the birth, so I can eventually begin eating good (aka sugary) foods again shortly :)