!@#$%^&*!

*** WARNING ***

This does not count as our 39 week post and may be too graphic/personal for some family members, small children, and/or men.

Vent starting... NOW -

We met with the new doctor in our office today. She came in, seemed super nice and excited to meet us. She called me Mary even though Catron is written in big letters at the top of my chart and all of my pages. She asked a couple questions about how I was feeling. She made some chipper comment about us finally being full term which I thought was slightly odd but whatever. She checked the heartbeat and managed to find the one place that made it sound like it wasn't beating very strong... she smiled and said it sounded great. She then began the internal exam. I think she might have been confused as to whether she was supposed to check my cervix or my vocal cords. After about 2 minutes of rooting around she asks me if I could put my hands under my hips. I do this while wondering if it's possible to lose one's cervix. She then informs me that my cervix is still very far back, maybe a fingertip dilated. She also informs me in her sing-song voice that nothing is going to be happening any time soon, "hee hee hee". Once I get further along my cervix will come forward and internals won't be as painful. She then signs off on my chart and says, "We'll see you in a week."

Once she is out of the room Wyatt asks me if I'm ok. I nod as he has to help me off of the table. He asks if I'm disappointed and I say a little... I feel like the 39 week appointment should contain more than that, especially if we haven't made much progress. He asks if it hurt and I tell him that I think those internals must be the reason she works out at the gym... hell yes it hurt! I have had several internals so far, my first one being at 26 weeks and the doctors have NEVER had such a hard time "finding" my cervix or letting me know it's status. I also told him that I really didn't appreciate her sounding so chipper about "nothing happening any time soon" but that we were making great progress. Now if you recall, last week we were 50% effaced and thinning well and Crumb was at 0 station. This doctor was now congratulating me on being almost 50% effaced at -2 station... did she really just say congratulations on going backwards?? I realize that Aug. 6th is an estimated due date and all of that but I just didn't think that was something you should say to a woman in her 39th week of pregnancy. So, I got home, pouted for a little while about the lack of progress and then got over it. I didn't get over the whole "off" feeling I got from this doctor though. I went back to look at my chart and BAM, the nurse that had checked me in put down that I was just now 37 weeks!! That would explain why she said that we were just now full term, why she would dare giggle about nothing happening any time soon, and why she would just say we'll see you next week like it was no big deal. This also made me realize that she must not have even read the previous notes in my file - hints why she called me Mary (Catron wasn't written on the page she was writing on), why she congratulated us on our progress when in fact she had just told us we were going backwards, etc.

We went to dinner with my family and they got me laughing like I knew they would. I'm feeling much better but I am going to call the office tomorrow to let them know that "this just won't do". I know that being 39 weeks vs 37 weeks won't change my progress but whatever... I've been saving my monumental pregnancy hormone blow up for this long... I think I've earned the right to use it.

Vent over.

Thanks,

Seriously?!?

First of all, I have a confession. My name is Catron and I am a blog addict. It's not my blog so much as it is other blogs - especially other prego blogs. I'm learning that there are a lot of pregnant women like me who have also become blog addicts. Perhaps we should start a support blog... would that be counter-productive?
Anyway, I was reading one of the many blogs I check on a regular basis and this one had a quick little note celebrating a recent success at the doctor's office. This success (and more so the need for celebrating) got me thinking about some of the injustices of pregnancy. Now, I love this whole pregnancy deal, no I'm not smoking crack, I really have loved most of it. I have just noticed that there are a few things that are really out of whack (like putting an "s" in lisp). So here are 2 examples and perhaps they will explain why this post is called... Seriously?!?
Example #1: My blogging friend was celebrating another week of not peeing on her hand while collecting a urine sample. First of all, high five my friend, that is truly a feat worthy of celebration. My point is that it shouldn't have to be. Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to give a very pregnant woman a cup with a 2 1/2 inch diameter and tell her to pee in it?? It's a hard enough task when you're not pregnant but strap a watermelon to your belly and then try to "catch". Seriously?!?
Example #2: I've blogged about this before but it's worth repeating... since I hear it every day. "Sleep while you can." Again, I love my sleep. I was following this advice before I even knew it was advice. If it was possible to log sleep hours for later use I would be in seriously great shape! Unfortunately, you can't log sleep hours. If I knew how to do that and could bottle it up, I would be rich and would never have to work again and then I wouldn't even need my own invention. So until this invention is completed (don't steal my idea... unless you can make it work) we are all doing the best we can to get the sleep we need when we can. Now, when you have (as previously mentioned) a precious being the size of a watermelon in your belly, sleep becomes one of the hardest things to obtain (other than that pinky toe on my left foot). I'm getting off topic here... the point is... the last few months of pregnancy there should be this sleep bubble that surrounds you making it possible to sleep for at least 5 straight hours without peeing on yourself, losing all feeling in your hips/legs, or waking up due to back pain. This bubble does not exist. I understand that this is preparing me for parenthood but if that's the case then tell these "parents" to stop telling me to "sleep while I can." I'm PREPARING here!!! Seriously?!?
That's all I am going to get into here... thanks for listening! :-) As always, if you think I'm talking about you... I'm probably not... :)
Love to all,

38 weeks... sorry for the late post

I've been a complete blog slacker lately... I know, there is no excuse. It's not like I have anything else going on in my life - my apologies! :) There really hasn't been too much going on - just preparing for baby. I still have a ton of posts that I need to catch up on (baby showers, Ann Margret & Conrad update, etc.) but for now I'll just do my 38 week post and go to bed!

I'm going to skip the survey today and just roll with it...

HOLY COW!!!! We are 38 weeks. That means that we are only 2 weeks away from our due date (well less than that now that it's Sunday morning). I think I had my oh wow moment on Wednesday at the doctor's office. When I was checking out and making our appointment for next week the nice lady asked if I wanted to go ahead and set up the next one as well so that we could get the day and time that we needed. I said, "Sure, that would be great. We'll need either a Thursday or Friday appointment for that week." She then says, "Ok, that puts us at August 6th or 7th... ummm, wait a minute, that's your due date! Let's hold off on scheduling that appointment ok?" I think I said, "............... uhhuh" while nodding my head with Wyatt's help. It was just sort of a reality check that this little guy is going to be here soon - really soon. I can't wait.

Anywho - the doctor's appointment went great. We've made a tiny bit of progress - last week we were -2 station and just "thinning" (did I mention that I was really glad he didn't use the word "ripening"? That's just a deformality). This week we were 50% effaced (thinned) and at 0 station which means that we are moving in the right direction. Crumb is definitely head down and will stay that way until his birthday. While Wyatt and I were thrilled to hear that there had been some progress, I know we were both secretly hoping that the doc would say something along the lines of, "Why don't you guys run home, grab a shower and your hospital bags and just meet us in Labor and Delivery." Oh well, maybe next week!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (i.e. my ever expanding mid-section) Crumb is doing great. I can definitely tell that he has dropped - Wyatt can tell too. It's nice because I can breath and he's not kicking my ribs anymore but it can get a little uncomfortable at times and I pee all the time. I am not joking... all the time... I've already been twice since starting this post... ok just once but still. He is still moving around and I've been able to feel his feet, butt, shoulder, and elbow. I'm not a huge fan of his elbow at the moment. It seems to find the exact spot where my belly is in relation to the desk, counter, sink, whatever and that is where he elbow chops me - it's quite painful to have your belly slammed into a desk, counter, sink from the inside. However, I know that when this little elbow is out in the world, I am going to love it more than any other elbow ever.

Let's see, what else. Wyatt is so ready to meet this little guy. It is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. We danced in the kitchen last night while making dinner (I love that new Black Eyed Peas song "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night"), I sat on the ab ball, we went for a super long walk... all the while Wyatt is asking how I'm feeling and politely telling Crumb that he is so ready for him to come out. He has been the most incredible person through this whole thing. I thought he was pretty incredible before we started this journey but he has truly surpassed my expectations. I am the luckiest woman.

Ok, that's enough late night ramblings for now.

Here's what I know you all came to see... my gigantic belly piece.

Love to all... and good night!

What a difference 10 weeks makes...

27 weeks vs. 37 weeks

Ann Margret & Conrad

So Wyatt and I have a bird's nest in our front porch lamp. We first noticed it several weeks ago and have been watching it ever since. At first, the only bird we saw was a small little brown bird so we named her Ann-Margret (from Bye Bye Birdie) (Mom's idea - awesome). We couldn't tell if there were eggs in there or not but she'd fly out of there every morning when I'd leave for work and then she'd be back in there when I got home at night. We were starting to become pals. Well, I got home from work one day and Wyatt tells me that there is a bird stuck in the lamp. I said, "Is it Ann-Margret?" He says, "No, its a bigger bird with red on it's chest." I went to look at the lamp and sure enough, there was a much bigger bird stuck in the lamp. Now I know you've all had an experience with a bird flying head first into your closed window or seen one fly into one of those big mirrored office buildings - it's awful and it's just so obvious that they don't understand the concept of glass. This bird could not for the life of him figure out how to get out of the lamp. He was flapping around and spreading his wings as far as he could - it was awful. I will be honest, at first I thought he was either trying to steal Ann-Margret's nest or (worse) that he was one of those egg stealers and had gone in there to eat her babies... I did not feel so sorry for him then but I wanted him out so that Ann-Margret could come back! Wyatt very carefully took the lamp down and crazy bird flew out, then Wyatt starts yelling for me. He said, "Cat, Ann-Margret had already laid her eggs." I'm thinking, oh no, the crazy bird ate them, or he stepped on them. Then Wyatt says, "The eggs have already hatched!" AHHH!! So then I was really worried that this bird squished them or that because Wyatt was touching part of the nest that Ann-Margret would never come back - I gathered up my courage and looked into the nest and saw 3 semi-feathered blobs of chewed grape bubble gum... that's what they looked like - the best part was, as far as I could tell all 3 blogs were moving. I told Wyatt to put the lamp back up and I went to google to see how to raise super brand new baby birds since I just knew Ann-Margret was not coming back. Thankfully I was wrong. By the time I got back downstairs with tears in my eyes to tell Wyatt that everything I had read said to just let nature take it's course... Ann-Margret was back in the nest!!! :) To make a long story a little shorter... this big boy bird has come back several times - he has now figured out how to get in and out of the lamp and we're assuming he's the daddy - his name is Conrad. The babies are thriving and I've even seen Ann-Margret feed them a few times. I'm sure she and Conrad had a hysterical conversation about him getting stuck in the lamp - I wish I could have heard that one. So, sorry for the super long post but it's been an exciting time watching this new family build and grow and struggle and survive. Here are a few photos and a little video of the babies.

We've got a FULL TERM baby!!!

Wow!!!! 37 weeks – officially full term. I can’t believe we are here already. It seems like just a month or so ago I was telling Wyatt that he was going to be a dad… now he’s about to have living, breathing, squirming proof of that. I can’t wait!!
I have been a super slacker when it comes to posting so I do apologize for that. There has been so much going on I just haven’t had the time (or more honestly, the energy) to post. I’ll work on that this weekend maybe. Let’s get to the most important stuff first…
How far: 37 weeks 1 day
Weight gain: oh golly… 40+ lbs… I can’t wait to start losing that!
Baby weight: Crumb weighs anywhere between 6 1/3- 7 lbs at this point. This is where the weight and the length start to vary baby by baby.
Stretch marks: I made it so far without any… but now I have them and I’ll get over it as soon as I see Crumb.
Sleep: What sleep? If one more person tells me to sleep while I can, I might end up having this baby in the slammer. Don’t you think I would be sleeping if I could? I’m not exactly the kind of person that skimps on sleep if I can help it. Being 37 weeks pregnant makes sleep a thing of the past…. Good practice I’ve been told.
Best Moment: We had 3 showers this past week and so we got lots of fun stuff for the Crumb baby and I got to see some of my dearest friends and family. At one of those showers we got our car seat so that has now been installed (thanks John) and we are officially ready to bring Crumb baby home!
Movement: He is out of control! He pushed my stomach out so far the other day that Wyatt noticed it from the driver’s seat of the truck! He’s still talking about it!
Cravings: No cravings… just favorites… shrimp and ice cream (not together)
Labor signs: The Braxton Hicks contractions are still here as are the “real but not real” contractions. I thought for sure we were having a baby the other morning – I was having contractions about 7-10 minutes apart for over an hour. I decided to wake Wyatt up after the next contraction… and they stopped. Dag-nabbit Woody!! So I’ve been having them sporadically but that’s it. We’ll see if they are doing anything today at our doctor’s appointment.
Breakdowns: I think I’ve been pretty good this week.
Belly Button: Out
What I miss: Sleep
What Wyatt misses: a wife that can drink beer with him after a long day… not much longer, bud!
Looking forward to: our doctor’s appointment today, our final shower on Saturday, and the biggest one of all – meeting this baby!!
Milestones: We’re full term… I’d say that’s the biggest milestone until the actual birth! :)
I’ll do my best to finish the other posts this weekend.
37 Weeks:

P.S. - my husband is the silliest!

36 Weeks!!

We are in the home stretch! As of today Crumb has the green light from the doctors to come out and play. Now, as we all know, Moms and Dads trump everyone else so we are telling Crumb that he doesn't have the green light until next week at least. Really and truly though - whenever he's ready would be just fine with us. We can't wait to meet him. The nursery is really coming together and I will try to post pictures soon. I've been making lists like crazy so we'll have lots to do for the next little while. Here are the stats:
How far: 36 weeks!
Weight gain: I'd say we're close to 40 lbs ::sigh::
Baby weight: 6 lbs - that's serious!!
Stretch Marks: I got one... actually 2. Wyatt hasn't been able to find them yet (or at least he's doing a good job pretending) so I'm not too stressed about them.
Sleep: Oh, not so good... :( I think if I could stay home all day and just nap through out the day that would be really helpful... too bad that's not how it works.
Best moment this week: We had dinner with Ashley and Jeremy this week. It was so great to finally get together with them. We've also been taking lots of evening walks which gives us time to talk about everything - baby and non-baby. I love talking with Wyatt.
Movement: Oh yes! I've got knees and heels and elbows poking out all over the place. Crumb seems to be convinced that he can escape through my belly button.
Cravings: Lemonade!! We've gone through at least 6 pitchers this week!
Labor signs: The Braxton Hicks are still around. I have been having some real contractions since Tuesday night but nothing consistent.
Breakdowns: I think I've been doing pretty good lately... if you've heard differently from Wyatt then he's lying. :)
Belly button: Make the sound, "Whoooo"... right now... no, seriously, do it. My belly button looks like that... that's the best way I can describe it. It shows through my shirts and my friends thing it is really funny. I get a kick out of it too.
What I miss: Being able to find a comfortable position for sleeping, sitting, standing, etc. Being able to put my pants on without having to sit down first. Seeing my feet.
Looking forward to: Holding Crumb. The parade of Baby Showers that start on Saturday. 5:00 tomorrow.
Milestones: "Your baby continues to put on weight at about 1/2 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 (and you ... well that's another story). 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:
-Crumb's 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.
-Crumb has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Crumb will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would—except when I put on that Celine Dion CD. Then he puts his hands up, turns away and gurgles, "Oh no you didn't!"
-Crumb is now around 18 1/2 inches long and nearly 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!

Here we are at week 36:

My guys...

We are really getting close. I think Dugan knows. He sits with me whenever he gets the chance and just rests his head on my lap - nose to belly. It's very cute. I think he also knows that his favorite play toy (Wyatt) is about to have a new priority. He and Wyatt play now more than ever and it's one of my favorite things to watch. Granted, this game has caused Wyatt 2 broken toes but whatever... :) Here is a little photo snap shot of their favorite game - Ring around the Island. I'll try to get video of it next time!!

Love to all,

Movie Warning!!

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT watch Marley & Me!! I know, I was warned and I'd even read the book so I knew what happened at the end but I still managed to get talked into watching it. Awful. Yes, there are very funny parts and parts that are very applicable to our life right now but all of that was not worth the end of the movie. I'm already swollen enough - i didn't need a night full of heapy-sobbing. If you feel like you must watch it... just stop watching after Marley has trouble getting up the steps. From that point on you either stop watching or you get an extra large box of tissues and hold your pet close. Wyatt and I love dogs way too much and as he put it, "Things like that suck enough in real life and they happen, why would you want to be reminded of what's coming? We are never watching that again." Then we went outside to play with our dogs.

I just wanted to warn you...

For those that warned me... I'm sorry I didn't listen. You have every right to say, "I told you so."

Here are our precious fur-babies:

Jake

Lucy

Dugan

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!

Happy 4th everyone!

Puddin' got a new hat for this special holiday and we wanted to share...

We hope you all have a happy and safe weekend.

Thanks to all who are out there keeping us safe either here or overseas.

35/35!!

We are cruisin'!!!

We've made it to another milestone... 35/35 - we are 35 weeks along and have 35 days left until Crumb's due date! I am just amazed. Wyatt and I have been getting more and more excited with each passing day. We just can't wait to meet this little guy.

This week has been busy. We've been working on finishing up the nursery - hanging curtains, installing shelves, doing laundry, etc. It is really coming together. There are still a few more things that we need to finish but we'll keep plugging away.I have definitely started to feel pregnant this week. I get out of breath just thinking about breathing. :) So for now, here are the weekly pictures. I'll update the survey later. Oh, you may note that there is a clue about Crumb's name in this week's picture. We have officially officially chosen a name. I know we said that once before and changed it... this time though, we are serious and we are both thrilled.

Have fun with the clue... it's the only one we're giving until he gets here.

35 weeks: