40 Weeks Pregnant at Aldridge Gardens

Umi and I had a jam packed day today. First off we had to go to the DMV to get my drivers license up to date with my new last name. Luckily there were 2 people in front of me so it took no time at all. Then we had to go to the grocery store (since there was no food in this house except for the frozen or boxed kind lol). We were so worn out after that (at least I was) so we came home, unloaded the groceries, ate some Gofta and Chowel (which is meatballs and rice), and then rested.

My middle sister-in-law (Shaz) has been begging me to go get some professional pictures made of myself with my big pregnant belly. She said she would reimburse us for it. She has been MORE than generous to us lately with money so I got a better idea for some great pictures that wouldn't cost anyone anything. We have a small Botanical Gardens like Park right beside our apartment complex called Aldrige Gardens. As you can see from the pictures it is a beautiful place. So, after lunch I got as dressed up as I could, got Umi and the camera in the car, and we went to Aldrige Gardens and took some pictures of me HUGE pregnant (as you can see lol).

After Aldrige Gardens Umi decided we should get some ice cream (since I was sweating like a pig) so I took her to Brewster's. Our next stop was at Home Depot to get some more pegs so we could fix our book shelf (which right now is a DVD/VHS shelf lol). Last but not least we went to Bruno's and used my WIC to get milk, juice, and peanut butter. Whew!! What a day!

We are finally home now and I am VERY tired. Hopefully I will get some good sleep because tomorrow is my doctor's appointment which is going to be tiring as well. Then, the next day, I will most likely be having a C-Section so I need some rest! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Now Where Did I Put That Brain of Mine??

Panic!...and it isn't "at the disco". It's right here in my head because I'm realizing that I'm going to have a baby in 3 days!!

I still can't believe it, or the fact that I'm going to be having a C-Section (most likely) which everyone is deeming "MAJOR SURGERY". It sounds a little (ha ha..."a little") scary. I'll get over it. I have to "get over it" because Shawn has to come out somehow and there is NO WAY he weighs less than 7 1/2 pounds. My friend Amiee thinks he is going to weigh 9lbs 1ounce.

When Mo was born he weighed 8lbs 2ounces...and when I was born I weighed a whopping 9lbs
8ounces!! I heard from somewhere (which according to Mom may not be a credible source) that babies tend to weigh-in somewhere between their Mother and Father's birth weight. Mom says that the baby tends to weigh closer to the Mother's birth weight than the Father's. Based on that info you are MORE than welcome to take a guess at his birth weight and I'll post it later to see who was the closest (for bragging rights).

Other than that I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I know I'm going to be ok though, and I have SO MANY wonderful friends and family praying for us too. We are truly blessed!!

...and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that after Shawn is born I'll get my brain back...I've missed it so much!! LOL

I Should be Cleaning...

but instead I'm blogging.

Mo and I were going to clean yesterday except that he got called into work. That's ok though because he worked over-time hours and we need the money!

Speaking of money I checked out the SITS featured blogger today (Katie Ritchie) and one of her blogs that I read really touched me. She talked about how her and her husband were down on their luck with money, but God sent them 2 angels (in the form of oil millionaires lol) who were very generous on one of her flights and truly blessed them with extra money to make it through. I couldn't help but relate to this because it seems like Mo and I are down on our luck 24/7 with money...and on those months when it seems we should be up to our ears in debt we come out fine! Sometimes it's because we forgot that Mo worked over-time on his pay-check, or we got tax returns, or even his family wants to be generous because they came into a nice sum of money. Regardless, we almost always come out on top and I would definitely call that blessed and watched over so I know EXACTLY where Katie is coming from!

Anyway, Umi will be here Saturday, and then Mom will be here Tues. We really do need to clean, but gosh do I NOT feel like it! Procrastination is my middle name right now!! I guess I'll "slave" over dinner and when Mo gets home I'll give HIM the cleaning list and say, "Get crackin' Bud!" Ha ha ha...

Wednesday March 25th

Yep...that's when Shawn should be here. When I went to my doc app. yesterday we found out that I am still not dilated, effaced, and Shawn has not dropped.

At my last app. when Dr. Banks was checking my cervix I was in a great deal of pain. I didn't mention it and tried to get over it thinking it was just apart of the exam. Mo decided yesterday to mention it to Dr. Banks because Mo doesn't like to see me in ANY kind of pain, tears, or turmoil (he just can't handle it). It's a good thing he did mention it. Dr. Banks was upset with me for not saying anything and proceeded to tell me why. He said that when he was doing the exam he realized that my cervix was "angled" and VERY narrow. He said the exam was probably very painful to me because he had a hard time with checking me.

According to Dr. Banks my cervix is narrow and angled which would make a vaginal delivery more painful for me. He said if Shawn is 8 pounds or more (by checking next weeks ultrasound) he highly suggests I do a C-Section. He thinks that my pelvis and cervix just won't be able to handle it and that it will all lead to a C-Section anyway.

I have decided that if Shawn is over 7 pounds 8 ounces then I will go ahead with a C-Section, but if he weighs less then that I think I will try for a natural birth. I just don't want to think that I cheated myself out of a chance to NOT have major surgery.

Why is Everything so Complicated?

Tomorrow I will be going to my doctor's appointment to see if I am dilated /effaced and if Shawn has dropped/engaged. I have been walking and doing exercises ALL WEEK in preparation for this appointment just hoping that something has changed. Now I know that everyone has been telling me to hold my horses (as well I should be) however, we (Me, Mo, and Mom) have a few reasons as to why Shawn needs to come sooner rather than later, and why it might be nice to schedule it as an induction (which my Doc seems ok with).

I will start with the reasons why I need Baby Shawn to be scheduled to come now (next week). Physically it is that my anxiety is starting to creep back again. I'm sure this is in anticipation of my labor and delivery, but none the less it's coming back and affecting me and Shawn. I have been having "night terrors" as well. I have dreams so vivid and awful (worse than any scary movie) and that's also adding to my anxiety! Also I have PUPPS on my legs (that's a pregnancy rash) that is spreading and getting worse. Then there is the usual aches, pains, and discomforts of pregnancy that every woman has.

The reasons for Mo are work related. His Chief of Security just had to fire an officer due to scheduling conflicts and now Mo will be working a lot more. Since Mo will be working more it would be beneficial for him to be able to tell Chief when he will be off work because Shawn is being born. I know that might sound unreasonable for his Chief to want that kind of a heads up, but with everything that is going right now at his work I can understand it.

The reasons for Mom begin with the fact that she lives 2 hours away and if Shawn came at 2am that would be tough on her. She has to take medicine to sleep (like most of us do) and that could be dangerous as well. Also, Mom would be able to be there to hold my hand from start to finish without me having to wait on her if I was induced. Last, but not least, to touch on a touchy subject, the ONLY people that I am allowing in the labor and delivery room (besides the doctor and nurses) are Mom and Mo. Now Mo's Mom (I call her Umi) is going to be here within the next 5-6 days for Shawn's birth and to stay and help take care of me after Mom has to go home. She is a wonderful woman, but I just would not feel comfortable with her in the room during my labor. This is because I am a HUGE prude and I will have enough people as it is seeing me half naked that I don't need another! It's also because Mo, and especially Mom, will be more than enough to take of me properly during my labor.

Anyway, I know that if I am not dilated/effaced and if Shawn has not dropped/engaged it's going to be hard to talk induction. Now even though I will be proposing to wait until the 26th or 27th (which is a few days AFTER my due date) inductions can be more painful and have a higher rate of leading to C-Section. I'm going to have to think it through long and hard tomorrow if nothing has changed. If you have been through this kind of situation with a pregnancy, or a friend or family members pregnancy, please let me know (knowing other peoples' outcomes and hearing their advice is always beneficial)!! Thanks!

A Few More Weeks I Guess...

I know I haven't blogged in a few days, but it's not because I went into labor. Mo gets his off days usually sometime between Mon.-Wed. so I don't blog because I am spending time with him. Other than that I have been going out more to the mall to walk, and to the grocery store (since we have money lol). So...that's why I hadn't blogged lately.

Anyway, I had my doctors app. yesterday at 38 weeks + 1 day. According to Dr. Banks I am only half a cm dilated and no effacement (at least he didn't say I was effaced). Also Shawn has not dropped yet even though I thought he had. Dr. Banks told me that had I been dilated ANY he would have set me up (I suppose for induction) next week. Apparently Shawn and my body are still not ready so we will give it some more time.

Other than that my list of things to do before Shawn arrives is now completely taken care of except for the deep cleaning and relaxing. I think I need to add walking and small exercises to it too to work myself into shape for labor and delivery. There are things like pelvic swaying, squats, and kegels that will help prepare me for the big day. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time because, technically, it could be any day now. We certainly are ready now if it does happen! Keep us in your prayers please!

Just Around the Corner

I don't think it is going to be too much longer and Shawn will be here. Today I had more energy to expend going grocery shopping and cleaning the house...heck I even sold a piece of our furniture today to a lady on Craigs List. Apparently all this renewed energy and excitement is what they call "Nesting" Syndrome. I do believe that is what I'm going through right now. Also, Shawn has already dropped so really...it could be any day now. I am only 2 days away from being 38 weeks! My MVP is acting up a little bit I guess because I am nearing the finish line...and all this extra energy is kicking up my anxiety levels as well.

I had my first dream where I actually "saw" Shawn (dream Shawn that is)...at least what my brain is perceiving he will look like. He mostly looked like a good mixture of Mo and I, but admittedly, he did look a little more like Mo. I can't wait to see him for real!

Well, I know this was short but I do need to try to sleep even with all this extra energy. All I can say is if I all of the sudden stop blogging for a few days to a week then Shawn is here!

Getting Prepared

Every time I think about going into labor I think about the movie 9 months with Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, and Joan Cusack. The scene that stands out the most in my mind is when all four characters are in the delivery room together and Tom Arnold is videoing BOTH of the births while the women scream at him and Hugh Grant. The best part is that both women are in labor for all of 5-10 minutes! Now I know for the movie they couldn't take up an entire 12 hours to depict the whole birthing process...but they could have at least eluded to it! Movies make labor and delivery look like a piece of cake (the baby always comes early or right on time and in about 5 min)! Not only that but they make it VERY dramatic too like the fact that the woman's water ALWAYS breaks in public and if they aren't already at the hospital it takes an act of God to make it there on time!

These days the baby likes to make a debut about 1-2 weeks later. The mother is most likely having to schedule an induction, and they make it to the hospital WAY before they are in active labor. The water almost never breaks until labor begins, and most likely your doctor broke it. The movie neglects to show the 10-20 hours that you lay there wishing to die because you can't get an epidural yet (since that might slow down the birthing process)...AND what they neglect to show the most is when labor is deemed "unprogressive" and you are shipped to surgery for a C-section! Yes, what a piece of cake lol!



I know it doesn't always happen that way and some women have been very fortunate to have a short labor (like my friend Amiee). Amiee was a week late and had to be induced, but luckily she was only in labor for 3-4 hours. Now granted she never got to have an epidural because about the time the anesthesiologist arrived with it she was pushing! She tells me all the time that her natural birth (while she was not really planning on it) was great for her. She said right after she was finishing giving birth to Leith she felt fantastic! According to Amiee, and other women I have talked to on forums, you get a natural high after the baby is delivered, and you don't have to feel the sometimes yucky side effects of the epidural. I would LOVE to think that I could go without the epidural, but I'm definitely thinking I'm going to chicken out lol. I truly don't have a high tolerance for pain and I have a lot of anxiety. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and just maybe if I'm lucky enough to be like Amiee, I can have a natural child birth without having any say-so in it lol!

Over-all I have read enough material and watched enough vaginal and C-section births on YouTube to have me somewhat prepared for what I might endure. I have also visited the labor and delivery ward at Brookwood and met the staff (they are fantastic)! They showed me all of the equipment (and had to use some on me) and I went through a few basic procedures when I visited them with the stomach bug that I will be going through when I'm in labor. Also, Mom, my sisters-in-law, my cousins, my aunts, and my friends (who have had children) have ALL told me their birthing stories ranging from vaginal to C-section (even emergency births). So, having all that said, I think I am as prepared as I'm going to be and labor and delivery is right around the corner...and the best part is seeing my baby and holding him for the first time!

Stomach Bugs and Hospital Trips

As some of you may know from Mom's blog I have been VERY sick! Apparently (and I was COMPLETELY unaware of this) there has been a stomach "bug" going around for 3 months now, and it's so horribly contagious that they have had to quarantine hospital wards to contain it! On Monday I had to go to the Shelby County Health Department to re-new my WIC checks and I believe that's where I caught the virus. There were so many people there with their millions of children and even though I used Germ-X before and after I was at the Health Department it didn't stop me from getting it.

There are two very bad things about this "bug". The first is that it doesn't just last 24 hours...it lasts 3 days to a week! The second is that you have a horribly sour stomach, you throw up a lot, and you have extreme diarrhea (incontinence). Thanks to all of these fun-filled symptoms I got extremely dehydrated and was sent to Labor and Delivery (since I am so close to my due date) by Dr. Huggins (the OBGYN on call). They put me on I.V. fluids and monitored Shawn (and me for contractions). They also gave me some I.V. Zofram (for nausea) and once I had both bags of fluids I was feeling right as rain. They sent me home around midnight and I was able to eat a few bites of a turkey sandwich. I was beginning to think that maybe all I had was food poisoning...but I was wrong. The diarrhea came back with a vengeance and I was VERY nauseated.

Today Mo and I went to my regularly scheduled app. with Dr. Banks. To be on the safe side I brought a washcloth to cover my face (out of respect for others) which I replaced with a face mask as soon as I got to the hospital. Dr. Banks said he wanted to keep me at the hospital today as well and sent me down to perinatal for more I.V. fluids and Zofram. They were supposed to do more fetal monitoring and an ultrasound, but that never happened. In fact the I.V. fluids never happened either because I was too dehydrated for the them to find a good vein (so I was stuck 5 times in my hands and arms)! Since Dr. Banks was called to an exergency all the nurses did was give me the pill form of Zofram and watch me drink half a sprite. Since I kept down the sprite they sent me home! I would have gone home sooner if I had known that was all they were going to do! That visit cost us $125.00 we didn't have (sigh) and I'm still VERY sick!

As you can see I just haven't been feeling well so please pray for me. It's one thing to have a stomach bug and another to have one and be pregnant at the same time. Well, I'm very tired so I'm going to go take a nap!

T.V. Boyfriends (just for fun)

So I was bored and didn't know what to blog about...and then I got an idea. Mo and I always watch House and Heroes on Monday night and Lost on Wednesday. Well there are some talented and attractive guys in these shows that I appreciate, and Mo ALWAYS teases me about them (and of course I plead the 5th)! Here are just a few of the guys that really boost the ratings of these shows lol :) Let me know if you agree!



First and foremost is Milo Ventimiglia from Heroes. He plays the character Peter Petrelli. He is probably one of the center most characters in the show even though there are 20 different characters or more! His character was a lot "cooler" though when he could "absorb" everyone's powers...now he can only "absorb" one at a time. However he is still always the one "Saving the Cheerleader" and "Saving the World" lol



Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House on the show House. He is a brilliant actor and says his biggest trouble everyday on the set is speaking with an "American" accent since he himself is British! He also plays a very WIDE variety of instruments on House and turns out it is really him playing!



Matt Fox plays Dr. Jack on Lost. In the last episode that Mo and I saw of Lost (last week) he did a FANTASTIC scene where he had to be extremely emotionally distressed. It was some of the BEST acting Mo and I had ever seen!



Josh Holloway is another favorite of mine from Lost. He plays a very swashbuckling character who makes up funny but terrible nick-names for everyone. He is a great actor and keeps the show very dramatic and entertaining.



John Krasinski plays Jim Halpert on The Office. I used to watch the show more frequently but I have gotten too far behind now to catch up. When I watched the show his character was very down to earth while also being a big prankster (considering the people he was working for) which reminds me of Mo and his stories from work lol. He is another brilliant actor who deserves recognition whether I have kept up with his show or not!

I will now leave you with three amazing actors who are NOT T.V. related, but none the less my favorites.



Christain Bale was a favorite of mine WAY before he ever played Batman...yes even though he was the killer in American Psycho I still have tremendous respect for him and his acting abilities (even if he does throw temper tantrums lol)!



I loved Gerald Butler in The Phantom of the Opera and 300. He really is a dynamic actor and he is Scottish for goodness sakes (just like me)! The last film I saw him in was P.S. I Love You...ladies if you haven't seen this movie you need to!



Last but most certainly NOT least is Hugh Jackman. He is my absolute favorite (Mo knows, I get teased and he gets jealous lol). Hugh Jackman is not only popular in the movie business, but most importantly (what I spent 4 years of my High School career doing) he is big in theater on Broadway. This makes him exceptional! One of the things that my High school drama teacher, Ms. Taylor, told us is that almost anyone can act in a film (this is because you can call line and re-shoot any scene you want to). On Broadway there is no calling line (you have to know all your lines, all the musical numbers, and your stage position for the whole show because there are no re-shoots)! He is a very devoted father to two mixed children that he and his wife adopted (they adopted mixed children because they heard mixed children rarely ever got adopted), and from what I heard, a very devoted and loving husband as well. What a great guy!

Well, I hope Mo never reads this! Ha ha ha he would be like, "Lucy...you got some 'splainin to do!"

Dude...It's Snowing in Alabama!

Yeah...you heard me...it's snowing! It hardly ever snows here. It is so beautiful! Jerry Tracey is saying that we may have about 3 inches. It's sticking a good bit too. I would love to have a picture to post with this blog but it's just too cold for pregnant 'ole me to be going outside with the camera. From what I hear it's far enough south for Mom and Eddie to be enjoying some snow as well. Mom told me on the phone yesterday evening that I didn't need to go into labor today lol! I told Shawn that he needed to wait a day if he was ready...so I did my best :)

If, when Mo gets home at 2pm, it's not still like a blizzard outside we are going to go to Dad and Karen's new house since they are moved in now. Dad set up his pool table so we are going to play a few games and go out to eat some Mexican food for dinner.

Every time I think of snow I think of mine and Mo's favorite comic strip Calvin and Hobbes...so enjoy my little comic strip picture since I couldn't get you the real thing (you may have to click on it to read it)!