2 Months Old

Yesterday Ruby turned two months old. She is getting so big. She's over 12 lbs. She is smiling all the time and sometimes gives us a little laugh. She holds her head up all by herself and has been doing so for some time now. She loves to stand in our laps and supports herself totally. She's been doing that for a some time now too. She sits in her Bumbo and smiles and smiles. She coos and is becoming more vocal everyday. She makes the cutest little face where she puckers up her mouth. She is so sweet in the morning and at all times really. She is so sweet during diaper time. She loves it when I sing to her, even if my voice is sketchy :) When I take her shirt off of her she throws her arms all the way out and makes the cutest most scrunched up little face. She eats a lot and will take a bottle as long as Mommy is not in the house. When Poppy is holding her she has also been known to watch Mommy wherever she goes. She grabs things and has no problem grabbing Mommy's hair. She can also swat away what she doesn't want to bother her.

She is so much fun and we love her so much. Even though I love her more than anything in this world I still manage to fall in love with her more every day.

Here are some pics of our beautiful baby.

Mommy is still porky but it is a good picture of the two of us so I will overcome my vanity and post it ;)

We got all dressed up...

for nothing. We were going to go to the mall but by the time we got ready I couldn't find $1.75 to park and the whole thing seemed like such a pain. She's so sweet she even smiles while she's sleeping :)

Snowed In!

We are snowed in down here and I love it! We're watching the 'Eers and making cookies. If Ruby would give me a minute I could finish them :)

Here are some Christmas pics we took.

Baby's First Thanksgiving

What a tumultuous week this has been. I don't think any more could have went wrong if we tried. On Tuesday night Noel was trying to run cable to our greatroom and he went down to the basement. Well, we have these pressurized water holding tanks because we have to pump water up the hill to our house and then store it in the pressurized tanks in the basement so we have water pressure in the house. Noel comes back upstairs and tells me we have a water leak. I thought he had maybe drilled a little hole in a pipe or something and gave him Mighty Putty to fix it. Yeah right. When I went down stairs I saw that one whole tank had broken off of its pipe and was laying on the floor. I don't think Mighty Putty would save it. So Noel had to shut off the water. We used the remaining water in the other tank and then we were without. Noel went out that evening and got a part and got the tank hooked back to the pipe, but the tank still lacked pressure. We have no pump so we borrowed the neighbors' bicycle pump, yeah that did not work. We needed an air compressor. Wed. rolls around and Noel has to work. He had to go with barely any shower. He used some of my BedHead to slick down his hair. Nice. Anyway, that evening my folks felt sorry for us and came down early to help us out. When they arrived Wed. evening, Dad pumped up the tank with the air compressor but the water still would not work so they went to the bottom of the hill to check the pump. When they got in the pumphouse they saw that the pump had exploded and water was shooting out of it. Our best guess is that when Noel shut off the water at the tank the pressure built up and blew the pump. So it is too late to get a part for the pump, no water again. Thur. nothing is open to get a part so Noel and Dad go to a family owned grocery store that is above a hardware store owned by the same family. Thank goodness the owner let Noel in the hardware store to get the part. I think he felt sorry for us on Thanksgiving. So they got the part and we had water not long after that. Everything is back to normal and I start cooking for my dinner for 23 peeps on Saturday. Fast forward to Fri. All is going well on Fri. and Mom and I go to Sams and get more food for my dinner. When we get home I continue to prepare. About 8 o'clock, the house goes black. The power is out, and it's not just a flash like sometimes happens. So we get out the oil lamp and candles and wait. Oh yeah, and did I mention that our heat is electric? Our whole house runs on electricity. So about 9 something we went on to bed. Every time through the night Ruby woke me up, though I prayed, there was still no electricity. It is cold in the house at that point and the three of us are snuggled up together. Ruby sucked all the heat out of me and did not even notice it was cold! We woke in the morn with no power and decided to postpone dinner until Sun. Every time we called the power company the time power was supposed to be restored was extended. Finally about 11:15 am we got power back. So Sun. I had my dinner and it was a great time and went off without a hitch. My parents went back to White Sulphur Springs that night and my Dad got pulled over for speeding and hit a deer. After he called to tell us that, to ice the cake, I got a sick stomach and spent some quality time in the bathroom. Hell of a week.


Ruby the morning of no power. She is too cute in her little hat!


PP, Ruby, and Maxwell are worn out from all the work, or was it the turkey?


Ruby and Nannie resting.


Ruby laid back with her Unc. Check the adorable turkey day outfit!

My Baby Story Part IV

When 4:00 am rolled around, my nurse was helping her other patient deliver so I buzzed the nurses' station and told them I needed my pitocin! My nurse was done shortly and brought it to me. She put it in my IV and the fun was about to begin. I hadn't felt that birth was imminent until then. I had to admit to Noel that I was in fact scared. That was the first time since I arrived at the hospital that I was scared. Drip, drip, drip went the pitocin. At some point when the contractions started getting a good deal stronger, I noticed that pain was shooting through my left labia. I thought, wait a minute here, why am I feeling anything? I let my nurse know what was going on and was informed that I had a hot spot. I think a hot spot is caused when a nerve in the spine is not taking to the medication from the epidural. The pain in my labia was increasing as the contractions were getting stronger. In fact, when the contractions got really strong, I actually had to breathe through the pain in my labia like I learned in child birth class because it hurt pretty bad--but not as bad as without an epidural. The anesthesiologist came back in and gave me a couple more shots for the pain and told me that when you have a hot spot it feels like all of the pain is concentrated in that one little area--no kidding. None the less, time moved on and it was time for my nurse to go home. I hated to see her go because she treated me so well. You know, it's not everyone that would go wet a towel and wipe your a** every time you used a bed pan, get excited about how much you peed, and tell you to "let it rip, tater chip" every time you farted. That takes a very special nurse and we were very blessed to have her. The nurse that replaced mine was as nice as can be too, but I must admit I was a little daunted when I saw how gorgeous she was. Here I am with my legs all up in the air cresting well over 200 lbs., using a bed pan, and just in general looking nasty and I find out my new nurse is a former Miss West Virginia, yep you read right, Miss West Virginia. Well nothing to do about that so moving on, she checks my progress and finds that I am almost adequate (ready to push). My water had not broken yet and she got out the crochet hook for my doctor to break it when she arrived. However, crochet hook not needed because Miss West Virginia accidentally broke it the next time she checked me. The gush of warm liquid was a weird but welcome feeling. It meant we were one step closer....

Ruby and her Poppy, I couldn't decide which one I liked best.

1 Month Old

I can't believe it but my little baby is one month old today. It's so exciting to watch her grow, but on the other hand it breaks my heart that time passes so quickly. I swear it feels like I just had her yesterday. Today truly has been bittersweet, but I don't want to waste a day being sad.

Ruby is out of newborn clothes for sure. She can hold her head up. She grunts like no other and it's hilarious. She is the best thing that ever happened to us and we love her more than life itself. I never believed I could love someone so much.

My Baby Story Part III

When the doctor came in to give me an epidural, he had a nurse anesthetist in training with him. But since the doctor was in a hurry because he had to go to a small child in the OR he did the epidural himself and wasted no time doing it. I bet he had it done in less than two minutes. Less than two minutes to ease such pain. I call him Dr. Feelgood. The epidural kicked in almost immediately and I was feeling much better. The nice nurse I had agreed to let me see if I could pee in a bedpan instead of getting a catheter. Good news, I could pee on my own, so no catheter! The nurse had me laying flat on my back because she told me the pain medication was positional and if I sat up it would go lower than my abdomen where I needed it. So I'm laying there and watching my contractions on the monitor. The contractions were getting weaker probably because of the epidural. So the nurse called my doctor and she said to start me on a pitocin drip at 4:00 am. So now began the waiting for the pitocin. Noel managed to sleep on the bench in the room. He ripped the padding off of the wall behind the bench (it was velcro) to make the bench wider. He complained a lot too! I tried to sleep but it was hard with a million cords coming out of/ off of me. I had the epidural, the blood pressure cuff, the monitors for the baby, the heart monitor for me, the IV, and an oxygen mask. Oh yeah, I forgot about the oxygen mask and I can't exactly remember what that was for. I did fall asleep for a little bit but when I woke up I had positioned by arm all wrong and the IV was backed up. Dag that smarted. When I couldn't sleep I was lucky that there was Gunsmoke on TVLand--not just one episode either--several! I felt like we were right at home. None the less, I was just biding my time until 4:00 am....



Baby's first tub bath. She was unsure, but isn't that to be expected?

My Baby Story Part II

By the time Noel came back I was definitely in labor. When he got back the first thing he wanted to do was finish watching Gunsmoke. He now says the last two minutes tied the whole show together. Noel says this whole Gunsmoke thing is not true, but that's how I remember it. After that show, I told him to turn it off and he did. We waited here at the house until the contractions were five minutes a part for two hours. The contractions were really getting strong and actually were coming even closer together and Noel demanded we leave right then. When we got to the hospital at 5:00 pm we went to the labor and delivery floor and told the guard I was in labor. The guard then opened the doors and told me to go to triage. I had to go by myself and that was strange to be in labor and be walking down the hall looking for triage by myself! Triage was full so they went ahead and put me in a birthing room. The nurse assigned to me was all business. Noel was able to come in thirty minutes later. By this time, my contractions were really ramping up and I thought I must be getting ready to have the baby! haha! Yeah right! I was only 3 cm dilated! OMG I couldn't believe it. Luckily nurse Ratchet was off duty at 7:30 pm and the nicest nurse in the world came in and took over. I decided to go walk the halls to help the contractions along and oh boy did that help them along! They were so strong and close together I thought I was going to puke. I was in the hall holding on to Noel's neck on the verge of insanity! Oh, yeah and we had a trash can in case I puked. So I made the decision to go back to the room. We walked around the room instead of the hall. That lasted for a while and then I made the decision to get an epidural....


Our sleeping baby.

Napping with Daddy.

The past two days she has spent much more time awake--believe it or not by looking at these pics!

My Baby Story

I think I better get this down because I think some things are getting fuzzy already. So here goes...

Let me start from my due date of Thursday, October 16, 2008. On Thursday I went into the Dr.'s office for a non stress test to make sure Little Ruby was OK since she had hit her due date and had not come. After the test I was informed that she was beautiful and doing beautifully. Cool. When I came home, I continued my work out regime of walking, squats, lunges, hip swirls, and sitting on the birthing ball. Friday evening I felt the urge to make a big dinner. I ended up making a Thanksgiving type dinner on Friday and it about killed me. On Friday night, October 18, 2008, I noticed I was feeling a little strange. My back and abdomen were cramping and the cramps did not go away when I changed position or when I fell asleep and woke up again. That had never happened before so I thought maybe something was going on. Saturday morning we got out of bed and I was definitely feeling strange and I was having little bitty contractions that were completely irregular, but this was the first time I had contractions more regular than a sporadic one here and there. I got into one of my pregnancy books and found that it could still be a while until hospital time so we went about our business Saturday morning. We went to the grocery store and picked up a few items and went to the library to borrow a DVD set of Gunsmoke that Noel had been jonesing for. We came back home and began the waiting. The contractions started becoming more noticeable and regular. We watched Gunsmoke. The contractions got stronger. We took another walk and that really made the contractions stronger and every time I went to the bathroom a contraction would come on no matter how irregular. Anyway, the contractions started to get uncomfortable and maybe a little painful and Noel was still watching Gunsmoke. He wanted to hear the commentary before the show but couldn't get it to work right so we ended up listening to the theme song over and over again. I thought I might throw the DVDs out of the window! Next thing you know the phone rings and it's a tenant telling Noel that the pilot light is not lit. Noel told her that I was in labor and the girl said it could wait until the next day. Well that would not work because we'd have a newborn the next day so I told Noel to hurry up and go light the pilot and get back as fast as he could!

To be continued...

Ruby and her Great Grandfather.

First Walk

Today we went outside because it was such a pretty day. Baby Ruby slept the entire time. I'm not even sure she knew we were outside. I know this picture is a little cheesy but it was the only one I had where I didn't look like I weighed 500 pounds! Looks like Baby Ruby and I will be out walking a lot until I shake this baby weight.

Our Precious Baby

Ruby after her first sponge bath. She hated it and cried like the dickens but really liked it when I toweled her off. She bounced back quickly :)

This is Ruby with her great-grandmother, Nannie. I wonder if they planned to wear the same clothes.

Here is Ruby in her car seat carrier. She is so beautiful and such a good little girl.

Introducing Ruby Noel DeHaven

Ruby was born at 10:08, Sunday morning. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and is 19 and a half inches long. She is perfect. Carrie is doing great. She did an awesome job. I am sooo proud of her.

Hooray for epidural!

This is Noel filling in for Carrie. We are at the hospital waiting for Ruby to get here. Carrie started labor around 2:30 this afternoon and we were at the hospital by 5:00. She was admitted and then the contractions really started coming on stronger and stronger. At around 9:30 Carrie made the decision to get an epidural. Now she is very comfortable and feeling happy about Ruby's pending arrival (she was NOT happy before the epidural). I'll post photos as soon as I can.

Overdue!

Well I am officially now overdue with a big ol' baby. I will be induced next week if labor doesn't come on naturally. I'm sore as I can be from doing squats and lunges and walking. Even sitting on the birthing ball is making me sore. But really at this point I'll do about anything to have this baby vaginally and avoid a c-section. Make sure to keep checking the blog. Noel has been taught to upload pictures and updates and he wants to do it from the hospital so an update will be up shortly after the birth! Check this picture of me Noel took the other day. Is there any doubt it's time?

No Baby Yet and Stripping the Membranes

I had a Dr. appointment today and found out that I am 2 cm dilated but the baby's head is not dropping. Bummer. Anywho, my doctor was really going to town during the pelvic and then I had a contraction. Turns out she stripped my membranes. It would be nice if that brought labor on this evening :) I have to go back to the doctor tomorrow for a non stress test on the baby to make sure it's OK to let her go past 40 weeks. I was also told it was time to go on maternity leave so today is my last day at work. My time off of work is to consist of lots of walking to help shake this baby out!

39 Weeks! and a Few More Thank Yous!

How your baby's growing:Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Also, I want to thank Aunt Babe for the Fiestaware she got me for my birthday, Noel for the picture frame he made me, and Terri for the tops and pajamas. Babe's gotten me so much Fiestaware that I might actually realize my goal of having enough for everyone to use at Thanksgiving! The picture frame Noel made me says Mommy Loves Ruby Noel and is so cute. The tops and pajamas Terri gave me are a much needed insertion into my wardrobe! Thanks to everyone!

An Incident and 2 Dr. Visits

Monday morning I had a Gatorade and a bowl of cereal. A little while later I started shaking and sweating profusely. And this is the weird part, I couldn't stop crying. I sat down and rested for a little bit and then called the doctor. Turns out I had a hypoglycemic incident. The culprit? Gatorade! Apparently, that stuff is FULL of sugar! The shaking, sweating, and crying are all symptoms of hypoglycemia. Shoo, anyway, good to know it wasn't anything serious but I am banned from Gatorade until I am no longer pregnant.

Tuesday morning I went to the dermatologist because I had a really weird looking mole on my chest. The doctor checked out the mole and I failed the ABCDs of moles. Asymmetry-F, Borders-F, Color-F, Diameter-F. She gave me a shot and used a scalpel to take it off right then and there. She sent it away to be examined. I'm glad to have the thing gone!

This morning I went to the baby doctor. I'm sorry to say that I have made no progress. The good news is that the doctor will not let me go anymore than one week past my due date so one way or another Noel and I will have a baby within two weeks!
Here's a picture of our boys for you viewing pleasure!

But I'm the Baby!

Here is my baby Felix sleeping in the cradle that Noel's family got for us. Doesn't he look so cute in there? I can imagine he thinks we already have a baby and do not need another one. Of course, I might be a crazy cat lady thinking that he comprehends all of this! FYI, no I do not plan to put the baby in this cradle with only a blanket, it doesn't afford much support and it's a smothering hazard. I plan to either purchase or make a pad for the cradle.

38 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Birthday Dinner and a Dr. Visit

Last night Noel and I went to Tidewater to take advantage of the free birthday dinner. Our food was delicious as usual and I overdid it as usual. So much so that when I got home I was feeling sick as a dog. Like, moaning and groaning sick. I thought I was going to puke several times. So, I took a Zantac and went to sleep, thinking that surely if I slept I would wake up feeling better. No such luck. I woke up about and hour later feeling as crappy as I did when I fell asleep. I then got up and didn't fight it anymore. Yep, I puked. And boy did I feel so much better. Should have let my body do it hours earlier! Anywho, no serious damage done!

My Dr. visit today was fine. Not much going on except that I am now 50% effaced. I am still only 1 cm dilated. I have been walking on the treadmill at the gym trying to get something going but it looks like she'll be coming when she darn well feels like it! Still though, at this stage of the game it could be any time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Oh another birthday! I was kind of hoping I'd have a baby by my birthday this year, but oh well! I am now 29 years old. This is my last 20 something birthday and that is kind of scary. I feel like I just turned 21 yesterday! Time does fly. I thought I would post some of the cool presents I got!


This is a P. Buckley Moss print that Uncle David and Linda got me for my birthday! How sweet, it says "For Ruby Noel." Notice the cat paw in the pic, that's pretty sweet too! Thanks Uncle David and Linda! (For the print, not the cat paw! haha)

This is a nite lite my Aunt Joy, Uncle Maury, Cora, Alicia, and Helen sent me. It was to put somewhere so I could see when I get up to see whats a matter with the baby! haha Actually, it's use right now is to light the way for the kitties in the new room Noel built in the basement. (We are trying to get the litter boxes in the basement and out of my bathroom, but will post about all that later because the room is so cool it deserves its own post.) Thanks to the Domskys!

This loot was given to me by my parents! Thank goodness for another pack and play and another car seat base! The diaper will also be put to good use! Now, the purse, YAY! Very cool! I love the patch work but would not have spent the money for myself. Anything you love but would not have bought for yourself is a great present I think! It's perfect! They also brought me a birthday cake and Noel and Mom insisted on putting 29 candles on it. Noel burnt his 'ittle finger lighting the candles and we had to hear about that all night ;) I blew out all the candles in one breath but my wish did not come true or I would have had this baby by now! Thanks Mom and Dad!

And finally, though there are no pictures of the gifts my husband got me, I will tell you about them! He got me several pillows for the bed, because I dream of the perfect labor where I can actually spend most of it at home, lounging in my own bed, watching Murder She Wrote. He got me a nice bath pillow, since I'm the queen of baths. He stocked the fridge with drinks and food I can have while in labor at home. He got me a back massager and a back scratcher and the massager has already been put to use! He also got odds and ends that I will need either while in labor or right after I get home! And I cannot forget about the Glider we purchased for when the baby gets here! It's very comfortable and I think will be instrumental in rocking the baby to sleep! Thanks honey for the sweet and considerate gifts!

Rock-a-Bye Baby

My parents came to visit this weekend and brought us this awesome cradle. Dad made it with Mom's assistance (the assistant role is very important). Believe it or not, this cradle started out as Walnut trees in the front yard of my parents' house. Mom and Dad took the trees from the yard to this finished product by themselves. What I mean is, no sending away to have the wood planed or anything like that. Mom made the pad in the crib from scratch too. It is firm foam with a waterproof cover then covered with fabric that velcroes at the end so it can be taken off to wash. I was very particular in telling her the fabric had to be taught and the foam firm and she sure did a good job! They even made a wooden wheel on the back behind the hood so the cradle can be moved easily from one room to another (Dad used a trick he learned from Norm on the Old Yankee Workshop). This is a family heirloom for sure and Noel thinks our kids will be fighting over who gets to keep it. Noel thinks Mom and Dad should make one for each child! haha That's a tall order, good luck. Oh yeah, and the wood is not stained, that's its natural color! Ruby is one lucky baby!

37 Weeks and a Dr. Visit!

How your baby's growing:Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

So my visit to the Dr. on Wednesday went well. Turns out the baby's head is not abnormally large like I thought it was last week. I have not dilated further, so I guess the pains are just part of my lot in life. Oh the humanity! I've been extremely tired recently but that's to be expected.

Merely an Update

This morning I was walking into work and I'm looking down at my belly, as I most always do these days, and see that it is severely lopsided! Ha! The baby has taken to mostly laying on the right side and you sure could tell it this morning. And did I mention, this baby has dropped. My stomach looks so different now. It used to be that my chest rested right on my belly but there is a considerable gap now.

I have been trying to get everything ready at work in case the big day comes early. It's hard preparing everything so other people can know what's going on with your cases when you're gone. Thankfully, my boss has been very understanding and has worked with me so I don't have that many to leave half done.

This past weekend I think something was going on. I had back pain (which is a new one), abdominal cramps, indigestion, nausea, and the feeling like I had to go to the bathroom (#2) all the time (I know, I know--too much info). Oh yeah, and the Braxton Hicks kicked up a notch. All of these symptoms were mild to moderate and I didn't feel sick like I had an illness so I was not concerned about health or anything. I would love it if the baby would come sooner rather than later, especially since the doc thinks she is 7 lbs. I've been working on the home remedies, such as spicy food, pineapple, and walking. I tried some Cesar salad this weekend but unfortunately got sick, and I need to try some eggplant parmesan. I guess I'll know tomorrow whether or not I've dilated further!

Today at lunch I walked to the Post Office. Shoo. It's not very far away but that's all I had in me. My pubic bone was aching terribly when I got back to the office and I couldn't wait to sit down and eat some lunch. Of course I had to pee first thing. I won't miss the constant peeing that's for sure.

Also, I plan to host Thanksgiving again this year. People think I am crazy but honestly I love to do it. Here's a picture from Christmas dinner a couple of years ago (I think). Notice Felix, he had his own chair throughout the entire meal. Man, I love that cat.

36 Weeks! (9 Months) and Dr. Appointment

How your baby's growing:Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

At the doctor today, I got to see my regular doctor's partner. She is an awesome lady but both times I've seen her I've had to wait on the exam table for over an hour. So today I wait for about an hour and then I can't help it, I start crying in the exam room. Gees, but I was so uncomfortable and frustrated. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the room I was in is also the house for all of the computer equipment so it was hot as heck in there? So then the nurse comes in and tells me it will only be a little longer. When the doctor arrived she remarked that wow my face was red, well no kidding I was crying. She then says oh you are swollen and pokes on my ankles, well no kidding my feet have been hanging over the edge of the exam table for and hour and fifteen minutes. Then she does a pelvic exam and tells me that I am a fingertip dilated. Then she does an exam on the outside and makes an astonished face when she's feeling the head. I'm like OMG what's wrong! She then says that the baby has a ginormous head. Oh gees, not what I wanted to hear. She also estimated the baby at 7 pounds. So anyway, she tells me to start walking to bring on labor, so Noel and I went for a walk this evening. And I'm also trying some remedies I read online too, such as spicy food, I had HOT wings for dinner, and pineapple, got one at the store tonight. I think I'll skip the Castor oil, it'd probably just give me diarrhea.

Picture of me at 35 weeks

Bathing Beauty

Here's Daddy modeling the latest in swim wear. He's going to work out all winter to get in shape. I anticipate some serious wedgies!

35 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34 Weeks! (Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya)

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Rod the Bod

On August 24, 2008, Noel and I went to our last concert of the summer and probably our last concert for a long, long time. We decided to make a weekend of it since it is our last outing as we are not leaving town again before the arrival of the baby. Friday we traveled to White Sulphur Springs to drop off the mutts with my parents. Then we got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed of to Charlottesville. Man what a cool place! We went to Monitcello and toured around and then we headed to downtown Charlottesville. There were so many eclectic shops and if I wasn't eight months pregnant I would have spent all day looking through them! That evening we ate at C & O for our mandatory nice dinner out. I had to change seats 3 times to get happy, gees what a brat, but seating is important to me. The food was spectacular and the ambiance was cool too! We shared a cheese plate and some hoisin shrimp for an appetizer and then I had a Caesar salad. Next for the entree I had some awesome trout and Noel had his usual lamb. It was so delicious he only wished there had been more of it! For desert we shared a creme brulee. I like to take advantage of it when I can get one of those somewhere and this place did not disappoint! A definite 5 star experience!

After dinner, we hopped in the car to head to Gainsville, VA (just outside of DC and close to the concert venue). When we arrived in Gainsville, we headed to the room and I put my feet up. My ankles were swollen like I had never seen before. I think it was the car ride, the heat, and the walking.

The next morning we got up and went to Mt. Vernon. Very cool. We ate lunch at the Mt. Vernon Inn and even got to see a real set of George Washington's dentures!

That night it was time for the concert. I had read some bad things about the parking at the Nissan Pavilion so we decided to walk from our room. It was about 1.5 miles. I did really well on the walk there but did have to rest once. My pelvic region was bothering me some on the walk home though. But nonetheless it was kind of nice to walk after the concert rather than get in a car and sit!

The concert was super! Rod Stewart still has it. He is a real performer and sang all his hits. His band was great and his backup singers were fabulous. Some of the women in his band are the hottest women I've seen in any band. The sax player had hotpants and high heels on and had legs a mile long! Ol' Rod's surrounding himself with the ladies still! Between the opening act and Rod's show, in walks a huge band of bagpipers! They played while the roadies set up Rod's stage. I've never seen anything like that before. Furthermore, Rod is a very gracious performer and really put on a show for the audience. He must of kicked 30 soccer balls into the crowd!

Our last trip was a blast but we don't mind that it's the last for a while. I expect the trip we're about to take with Ruby will be more spectacular than any we've ever taken!

33 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32 Weeks! Start of 8th month!

How your baby's growing:By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Childbirth Class III

Last night at class we learned about epidurals. Oh my, did that give me the heebie jeebies or what? I am not a big fan of shots and I despise IVs and this thing seems like a combo deal. The teacher told us that almost everyone who gets an epidural needs a catheter. I've never had one but it sounds awful too. She also told us that women who get epidurals are 6 times more likely to have a cesarean. I think I'm going to give natural a shot without ruling out anything so as not to be disappointed if it doesn't go just as I planned.

We toured the hospital too. Gees, I thought the room was the most depressing place on earth. You have to keep the blinds shut because the Marriott is right next door. The hospital seemed shabby to me.

We did do some more breathing and now I know for sure that Noel and I need to practice at home or we might kill each other when the heat is on.

Enough complaining already. I'll be more upbeat tomorrow I promise.

A New Resident

Check out this fella. He has taken up residence near our cistern. I bet he likes it because it's always a little wet around that area. This morning when I left he was almost completely covered up in mud and grass but you could still see his head sticking out. Truth be known, turtles and tortoises scare me a bit. I don't know why. So I find this guy interesting to look at from the car. Needless to say, Noel took the pictures.

31 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

And notice the posting time. Yep, I have terrible insomnia.

Childbirth Class II

Noel and I had our second childbirth class last night. We learned a lot last night, even me, I must admit. I blew up a balloon to feel where to push, but we were told not to actually push! I got a packet to preregister at the hospital. The teacher passed out food and items to show how big the cervix actually is when it starts dilating. We watched videos of birth and simulations of the baby coming down the birth canal. We simulated actually having a contraction with Noel timing and making sure I was loose and calm and with me breathing and focusing. Oh yeah, and the teacher passed around items we might want to pack in a bag to make life more comfortable when I'm going through labor. Noel is primarily in charge of packing that bag and I'm sure he'll do a great job. He needs to remember to pack snacks for himself too for sustenance as he is not as tough as me. haha

I had a Dr. appointment today. I'm as healthy as a horse and all signs indicate Ruby is too. Back to the Dr. in two weeks. Seems like I was just there two weeks ago. My how time flies!

Our First Childbirth Class

Our first class was last Tuesday night. I couldn't believe the class was 2.5 hours long! Noel thoroughly enjoyed the class and learned a lot. He now appreciates the rigors of labor. He didn't realize labor could last so long or be so intense. He learned some things about anatomy and he even learned how to do Kegels. (Men should do them too to prevent prostate problems.)

Oh yeah and the best part--he gets to be Coach Noel! He's going to get a stop watch to hang around his neck to time contractions. haha He's already told me stop and give him ten Kegels. haha

We also learned a valuable lesson about triage--no one comes in there with the Mommy. Good thing we found that out sooner than later. That would have definitely freaked us out!

For your viewing pleasure--me at 30 weeks. Oh my!

30 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Just for Daddy

I ordered this sign for Noel and got it in the mail at the end of last week. I made Noel wait for me to get home to open it because I wanted to see the look on his face when he saw it. It was priceless. He got all bleary eyed and was seriously close to tears. Thanks to Kim for turning me on to Etsy. What a wonderful hand painted product and it was shipped and packed so nicely.

In related news, Noel keeps going on and on that he wants to be called Pop. I honestly think he is doing this only to drive me crazy. When he starts his whining I say, "What do you think this is Sanford and Son? Why don't we name her Lamont?"

Tomorrow we have our first childbirth class. I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes!