Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

I hope that Santa brought you everything that you wanted and that you are all having a fantastic day so far!

Last night, Rob and I went to his parents house to open gifts for Christmas Eve. Ethan got a lot of great gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Green, as did Rob and I. We then went to Rob's Uncle Guy and Aunt Jan's house for our traditional Christmas Eve festivities. Afterwards, Rob and I exchanged gifts at home and Sophia made out like a bandit. I guess she was a VERY good puppy this year!

This morning, we went to my parents house to open gifts and we all received some very nice things.

So for the big announcement:

JULI AND BILL ARE ENGAGED!!!!

I will update more later in another post. I have to get started on making a pumpkin pie. =)

Have a joyous Christmas!

Pregnancy Update

I went to my OB today. Ethan is still not in the proper position, but I am going to go to the hospital Monday night (12/29) for an ultrasound to see if that will be different. If he flips, they will induce labor then.

If not (and this is the more likely scenario), I will return Tuesday (12/30) morning for a scheduled c-section at noon.

Yay! Now I will resume freaking out about how little time there is left and how much still has to get done. I am VERY excited about him finally being here but very nervous nonetheless. =)

Kitty Nursery

The other night I put the bouncer seat together and the next day, I found Stella laying in it. Rob was obviously not happy, but it put a smile on my face. I even turned the vibration on and Stella still remained there. Once she gets comfy, she is disinclined to move from the spot.

Of course, our other cat, Isis, did not want to be outdone. She has been jumping in the crib and sleeping there in the interim. She took one look at Stella in the seat and promptly jumped into the crib.


Again, Rob doesn't like this, but I think she looks adorable. My grandmother says we need to break her of that habit, but I know Isis... she is NOT going to want to have anything to do with that crib once a crying baby goes near it.

The crib blanket that she is laying on is one that was made by Rob's Aunt Judy. She made a bunch of items for the crib and the baby... two blankets, a little pillow, and some receiving blankets... all in a cute animal theme.


Pictures courtesy of my Mom. =)

Newest Ultrasound and Baby Update!

Brr! What a chilly morning!

I had an ultrasound this morning at the hospital. The picture above is the latest one of Ethan, and this will be the last "internal" image of him. The next time everyone sees him will be in person.

At 36w6d, Dr. Garcia said that Ethan is weighing in at approximately 7# 10oz. That is larger than I anticipated. I was prepared for around 7#, but those extra ounces really seemed to leave me surprised. I shouldn't really be surprised, however, as the pins-and-needle pain in my right hip has been getting worse for the past week and that is the side that he prefers to be on.

Ethan is also still in his favorite position: Breech. Dr. Garcia said that the possibility that Ethan would move into the head down position at this point is extremely thin and unlikely. He said that he is going to recommend an induction/c-section for week 39.

That means that I can have Ethan in my arms in about two weeks, which is both exciting and unsettling. It isn't like I didn't foresee that I would one day have a baby in my arms, but it just feels like I should have had more time; I guess I don't consider nine whole months to be enough time. HA!

I feel so unprepared and I know my mind is getting panicky, as I am completely forgetting everything I learned in my baby and lamaze classes and I can't recall anything that I have read on baby care and all. At least with a c-section I won't have to wrack my brain trying to recall the proper breathing patterns!

Ethan is also still a very active baby. It was hard for Dr. Garcia to get this latest picture. I am sitting here now and typing and Ethan is rolling around kicking and everything. I think that he is excited about making his debut and can't wait to meet everyone. Either that, or he is trying to claw and kick his own way out of my uterus.

Sophia's visit with Santa

Last Sunday (12/7), Rob and I took Sophia to see Santa. Despite the fact that Santa is grabbin' her tushy, she was excited to see him. =)

It is always nice when the Santa actually looks like Santa and is not obviously a petite woman dressed up.

Proceeds benefited a local humane society (Will County Humane Society).

Ethan's ultrasound 11/17

This is Ethan at 32w6d. I have another ultrasound this coming Monday. While I am really, really detesting the amount of doctor's visits to the multiple doctors at this point in the pregnancy, I have to admit I love going to the perinatalogist solely for the fact that I get to see my son each and every time.

The next ultrasound will be at 36w6d, and I am excited to see him again.

New blog for me!

So I seem to be in a state of flux as to which blog site I want to use. I have MySpace and Facebook accounts, but honestly, I feel like lately I am getting too old to use them, especially for blogging. All I ever seem to see are "youngins" blogging on those.

I even have an old Blogger account, but I let that lapse and I guess I am looking for a fresh start to match my new role in life and a new year coming up. Plus, hopefully everyone who has this URL will be able to view updates, unlike other sites where you have to be logged in to read things.

I am sitting here awake (again!) at 6.02am, Sunday morning. I keep waking up around 3 or 4 am for the past few nights and find it hard (and uncomfortable!) to return to sleep.

I keep having the same nightmare over and over again that I go to let my dog, Sophia, outside and there are deer across the courtyard feeding at a neighbor's bird feeder (which we totally have experienced). I have these dreams where I am yelling for Sophia to get back in the house because I just know that the deer will kick her in the head or otherwise hurt/maim her. The dream that woke me up this morning also included two of my cats (Stella and Isis) sneaking out and not listening when I tried to get them to come in.

Conclusion to these stupid nightmares? Obviously, I must feel like my life is slipping out of my control. That is not unfathomable especially given the fact that I am now both unemployed and due in a couple of weeks. Both things are life-altering events on their own, but tossed in together and it makes for a foundation that does not feel to firm beneath my feet.

I have faith that everything will be fine, and I think I can see that fact coming to light in the dreams as I am trying to regain control by attempting to corral my furkids from the dangers of the wild. =)

Still... this is enough to keep me up at night.
=(