Charley settles in...

So far, everything has been pretty great. Charley has been nursing well and sleeping through much of the night. My family has been fantastic about visiting often and helping with chores.

He's been to the pediatrician twice and has done well both times. His cord finally fell off this morning, which was a huge relief because it was worrying me with some minor bleeding.

Being a mom, however, is filled with so much stress, anxiety and terror about him! We had originally put the bassinet napper in our bedroom, but once he was home, even that wasn't close enough. He sleeps about a foot from my face each night and I wake up constantly just to hear him breathing. I worry about him constantly and as everyone tells me, I will never stop worrying about him, even when he's a grown adult!

Caring for him has been a pleasure, but our dogs are making for a stressful situation. They are having a hard time adjusting to Charley's presence and don't behave themselves very well around him, especially when he cries. Right now, we are keeping them on one floor of the house and only exposing them to the baby in limited doses. They are both visibly stressed and one of my dogs isn't eating much. They are also my babies, so we will continue to work with them, but they sure aren't making things easy!

I'm sure Charley is saving some fussing and sleepless nights for us, but for now, he's making this newborn business pretty easy for Mommy and Daddy!

HE'S HERE!!

Charles Everett was born at 1:31pm on Monday, May 20 via scheduled c-section! Here's his birthday story:

On Monday, May 13, I called out sick from work with abdominal pains and nausea. I really thought labor might be coming, I felt crappy and I had an appointment for an ultrasound and would have been leaving early anyway. At the ultrasound, everything looked good with Charley and he was measuring "around 9 pounds." As I posted before, this was right on the cusp of the decision to wait for labor, induce labor, or schedule a c-section.

I worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all feeling great and with no signs of labor. Thursday was another OB appointment -- decision day. The OB decided to schedule a c-section for Monday morning because of his size and my blood pressure. It was only slightly elevated, but there was a trace of protein in my urine, so they didn't want me to stay pregnant much longer.

I stayed home again from work on Friday for my non-stress test and other appointments, and also because it was dreaded Field Day at work and I wouldn't be missing much. C had to work, but I spent the day with my mom getting groceries and making last minute preparations. C and I had a nice weekend just hanging out with family and friends and straightening up the house for Charley's arrival.

On Monday morning, we got to the hospital at 8am and began the process of bloodwork, vital signs, gathering the team of personnel which was expected to last two hours. The actual procedure was planned for around 10am. During their examination, they found some sores on my skin, which are pretty common for me. They were concerned, however, about their proximity to the injection and decided to take cultures for MRSA.

After waiting around for various specialists and the infectious disease doctor, we were seriously delayed for surgery. They even threatened to postpone until Tuesday. Finally, when the decision was made to proceed, the anesthesiologist had moved on to a routine thyroid surgery on another floor, so then we had to wait for her to return. All the while, I hadn't had so much as a sip of water since 9:30 on Sunday night.

When we finally headed into the OR, it was after 1pm. I was incredibly nervous, but decided to hunker down and show no fear, just like I did during the egg retrieval procedure. They performed the spinal before C was allowed in the OR and it really wasn't as bad as I had feared. It really didn't hurt going in and the doctor who held me in the "curled" position couldn't have been nicer and more reassuring.

As soon as it was done, they must quickly move you into a laying position and I was immediately really nauseous, which is expected. The anesthesiologist put something in my IV that stopped the nausea almost immediately. Then we were ready.

They hung a huge drape in front of me and brought C back in. The sat on a stool next to my head and held my hands, which were strapped down to the table. They began the procedure and I never knew exactly what was going on. I didn't even know whether or not I had been cut open until I heard the gurgling and crying of my son.
The second we heard him, we both just looked at each other with tears streaming down our cheeks. He was finally here. Four years of planning, waiting, trying, anticipating -- and finally one perfect little boy. They allowed C to bring in a camera and start taking pictures as he was weighed, cleaned, prepped and assessed. C held him there next to me for a few minutes, but I could barely see Charley. When we was on the warmer, I couldn't see much other than his foot beyond the drape.

Charley still had one big surprise for us -- his weight. All indications were that he would be huge. He measured 9 lbs, 4 oz at 39w and now he was late and still growing. His charts called him macrosomic and he was predicted to be nearly 9lbs 11oz. We all know that ultrasound measurements can be off by as much as a pound, but we were in for quite a surprise. When they plopped Charley down on the warmer, the scale said just 8lbs 3oz. A perfect little peanut, more than a pound under predictions.

He also had hair! Not a ton, but much more than the fuzz that C and I both had!

With all of his little surprises, he is absolutely perfect. We're all just crazy about him. He's nursing well, sleeping well and being his mom is better than I could have ever imagined. :-)

The Final Countdown

...and I hope you are all hearing Europe's epic synth solo in your heads as you read this...

Today is the last day. C is finally off from work and we both finally have that kick-in-the-ass to get things done as time ticks away. Every piece of laundry in the house, present attire excluded, is clean and ready. The whole house is vacuumed and Swiffered. The toilet is scrubbed and the sheets changed. Now as C finishes straightening up the basement, we're debating what to do in our final hours.

We'll definitely run some errands and get lunch. Maybe we'll see the new Star Trek movie because otherwise, we'll miss it in theaters. Maybe a trip to the library is in order for some reading material. We have a lot of sitting-around-the-hospital time to kill, not to mention the home recovery time.

Well, here goes nothing... I got the Blogger app for my phone, so I am hoping to post from there with updates and pics tomorrow or Tuesday. Here we go!

Eviction Notice!

Let's be real - we all knew this kid would be a c-section. It's official after today's OB appointment and I'm fine with it, but it did really hit me earlier today and I had a strange reaction.

At my appointment today, my cervix is still completely closed and the head is still sitting high. My blood pressure, however, was slightly elevated, but was completely normal when laying on my side. (Apparently this means something...) There was some protein in my urine specimen, though, and that is cause for some concern. They decided that it would be best to schedule a c-section for Monday.

I have a Non Stress Test tomorrow back at the OB to make sure that everything is still OK with Charley, then we'll just be taking it easy, tying up loose ends and waiting around for Monday!

When they first told me, I took the news just fine. As I wandered back out into the waiting room, however, I had an overwhelming urge to just cry. Not out of fear or disappointment, but just pure shock that this is really happening. I have been so comfortable waiting that labor always seemed so distant. Especially after hearing today that there was no dilation, it just seemed like there would be more endless waiting. But no! I allowed myself a few minutes to breathe in the car, then I told C the news. Now I am just excited that this guy is finally coming!

Good News, Unanswered Questions

Today was our last ultrasound for the 40w mark, though today is actually 39w4d. As I posted before, this scan was intended to make some last minute decisions about delivery. I knew that the ultrasound technician wouldn't be able to tell us much, but I thought that today's appointment would at least give me enough information to make some assumptions and mentally prepare myself for delivery.

I was pretty confident that he would be measuring well over nine pounds and thus fulfilling my OB's elective c-section rule. I didn't really want this outcome, but I very much expected it. My OB said, however, that we would still wait and hold out for a vaginal delivery if he was under nine. Family history and previous measurements definitely suggested that he would be big. Really big.

I still had a feeling, given the fact that my bump isn't that big, that he might not be quite as large as our family's previous generation (all 9 lbs, 12 oz and over). Well, of course, today was full of ambiguity. How much did he measure? "Around nine pounds." So, he's not too big, but he's not quite small enough either.

I'm still holding out some hope for a natural delivery and to go into labor soon. I know, however, that it really isn't in my control and I'm not going to fixate on details.

I have been having lots of irregular contractions today and several waves of nausea. I actually stayed home from work today because the nausea was really bad in the morning when I woke up and I was inexplicably exhausted. Throughout the day, I had everything from the same old painless but tight BHs up to rewlly tight and quite painful cramping contractions lower down in my abdomen. At a few points, I have had a bit of lower back soreness, too. I hope this is a sign that he's coming soon!

Not really what I wanted to hear...

I had another OB appointment today and the news was fine, but a few realities are starting to set in.

First of all, the OB said that the baby is still high and my cervix is only 50% effaced. Many women are at 50% weeks before labor, so this isn't really a sign of anything. He ordered another ultrasound to determine the size of the baby, so we're still just waiting, but he doesn't want to let us go much beyond 40 weeks.

Here's the part I don't love: if I don't go into labor naturally in the next few days, it will all depend on the ultrasound. The OB says that if he measures over 9 pounds, which is highly likely, we will probably have an elective c-section. Yikes! I really just want a healthy baby, but I would prefer avoiding surgery if I can. I'm going to try not to worry or think about preferences and just roll with whatever road takes us to little Charley!

The Ghosts of Trimesters Past

This is the last official week of pregnancy, seven days to the 40w mark, and just to keep things interesting, it seems my body has compiled a greatest hits collection of our finest pregnancy moments.

Remember the indigestion that kept us up all night with a burning esophagus and substance burps so disgusting, we sometimes vomited? Poof! Let's do that again!

How about the achy fever and flu-like symptoms from December that laid us out for days because of our "suppressed immune system?" Abracadabra! Let's take that for a spin again for a few hours!

Did you miss your seasonal allergies and the rash and breakouts around your nose and mouth that accompanied them? No fear! They're back!

While other people were made sick in the first trimester by smells or foods, I got sick from showering. Other people talked about nausea or hip pain. I just got wild acid reflux, unexplained hives in Florida and breakouts around my lips.

Yes, pregnancy has been a relatively easy journey for me so far, but with symptoms unlike anyone else warned me, and apparently the final days will be no different. Instead of feeling "big" or "just uncomfortable," I am awake at 3:30 this morning from indigestion, burning eyes and a really annoying song going through my head for the umpteenth time. I am so ready to be done, but not because of pains, aches, or "bigness," just because I am so tired from not sleeping and I am just ready to finally meet my son. I'd rather be not sleeping right now because of him than because of an incessant runny nose and re-living my past two meals in my upper digestive tract...

Well, for now I will try again to sleep since I have to go to work in the morning. One of my dogs and my husband are both blissfully snoring, probably dreaming about how neither one of them has to get up tomorrow or do work of any kind, so I'll just try to overcome that last obstacle and get back to sleep. One last thing everyone said would happen that is totally true, I'm hot all the time and tomorrow will be the hottest day in Philly so far in 2013. Now to drift off to sleep to prepare for the sweating that awaits me tomorrow... Goodnight, blogosphere.

Not really what I wanted to hear...

I had another OB appointment today and the news was fine, but a few realities are starting to set in.

First of all, the OB said that the baby is still high and my cervix is only 50% effaced. Many women are at 50% weeks before labor, so this isn't really a sign of anything. He ordered another ultrasound to determine the size of the baby, so we're still just waiting, but he doesn't want to let us go much beyond 40 weeks.

Here's the part I don't love: if I don't go into labor naturally in the next few days, it will all depend on the ultrasound. The OB says that if he measures over 9 pounds, which is highly likely, we will probably have an elective c-section. Yikes! I really just want a healthy baby, but I would prefer avoiding surgery if I can.

It's not so much that I had an idea of my birth, but I really did start to think we could do this naturally over the past few weeks. I also am really not looking forward to the recovery. We only have one bathroom and it's on the second floor. I am also really getting overwhelmed by all the instructions about nursing and it's not going to be any easier after surgery!

I know that millions of women, including almost all in my family, have been through c-sections and I'm exaggerating a bit. Maybe this is just my version of the pre-labor freak-out since I never really had the conventional kind. My policy so far has been no-worries-and-just-wing-it, so now I think I just need to mix this new information into that outlook and let go. It's really not up to me anyway!

The wait begins...

Now that our due date is just ten days away, we could officially be headed into labor and delivery any day. I must admit, maybe it's the fact that this pregnancy has been relatively easy, but I'm still very comfortable and not at all nervous.

As I write this, Charley is squirming around. I still have not experienced any feelings of "lightening" and my Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent, but still painless. As a matter of fact, I didn't realize that I was having BH contractions until I did some more research and found out what they feel like. I had been mistaking the tightening and hardening of areas of the womb for kicking and stretching, but now I realize these are the painless, but very strange-feeling BHs.

The last time I had a pelvic screen a few weeks ago, I was not at all dilated. Last week, however, at my weekly OB appointment, my blood pressure was slightly, really barely, elevated. The OB asked that I move this Thursday's appointment up to tomorrow to keep an eye on it. It was literally "high" by one point and I have no other symptoms of high BP, so they weren't overly concerned.

It has been strange, however, to tell people that we are due "next week." I have been really enjoying getting the last few preparations together for our hospital bag and the nursery, although I don't think any of this would be really "nesting." I haven't had any uncontrollable urges to clean or organize and I am just as excited about preparing for him as I was months ago!

Well, for now the wait continues and the excitement builds!

The Nursery and the Homestretch

As I write this, we are currently 37w4d -- more or less full term and just waiting until the big day. I am still feeling pretty good and I am not yet at that point of being so-uncomfortable-and-just-ready-for-it-to-be-over.

Today, however, was a little different. Before lunch at work, I started to feel a little crampy and I was full-on sweating. Now, it was only in the high 50s today and rainy in the Philly area, so I mostly chalked it up to my decision to wear a light sweater today and the humidity. By the time I got down to lunch, I felt a little wifty and almost trembling. The pains in my abdomen were really mild, but I was slightly alarmed by the whole mess. I felt better while I was eating (figures!) but by the time I got upstairs, I was back in the zone I normally feel on about the second or third day of my period -- crampy and feeling like I could spend an hour in the bathroom.

Once I relaxed a bit at home and made C cook dinner (a momentous occasion!) I felt pretty much back to normal. The only thing about today is that it made me feel more like I wasn't going to make it all the way to May 16.

Right now, and I honestly can't remember if I have outlined this before, my intention is to work as long as I can. I have several reasons:

1. My short-term disability insurance from my work sucks and doesn't kick in until the day you give birth. This means that any day I stay home before birth comes out of my stock of sick days, which I am saving greedily. Our plan also only covers six weeks off from work -- regardless of doctor's orders -- and during that six weeks, the first week is completely unpaid and the consequent five weeks are only 60% pay. Given that C and I don't make much money put together and that I generally pay the mortgage, this is a problem. My HR representative agreed to supplement my disability pay with my banked sick and personal days, but the disability pay is often later than the normal paycheck would have been. Ugh.
2. I am a bit of a control freak about my job. To be fair, that which is left of the school year is pretty darned important. I am teaching one more chapter before wrapping up for finals, so that is important, and I also have to prepare the study guides and the final exam for the longterm substitute. Granted, she is being paid and already started last week for me to "train" her, but there is no way she can effectively make guides and exams based on material that she never saw or taught. She is literally just strolling in at the very end of the school year to babysit during finals review. I want the last chapter, the study guide and the exam to be done right and the longer I am there, the better chance I have of getting it all done.
3. I know that statistically there is generally nothing wrong with babies born after 37w, but I have two experiences that have freaked me out of late. First of all, my cousin was born just a few weeks premature and was huge. At over 9 pounds, the doctors figured he was ready. He ended up having premature lungs and suffering with asthma for the first 21 years of his life. I know this is just an anecdote, but I would rather Charley was as close to 40w as possible. Adding to this anxiety, I recently read an article from the March of Dimes about how babies should not be induced until 39w minimum whenever possible. I know, this anxiety is largely unfounded, but more time baking can't be a bad thing...

Moving on from my tumultuous tummy and irrational anxiety, let's discuss the fun stuff -- the nursery. As of this week, we are pretty much ready. All of his clothes have been washed, folded and put away. His entire cloth diapering system is prepped, organized and good-to-go. His bed is made, sleeper built, car seat installed and stroller assembled. 

My shower was really wonderful, but included many things that we never asked for and frankly cannot use. We spent the past few weekends gathering up exchanges, coupons and gift cards -- and spending a good bit of money -- picking up the odds and ends we still needed. I also had a beautiful shower at work last week, bringing us pretty much down to the homestretch. 

Below are some pictures of the nursery. We chose a monster theme, but the set was somewhat limited with accessories. We decided to make some of the details ourselves including some monster canvases (not shown), the "now we have everything" triptych and the name banner. 

Charley's bookshelf

Crib and changing table

Dresser and adorable monster lamp

I saw this saying ages ago and I just had to make something with it for Charley's room!

Paper bunting above crib

Charley's Reading Center (it's never too early, right?)

35/35

35/35! Just a year ago, this is a day that I just couldn't imagine happening!

As of today, we are officially 35 weeks along and there are just 35 days left until we are fully cooked!

Everyone is asking how I feel, and it is actually kind of nice. It is nice to know that people are concerned and excited. It also reminds me of how lucky I am to be feeling so well.

For a single day while we were on our "babymoon" in Florida for Phillies Spring Training, I had some sciatic nerve pain when I would get up from sitting. If I would walk for a bit, however, it would go away. Other than that day, I haven't had a problem with the shooting hip-to-knee pains that so many of my friends experienced. So far, I also haven't experienced any Braxton-Hicks contractions, unless the mild cramping that I occasionally experience is actually a mild BH. I have had the wicked indigestion since the beginning, and that hasn't really changed.

Finally, my only complaint is some pretty intense swelling in my feet and ankles. Since I was in my early 20s, I have always had some problems with swelling related to heat or too much time seated. Pregnancy has only intensified this problem so that it is happening pretty much everyday. It is helped by wearing comfortable shoes and walking/standing as much as possible, but it can be a little uncomfortable. I also hate not being able to wear my sandals now that the weather is warming up!

Overall, I have more energy now than I did before I was pregnant and we are really making some progress in organizing all of Charley's things. It still has not set in how quickly this due date is approaching, much less the fact that there is always the possibility of an early arrival! The clock is ticking and the countdown is on!

Showered with Love and Anticipation...

This past weekend was our baby shower and it really was wonderful and very personal. We used the same manor house venue where we got married. It is an older estate on the property of my mom's condo townhouse, so it was free for her to use. It really was great to be surrounded by the same family and friends in the same building just about four years after we were married there.

My mom and her scrapbooker friend made all of the decorations and my former-chef aunt and her mother-in-law made all of the food. Again, it was amazing to be surrounded by so much love and effort from my family. My cousin (my very close, like-a-sister cousin) worked her butt off organizing the guest lists, games and keeping everything moving. She is something of an expert on showers and seems to know what everyone loves and hates about them, so she kept it going. My lovely college friends made an assembly line of gifts, then repacked everything neatly and kept a running list of gifts for thank you notes. They really had it all together!

We had about 50 guests, mostly extended family of mine and C's. Even his aunt who just gave birth on Monday was able to be there!

Of course, we got tons of clothes and blankets, but we also got our stroller and our infant car seat, as well as a high chair, playpen, jumperoo and a few other goodies.

C is pretty old school with some traditions and didn't want to hang around much, so after he helped valet cars for our older guests, he hid in the kitchen with my brother-in-law and my cousins scarfing down leftovers and watching the Phillies on TV. He did have to be summoned at one point, however, when a good friend gave us a Levi's denim jacket with a hand-embroidered back patch of his band's logo. :)

As of right now, we are still sorting, organizing and assembling our haul, as well as compiling a list of what we still need before Charley arrives. We got several cloth diapers, but we will likely need to gather some more before he is born. We did not get our bassinet, but we were pleased to discover last night that our playpen came with several bassinet and napper accessories and that it fits perfectly in the corner of our bedroom for those first few weeks.

Maybe we didn't have the biggest and grandest shower ever, but it was fun, well-planned and, most of all, it made it very clear how much Young Charles is loved already!

A Post About Not Posting

So, there's one thing we know for sure - pregnancy has turned me into a terrible blogger! I could sit here and claim that I have been ridiculously busy with home renovations and getting ready to take a break from work -- and both of those statements would be true -- but that's not the real reason why I haven't been writing so much.

In my history as an IFer, I have followed many blogs of infertile women who have become pregnant and I always wondered why they fell off the face of the earth. There are blogs I have followed that literally never posted again after the 6w-8w mark. Why does this happen? And why am I suddenly just as guilty?

I have thought a lot about this question lately. There is certainly plenty to write about when you are pregnant and the experience is remarkable. I always thought that I would blog about each milestone experience while I was pregnant and that I would take weekly "bump" photos and keep a journal, but none of this has happened. It's not because I don't cherish every moment, so why am I so laid back about documenting this experience after I took documenting the infertile experience so seriously?

The best explanation I can come up with is this -- infertility is lonely and isolating. The best way to share your experiences is with people who truly understand and often, these women can only be found through distant acquantances on the web. I don't know anyone in real life who has experienced anything similar to what I have and so sharing, reflecting and discussing the experience became something I did online, both through the Bump boards and my blog. Time moves slowly when you are stuggling with infertility and each day is filled with agonizing decisions and brutal periods of waiting.

As soon as you become pregnant, however, the time moves differently. Sure, nine months is a really long time to wait for your already long-awaited take-home baby, but it's just different. Suddenly, almost every woman in your life is an expert and there is always someone who has experienced exactly what you are, whether it be strange waves of nausea in the shower or a knocking sensation on your bladder. Your trials are no longer as private and you are wearing your current health situation right there on your abdomen for everyone to see. There is less of an urge to sit down and reflect, dream and comiserate.

At the same time, however, life never pauses for a second. Whatever notion I had about maternity photos and journaling went right out the window when I realized that being pregnant would change everything and nothing at the same time. My whole life is different now as we wait for Baby Charley, but I have all the same expectations on me for everything else. I still go to work everyday and I have all the same responsibilities (and often more). I still do laundry and load the dishwasher and cook dinner.

On top of all my normal responsibilities, we decided to do some long-awaited work on our house and we did it all ourselves. That means that I slept at my mom's while floors were being stained and sealed. I spend days cleaning out bedrooms and closets to prepare for carpet installation. I cleaned out rooms and rearranged furniture, scrubbed walls and installed new ceiling fans. This is what I meant about really being busy.

There is also always that ever-present and nagging question -- am I being that woman that everyone hates? Will my IF ladies be annoyed by my posts? As gloriously happy as you are to be pregnant, there is that worry that other IFers will be upset by your posts. How often do I update? When is the right time? In addition, you are surrounded by women in your everyday life who either over-update or take pride in keeping their privacy and you wonder which is the right path for you. Sure, I was annoyed by that other girl's weekly belly photos, but should I really keep so silent?

In the end, there are a handful of reasons why I don't post so much anymore, none of which I am particularly proud of:

• I forget about it all the time because actively updating on the Bump just isn't part of my life anymore the way that it used to be.
• I worry that I am overdoing it, particularly regarding IFer friends.
• I spend so much time working and getting my house, my job and my life ready for Charley that I spend very little time on the computer.
• I am no longer in the brutal pain of indefinite infertility, and so I rely less on writing and posting for comfort.

So, here's the long and short of it. Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see a few more posts about birthing class, our nursery and, of course, when the time comes, the delivery. I am going to put more of an effort into keeping these memories. I don't want to regret not having these things years from now and only having the excuse that I was busy and I was trying not to offend. That's not good enough.

Now I hope to blog for myself, if for no one else. One day, I would love to have a simple book made of this blog to keep track of all the ups and downs I experienced. Until then, I will try to post more often and give this pregnancy at least some of the documenting that I once felt it deserved.

Liebster Love!

 

 

I am proud to report that I have been nominated by my cherished followers for a Liebster Award on my blog! The Liebster Award is given to new or up-and-coming bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. In order to accept the award, you must post about it, answer some questions, and nominate more blogs and help spread the word!

 

If you receive a nomination, there are a few rules to follow:

 

1. Each nominated blogger must post eleven facts about themselves.

2. Each nominated blogger must then answer the eleven questions that the tagger asked.

3. In the post, the blogger should then create eleven questions of her own to ask the bloggers whom they have nominated.

4. The blogger chooses eleven more bloggers to nominate and links them in the post.

5. Notify the nominees on their blogs of your nomination.

6. No tagbacks!

 

Here are eleven facts about me:

 

1. I collect figurines and pictures of owls because owls are the unofficial symbol of my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College. BMC has four secret tradtions each year and I still send owls to my college friends for each tradition.

 

2. My husband and I met when we were 15 and we have been together since we were 16. We met in a group of high school metalheads and to this day, my husband plays bass guitar in a thrash metal band.

 

3. In our house, we currently have two dogs, two cats, six leopard geckos, thirty-some fish and a pacman frog.

 

4. I have five complete sets of china and three complete sets of flatware. Needless to say, our dining room china cabinet is overflowing...

 

5. I have been to Ireland nearly fifteen times, but I have only been in thirteen states.

 

6. I have never had jury duty.

 

7. I was born on Christmas Day, and it happened to be coldest December day in recorded Philadelphia history.

 

8. I also maintain two other blogs -- a teaching blog and a crafting blog -- with my other, "non-anonymous" Blogger account.

 

9. I hate when food mixes on my plate. At a barbecue, everyone knows that I like a separate bowl for my baked beans so the sauce doesn't touch the hot dog or hamburger buns! ;)

 

10. I have been keeping a five-year journal for over a year and I write in it every night. (If you have never seen a five-year journal, I highly recommend that you look into it!)

 

11. Most of my immediate family lives within a two-mile radius of our house and I love it!

 

Here are the eleven questions specified by the blogger who nominated me:

 

1. What is your favorite color? I love green and purple.

 

2. What is your favorite sports team? We are Phillies phanatics, but we are also devoted Eagles and Flyers fans!

 

3. Are you closer to your mom or dad? Why? I am close to my dad, but definitely closer to my mom. My mom and dad were never married and separated when I was just a few months old. For my whole life, I lived with my mom, so we are super close.

 

4. What is your favorite breakfast food? Whether it's pancakes, waffles or French toast, I am a Philly girl after all and I love a side of scrapple with my breakfast!

 

5. What is your favorite TV show? Right now, I am totally addicted to Downton Abbey. We also like to watch competition shows like Ink Master, and we got really into Grimm when it was on.

 

6. Coffee or hot chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate. I don't care for coffee at all.

7. What is your favorite memory as a young adult? When I was in college, I spent a summer at the National University of Ireland at Galway. It was the first time in my life when I could really let loose, meet new people and party like a college student. It was a really fun experience.

8. What is your favorite place to live? Sometimes I think it would be fun to have more land and to keep a few chickens and pigs, but no matter what, I would never want to leave the Philadelphia area.

9. What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends? I love shopping and going out to lunch with family and friends. I also love crafting and supporting my husband at his shows.

10. What is your favorite place to shop? I love Ikea. I love that the stuff is relatively affordable and I always feel inspired to make something or work on some project when I leave there.

11. What is your favorite charity? My family and I are very involved with animal rescue and stopping puppy mills. I give to the ASPCA and various rescue groups every year. I also like lending through Kiva and the World Wildlife Fund.

Here are the questions I have for my nominees:

1. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
2. What is your favorite kind of movie to see in the theater?
3. What dish do you cook that everyone just loves?
4. What is your ideal "night in?"
5. How would you describe your home decor style?
6. What do you do for a living? Do you like it?
7. Describe your everyday handbag. Is it huge and filled with tons of stuff or small and neat?
8. Mac or PC?
9. What is your favorite season? Why?
10. Do you have a special talent? Is there something unusual that you know how to do?
11. What is your favorite way to waste time on the internet?

Finally, here are my nominees:
Alt-IF: Alternative Infertility Voices : http://altif.tumblr.com/
Impregnable! : http://goonduponnu.blogspot.com/
There's No Crying in Baseball : http://theresnocryinginbaseball-rachael.blogspot.com/
Trying to Get a Bun in My Oven : http://tryingtogetabuninmyoven.blogspot.com/
Baby Talk : http://sarah-babytalk.blogspot.com/
The Life I Have Imagined : http://thelifeihaveimagined.blogspot.com/
Project Make a Baby : http://ourprojectmakeababy.blogspot.com/
Maybe If You Just Relax : http://www.jennepper.com/
It Takes a Village : http://babyeckhardt.blogspot.com/
Infertile Myrtle : http://meganswishingwell.blogspot.com/





The Big Gender Reveal (continued...)

I am a bit late in posting this, but my normal routine has been quite crazy lately between Christmas, the ultrasound drama, a second Christmas celebration, and a New Years Eve birthday party for my dad's wife. Anyway, the gender is finally in!

As I said before, the ultrasound technician at our official 20 week scan was unable to determine the gender, but she said that it was most likely a girl. We had planned a little gender reveal party for family and close friends the following evening, so the time crunch was on! Unless we were to cancel the party and just hope for another scan, we would have to do an elective ultrasound. As soon as I finished writing last week's post and the reality of gender-neutral planning set in, I started researching elective ultrasounds.

The very first search result in Google turned out to be the closest and least expensive place around, so I went ahead and called InnerView Ultrasounds in Malvern. I explained that we had already done the 20 week scan and that it was inconclusive. I said that I was really itching to find out what it is and that I would love an appointment in the next week or so before I go back to work and my schedule becomes much less flexible. She responded, "How about tomorrow? Twelve noon?"

I immediately called C at work and told him that I had good news, but I hoped he wouldn't be disappointed. I had made the appointment for noon, but it looked like he wouldn't be able to come because he was working. He was still happy to know that we would be finding out and went back to work. As soon as he told his boss, however, that we were able to schedule a second scan, but that it was tomorrow during the work day, his boss freaked out, but in a good way. He insisted that C was not to miss this appointment under any circumstance and told him to come in early, then take another long lunch. It was all set!

In the past few days, I have basically become a walking commercial for this place. Both the husband ultrasound technician and the wife receptionist are super pleasant and our DVD, ultrasound and prints package was $99. Whereas during the 20 week scan, I laid on a metal rack with nowhere to put my arms other than crossed on my chest in a freezing cold room, this place has full ultrasound suites with a leather sofa for family, a comfy chair for Dad and a real reclining twin bed for Mom. They also project the entire hour-long scan onto a movie screen in front of you instead of sitting with your neck turned at the little machine for an hour.

When we arrived, there was no one else there and it seemed like the technician took some extra time for that reason. The room was lovely and warm with ambient music playing, like I said before, a vast improvement over the previous experience. After a few minutes of scanning and friendly conversation, he asked us if we had any names picked out. We said that a girl would be called Helen Carey and a boy would be Charles "Charley" Everett. He responded, "OK, good. Well, I only ask for names when I know the gender. I like to introduce your baby by name."

Just then, he froze the image on the screen and introduced us to our son, Baby Charley. It's a boy! He showed us dozens of angles and pictures of the head, face, hands and feet. He told us about the way he was sitting and captured video of his squirming and even sucking his thumb. It was really an awesome experience.

I whisked C back to work, then I promised my mom that I would tell her as soon as that afternoon. I went to her house and showed her the DVD, then we went to the grocery store and party supply store to get food and decorations for our little party. Within a few hours, I had pizzas and a baked ziti in the oven, salads and snacks on the table and I whipped up some special cupcakes with a hidden blue center. At the right moment when everyone was there, everyone was allowed to bite into their cupcake and find out! It was a really good time and I can't remember the last time I saw C so happy. <3

This weekend, we did another of those big milestones to which I have been looking forward for a long, long time -- we went to Babies R Us and started our registry! C normally hates shopping, but we went through that store for a little over two hours and he never complained once. He was even patient and helpful as I weighed the options and looked up online reviews and even pushed the cart around with the bedding set in it as I painstakingly matched the colors. (Did I mention I am a little compulsive when it comes to things matching?) It was yet another wonderful experience -- better than I ever imagined.

Ever since finding out, we are both so excited! Not that we ever had real marital problems before, but this experience has really bonded us closer and really made us share in mutual joy unlike any graduation, promotion or accomplishment ever has before. We are truly so happy! <3