40 Week Journey: Part II

As my belly grew, and the evidence was clear, we were indeed going to have a baby, changes to the house started to take place as well.

The nursery was, despite some disagreement about the paint color, what we were both itching to get started.  The room had previously been occupied by children and was shall we say "broken in".  While it was extremely frustrating for Kyle because of the amount of additional work it created, I took some comfort in knowing that the room we chose for our son was full of memories of happy children.  I will always love that.

So, the dad-to-be went to work.

After weeks upon weeks of repairing, sanding, painting, trimming, and completing finishing touches, the room came together and we started to see our home transform into one ready for its third member.

The next thing we (okay, Kyle) got to do was build the nursery furniture.  I read the directions and Kyle completed the tasks.

Just two days later, we had a home for our little one.

With the nursery complete, I went into full nesting mode.  While I was not quite ready to admit it, Kyle caught on pretty quickly when I was doing baby laundry, organizing closets, clearing out old clothes, etc.  I was relentless.  I wanted, no I NEEDED, to be ready.  I had heard of plenty of people having their children weeks early and I did NOT want to be the one ill prepared for the arrival of our baby.  Kyle just laughed at me, but I was determined.

And here we sit, three days past our due date.  The nesting, however, never really ended.  I have continued cleaning, doing laundry, organizing baby stuff, etc. every day.  The moment I think I am done, I think of something else.  Things that would have normally irritated me (vacuuming, dusting, etc.) I have been much more willing to do knowing that I am creating a better environment for my little one, and also an environment that will require less work when I am sleep deprived and covered in spit up.

Amongst the nesting, I was also determined to finish out my time at school to the best of my ability.  Despite a couple of scares, including a minor car accident and a trip to the emergency room, the last month of school went smoothly.  My water did not break in front of a classroom full of teenagers, so I considered it a success.

That brings us to today, three days past our due date, and Thursday of spring break.  I did ask him to give me a few days of spring break to relax without having to worry about school and work, and also give me a little bit more time to get the house ready for him.  He apparently did not want to disappoint his mom.  What a sweetheart he is already!

We are ready now, or at least as ready as two first time parents could possibly be.  The suspense has allowed our nerves to slowly dwindle and be replaced by joy and excitement.

Anytime you're ready little one, we're here waiting.

40 Week Journey: Part I

I've seen, heard, and read many birth stories.  All of them beautiful.  All of them unique.  All of them wonderful.

Before I write a birth story, however, I wanted to take these last few days as a pregnant woman to share our pregnancy story.  It too is beautiful, unique, and wonderful.

Today, March 24, 2014, I am officially 40 weeks pregnant.  We've made it to our due date, something Kyle is extremely relieved about.  While attending birthing classes, we were told how important it is to make it the "full 40" as they call it, if possible.  In today's world of convenience and ease, people have become inclined to inducing around schedules, vacations, tax season, etc..  Our classes taught us how important it is to allow the baby to come when he is ready and not force him to come earlier than necessary.  So, when asked by our doctor, who is actually out of town this week, whether we wanted to induce before he left for vacation so he could deliver the baby for us, we opted for trusting our little one to make his grand entrance whenever he is ready.  We're still waiting.

It all started, however, about 35 weeks ago.

On the morning of August 2, 2013, I woke early with the urge to use the restroom.  For some reason, beyond my ability to comprehend, I decided to take a pregnancy test.  The pregnancy test itself was actually a gag gift from my bachelorette party over a year earlier and had been sitting in my bathroom drawer collecting dust without a second thought, until that morning.

I took the test and, to my surprise and disbelief, within seconds it clearly stated "pregnant".  A wave of emotion flooded over me, but more than anything else, I wanted to tell Kyle.  I walked calmly back to the bedroom, crawled in bed, and told Kyle, "I have something to tell you."  His groggy eyes opened slightly as they struggled to adjust to the light pouring in through our bedroom windows.  I said, both bluntly and with a huge smile on my face, "I think I'm pregnant."

His eyes shot open and he asked, still waking up, "How do you know?"

I said, "I just took a pregnancy test."

We both started laughing.  Kyle was always certain that the second we stopped "preventing" a pregnancy I would become pregnant.  I, on the other hand, was skeptical and worried that it would take much longer.

He was right and we both knew it in that moment.  His next words were, "I told you.  I knew it."  The laughter continued into the morning as we tried to comprehend just how much our lives were going to change.

That week I made an appointment to see the doctor and take a blood test to confirm the pregnancy.  After two days of attempts to draw blood, the phlebotomist was finally able to get enough blood drawn for the test.  That same day, our doctor informed Kyle that his blood pressure was high, just another thing that still makes us laugh today.

On August 8, 2013,  I got a call from the doctor's office confirming that I was indeed pregnant.

The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind of excitement and disbelief.  We began sharing the news with close family and friends, allowing those closest to us to share in our joy.  We felt so much love in those first couple of weeks, a love that has just continued to grow and expand into a deep affection that we are so thrilled for our son to feel from the moment he is born.

I was lucky in those first months not to experience the dreaded morning sickness.  The extent of my side effects during the first trimester included exhaustion mostly, not exactly a perfect way to begin the school year, but not the worst either.

The school year, along with the pregnancy, progressed.  Food cravings came next, with a vengeance.  In the beginning it was avocados and guacamole.  Kyle and I ate A LOT of Mexican food.  Then it turned into Taco Bell, crunchy tacos mostly.  I would get them on the way home from work as an afternoon snack.

After the Mexican food came donuts, specifically Entenmann's chocolate frosted donuts.  I would buy a box a week.  I couldn't get enough.

The next major step was determining the gender.  Before getting pregnant I thought, like my parents, I would want to be surprised about the gender of our baby.  However, Kyle was very adamant about wanting to know the gender.  Considering the fact that we are both "planners" I knew we wouldn't be able to wait.

On November 15, 2013, Kyle and I took the day off of school for our first official ultrasound.  We got up, went out to breakfast, and then drove to the doctor's office.  Within the hour, we found out our little one was indeed a little boy and not a shy one either!  He was happy to show us that he was a boy, and we were ecstatic to get the news.

We drove to the mall, visited Build-A-Bear where we made wishes for our little one's future, and then picked out his very first book, Where the Wild Things Are.  After a truly perfect afternoon, we drove to Indianapolis to share the news with my family, who by some miracle, were all in town.  We shared the news with others on the trip down, as well as the trip home.  The excitement was contagious and we grew more and more excited as we shared the news with others.  Everyone was thrilled to have a boy join the family!

Shortly after this, I couldn't hide my growing belly anymore, so I had to tell the school and my students the BIG news.  Everyone shared in the excitement, and I experienced a whole new wave of joy and pride.

Next came snow, and snow, and more snow.

Kyle spent the winter shoveling while I spent the winter staying warm and growing large.