BOTH due dates have come and gone...

and she is STILL in there!

 40 weeks and 4 days... *sigh*

I have been to many more appointments with stress tests, ultrasounds and blood pressure checks.  I had another appointment today and I guess my blood pressure is high... But the baby is doing GREAT!  She isn't complaining at all.  I hope this isn't a glimpse into the future to when she's 39 years old and living in our basement.

I am SO ready for her to move out!  Dan is bringing home, as requested, an atomically hot spicy pizza tonight.  I tried extra spicy curry last week, now we're going for the Italian food... Lets see if she dances for this like she did for the curry... 

Don't get me wrong, I love her... but I do admit, I am trying to make her mad so she decides to move out! :)

I know that lots of my family follows this blog, so I thought I would share my baby item shopping list on here just in case anyone wins the lotto.  I do lots of my shopping on Amazon.com... so this is my personal list of "gonna gets" for the baby for when I have the money :)

CLICK HERE

 Stay tuned... I am REALLY hoping to post pictures of her screaming face VERY SOON!!!!!

Tomorrow is my "First" due date!

So, according to the Docs in Albany, tomorrow is my due date! According to my local doctors, my due date is Thursday. (Of course, at first my local docs thought I was due on St Patty's Day.. so, *shrug*).

As of my last appointment on Thurday I am/was 50% effaced and 1cm dilated.  I am having wimpy contractions... but nothing crazy.  The Doc said that my water could break at any time... so now I'm paranoid to go ANYWHERE.  And, much to my husbands delight, we were encouraged to have as much sex as possible.  Since I want this kid OUT, I am more than agreeable to that! LOL!

I think even the dogs know that something is up.. They have been very quiet and good... Not that I'm complaining!

The dog got his pre-baby haircut, the baby's crib has been made and re-made, her clothes, towels, diapers, butt paste, etc has been organized.  Her bottles, pacifiers and the breast pump are on the counter ready to be boiled.  The rubber sheet is on our bed in case her water-slide turns on in the middle of the night.  The hospital bag has been packed and re-packed and is by the door and ready to go.  I have two outfits packed for me and about seven for her (haha).  The car-seat is installed.  The camera is charged with a fresh memory card.  My music is all loaded into my "pseudo-pod".  I have two copies of my "call list" and I have all the registration papers and birth-plan filled out and labeled. I have reading materials... I even hid some candy in my bag.

Ok kiddo.  I'm ready!  Hurry the heck up! We all want to meet you!!!!

It's getting closer!!

Just 17 days until our due date!  I'm not expecting her to show up "on time" since the only one who decides what time IS the right time is her... and she hasn't sent me a memo.

We had another ultrasound on Thursday! It is AMAZING how big she is!!! (They estimate 6-7lbs). I mean, I know she's a baby.. but look at these pictures... This is a BABY not a little inch long alien... How AMAZING is that?? I am so excited!

  She has HAIR!

I have been driving Dan crazy with my "We need this!" "We need to do that!".  He has had to MAKE me stop doing things around the house a few times... But he has to go to work... MUAHAHAA!  So, I've sorted the baby clothes into "Now", "Laters" and "RIGHT NOWs!".  I have them all ready to go to the laundry.  I've set up the crib and I even practiced swaddling a Cabbage Patch Kid since I have NO idea how to do that!

As of right now we haven't really been searching in earnest for a new apartment.  We are too distracted with baby things.  We also figure that we can last a little while in this little one bedroom house.  At least until summer.  So, we're not panicking... yet.

Our good friend Pete is GIVING us a car as a wedding present! Can you believe it??  The title is "in the mail" and we are hoping that little Danielle holds off on her arrival long enough for us to make the trip over to Vermont to pick the car up.  I've been teasing Dan that it would make a heck of a story if I delivered in an old Volvo on the ferry between Vermont and New York... That is SO "North-Eastern Hippie".. Haha!  Maybe we'll tell her that's what happened... hahaa (But it BETTER not!!)  We will have to get a few pictures, for her baby book, of me and my big belly on the hood of the car on the ferry though!

So, I've been keeping myself busy obsessing over getting the house ready for Earth's newest resident and finishing up the "Birth Announcement" I'm making for her nursery.  It's not a traditional announcement... but I liked it so much I'm making it into one!

Lots more to do!

We're Officially Hitched!

Well, we did it.. We're married!  It was just a "quickie" ceremony at the town hall in his home-town... but, that's all we needed.We have each other, and that's what's important.  Now all three of us will have the same last name, and now he's stuck with me forever... LOL!

 Our wedding bands on the bouquet of roses that my mother sent for the ceremony

 No, I'm not wearing heels.. lol

The Married Couple!

New Ultrasound and Epidural Rant

It's one week until Christmas! I can't believe it.  Last week we started feeling Danielle kicking like mad... We can actually feel her outside my stomach now.  It used to be something just I could feel... Oh well, I guess it's time to share!

Last Friday we had our most recent ultrasound.  The ultrasound tech was very nice and got me some nice pictures to take home to show my step-daughters.

Thumbs Up!!

(She was actually sucking her thumb)

The tech was nice... the doctor was a jerk.  We were there for almost 2 hours and I think we saw the doctor for 5 minutes.  He said 2 things to me:

1. "So, did your ultrasound look ok?" I just looked at him like he had 3 heads.  I wished I had said something like "Wow, if I knew I had the ability to judge those sorts of things I wouldn't have drven an hour to see you!"  But I just stared at him like I wanted to kill him.
2. "There is no way that you are going to find anyone that will give you an epidural" Then he said, "Ok, I'll write up a note for your local doctor, have a nice day" and LEFT!  Nothing like dashing my hopes of having a relatively pleasant delivery then beating it to the door!  *ARGH!!!!*

So, I made a few calls and got a call back from a very nice lady who runs a "Hypnobirthing" class at our local hospital.  She asked me to come to the class this coming Wednesday.  I hope I can get into this.  I've never been hypnotized, even at parties!  She has helped many women with other spine related disorders and it's worked great for them... Here's hoping!

On the upside of all this I will be able to deliver at the hospital 5 minutes from our house as opposed to being forced into driving an hour just so I can get some drugs.  The local place has a really nice birthing center... 

*Sigh* I am TRYING to look on the bright side and not be scared... Hopefully by the time April rolls around I will be so anxious to get this kid out of me that I won't worry so much about the pain of squeezing a diamond studded watermelon out...

A little bit of backstory...

I probably shouldn't be having a baby. I'm 35, disabled (MS) and not rich. I don't own a house and I am not married.

BUT! (There's always a but). I have a lot of love. My boyfriend and I are very committed (and will probably get married some day, when we get around to it). I am disabled... but the bonus of that is that I get to stay home all day!

I have a lot of great things to pass on!  I am kind, funny and a 6 foot tall hottie!! (lol)

I've always wanted children (yet another thing I never got around to).

So now I am!!! I am FINALLY preggers with a little girl!!! We are both very excited... I can't wait to meet her!!

From our 1st Ultrasound... 

I didn't know I was preggo until 12 or 13 weeks!

(Long legs, just like her momma!)

From our 2nd ultrasound... What a face!

2nd Ultrasound again...

What an ATTITUDE! (love it! lol)