Well...

We're headed to the hospital. I've waffled back and forth on this, but they have room, I'm having contractions, my doctor is on call today, so we'll see. We'll update soon!

Christmas

Christmas was lovely. After a hectic couple of weeks (months?) of packing, moving, unpacking, preparing for Christmas, and preparing for baby, Christmas was the first time in a long time I was able to just do nothing. Well, after presents and a breakfast with homemade cinnamon rolls. (I use my mom's dinner roll/cinnamon roll recipe. The dinner rolls the night before weren't as good as my mom's, but I must say, the cinnamon rolls were among my best.) Once breakfast was over, Mabes spent the day playing with her new toys, riding her new bike, and playing Wii with Dave. I did nothing. It was perfect.

Here's Mabes in the nightgown I made for her. I forgot that kids' patterns run big. It's kind of huge on her, but hey--she can wear it for years to come! She was very excited about her "princess Barbies" and insisted on holding all of them.

Riding her new bike from Grandma Jackie. It was raining so she couldn't ride it outside. Thankfully, we have a lot of space and not much furniture, so she could ride inside. She's wearing her crown from her Christmas Cracker.

And I'm still waiting on my big present. I woke up yesterday at 2:40 with contractions, crampiness, and back pain which continued for an hour and a half or so until I was able to fall back asleep. It started up again when I got up, and just as I was about to call the doctor, it eased up. This happened all day yesterday--timeable, regular (3-5 minutes apart) contractions for a couple of hours, then they spread out/stop just before I call. The contraction-timing app on my iPod is getting quite the workout (yes, they have apps for everything!). I didn't sleep well last night due to said contractions, and Mabes has impeccable timing and is able to whine or throw a fit while I'm having a contraction. Awesome. I was telling people at church on Sunday that I felt surprisingly good and thought the baby might be staying there for a few more weeks. After yesterday? Let's just say that Mabes and I are going for a long walk as soon as all the frost melts.

Oh, and happy birthday Nancy! I'm doing my best to let this baby share a birthday with the most awesome aunt!

Mabes realizes we're ridiclious

We were (again) talking names, and given the time of year, I had been saying I'd be open to using a Christmas-y middle name as long as it wasn't obvious like Noelle or Santa. Dave said that he actually really liked Noelle (and Santa, but that's a given), and Mabes just snorted and gave us a look.

"Mommy, you can't name da baby Noelle! Dat's not a baby name, dat's in a Christmas song! You can't name a baby after a song, dat would be ridiclious!"

Yes, yes it would.


And as a sidenote, yes I'm still pregnant, and yes I'm huge. I'm getting the giant eyes/crazy comments when I go out. The Hee Teeter checker told me it looked like the baby was so low she was probably coming out any second, and I swear she breathed an audible sigh of relief when I left the store, bag of waters (::shudder:: I hate that phrase, but weird people call for creepy phrases) still in tact.

Goals, people

Some friends threw a "last girl's night out before baby" for me last night and I just laughed when I opened this gift from Alisa. She says she's thinking positive for me. I'll admit I'm not the most patient person, and I really want to meet little Miss Corleone, so it could be fun to have her before Christmas. But then I realize that would be sometime in the next week, and holy ned, that's soon. Plus I was banking on having Mabes weeks early and that blew up in my face--not fun. So I put it out of my head. But then my mom says, "You know, I'm going to Arizona next week, and people have babies when I go to Arizona..." (One person, one baby...not exactly statistically significant.) Fortunately, there are plenty of other things going on to distract me from wondering when she'll make her entrance.

It was a great night with plenty of delicious food, fabulous friends, lots of laughing, and did I mention food? Awesome friends make what could be the miserable last weeks of pregnancy quite fun.

Things I've learned...

(in the last couple of days, at least...)

1. How to make fudge.

My mom is a fudge snob. Years ago, she was complaining to a friend about how she had yet to find a good fudge recipe. Sue modestly said, "Well, I think my recipe is pretty good." It is perfect. So she showed my mom how to make it, and has even returned several times to give my mom refresher courses. Having been to one of these, and with the recipe in hand, I decided to attempt my first solo batch of fudge.

It was 9 pm Sunday night. I looked over the recipe and decided it should only take about 15 minutes, so hey, I'll make it while Dave's on the phone. By 10 I was calling my mom wondering why my sugar/milk mixture wasn't heating over 220 degrees. Stupid fudge! She figured it out (I didn't know I was supposed to use a ridiculously large pan), offered some other advice, and I was on my way. Totally worth the expected reprimanding I got for being up late making fudge. Come on, Mom. The only thing more important than sleep to a woman late in pregnancy is fudge. Or any other chocolate-based treat.

But then the milk started to burn, and as I stirred it into the other ingredients, it was clear that this wasn't my mom's fudge. Hers is pretty. Mine looked greasy. And things weren't melting right. Stupid fudge. I poured it in the pans, shoved it in the fridge, and left the kitchen a mess. I was fed up, and decided to stick with what I know: cookies.

Monday morning, I opened the fridge and looked at my fudge nemesis with disgust. Well, I might as well try it before throwing it out. I'm certainly not going to be able to give this crap away. To my utter disbelief, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't grainy or blooming or gritty, like so many other fudges I've tried. It was fantastic. Smooth, creamy, delicious. I'm still not sure if I'll give any away...it's quickly disappearing from my fridge. Thanks, Sue, your recipe is so awesome that it couldn't be screwed up by me.

2. Mabes and cough syrup don't mix.

I had a growth ultrasound and doctor's appointment Monday morning. Since Mabes has been talking about ultrasounds for months, I decided to bring her to the appointment. She was very excited to see her baby "stister." She had a cold and cough, and while that's not a big deal at my doctor's office (as long as there's no fever, which there wasn't), I still felt bad bringing a hacking kid in. Plus, she was complaining about her throat hurting when she coughed, so I decided to give her a cough suppressant. I know--I usually just let these things run their course, but in light of the circumstances, I made an exception. I shouldn't have.

On a positive note, her cough *was* suppressed. But that wasn't really noticeable, what with all the bouncing. Seriously. Mabes tends to be rather energetic as it is, but this was nuts. She was good for the ultrasound, and loved seeing the baby. But by the time I met with my doctor, she was jumping up and down telling him about her Nutcracker movie and how bad the mouse king is, how she saw her baby stister on the special computer and her hands were by her face, and how Christmas was coming up and we have a tree and presents and stockings! And at least she was bouncing in place and not running around the office--that counts for something, right?

I assured Dr. B that I wouldn't bring her to next week's appointment, and he just laughed and said he'll miss seeing Mabes after I have the baby. Really? I mean, really. But I appreciate that he cares enough to say nice things that may not be true to make me feel better.

3. Thanksgiving pictures don't post themselves.

I still need to get on that. And I should probably also pack a hospital bag. And figure out what exactly we're doing with Mabes (we have ideas/offers, but don't have anything concrete). And make sure Dave knows where we're going.

4. I'm giving birth to the Godfather.





















Before this, my latest ultrasound was 20 weeks, so it was really cool to see the detail at 37 weeks. You can see her nose! Mabes loved seeing her move around and the ultrasound was great. My doctor decided to order an ultrasound to check for fetal macrosomia, which is basically a big baby. Last week, he said "I don't think you're carrying a larger-than-average baby in there--I don't know where you'd be hiding a 9 pounder!" But then he caught himself and said, "But I bet your other doctor said that with Emaline, huh?" Yep.

The baby is measuring 7 pounds right now, so that puts me on track to deliver a 7.5-8.5 pound baby, depending on when she decides to make her debut. I know, I know--ultrasounds can be off by 2 pounds. But until I hear otherwise, I'm going to assume this baby will be 7.5 pounds at birth. The ultrasound tech said she's looking great, though, and despite the picture, the images of her moving around were fascinating. I was surprised to see her face well enough to see a strong resemblance to newborn Mabes, and am pretty sure she'll come out looking more like Mabes than Marlon Brando.

Well-played, Mabes

After a long morning of teaching Mabes' preschool (at our house! with Dave working! keeping noise to a moderate level was difficult...), I needed what I refer to as my happy pills. Mabes was playing in another room, and after grabbing my handful of M&Ms, I went to ask what kind of sandwich she wanted for lunch. She came over to hug me, and then just gave me a huge smile. "Mommy, you smell so good! You smell like...chocolate!" At least I didn't tell her it was avocado. I like to think that years from now, when her friends are saying what perfume makes them think of their moms, Mabes will say M&Ms. Or Junior Mints.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When we got back from Costco tonight, it was time to put Mabes to bed. She turned on the family room light as she headed to the bathroom and explained to me, "I'm turning dis light on so you and Daddy can talk. Because after I go to bed, you and Daddy stay up and talk for a while." Oh, really? She nodded and in a very matter-of-fact tone continued: "Yep. You stay up and talk about me. Like, how cute I am. And all the fings I do!" I didn't tell her our plans were Tivoed Glee, The Soup, and big bowls of ice cream.

Once she was in bed, Dave and I were in our room looking at the masses of boxes. Our ward's "Santa's Breakfast" is tomorrow, and this picture was sitting in one of the open boxes. He picked it up and commented on how little Mabes was. I was looking at it, amazed at how much she's grown and changed in 2 years. "Look at her, she's so cute!" was all I could say.

Dave just laughed and shook his head, "She was right. She went to bed, and here we are, talking about how cute she is." Well-played, Mabes.

Just realized something...

I'm having a baby. Presumably in the next 5 weeks. I've been aware of this for some time now, but I just got to the point where it's starting to seem real. We're getting settled into the house, all my baby stuff is piled in the baby's room, baby clothes are still in plastic bins but easily accessible, new stuff is still in bags but where I can see it on shelves...I'm feeling pretty good. And then I realize that given how fast the last few weeks have flown by, perhaps I should organize her room. Or pack a hospital bag. Or find out exactly where the hospital is. Or book a hospital tour. Or buy nursing pads and I can't even remember what else. I was way more on top of this with Mabes.

I'm not freaking out, I'm really just amused. I mean really, even if I do nothing in the next few weeks, I have what I need. Even if I don't know where. I can put my mom to work washing and organizing clothes. It's just crazy how in my head "I'm pregnant" or "I'm having a baby" doesn't translate into "seriously, get ready to have another baby around." I have been trying to prep myself for nightwakings, though, so that counts for something, right?

And after talking to Sarah yesterday, I realized that it's pool time. I was going to do one of those ExpectNet polls, but I think I liked Sarah's spreadsheet better. Plus I think ExpectNet only lets you have one entry. So here are the rules: Up to 3 entries, email me or comment here. Guess the date, size, time, and hair color. And name, if you want (I'm still taking suggestions!). Winner will get a $5 Coldstone gift card.

Background info: I'm due January 5. Mabes was *technically* 4 days early, but according to my OB, she was 2 days late (even though an early ultrasound--the most accurate for dating purposes--matched up with my later due date). This time, OB, ultrasound, and I agree. Mabes was 9 lbs, 9 oz, and though I felt huge, I measured normally and my doctor was predicting a 7.5 to maybe 8 pounder. I had a really fast labor, so between that and Mabes' size, my doctor may induce me a week early if my body is showing signs of being ready. Oh, and feel free to guess the length of labor. With Mabes, I was in "real" labor for I guess 3 1/2 hours, but 2 of those were spent pushing the behemoth out. I'm not sure if I'm more afraid of this one being faster or slower. Mabes was born at 11 am exactly, and with dark hair. It wasn't until a month later that it fell out and grew back in blond.