Not gonna happen! went to see dr. miller yesterday. things hadn't progressed and he decided that inducing me wouldn't be the best decision. he thought that at this point (being only 2 cm), inducing me wouldn't do any good. so, now we're back to the waiting game. i'm trying to be patient but i was so sure that we'd be induced after sunday's drama of contractions. i can't believe there was NO change. that's life though and i'm just thankful that i'm not in the situation where i have to be induced because of problems. next week i go back for my regular check up. only this time dr. miller is on vacation so i get to see another doctor, a guy i've not ever met before. this should be fun. i'm really hoping to go into labor on my own before then. since i don't get to go early, i'll hope for the 4th of july again. i'm home today resting my back and hopefully having some quiet time. i'll keep everyone posted if anything changes :)

Am I a whiner???

yesterday was good preparation. those things called "braxton hix" really aren't fun at all. i had contractions ALL day yesterday and tried to ignore them but at times they'd cause me to double over for a bit. they're alot like menstrual cramps for those who can relate. i tried to be a trooper and worked finishing up the nursery and piddling around upstairs. ryan and i made muddy buddies (aka puppy chow) and headed for the church picnic. i drove seperately knowing that i wouldn't want to socialize much. and i was right, the pain got worse. finally an hour later i pulled ryan aside and we called the hospital. not knowing what to expect and not sure if i needed to go to the hospital, i chatted with the OB nurse. she asked a few questions and encouraged me to go home and take a warm bath to see if that would help. if not, then i should get to the hospital.

by time i got off the phone, things were starting to slow down so i didn't hurry home. by time i got home and got the tub filled up, lots of time had passed. so i took a bath and soaked for a bit before crawling in bed. mom came over to stay with me while my honey played some softball. (no, he's not a bad husband, he offerred to go home with me and i told him to stay). i was a bit bummed that things didn't continue to progress since it was mom and ralph's anniversary, the birth of a grandbaby would've been a great gift. but, no such luck. we'll have to wait a few more days, experience some more nasty "preparation" contractions before we get to see the end result.

today, i stayed home during the morning while it was cooler and worked on 5 loads of laundry plus cleaning our closet since we moved some furniture out of there into the nursery. just a few more days... keep praying!

light at the end of the tunnel

Visited the doc yesterday. must say i've been a bit frustrated with how he's not educated and explained things to me but anyway. my nurse, sue, is awesome and did some good explaining which helped determine that i should be checked "down there". miller said i'm dilated 2 cm and moving right along. a much better report than last week when he said the baby was in no hurry to come out. yay, there is light at the end of the tunnel. we discussed being induced and he actually explained a few things to me. so next wednesday he'll check me again in hopes (my hopes) that i've dilated and thinned more as well as have a bit of increased blood pressure. if all goes as planned, he will plan to induce me on thursday.

i'm excited and a bit scared. things are getting done around the house and we're ready for a baby but are we really ready? i fear the whole process - labor and delivery and then trying to figure out what to do afterwards. i can change diapers but breastfeeding - i have no clue! a week from now we might have a baby buitenwerf. holy cow!

i'm also a bit nervous about how things will change around our house - me being able to maintain our home, be a mom and eventually return to work full time. how our marriage will change and hopefully grow. how we won't be so free to go and do all the time.

TGIF. yup, i'm way excited its friday but i'm not so eager to go home to a non-AC house. yesterday it was 80 degrees inside when i got home. after bible study and 8 bodies were there for a few hours, it was 85 degrees. i was dying from heat and felt like the dog who was laying in the corner panting. today is supposed to get to 92 degrees with humidity - no fun. i'll probably hang out at moms where the AC is going :) Hope everyone has a nice weekend - especially those of you camping out.

I'm not sure if my attitude is: It's Wednesday!!! or if its Today is only Wednesday. Regardless, it is Wednesday today and therefore my week is half over. Last Friday my coworker, Tom's wife went into labor and had a boy. She's due after me and was 3 weeks early but now I'm super eager to be in her shoes and have this done with.

Yesterday Michelle came over and painted the first coat in the baby's room. Yay for Michelle and her kind heart. I'm still loving these part time days which keep me plenty busy. yesterday I actually rested, yep, I laid on the couch and watched Dr. Phil and Oprah. I felt super lasy but it was well needed. Sleep during the night has been less than I need which makes some restful time super valuable.

Sunday afternoon we had company. Two of the girls I met in Nicaragua came to visit. Both are now married and one has a little girl. It was super fun to see them. Anna, the younger sister has been living in Waverly for a year now so I see her every once in a while. They were so sweet, they brought over EVERYTHING we needed for our meal. What an awesome gesture, they didn't want me to do anything since I'm pregnant. But I don't like doing "nothing" so I quickly put together a Cornbread cake dessert.

I'm thankful the week is moving right along. Tomorrow I have a meeting with my Quality Steering Team for our area. They're my buds, especially a few of them. So, it will be fun to see them once again before I take a break from work. Pretty soon here I'll be in my last week of pregnancy - woo hoo!

What a week this has been. As of last Friday I started working 5 hour days instead of 9. It’s been so nice. Some extra time away from the office has been helpful in catching up on the list of things to do at home. Its also been good for my aching back and tired eyes. Friday, mom and Ralph joined me on a trip to Waterloo to purchase baby stuff. I bought all kinds of things that we needed and spent lotsa cash.

Because I know that I have some more time each day to get things done, I didn’t clean like a crazy woman on Saturday. Instead I piddled around planting flowers and transplanting plants in hopes of making my north porch look cute. Saturday night was Living Stone – a contemporary worship service at our church. As usual, we headed to the Rich’s home where everyone gathers and hangs out till all hours of the night. That night the Rich’s had to leave so we were the supposed “adults”. Its always amusing to hear the conversations of HS and college students and what they find important. Sometime after 11pm, Ryan was enthralled in conversation about predestination so I got up and went to curl up in the la-z-boy and fell asleep. Ryan woke me up to leave and then we stood there and talked for another short while and finally left at 1230. I was so tired by that point. Went home, took care of the puppy and went to bed.

Sunday after church, our small groups all gathered together to further discuss changing the church covenant. What a task at hand! The deacons, pastor and his wife have taken on such a big task where someone will be hurt, mad or offended. That night made for some interesting discussions and I’m curious to see how things will change in the near future. The change is needed but always difficult to accept by some – aren’t we all that way at times.

Monday was back to the office for a short day. I went home and fell asleep on the couch. Woke up in time to watch Oprah and was irritated when the TV was plastered with the Michael Jackson trial instead of what I wanted to see. That evening I cleaned house some, paid bills and laid in the hammock with Ryan as we watched our dogs play around us. Tuesday (another short day at work – woo hoo!) I stopped to visit my folks for about an hour then went home and Renessa came over for a little while. When she left, I made stromboli for Ryan and my parents for supper. Yesterday when I did finally leave work, I headed for the dreaded Wally world to make some final purchases for the baby, although we still don’t have the carseat purchased yet. Wondered around the baby department trying to figure things out. Got home in time to put away groceries and get a few things picked up before Ryan and Renessa came out for supper. We planned to go see Monster-in-law on the big screen but I had forgotten that there’s no way I can sit through a movie these days. The Z’s ended up coming over and the guys played with the potato gun while they grilled a pork tenderloin and potatoes. After supper the guys played x-box while Renessa and I chatted. It was fun to watch the expression on their faces as they were so into the game they were playing.

Another busy day today. Lots to do at the office before I can go home early. Can you tell that I like working shorter days?

By request, I finally added two more pictures: my melon and my living tumor with Keller

Wow, where does time go. And how much of it have I wasted lately? What am I doing with the precious time I’ve been given?

Last week I had two doctor appointments. The first was my regular check up. I’m now going weekly and go again tonight. The next day I had an ultrasound to make sure the baby is in proper position. The guy was awesome – unlike last time we had an ultrasound. They told me he would just check for position and I’d be on my way. But, this guy actually had a personality and explained things and showed me things. He took all the measurements again and said the baby at that point was about 6.5 pounds. Eeek, if he grows a half pound a week and goes to term, I’ll be trying to deliver an 8.5 pound baby. I also got to see HIS “parts”, his fingers, legs, heartbeat, etc. It was much fun but unfortunately neither Ryan nor mom were there to see since he wasn’t supposed to do all that.

It seems like we’ve had non stop company lately. I love entertaining but it does get tiring – especially with my current energy levels. Last Friday we had my folks and the Mitts’ over for supper and a movie. We fixed shrimp scampi for supper and then sat down to watch the Aviator (weird movie and too much foul language for me!). Then Saturday morning was my time to clean. I had plans on how I would get things accomplished and in which order so that I wouldn’t be on my feet or on my rear for too long at one time. Then Ally (she’s 10ish – a Mitts kid) called and wanted to hang out. She came over for a few hours and we scrap booked together and played with Keller. Not much time left for getting anything done around the house but I love kids and being and trying to be a positive influence in their lives. Saturday night Ryan and I went to the Lions Club annual fish fry. It was okay but definitely nothing fancy, they didn’t even have lemon wedges to squeeze on the fish! Sunday was the longest day of our weekend. We had church followed by a noon potluck. I was really encouraged with what Shane was sharing with everyone in the morning. After potluck, I stopped at mom’s (I so love that they are near) and then headed home to more company. Richie Ellis came over to help Ryan work upstairs and he brought the family. So, I got home to Sonya and the girls who were FULL of energy. No nap or relax time for me. Later that afternoon, some ladies of the church through a baby shower for us. It was awesome and everyone was so generous. Two of my favorite parts of the afternoon was mom’s food – always a treat, and Ryan’s boutonniere thing. Jeanie made one for each of us and his had a tiny beanie baby behind the flower. The only farm animal she had was a horse! Too funny, the guy who hates horses!

Its been another busy week at the office. And my back HATES the office. I sit too much and it just kills my back, I’m so uncomfy that I could cry. Instead I whine a lot :) I’m still officially working full time but have warned my boss that I’m ready to give up my desk for a while. My back just doesn’t handle all this sitting. I’m trying my best to help out my fair share with all the applications for our new program but then I feel miserable by time I get home. In fact, its so uncomfy I choose not to sit at lunch or supper. For supper I either stand and eat or lay down to eat. I feel lazy but my back is just yucky. I suppose that’s par for the course, especially with my added 30 pounds that’s all out front. Okay, off to work! Pray for me PLEASE!!!

Check out some new pictures I posted:
- Keller, our new puppy.
- Ryan and Renessa Zurbiggen, our buddies here who will be moving to SD where Ryan will start seminary.
- Two from last summer: Kaleb and I fishing and Kaleb's first parade.
- Our trip to Las Vegas last February. (this link takes you to the album which has several pictures in it)

Angels and Memorial Day
What a fantabulous weekend! Let me just say that I love 3 day weekends and short work weeks! What a busy weekend we had. Let me share some of the basics (in detail of course):

Keller
I finally got the puppy I’ve been wanting. For some time I’ve wanted another Australian Shepherd and bugged Ryan for one since before I was pregnant. Some people brought in 6 miniature Aussie puppies to the clinic on Friday. They wanted 5 of them vaccinated and the 6th one put down. The 6th puppy is very much a “special needs” dog. He’s deaf, has partial sight and looks albino. He’s white with a few brown spot areas on his rump and has the bright blue eyes that never dilate. Ryan, who is okay with having to put down animals, decided to take this one home for his wife. So, now we have a 6 week old, 5 lb puppy that can’t hear and doesn’t see the best. All this just weeks before we add a child to our home. Anyway, we joked that we would name it Helen Keller if it was a female. Since he’s a male, I thought Keller would be fitting for a name. My dog and cats really don’t know what to think about him yet.

Breitbach’s
Saturday I expected to get a few hours in at the office but figured out first thing in the morning, when I sat down to pay a few bills, that my back wouldn’t handle being at my desk for any amount of time. So, I piddled around the house cleaning and playing before supper plans with the folks. My parents treated us to supper at Breitbach’s in Balltown for our anniversary. The 75 minute drive to Balltown was beautiful as we crept along side the Mississippi River for some of the time. Breitbach’s is the oldest bar and restaurant in Iowa established in 1852. There is a 50 mile panoramic view of the Mississippi River Valley from there – it’s awesome! The restaurant had a neat history to it, good food and a fun time with mom and Ralph.

Chinese food and the Outback Steakhouse
Sunday after church, Ryan and I, along with Richie and Sonya, headed for Chicago. We stopped several times along the way, the first of which was 30 minutes later for lunch. We ate at a Chinese buffet that I like in Prairie DuChien, WI. Eventually we made it to our hotel, 30 miles outside the city. By that time I was tired and really could care less if we went downtown or not. So we headed for Red Robin (Chicago had food places that aren’t otherwise found in the Midwest). They closed 5 minutes before we got there and we were bummed that we couldn’t eat there. We settled on Outback and I had been fighting a yucky tummy all day and didn’t even want to eat. The best part about my food was the virgin strawberry daiquiri.

Autograph from a pro baseball player
Monday, Memorial Day, we had plans to catch the Angels v. White Sox baseball game. First thing in the morning, we headed into the city to pick up Jake. For those who haven’t heard me brag in the past, Jake Woods is a childhood buddy of mine who is pitching out of the bullpen for the Angels. So, we picked him up at his hotel on Michigan Avenue. And as soon as we walked outside, people flocked to him for his autograph. It was fun to watch and I wish I would’ve been carrying my camera to catch a picture or some video. While we headed somewhere for brunch, I asked Jake 50 questions about life in his shoes. There were plenty of places downtown to eat but not places to park. We headed toward the stadium, which took us into the ghetto real quick, and eventually decided to go back downtown. We ended up eating at some fast food type of steak sandwich place. Not ideal but it worked. On the way to the stadium afterwards, I had Jake autograph 3 baseballs for me. When we got there, we received some special treatment because we had a “player” in the van with us. It was all so amusing to me because Jake has always been Jake to me and I’ve known him since we were 12. We got to the stadium in time to see batting practice but had been given the wrong information on the time the gates open. After waiting an hour outside (remember – pregnant ladies have to pee often), we finally made it inside. Had great seats directly behind home plate. They were awesome – it’s all about who you know. Richie, our buddy that went with us, also got to meet (again) the manager, Mike Scioscia. When Richie was 17 and lying in a hospital bed with cancer, Mike (then catching for the Dodgers) made a personal phone call to Richie and later invited him to a game and gave him the royal treatment. It was quite a treat for Richie to see him again almost 20 years later. He also met and got an autograph from Rev. Jesse Jackson who stood next to him near the dugout.
We had a great time. Jake didn’t get to pitch because of the rotation but we did get our hopes up in the 8th inning when they had him warming up. I didn’t ever take a picture with him in uniform – I didn’t want to hound him like the typical fan, but I did take some video clips. I’m hoping that he gets to stay in the majors and we can watch him again sometime.