Happy Birthday Monster Peden

Today is Monster's 6th birthday! We have been spoiling her dog-rotten all day long. She shared cereal with me for breakfast. And for lunch, she had turkey bacon and cheese (sounds good right? Just wait.) For dinner...flank steak! David and I just got back from walking her on her favorite route, right past Maudies. Talk about a good dog day! David asked me tonight if Monster knew this was her last weekend w/o brother bean. I said I was waiting to tell her until after her birthday. :)

I promise to never forget that Monster was our first baby. She will always have a spot in our bed, and a warm lap on the couch. I had no idea how much I could love a wild animal until we found our sweet dog ball. The minute we brought her home we had a best dog friend - so loyal, so sweet and SO funny.

She'll have to be patient next week when we bring home a strange, loud, mini-person who won't smell very sweet about 8-10 times a day. However, in the long run she may find him to be quite entertaining - especially when he starts purposefully dropping cheerios from his high chair. In fact, every day will be like her dog birthday when that happens!

Here are a few of my favorite Monster pictures...

Countdown to Bean's Arrival

For the longest time, I was counting up - first trimester, second, third, etc. But at some point I transitioned to counting down. I'm not sure when it happened but my calendar looks like an old bingo score card. Every day I look forward to putting a big "X" over the date, and I think to myself, one more down. I realize no one is counting down the days like I am BUT only single digits remain now!!! Put a fork in me bc I'm done! When my friends told me the last couple weeks were difficult, they weren't kidding. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, it would be a hell of a lot easier to lay eggs.

I've been so lucky to have a good pregnancy (get ready for the complaints), but today I'm limping around trying to hold on for a few more days. I was at the mall today and a 90+ year old woman passed me doing her shopping. It's like I'm holding up pedestrian traffic or something. Plus, I can't go anywhere w/o getting asked, "When's the baby due?" I'm getting a kick out of telling people, "Next week!" The most shocking reactions are at the gym. I can almost feel people staring at me thinking: please don't have your baby in our lap pool mam. I guess I can understand their line of thinking bc before I was 38 weeks pregnant I thought babies would just fall out at inopportune times. However, now I know that it's not that easy. Someone asked me today, "Have you tried all the old wives tales like eating spicy food, having sex, and taking long walks?" I just replied that my little guy was stuck and probably very happy about it.

Baby bean is getting too big and strong - he needs a new home - not my stomach!!! 40 weeks is for the birds. The End (is near). :)

Week 38 with Bean

One more weekend where it’s just the 2 of us and our sweet dog. We actually made a list of things we want to do over the next week and a half. Things that made the list: eat a nice steak dinner, go to the movies-Transformers (David’s choice) and Time Travelers Wife (my choice), see the musical, "Wicked," get my car detailed, and do a "Dream Dinners" class. Hopefully the last 11 days will go by fast.

I’m SO uncomfortable here at week 38. The pressure is getting terribly intense, plus when bean moves now it stops me in my tracks. I play the game, Guess the Body Part, when his sharp feet and elbows come to the surface of my stomach. My heartburn is crazy bad at night - I spend half the night sitting up. He weighed about 6.9 lbs this morning at my appointment, and he will gain an ounce a day from here on out. And today my doctor said he could feel his butt!!! I guess that explains why I have to go to the bathroom about 6-8 times a night. :) Can you say, ouch?

My last day of work was Thurs of last week. I'll miss my days at the paper store, but right now I just feel like I’m on vacation or something. I’ve been swimming at the gym almost every day. Love it! And I’m taking care of EVERYTHING I can possibly think of to do before this baby comes. Today was Monster’s dental cleaning. Poor baby, she didn’t like that very much. She's moping around in a very drunk state tonight, and I hope she is back to her spunky self by tomorrow morning. Her teeth are pearly white again though! Now she can lick bean and he won't smell like her nasty fish breath. hehe

In other news, our friends Lori and Gaines had their baby today! I can't wait to go for my first visit. I don't know if I've ever held a baby only a day old (this will change very soon) not to mention the fact that I've never changed a diaper...lots of firsts here for me. Soon it will be second nature. I do wish that babies weren't like bobble head dolls in the beginning. That part freaks me out. They have to be more durable than they look though - especially considering the rough journey they take to get into this world. Bean, you get out easy. Thank me later for that, okay?

Week 37 at the doc

Time flies when you're making babies! It's week 37 today, and we're still on track for August 28th. Bean hasn't moved an inch. But he is a growing boy, and he has gained about an ounce a day since my last appointment. Dr. Seeker predicts he will be 7 pounds on delivery day. He also said my cervix is 100% closed and gave me a less than 5% chance of going into labor early. As far as I'm concerned, that's good news. I can't imagine being at work one day and having contractions - or worse - having your water break! Maybe that is yet another benefit of this scheduled c-section.

Sunday Anniversary Brunch

Today we ate at one of our all time favorite places - The 4 Seasons's Sunday Brunch. Ever since David proposed there (over 6 years ago) we have made it a tradition to go back for special occasions. Our anniversary this year (Aug. 30th) will be spent in the hospital, so we decided to go early. I couldn't skip it, right? To say that it is fabulous meal almost doesn't do it justice. Imagine: bacon, eggs, omelets, & pancakes...but don't stop there...roast beef, mashed potatoes, duck, ostrich, sushi, crab (just to name a few)...and for dessert...creme brulée, pecan pie, cheese cake AND a chocolate fountain!!! That impressive combination even makes up for the fact that I couldn't partake in the all-you-can-drink champagne and mimosas.

We celebrated with a few close friends who are also about to become parents - Amber, Bill, Lori and Gaines. Coincidentally, we are all due within a week of each other. Amber and Bill are having their second girl, Whitney Gale, and Lori and Gaines are having their first baby, a girl, who will be named Zoie. Both will be great friends for my little boy bean. :)

After brunch, we walked outside to take pics on the lawn, and we were actually asked by a hotel guest if there was a "Pregnancy Convention" at the 4 Seasons. Seriously? You get the strangest questions/comments when you are pregnant! It's like a license for people to say whatever comes to mind. I do realize it looks a little strange, and I've noticed that when I walk around in public I get some interesting looks. But like David said today, "Dude, where do you think YOU came from?" :)

36 Week Update

We had our 36 week appointment today, and we are officially sending Bean an eviction notice for Friday, August 28th. He has been breech now for months and there is very little chance of him turning. My OB/GYN did not recommend trying to flip him for several reasons - the process is very painful and is not a guarantee for a natural delivery. Plus, there is a chance that Bean could be ultra stubborn and turn back to the position that he is most comfortable in (head up) and I'd be back to square one. So I'm going to take their recommendation and schedule the c-section.

David and I waited a record two hours to see the doctor this morning. The waiting room was packed, and I knew we were in trouble when we walked in the door. It was great people watching though - I always find pregnant women interesting: How far along are they? What sex is the baby? Where did they get that cute maternity dress? Or worse, what were they thinking wearing that moo moo? But the best entertainment of the morning was the woman who whipped out her nail trimmers and started grooming herself in the waiting room. First her fingernails and then....oh yes, her toes! What is wrong with people? I couldn't have been happier to hear my name called.

Now for the appointment news! Bean is measuring about 5 lbs 10 oz and is in the 33%. The doc said he was happy with his growth, and said most babies gain an ounce a day the last few weeks. So I'm predicting he will come out weighing about 7 lbs. They still couldn't tell me if he had hair. I guess some things I will just have to wait to see...24 more days!!!

That doesn't give us a lot of time - just 3 more free weekends. That's kinda scary! When I posed that thought to David I finally got a decent reaction! Ordinarily, he isn't phased by my dramatic thinking. But really the only thing we NEED to do is get the car seat installed in my car. Bottles and pacifiers are washed, diapers are abundant, and the baby gear is stationed in every room. I bought a diaper bag this weekend, and David put the bassinet and stand together. The nursery is ready and our house looks like a baby could soon live here.

I know these last few weeks have a reputation for being difficult for a good reason. I feel like I'm stretched to max capacity and the heart burn is getting...well, HOT! Sleeping is uncomfortable but at the same time I'm pretty freakin' tired. So to sum it all up - I'm ready for "Bean's birthday" - it's kinda funny to know the date now. I marked it on the calendar (just like that) and laughed.

Bean is Coming!!!

I saw this sign on 38th and Lamar and couldn't resist taking a quick snap shot. My baby Bean and "The Coffee Bean" will both be coming later this month. We'll know an official date on Monday after the 36 week doc appointment. But as of right now, it sounds like Dr. Seeker will do a c-section at 39 weeks unless he turns out of his breech position.