18 days old - posting well over due

Sorry this is going to be so short, but I felt like I had to at least post something so people aren't left wondering what the heck happened.

In case you haven't yet heard, baby Henry Theodore Pieper Rehbein was born at 12:16 am on Saturday, August 11th. He weighed 6 lbs 1 oz and measured 19 3/4 inches. The pediatrician who evaluated him deemed him "perfect, just perfect." We tend to agree. :)

I'll post more soon with regard to how the whole thing shook down (it was quite a surprise), Baby H's first days/weeks, his first time peeing on dad, and his first projectile poop, but I first wanted to get a few pics out there.

  

I'll be ending this blog (when I have some time) and starting a new one to chronicle Baby H's first year.  Please look for the new site shortly!

40 weeks, 0 days - Happy Due Date to me!

I'm not really sure what I expected but I did kind of think today would be special somehow.  That it would feel different.  Why?  I don't know.  It's the due date.  The day we've been waiting for and planning toward for nine months.  Knowing full well that it's not an appointment or anything, I still thought something would feel different.  It doesn't.  Turns out, when the baby doesn't come, the due date is just another day.  Though, it is a day I will buy myself some gelatto or cake or something.  Some sort of celebratory something or other to mark the fact that we've come this far.  I still just can't believe we're at the due date.  It feels so surreal.

All in all, I don't feel any different than I did several weeks ago, so I am still holding strong to the thought that baby will be significantly late.  In fact, now I think that I'm going to have to be induced because I haven't had any signs at all.  I realize that you don't have to have signs that it's coming up, but based on the stories I've read, it seems like most people do.  Maybe that's misleading.  But now I'm thinking baby is not going to come on his/her own and we'll end up scheduling it.  I guess we'll find out soon.  :)

39 weeks, 6 days - New Baby's Eve

Ok, so I think we know that today is not really New Baby's Eve so much as it is Due Date Eve, but still.  EGADS!  TOMORROW IS OUR DUE DATE!!  I cannot believe it's tomorrow.  We've waited and planned and thought so much toward that particular day that it feels... really weird.  Again, I know that ole Lumpy didn't make an appointment to appear tomorrow or anything, but we've used that date for planning purposes for such a long time now that it just feels so bizarre that it's finally here.

Speaking of finally here, Aunt Stevie finally made it to DC.  She's been bebopping around the city, visiting monuments and navigating the metro system.  I wish I didn't have to work so I could take her around to my favorite spots (especially since I'm generally too tired at night to do anything), but there's enough to do and the city is welcoming enough that I think she'll have a fine time by herself.  Unfortunately, she came after we moved all of the furniture so she's been sleeping on the couch but at least there's still a couch for her to sleep on.

Back to baby: I feel ready.  It's funny.  If you'd asked me this past weekend, I'd have said that I was emotionally ready for Baby to come, but wanted him/her to hold off a bit yet.  I don't feel that way anymore. Yes, there are still a number of tasks to complete in the house but somehow, they seem manageable.  I guess it was really just getting the logistical arrangements of moving my stuff, moving the Toyota, and getting the new car that made me feel unprepared.  Now I feel ready for baby to come.  He/she can still take his/her time since the longer it takes him/her, the longer I continue to have a job and an income, but I'd really like to meet this squirmy little nugget and find out what his/her name is and what he/she looks like.  So soon!

39 weeks, 4 days - Really getting real

Matt was up again this past weekend.  We got the new car and sent my Toyota down to Atlanta, along with the steam cleaner, plants, and few other odds and ends that were left behind in the big move.  Jeremy came over on Saturday and helped clean and patch holes.  NOW things seem real.  The house still isn't as empty as you'd expect it to be considering we've now moved me out of there twice.  There are still some fans that will get thrown out, a couch that Shirley is going to take, food and clothes that I'm using until I leave and a bunch of stuff that the Lumpinator may need before we get him/her to Atlanta.  But otherwise, life has moved from home to Atlanta.  New home.  It feels really weird.  It's nice to have the new car; it's fancy and nice and what not but it was really sad to watch Matt drive away with my little Toyota.  That made everything seem so very real.  I don't know why that one event was so much more real than watching the moving truck drive away, but it was.  Baby is due in three days and I get emotional about watching an eight-year old car drive away.  So silly.

It is weird, though, to think about how much is changing in the next couple of weeks.  Aside from having a new baby and becoming a mom, I'm changing cities, houses, jobs, and cars.  I'm moving away from my friends and farther from my family to a place where the only people I know are my partner's family.  My doctors will be new and I'll have to learn where everything is all over again.  It's just an awful lot of change all at once.  Sometimes I think it would have been better to have moved down there six months ago, but then I wouldn't have been able to work with my doctors and what would I have done about my job?  I guess I'm just getting nervous and anxious.  Excited to meet you, Baby, but super anxious about everything else surrounding your arrival.

39 weeks, 1 day - If I were a Megan...

As I was going through my calendar last night, I came to a very interesting realization: if I were Megan, I'd be going into labor last night and meeting the Lumpmeister today.  It was a very startling realization.  Megan went to the doctor eight days before her due date and was told that she was 0 cm dilated, so they weren't expecting Baby Zane for awhile yet.  She went into labor the next day and delivered six days before her due date.  Today, I am six days from my due date.  Saw the doctor on Thursday and heard that I was 0 cm dilated and so we're expecting the Lump to stay put for awhile.  But if I was a Megan...

Really startling realization.  I know that our due date is next week, but to put it in the perspective of friends' experiences... it's just... wow.  My boss's daughter delivered the day before her due date, I think Derek's baby came on her due date, and Mika is still pregnant the day after.  It really is any time now!  Aaah!!  So exciting!

p.s. I don't have a mirror anymore, so I can't post a belly pic (cuz I can't take one).  I'll have Matt take one when he's here tomorrow, but there's not a whole lot of change from the last one I posted.

39 weeks, 0 days - No boot or impending labor?

Wow.  It felt really weird to type "39 weeks."  I simply cannot believe we're this close to our due date!  Next week!  Egads!

If you've been following the blog, you'll know that I got my boot off yesterday.  And I absolutely could not believe what a difference it made in my energy level.  After work, I went to the grocery store, chatted with my mom, washed some dishes, made a big ole salad and stayed up until TEN o'clock!  And then, I felt great when I got up this morning, if you can believe that!  I know I sure couldn't.  I thought for sure I'd be paying for it today.  But nope; I'm still feeling spry and full of energy.  Assuming it's because I got my boot off, I took a walk during my lunch break and took the stairs up and down from the 5th floor here at work.  Man, I had not realized how heavy that stupid boot was or how funny it was making me walk until I no longer had to wear it.  I feel like a new woman.

-- or --

I just got my weekly update from thebump.com and it listed the signs and symptoms that labor is near.  Wouldn't you know that "a burst of energy" is one of the signs of impending labor.  They mention it specifically to remind you to be careful not to use up that energy because it's designed to give you enough oomph to make it through labor.  They talked about that in our labor and delivery class but both Matt and I had completely forgotten about it.  I think our instructor described it as more of a "nesting instinct" kicking in, but she described having extra energy and too warned not to exhaust yourself during that time because you'll need that energy to get through labor.  Hmm...

So.  Was the boot really that heavy and awkward?  Or is this the "labor is near" burst of energy?  I guess we'll find out before too long!  Weird.

P.s. for those of you who are curious, the other signs I'm supposed to watch for (according to thebump.com) are bloody show, the passing of the mucous plug, diarrhea, nausea, energy spurts, contractions, and breaking of the water. Doesn't all that sound fun? Yeesh.

38 weeks, 6 days - Dr. Appointment & Baby Pool

Well, the doctor appointments ended with good, better, and best news!  The good news is that I am 0 cm dilated and 0% effaced.  Which means Baby -- whom I have now re-named ole Lumpy -- is likely comfy and cozy and hopefully not going anywhere for a while yet.  I know many women are chomping at the bit at this point, but we still have quite a bit of stuff to get done before ole Lumpy comes so I'm happy with that news.  My blood pressure is still great and the weight fluctuation continues.  I'm down two pounds from last week, but I suspect it's the scale.  Back when I still had a bedroom scale, I'd weigh myself at home every morning before I went to the doctor.  One scale consistently weighed me heavier than the other.  Anyway, last week's scale was the heavy one and this week's was the lighter.  Two weeks ago, I was weighed on the lighter scale and I'm up one pound from that one, so I feel like that's a better measure of actual progress.  As I keep mentioning, though, the doctors aren't worried about it, so I'm not either.  I just wanted to drop that info for those of you guessing on baby's size.  I can't believe we're going to find out so so soon!

The better news is that, so long as I'm still pregnant at the time, I'll have a sonogram on 8/10 which means that Aunt Stevie will be there for it!  I think that will be fun for her.  I'm not sure if she's ever seen a sonogram or not, but the sonogram tech at my doctor's office is wonderful and will for sure show us whatever we want to see, whether it be face or spine or thigh bones or stupid little rib kicking feet.  I would think that would be awfully fun for someone who is interested in nursing as a career.  Not to mention that it's her little niece or nephew that she'll be seeing for the first time.  Let's hope she's gracious enough not to rub it in Nana Deb's face that she got to see the Lumpster first.  :)

The BEST news, though, is that as of 9:30 this morning, I am officially boot free!  Woo-hoo!!  After Lumpy's appointment, I saw the orthopedic doctor about my foot.  He asked me how I was feeling and I told him that I hated the stupid boot and that I was really hoping to not have to wear it anymore.  He squished my foot a bit and poked my toe, had me stand on my tip toes and felt my other foot, then decided I didn't need it anymore.  Hooray!  He did tell me to wear sneakers or a hard-soled sandal or get one of those elastic braces from an athletic store because I still need support but he wants me moving around and to have my stride evened back out.  He then asked when I'm due.  When I told him that I'm due next week and that I came to see him earlier than he'd asked since I didn't really want to have an orthopedic appointment on my due date, he laughed and told me about a time he had to deliver a baby for one of his patients because the OB couldn't get there in time.  It was cute.  He seemed pleased to be able to retell the story and I enjoyed hearing it.  What nice doctors I have.  :)

As the title suggests, with ole Lumpy's due date being this close, baby pools are being arranged.  There's one here at work and Aunt Amy organized one within the Rehbein clan.  I thought it would be cute to record the results for posterity:

Looks like popular opinion in the Rehbein clan has us missing our due date and having a little tiny boy in the PM sometime.  I was surprised to see how small the weight guesses were.  I guess I'm envisioning a big, fat, 8-9 lb baby like my mom had.  Of course, I guessed a 7.5 lb baby because I'd prefer to deliver one of those, but I was really surprised by how small the expectation is considering everyone expects Lumpy to be late.  Pieper clan?  Shirley?  Aunt Holly?  Anyone wish to weigh in with your thoughts?  If ole Lumpy hasn't come by next week on Friday, Aunt Stevie and I will find out how big technology thinks he/she is.  So fun!  Oh man, I cannot BELIEVE Baby is due next week!  As you can see by my guess, I don't expect him/her to come next week, but holy moly, I can't believe we're so close!

38 weeks, 4 days - Movin on up!

Well, we're moved.  For the most part.  The packing that my mom and Shirley did got us 90% of the way there and I was able to complete the last 8% or so before Saturday when the dudes came.  There are a few odds and ends left, Jeremy still has some stuff there, and there's a load that needs to go to Goodwill, but otherwise, all is in Atlanta and unloaded from the truck, safe and sound.  On sound advice from Nana Deb, I left and went over to the Dossett's new house to play with Allison and Emerson for a bit while the guys were actually loading the truck.  I was disappointed when I came home and saw how sweaty and exhausted Matt and Andrew looked (did I mention that we hired a company to load the truck for us?).  I thought I had done such a good job preparing for the move, but I guess there was quite a bit left for them to do to help the guys out.  It's just a little disappointing when you spend all that money to have someone do it for you and then you still end up having your helpers do so much.  Both Matt and Andrew were wonderfully gracious and said over and over that I was really well prepared and that things were in great shape, that they didn't have to really do too much at all, but when they went back over the story of the move, it sure sounded like they did an awful lot.  <sigh>  Oh well.

I spoke to the boys a few times on their trip down to GA and it sounded like all went smoothly.  Pa Rehbein, Uncle Dave, and Uncle Andrew's dear friend Rusak were at the house ready to help unload when the boys got there, so everything was done as of last night.  Which is so nice for Matthew.  He can just wash his hands of that piece now.  The truck we rented was probably bigger than we needed, but it's better to be safe than sorry.  And Matt did say that the money was very well spent on the movers, so it sounds like overall, it was a good decision.

Now, it's back in my court.  I need to get the last few things out of the house and over to goodwill or to their owners and get cracking on making the house presentable so my security deposit will be refunded in full.  It's little things like filling holes and washing marks off of walls and spackling and painting and cleaning, but Jeremy is going to come over to help and, if I do a little bit every night, it shouldn't be that bad.  I think tonight, I'm going to disassemble any furniture or pieces that aren't going to goodwill and get them into the garbage.  Maybe tomorrow I can remove nails and cover holes, Wednesday clean the oven and start washing walls and just see how far I get.  I don't want to bother with floors until we're done with the spackling and sanding, not to mention having all of the rest of the stuff out.  Matt is coming back into town next weekend to drive the Toyota down to Atlanta, so I need to get things vacuumed and the basement rug steam cleaned before that, but otherwise, things can happen in their own timeframes.  <sigh> I'm just so so ready for this part to be done.  Then on to being a mama!

I still can't believe how far along we are.  It just kind of snuck up on me.  I don't think it will be too too much longer now.  I used to think I was going to go two weeks late, but I have not been feeling well lately.  My back has been hurting constantly and I have pretty regular tummy aches (and the issues that come along with tummy aches, if you know what I mean).  It's much harder to bend over and it's really uncomfortable to sit in one position for too long.  I get Toni Braxton contractions A LOT these days and I think all of those things together are signs that the time is coming closer.  So, I do still think I'll pass my due date, but I'm thinking now that it will be more like by a few days than by a couple of weeks.  We'll see soon!

38 weeks, 1 day - Infant Care Skills

Well, Shirley and I took Infant Care Skills last night.  Overall, it was a pretty good class.  We had a presentation from a pediatrician to explain what we should expect in the first couple of weeks.  We learned how to give a bath to a baby with an umbilical cord still attached, how to swaddle, the difference between different diapers and diapering techniques, how to regulate Baby's temperature, how to take Baby's temperature and things like that.  And a bunch of safety tips.  As much as I loved having Sheri there with me, it would have been a really good one to have Matt there for.  Oh well.  I can teach him all I've learned and gleaned and think.  :)  Mua-ha-ha-ha... he'll have no idea which things the nurse actually told us vs. what I think so he'll just have to believe whatever I tell him.  Sucker!

A few take aways from the class:

• The ridiculously over-priced monitor we got is a waste of money.  The SIDS detector on it has never been shown to work effectively and generally causes more anxiety and stress than it does to relieve it. If the baby actually has an apnea issue, the hospital will provide a hospital grade apnea detector.
• Dressing a baby is less intuitive than I would have thought.  I'm sure you can do it any way you want, but as Matt discovered when changing Carter, there are some ways that they prefer over others.  The instructor said that babies get freaked out by having things pulled over their heads so she showed us how to scoop shirts over their head in a way that shouldn't freak them out as much.  Of course, when what's waiting on the other side is Matt's Pinocchio nose, who WOULDN'T get freaked out? (Yes, yes, I know, honey; it's distinguished.  Just like the little wooden boy's was.)
• Swaddling is like baby origami.  It's not nearly as complicated as it looks and once you know what you're doing, it's a piece of cake.
• My house in Alexandria is WAY too hot for Baby to live in.  It doesn't really make sense to me because what did people do before air conditioning?  Certainly babies have not evolved in the past 30 years to require air conditioning in the summer, so why the heck is it so ever loving important to keep the temperature around 70 degrees?
• When you put a diaper on a boy baby, his penis should be pointing down.  It's common sense now that I think about it, but until she mentioned it last night, I never thought about it.  I bet that's why Carter's diaper leaked the first night we were watching him.  I for sure didn't pay attention to that.  
• It is normal for a breast fed baby to go up to 10 days without pooping, but they could poop 10 times in one day.  It's different for every baby, but not something to be worried about.  How weird is that?  Let's keep our fingers crossed for a non-pooper!

Moving day is tomorrow.  I'm trying not to be nervous, but I am.  On recommendation from Nana Deb, I am going to let Matt orchestrate it and handle the movers while I go pick up the new car and play with my former neighbors, Allison and Emerson.  Being here during the truck packing would likely cause me nothing but anxiety, not to mention make me feel like a jerk because I can't actually do anything other than watch and judge.  Good recommend, Nana Deb.

38 weeks, 0 days - Dr. Appointment & Belly Pic!

No news is good news, right?  There's really not much to report.  Blood pressure is good.  Weight is ok (not losing, but not gaining).  Baby's heart rate is just fine.  I'm not dilated at all and Dr. Lashgari predicted that Baby will come mid-August.  I told her that I picked 8/21 in our baby pool at work and she said that's about the very last day she'd let me go before she induced me.  So that's kind of a good date to know, too.  She did say, though, that she could feel Baby's head while she was checking my cervix.  That is funny to me.  She said that she could feel the bones.  So weird.  And cool.  Can't wait to meet you, Baby!  Just hold out until 8/7, please!  Any time after that would be just fine.  :)

I know this dress isn't exactly the best thing to wear for a belly pic, but I posted this one for my mom.  I thought she'd get a kick out of it because we bought this dress together in Dallas when I was 18.  I didn't like it at the time, but she assured me it would be a "classic" piece that I'd get a lot of wear out of.  15 years later, I have to agree with her.  Not only is it a staple of my wardrobe, I can still wear it when I'm 9 months pregnant; it just fits a little differently.  I like it because it accentuates my belly more than any of my maternity clothes do without making me feel like I'm wearing a circus tent.

Sheri and I are going to Infant Care Skills class tonight.  We'll learn how to give a bath to a baby with an umbilical cord still attached and... well, and some other stuff.  I'm not sure what else.  I'm actually less anxious about the umbilical cord baths as I am about the other ones.  Umbilical cord baths are mostly sponge baths, right?  No problem.  It's when I get into the whole submersion  and fully soaping a squirmy little nugget that I get nervous.  We'll see how that goes.  Hopefully, they cover it in class.

38 weeks.  I just can't believe it!  Baby is coming so so soon!!

37 weeks, 6 days - So very tired

They say that pregnant women are generally tired in the first and third trimesters.  I'm sure I was tired in the first, but I don't remember it being any worse than usual.  That is not the case for me in the third.  I don't know if it's normal or if it's stress or if it's because of my busted foot, but I am one tired lady these days.  Not really sure how women with children at home are able to do it.  I'm just so, so tired.  Sometimes I feel sick because I'm so tired.  I'm sure worrying about the move and packing doesn't help, but man, it's just amazing how exhausted a person can get.

Other than that, still feeling pretty great, all things considered!  Looking forward to getting Saturday's move behind us so we can move on.  We're also going to pick up the car on Saturday, so that will be pretty exciting.

37 weeks, 4 days - Fate and the Babymobile

fate

   [feyt]  Show IPA noun, verb, fat·ed, fat·ing.

noun

1. something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot: It is always his fate to be left behind. 
2. the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time: Fate decreed that they would never meet again. 
3. that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny: Death is our ineluctable fate. 
4. a prophetic declaration of what must be: The oracle pronounced their fate. 
5. death, destruction, or ruin.

So, as the title suggests, Matt and I bought our new family vehicle on Sunday. I was pretty excited about it because we ended up going with the one I originally wanted rather than his preference, and it was HIS decision to do so. Originally, he wanted to go with the Prius V but after test driving it, decided it wasn't the car for us. I wanted to go with the Jetta Sportwagon TDI and, after test driving it, he decided he couldn't live without it. I really wasn't involved other than to make suggestions, as it was his car that was being traded in. Yes, I kicked in 1/2 the money for the new car, but ultimately, we were getting rid of his Jeep so it really needed to be something that he liked since he was the one who would ultimately be carless.

Now, we got the car I wanted. Why, you ask, did I start this post with the definition of fate? Because, friends, I'm beginning to think that, while I wanted this particular car, the universe may have other plans for us. First off, the car we wanted is pretty much impossible to lay hands on. Why? I don't know. But I'm not saying that we couldn't get the color or the features we wanted. I'm saying that we couldn't even find someone who could get us that car. True, we wanted the TDI (which is the diesel engine) and we wanted it with a manual transmission, but we are buying new so why should this be such an issue? I still don't know. Pa Rehbein had convinced us to go with the premium package because we'd have the car for so long that it would help keep it fun for us, but that turned out to be absolutely impossible to find. Anywere. Not in GA. Not in FL. Not in NC. Not in VA or DC or MD or PA. Nowhere. That, in and of itself, is very bizarre to me, but I have heard of people flying to TX to get a car that they want so I didn't think the universe had aligned against us at that point. After about two weeks of looking, Matt found a dealer in VA who was able to get us a more basic model, which was more than anyone anywhere else was able to do so we decided to go see it on Sunday.

Sunday rolled around, we looked at the car, and Matt decided that we might as well just buy it because he was sure it was the one he wanted and there don't seem to be any others available. We were at the dealer, having agreed upon numbers and completed signing paperwork, waiting to meeting the the Financial Manager to discuss some last minute details when the power went out. On the entire street. That was annoying, but it happens from time to time so it wasn't a huge deal. We waited for a bit while the salesman rushed about around us; we figured he was trying to figure out a way for us to complete everything without a computer. Oh, how wrong we were. About an hour after the power went out, the salesman came back in and said there was a "small" problem with the car. Huh? We JUST saw it. Not one like it but THE car itself. What could have happened between then and now? As it turns out, they had brought the car over from the lot where they had it stored to get it cleaned up and ready for us to drive away. They were pulling it into the clean up area when the lights went out... and they backed it into a wall. <sigh>  The only one available on the entire East coast was just backed into a wall practically before our eyes.  Needless to say, we could not drive the car away that day.

"What does this have to do with fate?" you might ask. As more and more things happened to keep us from getting the car we wanted, I started to think that maybe the universe was aligned against us to get that stupid car. I told Matt about my thoughts on the Peace Corps and how many hurdles and hoops I had to jump through to get in, let alone to find a place to live, only to end up getting unceremoniously ejected 1/2 way through my service. I told him that I felt like maybe I was never meant to go in the first place. He reminded me that, if I hadn't ever gone, I wouldn't have ever met him, wouldn't be having this baby, wouldn't be starting this new family. So I guess, in the end, even though it seemed like fate was aligned against me with that, it was a good place for me to be. I hope it's the same with this car. :)

Do you like how I decided that the universe cares about what car we buy?  Ha!  A bit megalomaniacal, yes, but hey, that's me.  :)

37 weeks, 0 days - FULL TERM!!!!! & Dr. Appointment

Hooray!!  We're officially full term as of today!!  If Baby decided to make an appearance today, she would no longer be considered a premie but a full-term baby!!  :D

So, I had my first of the super exciting doctor appointments today.  It did not turn out to be particularly exciting, but I think it's exciting that they're checking to see if I'm dilated in order to estimate how soon Baby is coming.  Turns out I'm not at all, so Baby is probably a ways off yet.  But still, it was pretty exciting.  All in all, it was a quick appointment, but a really nice one.  I tested positive for Group B strep, which means that I'll have to have some antibiotics during labor because, while it's not dangerous for me, it could be dangerous for Baby if left untreated.  I guess it can cause Baby to get meningitis or pneumonia or something like that.  Anyway, not a big deal so long as we know about it.  The only other thing it changes is that I need to come immediately to the hospital if my water breaks.  Prior to this test, I wasn't supposed to come to the if my water broke unless the fluid was brown or green (which means there's meconium -- fetus poop -- in there, suggesting that Baby is in distress).  Other than that, my blood pressure was good, baby's heart rate is good, and my weight is down a bit but she's not worried about it since women this late in pregnancy frequently stop gaining or lose since their stomach is so much smaller what with baby pressing up against it.

As I've mentioned a million times before, I just love these doctors.  It was Dr. Lashgari today (who is the original doctor I fell madly in love with) and as usual, she was just fabulous.  She looked at me when I came in and said, "well, it looks like it was broken," referring to my foot.  Remember that she was the one who suggested I go over to the orthopedic doctor to have it looked at.  She seemed pleased that she recommended I get it looked at; it's probably gratifying when  you make those kind of high-level recommendations and they turn out to be a good idea.  Anyway, I asked her if she had any friends or colleagues in Atlanta that she could recommend as an OB because I didn't know anyone down there who loved their doctor as much as I love mine.  She gave me the name of a really good friend of hers and said that I'd just love her.  And said that her friend would be able to connect me with a pediatrician and an internist and whomever else I need down there.  Which is fabulous.  Amy gave us the name of her pediatrician that she loves, but it would be nice to get a PCP that we like, too.  Anyway, long story short, I think we've got a good shot at loving our doctors in Atlanta, too.  Hooray!

Next appointment: Thursday, 7/26 at 7:45 am.

Oh!  Also, completely unrelated to how much I love my doctors, I saw my aunts Lisa and Connie this weekend and when we were talking about how small my belly is, they mentioned that nobody knew Gramma Marcia (my dad's mom) was even pregnant until she gave birth to Lisa.  Apparently, she carried quite small also.  That coupled with my mom only gaining 11 lbs with me really is a pretty good explanation of why I haven't gotten big.  It was interesting to hear because I'd only heard stories from people on my mom's side.  I mean, really, other than Aunt Connie, from whom would I have heard it on my dad's side?  Even if he hadn't passed away, he was number four of six kids so it's not like he would really remember how she carried.  Aunt Connie, however, is number one of six, so she was old enough to be pretty aware by the time baby Lisa came around.  Interesting, huh?  I wonder if it will be like this for Stevie or for me with baby #2 (do you like how I'm talking about the next baby before I even have the first one?  ha!)...

36 weeks, 5 days - Packing it up

Moving day is just around the corner.  True, it's a long corner from here, but it seems like it's coming so so fast.  Nana Deb was down this weekend helping me pack and she was so so amazing.  Not only was she an amazing work horse, but she kept me from hurting myself by reminding me over and over that I shouldn't be doing stairs.  So she'd plop me in one place and bring me tape and markers and boxes and garbage bags and water and whatever else I needed.  Sheri came over and did the entire kitchen single-handedly, which was a major chore so between the three of us, we pretty much finished up the whole house!  There are some loose ends to tie up, but I think we're in pretty awesome shape to be ready to move on the 28th.  Aside from the boxes my mom brought from the liquor store in Erie, my friend Ron brought some and the Dossetts brought some over after they unpacked them from their weekend move.  Super helpful.  What fabulous people I have in my life.  :)

On Sunday, my aunts Connie and Lisa popped in for a quick visit.  We went to lunch and stopped a few places to shop and overall had a lovely time.  It was really, really great to see them.  As my mom reminded me, yesterday was six months from the day my dad died, so seeing his sisters this weekend was a pretty special treat.  The visit was short, but really, really nice.  They oohed and aahed over my belly and told me how great I look and, as we all know, that's a lovely thing to hear.  Just really, really nice to see them.

Then yesterday, I lost a wrestling match with my stupid garbage bin.  I tipped it over as I was taking it to the curb and couldn't get it back up.  Oh, I was so so mad.  Irrationally so.  I fought with the stupid thing for about 10 minutes before I hurt my broken foot and had to give up for a bit.  After I calmed down a little, I went back out into the street, took out all of the stupid garbage, tipped the bin back up and refilled it.  Which is what I should have done in the first place, but I was just too mad to think clearly.  I have never tipped over one of those bins before and the one time I do it happens to be the one time I'm 9 months pregnant with a broken foot and no neighbors home to help me tip the stupid thing back up.  Oh, I was just so darn mad about it.  :)  Ha!  Irrational pregnancy anger; glad Baby wasn't here yet to see it.  :)

36 weeks, 1 day - Belly pic!

Egads.  36 weeks.  What to Expect When You're Expecting says that I'm officially 9 months pregnant now (though BabyCenter still says only 8.5).  I cannot believe Baby is going to be here so soon!  Surprisingly enough, aside from the broken foot, I've been feeling better than I have in weeks.  I've been sleeping again finally, which I attribute to the cool down in weather.  I had started sleeping in the basement on the air mattress, but had to abandon that with the broken foot since the only bathroom is on the second floor and I can't do stairs very effectively anymore.  So thank you very much, Mother Nature, for giving us a cool down just when I needed it.

I told my boss that I'm moving to Atlanta after the baby comes.  He was very supportive and kind, but told me that our project has no place for me and suggested that IBM would likely lay me off.  I had expected that, but had convinced myself over the past few months that it wouldn't really happen.  I was very sad and had quite the pity party for myself between my foot and the job disappointment (especially in the face of getting a promotion less than a week ago), but a lot of people have helped me see the truth of things (how much worse things really could be or could have been ) and I'm not feeling quite so sorry for myself anymore.  So that's good.

Nana Deb is coming over tonight to help me pack.  I'm hoping that we can get about 90% of the packing done this weekend so that the rest is just going through some quick motions.  I've found the whole process so far so overwhelming that I haven't done much on my own.  I feel pretty guilty about it, but my mom has been lovely and assured me that she's not going to judge me for how little I've accomplished without her.  She said that it really just makes her feel more needed.  Thank goodness. I was feeling really terrible for being so lazy.  It's just that it's always an over whelming thing to do, let alone when you have to do it by yourself... when you're 9 months pregnant... and have a broken foot.  It just seems like an awful lot. I try to break it into tasks but my mind keeps jumping to the big picture and then I shut down and go to sleep.  Super glad to have mom here.  Lots of people have offered to help but I don't even know what to have them do, so hopefully, not only will we get packing done but we'll be able to have a game plan together so that I can direct people who want to help me. I've felt really lucky and loved lately with the huge influx of support and offers to help and overly generous gifts and that's a really nice place to be. :)

35 weeks, 4 days - Shower, Sonogram, and Stupidity

Shirley and Germy threw Matt and me a fantastic friends bbq/baby shower this weekend.  Aside from being 103 degrees with a heat index of 110, the day could not have gone better.  I'll post pics when I have them, but here's a little sample of the awesomeness that Ms. Sheri put together:

Please note that the roses are actually onesies.  :)

I had probably six or seven different people come up to me to tell me how much fun they had and for a party of 30ish people, that's a pretty awesome response.  We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to get along great together.  I had two different sets of people who came and didn't know anyone else who reported back that I have really fantastic friends.  What a nice thing to say, right?  And I have to say that I agree.  Sheri and Jeremy worked fabulously together and each played very well to their strengths and just put together a truly wonderful party.  We had so so much fun and it sure seemed like everyone else did, too.

In other super fun news, we had a doctor's appointment today and got a sonogram!  Hooray!  That was super duper fun. We found out that the baby is about 5 lbs 7 oz which is right where she's supposed to be at 35 weeks.  So much for high birth weight baby due to my elevated sugar levels, right?  Hooray!  The sonogram tech spent a lot of time showing us Baby's face because we didn't get to see it at all last time.  Her little nose was smooshed flat so we aren't really sure if it's wide like mine or if it was just super duper smooshed.  We had to wait awhile to see the face well because Baby was sucking on her arm, but here's what we were rewarded with for our wait:

 Pretty sweet little face, don't you think?

But, as the title of this post promised, with good news comes some bad.  I got up early on Saturday to get the house ready for the party and was outside -- doing no more than walking, mind you -- when my right ankle spontaneously twisted.  It chose some awfully bad timing, though, because my left foot --which had a lot of my weight on it already -- was on a small step up.  Not a step.  More like a stone slab.  Less than an inch above normal ground.  My toes snapped back, I went down and it knocked the wind out of me for a good 10  minutes or so.  Oh my lord, did it hurt.  It immediately swelled up and turned black, which was pretty awesome considering I needed to get my house ready for a party that afternoon.  So, I called my mom to see if there's a point in going to the doctor for a broken toe... which I was pretty confident I had.  She told me that they really just tape them together, so I didn't go to the Emergency Room.  I buddy taped it myself and went about my day, cleaning and preparing and partying and generally gimping around.  I complained about it to most people, but was pretty ok for the most part.  Until I looked at it afterward.

After standing on it for about 14 hours, my foot had swollen almost twice its normal size and the bruising had spread from the outside of my foot all the way to my big toe and from my toes all the way to my ankle.  Eek.  Matt got me some ice and we elevated it in bed.  The next morning, it was stiff and hurt more than it had the day before.  Matt tried to convince me to go to the ER, but I was being stubborn and told him that there really was no reason.  We compromised by saying that I'd ask the OB at my appointment today to just look at it and tell me if I needed to see a doctor about it.  Which we did.  And she did.

She walked me over to the orthopedic doctor's office across the hall and got me an appointment.  Where the orthopedic doctor told me that he did not think I had broken my toe afterall.  In fact, he thought I broke MY FOOT.  <sigh>  So, while I do have my toe professionally buddy taped to the one next to it, I am also in a big, stupid, bionic boot that makes me walk like Robocop (see similar boot to the left).  I get to keep it on for 6-8 weeks... which means right through delivery.  Not really part of the "birth plan," if you know what I mean.  Oh well.  At least it wasn't my ankle or my hip or my face or my baby. But I'm very sad about it all the same.

This is a long post so I'll cut it short, but we also had birthing class on Sunday and got our hospital tour. Which was neat. Class was a little more intense than I'd hoped, but Matt said that he learned a lot and we got to see a live birth. And it gave us some good questions to talk to our doctor about. So all in all, it was a pretty awesome three days, with a little stupid sprinkled in.

35 weeks, 0 days - Dr. Appt & Baby gets hungry?

35 weeks today.  Wow.  In no more than seven weeks, we'll have a baby.  That's weird to think about.  I went to a very standard dr. appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Elliot.  I was weighed and, while I'm not gaining the lb/week that they recommend, I am gaining again so it looks like I've gotten my diet on track and figured out how to handle these stupid diabetes restrictions.  Again, Dr. Elliot was cute.  I asked him if he expected me to get much bigger and he said, "Oh my, yes.  Right now, your abs are keeping that baby in there good and tight, but there's going to come a point where they won't be able to anymore."  I was surprised to hear it, as I'd kind of assumed I was winding down on the growth and weight gain scene.  If the websites are correct and baby is already 5.5 lbs, then it probably won't gain much more than 2-3 lbs, so I'm just really surprised to hear that he's expecting me to get a lot bigger.  But Aunt Amy suggested kind of the same thing.  I told her that I didn't think my bellybutton was going to pop but she said that, with as close as it is now, she thinks it will.  And, while she didn't come right out and say that she thinks I'll get a lot bigger, she gave me the impression that she thought it.  Very interesting.  We'll see.  At least there is no more flying in my future, so I won't have to worry about getting stuff from under the seat with an even BIGGER belly.  It was hard enough with this one.  Anyway, the exciting news from the dr. appt is that I have a sonogram scheduled for Monday at 10:45!  Hooray!!  We'll find out at that point how big the baby is.  I'm super excited about it, especially since they put me on this diet because they thought I was at risk for a high birth weight baby.  This will help us see if there's good reason for that worry or not.

Also, I've noticed in the past that Baby tends to get very very active when I have an upset stomach.  It made me feel very sad once I realized it because that made me think it was upsetting him, too.  Last night, though, baby was SO active that I couldn't sleep.  And my tummy didn't hurt at all.  At about 3am I got so fed up with it that I nearly started crying and told that baby he better calm down or else!  Believe it or not, it did not work.  But he was literally flipping back and forth, as if he couldn't get comfortable.  For HOURS.  It was so frustrating.  I can handle kicks and punches, but those HUGE movements are really fun when I'm awake but terrible when I'm trying to sleep.  Anyway, around 6 am, I did start to get a tummy ache so I got up and took some Tums (which are now gluten free, I'm pleased to report).  Baby stopped moving in about 15 minutes.  Which got me thinking: maybe baby just wanted some sugar.  I ate a really big lunch yesterday around 3 pm, so I didn't eat dinner or a late snack or anything.  Megan told me that her baby used to get very active when she was postponing meal time, so maybe my baby was jumping up and down asking to be fed.  Interesting concept.  I'm going to test this theory out next time Baby gets very active in the middle of the night by getting a little snack if he won't calm down.  It'll be awesome if that fixes things, though a little annoying that it took me so long to figure it out... especially since ALL pregnancy diets say how important it is to eat all day long.  So if I've been dealing with this stupid sleeplessness when I had the answer right at my fingertips the entire time, I will noo be pleased, I can tell you.  :)  Either way, I won't have to think about it too much longer.  I can't believe we'll for sure have a baby in less than seven weeks (and maybe a heck of a lot sooner)!!

34 weeks, 4 days - Babysitting

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm in Atlanta with Matt, watching little Cousin Carter while Aunt Amy, Uncle Dave, Cousin Brooklyn, and Grandma & Grandpa Rehbein are up in Pittsburgh for a wedding.  I go home today and it's going to be a very sad good bye.  I don't know how anyone in the whole world could do this if they weren't expecting a baby in a few weeks.  Little Carter is so good and sweet and snuggly.  He goes to sleep easily and loves to eat.  He loves to play and wears himself out well, but he also loves to cuddle and be held.  I do not want to give him back.  At all.  I'm sure it's hormonal and extra emotions and what not, but I feel like I would cry when I gave him back if I wasn't expecting my own so soon.  I only hope that I like our baby as much as I am enamored with him.  He's just so good and sweet and beautiful.  I'm glad we didn't take any pictures of Matt or me taking care of him, because I'm pretty sure it would make me cry.  Matt is really going to be a great, great dad.  He's really fabulous with that baby.  I am a little concerned that he's going to be a crazy worry wart, since in the three days we were watching Carter, Matt decided that he gave Carter a cold from the bath not being full enough or warm enough, Carter must be either too hot or too cold while he's sleeping/napping, Carter has a rash or a bug bite or bumped his head when we weren't paying close enough attention because there was a red spot above his eye, he must have gotten soap in Carter's eyes while he was giving him a bath because his eyes are red and now he's fussy (mind you, it's almost 8:00 pm and he usually goes to bed between 7 and 7:30), maybe Carter is getting carsick or something is terribly wrong because he's making a cooing sound and now he's fussing after being in the car for nearly two hours... and on and on and on.  I just had to keep reminding myself that I don't have a lot of room to poke fun because I come from a family of worriers and I'll probably be just as bad.  I just hope he doesn't make me crazy with his worry for our baby when he/she gets her.  But really, he's pretty great with that little boy.  I just can't believe we're going to have a baby in less than two months!  We'll be induced if it goes past 42 weeks, so really, we're down to less than eight weeks for sure.  And Just over five weeks until our due date.  And just over two weeks until we're officially considered "full term."  So so so crazy.

Oh, also, I suspect that Baby has "dropped" because I haven't felt a foot in my ribs in several days, I'm feeling more movement much much lower, and my tummy actually looks smaller to me rather than larger.  I don't really know how you know other than if your doctor tells you, but again, I'm not in that constant state of uncomfortableness from Baby's foot so either he/she took the message about getting out of my rib, or he/she has officially dropped.  In case you don't know what that means, here's what Babycenter says:

It's impossible to say precisely when your baby will "drop" or descend into your pelvis, because every pregnancy is unique. If this is your first baby, this process, which is also called lightening, is likely to occur several weeks before labor begins, though it may happen later. For subsequent pregnancies, lightening often doesn't occur before labor starts.

You may find that you feel a little different after your baby has dropped. Some pregnancy complaints may get worse, while others may improve. On the one hand, your baby will be taking up more room in your pelvis, so you'll probably find that you have to urinate even more often than before. You may get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure deep in your pelvis, feel increasing discomfort when you walk, and even begin to waddle a bit.

On the other hand, with less pressure on your stomach, you'll be able to eat a little more without feeling uncomfortably full, and if you've been suffering from heartburn, you may get some relief. You'll probably find that breathing feels easier, too.

While lightening isn't a predictor of when labor will start, it is a sign that your body's getting ready. It's normal to feel lightening up to four weeks before your due date. If you feel an increase in pelvic pressure or the sensation that your baby is "pushing down" before then, call your healthcare provider so she can evaluate you for preterm labor.

34 weeks, 1 day - 99% Safe!

Big milestone yesterday!  99% of babies who are born at 34 weeks live and have no long term problems related to premature birth.  In fact, if you have problems after 34 weeks, doctors will frequently just go in and get the baby rather than putting you on bedrest or giving you drugs to keep you from going into labor.  That is a comforting thought indeed!

I can't believe we're already at 34 weeks.  I'm in Atlanta right now, going through a dry run of mommy-hood with little Cousin Carter.  His birthday is 8/7, two days before Baby is due.  I envision them becoming very close since they'll be so close in age.  That makes me happy to think about.  Of course, I'm not sure how this weekend is going to prepare me for motherhood in reality, since Carter is just a little angel and is so easy to deal with.  I hope it doesn't set unrealistic expectations of how our baby is supposed to behave.  We'll see if I still think he's such a good little man after the weekend, but so far, he's pretty fantastic.

I'm getting good and big these days.  People still like to tell me how tiny I am, but now that strangers are able recognize that I'm pregnant and not just chubby, I don't mind as much.  I can't imagine, though, how uncomfortable it must be if you really do get huge.  I've gotten to a point where I get fairly regular nausea and cramping in my legs, I can't bend over very easily, and I have trouble sleeping.  If my belly was as big as many of those I've seen, I can't even imagine how grumpy I'd be.  I haven't had hot flashes or been unduly put out by the heat, even this recent heat wave that's put us into the triple digits.  Don't get me wrong; I'd rather it be 85 all the time, but I don't think I'm any more uncomfortable with this heat than I was last year.  The diabetes diet is going ok, but it makes me kind of grumpy.  I started out by actually losing weight while I was trying to figure out what I could and couldn't eat, but I think that's mostly subsided.  I don't have a scale here but my weight had stabilized last time I checked it.  Not up to quite what they recommend you put on for this point, but I seem to put it on in spurts rather than a steady pound per week, so I'm not too worried.

Anyway, Carter is awake so I'm going to go get him.  It's not too much longer now before I'll be saying that about our own little Baby!  I just can't believe we're in the home stretch!!

33 weeks, 1 day - Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

Thank you for not giving me stretch marks thus far, but please, please, please get out of my ribs. Those little feet of yours really hurt. Though, based on how big you are now, I can see why it would be difficult for you.

Can't wait to see you in a few weeks! We're super duper excited!!

Love, Mama

33 weeks, 0 days - Uncle Andrew Got Married

The whirlwind of events that took place last week began with Uncle Andrew's wedding and concluded with the surprise shower, so we should be all caught up and up to date after this one.

Matt and I ended up staying at a hotel near where the wedding was being held even though it was just outside of Atlanta.  Grandma Rehbein booked us a room for convenience sake, which was really nice.  It made things so much easier and allowed Matt to hang with his family a lot longer while I went to bed good and early.  Matt took Uncle Andrew out for his bachelor party on Thursday night, then the groomsmen went to a swanky barbershop for a shave and a haircut on Friday morning.  This barbershop served whiskey along with the shave, so it was a nice event for the boys.  I got in on Friday and we went almost immediately to the hotel so Matt could be there for the rehearsal.  The rehearsal dinner was at a little Italian place and all guests were invited, which was really nice since it feels like you never really get to see people at weddings.  Uncle Andrew and Aunt Allie handed out very nice, thoughtful gifts to their bridal party.  Matt got lion head cuff links and a fancy flask set.  We debated whether the lion heads signified Gryffindor House or House Lannister but no decision was made really (personally, I think he's too much of a dummkopf to be in either but that's neither here nor there).

I had an exciting moment while getting ready for the wedding.  Matt left early as he was the best man, so I was left to get ready by myself.  Right before I stepped into the shower, I decided to bolt my hotel room door just to be sure the housekeeper didn't come in at a bad time.  It turned out to be a very wise decision because the front desk gave our room away to Matt's cousin, Steven Rehbein (though I'd never met him or his wife, so I didn't know this at the time).  Right as I stepped out of the shower, I heard someone fiddling with the door.  I threw on a towel and ran over to the peephole and was surprised to find two people trying to get into my room.  Again, good thing I had bolted the door, otherwise, I'd have met some extended Rehbein family under very inauspicious circumstances, indeed!  Anyway, after a couple of minutes, they decided that their key didn't work and went down to the desk.  The front desk then called my room and said, "Hi, this is the front desk; who is in this room?"  I responded that I was with Matt Rehbein as part of the Susan Rehbein group.  The girl responded with, "Well, this room is reserved for the wedding."  Yeah, ok, well a) I'm WITH THE WEDDING... check the last name, genius and b) even if I wasn't, how is that my problem?  It's not like I snuck in, illicitly checked myself into a room, and then attempted to sabotage the hotel's reservation system.  Come on!  I told her that I was with the wedding and she hung up in a huff, reminding me to get my keys reactivated.  It was really weird.

Aside from that, the weekend was just lovely. The wedding itself was lovely. The weather was great, the location was gorgeous, bride and groom looked so happy and everyone seemed to have a very nice time. Everything seemed to go very well and Uncle Andrew was just so cute to watch. He just looked so very very happy to be surrounded by so many people that he loved. Many of his college friends were able to make it down and he was just such a joy to watch. Matt's best man speech was really great, but Grandpa Rehbein really stole the show by starting out with a strong speech at the rehearsal dinner then busting everyone up with a few words at the wedding. Grandma Rehbein should have been very proud of her boys that day, for certain. :)

To follow are a few pics of Matthew that I pulled from the photographer's site, since I didn't take any pics at the wedding. You can see my dress in the family pic. I got lots of compliments on it and felt really, really good about how I was dressed, considering I was nearly 32 weeks pregnant at the time. :) It's not much of a belly shot, but the girls at the front desk of the hotel kept chirping over me, over and over. They were really cute and just couldn't stop gushing about how great I looked and how much they hoped to look as good as I do when they're pregnant and how my dress was just so perfect and on and on. It was enough to make me forgive them for being accusatory jerks earlier about the room mix up.  Again, all in all, it was a very nice event and watching how happy it made Uncle Andrew was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

32 weeks, 6 days - Surprise Shower!

Before I tell the sweet story of our fabulous shower surprise, I just want to let it be known that there are 50 days left until our due date! Holy moses!!!

So, surprise shower. And what a surprise it was! Originally, we were told that we needed to check out of the cabin by 10:00 am on Saturday because they had another group coming in later that day, but while we were there, the folks we were renting from told us that the other group cancelled so we could take our time. That sounded delightful to us, but Matt started acting a little weird about it on Friday night, implying heavily that we needed to be to have the boat to the dock around 10:00 am. He's always a little weird, so I didn't question it too much, but I wasn't really sure what his problem was. Why not spend another day on the lake and just go home after? But again, without saying that it NEEDED to be back by 10, he gave me the impression that we should have it back by then so that's what we did. We packed up as much as we could on Friday night, then got up at 7:00 am on Saturday to finish packing and straightening and cleaning so we could get the car packed and get Matt onto the boat at 9:30. I drove the car over and met him at the marina where the boat is permanently docked and we were on the road for Atlanta shortly after 10, right on schedule.

I should have sniffed that something was up because his mom called then Amy called then Amy called again then Matt called Amy then Amy called again. I mean, I know they love each other but that's a lot for even them. We pulled into Matt's parents' house around 12:30 to drop off stuff that we'd borrowed (Alabama is an hour behind Georgia... and about a light year behind the rest of the country) and Amy and Brooklyn came out to say hello to us. They walked us in and, as we were coming in the foyer, I saw gifts and a baby shower sign. "Aww, what little tricksters," I thought to myself, "they're throwing us a shower." Then, as I continued into the room, I saw a teenager that I didn't recognize, Matt's Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, my Aunt Gretchen, and Matt's Grandma. Wait. What? Run that by me again. A teenager that I DID recognize -- namely Bridget Toolan -- Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, Gretchen Toolan, and Matt's Grandma! What the what?! Two worlds colliding in a very unexpected location. I was so surprised!!! And a little confused, to be honest. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand what my family was doing in Matt's parents' house. I think my face says it all in this pic:

So yeah. A little surprised. And confused. Hahaha, oh jeez. What an embarrassing moment to be captured. Anyway, after that there was much hugging and visiting and belly discussion and snacks, followed by present opening, lunch, and more visiting. There may have been laughing involved, too. The second pic was taken when I'm over my stunned confusion and on to being pleased and touched that my family loved me enough to come all the way from New Jersey for my shower, so I'm showing off my belly for Bridge.

All in all, our families were so incredibly thoughtful and generous. We opened gifts for what seemed like forever and people just gave us so many nice things. We were a little bit overwhelmed with the generosity and the love we felt through the notes and cards we received. And especially for Aunt Amy and Grandma Rehbein for organizing the shower and Great Aunt Gretchen and Cousin Bridget for coming all the way down just for the day. How lucky, lucky, lucky we are to have so many people love us so much.

There are lots of cute photos from the shower, so I'll just post some of my favorites below:

Whaa? An ORANGE outfit from Great
Aunt Gretchen? Has the world gone mad?!!

 

32 weeks, 5 days - Babymoon!

As you may or may not know, Matt and I were on our Babymoon from June 10 through June 16 at Lake Wedowee, AL.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a babymoon is like a honeymoon, only you take it before your baby comes instead of after you get married.  It's an opportunity to get away and spend time together before the chaos of a new baby enters your life.  We thought it was an important thing for us to do since we don't get to see each other very often and when we do, there are usually a million other things we have to do and people we have to see so that precious alone time is hard to come by.  We chose Lake Wedowee because Matt's parents have their boat docked there and it's an easy place for us to get to.  We talked about a lot of other options, but I wasn't too keen on being at the beach (a) I'm so fat and b) I could get knocked over by the waves and c) I can't drink and d) I don't really want to lay in the sun), I get winded too easily for the mountains to make sense (since I can't really hike around to appreciate them), I don't like spas, and historic touristy destinations are super expensive and again, I get tired so easily that I was afraid we wouldn't appreciate it as much as I should.  The boat just seemed like a perfect place to relax and float around in the water, cook our favorite meals, and be alone together.  And it was.

The cabin we rented was awesome.  We got a great deal for a whole week and the couple we rented from was super nice.  There was a dock right outside the cabin where we tied up the boat, so each morning, it was just a matter of getting out of bed and rolling down to the dock.

The town itself was... interesting.  Wedowee, AL.  I'm pretty sure it's the area Deliverance was based on.  And if not Deliverance, at least My Cousin Vinny.  Matt and I quoted that one an awful lot, especially after we "got mud in our tires."  Amazing, really.  I saw a sign outside a cemetery that read, "Before opening graves, call (xxx) xxx-xxxx."  What the what?!  Is that for grave robbers or what?  Who the heck "opens" graves?  I also saw a sign on the side of a building that read, "YOUR ADD HERE."  So... are we advertising that we have attention deficit disorder or what?  It was all very strange.  The accents were VERY thick, much of the food was deep fried, and believe it or not, there were not many gluten free options in the grocery store.  Our menu became a little more creative than I'd originally planned, but that was fine.  Over all, it was just what we were looking for: laying on the boat reading to each other, floating in the water, cruising around the lake, and cooking our favorite foods, all on nobody's schedule but our own.  The weather was great, the location was beautiful, and everything was just about perfect.  Needless to say, it was very very difficult to come home on Sunday.

Below are a few pics we snapped during the event.  I ended up buying a bikini because maternity suits made me feel like a walrus and I wasn't around anyone besides Matt so I didn't have to be embarrassed by my big belly or my fat thighs.  I draped my swimsuit cover-up over my tummy when I laid in the sun so Baby wouldn't get cooked, which is why my arms look so brown and my tummy still looks so white.