numbers

a brief update in numbers:

1 whole pineapple core eaten to help "naturally" induce labor

1 grilled eggplant to assist the pineapple

countless varies of spicy food

11 days of maternity leave

2 phone calls to the doctor - just to give myself peace of mind

2 trips to the labor & delivery to monitor baby

1 more appointment this afternoon

we are happy to report that kato is healthy and has a very strong heartbeat.  his heartbeat rises appropriately with movement.  my blood pressure is still great.  contractions have gotten stronger, but still have yet to regulate.  seems that kato is completely content on making me wait.  

pineapple and eggplant

still waiting...we are officially 6 days overdue.  this child is clearly not mine, as he has no concept of being on time!  =)  

i've tried to eat the core of a pineapple and i'm planning a lunchtime feast of grilled eggplant.  these are both supposed to help with "natural induction."  if not, we move on to the not-so-natural induction techniques via the doc on monday.  we'll see if either actually work.  keep your fingers crossed!

other than that, it's just a waiting game.  no new updates.  

still pregnant

my due date has officially came and went with no labor action to speak of.  i swore that i wouldn't go past my due date.  i'm not sure how exactly i made this decision, but it's just what i thought.  i thought for sure that i would go early, not late.  i'm on time for everything...how did this happen?  i'm doing my best to stay patient.  here's the inside scoop though...it's not really working.  i don't do well with the whole waiting game.  i do better when i have some sort of control over any given situation!  

let's just all say a quick prayer that baby wolf makes his appearance soon and gives his mama a little relief.  in the meantime, i'll be hanging around the house with my feet propped up, reading a book and waiting.  

the waiting game...

a little glimpse of the past week:  

though i made it through the week, maternity leave has been surprisingly less than interesting.  i've gotten several things done around the apartment, read two books, watched some trash tv and rested up for the big day (funny, my last "big day" was my wedding!).  *twiddles thumbs in boredom...*

the doctors appointment this week (06/17) revealed no new information.  our next appointment is thursday (06/25).  i will be given an exam and induction will be discussed.  please keep those digits crossed that i don't have to actually have that discussion and little one will make things a bit easier on his mama.  and his daddy...bless jeff's heart for putting up with me!  

still dealing with daily (especially evening) contractions.  last night, i was certain things were happening.  i even finished packing my hospital bag...it only needed a few things, but i was procrastinating (i know, shocker!). 

my 29th birthday was spent enjoying sushi with the hubby.  please save the harassing comments...it was only the "safe" sushi.  nothing raw or high in mercury for this mama-to-be.  i crave wasabi...yumm!  it's the only "heat" i can eat and that does not result in intense heartburn.  and just between you and me, i was hoping the spiciness would put me into labor.  i will say that i had pretty intense contractions that evening.  

allow me to backtrack to thursday evening.  let me set the mood:  10 pm, relaxing in bed, watching a movie.  it's a beautiful evening, so the windows are wide open with a cool summer breeze coming in.  wait, what's that noise?  someone decided to move into at 10 pm...using a beast of a diesel moving truck.  not exactly a quiet mode of transportation.  frustrating, to say the least.  but, we didn't let that disturb our movie.  you know what did disturb our movie?  the central fire alarm going off!  it's a sound that i would be okay never hearing again.  jeff and i cluelessly fumbled around the apartment trying to figure out what we should do.  should be consider this a real fire and go outside or should we ignore it and put our head under the pillows?  we grabbed our cell phones and ging and left.  ginger will be the first to admit that she wasn't impressed with the sound and the flashing lights in the halls.  thank goodness there was not a newborn in our apartment.  it certainly would have made the situation even more difficult to handle.  though it was a false alarm (faulty alarm, so says the fire chief), it made me think about how things are going to change.  and change drastically.  no longer will the most important things we grab be the cell phones and the dog.  i promise to always be a mama-bear and look out for my little guy.  i promise to protect him from any harm, false alarm or not.  

but, i thought we had decided...

my dear hubby threw me for a loop yesterday (two loops to be exact)...

first, he tossed another name into the mix.  we had already decided on kato's official name.  we had even taken to calling him by said name in the last couple of weeks (which made it infinitely harder to not slip up in front of people).  last night, jeff throws out a "what do you think about the name XXX (not really XXX as in the Vin Diesel movie or the greasy diner on Purdue's campus...consider this a pen name)?"  well, i love the name.  i loved the name before he had said it...i found the name early on in the pregnancy, but for some reason it was never really considered.  whether or not i love it is not the issue...it's throwing me for a loop to think of another name.  baby boy, what are we going to name you?  please come prepared to let us know when you arrive.

second, the birth announcements.  i thought we were decided on one.  now, we're having second thoughts.  this is something that i had hoped to have done before going into labor (though at the rate things are going, who knows when that will be!).  my thought was i could just pop in a picture and click "order..." all from the comfort of my hospital bed.  so i probably won't be that on top of my game, but i have grand ideas and a plan.  any ideas, people?  jeff wants something unique and fairly non-traditional.  watch your mailboxes for further development...

today is day one of maternity leave.  not nearly as exciting as i had hoped.  i watched "a baby story" on tlc and sobbed.  please understand the sobbing i'm talking about...this was not an emotional cry like "oh this is so beautiful."  much more along the lines of "what the hell have i gotten myself into and is there anyway out of this (short of what i had just witnessed)."  

i started packing my hospital bag yesterday, which gave me some relief to my stress.  my stress only came from my procrastination, so in reality, it was an easy fix.  i think i am having slight contractions today, but i'm not really sure.  those dang braxton hicks are tricky little buggars.  i am an intelligent, educated woman that has utilized this body for the past (4 days shy of) 29 years...how do i not know what an actual contraction is?  i'm sure things will become more clear as things progress..

the gingy-bear is scheduled for a little grooming.  get our little mutt cleaned up before she meets her little brother.  she looks so cute and  young when she gets groomed and her breath smells much nicer.  we're looking forward to it...her?  probably not so much.

my mom's post-baby trip is planned and i couldn't be more excited!  i can't wait to have her here and soak up some of her expertise.  8 kids...how could she not have a little wisdom to pass on?  it makes me way too emotional to think of her holding my son.  which, by reasonable deduction means that i'm going to be a mama.  even at this late in the game, it seems so strange to me.  

jeff's parents might be getting slightly antsy and are debating heading up sooner rather than later (and i hope baby is sooner rather than later).  we can't wait to have them here.  i know there isn't much to do but wait, but being surrounded by family is always comforting.  they are such amazing grandparents and have been so supportive and excited throughout the entire pregnancy.  i'm happy they will be here to share this with us. 

kato, we're ready when you are (but please understand our lack of patience).  you are a much anticipated addition to this family.  we can't wait to see your face.  and don't be confused by mama's tears...i am scared, but not about  you.  in fact, i've never been more sure of anything in my life, little man.  

dear kato

letter to my kato: 

my dear little melon-sized boy, 

we've made it, little man.  you are officially full-term and could make your appearance at any moment.  you hear that, son?  i'm ready!  okay, so i haven't packed my hospital bag yet, but you'll soon learn that mama has a slight tendency to procrastinate!  i pray that you go easy on mama and don't drag this out!  let's be on time and not several weeks overdue.  pretty please.  do this one thing for me and i promise to buy you that new bike when you ask for it!

i hope you are as excited as we are!  we can't wait to meet you.  daddy is looking forward to introducing you to hockey (game 7 penguins vs. redwings tonight...go wings!)!  and you have a lot of people that are very anxious to meet you, even if they can't all be here right away.  

today was my last day of work and i am officially on maternity leave.  my only "job" at this point is preparing for your arrival.  that and propping my swollen feet up on pillows and whining to daddy that i'm achy or tired or achy and tired.  (and by the way, what is the deal with the swollen feet, son?  is this something you have control over?)  it was odd to leave today, knowing that when i returned, i would be a mother.  as is so common with life-changing events, things in life have taken on a specific time slot...before kato and the time that will be known as after kato.  i am glad to have only you to focus on...not sales and hospitality and projects that really have no bearing on my department.  

though i'm not sure (this is my first time as a pregnant lady), i'm fairly certain you've "dropped."  you are so low...the feeling is something like a watermelon being precariously balanced between my legs.  thank goodness you are a boy...it's not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling.  but remember these words and be good to your future wife and mother of your children (though i am fairly certain no woman will ever be good enough for my first born).  

at 4:30 this morning, i laid awake with you kicking and rolling.  i rubbed you and told you how ready i was to meet you.  you kicked back in response and i like to think you were telling me you were excited too.  

i'm off to work on that hospital bag.  and at that point, it's game on.  you are officially welcome to join the family.  like i said, don't wait this one out too long.  i have a lot planned for my summer and you are a mighty big part of those plans. 

all my love, 

mama

weekly wrap-up

june 6th.  four years to the day that jeff and i met.  four years and we've been through so much.  it's amazing to try to picture my life without him.  without ginger.  without us.  seems hard to believe.  i've been so blessed.  

and on to the weekly wrap-up:  

another doctors appointment yesterday.  again, just a routine check-up.  and, again, nothing out of the ordinary.  of course, there were more questions about pain medication during labor.  the doctor actually discussed a medication-free delivery and told me that i might be able to handle it.  jeff nearly fell out of his chair laughing.  really?  it's not that funny...i'm tough.  okay, who am i kidding?  i am a complete and total wimp.  i know i am the furthest thing from tough, but i am surprisingly open to all the different types of medication.  who knows...maybe i'll forgo the epidural?  but, i like being informed and want to go in with an open-mind.  i'm trying not to keep too much control over the situation...especially knowing that there is very little that i can actually have control over during childbirth.  

next week is my last week of work.  i'm looking forward to wrapping up a few projects and just being done.  it will be nice to have a little more time to relax. 

if you would have asked me in my first trimester to predict how i would feel at 38 weeks, i would have sworn i would be miserable!  surprisingly enough, i still feel pretty great.  in the evenings, i'm fairly worn out, but it's manageable.  this week has been the first week i've really started to feel pregnant and huge.  i've been fairly swollen the past couple of days, which isn't pleasant.  but, again, it's manageable.  

we participated in the relay for life today.  jeff participated as part of a work-organized team.  it was hot, but i walked a few laps with him around the track.  he's headed out first thing in the morning to assist with cleanup.  i'm proud of him for participating.  it's such an amazing cause. 

we also went to a cook-out with some of my co-workers.  everyone commented on what a trooper i was for being there!  i started to fade fast after 9 pm, though.  it was great to see everyone, but i can't lie...it will be nice when i can relax and have a beer!  

i'm just ready for this little guy to be here!  two more weeks...here's to hoping he's punctual like his mama!