Past Due

Here we are 3 days over due. I have had some contractions but they are not in rhythm yet so more waiting is what we shall do. Our "due date" was Wednesday and we spent the day celebrating Father's Day, which consisted of sleeping in, sweatpants, coffee, burgers, doggy-time, and an action film. I managed to adorn some onesies during the film to keep myself from getting too antsy. Aren't they cute? I used fabric scraps, embroidery thread, and some buttons I had laying around to adorn some organic onesies I picked up for $4 each, what a bargain! 

Thanks Baby Gerrans for waiting until after Bobby & Kiren's wedding, but now you can come anytime!! Daddy got to be a groomsmen last night and he looked adorable in his tux (pic below). We unfortunately did not catch any photos of the two of us, but that is because we had such a great time eating spicy Indian food and partaking in some exciting Indian dancing. Loved it! Mom's feet were such a sight we nearly cried from laughing so hard once we got in the car. Have you seen Shallow Hal? Think of Gwyneth's feet in that movie, that is what mine looked like. We took a photo but its not making it to the blog today.

I have been eating spicy food, walking, eating pineapple, drinking raspberry leaf tea, rocking in the rocking chair, but still no baby. I am SOOOOO ready. Getting up, sitting down, standing, and sleeping are all difficult and my feet, oh my feet, are so swollen all the time. Sometimes I feel as if they will explode. I was hoping the full moon would pull baby out, but alas that has not worked so far, I guess I have a few more hours :) If baby does not arrive by Wednesday, I might drive to Walnut Creek for some "Prego Pizza" which is famous for inducing labor.

I am dilated 2.5 cm and 75% effaced and the doctor seemed pretty confident that we won't make it to our next appointment (Wednesday the 26th), but the anticipation is driving us all a little crazy. It is funny how you spend so much time prepping and planning for this moment and when it comes close there is little you can do other than wait. I can't think of anything else in life that is like this, I literally have no control and that is a bit bizarre. Every baby comes out so it is just a matter of time.....we'll keep you posted!!

xoxo

A fish.

An apple.

A bunny.

A turtle with glasses?

Daddy-to-be in his tux before the wedding.

Here I am on the due date, looking exhausted, swollen, and so ready for Baby's arrival.

Week 39 - The Waiting Game

Still no baby, but boy and am I ready. I have been ultra grumpy and had one emotional breakdown over hunger this week, so I am sure Robert is really ready too. Last night I actually got some good sleep and am feeling cheerier than I have been so that is nice, but still ready none the less. I cannot imagine going on like this for 3 more weeks, but it may happen. In addition to the grumpy, sluggy, and the constant state of exhaustion that I am currently in my feet have swollen to replicate what I would assume hobbit feet would look like. Particularly the left as it is usually a half size larger than the right. Good thing it is summer and I can get away with wearing flip flops all the time as some days I cannot get into any other pair of shoes. My hands are still a bit swollen but not nearly as uncomfortable as they were. My Doctor says this is all a result of going over my recommended weight gain, so a note has been taken for the next pregnancy. Don't worry there are no pictures of my swollen feet, even though they look quite comical (ask my husband) I would not subject any of you to an unnecessary picture of swollen hobbit feet that have not been pampered for the last ten and a half months, yikes!

So I am experiencing mood swings, swollen extremities and a new appetite. It seems the swollen foot is actually hallow and I cannot seem to fill it. I feel as if I am always hungry, but I don't want anything. Well that is not entirely true I want simple carbs like pancakes, fettuccine Alfredo, and gelato, but I am supposed to avoid refined sugars and starchy carbs and stick to protein, fruits, and veggies. It seems that those things are really nothing that I want, maybe that is why I am so grumpy?? I did indulge in a pancake breakfast yesterday, which combined with a long nap lifted my mood by the afternoon. Maybe I need to make bad diet choices for my own piece of mind..........On Friends Monica makes cookies for the mother carrying their child and justifies it as saying that she wants the baby to "come out all cute and fat." I wouldn't mind a chunky baby, but I really don't want to deal with any preclampsia so I have to stay on track, as hard as it is I have to.

We are so ready over here. Everything that can be done for baby's arrival is done. Car seat installed, hospital bags packed and in the car, nursery set up, mobile is hung, got the rocking chair set, refreshed ourselves on the newborn care videos, finished up the reading on breastfeeding, sleep habits, and calming methods (well mom has), freezer is full, pantry is stocked, house is clean, diapers are washed, Dad could really use a break from work and Mom has been practicing her swaddling on Mike the Bear. My mom thinks that if we weren't so "ready" and were a bit more scrambled the baby would probably come, but since we aren't he/she will probably wait until July, thanks mom. Now it is just a waiting game, whenever baby is ready baby will come. It would be adorable if he (or she) came on Father's Day, wouldn't it?? Of course for selfish reasons I would like baby to come soon, but I know Baby Gerrans will come when he is meant to. We have a wedding next Friday, that Robert is a groomsmen in, and I really hope that baby allows his father to participate in it, for the groom and for Dad-to-be. So baby if you are reading this you can come either on your due date or wait until Saturday morning? ha fat chance.

Baby Gerrans is kicking in there like crazy, still haven't seen any body parts through the belly and probably won't. I am feeling this new feeling of bubbles inside me which is a bit peculiar. At first I thought it was my stomach but soon realized that my stomach is now up high under my ribs and these "bubbles" are happening all over the belly. They usually happen when Baby Gerrans is moving a lot, could he be blowing bubbles? Burping? or something worse?? Did any of you mothers out there experience this? I haven't seen any literature on it. Maybe I am imagining it in my delirium.

Sorry about the way the last two posts delivered, they were supposed to come separately but somehow came together I guess I am still getting the hang of this blogging thing. We'll be sure to let you know when our bundle arrives, please wish for a safe delivery for us.

Cheers!

Robert hung the mobile.

Here is a close up.

Poor Mike he has been the subject of my swaddling practice.

Here is the rocking chair that belonged to my Great Great Grandma Ethel Mae Grey. She rocked my Great Grandma Mae (the picture you saw last week), who rocked my Grandma Marilyn, who then rocked my Mom, who later rocked me in it. Baby Gerrans will be the fifth generation to be rocked in this chair. We got a new fluffy cushion made for it so it will be nice and comfy for Mom and Dad. Could use a foot stool and a little side table, but those aren't necessities.

"Pregnancy Updates"

Here is my first "pregnancy update" at 12 weeks. We started out calling Baby Gerrans  Baby Nugget. Ali came up with this nickname, she is always creative like that :)

Update on Baby Nugget

I am 12 weeks today! Feeling good, no morning sickness at all, but still very tired and lazy :)

Today Robert and I had another ultra sound where they measured all sorts of things to screen for things like down syndrome, etc. Still have to wait for the results of my last blood test but baby nugget is moving like crazy in there! About the size of a lime, legs are kicking, arms flailing, and at one point the legs were crossed and hands were behind the head - definitely Robert's child! We were cracking up as that is how Robert sleeps!

Tarah, just like your sister, my doctor put the fear of weight gain in my head. She stressed that because of my size and bone density I have to be so careful to not go over. She also took one look at me and told me to lay off the processed food, what!!? Amazing how they can tell what your diet is like just by looking at you, apparently everything is out there when you are pregos. So no more Hayley diet for me, no more crackers, I have to reduce the starchy carbs, she even said I should limit my intake of rice, wow. Who knew that mrs. farmers market would get a lecture about eating healthy :)

I had one serious episode that sent me to the hospital, but everything turned out to be alright. I have always gotten migraines if I eat too much junk food, like the one time I scarfed down an entire roll of necco candies or the other time when I ate an entire queso by myself, and I believe the onion dip on Thanksgiving may have sent me over the edge (I practically consumed the entire bowl). The day after Thanksgiving I did my normal routine woke up early had breakfast and started cleaning something when a migraine broke out. I tried my normal remedy - Robert gives me a massage and then I take a nap, but when I woke up it was worse and then an hour later the nausea kicked in. Imagine the worst hangover you have ever had, then put yourself on a sailboat on a very choppy day, and top it off with a migraine. That is where I was, for nine hours. They gave me some meds that didn't make the pain go away, but eventually curbed the nausea enough that I could go to sleep, two days later I was back to normal. 

One more bit of scary news, I am a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. Apparently 1 in 25 people are. It takes two parents as carriers to have a child with this disease, Robert got tested yesterday and we will find out his results in two weeks. If you could keep your fingers crossed, pray, jump backwards or do whatever you can for us we would really appreciate it. I am trying not to be nervous but can't help it. 

I've got a little bump, but I haven't actually gained weight which is weird. My clothes are snug and people are giving me that "is she pregnant or has she gained a lot of weight" look. I love to watch people at the market who see me weekly ponder over it, it is quite funny. 

Lastly pregnancy dreams are crazy. Last night we brought the new born baby home and it was telling me how to take care of it and it would only wear diapers from Africa that our Realtor had to bring us. Every night they are bizarre like this, again Erica I cannot wait for you to be pregnant yours will be book worthy :)


Here is another from week 14

Thanks for all of your positive thoughts...we are cystic fibrosis free, Robert is negative (apparently I am the only diseased one in this relationship), we are also in the clear for now with down syndrome and t-18, yay!

My bump is growing and so is my appetite! I have one entertaining story that is sure to make you laugh, which we can all use as the year comes to a close.

Pregnancy hunger is unlike any desire to eat you will ever have. Last week I am having lunch with a friend in SF at this new Japanese Ramen House. We had to wait in line to get a table and finally when we sat down we ordered immediately as we were both starving. Of course the food was taking FOREVER. I thought I was going to die, when you are pregnant you have to eat when your body tells you you are hungry there is no putting it off. If you let it go far enough you get incredibly nauseous and even farther well I don't know yet. So I am sitting there trying to be polite and engage in the conversation as I am drooling over all the plates of food flying by us. Finally the waitress brings us some hot tea, which I proceed to guzzle down like I am playing flip-cup hoping that it will temporarily satisfy me, which it does not. Just when I feel like I am going to scream I realize that my napkin is paper and that there is a stack of them at the end of the table. Kids ate paper in Junior High right?, if I nibble on the napkin it could hold me over until the food comes. But what will my friend think of me if I start eating my napkin, now I start to devise ways to get the napkin in my mouth without her noticing. (the thought that I am crazy to eat a napkin NEVER crosses my mind) I kid you not I am sitting there nodding my head pretending like I am listening to her and I am secretly tearing up my napkin into tiny pieces to be stuffed into my mouth when she looks away. Just as I am about to distract her with the table next to us, the waitress comes with our appetizer, THANK GOD!!! 
Now this story is funny to me, but at the time eating the napkin felt like a great idea. Oh baby nugget why must you be so impatient!

xoxoxo


The last update before I started the blog - Week 20

This is a long and somewhat sad email so brace yourselves. Well we are 20 weeks over here, half way through, can you believe it? I feel like I am growing everyday! Today I tried to squeeze my way into a small parking space and then realized I was too big to fit out the door, ha! Baby nugget is as long as a banana now but a little thicker. Speaking of bananas they have been on the cravings list which was so awkward because I haven't purchased them in over 3 years! But what baby wants baby gets. I have noticed that the cravings have changed quite a bit, it went from wow that sounds amazing right now - sushi, latkes, cottage cheese, popsicle, and grapefruit - to my first omg I have to have that right now - which was steak.  On our last ultrasound we got to see hands, feet, facial expressions, and even a yawn. We could find out what baby is but we are still sticking to not knowing, though Robert is having a harder time waiting than I am. Apparently we aren't that unique. Our technician who just moved here from Chicago says that no one in California wants to know, but in the eight years she was in IL only two couples didn't want to know the sex, interesting. The second trimester is much better than the first, energy is up, much more comfortable, but my skin gets dryer and itchier by the minute, hopefully its the weather but it tends to be more on my belly than anywhere else so I have a feeling its not. Cora you asked me about my new organic method for dry skin and at the time I hadn't found anything well I have and I am loving it, straight Argan Oil. If I could afford it I would drown my whole body in this stuff :) I don't know if it is nesting or if it is due to all the non-creative tasks I have been given at work, but I am obsessed with my house right now. While I was bed-ridden from a nasty cold I managed to draft up a total house remodel. I am driving Robert crazy because apparently it is all I can talk about. The nursery is driving me mad, do you ever envision the perfect outfit for a special occasion and then find that it does not exist or if it does they either don't have your size or its so expensive you'd have to sell your soul to get it? Well that is how I am feeling about the nursery, what I want does not seem to exist in the fabric department and it is making me crazy, so crazy angry that I took it out on the closet and tore the whole thing out, patched painted and ordered a new closet system. Do you think it would be really distracting to paint stripes/chevron/ikat etc inside a closet? with clothes shoes etc does that become more than the eye can handle? Well on yet another note we have gotten a new baby before our real baby. Robert after nine months (no joke) got his Police K-9 dog two weeks ago. I have been super nervous about this whole thing and it started out really smooth. He got a female instead of a male, she is about the size of Annie, a little skinnier. Her name is Jesse. She is dark in color and looks a little wild. When I first met her she was sweet as pie I couldn't believe she was going to be trained to bite people. She immediately took a liking to me which made me feel much better about the whole situation. However this Saturday after an afternoon of bar hopping in the city (yes this pregnant lady bar hops), she decided that she was going to kill Ralphie. I am in the bathroom taking off layers of eye make up when I hear Robert screaming my name for bloody murder and things in German which I did not understand. I come running down the hall thinking he was hurt only to find him on the front porch wrestling Jesse who had Ralphie hanging from her jaws, he was limp. OMG I cannot describe to you the horror I felt. Robert had wedged his hands in her mouth to see if he could pull her off but a dog like that has a lock jar like you would not believe. I tried to get my hands in there too but there was no way it was happening. The whole time we are both screaming him in german, me "let go of him" and I am scrambling. I kicked her, I punched her, poked at her eyes. Nothing. All three of them were wedged under our cute little bench. My mother always talked about how to deal with dog fights, being attacked by animals etc.(such a pioneer woman), and in that moment those random lessons came to mind. She always suggested spraying fighting dogs with a hose and when all else fails go for the ribs. The hose was all the way around the corner and I just knew I didn't have time to get to it, so I grabbed the dog bowl of water and threw it on her face. She jerked and threw herself, ralphie and Robert out from underneath the bench but she didn't let go. I grabbed a japanese weeder (small shovel with sharp blade on one side) which I lazily had not put away from day before (thank god) and swung with all my might in her ribs preparing myself for her to turn on me. It took about four wacks and then she let go of him. He dropped totally limp in a puddle of water as Robert grabbed her to lock her up. Ralphie didn't move and like a victim's mother on SVU I screamed hysterically over and over "don't let go" and started rubbing his belly. He went into a seizure, I picked him to put him right side up so he wouldn't choke on his throw up if he did, and then he snapped out of it. I clutched him in my arms barefoot and bloody as I jumped into Robert's truck and he drove in what they call "code 3" to the pet emergency; both of us crying, Robert with blood gushing from his hands and begging Ralphie not to let go. The vets were amazing, he is a tough little dog, and if it weren't for Robert's large man hands getting in between her jaw and his neck he would have died. I looked like I was in a thrasher movie - blood and dirt splattered all over my white shirt, pajama pants, no shoes, and half of my eye makeup removed. I can't laugh about the incident but I can chuckle about the way I must have looked to all the people in the vet office. Robert had to go to the emergency room as he has major wounds to his hands, but they don't stitch dog bites for a fear of infection, so he has to wait for them heal. Now I am nursing Ralphie back to health, he's got a few stitches and is very sleepy from the pain meds but other than that seems fine. I am still shooken up by the whole ordeal. Jesse is not a dog she is an animal. She has not gone through all of her training and this incident, as Robert will tell you, was his fault. She has a major problem with food aggression and he let Ralphie out when she was eating. An honest mistake, but I am just so glad he is alive. You are probably wondering why I am sharing this story with you in my latest pregnancy update. You are my nearest and dearest and I need you to know that on the drive home from the vet I realized that I have married the right man.That no matter what the world dishes to us he is the one for me. I can't tell you exactly why but its true. Crazy I know. When Baby Nugget is 16 and driving Robert and I so crazy that we are on the brink of divorce I need you to remind me of this incident, remind me of what I felt on that porch, in the car, in that moment. Its funny how true fear can make you so much more aware of what you really feel. Baby Nugget handled the whole thing effortlessly, no shocking pains like I get when I carry the laundry basket, no nausea, no kicking. Not until the ride home; just to let me know he is okay.  Thanks for being here for me to vent to, this isn't one I could keep in. You can see that through these 9 1/2 months of being pregnant I have learned a great deal about myself. This has definitely been one of the best adventures of my life so far,  I can only imagine that parenthood will be such a treat for both Robert and I. xoxo

Week 38 - Ready to Go

Today we are 38 weeks and we are ready to go. We had a doctor's appt this morning and we came home with more good news. Good strong heart beat, I am dilated 1 cm, my cervix has thinned and begun to soften, Baby Gerrans' head is right up against my cervix, and he/she could arrive any day now! Crazy. I have been brainstorming a post reflecting on the last nine months and I think it is appropriate to do now. Robert and I went from newlyweds, to honeymooners, to parents-to-be in a matter of minutes. It seems like ages ago that Robert and I were in France talking about becoming pregnant and when we found out that we were we were so elated! When we first got home I took a pregnancy test and it came out negative, but I knew it was wrong. I can't describe exactly why, but I just knew that I was pregnant, I felt it. A few impatient days later I took another test and low and behold I was correct. Robert was at work so I left him a card that said "Guess What" on the outside and inside said "we're pregnant". It is in the baby book now. He came and woke me up, we were both so excited. After our first appointment and ultra sounds to confirm it we told our parents in a similar fashion. Got them each a card with a sonogram photo attached inside and wrote the words "Hi Grandma & Grandpa, See you on June 19th!" beside it. Carolyn screamed and my mom welled up in tears and hugged Robert immediately, lots of hugs were given. It was so fun to surprise them in this way. We saved the big announcement for our "Wedding Celebration" which many of you were able to attend. There really could have been no better way to share the good news than with a room full of all of our favorite people. Don't know how we'll top that with the next one. We were so nervous and excited to tell everyone even though it was a teensy bit early to share.

I started an email chain with pregnancy updates for my close friends and sisters, but with all the requests to be included in what was going on with me I decided to start this blog at 22 weeks. Robert has been encouraging me to write one since he took me to Napa for my birthday in 2009 and a gentlemen that was staying at the same B & B suggested I start one after loosing my Event Design job. I finally dove into it, and am so glad that I have. What a great way to catalog my pregnancy and as I have said before an amazing creative outlet for me. I like to write and I always feel like I have a narrative in my head so to put it down somewhere has been very fun. I hope to continue it as Baby Gerrans grows (I don't expect you all to continue to read it) as I am sure there will be many challenges and changes that I will face giving me lots of topics to explore :)

Back to my email updates that I sent my close friends they included funny stories and interesting details about what I was experiencing in those early days. They didn't come weekly so there were not too many. To insure that they do not get lost I will be posting them separately for us all to enjoy.

I was fortunate to never have any morning sickness, though I was super sleepy and lazy in the first trimester. I did feel the urge to nest around 20 weeks, but have spent the last few getting rid of things. We went from a small bump at 12 weeks to now a 43 1/2 inch waist, I outgrew mom. I have gained 37 lbs (5 in the last two weeks) and as the days go I feel as if I am swelling like a summer peach. My feet and hands show it the most. Just to give you a perspective my ring size is normally a 4 1/2 but today I am wearing my grandmother's wedding ring which comes in at a size 8, that is some serious swelling. My hair is so thick I will miss it terribly when it all falls out and Robert will not enjoy finding it in the drain again :) I have gotten to the point where bending down to pick something up or weed is nearly impossible, funny how that happened pretty much overnight. Walking has been my only form of exercise these days. Getting in and out of bed is difficult and the last few nights somewhat painful. Sleeping has not been that difficult. I had one week of terrible sleep but for the most part have been very fortunate. I get up frequently but go back to sleep very easily. The last few nights my hands have been falling asleep which wakes me and that is a bit annoying. 

Robert noted as he watched me roll over that me rolling over is like a submarine trying to make a u-turn. I don't know much about submarines but apparently its a lot of work to turn such a large thing around...I don't think I like being compared to a submarine :) I have started to feel Braxton-Hicks contractions which are a result of my uterus practicing for labor and pushing Baby Gerrans down. I also notice that my belly has hardened and it is easier to feel baby. We are both running out of space. My cravings have been rather uneventful but I have had an increase in appetite this last week and have been consuming radishes like they are strawberries. Grandma I tried your radish sandwich and it was very tasty! And yes the furniture finally arrived, not without hiccups but it is finally here. Rocking chair will be finished tomorrow, yay! Mobile is done but needs to be hung, Daddy-to-be will be putting it up this evening, as I have finally determined that leaning over a crib to screw it into the ceiling is not a battle worth fretting for this pregnant lady. When that is done the nursery will be pretty much complete. I am still looking for a small table to hold a beverage and maybe a snack to sit beside the rocking chair so I can have something while I am breastfeeding, but that is not a pressing item.

As we left the doctors office today we both felt a rush of giddiness as it is finally here. We cannot wait to meet our little one and to find out if it will be a William or a Marilyn. I have made some signs to tape up in our labor room with phrases like "boy or girl" "William or Marilyn" hoping that they will give me the extra energy to push when I become exhausted. Not knowing has been so fun, as I have said before I thought it was going to be so much harder, but it really hasn't. I am a planner, but you really can do all the planning prepping you need to not knowing what you are having. What would really be the difference if I knew? I would have probably bought that adorable vintage linen coat if I knew I was having a girl and invested in some pee pee tepees if I was having a boy - both totally unnecessary.

If all goes as planned we will be delivering at Kaiser in San Francisco and this baby will be the 6th generation to be born in the city on Robert's side. I don't know how many people can say that but I think that is rather cool. We will be sending out a mass text (can't figure out how to blog from my phone yet) to announce baby's arrival. I believe I have all the phone numbers I need, but if yours has changed please send it my way so you can be included. They do allow visitors once we get to the postpartum department, so call or text Robert after you get the announcement if you would like to come and see us to get the details. We are toying around with the idea of having a meet the baby potluck on 4th of July, so if you are around then we would love to have you and will send out an invite when we decide what to do. 

Below are lots of pictures for you to enjoy from the start to today. It has been quite a journey and one that will never end for us!

xoxo

PS Please continue to keep Mandi in your thoughts, she could still use your positive energy.

Just Married!

In Paris, this was the day :)

Robert and I with the card we made for Art & Carolyn.

After we announced the pregnancy at our Wedding Celebration.

Me at 12 weeks, the end of the first trimester.

At 24 weeks, the second trimester.

Here I am at 37 weeks.

Not sure if this picture is clear but this is an aerial view of my belly while I am sitting. You can see that my belly is lop-sided as Baby Gerrans in pushed up against my right side, he does this often :)

Here is an overview of the nursery, a little more crowded with all the furniture in there now.

This needle point, which hangs over the changing table, was made for me by my Great Grandma Cecilia Savar, and is something I read all the time especially as I was learning to read.

A close up of the crib with the quilt Cathy Hackett made for Baby Gerrans hanging over it. 

The picture is of my Great Grandma Mae Grey at 18 months of age. I had painted the room before we inherited this picture and her dress happens to be the same color as our walls. This hangs over the bed.

We bought this bookshelf made of recycled barnwood and painted it cream with a sherbet orange background color. It houses all kinds of wonderful books and treasures.

One of the vignettes on the bookshelf includes Robert's childhood bear, my grandma Marilyn's baby cup, and one of  my Great Grandma Edith Ayer's hummel prints. 

Here is a close up of the changing table with the needlepoint above it.

A vintage print of the Wee Willie Winkle poem gifted by Grandma-to-be Carolyn, it is one of her favorites.

Here I am today at 38 weeks at the same restaurant that we had our Wedding Celebration back in November.