Grouch...

I don't know if it is due to pregnancy hormones or what, but I have been such a crab lately. I am happy to be wrapped up in Miah's arms in the evening watching some show or reading a book, but during the day I try to get in a workout to blow-off some energy and then hide! I really don't feel much like myself and am wondering if it could just be a hormone thing? That said, a long time ago I heard a very godly woman say that we (women, that is) should never use hormone's as an excuse for poor behavior. I completely agree and have kept that at the forefront of my mind the past few days. I have also been talking to the Lord about it during my morning quiet times. Truly, without his presence working through me, especially in this area these days, I would be completely lost!
Perhaps I am feeling a bit out of sorts with my inability to plan the labor? I am quite excited about not knowing when the baby will come, but organizing visits and what not afterwards has really been weighing on my mind. Perhaps for my own sanity (and those around me!) I may ask folks to wait a few days before coming by, and then giving Jeremiah and I a call to see if we are ready for visitors. If that does happen, please know that we DO want everyone to be able to meet this sweet little person, but it is a big transition and Jeremiah and I move a bit slower than most and may need a few days to hibernate and begin this much anticipated transition.

38 Week Check Up and a Rant...

My mother-in-law and I drove up to Durango today for a baby appointment. The little guys head has come down a bit farther and I am now at 2cm, still 60% effaced, but Mary Louise said that my body is definitely getting ready. She estimates that we will, indeed, have a December baby, and that he will come very close to his due date. I am, actually, content to wait and and excited to see how my labor will start and what it will be like to bring this person into the world. I feel so blessed...
Now to the rant. Jeremiah's company is having each employee and their spouse do a biometric screening by December 31. A doc has to check my height, weight, waist circumference (!!!), blood pressure, and I have to have a glucose screening done and my lipid levels checked. Ummm...I have explained to the insurance and the company that I am NINE months pregnant and that these test won't be valid until I am at least 6wks postpartum, but they could care less. So, I'm going to have stats like an old man. Hopefully they won't give me the boot. Mary Louise (midwife) is pretty miffed at the whole thing and made it clear that she does not think it is a good idea. What's a girl to do??

Yeah, so Pt II

...I cleaned out the closets, organized my jewelry (I even vacuumed the inside of my jewelry box..it was dusty), organized the desk, AND I found my Rosetta Stone! Yay! Something to DO the next two weeks!!
I also made an appointment for a haircut, pedicure and a prenatal massage. Now that should be fun!

Stocking up...

Yesterday my mother in law and I cooked up a storm and stocked up the freezer. We literally have about 20 meals in there, ready to go! I am amazed because, all in all, it cost us less than $200. Whoa. Basically, that is enough meals for an entire month and I used less than half of our grocery budget! I am thinking I may try to do this more often, sounds like a money saver to me.
For anyone who is interested, here is what is on the lineup:

• Vegetarian stuffed shells (2-4 serving casseroles)
• Aunt Liz's Chicken Spaghetti Casserole (2-4 serving casseroles)
• Chicken Potato Casserole (8 servings)
• Green chile chicken enchiladas (2-5 serving casseroles)
• Meatball stew en casserole (8-10 servings)
• Turkey burgers & beef burgers (4 of each kind, 8 total - and these can be cooked from frozen right on the George Foreman Grill!)
• Baked Ziti (serves a small army)
• Burritos (8 total, great for an easy lunch!)
• Meatloaf
• Hebrew Nationals! (serves 4)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs (serves how ever many, and can be heated in the crock pot!)
• Chicken Soup (as much as we want to make)

I also have veggie steamers that can just be thrown in the microwave for a quick, healthy side dish.

Now all I need is the baby!!

Yeah, so...

So Jeremiah and I were in bed reading when I noticed what a mess my nightstand was. So I went about reorganizing and putting away the books I was finished with. Which lead to dusting, which lead to organizing all of the information I have received from my midwives, which lead to...you get the idea. Finally, when I was standing the the bed dusting the ceiling fan Jeremiah looked at me over his book and asked, "Are you bored?" It was then I realized that I had really been going to town and, perhaps, should call it a night. If this kid doesn't come soon I may have to start on the neighbor's house. It has crossed my mind....

Yay! It's over!!

This morning I took the TEAS exam for nursing school. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that it is over and I can get back to thinking about Baby Hayes :) I did really well and they said I scored in the 90th percentile. Those nursing folks are smart cookies so hopefully my TEAS score, GPA and the fact that I am a resident (I get 5% for that!) will be enough. I find out in April.
Thank you for the prayers!

On a side note, I had a mommy moment while taking the test. BH is usually pretty squirmy in the mornings, but while I was taking the test he was so still, right up to the end when there was some appendage sticking out of my right side. About half way through the exam I looked down at my tummy and though, "Oh, what a sweet boy, you're being so good." I can't wait to meet this little guy.

The Hippie in Me

So, as many of you know, I am really hoping for a natural childbirth. I am trying to keep my mind open because I know that I don't know how my labor will be, but if I am honest I am hoping for a drug free experience. I find myself "defending" this position quite often. I can't tell you how many times I have been told that I have nothing to prove and that I should just take the epidural. Perhaps I will, but as I sit here, pain free and typing on my computer, that is the last thing I want to happen.
Anyway, because of this desire, quotes like this one really strike a cord with me:

"Goats have no midwives,

Sheep have no midwives.

When the goat is pregnant, she is safely delivered,

When the sheep is pregnant, she is safely delivered,

You, in this state of pregnancy, will be safely delivered."

– Song of the village midwives and elders among the African Yoruba

Waa!

So, my midwife called this morning. I have Group B Strep. I am totally bummed. An IV free delivery was what I was hoping for!
Thanks, Mom, for the reminder that an IV will seem like a pretty small thing when I'm having labor contractions.

Stocking up my freezer!

In preparation for the little guy's arrival my mother-in-law and I are planning on spending next Sunday making meals to stock up the freezer. I have a couple, but am wondering if anyone out there has a goodie they could send my way??

Baby Classes!

Jeremiah and I spent Friday night and Saturday in Durango at Mercy Regional Hospital so we could take our birthing classes! On Friday night we learned (ie. the dads learned :) basic anatomy and our instructor, Maggie, answered questions for all the soon to be mama's and dad's. All together there were 12 sets of parents, all due within about 6 weeks of us. My interests lay more in where to go, what to do, what will happen. I seem to be somewhat Type A about all things baby related.

Once we wrapped up for the evening, Jeremiah and I headed to The Dollar Inn. Now, granted, we did choose to stay at the cheapest place we could find. Come to find out, we got exactly what we paid for! It. was. hilarious. First we got the key to an occupied room, so we almost became quite close with our neighbors. Then an oversight led us to a smoking room. Then we were given the key our sanctuary for the evening. Dirty sheets, trash on the floor, nasty bathrooms, and the sound of traffic to lull us to sleep. What more could a 36.5 week prego lady ask for? At least one of the beds were clean and we decided to just sleep. Easier said than done, but whatever! The next morning we headed over the office for our "continental breakfast" which was really some old donuts and a pot of coffee. Sigh, I took my joe and powdered donut and then we were off to our baby classes, all fueled up and ready to go!!

Saturday we watched some birthing videos (with lots of squirmy daddy's watching!!), learned about breastfeeding, did some communication worksheets to make sure mom and dad were on the same page, then we got to head up to the Family Birthing Center to check things out. We saw where to park, where to come in, the triage rooms, and the birthing rooms. We then headed over to the nursery. The nurses were lovely and I really felt at ease seeing what they were going to do to the little guy and knowing that Jeremiah would be with him the entire time.

Oh, and they have a special lactation room where mom's can return to the hospital and get some one on one help if any problems with breastfeeding come up. Very cool.

We ended the day by learning some laboring positions, pressure points, and whatnot.

The whole experience got me so excited for the big day! I may be some wacko, but I am so curious about what labor will be like. I am actually very excited about! It also helped the reality of a BABY to sink in a bit more. I kind of feel like I am just going through the motions and this weekend really helped it to all sink in. There is a POINT in all this prep! A sweet little bundle, who, thankfully, doesn't legally have to be named for 12 days after birth :)

36 Week Appointment!

Today I had fun at my baby appointment. I ran into Brittany and Lillian Mirabal, which is always a delight. Brittany is due about two weeks before me with a little boy as well. She also referred me to SW Midwives. I am so glad she did!
I met with Mary Louise today, whom I love, she is a lot of fun! She guessed that the little guy is going to weigh about 7.12, then changed her mind to 7.9. I hear she is almost always right, so we will see! We did my Group B Strep test and she also checked me and I am dilated to 1.5cm and 60% effaced. Is that TMI for a blog? Well, I am thrilled that things are moving along and somewhat shocked that I, yes I, am actually going to have a baby! Whoa! My big test for nursing school is next Friday morning, so as long as he stays in until then, which I have politely requested, I will be a happy camper! Things have really got crazy for Miah at work this week so he is hoping the little guy will come right on time, which is just what Mary Louise predicts. Also, we talked about how much Jeremiah and I weighed (8.15 & 7.14) and how my mom's labor progressed (4.5hrs from start to finish). I must say, I hope that I take after my mom in that regard!!
This weekend we head to Durango for our baby class weekend. Then we will be all set for the big day!

Boot camp!

Today I went to Boot Camp, a new workout class at the gym. Yesterday at my spin class I asked Genalese, my favorite instructor whose classes I attend Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, about the new class and she responded that I was starting to make her nervous and that she didn't know how to deliver a baby. Anyway, I was there at 9am this morning and had a lovely time. Felt a little goofy with this huge belly (I'm due four weeks from today!!) but everyone has a good attitude right along with me.
So, while I have had to set running and even walking aside for now, I am still finding ways to stay active, but I did have to take a nap this afternoon. The different activity really wore me out!
Gary has started calling me Jane Fonda, which I absolutely object too. I did feel a little better when he said, "Well, how about a conservative Jane Fonda?"

A dry run.

Yesterday Jeremiah and I installed the carseat. Our little Rav4 doesn't have a whole lot of room, but we got it in there. Once we got the base installed, Jeremiah got the actual carseat to practice taking it in and out of the car. Trust me, Baby Hayes will be grateful we had this practice. It was pretty bumpy! Then Jeremiah got the stroller so we could practice the stroller to car and back motion. This wasn't good enough because there was no baby in the carseat. So, into the house for the bear stuffed with beans. This bear weighs a ton! Once we had that down, Jeremiah was convinced we were ready. We had a lot of fun :)

Nursing school.

Many of you know how long I have wanted to be a nurse. I remember the time in my life that this desire began to develop, and although at the time I said it was God leading me I have often second guessed myself. To be honest, I am not sure if nursing is a calling or an opportunity, but either way the Lord has used it in my life to teach me a great many things about walking with him.
Although I tried (and tried!) to get into nursing school at UNM, I was never able to, hence my decision to apply at Hawaii Pacific University. I was accepted right as I met my Miah and we were married so quickly that I put nursing on the back burner again and graduated with a BUS degree (in stuff: African American studies, communication, history and religion...) from UNM. When HPU sent me a letter a few months later, it was just the catalyst that Jeremiah and I needed and we moved to HI (that is the Reader's Digest version). We bought a condo right down the street from HPU and it all seemed to fall into place. Until Jeremiah was told he would be working 5 days a week for at least 6 months on another island. After much prayer about the decision to be spending so much time apart we decided that the Lord was leading us to move to Molokai and back to the back burner nursing went. Perhaps I should not say back burner, because each time nursing school did not work out I was sure that the Lord was directing our path and leading us in the way we should go. I knew I was making the right decision for my marriage by not attending HPU - not only the right decision, but the one the Lord wanted me to make.
Well, now another opportunity has presented itself. I am applying to the nursing program here in Farmington. I have a big comprehensive exam to take on November 21 (Baby Hayes, please stay put until then!!!) and much of my day is spent studying. Let me tell ya, it has been an adjustment preparing for an exam again after all these years! Thank goodness for that period of being an algebra tutor while we were in HI!! I will apply to San Juan's nursing program before the baby is due and will find out next April if I made it. It is a very competitive program, just like at UNM, so we will see what the future holds. I would not start until next fall, of 2010. The neat thing is that because of all the credits I have from UNM my first two semesters would consist of only one class and I would be able to skip the first summer of classes entirely.
So, I have no idea was the future holds, but I am grateful that I can try, try once again!!

"Strength and dignity are her clothing. She SMILES at the future."
Proverbs 13:25

Big Brother Comes HOME!!

That's right, my big brother is moving back to New Mexico on Saturday!! Baby Hayes can hardly wait!!
This picture is from Thanksgiving a couple of years ago when everyone came over to Molokai. It makes me giggle because of the big brother/little sister dynamic that was occuring. I am somewhat afraid of the ocean, but with Gary by my side I would always get in.

Look what we woke up to!

If this doesn't make you want to stay home and read a book....