And then there were three...

It has been a while since an update. I finally have a little time.

First, I would like everyone to know that I was in labor for 20 hours. However, to me it was only 6 hours because I didn't really feel anything the other 14. Once I got the epidural, it went really fast. I pushed a few times and she popped out. Literally! My midwife and the nurses were amazed at how everything progressed so fast and so well. They told me that the next time I have a baby, I better be at the hospital quick because it wouldn't stay in me long!

Second, she is back to her birth weight after only 7 days. We are super happy about that since we had a few problems with her having jaundice. Since she was 16 days early, she was more prone to have it. However, her liver kicked in on day 5 (like normal) and she will be fine. She is no longer that tinge of yellow. YEA!

Third, we are adjusting to life at home quite well. I actually went out on the Tuesday after we left the hospital. My two sisters were in town and watched Emilia while we went to a friends birthday gathering for 3 hours. I went because Peter really wanted me to. I don't want to treat my husband any different just because we are parents now. He was very proud. I feel like I am falling in love with him all over again! It is wonderful. I cried on the way to the party and for the first 5 minutes we were there. I was OK after that. It is different but in the best way possible.

It is back to work for me. Slowly, of course. Luckily, I work from home so it isn't too bad. I just have to make sure she is sleeping or content while talking to clients. Not too hard since she pretty much sleeps all the time anyway. How did you think I was updating my blog, anyway?!?

We had a wonderful Christmas. We had our traditional Slovakian Christmas on the 24th. Peter cooked all day while I attended to Emilia and napped. He insists on me napping at least once for at least an hour during the day so I am OK at night. Normally, she only gets up 1-2 times but occasionally, she will be up 4 times. Sometimes she is just more hungry than others. I didn't expect anything less with Peter as her father.

Everyone tells us that she looks like Peter. I definitely see it. She has his hairline and his lip shape. She has my plumpness of lips. We are still out on her nose. I think her eyes will be brown but we'll see. I was hoping for green or blue. Either way, she is beautiful to us. We just sit and stare at her.

Being parents isn't hard. It does take work but it is worth it. We love everything about it.

Birth announcements will be in the mail soon. Maybe with your Christmas card. I only got a chance to send out half since she came early. Sorry, to those people!

No, you didn't pee on yourself...

So, I guess my post earlier can be disregarded. I am currently in the hospital hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and I have an IV.

So, the story goes...

I was on my way home from Publix where I had just told my friend Erin that I wouldn't be going into labor any time soon. Ten minutes later when I arrived home, my water broke. It wasn't a gush of water but trickles here and there. Instead of going to the hockey game, we came to the hospital where they checked to make sure everything was on the up and up. Sure enough, I'll have a baby on December 18th.

Pictures to come later!

"You look ready..."

Really? Do I? What gave it away? My size or the painful look of happiness on my face when you make a ridiculous comment? If one more person randomly tells me "I look ready" whilst out shopping, I could explode. (um, maybe that wouldn't be so bad...)

I went to my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday. I am exactly the same as I was a week ago. I'm assuming my midwife didn't remember giving me a pelvic exam last week because when I told her I was really uncomfortable because the baby's head was down, she looked at me and said, "It only feels like the baby's head is down". Then she did the pelvic exam. What did she find? That's right! The baby's head, DOWN. Then she was all like, "Wow, you must really be uncomfortable! Well, it doesn't get better. You only have a couple more weeks. Hang in there". I left very agitated.

I have come to terms with the fact that I have approximately 3 weeks left. I will have to go through Christmas and the New Year in unbelievable discomfort. I no longer believe she will come early and do not plan on trying any other natural labor inducers. I don't believe they work.

I was on Facebook right before I wrote this post. Facebook wanted me to reconnect with my husband. I think that is funny. I'm pretty sure we did enough connecting to last me a whole 9 months!

And to end my post, I would just like to say that being pregnant has made me miss the simple things in life, like putting on socks. Today it only took me 4 minutes!

Nice of you to finally drop in...

Here I am at 37 weeks. I went to the doctor this past Wednesday. My midwife said that she (the baby) was "way, way down". I already knew that because I can finally breathe again. Also, it is much harder for me to walk. I'm still going though. My mind is blank most of the time. I've recently lost my Sam's Club card (at Sam's Club) and I forgot about Slovak lessons on Thursday even though Slovak lessons have been on Thursday for over a year now. Oh, and did I mention, I forgot to pay for them, too! My wonderful teacher had to remind me!
Peter said he is hoping to have a Christmas baby. I really don't care as long as she comes soon. I know the chances of that happening are slim to none but a girl can dream, can't she? I try to nap a little during the day but sometimes I am way too busy. I guess I'll regret that when I go into labor at 9 pm and have to be up all night with contractions. I also haven't packed a bag or picked a pediatrician. I think I'm probably way behind. I don't know. I've never done this before. I figure everything will work itself out.
Maybe my next post will be about how beautiful my baby is or it could be about how miserable I am. Who knows?

Here are some pictures of me at 35 weeks. I have gained approximately 25 lbs thus far. The doctor told me that my measurements and weight are good. She also told me to expect to go past my due date. Peter has come to accept this. I,however, am still holding out! I have several anecdotal stories to tell regarding my everyday life; unfortunately, by the time I sit down to type, I have pretty much forgotten all of them. If you see me two days in a row wearing approximately the same thing, don't worry, I just forgot what I had on the day before.

Everyone continues to ask me if I am "excited" because the due date is so close. Just to clarify, I AM VERY EXCITED! I know I may not show it exactly how everyone else does, but I'm not like everyone else. If anyone has any hints as to how I'm supposed to act excited, please let me know. I hate to disappoint.

I broke down and bought a few more maternity pieces. One pair of pants and two shirts. I'm hoping to be able to wear it through giving birth but everyday I feel bigger and bigger. So, we'll see.

Peter brought back several books in Slovak for the baby. I am attempting to learn a few nursery rhymes to say to her. We have books for the first few years. It should be fun!

I go to the doctor every week until the "big day" so expect more frequent updates. Hopefully.