Come out already!

39 weeks! And yes, those are stretch marks forming as of yesterday, thanks a lot Gracie, if you would have come when I told you these would have been avoided.

46 inches, yowza!

Pictures Nakaya drew for the nursery, LOVE them!

Elephant picture that Uncle Colin drew for the nursery, so awesome!

Andrew was pretty excited about these, he picked them out and surprised me with them.

Yup, matching finials. He's been watching too much HGTV

Mom made the lamp shade and helped with the window coverings! Beautiful!

Most common questions lately...
How are you feeling: Annoyed. And my back is killing me.
Next Appt: Thursday morning!
Stretch marks: unfortunately they are slowly appearing (more tears and bitching to come about this I'm sure)
Dilation: As of last Thurs I was 1 1/2cm, soft, and mostly effaced.
Contractions: Weak sauce! Nothing that has got me thinking "this is it!" mostly crampy ones and tightening
When do I think it will happen: I hope tonight but it feels like never
Work: Yes, still doing 10 hr shifts, off on Thurs. I am determined to stick it out until the bitter end.
Andrew Update:
Andrew has decided to leave Paychex. His last day was Friday and I think he was a little sad to go. I have good feelings about his next adventure at Fullerton (a local competitor). He will still be a group health broker, but how he gets and retains his clients will be different...that's the short version of it all :) so for now he is home taking care of the boys and checking stuff off his to-do list before Gracie comes. His tentative start date for the new job will be November 12.

anxiously waiting...

*Sorry, too lazy for a pic this week, I will put a back log of them on here when I get a wild hair*
I am so sick of waiting. I actually have everything ready to go (or at least I think I do). And for once in my life it's ahead of time! We have another appt this Thursday morning that I am excited for, I am hoping that there has been some change since last time, hopefully not quite as dramatic though :)
I am totally copying Becca's blog, but I love that it covers all the common questions:

How I'm feeling: depends on the minute you ask me. Typical answers would be... back pain, tired, hungry, pissy, sweaty, annoyed, lazy... If you are my patient or pretty much anyone other than my best friend or family I usually answer with "Not too shabby" or "Hangin in there" with a smile on my face. If I say it enought I start to believe it after about hour 3 of working.


How big is she: probably huge, I mean, I feel huge. Maybe 7.5-8 lbs?
Weight gain so far: A ridiculous 48 pounds :(

How is Andrew: anxious! He wants to see what she looks like. He's been keeping me busy and giving my surprises almost everyday, so sweet!

How much time are you taking off: 12 weeks, maybe 2 more, but at least 12 weeks. We have daycare all set up, Gracie and Mia will be at the same place and Mia is doing SO good there. Gracie will have a lot to learn, mIa isn't making it easy :)
What I'm most excited for: Obviously to meet her and see what she looks like. To get back to real clothes and shoes (ya, my boots don't fit), get my shoes and sock on with out sounding like I triend to run a lap around the track, and wine, wine, wine.
What I'm most afraid of: That something might go wrong with Gracie, that I will still be huge like months from now, and that Barney won't chill out. Speaking of Barn Barn...he's been crazy lately. He needs serious attention, he won't leave my side and his energy level is through the roof! He has gone through and tore up most his toys, it looks like a massacre in our living room most days.

  Food, Wine, and Wishes:
What an amazing night last night! Food, Wine, and Wishes is an annual charity event thrown by Make a Wish to raise money. It was held at the Portland Art Museum (where Andrew and I had our first prom together) and the amount of money raised was ridicuous! We are talking about people throwing up their auction numbers to donate $10,000, we kinda felt a little out of place at that particular moment :) These people are giving kids the most amazing gift, their wish. The people we met were so nice and the stuff donated for auction was so much more than I have ever seen. Last year I heard they raised over $300,000 and I have full confidence that this year they surpassed that. And I definitely will need to buy a new dress for next year, assuming I'm not pregnant again haha.

Weekly Update:
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 7 pounds ( I bet you she's past that) and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old.

Believe it or not, your baby may have taken her first bowel movement. The waste is a greenish-black substance called meconium and either passed in the womb or is stored in its intestines and will be excreted after birth. Your baby is also practicing breathing and urinating.

Pictures are back!

Courtney did an AMAZING job! here's the link to the photo's if the slideshow doesn't work. Also FB is updated with some of the favorites :) My boys are SO STINKIN CUTE!

O'Neal Family Photos 2012

Friday doesn't always mean Funday

Annoying/Stressful day at the doctors and the hospital...

All was going good at the appt: she's head down, heartbeat sounds good, cervix is soft (wahoo!) and 20% effaced. And then there was a good amount of bleeding. Which is not normal for me or from a doc's perspective. So after much discussion with the head MD, they decided I (mostly Gracie) needed to be monitored at Sunnyside and that I shouldn't work for 3 days. We were told we needed to head straight there, no time to get our bags or a snack! I was playing it cool up until that point, no time? no snack? what!?

So off to Sunnyside we go and get hooked up to monitors that show Gracie's heartbeat and my contractions. Both MD's at the hospital were busy (1 in OR and 1 in ER) which left us there several hours longer than anticipated. They good news is that Gracie seems to be doing just fine, heart rate is good, and I do not have anything wrong with my placenta. She was being a little pill and making the nurses really work, she kept moving around which would make it hard to find her heartbeat, they were literally chasing her around my stomach with the monitor. And much to my surprise there were lots more contractions than I thought I was having. Quite and active duo we had today between Gracie and my uterus :)

Unfortunately they didn't do an ultrasound, which royally pissed me off. I can understand their reasoning for not needing one, but I will try agaon next time (in 2 weeks when I have my next appt). She feels average weight and they have no reason to believe she will be a 10 pounder...at this point. They sent me home with not a lot of info, but what we did have was news that Gracie is healthy.

I swear I will pack my hospital bag tonight or tomorrow and keep a book and phone charger nearby. I keep telling myself that, but after todays scare I really mean it!

Things I really hate:
moving
making food
bending over
putting shoes on
peeing 30x/day
andrews new ring tones
when barney has to wear his cone of shame
dealing with customer service
people screwing up my takeout order
not getting my way, just do what I say and there won't be any problems

Things I love:
knowing someone probably has it worse off than me (mean I know, but it's the truth and this is my blog so I can say what I want)
barney cuddling with me
watching Breaking Bad episodes with Andrew
pretty much all my TV shows
massages
unexpected farts, they are SO funny
when spike farts
nap time

Week 36-=Panic

I realize that these posts are getting to be every other week, but I so freaking lazy it's unreal. We just got done with our maternity photo shoot with Courtney (Courtney Z Photography: http://courtneyz.com/) last weekend, and we can hardly wait to see all the pictures! We got some great shots and all the boys looked so handsome! The baby shower that Lauren and Nancy did was amazing! They did a bee theme ("Mother to Bee" get it?) which was super cute. It was so good to see everyone! And a quick shout out to the Taylor's! Congrats to Nikke who had baby Kenna J last week, she is SO adorable! They make things look easy, ugh!

Spike and Barney are getting ready to be big brothers. Barney is trying his hardest to not be scared of the swing and spike is trying to not get annoyed that we watch him on the video monitor 24-7.

We have an appointment Friday morning, WITH ULTRASOUND! so I will try to post again with all the gross details of that this weekend. Currently I am hanging in there. Some days its by a string, but it could be a lot worse right? There's lots of new aches and pains which I am hoping it is just magic happening in my lady parts...we'll find out friday :) Overall we are freaking out. Mostly just excited to meet Gracie, but I definitely cannot chill out. My mind is racing and the to-do list is never ending. SO MUCH TO DO!!!!

Week 36 Update:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Holy Shhhower!

What a crazy week, but LOTS of exciting stuff! Ali, my mom, Cathie, and many other helpers put on an amazing shower last Saturday, a book theme!. Here are some highlights:

Notice how all the books match the food next to them!? It took me a while...

SO clever and SO tasty!

Where did Ali's belly go?

Diaper cake made by Grandma O'Neal

Nakaya and Karli were a great help!

Maril showing Mia how to party

Dani and Harvey, notice his handsome bow tie!?

Dasha getting her Mia fix

Becca 17 weeks, Nikki 34 weeks. I just love Becca's belly :)

Taking care of Mia is EXHAUSTING! haha

Week 35 Update:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete – she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Although babies are considered preemies until 37 weeks, 99 percent of babies born at week 35 survive without any major complications. The baby's organs are already developed and are becoming more and more defined each week. Her central nervous system is maturing, the digestive system is almost complete and her lungs are almost fully developed.

33/34 weeks, Nursery Furniture!

Andrew: ok, this should only take 30 minutes, Spike is Andrew's "assistant"

I just read the directions...maybe a little longer...

Spike & Barney are NO help so far

It's coming together!

The most comfortable chair EVER (comes with a rocking ottoman!)

just a few more steps....

Add caption

The assistant needed a break.

Barney is so over this

All finished! Done in 25 minutes!

And a really cute stuffed animal

We made a home video of this whole process but for whatever reason I am not able to upload it to the blog (if anyone knows how to do this let me know). Now we just have to add the finishing touches to the room and of course pack our hospital bags! Actually there's a HUGE list after all that but I am trying not to think about it :) 

I had a. appt last week and everything seems to be going great so far (from her perspective). When she asked me, I wasn't so sure. We talked alot about options with my back and pelvis pain. She has told me twice now to get a pregnancy girdle. We aren't talking about some support belt around your belly, she was referring to one that goes through your legs, comes up and around and looks completely ridiculous! Um, no thanks. I was also concerned that things aren't going to fit, but she assures me that Gracie will be birthed through my hips just fine. I want that in writing, seriously.

Baby showers and photo sessions are coming up! I can hardley wait, I know there's been lots of hard work put into the next 2 weekends :) We decided to do maternity photo's with our friend Courtney from Linfield, she has been doing some photography lately and does a great job! Now I just have to find something to wear other than my yoga pants and t-shirt ugh! Any ideas?

33 Week Update:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. 

Your baby will accumulate more fat, turning your baby’s skin from red to pink. This fat will keep your baby warm from birth until it can regulate its own body temperature.

There’s not much room in your womb for your baby now. You will feel less jabs and kicks and more rolling movements as your baby’s quarters become more confined.

The developing neural structure within the brain is helping your baby listen, feel and partially see. It is also allowing for REM sleep cycles, which your baby experiences often as it sleeps 90 to 95 percent of the day at this point.

34 Week Update:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers – which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born – are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.  
 
It is important to get enough calcium this week because the baby is hardening its skeletal structure. Your baby will be fine if you do not get enough calcium, but you will not be because your baby will be taking the calcium from your own bones to supplement the development. So be sure to get that extra calcium (in prenatal vitamin and food form) for both of you.

She better be cute

Barn Barn decided it was play time!

And Spike decided to join

But wasn't in the mood to play rough, he just wanted to give Gracie some kisses

Andrew doesn't know my style of taking a belly photo, why is my head in the picture?

My sweet boys!

I feel like I need to complain, and this blog seems like the most appropriate place to do it. HOLY HIPS! I woke up on Tuesday and I could barely walk. I was emotional and in tons of pain. My entire pelvis felt like it was disintegrating. I finally pulled it together and was getting dressed for work when I noticed new stretch marks. I lost it (still not over it). I know it's totally normal, but I always hoped I would be the lucky one that avoided that shit. I know it sounds dramatic, but this was a pretty traumatic morning. Thankfully my hip pain was just a bad day because when I woke up on Wednesday they felt 100 times better. It was a scary thought that I could be in that much pain for the next 2 months! What if it didn't go away? How was I supposed to work? And all of you that know me well can imagine all the panic that was going through my head at the time (it's what I felt like before a test in college, ya...that bad).
I am 90% sure I am starting to have contractions that don't feel good, I can't sit for long, can't stand for long, can't bend over within 4 hours of eating, my food is stuck in my throat, Gracie learned how to kick my ribs, I am starving then I am sick to my stomach, and my arms and "chin" look huge. I think I am done now. For this week.

More exciting news...Andrew is now on the Junior board for Make A Wish AND has a new wish kid! He will find out more about both of these things next week, so more to come on that.

32 Week Update:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.