The Day Before the BIG Day!

Well, it's officially Sunday. Which makes it officially one day before I become a Mommy. I'm going in tonight at 5 pm to get a cervidil which will soften my cervix and hopefully help me dilate some more. Then, Monday morning they will induce me. I don't think it's completely hit me that in 24 hours (give or take) I'm going to be a mom. Whoa! That's big! I'm feeling that "burst of energy" before the delivery...otherwise known as nesting. I'm doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and getting everything organized and ready for the hospital. I feel good. I feel calm. I'm pretty sure that on the way to the hospital that will change and I will realize that my life will forever be changed and I will have someone other than myself to think about from now on. I think I'm up for the challenge. God is good. He has provided for us in many ways and opened some doors for us and I can totally see His hand in all of it. I am thankful for my sweet husband who has been there for me every step of the way through this pregnancy. He has loved me through my good and bad times. I'm very lucky to be able to give my daughter the gift of a good father. I know not everyone has had that. I wanted to also thank you, my friends, for the love and support you have shown me over the last nine months. I am so thankful for such wonderful people in my life. Please know how much that means.

I wanted to let you know that Austin has created a twitter account just for this blessed event! He told me that once we get to the hospital he is comphiscating my phone and wants me to relax and not worry about keeping people informed (I am quite the texter). He said that he will update his twitter account to let everyone know what's going on. So, I wanted to leave you with that if you are interested in keeping up with the progress...however, I realize that everyone else has lots more important things to do! :0) I just wanted you to know it was there. I have never been on twitter, but here is the link. If you want, check it from time to time for updates.

I leave you now with my hubby's latest Facebook status that pretty much describes how we are getting ready for AB's arrival. I read it and immediately laughed and it made my heart smile. My husband's thoughts, according to Facebook:

"Austin Aldrich is "nesting" with the wife. It used to be called "cleaning," but now we're "nesting." '

He's so funny! Ok, well actually my crazy self is going to run to Whataburger at 12:30 am to get the hubby and I taquitos. Hey - we love us some Whataburger taquitos and I know the days of leaving at midnight whenever I want to do that are about to be very few and far between. Better take advantage of it the last night before she gets here. Again, thanks for all the prayers and keep 'em comin'.

Much love to all!!

-Jen :0)

Doctor's Visit No. 16

I went in today for a check-up to see if I'd made any progress or not for my induction on Monday. Nope. No progress. None whatsoever! (Sigh) Not that I was really expecting it, but one can hope. So, I'm being admitted into labor and delivery on Sunday night to get a cervidil. This will soften my cervix and open me up some so that I can be induced on Monday morning. Annabelle seems perfectly content where she is, and so I'm certain she'll stay put until Monday morning...unless the cervidil puts me into labor which she said it can do. So, it looks like I'm FINALLY going to meet my sweet baby on Monday. I can't believe it - it really hasn't hit me yet. Oh, and by the way, I went in on Wednesday for a sonogram because I felt Annabelle hadn't been moving as much as she normally does. The sonogram technician told me that she guessed her weight to be about 8lbs. 8oz. at this point in the game. Whoa - can we say episiotomy??? Lol! Or maybe c-section??? TMI?? Sorry. Anyway, however she gets here, I just want her here safely and I'm so all about that. Well, looks like by next week we'll have Annabelle. Thanks for all the prayers and support. Keep 'em comin'! Much love!

Doctor's Visit No. 15

So, I had high hopes for this Dr.'s appt. Afterall, I am 39 weeks and only five days away from my due date. Not to mention, I became "unplugged" on Saturday...catch my drift??? So, after that I figured that I had to be dilated to at least a two...maybe even a three?? Heck, why not four?? Anyway, I was feeling particularly optimistic for this appointment. I went in and after my exam, Dr. McC said, "Well, you're a one, BUT it's a very loose one, almost a two." (Blank stare and dead silence - from me). Excuse me? Did you say, "A one?!" For three weeks I've been a one?!?!? It took all I had not to cry. I refused to cry, however I wanted to. I guess I figured I'd being seing her sooner than my due date. She had other plans. So, we talked about it and Dr. McC is pretty confident I'll go to my due date. So, she decided not to torture me too much and induce me early Monday morning. She decided to bring me in Sunday night to do a cervidil (sp??) to soften the cervix and then induce me early Monday morning. I know that it was only a week away, but when you're crazy anxious to meet your baby....a week can seem like months! So, we set up the dates and everything, but before I left she wanted to take my blood pressure one more time since it was kinda high when I got there. This has happened before and by the time I had left it had gone down - not this time. My blood pressure stayed high. So, they ended up admitting me to labor and delivery. Dr. McC told me that after being monitored for an hour or so, plus having blood work done, and if it didn't go down and the blood work came back negative then they were going to "kick the baby out" is the way she put it. So, I learned from my prior experience to not get my hopes up and think I was going to get to see her on this day. After waiting around labor and delivery in a gorgeous gown (sarcasm) and starving for dinner, my blood pressure had returned to normal and my blood work was fine...they sent me home. It was nice to go home, actually. Lying there in that bed I started thinking of all the things I forgot at home and wanted to do, so I felt that I could go home and do them. So, this time next week we should have little Annabelle here. It's crazy to think about! I'm a little nervous about being induced. I was hoping it would just happen naturally, and I know it still could, but I just want everything to go smoothly. I'm just praying for a safe and healthy delivery to get this sweet angel here with little or no complications. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! I go back on Friday for one last appointment before the cervidil. Getting close! I'll keep you posted!

38 Weeks and Counting...

Friday the 7th I hit the 38 week mark and was getting more ancy than ever! My ankles have started to stay pretty swollen whether I've been on my feet all day or not. Austin and I decided to have a date night on this night since we don't know how many of those will get to have before we become parents. And, since Annabelle is showing no signs of wanting to leave my comfy womb, we thought tonight would be a great night. We went to Chipotle, which let me just say that this was a big deal for me because I have not wanted to step foot into a Chipotle since I've been pregnant. However, right before I got pregnant, Chipotle is ALL I wanted. We ate there and I found it to be very satisfying...no aversions to it which was good. Then we went across the way to AMC to see a movie. I hadn't seen a movie with my hubby in a good while so it was fun to get to sit close and see a movie. We saw Funny People...yeah...not so funny. That was my thought, anyway. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty good movie, but I was expecting a lot more out of Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan. Just call me Siskel and Ebert.

Saturday was a particularly difficult one for me. I hadn't felt very good all day. I was tired, big, swollen and outright cranky. It was also Austin's mom's hubby's birthday and we were going out for his birthday dinner. As I made the dreaded walk to the closet to try and find something to wear, I eye-balled all of the clothes that I could still fit into. That equates to only about 4 or 5 different things. So, I tried on some shirts that I hadn't attempted in a while. After about the third one that was too small and uncomfortable, I threw it on the floor as well as myself, and started having a sobbing fit (getting the image of a bratty two year old? Yeah... that's pretty accurate!). Austin just stared at me for a while and then tried to talk some sense into me, but I was already indulged in my self pity (it's an only child thing). So, I put on my same ol, same ol red dress that I wear all the time, and we left to meet our family for dinner. I was pretty much a mess the rest of the night. I just felt huge, tired, and really ready to meet my baby. In all seriousness, the swelling was really starting to become an issue with me. It wasn't just the swelling, but my feet hurt and so did my legs. So, Saturday was just an all out uncomfortable and emotional day. Feeling sorry for Austin, yet?

Sunday, I woke up a mess . I was so upset, too, because I was supposed to go to sweet Brenna Pounds' baptism. I just couldn't get my sore feet and legs out of bed that morning. However, I heard that Brenna was jumping up and down in excitment of her wonderful decision to accept Christ. I wish I could've been there to see that. My swollen feet and sore legs also kept me from going to my Grandmother's birthday lunch that day also. I know everyone understood, but I hated to miss it. Towards late afternoon I started feeling a lot better, and I'm sure that was due to staying in bed ALL day and not being on my feet hardly at all. Austin and I ran an errand that evening, and on our way back he told me that he was taking me to Target. He said that I HAD to pick something out that I felt good about myself in and I wouldn't dread wearing. (He's the best, by the way). So, I waddled into the maternity section of Target and found this wonderful (BIG) flowy dress that I didn't feel too completely "whale-ish" in. I've ended up loving it and would wear it everyday...but I don't. That night Nick and Kelly were having a "Back to School Cookout" with everyone from work. I was pretty much set on not going due to my feet and legs, but I figured since it was at their house I could sit in their big, comfy chair all night. So, I did. I felt like a blob, and hated not helping cook or clean, but sitting on my big booty was good for me, I think. Here are some pics from that night.

Monday, I went to the doctor hoping to get loads of good news. Not so much. She had dropped a little bit from last week, but for the most part I was still only a centimeter dilated. Earlier that day my sister-in-law had picked me up and we went to Hobby Lobby and to look for some curtain's for Annabelle's room. Let's just say that little bit of running around allowed me to sleep really well that night.

Tuesday, I met my long-term sub up at school to go over everything I had planned. I'm really blessed to get such a wonderful, experienced (ex-Kindergarten) teacher. She's done lots of long-term subbing jobs in the past and I'm grateful that she can take over my class. We met for two hours, but I could've gone on for hours and hours about everything I do in my classroom. I'm trying to learn to "let go" and let things be just a little bit. It's hard for me to do that! Afterwards, I met Austin for lunch and then enrolled Joey into Pre-K. It was a full day, and my cankles didn't get much rest.

Wednesday, was back to work (sort-of). Our team had our team planning day that day that we were required to do for credit. It was fun to be back with my girls and to see everyone. They are one of the reasons I love my job so much and why I go back to where I am every year. We had a good day together and got a lot accomplished. I worked A LOT that day to get everything done, but I'd reached my limit and hadn't quite finished everything. So, I told myself that I would come up the next day.

Thursday was actually the last day I had off and the last day to sleep in. Friday was back to work day, so this day was the last day to veg out. I had planned on going into work, but with a friend's help, I decided not to. I figured that I had done so much already and there wasn't that much left, I should spend my last day relaxing. That's what I did. I slept in (something I'm trying to really take advantage of), had lunch with a good friend, and then spent the rest of the afternoon just lying around. However, this lying around was bitter-sweet for me. For those of you who have been keeping up with and praying for our situation with our nephew Joey, this day was the hearing to decide who gets custody - his mom or his dad. We have been praying and praying that Ashley (his mom) would get custody because we plan on taking the both of them in and helping in raising Joey. I was going to go to the hearing, but decided last minute that it was probably best I don't go due to how I'd been feeling. I don't know if I would've been much use anyway. I was on pins and needles waiting on the verdict all day long. The judge actually decided that he wanted to take another two weeks to do some more "homework" on the situation and talk to some of Ashley's doctors and things like that. From what I hear, the judge was very unimpressed with Joey's dad (no surprise there). I prayed that God would open the judge's eyes to the lies that Joey's dad had been spreading to try and get Joey. I think he saw that he was trying to cheat the system a bit. So, even though we were going two extra weeks without Joey, the judge said that we could have him on Saturday and Sunday from ten to three. Until then, we're just going to pray that Joey is placed with us and that he won't have to endure anymore of this instability. But knowing that I was going to be able to see him made my heart very happy! Leaving you with a picture of my ginormous belly at 38 weeks.

Stay tuned for week 39...

Happy Birthday, "Aunt" Laura!!!!!!

Annabelle is waiting for you to get back before she makes her entrance! We love you!

Doctor's Visit No. 14

*Sigh*...not a lot of progress at this appointment, either. However, she has dropped since last week and the doctor was able to feel her head better than she could the last two weeks, so that makes me feel a little better. The doc said that I will most likely go until my due date. She said, unless my water breaks before then, I'm in it for the long hall. Well as of today, the long hall is 11 days. Doesn't sound that far away, right??? Wrong! It sounds like forever! Ok, I'm being a little dramatic. It really doesn't sound that long, I'm just really anxious to meet my little Smelly Annabelly Noelly as her Daddy calls her. I'm pretty sure my nick-name for her will be "Belly", and then I'll probably shorten that to "B". I don't know, just a thought. I did gain 5 pounds since last week!!!!! But, I'm the most swollen I've ever been and most of that is water weight my doctor said - whew! So, August 21st or after is looking like when it's going to be. In some ways, I do hope she waits until my due date so I can go to Meet the Teacher night. I really feel like that will put the parents and kiddos at ease to have at least met their child's teacher. On the other hand, I don't particularly want to go into labor at Meet the Teacher. Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see. It was kinda cool today...Austin and I were talking to my sister-in-law and she was asking when the exact due date was, again...and I looked at her and said, "Next week." Austin and I both looked at eachother like, "Whoa!" Next week?!?! Really??!? So, it's kinda cool to think about it, but man, "next week" has never seemed so far away!

I'd still appreciate your prayers for a safe delivery and healthy baby. Since I've made my blog "private" I've had a lot of responses of those of you who keep up with the blog. It makes me feel so good to know I have such wonderful friends and a great support system. All of you are awesome!

37 Weeks and Counting...

Friday was a fun night for me. For the first time in months, I got "dolled up", and Austin and I went out on a double date with two of our closest friends who met at Austin's bday. (whose names shall remain nameless). :0) It was lots of fun, especially because I was able to eat sushi!!! I LOVE sushi! Well, let me rephrase, I LOVE California and Tempura rolls. I know some people would argue that it isn't "real" sushi. I haven't had it in over nine months and it was wonderful!!! I did make the mistake of wearing heels. What?? Haven't I done this to myself before? Well, I felt they looked the best with the outfit I was wearing and so I wore them...dumb choice. I paid for it the next day.

Saturday, with the exception of achey legs from the heels, I was super excited because I was able to go out with my girls from work and I got all "dolled" up again. Getting all dressed up two nights in a row? That was a treat for me! This time, I wised up and wore my black flip flops with my fancy shirt and black pants. I reached the "I don't care" point. We went to Primo's in Rockwall and had such a good time. It was great being out with the girls. We had lots of fun! I tried to cherish every second of it, seeing as that I know it will take some time before I can get all dolled up and go out again after Annabelle arrives. However, I have such amazing friends, they'd probably bring the party to me and Annabelle. Here are some pics from Saturday.

Sunday, yeah Sunday I was tired. All that fun for two days in a row, wore this soon-to-be Momma out! Even though I was tired, I finished up some projects in Annabelle's room and Austin got started on painting the changing table so we could get it moved in. I finished up a couple of art projects I wanted to hang on the wall, and finished organizing her closet. It was also a treat for me on Sunday to go to a movie with one of my favorite people. My friend, Amanda, and I are BIG Gerard Butler fans. She had just gotten back from Ireland, and before she left we had agreed to go see The Ugly Truth with Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl. It was hysterical! It was fun to see the movie who has such a crush on the same celebrity I do!

Monday was my doctor's appointment. I was so happy because Austin was with me for this appointment. I think we both went in hoping the doctor would say, "Oh, you've made so much progress!" Nope. I made none....I sort of expected that more so than the other response. After the doctor's appointment Austin started painting the changing table with his new paint sprayer he bought himself for his birthday. I was in Annabelle's room putting diapers, blankets, wipes, and that kind of stuff in the pink tubs that were going on her changing table. I heard this really loud bang coming from the garage. I walk out there, and my sweet, calm, cool and collected husband is red-faced and looks like he's ready to hurt something (or someone!). The paint sprayer kept clogging up on him which sent big globs of paint onto the almost finished changing table. The loud banging, I believe was his fist against the wall, I think. Lol. No, I didn't really laugh out loud in front of him, but he rarely ever gets this way. So, I tried smoothing out the paint with the paintbrush. It worked fine, and no worries. I told him to go in...he needed a break. With the exception of the malfunctioning sprayer, he did such a good job painting it! We went to my mother in law's for dinner, and when we got back the changing table was dry and we were able to put it in A's room. It looked awesome! Then, to stick with the vintage themed room, I wanted glass knobs to go on the front of the changing table to serve as decoration or even hooks to hang something. He drilled them in, and it just completed it! I'm so excited!

Tuesday morning, ran up to Michael's to get some more containers for Annabelle's room and to decorate with, then off to a PTA budget meeting. Not a whole lot going on that day.

Wednesday started off different for me. I woke up that morning around 6 am. I couldn't seem to get back to sleep. So, I was thinking about my messy kitchen that I really needed to clean. So, I got myself out of bed and marched myself into the kitchen and started cleaning. Before I knew it, I had the dishwasher loaded, decluttered the counter-tops, disinfected the counter tops, and table. Then I noticed how messy the living room looked, too. So, I moved on to cleaning the living room. By 7:15 or so, I had two rooms of my house clean! NEVER in my life have I been up that early to clean...ANYTHING! I did sort of zonk myself out and went back to sleep for an hour and a half or so, but I still felt very productive. Then, that afternoon I had to get up to school to finish up my classroom prep. Sweet Archana went up to school with me to help me out in my classroom. Oh man! Did I need the help, too. She did so much of the little things that take up all the time. I was able to almost finish, and I did it in half the time with her there. My contractions started back up on this day. I hadn't felt them this intense in a few weeks, but they went away around bed time.

Thursday, I slept in (trying to do that as much as I can...unless I can't, then I clean!). I met Austin for lunch and I couldn't help but think about how the next time I meet him for lunch, Annabelle will probably be with me when I do! It's exciting to think about. My school was having a family night for the staff at a rollerskating rink. I so didn't know rollerskating rinks were still around, but I went with Krista, but opted out of skating...for obvious reasons. It was good seeing my Groves family and knowing I have such a supportive staff to see me through this exciting time. Leaving you with my week 37 picture. Still growing...

Stay tuned for week 38...