ZuZu is here!

Sorry to keep everyone waiting! ZuZu was born at 12:39 AM Friday, March 6. The whole thing took less than 6 hours, and only 22 minutes of pushing! Much better than the 3 hours of pushing with Moses!

Her stats: 8 pounds, 7 ounces; 19.5 inches long-- she's a little butterball! And she looks just like her big brother.We've had some issues getting her blood sugar in the normal range-- it was "critically low" yesterday, and she was tube-fed for 24 hours.

We are exhausted, but she is such a trooper! She has been poked so many times it breaks my heart. We have another blood sugar screening tonight between 10:00 and 10:30-- please pray for a hightened level! Otherwise, she will be here indefinitely until she can sustain it on her own!

We'll post more pics when life is a litte more "normal"!

Some good news today

We had an ultrasound and appointment today, and contrary to the way ZuZu (I) measured and appeared last week, the ultrasound indicated she is somewhere around 7 pounds, 12 ounces-- with a one pound margin of error. So technically she could be anywhere from 6-12 to 8-12, but no one is really thinking she is on the small end. In fact, she is already so low that the doctor said she would appear smaller in the ultrasound than she really is.

Bottom line: She is NOT 9 pounds yet (*sigh of relief*).

But the doctor still wants her to come early to make sure that I can handle her size. We go back Thursday and he is going to try to get my labor going naturally-- and in the meantime, I am supposed to walk, walk, walk. Although, I think I am going to wait until AFTER the attic is cleaned for that...

He's so sure she will come this weekend that he had me cancel my Monday appointment!

She'll be here soon!!! And as long as she is 9.5 pounds or under, I am feeling pretty calm.

Her head was so far down that the technician couldn't get a great pic, but here is her nose and mouth. She had her hand at her face the entire time we were watching, and even did a little sucking.

About 37 weeks

Looks like we've made it full term! When we were at 21 weeks and I was having contractions, it seemed like this point was forever away. I really did think she was going to come today-- I woke up at 4:00 this morning with very heavy contractions-- waited about 10 minutes and then woke Kurt up. And then nothing...

I felt fine all day-- went to church and had more energy than normal, despite the early morning (I never went back to sleep). Here we were before church:






We have an ultrasound and an appointment tomorrow, and I think some decisions may be made. Personally, I am hoping for a c-section at this point. I know recovery is supposed to take longer, but compared to what? Sure, recovery might be faster if you deliver a 7.5 pound baby naturally-- but a 10 pound baby? I know what "recovery" was like after delivering Moses-- and to be quite honest, I've never really felt the same.

We have a lot going on this week, so I'm pretty nervous about the timing of her arrival. First, the attic should be done Tuesday by noon-- then comes the massive clean-up. So part of me doesn't want her to arrive until next weekend. But on the other hand, she will be even bigger by then (did you notice that the widget at the right says she should be about 6.5 pounds now? HA!).... Then throw into the mix business travel of some of my family members who really want to be around for her birth, and that makes me again hope she doesn't arrive until next weekend.

But I guess she will arrive when SHE wants to, right?

Finally getting some things done...

The attic is still not finished-- the insulation got pushed back once again-- but we are moving right along on some other things! I thought about posting our massive "to-do" list here, but I knew no one had the time to read it. But we did get some fun things done today.

Like, hanging the mobiles I made for the kids. Here's ZuZu's:




I made 3D (double-layered) butterflies and hearts for hers, tied with different colored ribbon. I made it this way so they will be interchangeable later.

I made 3D shapes for Moses:

I wish the pics were better! I REALLY was happy with them!

We also got the initials hung that I painted for the kids. ZuZu's is a chocolate "Z" with white and pink polka-dots, and holds her hair things:

I'm a little ashamed to say that that is NOT all of her hair things...

And of course, I knew Moses would want one of his own. So I made him a blue "M" with yellow polka-dots, with a ribbon to hang sunglasses on (he picked these out at Walmart himself):

And of course, he had to help. :)

That's "all baby" you're seeing...

That's right. That's "all baby," according to the doctor. Which will be good post-partum-- I'll "shrink" really fast, he says. Not so good for labor and delivery, though.

Because, at 36 weeks, I am measuring at 40 weeks...

ZuZu is already approaching 9 pounds, and I am still 4 weeks from my due date....

SCARY.

But the good news:

I am already dilating! Even the doctor was outwardly excited about this. In his words, 20 percent of my labor is already over. Now I just need to wait for the regular contractions to kick in....

He wants me to make it one more week so that she is full term, then he is hoping that things progress quickly naturally. Otherwise, they might induce.

She's almost here!

And, as you can imagine, we are getting a little panicky! There is so much to do!

Just musing...

The little widget at the right says that the average baby weighs 5.5 pounds at 35 weeks, and will gain a half pound a week from this point on...



Moses was 9 lbs 7 oz at 39 weeks. If he gained a half pound a week from 35 weeks, that means he was already 7.5 pounds at 35 weeks....



And this baby is measuring bigger....



She SO needs to arrive, like, tomorrow....



Here was Moses, the monster baby, shortly after birth:


YIKES.

32 weeks, and losing my sanity...

Okay, so I am really closer to 33 weeks... but my inability to post this week is just one example of how busy we have been.

But here I was last Sunday (at 32 weeks):


Moses is still into getting his picture taken in the "Mommy pose," only he is now adding to it:

Apparently he is due with a sheepdog.

My 32 week pic was taken on Sunday before church-- but I didn't go. Moses was terribly sick for a few days, and the doctor checked him out for pneumonia on Monday. His lungs were mostly clear, so we are now in the clear. But I woke up today tired all over, with a sore throat, and weepy... sure signs that I am getting sick. I don't know how that happens, after being coughed on for a week...

Hence, the losing of my sanity. Other highlights of the week included:

• Job stress-- this is one of the busiest times of the year, because the state legislative calendars run from January to May/June. So I have been on the phone so much, giving constitutional analyses and advice on bills, that I am sick of talking on the phone. And it doesn't help to be on the phone, telling a legislator why a bill is unconstitutional, when you hear the...


• Slap of the wildlife expert's laddar against the side of your house while he is inspecting for bat holes. He found several. Several holes IN the sealant the first wildlife company used. Meaning that they used the wrong thing. And we got ripped off-- to the tune of over $1000 (with the lawyer in me screaming "but we've missed the statute of limitations to sue!"). And while all this is going on, I am....
  
• Sitting in a room completely devoid of wallpaper, just waiting to be painted. But life keeps interrupting the process. Like sickness and bats and attic construction. And of course, I am also hearing...


• My baby boy hacking away in the other room, and knowing all the while that...


• The attic has to be completely cleared out (there were some things stored there before we knew of the bats) before construction can begin next week. And I do mean CLEANED out. Everything had to be disinfected before it could be brought into the other areas of the house. Per instructions of a pest control expert. *sigh*

And that was all just Monday morning. I reached the point where I was either going to start laughing hysterically, or crying hysterically.

But, GOD IS GOOD, and His blessings are abundant. Like:

• A good report from the doctor on ZuZu's health. I haven't had continual contractions (I have one every now and then) for months. She sounds great!
  
• A husband who is willing to sacrifice everything for his family. And who has a job that allows him to be flexible. He's been in the attic for almost two days straight now, cleaning things and taking them to the basement. Which, by the way, is completley dry and has never had water in it for the two years we've lived here. That's a blessing in and of itself.
  
• Job stability. It's stressful at times (okay, often), but I have a job that I love, that allows me to work from home, that I can count on. That's saying a lot in this world right now.
  
• A little boy who is finally sleeping through the night again and seems to be on the way to good health.
  
• Family members who are helping us with the bat issue (as well as keeping me clothed ;) ).
  
• The joy of being at home every day with my son.
  
• Having Moses spell his name for me, unprompted! And then, later, when I spelled "B-A-T-H" to his daddy, having him look at me and say, "No bath. No bath." He is SO stinkin' smart!
  
• The joy of getting ready for a new baby girl.

And one more blessing: a husband who will run for ice cream whenever I want it, and brings home Hershey kisses from the store. Life is pretty good, after all. :)

Confessions

1. I've worn the same pair of jeans to church three weeks in a row without washing them (and I don't plan to yet). When you are this pregnant, who wants to break in a fresh pair of jeans?

2. There are some days when Moses and I stay in our pajamas all day long. But I do have a pair of "nighttime pajamas" and a pair of "daytime pajamas"-- so I do change clothes-- just into other pajamas. And sometimes Moses runs around in just a diaper...

3. Maternity pants aren't fitting anymore. They are WAY too uncomfortable to wear, and they don't stay up. Another great reason for #2.

4. I think that my son is the cutest and smartest little boy in the whole world. And I tell him so frequently.

5. Along that same line, I probably say "He is just SO CUTE" about 50 times a day. I think it probably makes up for the one time a week I whine to K, "He is making me crazy!"

6. I think that "fixing" (i.e., taping) a broken wrapping paper roll three times while a child is supposed to be napping probably constitutes spoiling him. But I do it anyway.

7. I'm a terrible housekeeper. And most of the time I just don't care. I have better things to to do than vacuum or dust.

8. I also hate to cook. I can't stand the way that raw meat feels.

9. I think I'm funny. And K thinks I'm funny. But sometimes other people just don't get our jokes.

10. Sometimes I get distracted and miss large segments of the Sunday sermon because the pastor looks so darn good in his suits. Especially when he wears that light pink shirt with no tie and an open collar.

(Will I EVER be this little again?!)

It's a good thing I have a sense of humor...

Remember this man from our church?

I mentioned him briefly here when describing our church's historic ice cream social.

Well, he left something for me on our car after church:

Sadly, they barely fit...

And since I am a fairly vain person, I have to also post a more flattering pic from today (31 weeks):

It's also a good thing that my pastor husband has a sense of humor, because sometimes I say things that MAYBE shouldn't come out of the preacher's wife's mouth, and he just laughs at me. Let me preface this story by saying a couple things. First, one of the questions I hate most is whether my due date is correct. It seems like such an insult to my intelligence, as if I was 14 and didn't know how my body and the whole process works. Second, the man I am referring to below is a good friend, and prides himself on being blunt and straight to the point. Thus....

When he asked me before church whether I was sure my due date is correct, I replied, "Actually, we use naturaly family planning. I can show you the chart and exactly when it happened."

No more questions were asked. :)

A Little Pregnancy Humor...

Don't get the joke? Take a closer look:

Ha! We need to go back in about 6 more weeks when I'm even bigger. :) But should I be depressed that I don't even fit where the arrow is pointing? :)

And speaking of 6 more weeks... That's when the doctor will evaluate what in the world we are going to do with this big baby I am having. There will be three options: 1) let mother nature take its course; 2) induce early; or 3) do an elective c-section. He, of course, would always prefer #1, but he will obviously do whatever is best for the baby. But he isn't worried at all, and that made me feel better. If I was diabetic (which I'm not) or this was my first, he would be worried. But he said I have "already passed one heck of a test" by having a 9.5 pound baby, so I should be fine.

AND, this time I plan to have an epidural (yes, that's right-- I didn't exactly have one last time-- I waited until after about 14 hours of labor, and then it never took effect), and that could make all the difference in the world. I won't be quite so tired this time when it comes to pushing...

After my appointment, we went out to Applebee's, and to Home Depot and Kohl's. Hey, when you live in Mayberry, you have to take every opportunity you can to enjoy the "big city" when you are there. :)

Here is Moses' corndog kabob creation:

And his awe at being in a place so filled with gadgets:

He was a good boy all night, and he ended up with some new "silly monkey" jammies, which he carried all through the store and put on the counter to pay. He was also very good through the appointment, and it is always so cute to watch him react to ZuZu's heartbeat. This time he mouthed/open and closed his mouth for each heartbeat. So cute!

30 weeks, and getting bigger!!!

Here we are this morning:


Unreal.

I have a prenatal appointment tomorrow, and a big conversation I plan to have involves the size of this baby. We can already tell that she is quite chubby-- and we have 10 more weeks to add to that baby fat. I want to know, 1) you will definitely do another ultrasound before she is born to determine size, right? and 2) if she is over 10 pounds, are we doing a c-section? I could barely handle Moses at 9.5 pounds. I don't think I am physically OR mentally prepared for bigger than that...

Now something more fun...

I CAN'T WAIT to hold her! Seeing her beautiful face this week has made me more anxious than ever to have this baby and hold her in my arms. Every ultrasound I have sends me into shopping mode (some women have a "nesting mode"-- but part of that for me is shopping!). As soon as I saw her face and her hair, I knew I needed some more hair things! Here are *a few* that I bought this week:


(I ordered in white and oatmeal from Bow Baby Bow)


(I ordered in pink gingham from Sunshine Bowtique)


(from HairBowHolders)

I also realized that I have no receiving blankets for swadling that aren't blue. So I bought these this week as well:


(I LOVE these prints from KinderHausBlankets!)


(from Snug Bug Clothing)


Yes, I have been on esty quite a bit this week... (Thank you little bit funky and less ordinary designs for introducing me to this whole new shopping arena! :) )

But in my defense-- we all need to do our part to uphold the economy, right? :)

Two Questions

1) Do you think there is a family resemblance?


ZuZu at 29 weeks



Moses just after birth (9 lbs, 7 oz)


2) Judging by the chubbiness of our babies, do you think we need to worry about childhood obesity?





:)

And our Precious "Baby" Boy...

Yesterday I mentioned that I would post about Moses' reaction to seeing his baby sister on the screen. It was precious! As soon as her face was on the screen, Moses kind-of giggled and got excited. That lasted for about 3 minutes, and then he was bored. :) But I was so glad to see the excitement!

Here he is attentively looking at the screen:


Afterward, when the technician was printing out pictures, she let Moses help:


He has been carrying around his very own picture of ZuZu, and he points to her and says "ZuZu!" Yesterday he referred to her as his sister! That is a relief-- up until now, he has been insisting that he is having a "brudder"... It is so fun to see him getting excited!

We then went to Chili's, because Moses LOVES the chips there. Then we took him for a special treat: his first trip to Krispy Kreme! For those of you that don't know, Krispy Kreme holds a special place in our hearts. During our first year of marriage, while we waited to see where we would end up after my term working for a federal judge, K was a supervisor at the West Palm Beach Krispy Kreme. If you ever need to know anything about running a Krispy Kreme store-- from how to run the machine and make the doughnuts, to how to make the coffee drinks, to how to deal with customers-- he is the person to ask. :)

Not to brag (okay, I am bragging a little), but K was such a valued employee that they told him to let me have anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. So a good 3 times a week I got a doughnut and coffee on the way to work. When K was busy, other employees knew what I wanted and how to make it. :) The best part was that K and I would sit at home at night and dream up new doughnuts, and he would have the production ladies make them for us the next day. We had caramel-apple-filled doughtnuts, strawberry-shortcake-filled doughtnuts, etc. YUM!

BUT, back to Moses. Here is Daddy explaining the process to him:


And he and Daddy having fun in the spinning seats:


And, of course, the BEST part of all:


The three of us had no problem finishing off 18 doughnuts in 24 hours. :)

Our Beautiful Baby Girl

Last night we had the incredible blessing of seeing our precious baby girl in 3D/4D ultrasound. Everytime I woke up last night (and I do that a lot nowdays!), I was overhwhelmed with how beautiful she is and how blessed we are that God is developing such a perfect little person in my womb.

It was incredible how cooperative ZuZu was through the process (as opposed to Moses- he kept hiding his face when we did the 3D/4D with him), and even the ultrasound technician remarked that ZuZu really "hammed it up" for us. She spent about 20 minutes with her hands and feet in front of her face, trying to suck on anything she could get to. In fact, the technician said it was only the second time in her career that she had seen a baby suck on her big toe. :)

We can tell already that she has VERY chubby cheeks, she appears to look a lot like Moses did at that stage, and already has quite a bit of hair-- which she played with while we were watching. It was so amazing and precious!

SO, I introduce to you our precious Zuzu! Just look at this beautiful face! And those CHEEKS!

(appearing next to her chin are her heels!)

(here she is attempting to get her heel in her mouth)

Rubbing her face:

Sucking on her big toe (and playing with her hair with her right hand)!

Yawning (look at those gums!)

With her hands AND feet in front of her face (you can see her mouth between her ankles):

And waving? :)

Tomorrow I will post some pics of Moses' reaction, as well as the "treat" he received afterward. He was such a good big brother, and he is enjoying carrying around his own picture of ZuZu. :)

My last week in the 20s...

Doesn't that make me sound young?

Okay, so really I'M personally pushing 31... but ZuZu is 29 weeks today, so we are almost in the 30s!

Here's how we look today...

I have to say, I think it looks totally unnatural. If I saw someone on a tv show like that, I would be like, "Oh, come on, that doesn't even look real!"

Here is my view...

Here is Moses' view...

And isn't this just the cutest maternity shirt you have every seen? (Thanks, Santa! ;) )

(And look! From straight on, it appears that I still have a waist!)

I offically gave up heels today, and I actually wore jeans to church! With all the ice and yuckiness, I just decided that wearing non-dress shoes was the safest route to go... I wore heels all through my pregnancy with Moses, but back then I was still going into a REAL office to work. Now I've gotten used to working barefoot from my home. :)

Moses thought all the picture-taking today was really fun, so he decided to show off his "belly" for the camera as well...

Then he broke out into his "Snoopy Dance"...

Moses is continuing to call my tummy "Bob." He acts out Veggie Tale scenes with my stomach. And yesterday in Walmart, he was having a conversation with "Bob." A Walmart employee walking by said, "What did he say?" So I just quickly said, "Oh, he thinks my tummy is named Bob. But it's not. It's a girl...."

And speaking of having a girl... we ordered ZuZu's crib and bedding today! I LOVE it... especially the cute little rug!

Only 11 (and hopefully only 10!) more weeks to go!