Dancing the baby out!

So I've been told all the old wive's tales to start labor, but I didn't know about this one until I saw this video.  I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for this, but give me a little longer and I'll be all over it*.

I'm not sure which is funnier....the pregnant lady dancing, the husband's commentary, or the dog wondering what the heck is going on!  This woman is awesome!!

Video from the blog Waiting for Tuesday

*Who am I kidding...I just danced around my kitchen while making muffins**!  Note to self - download some MC Hammer :)

**And no, this will never be on youtube!!

A letter to my unborn son

Dear Baby Boy,

I'm sitting here exactly 38 weeks pregnant with you and I have so many things I want to tell you.  First, I want you to know how much you are loved already.  From the instant I saw that second line pop up on the pregnancy test, I became your mommy and promised to do everything in my power to love and protect you.  You were just a ball of cells at that point, but you had already stolen my heart and changed my life forever.  Sometimes early on I would question whether you were real, because I couldn't believe how much I could love something I had never seen or touched.  But then you started moving and the impossible happened - I started loving you even more.  Being pregnant with you has been the most amazing experience and I feel so blessed that you were given to me to grow and carry for these last 9 months.

Second, you should know just how much your daddy loves you already too.  I've seen a change in him these past couple months as you grew and he was able to feel you move and you would give him high fives.  He is so excited to meet you and hold you.  You are so lucky to have such an amazing daddy who is so smart, compassionate, and loving.  My job as your mommy would be successful if you grew up to be just like him.    

Its hard to believe that its almost time to meet you.  I'm so excited for that day but also a little sad.  You've been my constant companion for the past 9 months as we've gone everywhere together and haven't spent a second apart.  Selfishly, I love having you all to myself and know that once you are born I have to share you with others.  I will forever cherish the memories I have of being pregnant with you.

Please remember that no matter what, we will always love you and be there to support you.  Come out and meet us soon so we can fall in love with you even more!

I love you,
Your Mommy

Five things to NEVER say to a pregnant woman!

Maybe its just because I'm getting towards the end of this pregnancy or maybe its because its been raining here for 5 days straight and I'm getting cabin fever.  Or maybe this has been something I've been thinking about for a while but just never got around to posting it.  Either way, if you're pregnant or ever been pregnant, you've learned that some people say things to a pregnant chick they would never in 1,000,000 years consider saying to someone who is not pregnant.  Does pregnancy give people the green light to drop their internal filters??

Anyway, I've put together a list of 5 things you should never say to a pregnant lady.  And don't think its just me...most of these comments are things I've heard/read from other mommies-to-be in real life or on pregnancy message boards.

1.  Do not comment about how big/small a woman's bump looks.  Just like non-pregnant bodies are different, so are pregnant bodies.  No woman wants to hear "you're only 7 months, you look like you could pop any day now!"  And while you might think its a complement to say "you're only 7th months, you look so tiny!"  This implies that the mom-to-be isn't gaining enough weight and/or allowing her baby to grow properly.  Along these lines, don't ask how much weight she has gained.  And if you do, be prepared for her to ask you the same question right back.  Simply saying "Congratulations, you look great!" is all you need to do. 

2.  Do not share your own pregnancy/labor/delivery/recovery stories with a pregnant woman unless she asks to hear them.  Whether you had a good experience or a bad one, she doesn't really want to hear about it because chances are, her's will be completely different!

3.  Do not tell a pregnant woman that she will definitely deliver late.  First of all, how on earth could you know that??  And second of all, she doesn't want to hear that!!   (I may or may not have tried to will my baby out before this past Tuesday just to prove someone at work wrong)

4.  Unless you are an OB or a midwife, do not ask about the status of her cervix.  Would you ever consider asking a woman how dilated/effaced/thin her cervix is if she weren't pregnant?  If not, then what would make it okay to do when she's pregnant??  (and if so, then you have other problems that need to be worked out!)  I don't ask you about the status of your colon or any other body parts, do I?

5.  Lastly, and this is probably one of the most innocent questions but drives many pregnant women nuts, don't ask "so how are you feeling?" every.single.time you see her or talk to her!!!  I know it doesn't sound like a bad question and I'm sure you have the best of intentions when you ask it but for some reason its like fingernails on a chalk board to pregnant women.  I'm not sure exactly why.  Maybe its that it gets asked all...the...time.  Or maybe its because the person asking really wants to know how your pregnancy is going and not so much about how you are actually feeling.  Either way, this question can drive a pregnant woman totally nuts!  

So there you have it, my top 5 things to NEVER say to a pregnant woman.  And don't worry if you have said/asked me or someone else these things in the past...I guarantee that you weren't the first and won't be the last to do so.  Even with the hormones coursing through her body, she most likely will just smile politely and nod.

Officially a walker

So you know those women you see walking over their lunch breaks?  There are usually 2-3 together dressed in their work clothes but with sneakers on.  If you work in any type of industrial complex, you've probably seen a few groups of them if you are out and about over lunch.

Well, I am officially one of them.  As of two weeks ago, my OB suggested told me that she felt it was time for me to stop running.  I was 35 weeks and 1 day so its been 17 days since I last ran (but whose counting!).  I was actually still feeling really great running at that point.  Logging 3-4 miles a couple days a week, which included walk breaks on the uphills and a definite slow down in my pace.  The issue??  Each time after I finished running, I'd have Braxton-Hicks contractions that were coming every 3-5 minutes, lasting about 30 seconds each, and continuing for over an hour (for those of you non-pregnant people, that's kind of a lot!).  And since I was still pre-term then, my doc was worried that it might turn into pre-term labor and none of us wanted that!

So now I'm a walker.  I still log about 3-5 miles most days each week.  Sometimes I walk over lunch (yes, I bring my sneakers into work and change into them like the ladies I referred to above), sometimes Bryan and I will walk after work (which is my favorite since we just chat about life), and sometimes we go for hikes in the foothills.  It still causes some contractions but at this point, being full term, I'm not worried about it.

Do I miss running, heck yeah!!  The first "walking only" walk that I went for after my running ban I purposely kept my jeans on so I wasn't tempted to try to run.  Since then, I have thought about throwing in some short run stretches, but have decided not too and just enjoy my walking.  I'm blessed that I was able to run, and enjoy it, for so much of my pregnancy so I think I'm handling this ban pretty well (better than my skiing ban!!).  I'm just glad it didn't happen until 35 weeks and not any sooner!!

I figure if Deena Kastor can take months off running and even walking while pregnant, then a few weeks off for me shouldn't be a big deal!  But you better believe that once I get the all-clear from my OB post-postpartum, B-Fo and I will be cruising again (my BOB Revolution with infant car seat adapter is all ready to go!)

Still here and still pregnant!

Sorry for not checking in here for over a week, but yes, I'm still pregnant!  This past Saturday I hit 37 weeks which medically speaking is officially full term...WaaaHooo!!  That means I've officially told this little guy he is free to come whenever he wants.  And since my doctor won't let me go past 41 weeks (please God don't let me go that long!) I currently have less than 25 days until I'm holding my baby!!

While I want him to bake in there for as long as he needs, I have two big reasons for wanting him to be born a little early:

• As of my 36 week growth ultrasound, he is still measuring very big....like head circumference in the 90th percentile big...yooza!!  I'm only imagining how much bigger that head will get if he takes his sweet time.
• My doctor, who I really like, is going on vacation from May 26th through June 4th.  Yes, my due date is June 4th.  Not only do I really like her and want her to deliver my baby, but we've also talked a lot about her plans and ideas regarding delivery of this big baby, what we are both comfortable with in terms of a vaginal delivery (taking into account both mine and baby's safety concerns), and at what point to raise the white flag and call a c-section.  I know a different doctor would be just as capable as her, but of course I'm more comfortable with my own doc.  

So I'm asking the little guy as nicely as possible to consider a birthday of no later than May 25th.  In truth, I'm actually pleading with him to "please not hurt mommy with your big head!!"

I'll leave you with a picture of my little chubby cheeked B-Fo. How's he going to open his eyes with those cheeks in the way??

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing love, gratitude, and happiness to all the mom's, mom's-to-be, and future mom's out there.  My hope and prayer is that I can be as good of a mommy to B-Fo once he is outside of me as I've been to him while on the inside.  

Bryan made me this beautiful print for Mother's Day.  Its a picture he took while we were hiking one day in the foothills made into a mosaic using many of our pictures from this year in Utah, most of which this baby was a part of.  

Here's a close up of some of the tiles in the print

And here's the original picture

Its something that I will forever treasure and look back on to remember this amazing year that will culminate in the birth of our son.  I love you already B-Fo and can't wait to meet you!

Update on Shellac Manicure

So I promised an update to my post from 2 weeks ago about a manicure that is "Too good to be true!"  Well, I'm happy to report that it was not in fact too good to be true...it was perfect!

The (blurry) photo below was taken on Monday, one day shy of 2 weeks since getting it done.  As you can see, there are no chips and no peeling polish!  The only reason I had to get them re-done was because my nails were growing out so fast (one plus side to the pregnancy hormones!).  The one negative thing for the Shellac polish is that you have to use 100% acetone (not commercial nail polish remover) to get the polish off which can be harsh on your skin.  Also, unless you work in a lab and have access to acetone (for 3 more weeks I do!) you'll have to go back to the salon to have the polish removed.  But this is a very small negative compared to the positives of a long lasting polish and immediately dry nails upon leaving the salon!

So I am now a firm Shellac believer and I'm not sure I'll ever go back to regular polish again!   

Well hello there May!

Is anyone else as shocked that its actually May?!?!  This year seems to be flying by and that's not just because I'm feeling like a pressure cooker waiting for my timer to go off! 

So here we are in May which means little B-Fo is due NEXT month...WOW!!  What's even crazier is that if he is even 4 days early, he could actually be born THIS month...double WOW!!!  I can't believe that in just a couple weeks (or really any day now) I could be holding my little guy.  That thought is both extremely exciting and terrifying...but mostly exciting! 

So at 35 weeks pregnant with less than 35 days to go I can say we are (mostly) ready for B-Fo's arrival.  And for those of you nosy people who have been asking if he has a name yet, we are also (mostly) decided on that one too....but still not telling ;)