Birth Story

Wednesday, June 3rd (well, actually Thursday June 4th) at 4am… the contractions started. I knew they were different than the Braxton Hicks. With the BH contractions, the stomach gets tight but there’s no pain and they are not regular contractions.

This 4am contraction hurt. It was more than a menstrual cramp pain. This was the last time I would sleep before meeting my baby. And, since I was 9 months pregnant, I wasn’t sleeping before the contractions started anyway.

Unsure of what was happening; I called in to work and took the day off. I was feeling the pain every 12-30 minutes. I woke Jason up at 6 that morning and warned him that I was having pains. He also called off work.

On Thursday morning, I was feeling these pains regularly and was just waiting for them to increase before I went to the hospital. By 10am, the contractions stopped. I felt guilty for calling off work and urged Jason to go in for a half day. He decided to stay home since he called in, anyway.

Thursday ended up boring and I was growing impatient. We packed up Cyan and drove to Petco. We walked around the store and decided to go to South Park for a walk. By this point, the contractions began but they were only slightly painful and I was sick of waiting around. So, we decided to walk (very slowly). I couldn’t keep any good pace since I had 40 extra pounds on me by this point.

By the time we drove home, I started to time the contractions again. They were growing painful to the point that I couldn’t talk during them. I just absorbed the waves of pain and rode it out.

All the while, each time I visited the bathroom, more of my mucous plug fell out. It turned pink and wouldn’t cease. I never saw any leaking water, though.

I don’t remember what we ate for dinner, but I have a feeling that it was bought at a drive through. I was in no condition to cook. After dinner we watched the Penguins game. The Pens were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and were facing Detroit for the cup.

We watched the game as I timed the waves of pain. They intensified to the point that I started to believe that it was time to go to the hospital. They were timing at 8 minutes apart. The OB told me not to call until they were 5-7 minutes apart for an hour.

By 10pm I couldn’t take it anymore and called the OB. I didn’t want to make that 4am call and wake the doctor up. The OB told me to wait it out since I was only 8 minutes apart. She told me to wait for 5 minute contractions for an hour before calling. So, I hung up the phone and suffered in silence. Jason sat on the couch beside me and felt helpless (which he was).

After the game we turned in for the night. Jason zonked out upon hitting his head on the pillow. I kept a light on in the headboard so I could see the paper and keep timing the contractions.

At this point, the pain was so strong that with each passing wave, I grabbed on to the pillow (movie-style) and grimaced in pain. I said nothing and I made no noises. I curled in the fetal position and penned in the times every 7 minutes.

On Friday morning (June 5th), at 4am, I woke Jason up. I told him I was calling the doctor. I strongly debated calling that late/early in the morning but I decided it was the doctor’s job and I laid in bed, writhing in pain.

This time I didn’t make it an option for the OB. I told her that I was in severe pain and was heading in to the hospital. She told me that was fine and instructed me to go in and drop her name so they knew I was ‘permitted’ to come in.

We put the dog back to bed (and I gave her a big kiss). Our overnight bags were ready and we loaded up the car. We arrived at Magee Hospital at 4:15. Surprisingly, there was no traffic in the city! I, feeling crippled, limped into the ER. A police officer greeted us in the ER and knew why we arrived. He pointed us in the right direction and we headed up to Labor and Delivery. Luckily, a wheelchair was available for my journey.

The staff ushered us to a desk in the L&D department for check in. (Please don’t forget, though all of this process I was contracting… strongly. It was so bad that I blocked it from my memory and I can’t recall how bad it was except that I remember thinking it was the worst pain I’ve felt in my entire life.)

I only can recall one of their questions; ‘on a scale of 1-10, how bad is the pain?’ I answered, ‘9’. I should have said 10 but I figure there’s always room for more. After admitting me, they put me in a triage room to wait for a doctor.

A nurse made me strip down, give a urine sample, and took my blood pressure. She hooked me up to machinery and we heard out baby’s heart beat on the monitor. I later discovered that they were also monitoring my contractions.

An hour (and many unbearable contractions) later, the triage doctor arrived. She checked my cervix. I’ll never forget the look on her face after checking me. I was so afraid that I was only 1 centimeter dilated and I wasn’t supposed to come in yet.

She said something to the extent, ‘oh my gosh.’ I asked, ‘what?’ in a near panic. She pulled her hand out and said to me, ‘you’re 5 centimeters dilated’. We didn’t expect that news. The doctor admitted that my contractions must have been very strong if they were still 7 minutes apart and I was that dilated. She could see on the monitor as I had them and Jason couldn’t believe how quietly I took the pain.

Elated, frightened, and in disbelief, we waited as the staff worked on getting us in a delivery room.

I don’t think they put us in an L&D room until about 6:30am. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t wait to go in even later. I’d probably pop in the Liberty Tubes.

The nurses hooked me up and Jason settled in on the bench next to the bed. They asked if I was ready for an epidural. I decided that going to 5cm on my own was enough. (Mind you, most people only make it to 3 before taking the drugs.)

An anesthesiologist arrived and played part numbing man / part comedian. I felt so much pain that I couldn’t play along with his jokes. I don’t even remember his jokes. He sat me up (Indian style) on the bed and asked me to lean forward. He stressed how important it was that I don’t move when the needle was inserted into my back.

I experienced a Spinal Tap a few months before so I knew what to expect. Honestly, I didn’t feel any anxiety. I quietly sat on the bed, ready for the pain relief. As he stuck me, another wave of pain surged through my body. I didn’t budge. He fidgeted behind me for several minutes and I was ready.

The pain eased down to a 4 on the scale. The problem was that the epidural slowed my contractions (which is common). The nurses hooked me up with Pitocin (pe-toe-sin). I knew this drug was harsh and could bring on waves of unbearable contractions. After it hit, the pain returned.

The epi seemed completely useless. I complained to the nurses and they worked on finding the anesthesiologist. A new guy arrived and informed me that I just need to ‘hit the button’ for extra relief. It was timed so I couldn’t overdose. He said he’d check on me in 15 minutes to see if that button helped.

The button didn’t help and this guy disappeared for 45 minutes. The nurses could tell that the button was a joke and finally tracked down the anesthesiologist. At this point, I was 7, going on 8, centimeters. So, I felt the full wrath of labor… with Pitocin. He arrived back in the room, seemingly annoyed. The nurses yelled at him that I was still in pain. He wasn’t playing around now.

He gave me a (what I call a bullet). I think it was a bullis? After that, he jacked up the epidural all the way. Within 15 minutes, I felt NOTHING… and I mean NOTHING from the hips down. I was so numb that I couldn’t shift in bed or scratch an itch on my leg. You could cut off a leg and I wouldn’t know it.

I found this comical and joked with the nurses. They had to maneuver my every move. And, they also had to catheter me every few hours. There was no chance of me getting to the bathroom at this point.

By noon I was 10 centimeters and the baby’s head was trying to come out the cervix. The problem was that the OB was in the middle of delivering another baby. Since I was numb to the world, I just stayed in the bed, and watched the news with Jason.

While waiting, my chin and lips started quivering. The nurses told me it was normal and not to fight it. They even offered me a puke bucket since many women throw up during labor. A stomachache wasn’t an issue.

However, since we arrived at 4am the night before, I hadn’t eaten for countless hours. The nurses could tell how hungry I was since I brought it up every 30 seconds. No matter how good the imagination is, ice chips are still ice chips, not a steak dinner.

Around 1pm, the OB could finally come in for the delivery. At first, it was just Jason and the nurse in the room. They each held a limp (and rather large) leg as I pushed. They had to bear all my weight since the epi was never turned down. The nurses said if I could push without any pain, I could go for it.

I breathed in deeply, exhaled, breathed in, and held it. I acted like I was having a bowel movement. I couldn’t feel a thing so I pretended I knew what it’d feel like if I was pushing out poo.

At one point, Jason looked me in the eyes and said, ‘this is real’. He could see the baby’s head. At first he didn’t want to watch anything but I guess morbid curiosity took over. I didn’t even want to look in the mirror to watch. They kept the mirror pointed at my face so I could just see my haggard form (without glasses).

We went through two contractions, three pushes each, and the nurse stopped me. She called in the OB.

Once the OB arrived in the room, she asked me to push (for ‘practice’, to see what was going on). Well, I’m a strong pusher. I did it once and she abruptly stopped me. She actually yelled at me to stop.

All of the sudden, the room was in a tizzy and everyone was preparing for the birth. I felt no anxiety. I felt like I was witnessing something on TV and was removed from my body.

The doctor then gave me permission to push once more. I later found out from Jason that he’s never seen me make a face like that before. I must’ve pushed harder than I thought.

With one push, the head was out. I could hear the suction when they took the fluid from the baby’s mouth.

On the next push, the OB instructed me to take it a little easier and push with less intensity. Once again, I guess on the push and hoped it was what she wanted.

At 1:24 PM, Callie Ann Kaplan arrived in this world at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, 21 inches.

Jason looked at me and tears welled up in his eyes. I’ve never seen him cry before. We both cried for a moment and Callie was swept away to be cleaned up. She was handed to Jason while they worked on me.

While Jason videotaped Callie’s first moments, I lay, legs wide open, waiting to be stitched up. The problem was that another woman needed to push so the OB left the room to deliver another baby. I was numb enough that I could wait for the sutures.

30 minutes later, the OB returned to finish her work. She stitched me up and I waited for transport to the post partum room. A nurse entered the room and she (as well as a full team of nurses) helped me onto the gurney. Being as numb as I was, I was at their mercy.

We arrived in the new room and promptly ordered food. It had been nearly 24 hours since I last ate and that’s all I could think about. The food was subpar but I was happy to ravish it. We settled in and I remained in that bed for the entire evening. This wasn’t by choice; it was simply because I still couldn’t move.

I had until 9pm to use the ladies room before they used a catheter in me. The nurses actually threatened me about peeing and warned that the cath would not be pleasant since I wouldn’t be numb at the time.

I gained enough sensation to move by 9pm and hobbled to the bathroom. A nurse helped me use the restroom and I felt like the Tin Man. Apparently I remained more numb than originally thought and I relied on her to hold me up.

Once we settled in, the visitors started. (Barry, Jason’s dad) made it earlier and clocked record time from the race track to come and see us.

I needed help the entire time in the hospital since recovery from birth proved to be more difficult than I thought. Jason stepped up and fully handled Callie’s needs.

We decided to use the nursery overnight while we stayed in the hospital. Neither of us slept well, anyway. But, we tried to get as much rest as possible.

On Sunday, the hospital discharged us and we carefully drove home. Callie was introduced to the cats, the dog, and the house. I suppose this is where the story truly begins.

Skeletons

Skeletons

We nestle our skeletons deep in the closet
Where daylight barely reaches
We allow them to collect dust and further decay
Yet we cannot forget about them…
Always present
Always haunting.

Our daily lives continue and an acquaintance asks,
‘How are you today?’
You respond,
‘Good. How are you?’
They stick to the procedure… the script and say,
‘Good. Well, it was nice seeing you.’

And then you part ways.

They’re ignorant of your battles, your fears, and your secrets
And that would probably be their choice, anyway.
After all, who wants to be burdened with problems beyond their own?

We all have our own battles to fight and skeletons to stuff.

Just know, when a stranger’s life appears peachy-keen
Rosy cheeked, and daisy-filled,
That the peaches, roses, and daisies may be withering and wilting
Even if they retain their pleasant fragrance.

This is life.
Human nature.
And it will not change.
We are human
And stuck in our own worlds
Concerned only about our own decaying skeletons.

5-26-09

(Written for a pregnancy, potential diagnosis, and ailing grandmother… it all happens at once)

I'm So Ready!

Well, emotionally I'm better than I was during the last post. I just have my days. (And, Candi, thank you for the sweet response.)

I don't think I posted this (and sorry if I did but I don't feel like checking) but I had to spend several hours at an eye doctor's and Retinal Specialist's last week. My eyes were acting weird. I had three instances where I was seeing things out of the corner of my eye (like swimming pool water shimmering).

Well, after all the appointments and time taken, my retinas are fine and there's nothing the doc can do. The specialist said that my problem most likely stems from the neurological stuff. I guess it's good that I'm not losing my retinas. Since then those visions stopped but I am still getting shooting light effects when in bright light or randomly. If it doesn't get worse, I can deal with it.

I scheduled my MRI for June 26th so hopefully we'll have some answers when I go to the specialist on July 7th.

The good news is that baby is doing well and measuring okay now. The OB said whenever I go into labor I can have the baby. She also said that if I go a week late, they'll induce me (which is why I could book the MRI and be sure I have time for it).

So, at the latest, baby K will be here by June 22nd. Isn't that crazy?! I hope it's before then but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel! I can't wait to meet this little one.

I've been very sore lately and restless. Also, I've been feeling off today (and it's not the neuro stuff). I don't know if the baby is coming soon, but my body surely knows something's going on. I've had some irregular contractions here and there. Once they get painful and are 5-7 min. apart, I can go in to the hospital.

So, it's just a big waiting game. I'm excited, nervous, scared, and thrilled all at once. It's such an awesome thing that Jason and I could create this life and bring him/her into this world. It truely is a miracle. All babies are.

Now that I ended on a good note, I'm going to fall over!

(Sorry for any typos but I'm too tired to spell check or read over this... deal with it... I'm 9 months pregnant!)

Mother's Day

I thought I should post a quick update. Today is Mother's Day and Jason got me a card and bought me doughnuts at Kribels. We also took the dog to South Park and are getting ready to go to dinner with mom and Glenn.

Baby-wise... nothing much is new. Time is crawling. I have my next OB appointment tomorrow but I don't expect any big news.

On the other front... the MS front... well, it's frustrating. Pregnancy is supposed to keep things from happening but that's not the case with me. I'm worried that after I have the baby that I'll have tons of problems if I'm already having them now.

I try not to think about it much and try not to talk to anyone (but Jason and he's sick of hearing it) about it. I know mom gets some more details than others, too. I'm so scared that when I lose sleep with the new arrival that all hell is going to break loose.

But, really, it's just frustrating and gets me down. One day can be great and then the next I get tremors in my hand or my ears start buzzing so loudly that I can't hear well beyond that buzzing. I'll keep from listing all the stupid little things that keep happening.

I'm trying not to shut people off or shut down but sometimes I just want to disappear for a while and bury myself in a hole. I hope that after the baby is born that I'll be so preoccupied with that that I don't obsess over this stuff.

I have a specialist appointment on July 7th and got a script for an MRI that I'll do before then. I'm scared of what we'll find out at that appointment. But, maybe if we get answers we can get somewhere with this. I was told this specialist isn't very quick to hand out a diagnosis (which is the opposite of the first guy I started to see). That's probably not a bad thing, though... this is a big deal.

So, after my July specialist appt., I don't know if I'll be any the wiser on things. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Sorry I wrote more than I intended and sorry to be a downer. I guess we all have those days, though. Hopefully going out to dinner will distract me and lift me up a little...

Here we are a 8 months:

I'm getting there!

Update

Dad called recently and apparently hasn't seen an update in here in a while. I pretty much stopped posting because I have no clue who's reading it and feel like I'm just talking to myself. But, at dad's request, here's an update:

The shower was last weekend and it was great. Everyone was so generous and Jason and I had so much fun sorting through all the new stuff. We have a lot to build so we'll proably get to that in the next couple of weeks. Here are a couple shower pictures:

They'll probably crop in here because they always do (at least on my computer). If you want to see the full pic, click on it.















I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow. It should be routine. I have been very tired lately and the baby's movement slowed down quite a bit so that's freaking me out. I hope they can put my mind at ease tomorrow. I'm also quite sore in the ribs and back but that's to be expected.

This past Saturday we bought all the stuff we didn't get at the shower. I haven't spent that much money in one time in years and I hope not to again for a long time. But, it was all stuff we needed.

So, the time is SLOWLY winding down. We still have a little more to wait but hopefully it will be here soon.

Quickest Note Ever...

I just wanted to say that I'm sick of being hungry and eating all the time! The current average daily count is 8 times a day and I'm still hungry after that.

It's 7:30 pm and I've eaten 6 times. I'm still looking for something, too...

When will the maddness end?!

3D Ultrasound

I had my 28 week appointment yesterday and things seem to be fine. Last night we went in for the 3d ultrasound. I don't have time to write but wanted to include the pictures before I forgot. Here's the little one:

(And, we're in the 3rd trimester now!)

The Results... New Neuro Appt.

Well I got my glucose results back and the doc said everything's normal. So, I'm done with tests for now! Yay! I just have an appt. next Monday to check up on everything. So, hopefully the baby is doing well and growing away.

I also called some MS specialists the other day and I'm glad I did this early. They can't take me until July! So, I have an appt. in July to work on this neuro thing I have going on. I've been counting down the days before the baby, but I keep putting the other situation out of my mind. I guess I can't do anything about it right now, anyway.

Oh yes, get got the nursery furniture in and I love it. Things are coming along. Heck, the shower is coming up and I can't wait. I've gotten lazy these days so I should take and post some pictures.

Lastly, last week a friend came over and took belly pictures for me. She did an awesome job. I sent some out to be printed so I can frame them and put them in my bedroom. I love the pictures.

So, that's it for now. I'm just trying to feel the baby move here and there. I know I'll have new anxiety after the little one's born but for now I'm just trying to work through my current anxieties! We're getting there, though. We have less than 10 weeks until I'm full term.

Hospital Tour and Glucose Test

So last Saturday we took a tour of the hospital. It's actually a very nice facility. The rooms are small, though. The tour lasted an hour and honestly I don't remember one thing the guide told us. I just remember thinking, 'is it too late to change my mind?' and, 'can't the baby stay in me forever?' The thought of labor scares me to death but I guess I have no choice!

And, today I went in for the glucose tolerance test. They gave me a small bottle (like a mini Pepsi bottle) of liquid. It's not nearly as bad as people say it is. It tasted like flat orange pop. They chilled it so that didn't hurt.

I had 5 minutes to down the drink and had to wait for an hour to get my blood drawn. The wait was borning but I sat out in the lobby and talked to Teresa on the phone for a good 20 minutes. She helped me pass the time.

I think this baby is used to sugar because the drink didn't even wake the little one up. He/She was awake all morning before the test, but slept through the sugar rush. I hear that most babies start bouncing around after the mom takes in the sugary drink.

So, now I'm at home for the afternoon and will probably try to entertain the dog here shortly.

24 Week appt. on Monday

Everything looks fine. It was a run-of-the-mill appointment. The heartbeat was good and that's about it. I gained 7 pounds since 4 weeks ago. Yikes! I have my glucose test scheduled for Friday and I am not looking forward to it. Luckily, I don't have to fast for it (some women do).

And, Jason felt the baby a couple times last night and randomly at 6am after he let the dog out and climbed back into bed. It's so cool that he can finally feel the baby!

I'm batting a cold and thought I was feeling better until I tried to walk Cyan. I thought my eardrums were going to burst. So, I cut my walk short and am trying (operative word) to lay low.

23 Weeks, 3 Days

This stupid blog keep cropping pictures even when I size them down. This is my last attempt on making it fit. Sorry if it doesn't. And, sorry if it's small... I'm trying keep it from cropping.

My Free U/S

We had our free u/s today. Poor Jason was sick as a dog but he went anyway. It was supposed to be a class but it ended up that one of the teachers quit so the class didn't come. The instructor who arranged it was kind enough to still give us the u/s. That surprised me but I'm not complaining.

The baby is good. She didn't do any 'diagnostics' since it was a free, for fun u/s. The baby's heart was beating along. They weigh 1 lb, 8 oz. Isn't that crazy? We're certainly growing! We got to see the spine and ribs along with everything else.

The baby was awake for this u/s (which is what I wanted). But, since they kept moving, the woman had a hard time staying on one shot. Every time the little bugger moved, I felt the kick. That was very cool to know that what I'm feeling is indeed the baby.

We even got pictures from today. They're not as good as last time but I didn't expect any. I don't have a scanner at home right now so I'll have to scan them from work when I get a second. She got shots of the baby with the hands up over the head.

And, the woman said she could tell us the gender if we wanted. We passed on that. But, I did see the shot that would tell us the gender and I do have a guess. I'd say I'd guess 80% I know what we're having. Jason saw the same shot but we didn't discuss what gender we thought the baby was. I've seen so many gender ultrasounds so I know what they look for to determine the sex.

I'll post pictures when I can.

Other than that, we're just freezing our butts off. Cyan had two days at Bow Wow because of the weather and Jason's sickness. I couldn't walk her today because of our icy sidewalks. So, the lucky dog got to play all day with other doggies. I hope she appreciates it because our wallet doesn't. Oh well, that's the price of love.

Carpet!

The carpet came in. The green bottom part of the nursery seemed too dark at first. I think the carpet lightened it up, at least. Once we get a chair rail and furniture in I think it will be okay.

(Oh yea, and an update on the pregnancy thing in general. I have a free ultrasound on Thursday with a teaching school! Someone suggested going to a sonography school to land a free u/s so I did just that! And, on Wednesday we have a dog class to prep Cyan for a baby. Then on Saturday we have a baby basics course. Lastly, I have my 24 week appt. on next Monday. So, after things being quiet for a few months, they're starting to pick up! I'm 2/3rds of the way through. It's still going slowly but I'm sure it will be here before we know it.)


THE NURSERY




THE SPARE ROOM

Nursery

The nursery work has begun... (Photobucket or Blogspot keeps cropping these pictures... sorry. If you want to see the whole thing, just click on the picture. I don't feel like re-adjusting all the pictures right now.)

New Pics!

I'm bored and made Jason take a couple shots. Enjoy. (22 Weeks, 1 Day)

Registered!

Here's a shameless self-promotion for baby... we registered! So far, we're registered at Babies R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com/) and we're probably going to do it at Burlington as soon as we can.

It was exhausting work. We were there for probably 3 hours and faded out at the end. So, I'm sure there are items we should have scanned that were located at the end of the store, but we simply ran out of time and energy. I think we covered most of the things we need.

Anyway, I'm not sure who reads this anymore, but I do know of a few family members and a couple friends so I wanted to post this. I know I was asked by one or two people what they should buy us. Since I didn't want to decide, I thought I'd just point you to the registry.

I think baby is okay. The little one didn't move at all the day we registered so that scared the daylights out of me. But, I did feel movement the next day so I think everything's good for now. I know I worry too much but that's just how/who I am. I try to control it, though.

Jason and I bought the nursery paint the weekend and he plans to paint the room starting this weekend. His parents were generous enough to get us carpet (and I can't be more thankful) so we're on a deadline to get the room painted. I think that's a good thing because it will get Jason's butt in gear!

----------------

P.S. - I know the glider is horribly expensive. It just shows that I want a full sized cherry wood rocker with foot stool. I think I need to find a cheaper one at Burlington to scan. I can't believe that it costs something like $500. It better serve dinner at that price, too.

20 Weeks (5 Months)

I had my 5 month appt. today. Everything's good. The heartbeat was loud and strong. I almost thought it was a little fast (and I know it should be) but it sounded too fast. The doctor said it sounded fine. And, he said the baby was moving around because the heart beat moved and did get quicker. He said babies in the womb are like the rest of us, when they move, the heart rate goes up.

Everything seems fine. I'm supposed to feel regular movements in the next week or two. I'm getting them now, but they're not regular yet.

The only bummer is that it may take another month to feel the baby from the outside. I can't wait for Jason to feel but I guess we have to wait a little longer.

The appointment was short and sweet. I go back in 4 more weeks, as usual. I'll get to schedule my glucose test which I can't wait for (note: that was sarcastic).

So, that's it for now.

Random Appt. and Pic

I had a random doctor's appointment today. It was with the cardiologist. Oh yea, remember? I also have a cardiologist. Is there a specialist out there that I don't have?

Anyway, it was a routine visit. I have gained 19 pounds since last year. I'm blaming the pregnancy. My cholesterol went up... shocker. The doctor wasn't concerned, though.

Everything was good and I'm scheduled to go back next year for another general check up. I haven't had anything happening in the cardio department (luckily). So, it was an uneventful appointment.

Now, since I'm posting this boring stuff, I thought I 'd post a picture update. I'll be 20 weeks (5 months) on Moday. Can you believe it?

U/S Pics - 18 Weeks

Here's the baby!

Back from Big U/S

I'm back and the baby looks good! I was so happy that mom and Candi came with us. I wanted to share the experience. Jason was in awe and said this makes it more real.

We saw every little part of the baby. I thought it was amazing to see the heart (and the four chambers), the spine, and the limbs. You could even see each toe bone. It was pretty cool.

The baby slept most of the time. I'm not surprised. I woke up at 3am last night and never fell back asleep. I felt the little one from probably 3-6am so they were probably tired by the time we had the ultrasound.

We did not ask to find out the gender so that's still a mystery. The little one didn't flash us any clues (that I saw) so we still don't know.

Well, since I didn't fall back asleep after 3am, I am exhausted. We took mom and Candi to brunch and then Jason and I had to buy a Miata battery and went shopping. I had some coupons for baby stuff so I bought a couple things. I couldn't hold off any longer. I also bought a couple more tops. Now that I'm growing, I can't really wear my old sweaters because my belly pops out.

I'll try to scan the u/s pictures tomorrow and post them. For now I'm going to lay around and relax. I have to work tomorrow and I'm beat.