"Don't try the castor oil. It won't work and it's disgusting!" -Jessa (mom of 2).We have an appointment for Wednesday morning and I'll keep everyone posted on if it's necessary. Keep praying for the health of the baby and that he or she decides to make their arrival before we have to induce!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Still here, still pregnant!
I'm 2 days away from my due date with very little progress made within the last week. I saw the doctor yesterday and he said I'm only 1 centimeter dilated. It's normal for the first baby to take a little longer, but I really want to have this baby now! I'm hoping that we'll see some action this weekend, but we'll have to wait and see. All the moms in my bible studies have told me the old wive's tales are exactly that and won't help at all.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Waiting Game...
At 39 weeks with no progress made at all, I'm getting a little impatient with our baby. It's just that I can't wait to meet him or her and knowing that I can do nothing to speed up the arrival of our bundle of joy is frustrating. However, there is a plus side to the 'no progress' report from Dr. M- Daniel and I are taking a weekend trip to visit his parents. They're only a few hours away and it will be nice to get in one more pre-baby visit.
As we continue to wait for the baby, we also continue to prepare ourselves for parenthood. Our monitor, high chair, baby tub and some other items arrived this week and they've all been set up. We took an Adult/Infant CPR class on Wednesday morning and both passed the final test. It was a great class that covered CPR, working an AED, as well as how to help someone who is choking. We made a trip to Lowes earlier this week for some more finishing touches to the house and ordered a beautiful coffee table and end table set from a local furniture store that will be here in a few weeks. With Daniel's beautiful installation of our living room curtains and a shelf in the bathroom, our dresser delivered yesterday (it would've been accompanied by our mirror but that broke before it even got here so they are sending us a new one- whenever that will be!), and our wonderful, comfy couches residing in the living room, our house finally feels like a real home.
We also received our video camera that we ordered from Sears. We're really happy that it arrived before the baby did! It will be wonderful to capture our baby's life on tape (or digital memory, as in this case) right from the beginning. I'll be sure to post little clips on here so all of you can meet our bundle of joy.
As we continue to wait for the baby, we also continue to prepare ourselves for parenthood. Our monitor, high chair, baby tub and some other items arrived this week and they've all been set up. We took an Adult/Infant CPR class on Wednesday morning and both passed the final test. It was a great class that covered CPR, working an AED, as well as how to help someone who is choking. We made a trip to Lowes earlier this week for some more finishing touches to the house and ordered a beautiful coffee table and end table set from a local furniture store that will be here in a few weeks. With Daniel's beautiful installation of our living room curtains and a shelf in the bathroom, our dresser delivered yesterday (it would've been accompanied by our mirror but that broke before it even got here so they are sending us a new one- whenever that will be!), and our wonderful, comfy couches residing in the living room, our house finally feels like a real home.
We also received our video camera that we ordered from Sears. We're really happy that it arrived before the baby did! It will be wonderful to capture our baby's life on tape (or digital memory, as in this case) right from the beginning. I'll be sure to post little clips on here so all of you can meet our bundle of joy.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Home Sweet Home!
I have never been happier to see 2 toothbrushes in the bathroom holder or the Irish Spring soap bar in the shower or the Subaru Forrester sitting in the drive... Daniel is finally home and will be home for a long, long time. He successfully completed his training in Colorado and arrived back in Enid yesterday around five- just in time for dinner!
It's so nice to have him back at home. We had a wonderful meal of roast beef, Olive Garden roasted potatoes, and some green beans. I even made my mom's classic dressing for his after-dinner salad. I also baked some brownies for dessert but we didn't get to them since we were so full from dinner! I would have toasted him with champagne, but in my current condition, it's best to stay away from the bubbly stuff.
The baby has been very obedient- we both asked him/her to stay put until Daniel came home and he/she did. I saw the doctor on Wednesday and I'm not dilated at all. He said that there's plenty of time for things to progress naturally but also mentioned that he won't let me go past 41 weeks, which would make the deadline April 30th. Hopefully, we won't have to go the induction route, but it's all in God's hands.
Daniel's only been back 24 hours, but he's been very busy- already picked up and put together (with a little help from me) our headboard and nightstand. We're expecting our couches tomorrow and the rest of our bedroom set arrives on Wednesday. It will be so nice to have all of our furniture in our house instead of on a truck or in a warehouse. We need just a few finishing touches, like curtains for our sliding glass door and a rug for the baby's room, and we'll be set!
It's so nice to have him back at home. We had a wonderful meal of roast beef, Olive Garden roasted potatoes, and some green beans. I even made my mom's classic dressing for his after-dinner salad. I also baked some brownies for dessert but we didn't get to them since we were so full from dinner! I would have toasted him with champagne, but in my current condition, it's best to stay away from the bubbly stuff.
The baby has been very obedient- we both asked him/her to stay put until Daniel came home and he/she did. I saw the doctor on Wednesday and I'm not dilated at all. He said that there's plenty of time for things to progress naturally but also mentioned that he won't let me go past 41 weeks, which would make the deadline April 30th. Hopefully, we won't have to go the induction route, but it's all in God's hands.
Daniel's only been back 24 hours, but he's been very busy- already picked up and put together (with a little help from me) our headboard and nightstand. We're expecting our couches tomorrow and the rest of our bedroom set arrives on Wednesday. It will be so nice to have all of our furniture in our house instead of on a truck or in a warehouse. We need just a few finishing touches, like curtains for our sliding glass door and a rug for the baby's room, and we'll be set!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter in Pittsburgh!
Despite my swollen feet from travel, I had an amazing trip to Pittsburgh to celebrate Easter with my family. I got in on a Wednesday and spent the evening with my siblings and parents at home with a homemade apple pie to finish off the day. Thursday was a day spent with Gramma Irene (my dad's mom) who is on her way to recovery after having hip surgery a few months ago. She came to our house to make traditional Italian Easter bread- pasca. It was an incredible process to take part in and the little details were so important! The eggs had to be at room temperature, the milk had to be warm-but not too warm, and a small pinch of sugar had to be added to the yeast. The most amazing thing was how she mixed the ingredients- she did it right on the countertop with no bowl or mixer needed. Since the amount of ingredients (3 pounds of flour, a dozen eggs, etc) would overwhelm even the biggest bowl, Gramma formed the flour into a bowl shape and added the ingredients slowly while bringing in small amounts of the flour. After the mixing, we had to let it rise 3 times before braiding and baking it. I must say that it turned out very well and it was one of my favorite parts of our Easter brunch.
After taking Gramma home, we stopped by to meet the newest cousin on my mom's side of the family: Ryan Thomas. He is beautiful and such a sweet baby! It was great to meet him when he's still so tiny- only 6 days old! His big brother, Patrick, is precious to watch since he's only 2 and still a baby himself. My Aunt Annie is recovering well after her c-section and Uncle Tommy is doing a good job as husband and dad as well as host- he treated all of us to soft pretzels while we visited.
Friday was a pretty quiet day since it was Good Friday and the family doesn't do much between the hours of 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, that evening after a dinner of Juliano's pizza (my absolute favorite!) we were joined by Aunt Annie, Uncle Tommy, Patrick and Ryan to dye Easter eggs. Gracie and Patrick had a lot of fun. Gracie enjoyed dying her eggs in multiple colors and to Patrick, every color was "Blue!"
Saturday was spent cleaning the house to get ready for hosting Easter brunch but I wasn't too much help since I was still sporting Fred Flintstone feet. After sweeping downstairs, I cleaned something else that didn't require being on my feet- the computer. I uninstalled lots of stuff that was unnecessary and slowing it down. Now it runs smoothly and without annoying programs that pop up whenever you log in. After a busy day, we all got dressed up and headed to the Easter vigil at my home parish, Holy Trinity. It was a beautiful service and I got to see some friends from home which was great.
Sunday was another gorgeous day- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! Looking for Easter baskets was fun though I had some trouble locating mine.... the bunny was tricky this year. Aunt Nancy came early to help with the cooking and by noon, the whole family had arrived and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. I finally got to meet little Penelope Ann (born 3/15/2010) and she is just precious! Her 3 year old big sister, Lilly, told me she helps mommy with the baby- even with diapers. Lilly and Grace enjoyed playing dress up and grocery store while Penny got passed around and Gramma gave orders in the kitchen. It was a delicious meal and a relaxing afternoon before we said good bye to dad's side of the family and headed over to Grandma and Pap's house to see mom's side of the family for dinner.
My cousin, Mary Kate, definitely had the best reaction to my surprise visit and it was so good to see her and the rest of the Kelly clan. The little kids enjoyed a wild egg hunt in the backyard and I enjoyed catching up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm so glad I got to travel home for the week- it would have been hard to go for more than 6 months without seeing everyone. I am planning on bringing the baby to Pittsburgh this summer during Daniel's first couple of weeks of academics of UPT (undergraduate pilot training) since it's very rigorous and he could use the calm and quiet as he begins his pilot training..... and because I don't think I could go more than a few months without having Juliano's pizza!
After taking Gramma home, we stopped by to meet the newest cousin on my mom's side of the family: Ryan Thomas. He is beautiful and such a sweet baby! It was great to meet him when he's still so tiny- only 6 days old! His big brother, Patrick, is precious to watch since he's only 2 and still a baby himself. My Aunt Annie is recovering well after her c-section and Uncle Tommy is doing a good job as husband and dad as well as host- he treated all of us to soft pretzels while we visited.
Friday was a pretty quiet day since it was Good Friday and the family doesn't do much between the hours of 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, that evening after a dinner of Juliano's pizza (my absolute favorite!) we were joined by Aunt Annie, Uncle Tommy, Patrick and Ryan to dye Easter eggs. Gracie and Patrick had a lot of fun. Gracie enjoyed dying her eggs in multiple colors and to Patrick, every color was "Blue!"
Saturday was spent cleaning the house to get ready for hosting Easter brunch but I wasn't too much help since I was still sporting Fred Flintstone feet. After sweeping downstairs, I cleaned something else that didn't require being on my feet- the computer. I uninstalled lots of stuff that was unnecessary and slowing it down. Now it runs smoothly and without annoying programs that pop up whenever you log in. After a busy day, we all got dressed up and headed to the Easter vigil at my home parish, Holy Trinity. It was a beautiful service and I got to see some friends from home which was great.
Sunday was another gorgeous day- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! Looking for Easter baskets was fun though I had some trouble locating mine.... the bunny was tricky this year. Aunt Nancy came early to help with the cooking and by noon, the whole family had arrived and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. I finally got to meet little Penelope Ann (born 3/15/2010) and she is just precious! Her 3 year old big sister, Lilly, told me she helps mommy with the baby- even with diapers. Lilly and Grace enjoyed playing dress up and grocery store while Penny got passed around and Gramma gave orders in the kitchen. It was a delicious meal and a relaxing afternoon before we said good bye to dad's side of the family and headed over to Grandma and Pap's house to see mom's side of the family for dinner.
My cousin, Mary Kate, definitely had the best reaction to my surprise visit and it was so good to see her and the rest of the Kelly clan. The little kids enjoyed a wild egg hunt in the backyard and I enjoyed catching up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm so glad I got to travel home for the week- it would have been hard to go for more than 6 months without seeing everyone. I am planning on bringing the baby to Pittsburgh this summer during Daniel's first couple of weeks of academics of UPT (undergraduate pilot training) since it's very rigorous and he could use the calm and quiet as he begins his pilot training..... and because I don't think I could go more than a few months without having Juliano's pizza!
There and Back Again: A Lady's Tale
It started as a wish, then a dream and thanks to a healthy pregnancy, my husband’s blessing and an “OK” by my doctor, it became a reality: I got to go to Pittsburgh for Easter! With Daniel still in Colorado, I wasn’t sure what to do for the holiday until he suggested that I look into flying home. After anxiously waiting for my appointment with my doctor, (and trying desperately not to get my hopes up in case he said no) I asked Dr. M if I would be alright to fly. He asked some questions: have you had any contractions yet? Where are going? How long will you be there? My answers: No, Pittsburgh, 6 days. His final verdict: YES! But please, don’t go into labor while you’re that far away. I assured him that I would do my best to avoid having the baby in Pittsburgh and that mission has been accomplished.
Once I got the green light to go, I searched for flights and found one that got me there pretty directly with a more round-a-bout way back to Oklahoma. I booked it and then called my parents who were very happy to hear that I’d be home for the Easter. We decided to keep it a secret from the extended family and my little sister, Grace, who at 5 years old doesn’t keep secrets very well. Since gabbing to my cousins about my trip home and not sharing my exciting news through online networks (Facebook and here), I was bursting to tell someone- anyone who would listen- so I gushed about it to my college friends and to my new friends from Vance, who can relate to the excitement of a trip to see family.
As the time drew nearer to my departure, I got everything together- packed my bag, asked a friend to get our mail, and called Airport Express for a ride to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, an hour and a half from Enid. I was due to be picked up at 7:00am and was enjoying my breakfast of a granny smith apple when I got a call: “Uhh, ma’am? This is Airport Express. They won’t let me on to the base.” Well, chalk another one up to learning through experience- as a newbie military wife, I assumed that security forces would just call and confirm that I had called the cab and then let them on base- that obviously was not the case. I would have called a friend for a ride to the visitor’s center which is right outside the gate but since it was “O-dark-thirty” (military speak for the early hours when pilots must wake before reveille and report to the flight line), I decided to just walk (or rather, waddle) the half mile to past the gate to meet my cab driver. Thankfully, the weather was warm, the breezes mild and the outbound lane mostly clear. After that unexpected morning walk, the trip to Pittsburgh was smooth and I was greeted by my mom and Gracie, who was speechless when she saw me walk up to the car.
It was so good to see my family!
The visit to Pittsburgh was wonderful and I’ll post more specifics about what happened there, but the purpose of this entry to detail my travels… so you know how I got there and now here’s how I got back to good ol’ Enid, Oklahoma…
With a later departure time and a much shorter drive to the airport (15 max), I didn’t have to wake up with the sun and enjoyed an quiet morning with Mom and Gracie as I packed and ate some breakfast. After a trip to the bank to make some deposits, we headed to Wojanis Supply Company, where I worked from 2007 until I moved to Oklahoma last November. It was wonderful to see all my former coworkers and show how much the baby has grown since I left- which has been a lot considering I could still fit into my regular dress pants back then!
After “good byes” and “see you soons,” I headed to check in and then off to my gate. Everything seemed to be fine until I handed my boarding pass to the woman scanning them. It kept saying “Incorrect Seat Assignment.” I start to have a mini-panic attack since I had to make 2 connections before landing in OKC and needed to arrive on time in La Guardia to do so. It turned out that they had a last minute plane switch and rerouted me without letting me know beforehand. They told me they got me a seat on a direct flight to Dallas/Forth Worth which left 30 minutes later and that I could make my connection there to OKC. Since there wasn’t much I could do, I just went along with it and gladly accepted a ride to terminal D on one of those little carts usually reserved for elderly and handicapped people- apparently a big belly and swollen ankles qualify me as “handicapped,” but I’m not complaining!
Once at my new gate, I checked in with the man there- he asked, “Flying to Detroit?” “Uh, no, I’m trying to get to Dallas.” (Cue small panic attack.) Apparently, US Airways considers a “Through Flight” from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Dallas a direct one, but as long as I got to OKC eventually, I wasn’t going to fuss. I enjoyed the 37 minute flight with a row all to myself and then deplaned in Detroit only to board the same aircraft 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure that I had a seat since it looked like it was going to be a full flight and the lady at the counter checked and told me I had the same aisle seat and that I was fine. When I tried to board this time, there was trouble again but it was quickly taken care of since it was just a small hiccup in the computer. The flight went well and I sat next to a nice woman who is hosting an exchange student from Finland. They’re visiting a friend in Dallas for spring break and had travel troubles of their own. Today just isn’t the day for plans to go accordingly!
After a dinner at Friday's and a purchase at Hudson Booksellers, I boarded my final flight of the day. It was just a hop to OKC and I was back on the ground and headed to find a cab. I had a wonderful driver and we had a pretty smooth ride to Vance despite the free light show God was putting on for us- I've never seen lightning like that before! It's so flat out here, it was quite a sight. Thankfully, no rain or tornadoes came our way and I made it back to our house safe and sound. I am so happy that I got to visit everyone in Pittsburgh, but I'm also glad to be back in Enid and that Daniel is almost back here with me!
Once I got the green light to go, I searched for flights and found one that got me there pretty directly with a more round-a-bout way back to Oklahoma. I booked it and then called my parents who were very happy to hear that I’d be home for the Easter. We decided to keep it a secret from the extended family and my little sister, Grace, who at 5 years old doesn’t keep secrets very well. Since gabbing to my cousins about my trip home and not sharing my exciting news through online networks (Facebook and here), I was bursting to tell someone- anyone who would listen- so I gushed about it to my college friends and to my new friends from Vance, who can relate to the excitement of a trip to see family.
As the time drew nearer to my departure, I got everything together- packed my bag, asked a friend to get our mail, and called Airport Express for a ride to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, an hour and a half from Enid. I was due to be picked up at 7:00am and was enjoying my breakfast of a granny smith apple when I got a call: “Uhh, ma’am? This is Airport Express. They won’t let me on to the base.” Well, chalk another one up to learning through experience- as a newbie military wife, I assumed that security forces would just call and confirm that I had called the cab and then let them on base- that obviously was not the case. I would have called a friend for a ride to the visitor’s center which is right outside the gate but since it was “O-dark-thirty” (military speak for the early hours when pilots must wake before reveille and report to the flight line), I decided to just walk (or rather, waddle) the half mile to past the gate to meet my cab driver. Thankfully, the weather was warm, the breezes mild and the outbound lane mostly clear. After that unexpected morning walk, the trip to Pittsburgh was smooth and I was greeted by my mom and Gracie, who was speechless when she saw me walk up to the car.
It was so good to see my family!
The visit to Pittsburgh was wonderful and I’ll post more specifics about what happened there, but the purpose of this entry to detail my travels… so you know how I got there and now here’s how I got back to good ol’ Enid, Oklahoma…
With a later departure time and a much shorter drive to the airport (15 max), I didn’t have to wake up with the sun and enjoyed an quiet morning with Mom and Gracie as I packed and ate some breakfast. After a trip to the bank to make some deposits, we headed to Wojanis Supply Company, where I worked from 2007 until I moved to Oklahoma last November. It was wonderful to see all my former coworkers and show how much the baby has grown since I left- which has been a lot considering I could still fit into my regular dress pants back then!
After “good byes” and “see you soons,” I headed to check in and then off to my gate. Everything seemed to be fine until I handed my boarding pass to the woman scanning them. It kept saying “Incorrect Seat Assignment.” I start to have a mini-panic attack since I had to make 2 connections before landing in OKC and needed to arrive on time in La Guardia to do so. It turned out that they had a last minute plane switch and rerouted me without letting me know beforehand. They told me they got me a seat on a direct flight to Dallas/Forth Worth which left 30 minutes later and that I could make my connection there to OKC. Since there wasn’t much I could do, I just went along with it and gladly accepted a ride to terminal D on one of those little carts usually reserved for elderly and handicapped people- apparently a big belly and swollen ankles qualify me as “handicapped,” but I’m not complaining!
Once at my new gate, I checked in with the man there- he asked, “Flying to Detroit?” “Uh, no, I’m trying to get to Dallas.” (Cue small panic attack.) Apparently, US Airways considers a “Through Flight” from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Dallas a direct one, but as long as I got to OKC eventually, I wasn’t going to fuss. I enjoyed the 37 minute flight with a row all to myself and then deplaned in Detroit only to board the same aircraft 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure that I had a seat since it looked like it was going to be a full flight and the lady at the counter checked and told me I had the same aisle seat and that I was fine. When I tried to board this time, there was trouble again but it was quickly taken care of since it was just a small hiccup in the computer. The flight went well and I sat next to a nice woman who is hosting an exchange student from Finland. They’re visiting a friend in Dallas for spring break and had travel troubles of their own. Today just isn’t the day for plans to go accordingly!
After a dinner at Friday's and a purchase at Hudson Booksellers, I boarded my final flight of the day. It was just a hop to OKC and I was back on the ground and headed to find a cab. I had a wonderful driver and we had a pretty smooth ride to Vance despite the free light show God was putting on for us- I've never seen lightning like that before! It's so flat out here, it was quite a sight. Thankfully, no rain or tornadoes came our way and I made it back to our house safe and sound. I am so happy that I got to visit everyone in Pittsburgh, but I'm also glad to be back in Enid and that Daniel is almost back here with me!
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