Full of Laughter

. . . that's what I'm choosing to believe about the little teaser in my tummy.  My little Ella baby has been teasing us for the last week - to the point that her Grandmommy and Aunt Anna have already flown in from Alabama and are sitting on pins and needles ready to meet her and I'm officially on maternity leave!

Tease #1: At my check-up last week on Wednesday (37 weeks), her head was already at a station 2 and I was 3 cm dilated.  Last Friday I began having semi-regular contractions.  The magic number to go to the hospital is 5 mins apart for at least an hour.  We would get to just under an hour and then not have another contraction for 20 mins.  Then they would pick up again, be less than 5 mins for just under an hour, and then slack off for 15 mins.  Brandon was in Abilene praying he could finish the weekend with the symphony, his folks were at my house with me, and my mom caught the last flight out of Birmingham hoping to get here and go straight to the hospital.  My contractions continued that same pattern through Saturday morning, and then all but disappeared (and disappointed) for the rest of the weekend (though we did have a couple of other tell-tale signs that things were going to happen soon - but they're gross and you don't want to hear about that).  Still, we made it through the weekend, Brandon finished his gig, my mom decided to stay, and Ella was still chillin' in her cozy little womb.

We had our next check-up this past Monday.  Because of all the contractions (and other signs) we had over the weekend, my doc didn't want to check for dilation for fear of getting things stirred up too soon (Monday I was 37 weeks and 5 days).  He did say that IF nothing happens between then and this coming Monday that he'll get things started for us and send me straight up to Labor and Delivery.  But he thought that was a big if - meaning she could come anytime.  I decided to keep working and try to finish out the week at my school (it's state testing week, all I had to do was sit and monitor the bathrooms).

Tease #2: Anna flew in after her exams on Tuesday and was very thankful she made it in time.  I hit 38 weeks yesterday (Wednesday), went to work/bathroom duty, and started having regular contractions again.  They were close enough and strong enough that I started timing them.  Regular contractions at about 4 mins apart!  When I hit the one hour mark, I went up to our school nurses office, called Brandon, then called the doctor.  They suggested I go get monitored in Labor and Delivery just in case.  So, some of my closest work friends (our principal, counselor, and art teacher) and I loaded up and left the school while Brandon, my mom, and my sis loaded up and left from home (the hospital is almost right in between).  We got hooked up to the monitors (Ella was perfect, btw!) and checked and measured and all of that "fun" stuff.  I was 3.5 - 4cm dilated and 75 - 80% effaced.  They monitored us for about 2 hours, but when they measured everything again they didn't see enough change to keep us.  So, home we went.  My contractions got harder and stronger and stayed regular (and painful!) all afternoon but started getting further apart as the night went on.  This morning I'm only having 2-3 contractions an hour.  They're still stronger than they were yesterday morning, but not quite as painful as the worst ones yesterday right after we got home.  We decided to go ahead and officially start my maternity leave as of today though, just in case something else happens . . .

DISCLAIMER: Very few people knew we went to get checked yesterday - we didn't want to alert everyone just in case this wasn't the real deal - so please don't feel bad if you're just finding out.  I promise we'll shout it from the rooftops when she's really on her way!

I really don't mind waiting.  I know the longer she stays with me (to a point) the better and healthier she will be.  I'm not totally miserable unlike many of my preggo friends at this point and it's been a pretty easy pregnancy, so I'm not in a hurry to have this part of the journey end.  Of course, my heart's desire is to see and hold and kiss my baby girl as soon as possible and if I knew it would happen today I would just burst with joy, but I'm ok with waiting a few more days if we have to.

What's killing me is all of this teasing!  Is she coming?  Is it time?  "Just kidding, mom!"  Up, down, up, down, up . . .  I can just picture little Ella giggling one day as I tell her all of the ups and downs we went through in these last few days before she was born.  I'm choosing to believe that she's showing us a little of her personality now and that she will be full of joy and laughter (and probably a little mischief).   :)

TMEA

What a GREAT week/weekend we've had!  I love love love this week of the year.  TMEA, officially known as the Texas Music Educators Association - unofficially known as music teachers' pre-spring break, has its annual convention this week in San Antonio every year.  It's such a great time to get away from the every-day norm, catch up with teacher friends across the state (from Tech, Alabama, Kodaly, Orff, my old district, etc . . .), and get some refreshing new ideas for my classroom.  It's a nice boost of energy and excitement that always makes me itch to get back to my students and teach them all of these new things!  :)

This year I didn't/couldn't go to as much as I have in the past.  TMEA + 27 weeks preggo = one tired and sore momma!  I actually skipped out on the 8:00 sessions for the first time in the six years I've been coming to TMEA.  I know I'm supposed to be taking care of myself and baby and I know that realistically there's no way I could have gone to those without skipping out on the later sessions from pure exhaustion, but I still feel just a teensy bit guilty.

We got really lucky this year and were able to stay Wed night and Thurs night at the Grand Hyatt right there at the convention center!  I think the only time I've had a nicer hotel room was when we were on our honeymoon.  I loved it!  And it made things so much easier since I didn't have to walk and walk and walk to get back to a hotel at the end of the day (though there is still a TON of walking involved in the convention center and around the Riverwalk getting to restaurants).

Last night we had our unofficial Alabama reunion - ROLL TIDE - and then came out to Brandon's dad's house to stay with them.  I'm missing a few sessions this morning but it's for a great reason.  I'm about to take the advice of my doctor a spend the morning getting a prenatal massage!  Hooray!!  I'm so excited about it and so so thankful that Brandon's stepmom, Eloise, suggested it since we're spending the day with them here in San Antonio before we head back home.  I really need it after all the walking and toting stuff around downtown SA the last few days.  I.  Can't.  Wait!

I'm so thankful for my pre-spring break vacation!

100 Days to Go - A Preggo List

In honor of the 100th Day mark (eeep!) I'm giving you a preggo list.  I've actually been meaning to jot some of these down for a while now. It's mostly for my own reference for Stewart Little's future brother(s) and sister(s) but with so many preggo and new mommy friends, I thought some of you might have things to add, too.  (Boys, you might want to stop reading here.  Don't say I didn't warn you!)

• It's ok to take more than one pregnancy test.  It's fun to watch those little lines turn pink!
• It's also ok to save one or two - even if it really is just pee on a stick. (Don't forget to clean off the outside though - ew!)
• Digital pregnancy tests are awesome, but take a picture because the digital reading doesn't stay on longer than 24 hours.  (As of 25 weeks though, the plain old cheap ones with the lines are still crystal clear! Just sayin' . . .)
• Just because you're not throwing up in your first trimester doesn't mean you feel fine and dandy.  I've never had so much sleep and still be so utterly exhausted!
• For a long time, your boobs will be WAY bigger than your belly.  That part happens FAST! (And it hurts! Be prepared!)
• Ignore the coworkers who missed the announcement that you're expecting and then tell you they thought you'd been eating a few extra hamburgers.  They still mean well.  (This is not a joke!)
• You know the whole, thicker, fuller hair and longer, stronger nails myth?  It's true.
• What they don't tell you about that myth is that the thicker fuller hair part doesn't necessarily mean the hair on your head.  I'll leave it at that.
• Ok, no I won't.  I confess - I have been fighting off a rather dark Miss-stach for months now.  Future me, stock up on tweezers!
• Even before you're officially "showing", maternity pants are the MOST comfortable pants on earth!  Wear them early and be proud of it!
• Yeast infections suck.  I've had more in the last 3 months than I've ever had in my life.
• Likewise for colds.
• And pink eye!  I've NEVER had pink eye before!  (And it would show up IN BOTH EYES the day of my cousin's wedding when I'm a bridesmaid . . .)
• Be careful when brushing your back teeth.  Even if you've made it to the end of the 2nd trimester without puking, your toothbrush will still make you gag every morning.
• Eat a big Thanksgiving/Christmas feast if you want to feel those first movements!  Stewart Little LOVES Grandma's dressing recipe.  Her first kicks came right after Thanksgiving dinner.
• Stewart Little either loves Daddy's horn playing and tries to dance to it, or she desperately tries to get away from it.  Either way, she can't hold still if Daddy is playing!  I'm choosing to believe the first one!  
• Enjoy every kick and bask in every wiggle (even when it's on your bladder).  It means baby is healthy and growing - what a blessing!
• Orange juice, apple juice, and any type of fruit also make our baby girl wiggle!
• Sometimes it feels like I swallowed a jumping bean (and a rather large one at that).
• Speaking of large, in the last couple of weeks, I've actually started feeling "large" - particularly when trying to roll over in bed or get out of bed.  I can only imagine what that will be like by April and May!  Oy!
• Apparently it's normal, around 25 weeks, for your boobs to let you know they're ready and waiting for baby.  Yep, I'm officially wearing nursing pads and I won't actually be nursing for (hopefully) 3 more months!  THAT was a fun(ny) thing to wake up to this weekend.  
• Enjoy basking in the 5 and 6 month glow of pregnancy!  Strangers can finally tell you're pregnant and not just chubby around the middle - hooray!  I've never been told I'm beautiful/cute/adorable this much in my life.  I could get used to this . . .
• Oh, and watch out for too much of that "glow".  I have more pimples currently on my face than I did through my entire teenage years (yeah, I was lucky back then).  Seriously, my face rivals a 13 year old boy's right now.  Thank you, Lord for giving someone the brain to create cover-up makeup!  :)
• You know those stories you hear of pregnant women sneezing and, umm, leaking?  They're all true!  Note to self: don't sneeze when you're washing your hands in cold water.  You end up needing to wash a few more things, too!  Think of it as a right of passage.  
• Around 20ish weeks, start watch for your belly to start moving!  It makes everything so much more real!
• Speaking of that 20 week mark - I noticed a shift in my thinking somewhere around there.  The first half of my pregnancy I was still in awe and wonder that I was pregnant.  Now I'm in awe and wonder that we have a baby in there.  It's a subtle but important difference.  This is not about me, it's about her.  She's real!  And we'll be meeting her in 100 days or less!  Yippee and yikes!
• Never forget to stop and wonder about this beautiful miracle.  God is so good to allow us (girls) to experience, know, and love our babies before anyone else and like no one else can.  I am in constant amazement to the point that there are really no words . . .