The 40th Week is FINALLY Here!!

Hey everyone! I can't believe it...the end of my pregnancy has finally arrived! I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER! Since my last blog I have finished my visits to the doctor and set a date for Theresa to be born! I have also taken my maternity pictures! My third and fourth doctor's appointment's were the same...I was still 1 cm dilated and my cervix had made no progress annnnd I didn't gain any weight! I was still 183 lbs! My last appointment, on September 3, I was still 1 cm dilated but my cervix had softened and was lower and Theresa was lower too!...oh and I gained 4 more pounds! lol So now I am 187 lbs which brings my total weight gain to 42 lbs!! At my second to last appointment I asked him if we should start talking about inducing and he said sure but it couldn't be before her due date, which I hadn't planned on doing anyways. I asked if we could induce on Sept 9 because I wanted her birthday to be 9/9/09! but he doesn't work on Wednesdays so that was out. He said what about Sept 12? I said no way because I don't want to risk her being born on September 11 and because my cousin Krystle will be leaving for Europe for 3 1/2 months on Sept 12 and she is going to be in the delivery room! So we decided on September 8, which is her due date! So it worked out pretty well! So this all means that I have 1 more day of being pregnant! It's insane!

For everyone who doesn't know what inducing is or how they do it, I will explain! Tomorrow, September 7, I will go to Touro hospital around 9 pm and they will get me hooked up to the monitors and get me situated. Around 10 they will insert a quarter of a pill called Cervadil into my cervix to help soften it some more to get it ready for delivery. Around 2 am they will put another quarter in. At 6 am they will break my water and start the Pitocin which will start my contractions! And then sometime on Tuesday we will be holding our little girl in our arms! I am so anxious I can't stand it! Tomorrow Gabe and I are going to spend the day relaxing and enjoying our last day where it's just the two of us!

ANNNNDD....I finally took my maternity pictures!!! My sister Stacey does photography and took them for me...she did such an amazing job!! I was 36 weeks in the pictures! Here's some of them and there's some more on Stacey's website www.staceybreaux.com/katematernity.html

And here are my 38 and 39 week belly pics! I will take my last one when I go to the hospital tomorrow night!

Alright everyone...the next blog you read will be filled with pictures of Theresa and all of my labor and delivery details!!! Goodbye pregnancy....HELLLLLOOO motherhood!!! :)

A Busy Three Weeks!!

Okay, so I know I'm not too good at keeping up with this thing but I'm going to try to get everything in that's been going on these past few weeks. Sorry that I'm so slow! :)

The week before Gabe came home from Belize, July 20-24, my brother Jason came over and put the finishing touches on Theresa's nursery. He hung up her name, some shelves, and some frames and such. It looks so good, I'm in love! Here are some pictures of Jason at work and the finished product!

My mom trying to tell him how to do it!

On July 28 I picked Gabe up from the airport!! It was so exciting! I almost didn't recognize him with his loooong hair and black skin! Haha well not black but it was pretty dark! His flight didn't come in until 11 o'clock that night so we came back to my house and I showed him the nursery, which he loved! And he had a present for Theresa! It's a hand-painted pink maraca with a beach scene painted on it! He was in Acapulco, Mexico on the beach and there was a little boy trying to sell them and when he walked past the boy the maraca's sounded like baby rattles so he had to buy one...with the little money he had left! Gabe painted her name and the date on it, too. It's so cute! Here's a picture!

On August 4, Gabe and I started attending these Childbirth Education Classes. The first class was all about the stages of labor and delivery. It was very interesting and educational! I learned a lot and it made me so much more anxious and ready to go through it all. I was really scared about the labor and delivery process before but now I'm ready to attack it! I can't wait!

On August 6, all of Gabe's friends from Outback (where he works) through him a Baby Bachelor Party. For most of us out there who have NO idea what that is, I will explain. It's a guys only party to celebrate one of them becoming a father. In Gabe's case, they rented a party bus and each guy that came had to wear a t-shirt that was made and they had to bring a pack of diapers in order to get on the bus! At first I wasn't too happy about this party, but when I found out that we got diapers, well I was all for it!! It turned out great! We got 17 packs of diapers, a total of 840 diapers!!! And we got a few packs of wipes and some butt paste! Gabe had a blast and so did everyone else. I ended up meeting them out at a bar called Red Eye to make sure he got home safe. I had so much fun there! I actually danced while I was there! Haha it was probably very amusing for those who saw! Anyways, thanks to the guys at Outback we are set with diapers for a while! :) Here are some pictures!

All the diapers!!

Some of the guys wore Depends! Haha it was hilarious!

The guys at the beginning of the night....

...and the guys at the end of the night!

Also on August 6 I had my first pelvic exam to check my progress! I was ahead of schedule! I wasn't quite 1 cm dilated yet but he was able to get the tip of his finger in. I was 70% effaced, or thinned out. Theresa is at -2 in my pelvic bones. When she's at 0 I'll be in labor. So she's 2 cm away. And the softness and length of my cervix were both medium! And I weighed in at 181 pounds!!! :(

On August 7, I had a very vivid dream that I layed down for bed and my water broke! My bags weren't packed and Gabe wasn't there! In my dream I yelled down the hall to my parents and then called Gabe and told him to meet me at the hospital. I was rushing to pack my things and I was stressing out. So when I woke up I decided that to avoid something like that happening I needed to pack my bags! Haha So, now I am all ready for whenever she decides to surprise us!

On August 11, Gabe and I were supposed to attend the second of the Childbirth Education classes but he had to work so my brother's girlfriend Samantha, who is due October 16, came with me. This class was all about the new medical interventions they have now like pain medicine, epidurals, monitors, and other things. They passed around some of the tools they use during the labor and delivery process. It was really interesting. They also took us on a tour of the hospital and showed us the rooms we will be delivering in and recovering in. Again, this made me SO anxious!

On August 13 I had my second exam where I was pretty much the same. The only difference was I was officially 1 cm dilated! He was able to push through and feel Theresa's head! Woo hoo! And after the exam the nurse walked out and told Gabe she gives it a week or so! I don't know if she was serious or just messing with us but either way it made me more anxious! At this appointment I weighed in at 183 pounds! My next appointment is August 20! Hopefully I make it!!

Today, August 14, I woke up with the worst pain between my legs...I've been having pressure down there for about a month but today it was 10 times worse!! It feels like I'm holding a bowling ball between my legs! It's horrible! Well, when I told my mom how it had gotten worse over night she told me to lift my shirt and when I did she freaked! I have officially DROPPED! I'm so excited...well not about the pain...but this could mean that she's coming soon!! I hope it's soon cuz I can't walk around much longer like this. It's very uncomfortable!

Here are my 34 and 36 week belly pics and my baby ticker!

AHHH finally in the last box!!

Time to get busy!

Sooo I'm almost 33 weeks!!! I can't believe it! Only 7 weeks left. I have been keeping busy busy busy since my last post! For the week after my last post I spent as much time as I could with Gabe since he was leaving for Belize on July 5. He went to an Archaeological Field School where he gets to learn how to do all of that stuff! He's not coming home until July 28 :( Since he's going to be gone for so long I figured it was the perfect time to get to work and get everything ready so that when he gets home we can just relax and enjoy our last month together before our new little addition to the family.

After the baby shower that my sister and 2 cousins threw for me, I got all of her clothes together and took all of the tags off of them (which took about 3 hours!) but I couldn't put them in her dresser because I still had to stain it to match the crib so for about a week her clothes just sat in her crib folded in a bunch of piles. This past weekend my mom and I were 2 women on a mission! It was the most exhausting weekend ever but so worth it in the end! Saturday we went to Target to get some birthday presents for some family members, then to lunch, then to Lowe's and picked up the stain, sanding stuff including some masks so I wouldn't inhale any of the stain or dust, paint brushes, some shelves for Theresa's room, and some new handles for her dresser. We got home that evening and took the dresser and it's drawers outside and began sanding away! We sanded and put one coat of stain on before calling it quits. That night I was woken up by shooting pains from my ankles to my knees! It was horrible! I obviously did way too much but with a little rest I was ready for Sunday. That morning before it got too hot, we went out and put the second coat of stain on the dresser and then off we went! We ran a whole bunch of errands that took about 4 or 5 hours. When we got home the dresser was dry and ready to be put together! We put the handles on and the drawer liner (which is lily scented) in and put it in her room! It looks like a brand new dresser...which it's not...it's actually 22 years old! It was my baby dresser! We are very proud of ourselves! Here's a pic....it used to be a very light tan color and the handles were like a gold color. We forgot to take a before pic!! :(

Monday I had another baby shower that my friend Ashley from Outback (where I used to work) threw for me! It was such an intimate, elegant shower! We played some great games that were absolutely hilarious and I got a whole bunch of great stuff. Ashley did so much for me! I am so lucky to have her in my life!

The welcome sign!

The delicious punch and champagne!

So pretty and elegant!

The yummy food!

Favors!

The hostess Ashley and me.

My friend Jessica and me.

My mom and me.

From left Ashley, Samantha, Ariana, me, Jessica, Kellie, Danielle, Amber, and Dee. A few people already left...Ashton, Megan, and Ashley's mom.

This is Ashley and her boyfriend Eric's beautiful artwork for one of the games! We had to pin the diaper on the baby! Haha.

The gifts from everyone.

The clothes and accessories from everyone.

The beautiful dress and shoes that Ashley bought for Theresa!

Thursday, July 16, I had my 32 week doctor's appointment. Everything was great! I'm 32 centimeters from the top of my belly to the bottom which is exactly where I am supposed to be. Theresa is in position, head down and feet up! Her heart rate was 160 which is great! I keep forgetting to let y'all know how much weight I've been gaining this whole pregnancy! So, my first appointment when I was 7 weeks pregnant I weighed 145 lbs. At 11 weeks I was 148 lbs. At 15 weeks I was 152 lbs. At 20 weeks I was 156 lbs. At 24 weeks I was 160 lbs. At 28 weeks I was 168 lbs!! I was only supposed to gain 4 pounds that month!! It's okay as long as I don't do it again! And at my 32 week appointment I was 173 lbs. So far I've gained a total of 28 lbs! So now that I am caught up I will make sure to keep y'all posted the rest of the way! My next appointment is August 6, I will be 35 weeks pregnant! At this appointment he starts doing the exams to see if I am dilating!! :)

Here's my belly pic and 32 week ticker!! Only one more box to go!!! AHH!!

They Got Me!!!!! :)

Ah! There's so much to talk about! But first I'm going to start with the biggest surprise shower ever! I'll start from the beginning. It was Saturday, June 27, and Gabe had surprised me with circus ticktes! I was so excited! We went to the 11:00 show. During the show, my sister Stacey texted me asking me what I was doing for lunch cuz her and Joshua were at the mall. I told her I had no plans. She texted me back saying she had been craving Sun Ray Grill since we talked about it a few weeks ago. I told her that sounded good but I wasn't sure if I could afford it so she responded telling me that she was broke too and was going to ask my mom and dad to come so they could pay! (my mom and stacey had planned that because they knew I was going to say I didn't have any money) lol. So I was like okay sounds good I'll call you when I leave! The circus ended a little bit after 1 and Gabe had work at 2 so I brought him home and then headed to the restaurant. On the way there I texted Stacey telling her I was on my way and she responded saying they were already there (haha). I pulled up to the restaurant and parked in the back. I walked right by the window where my shower was (which I have a picture of). I walked in the door and was blown away (which I also have a picture of). I couldn't believe it! I did not expect my shower to be so early. I seriously had NO idea...like not even the slightest clue! I just thought I was going to lunch like always! Below are some pictures of the decorations that Krystle did, the delicious cake that Stacey had got for me, and the diaper cake that Brandi did, the many many gifts from everyone, the basket that my friend Aimee made for me, a picture of one of the 3 games that Kellie had us play at the shower, me walking by the window with no idea, me walking in with complete shock written on my face, and a video of me shortly after I realized that it was my shower! lol I was crying!!! I can't believe it!

Me and my sister Stacey, the Godmother of Theresa.

Me and the three hostesses of the shower. From left Kellie, Stacey, me, and Krystle.

My mom and I.

My future sister-in-law Samantha and baby Payton (in her belly).

Me and all of my cousins. From left Krystle, Kellie, Brandi, me, Natalie, Chali, and Penny.

Me and my Aunts. From left my dad's sister Debbie, my mom's sister Debbie, me, Dinky, and Penny.

Me and my Grandmothers. From left Maw Maw, me, Great Grandmother, and Maw Maw Marilyn.

Me and my Paw Paw's wife Laurie and daughter Kasie.

All of my friends who came minus MaryBeth who had to leave for work.
From left Hayley, Aimee, Emily, me, Rochelle, her daughter Michelle, Brit, Cynthia, and Kayla.

Emily thought my belly was a bit bigger than it actually is!! lol

All of the gifts from everyone!!! Thanks again!!

All of Theresa's new clothes from the shower!

Monogramed bibs and pacifier clips from my mom and Stacey. Other bibs, hats, shoes, socks, and the bracelet my Maw Maw Marilyn got Theresa!

Okay so updates about the pregnancy! I am 30 weeks!!!! Only 10 more to go!! I can't believe it. I remember when I was 10 weeks pregnant and I was saying how I couldn't wait to have 10 left and now it's here!! And yesterday, June 30, was my last day of work! I'm done working! I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of my summer! I guess I'll just get everything ready for my little Reesie Cup! And I can keep busy with Samantha's baby shower and their 3D/4D ultra sound!! And I'll probably lay out a lot! lol Well what comes along with 30 weeks is heart burn!!! It's getting so much worse! I think it's because she is getting SOO much bigger!! Well here is my belly pic and baby update!

P.S.--THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH for the shower and all of the gifts!! I am so grateful to have such generous family and friends! I really do appreciate it and it was so much more than I could have thought of! Thanks again!