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See….its as easy as searching for hot topics in the news. I got this swagbuck by doing a search about the bomb materials being smuggled into 10 federal buildings. Could I have just done a google search or looked on yahoo news? Sure. But I can’t win free stuff doing it that way! C’mon you know you want to….just signup already! Or if your skeptical just ask me any question!

…he’s here! Read all about the goings on of our little family on our family blog: http://feluxfamily.wordpress.com.

Well today I went in for my 37 week appointment.  I sat in the room for about  ten minutes anxiously awaiting the exam to see how I was progressing. Soon enough, Dr. K came in and did the usual measurement of my belly and listened to the heartbeat. She asked how I had been feeling and whatnot, and then said she would see me in a week.

What? Aren’t we supposed to do an exam and check for dilation?

Apparently, she had decided to wait another week.

Really? Are you sure? Another week?

I don’t really know why but it took all my strength to keep from tearing up. It’s silly really, to get upset over something so trivial….but I had built it up so much in my mind…finally getting to know where I was and maybe even when Josh would be arriving…that walking out of the office with no more information than I had gone in with was such a letdown.

I scheduled my appointment for 9 a.m. next Tuesday and called Greg on my way out. I know he was anxious about finding out the news as well. I finally broke down and he was so great at reassuring me that everything would be ok and that the next few days would fly by. I could tell he was disappointed too.

So, just a few more days and hopefully we’ll have some news!

… have not been fun.

Monday morning, I got to work and started getting a bad pain in my eye…a scatching, burning irritation that caused my eye to tear A LOT….like a had sand in my eye. I took out my contacts and tried putting in eye drops but nothing seemed to help. I called my primary doctor and of coursehe had to close his office early yesterday so I had to go the Clinic at University Hospital.

After almost 3 hours of waiting (yeah, not so fun when you’re ready to rip your eyeball out of its socket) I finally saw a doctor who informed me I had a scratch on my cornea. She gave me a prescription for erythromycin (this gel I have to put in my eye) and sent me on my way. Greg was so awesome last night… he filled my prescription and ran some errands for me so I could stay home.

I did two doses of the gel last night and it didn’t seem to do anything except make my vision blurry but I figured maybe it would work overnight. Well I woke up this morning and I felt like I spent the night getting punched in the eye.  Seriously, I thought I was going to look in the mirror and see black and blue bruises all around my eye. I also noticed that I was extremely sensitive to light. Whenever I’d look at the tv or even my cell phone I’d have this sharp pain in my eye and again I would start tearing a lot.

I decided this wasn’t normal so again took a trip to the doctor…only this time I was seeing an actual opthamalogist (sp?). This appointment went faster, thank goodness, but he basically confirmed the same thing…the pains and sensations I was feeling were a result of the scratch and medication. So no new drugs or eye drops or anything. I just have to try to deal with it.

So now, I’m back at work….half squinty eyed. Fun times.  But, tomorrow I see my OB  at 9 a.m. to find out if we’ll be inducing or not. I’m really concerned about going through this whole process (and by process, I mean labor) when my eye is so jacked up, but hopefully my eye will get better by then. Keep us in your prayers!

So that’s what’s going on now…my appointment is at 9am, so I’ll let you know what happens.

Things have been a whirlwind the past few days. Friday we met up with my parents at the Palladium Imax to see “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. I really had no desire to see this movie but it turned out to be better than I thought.  Probably not the best movie out right now, but it was ok.

After the movie, we headed to IHOP for dinner.  This was about 10:30pm and we were all pretty tired and delirious which made the meal, all the more entertaining. We finally crashed at home around midnight. The next morning I was up and running some last minute Christmas errands and then we (Greg and I) met up with mom for lunch at Taste of China.

Then it was off to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a gift for Emily and Jordan’s wedding….nothing like last minute! Uggh.  We finally found what we were looking for but they didn’t have a box or bag big enough to wrap it. No problem, I thought….I can pick one up on the way to Austin.  Well two hours later we had been all over Austin and still had no gift bag!!!! I was at my wit’s end when we finally found a store that had a large enough bag. We high-tailed it to the church and made it just minutes before the processional. I felt horrible!

The ceremony was beautiful and we had a great time at the reception…even made it out on the dance floor a few times. Emily looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress and her and Jordan make a ricidulously cute couple. Seriously, its disgusting.  I’ll have to post some pictures later when I get some more time. We left Austin around 10:30 and made it home by 11.

Sunday, we woke up and headed to mass at the Catholic Student Center at Texas State and then headed up to the Dugie Family Christmas get-together. The Dugie family is Greg’s Great-grandmother’s family (in this case, its Greg’s Maternal Grandmother’s Mother’s family….did you get all that?).  We ate some great food and got to visit with family before heading out to Fiesta Texas for Holiday in the Park with my family.

Yes, that’s right. We were out there in 45 degree weather because I was bound and determined to see everything. The highlight of the evening was the performance of the Nativity. They had live animals including a donkey, sheep, and a huge camel! The actors did a really great job and mom and I actually teared up when a little shepherd girl sang “Away in a Manger”. She was sooo adorable!

All in all, a hectic but good weekend…and now we’re only two days away from the big appointment on Wednesday!

Well, I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and talk about information overload!

I was so excited for this appointment because we were able to do one last sono before he makes his entrance into the world. And bonus, we were able to do 3-d/4-d again! Being the stubborn little booger he is, he kept putting his arm in front of his face like he was hiding so we weren’t able to get the best pictures….but still, we got to see him.

It's getting crowded in here, Ma!

Look at those chubby little cheeks!

The tech took all the measurements and let us listen to the heart beat again and confirmed what I had already been saying for awhile….Joshie was progressing farther along. His measurements came in that he was actually around 38 weeks and already almost 8 pounds! And yes, I know these measurements are often off about a pound or so…..but even then, he’s somewhere between 7 and 9 pounds! And “technically” we still have 4 weeks to go! But he was already head down and dropped so it seems as though he’s getting in gear.  We left the sono, pictures and dvd in tow and headed for my check up.

Dr. Ket came in and did the GBS swab (don’t really need to go into details on that one….just checking to make sure things will be safe when Joshie is delivered).  Then I brought up Joshie’s progress and what she thought. This is where I got a system overload! She said that he was progressing farther along than anticipated and that typically babies grow about a half pound each week during the last four weeks…..so Joshie could easily be a 10 pound baby at birth!

She said I did have the advantage of being taller so that would help with delivery, but also showed me this chart having to do with c-sections. I didn’t fully understand everything but this is what I got out of it. Apparently, once people hit 90% on this particular chart, a c-section is almost inevitable. At this point I am 87.6%.  So the next obvious question was,  is it possible that between now and my next appointment (which just happens to be Christmas Eve). She didn’t think I would go that fast but she noted she would be checking me for dilation and effacemement at the next appointment and depending on where I was at, it was likely I could be induced the following week.

Talk about a bombshell.

It’s funny too, because the past few weeks all I kept saying was how anxious I was for him to arrive and that if he could be born that day (safe and healthy, of course) I’d be more than happy to pop him out! Well turns out I may be getting my wish! We left the office with all kinds of thoughts and emotions racing through us.

The first thing I realized is that we didn’t have the travel system yet. Unfortunately,  a few days earlier I had ruined my mother’s surprise, but she told me that she would be getting me the travel system for my birthday which is on January 4th. When we were at dinner I mentioned to her that we probably need to get the travel system now, just in case. 

Thus began the baby shopping spree! While we did receive many wonderful gifts and baby essentials from the showers there were still a few other “last minute” things I thought would be important to have on hand just in case he decided to come early. Eventually we got everything and we’re back home were it really started to sink in.

Labor and delivery had been such an intangible concept for me. I knew it was going to happen but even with only a few weeks left it still seemed so far off. Now, he could be here just around the corner. So that’s the latest news…now we just have to see what happens in at my appointment next week!

We had another shower this past weekend and it was great! This one was hosted by Greg’s aunts and we had some of our friends from Life Teen (the youth group that Greg and I work with at St. Mark’s). Diane, my sister-in-law, totally made my day with the sherbert punch. It’s like a drug…I must have had ten or twelve cups….not even kidding!

We played some cute games which included writing little words of wisdom on some diapers, so that each time Greg or I had to change a diaper we got a little advice too! They also did a game where each person wrote down a question that new mothers often ask. Then they had to switch cards and answer someone else’s question. I actually learned a few good tips but some of the things they came up with were kind of overwhelming!

After games  we got to munch on some really delicious food! The also had this adorable cake with keepsake booties on it. On the bottom of the booties there was a place to write the name, birthdate, height and weight of Joshua! Too cute!

Pretty soon it was time to open presents! Joshua got lots of wonderful things including a papasan bouncer, a high chair, and lots of great nursery items. On of Josh’s great-grandma’s found this really interesting gift. It’s an infant rocker that has a kickstand that folds out so you can stablize it for feedings. And then as the baby gets older, the infant rocker can be converted into a toddler rocking chair. Pretty crazy!

We’re certainly blessed to have such great family and friends to share in this special time….now its just a matter of finding space to put some of this stuff until we move! Less than five weeks to go now and it still boggles my mind how fast the time has gone.

I can’t believe I haven’t updated the blog in almost two months. Talk about slacker! Things have been really busy and hectic around here, but wow, I didn’t realize it had been that long. Let’s see if I can get us up-to-date. I’m just going to write in this post but I hope to post some pictures soon.

End of October

Josh went to his first Texas Tech football game (albeit in utero) on October 18th. We went to college station to watch Texas Tech go 7-0, with a win over a struggling Texas A&M team. Josh and I both got a killer workout climbing up and down the stairs of the stadium. We also started the last trimester this month!

November

This past summer, I knew Texas Tech was going to have a pretty amazing football season and I decided to buy tickets to attend the Texas Tech vs. Texas game in Lubbock.  So, yet another football game for Joshie. We drove up with Ryan and Kate (who are also expecting a future red raider!) and we had a great weekend. Kate and I made sure to stock up on baby Tech gear while we were in town. The football game was amazing, coming right down to the final seconds of a game. It’s weekends like this one, that make me miss being a student in Lubbock. 

I had my first shower on November 9th. It was hosted by my aunts and it turned out great.  Josh and I were definitely spoiled by all the wonderful gifts and we really appreciate everyone coming and being so thoughtful! It was also good to catch up with some of my friends. These days, our lives have been so hustle and bustle that we didn’t have much time to get together with our friends like we used to. But seeing them at the shower was great!

This month, I started seeing Dr. Kethereddy every two weeks. Each time we go in we get to hear the heartbeat which never gets boring. I’m promise! She’s also been measuring my belly and Josh is growing right on track! She also told us we would get one more ultrasound before he’s born, on December 16th.  I’m so excited to see how he’s changed over the past several weeks!

On November 22nd, we attended the baptism of Miss Grace Elizabeth. Grace is the daughter of Greg’s cousin, Amanda. She looked absolutely precious and was so calm and peaceful during the whole ceremony. That was until picture time! But even we were able to get a few great shots in.  After the baptism we visited at Aunt Mare’s for a little while but then we had to leave because I was facing a deadline for finishing family Christmas gifts. Of course I can’t say what they are just yet, but its been a very time consuming process!

 Later that night, we got together at Greg’s brother Chris’ house to watch the highly anticipate Texas Tech vs. OU game. Unfortunately the Raiders got off to a really rough start and were never able to recover, and the Sooners handed us our first loss of the season. Nevertheless, Texas Tech had a truly amazing season finishing 11-1 in the Big 12, no easy task! We look forward to watching them in what will likely be the Cotton Bowl and are planning ahead for the 2009 season!

Thanksgiving week was no exception to the hustle and bustle. Between cleaning house, putting up Chirstmas decor, and baking for Thanksgiving we were pretty busy! We spent Thanksgiving morning with Greg’s family and then traveled to San Marcos that afternoon to visit with mine. As is the tradition, we spent the afternoon mapping out our BlackFriday Conquest. I may be eight months pregnant but that’s not going to stop me from black friday shopping!

Friday morning we were up at 3:30 and at Walmart by 4:00. I had mapped out the store and knew where all the items I was hoping to get where. Of course I had to find where mom’s things were as well so that she could try to get her items as well. After the Walmart Mayhem we went to Lowe’s, Target, then took a break for breakfast at Denny’s. After Denny’s we went to Macy’s and Bath & Body Works in Rolling Oaks, before finally wrapping up with Ulta and Starbucks. We didn’t get back to San Marcos until 3:00! By far the longest Black Friday thus far.

And of course, we were only able to rest a few short hours because we decided to go to Hill Country Christmas at Schlitterbahn. This was the first year they had transformed the water park into a Christmas wonderland. There was an ice skating rink, vendors selling crafts, shows, lights, and even an hot tub! The weather was beautiful so we stayed for a few hours but with all the walking I had done earlier in the done I got tired pretty quickly. But if you’re in the neighboorhood, its worth checking out.

December

Thirty-Four Weeks! Well I was technically thirty-four weeks as of November 30th but anyway…

I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. The past few weeks I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions as most woman probably experience in their last weeks of pregnancy. There are nights that I’m just so overcome with excitement and anticipation that I can hardly stand it. Every time I see him push a foot or hand against my belly its like a surge of joy and happiness overcomes me. Greg usually talks to him every night and there’s just this amazing sense of connection between the three of us. I know how uber cheesy this all sounds but its just so hard to put in words.

Then there are the scary nights…the nights when I have to remind myself that before I get to hold him, I’m going to go through some rough times. I remember labor and contractions and pushing and tearing and all the other “side effects” from giving birth. It’s funny how just a few months ago I was so content with the whole process and now that is starting to get close I’m losing my confidence. Then I get scared about being a mom. At some point everyone will leave and it will just be me and Josh. What the heck am I going to do with this sweet little baby, just barely a few days old? What if I lose my job? What if…..what if….what if?

There’s lots of what if’s running through my head but I remind myself that all I can contol is what’s happening now. And I know that there are such things as motherly instincts and that being the eldest of all the grandchildren certainly gave me some practical skills in the world of babies. Just take a deep breath, and I’m fine.

Well that pretty much brings us current. December is going to be a very hectic month with Sights and Sounds in San Marcos, Holiday in the Park at Fiesta Texas, another baby shower, a spurs game, Greg’s company Christmas party, a wedding, and family gatherings at Christmas. But all the busy-ness just means the weeks are going to continue to fly by and before I know it Joshua Michael will be here!

Thanks for taking the time to read all that, hopefully I’ll have some pictures to go with it soon!

 www.mascotbooks.com

 A few weeks ago while visiting one of my favorite Tech websites, Raiderpower.com, I stumbled across a post about Mascot Books. This company makes children’s books based on college and professional team mascots. Well, the post was about the new release of a book based on the Texas Tech Masked Rider! If you’ve ever spoken to me for longer than five minutes, you would realize very quickly that I’m one of the biggest Red Raider fans. It’s borderline obsession. Needless to say, I had to have it.

Well, it finally came in the mail the other day and its just about the cutest children’s book! Greg is planning on reading it to Josh one of these nights. It’s illustrated with great pictures of the Tech campus and talks about many of the different traditions and has the words to the fight song! Too cute.

In other news, Greg and I had our first night of birth classes. We’re going every Monday night for four weeks from 6:30 to 9:30. We decided to start now, knowing that November and December are always hectic for us to begin with, so October would be easier. Last night, was mainly a get to know people night and the we talked about the different stages of labor, etc. Next week will be continued discussion on natural labor and the following week we’ll go into emergency situations. The last session will cover post-birth issues.

Today I had planned to go to the pre-natal yoga class today but this afternoon I started getting a really bad headache so I decided to just come home and take it easy. I was bummed though because I felt so good after last week’s class! Oh well, guess there’s always next week. This weekend we’ll be heading to College Station for the A&M game, go Tech!

It’s been a couple days since my last post so time for some updates.

I had another ultrasound on September 25th because at the last one, we weren’t able to get all the measurements. Mom missed out on the last one because they were in Vegas so we invited her to come along for this one. When she had my brother and I, they didn’t use ultrasounds except for special cases so it was a pretty neat experience for her.

At one point, the sonographer switched to 3d so we could see some of the details. Generally, 3d’s work best between 28 and 34 weeks but we were still able to make out some facial features. At one point, Josh looking like he was talking because he kept opening and closing his mouth. To which my mother replied, ” Look Joshie’s talking, he knows his nana is here! He’s saying hi! Hi, Joshie!”

Yeah, she got a kick out of that.

After the ultrasound I had to do my one-hour glucose test. You drink this orange solution that basically tastes like flat sunkist. Then you get to wait an hour and they draw blood to test your glucose/insulin levels. Luckily, I passed! If you fail the one hour, then you have to do another test for 3 hours and you have to fast before that one. No thanks!  So that was some welcomed good news.

Josh has been doing well, as far as I can tell. He seems to sleep through most of the day and usually gives me a couple kicks at night as I’m getting ready for bed. The other morning, though, he woke me up with hiccups! It was so weird to feel, but I could definitely tell it was hiccups. Greg continues to talk to him on a regular basis. Sometimes I wonder if Greg feels like his missing out…like he wishes he could feel Josh in his belly. Then I snap out of it. )

Yesterday, my lovely friend Kate convinced me to do some pre-natal yoga. I had done yoga before at Tech and I couldn’t really get into it. But oh man, I am SOOOO glad I went last night. My muscles felt so much better and I definitely felt relaxed. So thanks Kate (and Erin!) for draggin me out…I think I’m going to make that a part of the routine.

Finally, as of today I’m officially in my third trimester! I cannot believe how fast the time as gone and I know the time is going to fly over the next few months because we have so much going on! I’m so anxious for January to get here and I can’t wait to hold Josh in my arms!

And as promised….here’s some pics from this past weekend at Fiesta Texas.

Lovely blood fountain!

 

Yay, Pumpkins!

 

Cheesy-rific!

 

Look at me! Rock lady!

 

The breeze felt great, but not good for pics!

 

Taken on train in Crackaxle Canyon! )

Yup. We

:o)

Yay Swings!

Frankenstein Brain! aka funnel cake

Silly Hubby!

Bloody Gullywasher!

Eek!

Aaaaah!