WIDE awake...

It's 5:05 as I begin this post. And I'm WIDE awake. Actually, I have been since I attempted to lay down and go to sleep last night at 9:45. WIDE awake. I'm pretty sure that I may have fallen asleep for a small stint somewhere between getting up with Joshua at 11:40 and peeing at 1:30, but there wasn't any shut eye happening after that. I have managed to stop my heart from pounding out of my chest and have talked myself out of every crazy scenario of horrible things that could potentially happen this morning (you know the thoughts.....paralysis, something wrong with the baby, some horrible reaction to something they do or use.....you know the kind, right?). So I'm counting that as a success.

It all started last evening around dinner time when the excited butterflies in my stomach took a quick turn. All of a sudden, I went from "We're going to have a baby tomorrow. How awesome is that?" to "I'm having surgery tomorrow, after which I'll get the prize of being a new mommy again." The two are decidedly different, at least they were to me. I was a mixture of a ball of nerves, wanting to barf and thinking I might cry at the drop of a hat. This last ride of pregnancy hormones has certainly done a number on me.

You'd think I'd be less anxious about this c-section than I was with Joshua's, but I'm having a hard time comparing the two. With Joshua, the whole "scared about the surgery" thing was SO clouded by the "scared about the baby's health" thing. I had labored for 12 hours, and then we had all of 20 minutes to ready our minds for the thought of a c-section delivery, leaving little time for the typical Richard worry that I went through last night. Nevermind the fact that when your doctor says, "We have to do this" you don't really question whether you ought to or not. Oh sure, I was a bit panicked, but there wasn't time for real thoughtful panic like I've gone through in the past 12 hours. I also had the pleasure of "the Screamer" across the hall from me just hours earlier, and had developed a new found terror for the idea of an unmedicated delivery. (I met the Screamer, by the way. That's a good story I'll have to share with you if I've never done so. Let me know.)

Joshua, also, is totally clued in to what's going on. He amazes me with his sensitivity and attention to the details of what's going on around him and how people are feeling. He was up screaming at 11:40 (a bad dream, I think) and then awoke at exactly 3:58 calling for me. I remember that because I was laying there just waiting for the alarm to go off at 4:00 so that I could jump in the shower. I can't say that I minded cuddling up with him for a little while each time. I'm a little sad to think about his days as our one and only coming to a close, but I'm way more excited about giving him the gift of a sibling and watching him grow and love her like I know he will. Yes, I'm worried about him over the next couple of days, but I know he and Daddy will have lots of special time together. We have lots of help from Grandma and Nana as well, along with a visit from Aunt Libby on Saturday morning while we're coming home, so I know he'll have a ball. But I also know that things will be decidedly different when I get back home. Hopefully they'll be "good different" and I'm sure they will be, but they'll be different nonetheless.

So, rather than rambling on and on, I'll go and enjoy the last kicks I'm going to feel inside this tummy from our little girl. They may be the last I ever feel as an expectant mommy. What a ride this has been. And I know it's only just begun. We thank you all for your prayers and will be in touch today with news, stats and hopefully a photo as soon as time allows.

Talk to you all soon!

"Tomorrow...Tomorrow..."

"...she'll be here, tomorrow. She's only a day away." (Hopefully that reference to the musical Annie didn't leave any of you wondering, "What?")

What's funny is that I've had this blog title started and saved for the last few days, but had to chuckle this morning when I saw Libby's text message to me saying the exact same thing. The sister bond is pretty amazing, but sometimes I get a little scared at the similarity of our thought patterns!

Every time someone has asked me today, "When are you due?" and I've replied with "She'll be here tomorrow morning" I've had to stop and shake my head for a minute. Although it's been an unintended consequence of the choice to have a repeat c-section, I've been so blessed by knowing exactly when this little one was going to come and greet the world. It's allowed me to anticipate her birth fully and really get excited without the feeling that I've always described as the "ticking time bomb" factor that I experienced the first time around with Joshua. Despite our other reasonings and rationale for choosing the surgery, this has been a real perk.

I still find it so hard to believe that in less than 24 hours we'll have her in our arms and have the answers to the questions that are probably completely familiar to everyone who has ever been a mom or thought about being one. Who will she look like? Will she have hair? (That's been a big one for me for some reason.) How big is she? What kind of personality will she have? What will it feel like to hear that first cry again? What's it going to be like to watch Joshua grow into his big brother role? How's it going to feel to hold a little baby again? What's the first thing Joshua will say to his sister?

I have so many hopes and dreams for our little girl, and I've been praying fervently for her health and safety over the past 39 weeks, but with much more frequency in the last few weeks. I can't wait to talk to her and get to know her and tell her all about the things that we're going to do together as a family. (And I'd better stop there before I find myself weeping into my keyboard.) Suffice it to say that I joyfully anticipate the miracle of being a witness to God's most perfect plan for the world in the birth of a new, perfect life and consider it such a blessing from Him that we get to experience this again.

The bags are packed at our house with just a few last minute additions to be made in the wee hours of tomorrow morning before we leave for the hospital. I've already registered at the hospital and had my labs drawn, so according to Dr. Miller, it shouldn't take long for them to get me ready and he'll be waiting bright and early to get this birthday party started. I'm heading home to spend some special time with Joshua this afternoon, do some laundry and get a few last minute things in order. My nesting instinct has kicked into overdrive. I've described myself as "an old lady just before a snow storm" in my hoarding and planning tailspin. Let's just say that if I wasn't able to get to the store for a week (or twelve), we'd likely survive on Greenbriar Drive. Certainly no shortage of toilet paper, paper towels, or snacks for Joshua.

Jason has contact information for everyone and will certainly be getting at least a text message out to all those who have expressed any kind of interest in knowing what's going on as soon as he can. Once surgery is over, I'll be in recovery for a little bit while he spends some time with the baby in the nursery. He'll give her her first bath, be with her for a lot of her testing/shots, and then spend the majority of the time rocking with her in the rocking chair until I can feel my legs again and get to come upstairs again. We expect to be home on Saturday morning, God willing, and will be able to post some more pictures, etc. at that point. Visitors will most certainly be welcome at our house, so don't hesitate to call if you'd like to swing by (as long as no one is sick or has been in the presence of anyone who has been sick.....sorry if that sounded neurotic, but Emily will appreciate my throwing that in there!).

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, encouragement, answers to my questions and support throughout the past 10 months. We can't wait to share our daughter with you all.

Football!

I mentioned it yesterday, but the pride in Jason's eyes at Joshua's interest in football has been fun to watch. Almost as fun as watching the little guy practice his skills. In his football underpants. (They were new, and he insisted on wearing them without his pants on. I do not have the energy to fight with this child about things like this. I save my strength for the really important battles.)

I nearly laughed until I peed last night when the boys were playing football. I had used up all the energy I had by putting away three baskets of laundry that had been sitting in our bedroom (folded, mind you) for the past three days. Just couldn't muster up the strength to do it before last night. And that strength that I mustered up may or may not have been motivated by the fact that there were a very limited number of clean pairs of underwear for the family to wear this morning.

But anyway, Jason and Joshua giggled, practiced, shouted "24.....22.........set...........hut" about a million times last evening and it never got any less entertaining. Joshua's catching skills are improving (not drastically, but enough to notice) and he's got quite the arm for throwing. Last night Jason was teaching him about fumbles and the right way to hold onto the football when he was running. It was cute.

It also served the purpose of effectively playing him out before his bath. He was snoring before me, and I even managed to catch the last half hour of Criminal Minds. It was a really good night.

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I'm going to have to find a way to marry the topics of child #1 and child #2 without the use of dashes. But for now, the two are so separate (as in #1 is outside of my belly and #2 isn't) that I feel the need to separate the discussions. Anyway...

I visited Dr. Miller's office yet again this morning for my blood pressure check. I feel a bit like a nuisance to them, showing up there every 48 hours or so, although they assured me that it was what they were there for. My blood pressure was out of scary territory yet again, although still not super. He said that he thinks the baby is in the safest place she can be right now, and he prefers to wait until next week to deliver her if that's safe for me. With readings like I had today, he said it's safe to wait. I'm supposed to take it easy and enjoy the next 6 days. They do want to do another check on Monday with a urine and weight check to make sure nothing wild is going on, but he thinks we're fine to continue on course for Wednesday. He did mention at least 3 times that if I'm not feeling well over the weekend (ie. seeing spots or have bad headaches or terrible swelling or a sudden weight gain) to come in to labor and delivery because he expects to be in town all weekend and it wouldn't hurt his feelings to have to come in and check on me. Good to know. Hope to not have to take him up on that offer. And so, the countdown begins once again to Wednesday morning. Poor Libby can maybe (finally) put in her personal day request after all of this potential, maybe maybe-not, back and forth rumbling.

And so, to my daughter, I say..."Baby, take it easy in there. We're getting our ducks in a row to meet you bright and early Wednesday morning. No monkey business until then." Here's where I hope she's a bit more compliant than her brother. Time will tell, I guess.

The Big Potty Boy & The Little Lady

I hope you enjoy a recent photo of Joshua- particularly the supper that still remains on his face. He was working on a project when I took this photo- involving his pretend wooden pieces and his comb from the barber shop. I have no earthly clue what he was trying to accomplish, but he worked at it diligently while standing on his beloved step stool.

So sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been getting increasingly lazy as the days draw nearer and nearer to delivery day, which doesn't exactly make for good blogging. We've been spending our time with Joshua, just enjoying being a family of three most of our evenings. We've been laughing a whole bunch, and I've been loving watching Joshua and Jason play together and watch football together. If ever I've seen a twinkle in Jason's eye, it's from Joshua's interest in learning about, playing and watching football with his Daddy.

We had a very busy weekend with a library trip on Saturday morning (one of Joshua's most favorite things to do), some flower un-planting involving shovels and dirt (Joshua's other favorite things to use), a PSU game and dinner with Jason's parents on Saturday evening. Sunday was church, where we nearly accomplished the reintroduction of Joshua to kids church, but ended with his return to me in the sanctuary about 15 minutes after I dropped him off. The teacher said we'll just work on him slowly and let him get used to staying the whole time again. This week's goal is to make it through snack time. (Oh how I dread preschool.) Then in the afternoon we had a Kiwanis picnic to attend and had a great time there.

Although this may seem awfully disjointed, I have to share an update on Joshua and the potty. This child has completely amazed me, and has given me complete trust in our intuition about when he was ready to attempt training. He has essentially, over the course of a week and a half, trained himself. He has had three accidents in all of that time, but with shocking accuracy knows just when he needs to go to the potty. Night training hasn't really been attempted, but we did talk about how all he needs to do when he wakes up is call for me if he needs to use the potty. Normally, he'll lay in his bed for hours (not that I let him go that long) once he wakes up, knowing that we'll be checking on him to see when he's awake. He's never been one to make any noise or get out of bed when he's actually rested and ready to get up. So, wouldn't you know it, yesterday morning I heard, "Mommy?" on the monitor. I went tearing up the stairs and he looked at me and said, "I have to pee." So we headed to the potty, and sure enough, he went. The amazing part was that his diaper was completely dry from the entire night. I was so proud of him that I didn't know what to do. He did the same thing this morning, although he wasn't completely dry. But he's getting it...a heck of a lot faster than I would have anticipated. Yay for Joshua!!!!

And now for the update on the other one... Jason and I had an appointment with Dr. Miller yesterday afternoon. Sadly, our 2:00 appointment never ended up happening until 3:20 because there was a baby who needed to be delivered upstairs. We love our doctor, and love the fact that he's a one man show, except in situations like that where you sit and wait. For whatever reason, my blood pressure was once again higher than the hills. No other problems, but he still wants to see me again tomorrow morning to do a recheck on the blood pressure. I have no idea what happens if it's not better. I guess I'll get that information if and when it becomes necessary, although we hope it doesn't.

We were given all of our pre-op instructions yesterday as well. I have to go on Monday for my registration work at the hospital, as well as the round of lab work that they need to have done right before the big day. We're first out of the gate for surgery next Wednesday morning, so we need to arrive at the hospital by 6 am. As soon as they have me prepped with all of the glamorous things that happen, I'll be in surgery (hopefully between 7-7:30 am). Hopefully that means I'll be back in my room, feeling my toes and enjoying the baby and Jason by 9:30 or so. Jason has everyone's information and will be sharing an update via text message (probably...) as soon as he can. He'll be spending all of the time that I'm in recovery with the baby, giving her her bath and rocking with her, so don't panic if you don't hear anything right away. He'll make calls to our immediate family, so it's possible that you may get word from one of them as well. Daddy will have a lot of jobs to do, but that was one of the best parts for him after Joshua was born. It's their own special time together before he has to share her, even with me. Our families will start to roll in after lunch sometime to give us some quiet time with the baby, and to save them the agony of sitting in a hospital waiting room for hours on end while they're screwing around with me or doing the things that they need to do to the baby.

We're still not sure when the big brother will make his appearance and are waiting to see how I feel and make a decision on how much to expose him to. I'm considering waiting until Thursday morning to have him come to visit when I can get out of bed and am free of my IV and catheter. The fewer scary medical things we have to expose him to, the better. All he can understand is that Mommy and the baby need to rest because it's hard work to have a baby. He knows that my tummy will hurt and that I won't be able to pick him up, but that he'll be able to sit with me and see his sister as much as he wants. Poor thing--- I'm way more worried about him and how he's going to adjust to all of this than I am about anything else (spinal, IV, pain, new baby, sleepless nights, feeding issues, etc. all included). I know he'll surprise me and handle it like a champ, but you all know me well enough to know that that doesn't mean I won't still worry.

I'll keep everyone posted if anything comes from this blood pressure issue tomorrow morning. I've been monitoring it here and haven't seen anything quite as alarming as what we saw yesterday. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Regardless, I am more excited than I can even begin to express that by this time next week, we'll have a new baby in our arms. We pray that she's safe and sound, that I handle surgery half as well as I did the first time, and that we're surrounded by those we love this time next week. When my delivery with Joshua was looming, I had no idea the enormity of the change that was about to happen, even though I thought I was fully prepared. What struck me the most was the intense feeling of falling in love with this little person, and falling in love with my husband all over again as I watched him fall in love with our son. I find myself very overwhelmed at the idea of it all happening again next week, and fully expecting the rush of emotions that's headed our way. It makes you appreciate the blessing so much more, and savor each part of it. I find many of my thoughts centering on that as the days draw closer. We are so blessed.

Me and my bright ideas...

Seeing that my husband reduced the size of my Thursday night to-do list by leaps and bounds by his random act of kindness on Wednesday, I'm sure you think that I spent last evening relaxing on the couch with my feet up, right?

Wrong. Very very wrong. Although in retrospect that sounds like a fine idea. Instead, I got the brainstorm yesterday afternoon that I wanted to make a batch of whoopie pies to take to a Kiwanis picnic that we're going to on Sunday afternoon. I should say that it's been a year or five since I last attempted this, and a lot has happened since then to fade my memory. What was going through my head was that I had the luxury of some extra time since I didn't have to scrub the toilets, and wouldn't it be nice to have some super yummy whoopie pies to take to the picnic (or eat myself before then...I can't really say for sure how that's going to go).

As is the case with every baking expedition I embark upon, I started with a call to my mom. I should have known I was in for it by her response when I told her what I was planning on doing. "Oh Megan...." was what she said. As if to say, "Are you really really sure you want to do that?" I, of course, said that I was up for it and was actually kind of excited. I'm pretty sure she hung up the phone and said to Brooke, "Your Aunt Meg is a nut." But she was too kind to burst my bubble at the moment.

I should have also taken the no-nap two year old who greeted me screaming like a banchee when I opened the door as a sign that perhaps tonight was not the best choice, particularly because Jason wasn't coming home until late. But no. I pressed on.

I learned a few lessons. First, it totally matters in which order you place the ingredients into the mixer. I got it wrong on the first batch and spent the better part of 20 minutes cleaning 8 tablespoons of cocoa powder off of everything in the kitchen. How it flew that far I can't rightly say. I will also tell you that cocoa powder leaves a brown residue on things that lasts even after your kitchen counters have been officially scrubbed twice with cleaning solution and enormous amounts of paper towels. I also learned that two year olds who like to "help" (read: touch everything) should probably not be wearing white shirts when they're in the kitchen during such an event. I'm pretty sure we'll be forever retiring the adorable white Gymboree shirt with the green tractor on it because it is now mostly covered in brown spots. Since Joshua is not a dalmatian, it's probably not the look we're after for him. Finally, Saran Wrap is officially a tool of the devil. I'm convinced of it. It has no place in my home except for wrapping whoopie pies, which I'm now likely done doing until sometime in the 2020 range when I once again forget the ordeal it entails.

After 4 hours, I now have a nice container of approximately 24 whoopie pies to take to our picnic. Sadly, if you do the math on that, it took me approximately 10 minutes of my life to make every single one of those and I'm not sure they will be met with an appropriate appreciation for my sacrifice (or stupidity, however you choose to look at it).

I believe it's possible that this was my "nesting" instinct that is beginning to kick in pre-baby action. With Joshua I was a cleaning fool and had scrubbed the woodwork in our house more than 3 times in the month before he was born. I believe it's been done once since October of 2006. Sadly, I have no interest in a project like that now even though I know I should do it before it becomes really impossible. Maybe this time, I feel the need to bake. Who knows. All I know is that I had a chocolate kitchen and a chocolate little boy before the night was all said and done. Luckily, the madness (if it is pregnancy induced) should end soon--- 12 days from now if anyone's counting. And I am.

PS. Happy Birthday Nana! Have a wonderful day!

Husband of the year goes to...

...my husband!

When I walked into the house last night following a late appointment with clients, I was greeted to a "SURPRISE!" from the guys. I have to tell you that I would not have been this excited if I had been greeted with a new diamond, or a new car, or a million dollars. But what they did for me was far greater of a gift.

They cleaned the house for me. The whole thing. Even the bathrooms. And changed the sheets on the bed. They did leave the shower and the bath tub to be scrubbed, but I'll gladly do that one job as opposed to the 12 that they already took care of.

This is not the first time that this has happened, but it is an infrequent treat for me. And I haven't exactly been looking forward to high-tailing it home this evening to start the weekly list of things that need to be cleaned. That's not to say that I don't have a list of things to do, but it doesn't involve dusting, running the sweeper or scrubbing toilets and for that I am beyond grateful. With being THIS pregnant, just having a few less things to do means a whole lot.

Jason's a great husband. He's helpful, he does things around the house, he's a great daddy to Joshua and Joshua adores him. I can't wait to watch him fall in love with his daughter, and I know he will. I don't tell him enough that I appreciate him, but I do. And cleaning the house.....well that just took his stock WAY up!

The many uses of a $2.50 step stool from Target

We went to Target a few weeks ago and purchased a yellow step stool for $2.50 that has quickly become one of the most useful props in our house. I compiled a list over the weekend of all the things that Joshua has used his little step stool for. Enjoy...

1. To stand on while brushing his teeth. This is why we bought the thing in the first place

2. To wash his hands. (A helpful surprise usage, but he'll bring it with him no matter where he goes so that he can wash his hands at any of the 4 sinks in our house. Regardless of whether he needs to or not.)

3. He uses it as a television that he has to fix. His tape measure is always wrapped around the legs of it as the "cord" and there are always tools strewn about.

4. As a backpack. It's not pretty, but it happens frequently.

5. To help me cook things in the kitchen. He has successfully helped to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, cupcakes, mashed potatoes and several other dinner related things while standing up like a big boy. I have to say, it's much easier than trying to perch him on the counter and "hope" he can't reach things like eggs, glass things, knives, or anything else that might make a terrible mess or cause a trip to the ER.

6. To reach things that are situated high atop tables, counters, televisions, etc. so that they can be cleaned. I do not argue about this one....ever. If he wants to clean, I say, "God bless his little heart."

7. As a wagon. He'll turn it upside down, put his tools in it, and drag it around the house.

8. As a lawn mower spotter. It used to be, upon hearing a lawn mower running within a 16 mile radius from our house, we would need to lift Joshua up for inordinate amounts of time so that he could search for the mower and see who was cutting their grass. If they were close enough to see, he had to be out there with them. Now, he'll drag the step stool to the window and look on his own. Mr. Independent.

9. As a stage for a musical performance. Most recently we've had harmonica concerts. It's been a treat.

And finally, the one that made me think about writing these things down....

10. As a foot protector while in the bathtub. Joshua got a small blister on his left big toe while playing at Nana and Pap's two weeks ago. It's been treated with more Neosporin than I care to tell you about. It's been the cause of several middle of the night meltdowns when he realizes that it all of a sudden is KILLING him. We've used band-aids, wet paper towels, every other remedy known to man, and yet this blister continues to give Joshua fits when he gets into the bathtub. So, after enduring a screaming toddler during his bath when I played tough and told him to suck it up, I had to MacGuyver something else on Saturday night because if I had to take the shrieking for another night I may have jumped off the Lewisburg bridge. So I put his step stool in the water and told him to put his foot up on the stool so that the water wouldn't hurt it. Seriously.

So there you have it. 10 good uses for a $2.50 step stool from Target. I believe we've more than gotten our money's worth.

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This picture has nothing to do with my post, but Joshua thought he was hysterical yesterday morning while wearing his "bear hat". I had to share it.


I also should say that things went very well at our appointment for the baby yesterday. My blood pressure was better, no crazy weight gain (let me clarify--- that's according to the doctor--- if you ask me, 2 pounds in one week constitutes crazy weight gain, but then I guess my perspective comes from the fact that I am the one who has to take the weight OFF again, not him), blood work came back fine and the ultrasound showed a perfectly thriving baby with plenty of movement and plenty of fluid and a solid 136 heart rate. She was estimated at 6 1/4 pounds, although they said it could be give or take 10%. We're expecting a nice, average 7 1/2 pounder in a few weeks. Our plan for the 30th stands at this point. I'll complete my pre-op stuff and check in with the doctor again next Tuesday. Immediately following that appointment I have scheduled a prenatal massage that I am seriously looking forward to.

More to come...there always is.

I don't give him enough credit...

I've joked, half sarcastically and half with terror, that I thought Joshua would be the only kid in his kindergarten class who wasn't potty trained. For me, the prospect of potty training was a daunting one. I have absolutely no clue what the heck I'm doing, and that's not how I usually approach things. But I refused every urge I had to "read up" on all things potty, talk to all the moms I knew about their techniques and tactics, and have a "game plan" before we had our very first potty day with Joshua on Friday.

I had planned to be off with him so that I could trade the day with Judy for our Saturday trip to PSU. In the last few weeks, Joshua has been showing some obvious signs of being ready to get serious about using the potty. When we're getting ready for his bath in the evenings and he's undressed, I realized that he'd tell me when he had to pee. He'd sit down on the potty and go without any struggle. After a few nights of this I started to put it together that he wasn't interested in peeing on the floor. And....if he wasn't going to pee on the floor, maybe, just maybe I could let him run around pants-less and work on some potty training with him when I was home with him for the day. So when we got up on Friday, that's what we did. I found him a long t-shirt and some socks and we went about our day with no pants (well, he did.....I still wore pants....just wanted to clarify).

Immediately after breakfast, he told me that he had to go...and he did. And time after time all day Friday, he told me in plenty of time before he had to use the potty. We had the froggy potty chair sitting in our living room for quick access, but had no accidents and no surprises. To say I was amazed was an understatement. For each successful attempt, he earned himself a jelly bean and a sticker to put on his special potty paper that we decorated in the morning. He was so proud of himself, and I was beside myself with excitement for him.

We repeated course on Saturday without pants. Grandma worked with him while we were at the Penn State game and reported similar success. No accidents and plenty of warning when he had to go. We decided to play outside on Saturday evening, so Jason and I took a walk on the wild side and put big boy underpants (Mickey Mouse, in case you were wondering) on him to play. I was sure this would be our first accident- since he's so enthralled with playing when we're outside. But much to my suprise, he announced that he had to go and ran inside to the potty before getting Mickey wet.

Sunday was much the same. We were travelling to Lewistown and he managed to keep a pull-up dry on our trip as well as all though church with my family. I put a diaper on him during the baby shower we attended, just to make sure we weren't asking for him to remember too much with all of the commotion going on. He was dry at the end of it and then proceeded to use his froggy potty like a champ at my parents' house all evening.

We're nowhere close to night trained, and I certianly wouldn't think he could be after 4 days of working on this, but we've made more progress than I ever dreamed possible when I dreamed up the concept of "potty day" in my own mind. Clearly, I don't think I gave Joshua enough credit. But the idea of waiting until they're ready and making it easy surely worked in this case. I'm not claiming total victory yet, but I'll tell you without reservation that we're light years ahead of where we were last week.

I just might get my dream of having only one child in diapers at a time after all. By the skin of our teeth!

Speaking of the littlest Dugan, I just had to take a picture of the finishing touch that was so graciously and generously made for the little lady by Shannon. Shannon has been my pregnancy partner during this whole experience. We found out that we were expecting within days of each other, and have been sharing emails about our experiences the whole way through. She and my cousin Cory are within a few short weeks of meeting their little bundle (it's a surprise!) just as we are. We're in a race to the finish...although I don't think that either of us really care who wins as long as we both have perfect, healthy babies in our arms sometime within the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, while at Shannon's baby shower on Sunday, she gave me this amazing gift THAT SHE MADE. PAINTED WITH HER OWN TWO HANDS. Seriously...I was blown away. There is one wall in the nursery that I've been searching for something to put up, and I just couldn't find what I wanted. That must have been because Shannon knew exactly what I was looking for. I almost cried. And I couldn't wait to get it hung up this evening. So, thank you Shannon...honestly, I absolutely love love love love love it!

Our biophysical profile is tomorrow at 2:00 with Dr. Miller. Hopefully things are looking good and we're fine to hold this birthday party off for a few more weeks. I guess we'll see.

Doctor's Orders

Well, the weekly fun has begun as we round out week 36 of pregnancy. I visited with my doctor this afternoon and got some interesting news. As you may or may not recall, my blood pressure at the end of my pregnancy with Joshua wasn't great. In fact, it is what earned us the ultrasound on my due date that earned us an induction. Fast forward to today, and it appears that we're repeating course with the blood pressure. Luckily, it wasn't scary enough or coupled with the other indicators that would have earned me a trip to labor and delivery this afternoon, but it is qualifying us for some special attention.

I was sent for bloodwork this afternoon to determine if there are any other indications of screwy goings on and was told that I'll be called today if that's the case. We've also scheduled a biophysical profile on Tuesday afternoon along with my regular visit with Dr. Miller. The biophysical profile looks at five different things and gives points on a scale of 0-10. With Joshua, we scored a 2 (the biggest test failure of my life...) and required immediate action to speed along delivery. They're looking for movements of the baby, distinct breathing movements visible via ultrasound, fluid levels, heartrate issues, and one more thing that's escaping me at the moment.

The doctor's orders are for me to take it easy. He suggests a resting period of 45 minutes each morning and 45 minutes each afternoon. When I laughed at him, he said, "That's an order." Ummm....OK. So we'll see how I can do at fitting that into the routine.

The hope is that the bloodwork looks good, the biophysical profile shows an active, thriving baby and my blood pressure resolves itself before next week. If that doesn't happen, there's a chance we might be meeting this little one sooner than expected. I'm a little worried about that possibility, not because I'm not ready to meet her, but because it just scares me to be early. Even the idea of scheduling my c-section at 39 weeks freaked me out a little. But we'll do what the doctor says is best--- he's the one who has taken care of 6000 new babies and we fully trust his judgment.

So, hang on to your hats, folks. We'll see what the next few days bring. I'm home today with Joshua working on some potty training. That ought to make for a far more interesting post than this one, don't you think?

A few firsts...

I know that there are going to be a lot of upcoming posts dealing with "firsts" again in our family's future. When the baby gets here, we're going to get starting doing "first this" and "first that" again, and that makes me very excited. But I'm still finding a few "firsts" that we haven't celebrated yet to include in a post today from our weekend festivities.

I won't even begin to tell you that I'm tired, behind on my list of things to do, etc. from the weekend. That's a broken record, and by now, we should just accept that that's how the first day of the work week is going to feel. Something tells me that's not going to get any better before it gets a whole lot worse.


Here is the first look at Joshua sporting his very FIRST Penn State football jersey. Given his size and stature, we're not sure whether it's realistic to dream of him wearing an official one someday or not, but for now, he makes a dashing #17, don't you think? Joshua spent the day on Saturday with Nana and Pap while Jason took a very waddling me to Happy Valley for the day. I have to say that it wasn't nearly as miserable as I would have expected. I think my joy at being in the stadium, watching the Blue Band and witnessing a trouncing of the opponent outweighed a sore back, being sweaty, and having to pee. I will say, however, that God heard my prayers last week because the seat immediately to my left was E-M-P-T-Y! It was no small miracle. My restricted liquid intake worked as well on Saturday. I didn't have to make any trips over the 10 people between me and the aisle to get to the restroom other than at halftime, so all in all, it was a successful day. We'll hope that this coming Saturday is just as enjoyable.

This is our very first picture of Joshua and Brooke where they're both cooperating, looking at the camera, and smiling. They both looked so adorable in their Penn State attire that we just had to make an attempt at a photo together, despite our frustration from past efforts like this. I wish I could have captured on video the antics that were required from Libby while Zig and I were snapping pictures of the kids. That was the funniest part, but what we got was worth the silliness that ensued. Let's just say that if any of you expect a picture of Joshua and the baby together in your Christmas card from the Dugans, it's going to have to involve Libby saying "Cheese Please" and doing her dance.

The highlight of the weekend was being in Lewistown to be able to help this little princess enjoy her first birthday celebration. Even though she won't officially be 1 until Thursday, just about everyone who resides in Mifflin County descended upon Libby and Zig's back yard to be a part of the party. If there was ever any doubt about how loved this little girl is, there is no longer. It was a wonderful day with family and friends. Joshua spent the day running around the backyard and pulling anyone he could make eye contact with to help him build his pretend campfire. Special thanks to all who indulged him. Keeping him out of Uncle Zig's real campfire proved challenging, but we left Burnham without any third degree burns, and most of our patience in tact.

This one isn't a picture of any "firsts", but Joshua (and Mommy and Daddy) sure did enjoy some special time with Nana and Pap and Aunt Libby, Uncle Zig and Brooke this weekend. Our trips to Lewistown are quickly coming to a screeching halt until the holiday season rolls around, so it's been nice to spend a good amount of time there this summer. We'll be back this coming weekend for one more party, but then will be staying close to home until the little lady is here, safe and sound. We'll probably be brave enough (and organized enough) to attempt our first trip to Lewistown for Thanksgiving unless cabin fever really does a number on me and makes me demented enough to think we can handle it sooner than that.

With three weeks to go, preparations hit high gear. The car seat is in the back of my Highlander to be installed possibly today. The laundry, despite my procrastination, really needs to be done sometime this week so that we have something clean to put on this baby when we bring her home. Let the games begin!

My Mom will like this...

When Libby and I were little, my Mom worked really hard at teaching us to be obedient while having a good attitude about it. Ask her how that went most of the time. When asked to help with a job, we were taught to say, "I'd be glad to" in a tone that you'd want to hear from your child.

Mostly, we grumbled about it. We said, "I'd be glad to", but you could definitely sense the sarcasm or sometimes even disgust in our voices. There's one particular instance that comes to my memory when we quite possibly led my Mom to drink (except that she doesn't do that) over a laundry basket that was sitting on the steps. No less than 20 times, either Libby or I walked up the steps leaving the laundry basket there for Mom to carry up, despite the fact that we'd been asked to do it. We weren't glad to do it...and I think Mom got that message loud and clear that day. We were rotten.

Well, last night, I finally saw the reward for the few times that I may have said "I'd be glad to" with the heart and mindset that my mother requested. Last night was one of those nights with Joshua that I wish I could bottle up and keep forever. And that's why I had to hustle to get this onto the blog before it gets lost amidst what might come tonight.

Joshua not only obeyed every single thing we aksed of him last night, but he did so with that adorable, sincere joy that only a 2 year old can show. I asked him to help me set the table for dinner. He replied, "Mommy, I'm so excited to help you!" He desperately wanted to play outside last night, but we only had about 45 minutes to do it before tub time. When it was time to come in, he gladly picked up his toys and drove his tractor into the garage to be parked. He smiled through snack time, bath time and bed time, all the while saying he loved me, cuddling up next to me and just being an all-around amazing little boy. We pretended to the nth degree. He was a prince and I was the queen. He even gave a speech to the people at our castle that started with "Ladies and Gentleman..." We see glimpses of this every single day, but it's really a treat to get a whole 5 hour stretch where there is literally no scolding, no step sitting and no tears. What a blessing.

And so, just in case tonight is a train wreck, I've at least recorded this for the sake of posterity. If we're supposed to focus on our blessings 10 times more than our troubles, I've succeeded for today. Parenthood isn't all sweetness....sometimes it's a downright drag-out battlefield. But last night it was oh so good.