The true story of four people picked to live in family and have their lives blogged. It's what happens when you become a parent and start pretending to be a grown-up.
September 27, 2008
Thoughts
Sorry I haven't written in a couple days. It's not that I haven't been thinking about it, it's just that I am trying to stay off my feet while getting as many things prepared for your arrival as possible. And that can be challenging at times. These past few days (or weeks) have been filled with a lot of anxiety and excitement. I am really hoping that we meet you next week and that everything goes well on Friday. All my Doctor's visits last week were great and everything seems to be on schedule. I have an appointment with Doctor Davis on Tuesday and then Friday is the big day. I have been driving your Daddy nuts with my lists, to-do tasks, and tears in the last few weeks. I think I have just reach the point where the end (or beginning) is near and I can't believe it. It seems like everything is coming to a head. Working half days have been a blessing, but I am still finding myself "busy". I want everything to be perfect for your homecoming. So now I wait patiently for this upcoming week to be over and find out if we are ready to finally meet you. My precious child.
I love you so much,
Mom
September 23, 2008
Random Report
Here's a look at a few pictures from my work baby shower last Friday morning. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but there were about 30 people there, lots of food, and tons of gifts:




On Saturday afternoon, I had a prenatal massage that your Dad had arranged for me. It was awesome! I was a bit nervous about the whole thing since I am not exactly feeling like myself these days and I wasn't sure what to expect. Heather made me feel totally comfortable and the whole massage was modified to fit my needs. She wasn't a "touchy-feely" massage-person (If that makes sense?), she worked on pressure points and kneaded the muscles in my back/hips. It totally lowered my blood pressure and felt wonderful afterwards. I am really grateful to your Daddy, since it helped release some of the anxiety of the past few weeks. On Monday afternoon, I went in for another NST and meeting with Doctor Davis. You passed the NST, but Doctor Davis is concerned about my swelling. He has decided to put me on 1/2 days at work until you are born. This way, I can work for 4 hours and still be able to rest/put my feet up. It does feel like a relief, but at the same time, my plan was to continue working until you arrived. I will be working from 1-5 in the afternoons. I am sure my boss wasn't too happy, but I need to take of you and myself. On Monday Evening, I attended the second breastfeeding class. We learned about pumping, breast milk storage, and some other guidelines. I am pretty sure that the class has actually made me more nervous about doing this. I am just going to try my best and get help when I need it. All in all, it made me very sad to be planning for returning to work so soon after you arrive.
Love, Mom
September 22, 2008
Nursery Pictures
We have finally finished the nursery. Everything is all set for your arrival. The only thing missing is you! Of course, I am sure I will be in here every day "fixing" things and adding finishing touches. But for the most part, this is how your room is going to look:



September 19, 2008
Past Two Days
There has been a lot to write about these past few days! Yesterday your Daddy and I had a doctor appointment and then went to our final birth and baby class. We missed our fifth class a few weeks ago and luckily our teacher let us sit in on another one she was teaching. I am really glad we were able to attend since the topic was newborn care. Then this morning, my work place, threw me a surprise baby shower!
Doctor's Visit- You passed your NST with flying colors. I always worry a bit about passing when we go in, because some doctors are really strict about them. I understand the concern, but the last thing I want to do is fail the test and then be sent over to the hospital for a check up. It's expensive and time consuming. Your Daddy and I meet with Doctor D afterwards for a brief chat. After our last conversation about the induction, we had lots of questions. At the time, we were feeling overwhelmed with the possibility of your early arrival, so this was a good time to talk about our future plans. Basically, if your lungs are mature on the 3rd, then I would go to the hospital Sunday evening (the 5th) and start on some medication to induce labor. You probably be born the next day on the 6th. There are different methods of induction, so the medication used would also depend on what my cervix is doing "on it's own". If your lungs are not mature, then we adopt a wait and see philosophy along with scheduling C-Section at 39 weeks. If your lungs are borderline, we also follow that same plan. Doctor Davis's hope (and ours) is that I would go into labor naturally before 39 weeks to avoid the C-section. Since overall things are looking good, Doctor Davis is pretty confident that you will be here in a few weeks. At the very most, I will be pregnant for about 5 more weeks and maybe have only 2 weeks left.
Birth & Baby Class- Our last birth & baby class was about newborn care. We covered a lot of basic subjects such as diapering, bathing, burping, swaddling, and crying. We watched a long video about your typical day and night day. Each couple had a "baby" to practice on. Your Dad and I did a pretty good job. Most of the information was common sense. Of course, a lot of our solutions, we will be making up as we go along. Lucky for you, the firstborn are the experiment!
Work Shower- This morning, Carlton Scale threw a baby shower for me. They told me that we had a safety meeting in the conference room and when I arrived, it was all decked out. Everyone was there (including the service techs) and it was so adorable. There was a huge breakfast spread, cute decorations, and tons of gifts. It was pretty funny, because after the food was gone, so were the men! The girls in the office went crazy with the gifts. You got a Baby Einstein jumper, clothes, blankets, bottles, shampoo, sheets, and all kinds of toys. It was truly overwhelming to see how much my co-workers care about our family. One of my co-workers took some pictures, so I should be able to post some next week when she sends them to me. We have been so blessed with three showers and now your nursery is really full.
This weekend I am going to have my prenatal massage and plan to finish up the nursery. I need to put away all the new gifts and tweak it up just a little. Then I will post some pictures for all to enjoy.
I love you,
Mom
September 15, 2008
Weekend Update
What a whirlwind weekend! It was very exciting, fun, overwhelming, emotional, exhausting, busy, and joyful. The weekend got started on Thursday night when we picked up Grandma Lumsden and Aunt Diane from the airport. They arrived about 8 and we finally settled into bed about 11:30. Your Daddy and I had to work on Friday morning, so the twins cruised Greensboro until it was time for the first event. Then the girls picked me up at work and we were off to start our weekend!
Moses Cone Baby Shower-Your Daddy's co-workers got together and threw us quite a party. It was so fun and everything looked totally adorable. I certainly wasn't expecting such a big deal! Here are some pictures from the afternoon:
Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, and Aunt Diane
Guess the baby food game. I totally lost.
Wet Wipes. Anyone who knows me can appreciate my face in this picture.
Delicious Cake
Tons of Baby Gifts
Daddy Boot Camp- On Saturday morning your Daddy enlisted in Daddy Boot Camp. It's a class offered at the hospital for guys taught by guys. It's all about learning the tricks of the trade from a man's perspective. They also have real live infants in the class. Once you are old enough, your Daddy might be asked to volunteer his services to other new parents. I have pressed your Daddy for details from camp, but he has just said it was lots of fun and very informative. Oh, how I would like to have been a fly on the wall that morning!
Baby Shower- Four of my best friends got together and planned an awesome baby shower for our family. It was hosted by Missy, Ann Marvin, MaryScot, and Stewart. It was so sweet and they thought of every little detail. They made sure to have tons of yummy food that I could eat every single bite of. Even a special desert served to us! It was such a great mix of family, college friends, work friends, and church friends. Events like this always make me think about how grateful I am to have so many women in my life whom I cherish. These friendship are so special and have truly made me the person I am today. Once everyone had their fill of yummy food, we played the first game. MaryScot (ever-the-teacher) had us guess the baby animal. For example, a dog would have a puppy. If only they were that easy! Then after the game, I opened gifts. There are so many presents. Eloise and EmmaScot (Ann Marvin's girls) helped play Santa and brought me all the gifts. I can't even begin to name off all the fun stuff we received. Your nursery is totally stocked now. After the presents, we played a game called dirty diaper. Each diaper had a candy bar melted in it and we had to figure it out which one was which. I did fair better at this game, but it was still hard. Then things started winding down. I stayed behind to catch up with friends who had traveled to see me. All in all, it was just a fantastic afternoon. Check out some of the gifts below:
Wreath of Diapers Mrs. Jolly, Amy, and Amber
Piggy Bank from Dad & Debra
Homemade Blanket from Grandma (Which of course made me bawl!)
Framed Picture for your Nursery
Sunday-On Sunday, we attacked your nursery. It's not totally complete, but it is almost done. There are just a few finishing touches I need to add. I am going to post some pictures of the finished product this week or weekend. I have to say, it looks so fabulous. I could just stand in there for hours and I can't wait to see you sleeping in the crib!
NST Monday- Monday morning, you passed the NST with no problem. I saw a different doctor and everything was fine. My legs and feet have become quite swollen in the past few days, but since my BP and weight gain are on track, it shouldn't be an issue. I see Doctor Davis on Thursday and I am going to ask him about the backup plan if your lungs are not mature. There are so many details running through my head right now, it's not even funny!
I love you very much, Mom
September 11, 2008
Final Countdown
This morning we had an ultrasound and meeting with Doctor Davis. All is well with you and you now have an estimated weight of a whooping 5lbs 10ozs! My weight is up 7.2lbs (the highest it's been so far!), my blood pressure was 120/70, and your heart rate was 138. You are big. As in 94th percentile big. Doctor Davis presented us with two options. The first would be to continue to ride out the pregnancy and see what happens. Once you reach 4500grams (between 9-10lbs), they would take you via C-Section. Most likely, if we decided to wait, you would be born @ 37-38 weeks and would be a big baby. The second is to induce labor after 36 weeks. They will perform an amniocentesis test to see if your lungs are fully mature. If they are, then I would be induced at the hospital within a few days of the test. Basically, it gives me a chance to deliver you naturally with less risk of complications whilst yielding a smaller baby. Given the choice, your Daddy and I decided that this would be the best option for us. I know that I would do whatever is medically necessary for your health and safety, but given the opportunity to avoid major abdominal surgery, I will take it. Of course, there is still a chance that I could labor and still end up having a C-Section. Plus the amniocentesis is not without risk. Doctor Davis had his nurse set up the amnio test for Friday October 3rd @ 7:45 AM. The test results should be back that afternoon. Doctor Davis is going to be on-call starting Monday October 6th in the afternoon and we would probably be admitted to the hospital sometime early that week. So if all goes well, I will know on the 3rd when the induction will take place. You might be born about 3 weeks. Say it with me people "3 WEEKS!". At this point, there are still a lot of variables up in the air. If your lungs aren't mature, then the plan changes and we reevaluate. For the moment, I will continue my normal routine and keep all my standing doctor's appointments. Until October 3rd, I wait patiently. As I have been for the past 8 months for your arrival. Thank goodness my baby showers are this weekend and my Mom will here! These next few weeks are going to be impossibly slow......
I love you,
Mom
PS- 3 Weeks! 3 Weeks! 3 Weeks!
September 9, 2008
Catching Up
This week has been busy! Every time I felt like I had a moment to write you a letter, it seemed like something came up. (I must confess sometimes that something was a N-A-P) I am really starting to slow down these days. It is very frustrating for me since I usually have a go, go, go attitude and try to attend every event. But I truly believe that after September, things will be a little calmer. Here is an update of the stuff that have been going on in Munchkinland the past couple of days:
Gifts-Our neighbor, Faye, came over last weekend bearing gifts. She has a year old grand daughter who has outgrown 2 baby swings and a highchair. Everything she gave us is in excellent shape. We stripped everything that we could wash, hosed all of the plastic down, and replaced the highchair cover. Now it looks brand new! I know some of the items are on our registry and we might end up getting duplicates. But at least we will have some different options, might be able to leave somethings with the Grandparents, or give back to friends who have helped us. We are so lucky to have such thoughtful neighbors!
Friday's NST- I had another NST on Friday afternoon. The nurse said that this was the best NST she had seen in over 20 years of nursing. At first, you were just sleeping. Then after about 10 minutes, you totally woke up. We kept seeing spike after spike. All the nurses crowded into the room to watch my belly move. It was awesome to have someone else see your movements. I was so proud of you, my little gymnast!
Doctor Appointment- Yesterday morning I went in for my NST and follow up. I have been having some sharp shooting pains below my belly button on my right side for a couple of days. It was painful enough that I woke up crying on Sunday night and my sleep has been totally out of whack. It doesn't feel like contractions, but I needed to make sure that this was supposed to be happening. I was supposed to go in @ 4:15 PM yesterday, but I ended up calling @ 8 AM and seeing the doctor @ 9 AM instead. Your Dad went with me since he was concerned about the pain as well. The NST was fine, you passed after about 45 minutes on the monitor. Doctor Davis told me that he thinks this pain is an positional uterine/round ligament issue. Basically the muscles are stretching, pulling, tearing, or ripping. Perfectly normal for pregnancy, nothing really to do but rest and Tylenol. I decided to stay home from work yesterday and catch up on the missing sleep from the night before. I took a Tylenol PM last night and actually slept for 4 straight hours. Woo-hoo! Hopefully these muscles will eventually get used to their new workload. Breastfeeding Class- Last night, I attended a breastfeeding workshop. I was surprised to see so many Dads in audience. I told your Daddy it was just for girls! Our teacher, Leslie is a lactation consultant for Women's hospital. The class was packed and it was very helpful. Of course, like all the new things we are going to learn, this will take practice. But I am extremely committed to the idea that this will be the best option for us. We had a brief introduction of ourselves (each table), watched a video, and then she began the lecture. Leslie took us through step by step teaching us what to do and what is supposed to happen. All in all, it was very informative and I fairly confident in my abilities. One very reassuring point she made was that there is plenty of help available. The second part of the workshop is in a couple weeks. Even though I wasn't feeling in tip-top shape, I am really glad I attended anyway.
This Week- Right now, I am feeling really anxious about the ultrasound scheduled for Thursday morning. It will tell us if you are on target for weight gain. Hopefully I have been doing a good enough job with diet/medication and your weight is within normal range. Fingers crossed. Thursday night, our family starts arriving for the fun shower weekend. I am sure I will have lots pictures come Monday. I will write soon.
I love you,
Mom
September 4, 2008
32 Weeks

September 3, 2008
NST/Birth & Baby Class
This week marked the beginning of my twice weekly Non Stress Tests (NST) and checkups with the doctor. All my stats were basically the same: a total weight gain of 2 lbs, BP of 122/70, and your heart rate was in the low to mid 140s. They hooked me up to the monitors and everything looked good. The doctors are looking for 3 big spikes (or 5 little ones) in your heart rate during a 20 minute period. The only thing that stinks (beside going in twice a week) is that if you are asleep or non-active during the test, they may order an ultrasound just in case. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate them being proactive, but at this point it's a little annoying. Plus I already have an ultrasound scheduled next week to check your size. Doctor Davis said everything else was good, but I still have a little infection in my urine. I might have to stay on a low dose antibiotics until you are born, but we see what happens in the next few weeks. He has also tried to work the other doctors into my appointments, so I become familiar with them in case he isn't able to deliver you. I hope that isn't the case, but it might be a good idea to meet these other docs anyway.
In the evening, your Daddy and I went to our 4th Birth & Baby Class. We spent the first part of class reviewing stuff, playing a game, watching a video on pushing positions, and going over a C-Section. During the game, the water broke on the pregnancy pack. It was literally leaking gel all over the guy that was wearing it. It was really funny since we had just gone over what to do when this happens to the girls in our class. The C-Section information was very interesting to me. In some ways, it seems nice to schedule your birth and not have to go through labor, but it so.does.not.look.fun. Especially afterwards. Whenever you are born, I will just have to take what comes my way and make the best of it. At the moment, how you enter this world is out of my control and I just want you to get here safely. The last half of class was spent touring the maternity ward and checking out all the different parts of the hospital. It was really cool. We visited the nursery, saw the OR, checked out the birthing suites, chatted with the nurses, and ended up in a labor & delivery room. Cheryl went over all the different features of the room and some of the guidelines for the hospital. One thing I have been a little worried about is crowd control. Your Daddy and I are so blessed to have lots of family and friends. But it kind of makes me anxious to have a lot of people around me when I give birth. That seems selfish, doesn't it? The hospital limits you to 2 support people while you actually give birth. So your Daddy and your Grandma Lumsden are it. That makes me feel a ton better. Afterwards, I know I will be conflicted about wanting to show you off while trying to maintain a sense of privacy. I know our family and friends will be respectful of our feelings about this and we are so lucky to have them. You have lots of people who will be very anxious to meet you!
Tomorrow marks 32 weeks.....where did the time go?
I love you,
Mom
September 2, 2008
31 Week Pictures


Love, Mom