36 Weeks

Today I had my 36 week appointment. I had been debating whether or not I should change the date of my c-section, the reason being, I've worked in a hospital, and I know how staffing is on a holiday weekend, especially a holiday weekend in which you do not get holiday pay. I wanted to get feedback from the family as well as our doctor. Our family said the date should work either way, and our doctor actually said that he would just be getting back from vacation. So, we've changed the date to March 25th, that is if I don't go into labor before that.

I have been having contractions and I thought for sure I would be dilated, but when I was checked, he said the baby had dropped, but I was not dilated. I was telling him about the stabbing pains and contractions and he said that was the baby dropping. Man, who knew! Baby is doing fine, FHR of 168 bpm, I did not gain any weight since my last appointment two weeks ago, and according to my chart, I've gained 25 lbs so far, which I was pretty happy with.

Aaron is still not feeling 100%, he went to work today, but was pretty miserable. Eli is still coughing, but I think it has subsided. We've been trying to get him to go to sleep on his own these past few days. We have been doing the usual routine, but lay down with him for a little while, then get up and gate his door. He usually gets up a couple of times, but eventually gets into bed on his own.

I'm going to see "The Other Boleyn Girl" this weekend, pretty excited about that. I'm seeing it with my other prego friend Rhonda, we're 1 week apart, so I'm sure we'll be sitting in the aisle so we can get up to go to the bathroom ever hour! My parents are coming to visit us on Sunday, they are excited to take care of Eli. I'm excited to see them too, they just got back from the Philippines.

That's about all for now. Have a great weekend!

Busy Week

Last week was a pretty busy week. I was able to see and visit with some old friends who were visiting, and I was able to see some new babies! Michelle and Brandi were both in town this past week. Brandi was helping Jessica with Baby Brody. It was great seeing them both! I always love to catch up with them. Of course I forgot to take pictures!

The weekend came and went. I ventured to the mall with Eli and Becky. Becky was such a big help! Actually, Eli was very chill until the last 2 stores. Aaron was able to go out with some friends to watch the depressing KU game. I'm glad I missed it, I hate being defeated! Ugh! Elise and Eli were able to play a little bit after our shopping extravaganza, we were able to convince Rhonda to meet us for some yummy ice cream.

Aaron and I caught up on our movie watching Friday and Saturday night. Sunday we went to church and Eli was really good. We ventured to the grocery store after that and Aaron cooked the rest of the afternoon so we have a full fridge for the week. I won't have to cook for a while!

Aaron was starting to feel sickly Sunday evening, so he went to bed early. I stayed up for a while watching the Oscars, and was able to drool over my Scottish crush James McAvoy. I had watched "Atonement" and "Becoming Jane" over the weekend too, so I was able to get my fix. LOL!

I'm on a canned mandarin orange kick right now. I have to have some right before I go to bed, along with a blueberry waffle. Yum!

BTW-- they were not able to book us on 3/20, so Baby Ziggy should be arriving 3/21 for sure!

I hope everyone has a great week!

34 Weeks

More Snow!

Well, this weekend has been pretty uneventful, but I welcomed it! Actually, our friends, Emily and Becky volunteered to babysit Eli on Friday so Aaron and I could go on a date before Baby Ziggy arrives. We went to a newer restaurant in Brookside called Avenues. We had reservations at 615p. I started with a nice red wine trio sampler, it was divine! I savored every sip! I then had the pear and blue cheese salad and the lobster and shrimp spedini, Aaron had the Cajun spiced grouper. It was so tasty! The ambience was nice too. We were trying to find other things to do to extend our date, because last time Emily and Becky babysat we were home before 10pm! So we tlooked into going to a movie, but nothing was sounding good and everything started later. We went to PF Changs thinking we might get dessert and drinks there, but the wait was ridiculous. So, we had a much needed potty break, LOL! I decided I wanted some bread pudding from Pot Pie, so we went there, but the wait was pretty long too. We ended up next door at Bluestem. They had couches and places to lounge, so we took up a couch and Aaron had a drink and I ordered a dessert. It was straight from a Top Chef quick fire. It was a rich Mexican hot chocolate, some bourbon dipped marshmallows, churizzo, and a cinnamon milk concoction. It was pretty good to nibble on. Aaron and I were going over baby names. We have our short list prepared.

Emily and Becky had a great time with Eli. We weren't worried because when we left Eli just waved to us and was enjoying Emily's company (Becky was running a little late). He was asleep by 8pm which is great. We were so thankful for their services!



Yesterday was pretty laid back. Eli had swim lessons, which he did not enjoy as much. We came home, had some lunch and we all took naps. The rest of the day was spent at home.



This morning we woke up and Aaron looked outside, and snow was coming down hard. We're supposed to get 6+ inches today. Aaron is at the grocery store right now before it gets too bad, because we already have a few inches. We were planning on going to mass, but I don't think we'll be leaving the house.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day! I've always loved this holiday, and I think it reverts back to grade school when we would have a party and eat tons of sweets, be on a sugar high, and receive all sorts of cards. I remember all the art projects we would make, and my favorite thing to do was make a Valentine's Mailbox to hang from my desk. Well, I am such a Mom this year because I had to make treats for Eli's class, mind you, I only had to bring enough for 4 kids. I opted to make strawberry cupcakes with strawberries and cream frosting and of course I had leftover batter, so I also made a cake! I'm into strawberry anything right now!

Eli was sent home sick on Monday, poor little guy had a fever. He was not himself when I picked him up. He was so much better after a nap and tylenol. Aaron stayed home with him on Tuesday, and I stayed home yesterday. He was back to his normal self yesterday.

One thing he has been saying, "Thank you Mommy... thank you Daddy", it's really sweet. Yesterday I let him watch "Thomas" so I could finish up my Valentines I was sending out. We went to my doctor's appointment and Aaron met us there. After much consideration, and just a "feeling" I was having, we decided to do a repeat C-section, and we set the date for March 20th. So, the newest Rourke will be here then, unless I labor before then. Wow! 5 more weeks! Can you believe it? Aaron and I were struggling with a date at first, but when he said that was the earliest he could do, I was all for it!

Well, that's about all for now! I'll post some pics later on. Did you all see "Project Runway" last night? I won't spoil it for those of you who did not catch it. Also, I saw a commercial for "Top Chef Chicago"! It starts March 12th! Cannot wait! Well, I hope you all have a great day!

"Back-up..."

Jenny and Chris had their baby girl, Grace, this morning. Mom and Baby are both doing well. Grace is 8lbs and 19 inches long. Congrats to the new parents and big brother Sam!

Eli is now talking to Aaron and I like we're dogs. Whenever Stoli gets in our business, we always say, "Back-up Stoli", I've noticed he's been saying that when we get in the door. Last night when Aaron was putting Eli to bed, he told Aaron to "back-up Daddy". Aaron said he just had to laugh about it. Then this morning when I was feeding him breakfast, Eli told me to "sit Mommy". I told him that he cannot tell Mommy to "sit", what a booger.

It was raining this morning and of course Eli decided to take off his shoes and socks on our way to school. On top of that, I had an 8:30A meeting. Hopefully it won't freeze tonight!

Well, I have to say good-bye and good luck to Latrese, my friend and short time colleague who had her last day today at work and will be moving to sunny Florida! I'll miss you lots! I know we'll be keeping in touch though.

Busy Weekend

Friday night I made Aaron watch a chick flick with me after we put Eli to bed. We watched "Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and hottie Jude Law. It was entertaining, but a little longer than it needed to be. We went to bed past 11pm, which is late for us! Eli woke us bright and early, around 6AM we plopped him in bed with us and were bad parents and made him watch "Thomas and Friends" for another hour while we slept a little longer.
I met three of my girlfriends for brunch and shopping. It was fun. I found some stuff for Eli's room. When I arrived home around noon, the house was quiet, and I was expecting Eli to be napping, but when I looked in his room he was not in bed. Then I walked into our BR and Aaron and Eli were both sitting up in bed asleep with "Thomas" on TV. It was really cute. Eli had swimming that morning, so I'm sure they were pooped.

I took the opportunity to run some errands while they were asleep. While I was at the grocery store I had some discomfort with some contractions and pressure, and realized I needed to hydrate myself. Went home and made Aaron unload the car while I put my feet up.
I started making dinner, Erin, Andy, and Gus came over to visit. Gus is a minnie Andy with the cutest chubby cheeks! I can see Erin too, also with some of his mannerisms. It was fun to see Eli and Gus play WITH each other. By the end of the night Eli was calling him "Gussy" which was so cute. They wore each other out. Gus was spacing out (like Erin does when she's tired), by the time they left, around 8:30. I was exhausted too.

Sunday morning Eli did not wake up until around 7AM, but I was still exhausted, I have not been sleeping well. It's about that time during pregnancy. My hips and back were pretty sore. Aaron let me sleep in a little bit which was nice. Eli was being sweet and I asked him to kiss the baby, and he kissed my belly a few times. I love that he is so affectionate!
I did some cooking, made some chili and cornbread in honor of the Superbowl. It started raining and thundering, then I looked outside and it was freezing rain-- yuck! Around 11AM, our next door neighbor, Jarrett stopped by to borrow a platter and asked if we were still planning on coming over for brunch. Aaron and I actually were not sure if they were still having people over because we hadn't heard from them, but we were able to make it. Their son, Han, turned one. He is such a little man. They had traditional Korean food for the bk-day celebration, it was yummy! Eli enjoyed himself as always, they have so many great toys. We left by 2pm, so we could give Eli a nap.
I ventured to Target during naptime. I think I was on my feet too much this weekend, because I was having more discomfort while I wandered through Target. Eli was awake by the time I arrived home. Aaron went to a friend's house to watch the game and my friends Becky and Emily came over to pig out with me and "watch" the game. Eli has so much fun with them, in fact he stood at the door looking for them after they left and even cried a bit until I distracted him. I got him ready for bed and we read some books, then I laid down him until he fell asleep. He was playing with his Leap Frog toy that plays music, I need to put new batteries in that toy, it sounded like the devil when it was singing the songs.
I started a new book, an easy read from the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series, "Shopaholic and Baby". Should be a fast read.This weekend was super busy, but fun. I was able to hang out with a lot of friends and have some alone time too.

32 Weeks

According to Babycenter.com--
"By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth."

I love the fruits and veggies they compare the size of baby to. I feel like Ziggy is feet down, because I occasionally get an uncomfortable feeling like he/she is kicking me where it hurts! Today I experienced some Braxton-Hicks while at the grocery store, but I think it's because I needed to drink some water.

For the most part this week was pretty uneventful with baby. I just am getting more and more uncomfortable and have to go to the bathroom about every hour.

Eli has been pretty funny. On our way to school we sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" he knows some of the words and has been doing the actions he learns at school. He is also counting out loud. He knows how to count one to ten, but sometimes forgets three and four. He's been very receptive whenever we teach him new words.