(BUMP--Baby BUMP That is--Shelly Exactly One Year Ago Today...Memories...) )this had better work emily rose!

so, emily thinks maeve is taking her sweet ol' time in order to afford me the time to take one last baby in belly picture--so i took it bright and early this morning so that she may come tonight, if she so chooses =-) i honestly think belly pictures are horrifying (for me, although i LOVE to see someone else's!) so now that the horror is over, the truly disturbing event known as "childbirth" may take place!
not much planned today--i think we'll go to granny and pop-pop's to do some laundry and pick up some groceries...
urgh, everytime i get groceries i think, "this will be the last time i get groceries before she comes!" and then it isn't....but hey, maybe this will be it! i know, i'm obsessing, but 9...ahem, 10 months is a long time to wait (i have been pregnant LITERALLY ALL YEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR).

good news!

i found out today that the longest i have to go is next friday! monday i head to the doctor's for a non-stress test for baby m. and if all checks out--i can be induced friday! woo hoo! if she is feeling stress then i'll go in monday....i'm hoping she is resting easy and will choose to come on her own BEFORE friday but i'm THRILLED BEYOND BELIEF THAT SOMEDAY THIS PREGNANCY WILL END! HALLELUJAH!!!

also, amelie went to nap at 1 and didn't get up until we woke her at 4:30!

aw, i love good news...

why am i exhausted? all i did was sit down....

*sigh...gettin' weary over here! steven looked at me the other day and said, "i can't remember a time you weren't pregnant..." thanks honey and me neither! today i have a dr's appt so maybe there will be some news--i plan to find out just how long they'll let me linger in this state if little miss w. doesn't make an appearance soon.
amelie and i went to the park today and played for a while--it is BEAUTIFUL outside! we picked flowers and amelie figured out the one slide that was soaking wet, slid down and then jumped into the mulch and rolled around--she looked like a mulch sandwich! and big surprise, we also stopped to see steven--we eat pizza every thursday with him and it's pretty much amelie's favorite (i like it pretty good myself =-).

we ran into a lady from church and she pulled me aside and said, "i bet you're tired, it's so hard--but you can do this!" it seriously made me feel better--usually you just get the--"oh, you're huge! why are you still pregnant?" etc....it was nice to be encouraged a little bit!
i'm going to try to convince my little daredevil that nap time should be early today...hopefully i'm successful =-)

day 3: ok, i'll admit it, i'm not that good at being a hermit

so here is a picture of the newest addition to our play group! yay for baby leah! she's precious and already looking bigger--how do they grow so fast? oh yeah, it's probably from all the energy they suck outta their mamas! i had to include this picture of amelie who was very distressed that i took a picture of another baby--poor thing! she has no idea what's comin' her way soon (or at least soon-ish!).
it's a beautiful day for a park visit and it's always good to see our buddies. amelie was sad to leave but mama just doesn't last that long in the real world now-a-days and i also refuse to use a porta potty =-) (i know, T.M.I.! get used to it, i haven't shared my birth story yet! ha!). steven came and saw us for a few minutes at the park--it's always good to have extra daddy time!

nothing else is planned for today except for a nap! i'm already praying that amelie goes down without a fuss b/c i need one!

and, it's not that i hate being pregnant (although i will not contend that i am ready for it to be over) it's just that i want to meet her.... maeve, if you can hear me--i just want to see your sweet face...
Week 40
Your Baby's Development
The average birth weight for babies born at 40 weeks is about seven pounds, eight ounces and the average length is about 21 inches.

There are a number of surprising physical characteristics you may notice upon Baby’s arrival. You may not have realized the extent to which your hormones can affect your baby at this stage. Because of the presence of your hormones in your baby's system, your baby's genitals (scrotum in boys and labia in girls) may appear enlarged. Your baby boy or girl may secrete milk from the tiny nipples. This is another hormone-related occurrence that should disappear in a few days and is completely normal. Finally, hormones may cause some "infant acne" pimples on your baby's face. These, too, will disappear within a month or so of birth.

Although many moms think of a baby's skin as "perfect," it can be very sensitive. When your baby is born, it's normal for her to have skin discoloration; blotchy, dry skin; or even rashes.
Baby's trip through the constricting birth canal will temporarily mold her tiny head into a cone shape; this will round out within a few days of life.
Babies are capable of crying at birth, but they are born with an underdeveloped tear duct system. You may notice that tears don't appear until one to three months of age.
The umbilical cord between the placenta and fetus may be up to two feet long at birth. After the cord is cut, a remnant will remain attached to the baby's abdomen. It will drop off within the first month

hermitage: day 2

so, i wasn't quite a hermit today--the webers were having a grocery crisis so amelie and i had to head out to the store and stock up! but, i will still brand myself a semi-successful hermit b/c we didn't run into any acquaintances and avoided all eye contact with strangers so i only had to talk to amelie, which, is a joy b/c she doesn't seem to notice mama's huge belly.
as i've written before, we're transitioning amelie into her big girl bed and it's going a little rough--last night she jumped out a few times and i was soooo tired that i told steve to just put her in the crib (yes, i know she can jump out of that too--it just takes longer =-). amelie was SO offended that we put her in the crib--she ran out, opened the door and yelled, "i want my big girl bed!" and proceeded to get back into her bed and not get out again. it was pretty awesome. i'm so glad she loves her bed and now we have a trick to getting her to stay in it! (hopefully the trick doesn't wear off too soon!).
not much else is new here--we're supposed to meet friends at the park tomorrow but i can't help but hope we don't make it =-) time will tell...by the way, i love fall, cool weather and sunny days! i'm also making the best dinner ever tonight, maybe it will be our last supper before the big event! mmm...ribs, home made applesauce and bread, baked beans (my favorite brand from new york, thank you wegmans!), mashed potatoes and veggies....mmmm....

the hermitage: day 1

so, my first official day as a hermit has gone well. i've felt veryyyyyyyyyyyyy tired and have slept most of the day--taking time only to make my little family lunch and of course, blog! amelie and steve were good little baptists and went to church, which made me sad, because i would love to go if i could stand talking out loud to people. you see, as a rule, i'm not really into talking out loud to people anyway, so in my present condition, talking out loud just seems like cruel and unusual punishment.
i tried to get a picture of steven and amelie together this morning since they were both lookin' so fine, but amelie wasn't in the mood, therefore, the separate picture of daddy trying to tempt her over with a smile.



amelie brought home a hilarious little piece of propaganda from sunday school today that i just couldn't help but post. apparently they were learning about how God provided for Moses and the children of Israel while in the desert and that He sent them birds to eat when they complained about the manna not being sufficient. i just think it's hilarious that now our little 2 year olds know that meat is from God so beware future vegetarians!! i have nothing against meat, and actually don't really enjoy vegetables, it just struck me as hilarious that their project had that phrase. if you don't think it's hilarious, it's probably just because you aren't a hermit!

that's it! i've decided to become a hermit! a.k.a. no, i don't want to talk about it!

reasons i'm becoming a hermit:
1. i'm still pregnant
2. everyone i see states, "oh, you're still pregnant?"
3. duh
4. they also ask, "how do you feel?" or "why are you still pregnant?"
5. yes i know you're being nice but i'm strongly trying to suppress the urge to punch you in the face or say something really horrible.
6. answering these questions has caused emotional instability in me

i figure it's easier to become a hermit then to wear a "don't talk to or look at the pregnant lady" sign.

i'm not even gonna go to church. i'm done. also, everyone apparently at steven's school (which is in the same building as our church, making the world a bit too small) thinks i had the baby b/c he stayed home to help me friday since i was having blood pressure issues....

on a bright note, i found out today that my pre-pregnancy jeans still fit me.
on a darker note, i'm bummed about the $40 i spent on maternity jeans.

guess what? my little girl isn't so little anymore! she slept like an angel last night in her big girl bed (which i was hesitant to move her to). i finally gave in and let her sleep in it after she crib jumped for a solid hour last night. she even took a successful nap in it today! PRAISE THE LORD!

i want some cheesecake. and not just any cheesecake--chocolate-brownie-kahlua cheesecake from cheesecake factory. yummy.

the end.

six to one half a dozen to the other

bullet blogging

* i was hoping to make a big announcement today as i had to visit the dr's two days in a row--they were talking of bringing maeve along soon as my blood pressure was too high yesterday but it came back down today so no news in that department!

* steve stayed home to help me today with amelie--so i officially blame him for my low blood pressure as his presence makes everything much more enjoyable/easier =-)

* i've been a faithful grey's anatomy watcher since it started but have found myself disillusioned with all the drama this season (yes, i know it's a drama--but seriously, why can't anyone be happy for about 5 minutes?)

* tim daly is a surprisingly bad actor--check out this weeks private practice on abc.com if you don't believe me...

* pushing daisies, also on abc is a very enjoyable show--i hope it sticks around--it's very fairy-tale-ish, vivid, original and well written

* i love that abc.com offers it's popular shows full length online--i don't care to watch tv at night so it's nice to be able to catch up on my shows when i have a chance and feel like vegging

* yes, i know it's 60 degrees out but I AM STILL HOT.

* my hospital bag is mocking me--everyday for the last three weeks it has sat in the corner in my bedroom tempting me with dreams of going into labor--all to no avail.

happy friday!

beware: it could be a case of pregnancy mouth but....

seriously, i am sick and tired of people hinting or telling me, directly or indirectly that girls are somehow inferior, less enjoyable, more difficult/stressful, less rewarding to raise then boys.

are you kidding me?

the thing that irritates me most is that it is WOMEN who say or imply these things. where is one's sense of pride in being a woman? or being thankful for the gift of raising a future woman/mother?

i have nothing against boys, i think they are fab--my favorite person in the whole wide world, is in fact, a boy...

i think any woman who doesn't love women, girls etc. really just doesn't love themselves. also, i am beyond grateful and enormously thankful that i have the chance to raise any child at all--even if, poor me, they happen to be girls...

whew, i feel slightly better. ha!

by the way, also, amelie is the best ever--i'm glad she's a girl, i'm proud of her girly-ness and i want more then anything to instill in her the fact that she is valuable, that she is loved and that she is exactly who God created her to be.

watch where you step--that's not rainwater, it's a puddle of my own sweat

urgh, it is disgusto outside today--so humid, cloudy, hot...bleh! we were at the park for a little while this morning and i'm pretty sure my face and a few other body parts literally melted off of me. bleck! Praise the Lord it's supposed to rain tonight and cooler weather is on the way! hip hip horray!!! this pregnant lady has some fall maternity wear she hasn't been able to break out yet =-) (although, i will say that i wasn't hoping that i'd make it this far!)

anywho, the biggest and best news today is that we were able to meet baby leah and see her mama--she's a perfect little pearl--i can't wait to see her learn and grow alongside our other kiddos!

and yeah....she's still in there. here is what is keeping maeve so busy that apparently she just doesn't have time yet to make an appearance:
Week 39
Your Baby's Development
Even as late as the 39th week, there is one part of your Baby's body that hasn't quite finished developing: the two soft spots on your baby's head called the fontanels, where the skull bones haven't yet joined together. These areas allow the flexible skull bones to bend, without damaging the brain, as Baby travels down the birth canal. Because of the strength of the contractions during labor, many newborn heads look elongated or cone-shaped right after birth. The bones will return to their round shape within a few days after birth. During Baby's first year the skull will harden; by 18 months, the soft spots on Baby's head will have completely disappeared.

Other last-minute developments continue:

Baby's skeleton continues to develop. Your baby now has 300 bones (about 100 more than an adult does, since some bones fuse together as the child grows).

no news is no news....

here is a picture of my amelie girl from LAST october--time sure flies! (also, i've been too lazy to take pictures of her everyday recently =-). another uneventful day at the weber's--we stayed home from church to rest and relax and all got to take a good nap (except for poor steven who had a master's paper to finish). i decided a good way to pass my time of waiting would be to set up some more baby accessories. so i put up a pack n play in the living room and discovered i'm missing a piece to the bassinet--luckily, graco sells every single piece for replacement for their play yards--so kudos to graco for having the piece that i needed for amelie's old school baby equipment. and yes, that really is the most exciting thing going on here today =-) i saw a new consignment shop in town the other day that i think i will check out tomorrow...maybe i'll have something super exciting to report then!

things i am currently craving in no particular order

1. ice cream
2. gumballs
3. chocolate milk
4. bbq chicken
5. nap
6. bath
7. labor

fin.

another week down...

so--no baby news yet! steve has predicted maeve will appear this weekend--so we will see whether or not that comes to fruition...
amelie and i had a lovely day--we picked up a cute gift for our new friend leah and met daddy for lunch. she took a great nap (and so did i) and then i got to spend some time shopping and eating with my friend amy! it's always lovely to be able to shop and eat with a little bit of peace and no toddler punching me in the face with her fork... ha! i bought amelie a special gift "from" maeve that i am excited about giving her! not too much else is new--a peaceful weekend is planned. just for fun, here is a list of amelie's new favorites:
1. amelie loves curious george! she will sit and watch the full length movie every day if i let her!
2. amelie also is really good at copying dance routines so she loves to dance along with hi 5--her favorite songs are action hero, T* E* A* M* and something about being under the sea--she does a mean seagull impression.
3. her new favorite-which she saw a preview for on the george movie is barbie island princess. i'm not really into barbie but she loves the singing, dancing and animals. whenever barbie isn't on the screen she is always asking, "where'd barbie go?" she also has memorized the words to a lot of the songs--it's scary, maybe she watches just a touch too much tv =-)
4. this isn't a movie but she loves her late night park dates with daddy--they play for hours on the church's swingset, get a treat (ice cream or swedish fish) and just generally have fun bonding.

it's not easy being green....

with envy!

i just saw some beautiful pictures of the newest addition to our playgroup family and i am wishin' that little miss weber would get on her way soon!

hey maeve! if you can hear me, i just want you to know that i would like to see your face a.s.a.p.!

why am i sweating at 8 a.m. in october?

apparently it's summer again (i was never truly convinced it left, although, the leaves on the ground have pushed me towards "fall" thinking). it's going to be in the upper 80s today and i am already hot! this is not a good sign...=-)

amelie and i have a bunch of errands to run today and then we're planning on lunch with steven--yay for pizza lunch on thursdays! by the way, amelie was eerily perfect yesterday--and i mean, like, the best behavior ever. no temper tantrums AT ALL until like 15 minutes before bed--which for a 2 year old, is pretty freakin' amazing. hopefully she wasn't storing up two days of grumpiness for today! ha!

i have another dr's appt today so hopefully there will be news on that "front." speaking of dr's offices, the other day i was at one (for amelie's flu shot) and one of the nurses came up to me and asked when i was due and i told her my usual "any day now.." and she said, "oh, i knew it, b/c your baby is sooooooooo low." and i'm thinking, the baby is all the way up inside my ribcage--it's not the baby you think you see down there, it's the enormous layer of fat that is supporting her!

she's lucky i had my pregnancy mouth under control--i'm the queen of T.M.I. these days!

i could get used to this!

what a lovely day to see all of our friends at the park! there's nothing better then a little quality time with friends to make your day brighter! it's beautiful outside--fall is my favorite (if only it didn't mean that winter was coming!!).
before meeting our friends at the park, amelie slept in till 9 (yay!!) and then we headed off to get her flu shot. she hasn't been to the doctors in agessss so she was a little perplexed and nervous about being there! i was feeling guilty for getting her an "elective" shot but would hate to see her get the flu this year if we can prevent it! the doctor came in and gave her the shot and she didn't cry at all! she just looked at me, held the arm OPPOSITE to the one that got the shot and said, "ow, mommy!" she continued to tell me that the arm that didn't rec. the shot hurt--which made me laugh a little--but she forgOt all about it once we got to the park and saw all of our buddies!
oh yeah, and if one more stranger proclaims i must be due any minute i'm not gonna answer nicely! maybe i'll just keep maeve around forever because i LOVE being 9 months pregnant just that much....on second thought...maybe not! i find the surest answer is always to say--oh, i'm overdue--so any day now! ha!

maeve is moving along--and right up and into my rib cage! here's the update on my still belly bound baby!
Week 38
Your Baby's DevelopmentThis is the week in which Baby begins to outgrow the watery home where she's been developing these past nine months. Baby should weigh almost seven pounds this week, but at a length of about 21 inches, Baby hasn't grown much taller. The average full-term newborn weighs between six and nine pounds and is 18 to 21 inches long.

Here are a few other developments this week:

Although Baby's growth is slowing, fat will continue to accumulate to help insulate Baby even more for her entry to the outside world.
Meconium (Baby's feces) will continue to build up in her intestines.
By now, the circumference of baby's head and abdomen are about the same.

it's already sunday?

this weekend went by so quickly--i hate to see monday come around--i love our family time on the weekends! we enjoyed church today and amelie lived through sunday school and seems to be over the separation anxiety she was feeling.
i don't have anything planned for this week but can't help but wonder what it might hold...i'm getting anxious!

big girls eat "toes and milk"

well, not toes--that's what amelie saying the word "cheerios" sounds like! she loves eating cereal as many times a day as i'll let her and don't tell, but i'm secretly thrilled because it's the only way i can get the kid to "drink" milk!

today was a very busy day for us! amelie was up at 5:30 (i think maybe a dream woke her or something?) but at least she was happy to lay in bed with me until 7! we had to run errands this morning all over the county and then made it back in time to play with our buddies at the park (yay!) before i headed off to my dr's appt. i was hoping to have a really exciting--"she's coming any time" update but since i'm not technically 37 weeks until friday they didn't do the official internal exam but just a strep test, heartbeat listen and send me on my way! the only statistics i have to share are:

the doctor thinks she weighs about 6 pounds (that's not too scary--did you see the story that came on the air today about the lady who had 12 babies and this recent 12th child weighed 17 pounds! how is that possible?!?!?)

i've gained 13 pounds and am starting to lose weight--which the doctor assured me is normal--but i think is strange since i've eaten 3 pb & j sandwiches a day including 2 jars of peanut butter in the last week and a half! ha!!

well, maybe next week i'll have some exciting news to share...it's gotta be getting close--i think she's out of room to maneuver =-)

the park's a lark except for when it's a goose

** we went to the park this morning--bright and early--and i was feeling ambitious and amelie was ready to play! after a few trips down the slide we headed off to walk around the local "lake" (about 1 mile all the way around) and amelie decided she was afraid of geese (she wasn't yesterday...so maybe she had a bad dream? who knows!). every time a goose came near us she would say, "hi goose! honk honk!" and then scream at the top of her lungs and run away. it was different....
** her fear also was transferred onto the ducks, which is a shame, because ducks, at least, are cute!
**we found some fish swimming by the dock and fed them some goldfish crackers--it seemed to border on cannibalism but i didn't share that with amelie.
** she is not scared of fish (for now...).
** btw--i am now too pregnant to walk a mile--i thought i was going to explode! i just did it last week and was totally fine--not fine today!
** i thought i was going into labor last night--turns out i just needed a nap, ha!
** tomorrow is my dr.'s appt--i'm hoping for some news like--she'll be here any minute! (well, any day at least!!)

we shall see...

i'm super grumpy right now b/c my nap didn't seem long enough so here are some things i'm thankful for so i don't take up this space complaining!

1. hair bands--i would shave my head if i couldn't put my hair in a pony tail!
2. mu mu type dresses--'nuf said
3. peanut butter right out of the jar
4. a.c. + couch + pillows (at least 4-6) + blanket + t.v. and last but certainly NOT least
5. patient husband

when nesting goes awry...

let me set the scene:
yesterday amelie and i had such a picture perfect morning--it was totally the best and we came home and she took a fabulous 2.5 hour nap (with only 1 crib jumping incident). steven got home from work BEFORE she woke up, we ate dinner and he whisked her away for almost 3 hours of park/play/icecream time--which was wonderful at first but then i started to miss them and he wasn't answering the cell phone (it was dead)--this is when the nesting instinct took over and took a decidedly morbid turn...

i decided to sort all of amelie's clothes (and i mean ALL) in pre arranged, mommy-approved outfits so that in case i die during childbirth, she would still be well dressed. HA! i'm not sure why, but this was vitally important to me last night. i also set aside a funeral dress for amelie and told steve that maeve didn't have to mourn because she wouldn't have known me as well...i'm pretty sure this isn't normal, but i feel better now and know that i'll have a well dressed toddler even if i'm not around.

on another note, less morbid but still slightly disturbing...
i found the solution for crib jumping--sadly, it's corporal punishment. insert big sad mommy face here! amelie only jumped 2 times last night b/c when she did i smacked her hand and told her to stay in her crib and go to sleep. urgh, worst sadness ever. she kept popping out the door saying, "hi mommy!" and no, i didn't slap her hand hard enough for her to cry--she just looked confused and stayed in her crib--which was a good thing even though i stayed awake for an hour crying b/c i had to be mean. hopefully the lesson will sink in and it won't have to be repeated! it's hard to be the mama sometimes (especially when daddy gets to be the nice/fun/park loving/ice cream buying man of the hour!).

well, enough amelie news! it's maeve's turn and we've made full term! go girl! (seriously, get going so i can hold you soon!)
Week 37
Your Baby's Development

Now Baby weighs almost 6.5 pounds and her total length is about 21 inches long. But she hasn't stopped growing yet; she'll continue to develop about a half-ounce of fat a day. Still, overall growth does slow from here on out. That's fortunate, since there is very little available space left in the womb as it is.

Here are a few final developments taking place in week 37:

Baby's immune system continues to strengthen. Her immune system will continue to get stronger after birth, and will not be completely functional until early adulthood.
Baby can now grasp with her fingers as dexterity improves