Belly shots

I realized the other day that I am so busy taking my picture that I never take my picture with Jon or Alysha and the belly. So, before we got out of church clothes Sunday, I had Alysha take some couples shots. My belly is so round and big. I am sooooooooooo ready to have this baby. Look at my sweet hubby!! ( I still did not get any of me and Alysha with the belly. sigh... oh well)



How sweet!! This little waiting game is killing me. I am not good with patience apparently. I am ready to have this baby yesterday. What is she waiting for?? How much bigger can a belly get? That is 19 pounds of baby in there.

contractions and doctors visit

It has been an exciting two days. Thursday night about 9:00 I started having contractions. They kept coming and they got to be 10 -15 minute apart for over two hours, so I called Jon at work and told him to come on home a little after midnight. The contractions kept coming, until about 3:00 a.m. and then they slowly tapered off. So disappointing!! I just knew we were gonna have little Shayla! It was just like when I had alysha.

I had my scheduled doctors appointment Friday. All is well, I had lost a pound. I think I am just fluctuating water weight. I do not believe I actually lost a pound, I eat to much. :) That means I have gained 19 pounds so far. Not to bad.

The doctor did an exam and I have not dilated ANYMORE. All those contractions for nothing, all that pain. sigh. Oh well. I did get great news though. He went ahead and scheduled my induction for May 5th. That is three days past my due date. Gives me time to go into labor naturally, but ensures I will not go to far past my date. I am very happy. It feels good to have a plan. Everything else was fine.

Unfortunately, my feet have started swelling really bad this week. Ouch! They hurt alot and I have to elevate them at night so they will not ache. I also have a pinched nerve in my right leg that is EXTREMELY painful. (called sciatica, I think?). It feels like someone takes an ice pick and jams it into my nerve, it stops you dead in your tracks. OH MY GOSH it hurts. I just stop -moving and yell, no matter where I am, in wal-mart or at home. The joys of pregnancy. My consolation is that it is almost over!! I am in the home run stretch!!!!!!!!!

pics of field trip

These pics turned out great. I did even think of bring a camera, but other moms did. I was lucky to haul my big old self out of bed and get there by 10.

Look at that belly sticking straight out. That is Alyshas behind standing there beside me. tee-hee.

These are all the homeschool kids with Steve Saint, the son of one the missionaries killed that day by the indians. Alysha is on the far right.

The yellow plane is replica of the plane the missionaries used and it is the actual plane from the movie. The go-cart looking thing actually flies. This is one of the things they build for indigenous people there at the company. This enables the tribes to get from one village to another in a matter of minutes or hours, as compared to days. It can hold four people. It flies with a parachute, which is not attached at the moment. So, it can ride on any roads, off roads and it goes in the air. Costs about 30,000 to make. Too cool!

Field trips and Breastfeeding classes

I took Alysha on a field trip yesterday. It was at a local place down here called I-tech. The company makes technology for Indigenous people. The owner is the son of Jim Elliot, the famous missionary that died, along with four other missionaries, at the hands of the Indian tribes they were trying to save. If you have not seen End of the Spear, or Through the gates of Splendor, you should watch them. http://www.endofthespear.com/. The story of these missionaries is remarkable. The plane from the movie was there, along with the plane that the Indian tribe actually destroyed. It was really awesome to meet the man, he has an amazing story, being raised in the same tribe that killed his father. Anyway, it was neat, but I am so pregnant and uncomfortable and there was a lot of standing involved. I managed to get myself a chair. Here I am in the midst of fifty or more people all standing in a group and I am sitting there like a fat little Buddha. I felt SO BAD yesterday. I never did get to feeling better, all day.

I came home from that field trip and took a nice long nap. Then we headed to a breastfeeding class. I was so excited when I found out about this class. Number one it was free and it was close by. So, even though I felt like death warmed over, I went. I am nervous about breastfeeding, hoping it will go smoothly. The class was really good, she said many of the same things I have read in the books, but some of the info was very useful. Watched a great video of how to and how not to breast feed. Unfortunately, Jon was at work, so Alysha had to go with me. She put on her headphones and sat at the back and played Nintendo most of the time. Later, after we left, she told me she looked up a few times and saw parts of the video. She sent a text to her meemaw that said, "help, I'm stuck in a booby class, rescue me!" That is hilarious. Those videos are graphic, nothing that would hurt her to see, not like those childbirth videos, but graphic just the same. LOL. She is too funny. She is a trooper. Here is a picture of her painting Shayla's dresser for me. (I cannot get Jon to do anything for me lately he has become SUCH a procrastinator). Alysha is also redoing her room, doing all the work herself. She kilz the room this week and we are going to buy the paint today, it will be done hopefully before Shayla arrives.

Are you nesting?

The question in the title is one I get all the time now. Apparently, everything you do in your last three weeks qualifies as nesting. It is too hilarious. When strangers come up to me now 90% of them asking me if I am nesting. People just think this is a really neat thing, this "nesting". I researched it on the internet because I had really not ever heard of this before. I remember vaguely reading about the "nesting instinct", but what is it really? According to the internet, "nesting" can start as early as five months. There is no real definition except that they all agreed is was a time when mom gets everything in order for the baby. hmmmm..... interesting. Some sites said it was linked to a sudden burst of energy, like I had that one day. That was an amazing day. I never got tired, ALL DAY long. It was great. That to me was nesting.

In general, I clean on a daily basis. When family and friends call me and ask me what I am doing, I always seems to be cleaning up this or that and their response is always, "your nesting". Someone called the other day while I was folding Jon's clothes and commented that I must be nesting! Doing the laundry is not nesting, neither is emptying the dishwasher. lol. Now, when I had that burst of energy and I scrubbed baseboards, that was nesting. But, everyone believes everything you do at this point falls under the nesting category. Too funny. I think it is a little silly. Here is a good example. Ok, I get the daily newspaper, have for a few months. I do not want to just throw all those papers in the garbage, goes against my nature to be wasteful like that. So, I have been storing them in the garage in a big big box. My hubby tells me the other day to get them out or throw them away, it is messing up his 'space'. (Its a man thing). I have no idea where to recycle newspapers, so I post a message on my homeschool email loop asking where the recycle centers are in the area. Low and behold, what is the first response I get? "You must be nesting!" No, sherlock, I just wanna recycle my newspapers. Give me a break!

What I find funny when I think about it is if I had Shayla on Thursday and Saturday I was at home folding clothes or cleaning, no one would accuse me of nesting. Suddenly, I would just be cleaning the house again. Cinderella no more....

Advice for fathers

This was so funny, when I read it I laughed out loud. Number three is a major husband-ism. I like number six, all men should heed these little lessons learned the hard way.


Fatherly advice from one whose been there:

1. Settle on the name beforehand. At the hospital, you're emotional, you're tired, you're taking "Mr.-Marlatt-I've-never-quite-seen-a-baby-held-that-way-before" lessons from the aftercare nurse. This is not a good time to choose the name that your child will live with until the day he or she can legally change it. And no, don't count on a miracle: that on first view your child will so resemble some beloved relative / celebrity / friend that you will instantly know which name to use. Frankly, if parents named their children after that first visual impression, there would be a plethora of youngsters out there named "Congealed Tomato Soup."

2. Make sure the house is stocked with the postpartum essentials: milk, microwave meals, mother-in-law.

3. During the actual delivery, it is not prudent to bring up the subject of successive children. You'd be astonished at the reaction this gets.

4. The car seat: Have an experienced parent put it in for you. You can't take the baby home without a car seat, and after the sea of showers, you've probably got six to choose from. But unless you've practiced, don't try to figure it out yourself on Going-Home Day because they won't let you drive the baby off in a seat secured by duct tape and fishing wire.

5. The Celebratory Cigar. The Celebratory Drink. Here's a better idea: the Celebratory Nap.

6. Stay in touch with your physical condition. If you begin to feel ill, back off. Don't moan about it. Don't stew about it. Don't, in other words, put your wife in a position where she feels compelled to present some rather graphically persuasive evidence as to why she should feel worse than you do. Just go home.

38 weeks - feeling great

Ok, I had another amazing burst of energy today!! I cleaned my Florida room, went for a 1.5 walk, and took the wallpaper off the walls in alysha's room. I also cleaned up and organized some stuff. It was awesome. I love these little 'highs'. I hope these little surges of energy mean I am close to going into labor. It is kinda exciting. I am trying not to overdo it, but I little cannot sit still, I am "pinging" off the walls. It is a really wild feeling, like I must clean or DO something or I might explode. haha

I posted my 38 weeks picture on the right, with my same red shirt. Can you tell she has dropped? It feels so good to carry so low. It is just a waiting game at this point. Nothing new going on, she moves and kicks and hurts me most of the time. Here is a pic of me where I spend most of the time - On the couch. That is the pregnant princess eating one of her favorites, sugar free applesauce. (the granny smith apple kind, yummo!)

Doctors appointment

Today was a busy day. Jon and Alysha got up at eight and went out to breakfast together, a little daddy daughter time. ( I took a little nap on the couch, a little lazy pregnant woman time!). They came home and woke me up and I got ready to go to Gainesville. We rolled out of here about noon and headed on up. We wanted to eat lunch first before our appointments. I had two appointments today. The first one was for a tour of the maternity ward at 3:00 and my doctors appointment was at 3:45.

We went to Gainesville to grab a bite and hit Best Buy before the 3:00 appointment. After much discussion, we ended up eating at Zaxby's. Oh My Goodness!! I LOVE that place. I had, for the first time since I found out about the diabetes, really bad for me food! I ate a four pieces of chicken and alot of frency fries, all dipped in the special sauce. To wash it all down I had sweet nectar from heaven (a.k.a. - Sweet Tea). It was SOOOO good!!! I have not eaten food like that in sooooo long. (Well, really its only been like two months, but it feels like forever when you are craving it. lol). Then we headed off to Best Buy to buy a new computer. Did I mention my husband fried our old one?

After successfully purchasing the computer we wanted, we were cutting close on time, so we headed to the hospital for our tour. We toured the maternity ward on the third floor (I rode the elevator, woohoo!). The birthing rooms are extremely nice. They are huge! All the furniture in the room is cherry wood, including the bassinet thing you put the baby in. They all have brand new couches and a recliner chair that turns into a bed. They have a rocking chair and a table in the corner. The whole set up was so nice and cozy. Some of the rooms have a tub in them, if you want to get in the tub while in labor, although they don't let you give birth in the water. Not that I had even considered it. :) Then we saw the rooms were you go post labor. They are also nice with brand new recliners and a rocking chair. No couch and not a big as the birthing suites but the beds are all brand new with thick mattresses. All in all we were very impressed with all of it. The security is tight and I liked that.

Next was the doctors appointment. I have gained one pound since my last visit. That puts me at a total of 20 pounds now. I saw the other midwife today for the first time, she does not do births, only office appointments. (I don't know why.) She was extremely nice. I am 50% effaced and I am still only one cm dilated. She said my cervix was extremely soft and that is a good sign. The baby has also dropped down, which I already knew by my ability to take deep breaths. :) I spoke with her about my concern of the baby's size. She mashed and squished on my tummy to feel the baby (which did not feel good for mommy) and she feels like Shay is about seven pounds. She spoke with my doctor about the possibility of another ultrasound. He feels that since my blood sugars are completely under control, my measurements are great, and since the baby does not feel large that there is no need to have one. If I make it to my due date, we will make some decisions then. So, all in all, it was a good visit.

FYI - I took my blood sugars 2.5 hours after I ate (30 minutes late) and they were completely normal. Drinking sweet tea did not spike my sugars. Isn't that crazy? I wonder about this diabetes diagnosis sometimes.

Alysha and Lucky - My babies

This is my beautiful grown up girl!

This is my kitty boy - He is so rotten, he crawled up into

one of the baskets on the changing table to rest!!

DE-Lightful Cravings

My first delightful craving is ice cream. We have found the best little ice cream shop down here. It is called D'lites Emporium. It is soooo good. Now, I am not an ice cream person. I prefer cakes or cookies if I am gonna eat sweets, ice cream is just not my thing, but this place is awesome. The best part is, it does not spike my blood sugar!

Now, it may sound so-so, but all the ice cream is low carb-low fat Ice cream. It is a diabetics dream ice cream shop. Seriously. Everyday they serve different flavors. There is a website you can go to and see their daily flavors. www.citrushillsdlites.com. We go two or three times a week and get some. They have the most amazing flavors. There is something about the consistency of the ice cream. It is not sugary, of course, but it is sooo creamy! It really is the consistency of it that makes it so good, it just wraps around your tongue. It is kinda like soft serve at Baskin Robbins, but so much better. I am just so glad to finally have found a local place that we all love. I could eat some everyday. The best part is that a small is big enough for me and alysha to share, and it only costs 2.00. Small price to pay for some diabetic splurging satisfaction.

My second delightful craving is peanut butter. I eat peanut butter everyday, either on whole wheat crackers or bread. I CANNOT go a day without it. I have been that way for two months. I like peanut butter. Shayla is gonna either love it or hate it. I have been eating it so much! So funny. I buy those BIG family size jars of JIF and they dont last me very long.

As I near the end of this whole experience, I am trying to blog about all the small stuff that I want to remember. I really did not have crazy cravings or anything, but these are two things I just LOVED to eat. :)

super woman

Yesterday was the best day. I had a sudden and amazing burst of energy. I just HAD TO CLEAN something. I tackled my bathroom first. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing baseboards, with energy to spare. I cleaned that shower like it has never been cleaned. Then I moved on to the kitchen. I still have the strength of ten men. I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top. I scrubbed cabinets inside and out. My refrigerator is so clean you could eat right off the shelves. My counters are so shiny you can see actual sparkles. :) Not that any of this stuff was in really bad shape, but it needed a good scrubbing. I felt like leaping tall buildings in one single bound. I also got the manual out and figured out how to use my self cleaning oven. It was the most awesome feeling ever!! I never got tired or achy, like I always do, WOW!! It was like a natural high.

Then I had contractions through the night. Ha ha. Real ones, painful ones. They have since stopped, but I had some. Jon was totally freaking out a little bit. He is so cute. He left for work today, does not come back until Wednesday. He has already called twice to check on me.

According to my mother, that big burst of energy is good indication that you are going into labor soon. I have another good indication, the baby has dropped. I mean DROPPED! The change in my tummy from last week is noticeable. I feel so much better because breathing is no longer a problem. I could have carried like this the whole time!! This is great, I like her way down.

Today I am tired though, back to normal. No supernatural feats of wonder today. Maybe Shay will make her debut this week. That would be right on time for me. I know all pregnant women say this, but I was hope to go btw 38-39 weeks. Just because of my fear of her getting to large. The say your second baby is normally bigger than your first, then with my diabetes...... waiting until May 2 does not sound good to me. I mean, I know I still might, but I would be OK with going a week or two early. I will hopefully have another ultra sound this week to check the baby's growth. Make sure Shayla isn't getting to big in there.

Childbirth classes - Let's get naked

Jon and I went to class yesterday. It was an interesting experience. The good thing about the class was they talked alot about the coaches responsibility, what to do and what not to do. Hopefully Jon was learning. Then, we watched a video that taught us relaxation breathing. That is what I was really looking for, I could not remember my breathing. Those techniques are what saved me during those long hours of labor last time. Using the focal point and using my breathing techniques is the only thing that got me through all the pain. The only disappointment was that she did not talk about breastfeeding at all. I wanted some instruction on that.

Then, we watched some live births. Two at home and two at hospitals. It was, in a word, YUCK. I have been telling Jon what a natural and beautiful thing birth is, but now I know the truth. There is nothing natural or wonderful about what we saw. Watching other women give birth made me not want to do it myself. I don't see why you need to see all that, it was disgusting.

We started with an at home birth and the woman was completely naked. Then we saw a hospital birth and again the woman was completely naked. LOL. So, I blurted out in class, "why are all these women naked?" Everybody laughed at me, but I was just shocked to see these women stripped down. I mean, I did not get buck naked to have a baby, I had my gown on. The other two women were also just as naked as could be. The nurse teaching the class said that was normal, alot of women stay naked throughout the whole experience, they even walk around without clothes on. LOL. Really? why? Needless to say, I don't see the logic. Now, don't get me wrong, I know modesty goes out the window when you give birth, last thing on your mind. I have been there, I just didn't understand why ALL the women did not wear ANYTHING. So funny!

At the end of class we got down on the floor and practiced breathing and having a contraction. That was really neat for me, having Jon there and doing it together like that. I really enjoyed that part. Jon is going to be a great coach. I did not take a class like that the first time around. I took some classes, but not one with couples. (Maybe they had single mom classes?) I watched videos of couples sitting around practicing, but they did not do that in class. It was special for me to have my husband there and experience that together. We are preparing together to bring Shay into the world!

Interestingly enough, I was the one who was farthest along out of all the couples. I wanna shout, "ME FIRST, ME FIRST!" I am next. :)

37 weeks - Are you ready?

I have three weeks left until my due date! 21 days! This past week went by really fast. Tomorrow Jon and I go to a childbirth class. I am really wanting to do this for Jon's benefit, but since it has been twelve years, I guess I might benefit too. One of his shipmates wife is also pregnant, due five days after me, and they are taking the same class, so we will know someone there. It looks like poor Alysha will have to go and sit outside the room all day. How boring, but the subject matter will be a little to graphic for her, according to the facilitator. The class is all day, 9 -5:00. I am taking one locally, so I will skip the tour of the maternity ward, since I won't be using that hospital.

When I walk into a room, everybody stares. It is funny because it seems to still bother Alysha, but I do not even notice anymore. Go ahead and look at my big ol' belly, I am pregnant and proud. :) The one question I am getting all the time is, "Your ready aren't you". We went to quizno's last night for dinner and the man who made my sandwich told me I was not allowed to "pop" in his store. Hardy-har-har. Then he asked me If I was ready, to which I always reply YES! But, really, the more I think about it, the less I am just dying to get this over with. Being pregnant and carrying around this miracle has been the most rewarding and awesome experience ever. I have LOVED being pregnant, even though I complain about all the aches and pains, being pregnant is really special. A little part of me wants to wait a little bit longer, to enjoy the now. I enjoy how special my family treats me, you know that will end when I am no longer "delicate". hee hee. I am excited at the thought of bringing Shayla home. I think about it alot and even dream about her. How neat is that? So, on one hand I am ready, but on the other hand, it means the end of something really special.

I have become more sappy and philosophical in my pregnant state. Of course, I am very emotional and my feelings get upset really easy. Here is a pic of me in my most favorite place. On the couch with a pillow under my belly, RESTING!! I look like a beached whale.

My next doctors appointment will be next Thursday. I have a pretty busy week planned for next week, Alysha has alot of activities. Unfortunately, they changed Jon's work schedule and went back to the Port and Starboard, which means he is home less. No more daywork days (which are 9-5 days). He works every other weekend - all three days. So he leaves on Friday and comes home on Monday. I hate this schedule because he works 15 days out of the month, with the other schedule, he only worked 9 days. God blessed us though because while he was on that other schedule, I was able to work twice as much. With this schedule, I cannot barely work at all, which is fine since I am not working anymore. We were able to save some money, the Lord really blessed us. God always supplies our needs (and I am not speaking just financially.)

Surprise shower pics

This is all my goodies from my surprise shower. (i figured out how to do the camera with the laptop!! woohoo. Did I mention Jon fried our home computer?) Check out the duck, he is GREEN!!! That was my favorite!

My sweet husband

The goal of this blog was to keep memories of this pregnancy for me and for Shayla. One person I have to talk about is Jon. Jon has really been so great through this whole experience. I never imagined he would be such a nurture and caretaker. He absolutely treats me with extreme kindness and patience, especially when I deserve it the least. I have blogged before that Jon treats me like I am fragile, like an egg that breaks easily, and that is so true. I love him for it.

One thing I am really touched by is his patience and kindness towards me. Now Jon is always a kind man, don't get me wrong. All you married people out there know that, in marriage, you get ill with each other at times. Jon never gets outdone with me, when I know he wants to just pinch my head off. Some days I am just ill, just ticked off for no reason, and I feel unable to control my tongue. Jon is so good to never engage in any verbal battle, even though I am asking for it. He stays calm and nice and he usually says something like, "you know what your doing, don't cha?". To which I reply with a grunt and stalk off. haha. For some reason, his biggest fear is me falling down. He is so careful to make sure my path to the bathroom every night is clear and even reminds me to get Alysha to clear it when he is at work. He gives me massages almost daily where I ache. Foot massages are the BEST!! He goes out of his way to make sure I am comfortable and waits on me all the time without complaint. He is so sensitive to my fragile feelings. I cry so easily now and he does his best not to upset me, even when he is not in a good mood. When he is in a bad mood and I start to get upset and cry over small things, he is quick to say he is sorry. He will tell me he knows he is ill and he makes it up to me. He told me the other day he did not know if he wanted me to get pregnant ever again. He worries about me to much. I gotta tell ya, it feels good to be cherished and I will never forget how great my husband has been to me.

Here is a picture of my sexy coastie man! (the only pic there is, since he fried the PC). This is from his MK "A" School in Virginia.

Doctors appointment and Japan surprise

I went to the doctor yesterday, it was not my scheduled visit, but I was having female problems so they went ahead and saw me. Everything checked out fine, but it was a horrible day. There was only one doctor and she had to leave to go deliver a baby, so there was a nice LONG wait. Before that though I got on the scale and it said I have gained 3 pounds. That would be three pounds in ONE WEEK. Last time I was there I had gained HALF a pound in three weeks? What happened. The doctor commented on it, and I told her I don't know how that happened cause I am still on my prison diet. This time, she laughed. I have NO IDEA how I could have gained that much, I don't eat anything good. All this doing without and being SOOOO careful of every little thing that goes into my mouth and I gain three pounds??? I was so ill and outdone when we left there that I went to the gas station and bought a bag of chips and a candy bar and ate it. It felt good and I still don't regret it. I am tired of thinking about food every two hours and planning my days around eating and food and worrying about FOOD. Can you tell? (Jon says it was so high because I had just eaten lunch - a cheeseburger from checkers - which is on my diabetic eating plan. No fries, with water, of course) Now, I know you do weigh more right after you eat, but 3 pounds? Maybe, maybe not.

The baby had not been moving in over twelve hours, so they hooked me up to a fetal monitor while I was there. We got to hear the little heartbeat and watch the print out. The print out also showed if I was having contractions. Turns out that back pain I am having is contractions. I just thought my back was hurting, who knew? I only had two contractions the whole time I was hooked up. It is not a big deal or anything, it is normal, not near labor time yet. :) Shayla did wake up after they hooked me up, she did not like those monitors being tied on and she kicked and bucked in there. Apparently she has been napping, I just needed to annoy her a little to get her started. That is all I will say about my no good, very bad, horrible day at the doctor. I go back in two weeks. Still not seeing me weekly, I told the nurse the doctor wanted to see me weekly, but it did not say that in the computer, so she made a two week appointment. IDIOT! (The computer must be right, forget about what the live person in the office is trying to tell you.)

On an exciting note, when I got home, I had a package all the way from Okinawa, Japan. My friend Angela sent me a box of goodies!! It was so neat! She sent a present just for Alysha, which was so sweet to think of big sis. It was a bag full of candy and a journal, and it was all Japanese looking. Alysha is IN LOVE with the bag it came in, it is so gorgeous. She LOVED the journal and took it to her friends today to show her. It was really nice. Shayla got two of the most beautiful dresses, they are so fancy!! We were ooohhhiinng and aaahhhinnng for a long time. Thanks so much Angela!! You made our day!!

36 Weeks - Is that all?

I have one word to describe this last week of pregnancy - Uncomfortable! I think I have hit that point where everyone kept saying it was going to go by so sllloooowwww. Sitting, standing, walking, laying, and basically being alive right now is miserable. LOL. My body is extra tired and I have to use the little princess's room so much I might as well put a couch in there and hang out. The baby moves ALOT!! This is not a happy exciting thing cause she hurts me, my insides are so sore. She likes to get in these positions that she obviously finds comfortable, but that nearly kill my body. I don't know what she is doing in there. I am ready for her to come out. NOW. I did read that little ticker at the top of my page and it said 27 more days, that makes it sound close. When I think four weeks it sounds like a death sentence.

Actually, I really hope she waits one more week, I would hate for her to come to early. With diabetes, her development is slowed by about a week, so she would have a harder time than normal babies would. The lungs are the last thing to develop and I want her to be all developed and ready before she makes her little arrival.

On an exciting note, I had a surprise baby shower yesterday!!!!! I have talked before about Alysha being in GLOW - a christian girls group. Well, we had our meeting yesterday at the park and when I finally waddled up to the pavillion from the car, everyone was standing around this table full of food and gifts and yelled "surprise". It was so nice. These moms are so great! I look forward to the meetings because while Alysha is learning, I get to visit with the other moms. The party was so nice. My friend Emily had come over earlier in the week and helped me put stuff away, so she knew exactly what I needed and had given a list out to everyone, so I got NO REPEATS! Of course, I got no pictures, but one of the other moms did, so maybe I can post one later. I mean, I don't carry my camera around just in case someone throws me a surprise shower. heehee.

One other positive note, 27 days until I can drink sweet tea again. Do you realize how torturous it is to have intense cravings and not be able to satisfy them. My first meal after going through labor will be Chick fil A. I used to eat that once a week!!! An extra LARGE sweet tea, frenchy fries (yes, I call them frenchy fries), and an 8 pack nugget. Luckily for me there is one right across the street from the hospital, how lucky is that???? I think it was divine intervention. haha.