One Week

So I've done just about everything a person can do to try and encourage my body to go into labor. Each one has been received with no response. I have contractions for several hours, but then they stop. Never going anywhere. Then yesterday at my weekly appointment, my doctor stripped my membranes. Still nothing. So I have come to the conclusion that this baby is not ready to come! As anxious as I am to meet her, and as much as I didn't want another C-section (for the recovery part of it) I've decided I'm really okay with waiting another week. One week from tomorrow and she will be here! I'm so excited!! I was thinking this morning about what one more week will give me.

• One more week to enjoy spending time with just my one, beautiful little girl
• One more week to enjoy our family of three
• One more week to get her room completely ready
• One more week of school for Matt to get through
• One more week of cleaning and getting my house ready
• One more week of getting frozen dinners made for after she's born
• One more week to enjoy feeling the movements of her inside me
• One more week of having the excuse "but I'm eating for two"
• One more week for the weather to warm up
• One more week to enjoy taking naps
• One more week of my hubby rubbing my swollen feet
• One more week I get to watch Matt play soccer
• One more week of sleeping through the night
• One more week of people saying, "Oh you're pregnant, let me get that for you"

In the grand scheme of things, a week is almost nothing! So I am going to enjoy this last week to its fullest!

Kalianna Turns Two

Matt took Friday off so we could celebrate Kalianna's birthday. We had a great day together, just the three of us! My parents got her this super cute outfit for her birthday. Kalianna loves fluffy, pretty skirts and I thought it made the cutest birthday outfit!

We went down to Salt Lake and got lunch at McDonalds. Kalianna enjoyed her happy meal and then played in the play place for a little while.

Then we went over to the aquarium. Kalianna loved looking at all the fish and animals. When we let her put her hands in the water to touch the sting rays, Kalianna kept saying, "wash" and tried to clean her hands in it. Her absolute favorite thing though was the giant sea turtle. It kept swimming right past her face and at one point, they were looking straight at each other. She had fun playing in the little caves too.

Kalianna got some money for her birthday from family members, so we brought it with us and let her pick out a souvenir before we left. We weren't sure how she would handle picking out just one thing, but she was great! She picked out several animals, hugged them, then put them back. Until she found the snake. She held on tight to the snake and didn't want to let it go. We even tried to ask her if she wanted a different color, but she was set on the blue snake. She just hugged it and hugged it.

After the aquarium we went to my parent's house for the evening. We stayed the weekend there for conference. Kalianna, Grandma and I all played outside on the swing and then inside with toys while Matt finished up some homework. Once he was done, we took Kalianna to the store and picked out her first bike. She has become obsessed with bikes! She always wants to ride around with the neighbor kids, so Matt and I thought this would be the perfect birthday present. She was ecstatic! We also got some sidewalk chalk and when we got back to my parent's house, aunt Ricci and I distracted her with the chalk while Matt put the bike together. Then after dinner, we went for a nice long walk so she could ride her bike. It was the perfect day!

Third Time's the Charm

We had a pool party planned for Kalianna, and then she got sick. Then we decided to try and go to the pool Monday night for Family Night. But Kalianna didn't take a nap that day. While making dinner, she fell asleep on the couch. Couldn't get her to wake up. When we finally did, she was very grumpy (can't blame her) and wouldn't eat dinner. By the time she was happy and fed, it was nearing 8:00. So...swimming didn't happen.

Tonight! We finally made it to the pool tonight and Kalianna LOVED it! She is absolutely fearless! If we had let her, she would have just kept walking until the water was over her head. She was also very annoyed that Daddy insisted on holding her hand during the waves. She wanted to jump in and play along with all the big kids. We had lots of fun and hated leaving, but when your kid's lips are turning purple and they can't stop shivering, it's time to go.

As a side note: I decided I didn't want to spend the money on a maternity swimming suit. So I just wore my normal one. It's a two piece, so I figured I would be okay as long as I just put a T-shirt or something over it so my belly didn't hang out. I forgot to take into consideration how much my waist has expanded, even with it sitting under my belly. I also forgot to take into consideration the fact that my breasts are three times their normal size. Needless to say, it was TIGHT. Once we got in the water, I was okay. But I think next time, I won't be so stingy and I'll just buy a new suit!

Kalianna's 2nd Birthday Party

Kalianna turns two on Friday! We wanted to keep her party small this year, so we just invited grandparents and aunts/uncles for a swimming party on Saturday. Unfortunately poor Kalianna woke up with a bad cough Saturday morning and we had to cancel the party. With the cake already made, and the presents already bought and wrapped, we threw together a last-minute party last night. My mom invited everyone over for dinner and afterwards, we opened presents and ate yummy cake and ice cream.

Kalianna loved the attention and had a ball opening her presents!

My mom made her a super cute Mickey Mouse cake, with a ring of m&m's around the outer edge. One of Kalianna's favorite things about going to Grandma and Grandpa Howell's house is she gets to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And my dad always slips her a few m&m's. So the cake was perfect! She got a little shy when everyone started singing to her, but she was super excited to blow out her candles.

Thanks to everyone for coming! It was super casual, but the perfect party for Kalianna!

Preggo Pictures

I haven't taken any pregnancy pictures with this pregnancy. So last night I asked Matt to take a couple. Thought I should probably get some before this baby comes and I can't anymore. So here I am at 36 weeks and 2 days:

On the Same Path

So I was looking at my blog posts back in March of 2009. Since I am in the exact same place as my pregnancy with Kalianna, it's fun to go back and see what was going on during those last few weeks. At my 35 week appointment with Kalianna, I was dilated to a 1 1/2 and 70% effaced. She was head down, right where she was supposed to be. I had my 35 week appointment (even though I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow) yesterday. I am dilated to a 1 1/2 and 70% effaced. The ultrasound showed she was head down, right where she is supposed to be. Is this sounding familiar to anyone? Does this mean I'm heading for another April 1st baby? I guess we'll have to wait and find out! If I'm at a 3 and 80% effaced next week and she is breech at my appointment, then I will seriously be feeling deja vu!

Setting the Record Straight

With my impending delivery, I have heard a lot of comments about my last delivery and have come to realize one thing. Most people don't know the correct version of Kalianna's birth story. I posted it two years ago after she was born, but apparently over the last two years people have become confused. So I am here to set the record straight.

On March 31, 2009 I posted about how I would be going in the next day to have them try and turn Kalianna, because she was breech. And I jokingly stated that if she was born the next day, it was not an April Fools joke. It was because the procedure had put me in labor. This is where I think a lot of people got confused. Little did I know, Kalianna had an April Fools joke of her own planned.

The next day, April 1, 2009 I stayed home from work and rested, in preparation for the procedure. Despite the rest, I was having mild contractions all day. By the time I picked up Matt and we arrived at the hospital that afternoon, I was already in labor. They gave me some medicine to try and calm my uterus and slow things down, but despite that, I still had contractions throughout the whole process. They couldn't get Kalianna to turn because I was having contractions the whole time. When I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. Half an hour later, after they had tried to turn her and failed, I was a 4 and 90% effaced. That's when Dr. Brown told me it was time for a C-section. I was progressing too quickly and they obviously couldn't send me home that night.

I think because of my post the day before she was born, people had just assumed that's what happened. Not true. I was in labor when they started the procedure. The procedure did not cause me to go into labor. Kalianna would have been born April 1st whether I had them try and turn her or not.