Celebrating

To me, the best part about baby showers is that everyone you love in your life is there...in that one room...celebrating the impending birth of your new little one. Travis and I are bathed in love and support from our family and friends. 

I am not one that likes being the center of attention. In fact, I feel so awkward in this role that I usually just want to hide in a corner.  Note to self: pregnancy does nothing if you want to remain inconspicuous. 

Below are some pictures of the showers that were hosted in honor of Megan.  

***My first shower was hosted by my CMS family in November. It was so special to see so many friends and old co-workers stay after school to celebrate the pregnancy. I cannot put into words how I felt.

***This was at the shower hosted by Gloria's friends on January 16th. There were so many women there who have known Travis since he was born! The hostesses went above and beyond with the flower decorations and the food --the petit fors were especially scrumptious, !

***This was at the shower hosted by my dear, close friend Heather on January 22. She created a nursery rhyme theme for the shower complete with an adorable invitation, food to match, and a bookmark party favor--very appropriate! Oh and I can't forget the games--baby food tasting and "Finish the line" nursery rhymes.  Loved it.

***This next shower was given to me by my PCMS family in February. Paula and Nancy hosted this beautiful occassion. Can you believe I actually needed to be 'talked into' going because this was the day of the basketball playoffs, and I 'needed' to be there with the cheerleaders??? Yes, I was crazy, and quickly set straight by my PCMS 'moms.'

***My final shower was a complete surprise. My wonderful 6Gold team threw it for me my last day at work on February 18th. The kids did such a great job keeping the shower a secret from me. There was no shortage of love in that science classroom!

It was a full circle moment for me to start my baby showers with one thrown by my CMS family and to end with one by my PCMS family. I am so thankful for all the people in my life.

Relief

Oh, how I needed this time to recoup and recover before Megan arrives! If you are not a teacher, then you really cannot understand just how tiring the profession is. You are constantly working from 8-4 (and for me that looks more like 7-5). There are no breaks--mental or physical. You are constantly teaching, watching, mentoring, facilitating, talking, observing, creating, molding, assessing, meeting, and did I mention talking??? 

BUT...I dare not say that this is a thankless profession. On the contrary! Every day my students come in with a plethora of stories to share with me--their dog throwing up, the new Taylor Swift cd, what happened on the bus, their new baby brother or sister. The list is endless.  The conversations and relationships I build with my students, even if it only lasts 180 days, is more important to me than the the occassional "tooting of the horn" by a parent, whose motive can sometimes be blurry.

I say all of this because during the school year (and cheerleading season), my focus has not been on the pregnancy. It has been on everything else that seemingly needs immediate attention. This past week I've had all the time in the world to prepare for my little one. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my sister.  We organized the nursery, returned duplicate gifts, went to lunch, shopped, and were silly together. I also have gotten a lot of alone time--which, if you know me, you know how much I value time to myself. It's been a great week of relief and contentment.

The Markings

It's no secret that I've enjoyed a healthy weight gain over the last nine months. In total, I've added about 37lbs to my frame. When you think that Megan and all of that other "Megan" stuff weighs about 12lbs, then I've gained a whopping 25lbs of just...blubber. Now don't get me wrong, it's been fun eating lots of pie, ice-cream, bread, bagels, and candy. I have denied myself nothing in terms of the bliss that food can offer.

And the evidence? Well, it all lies right there on my thighs! I swear it's like looking at the Grand Canyon. I'm not entirely upset about this, but at the same time, I wonder how long it will be before I'm back to my old-self. And as I write that, do I really want to return to that?  Sure, it would be nice to have the body and freedom of that 20ish year old that started this journey, but a bigger more poignant question is why would I want to change the markings of this incredible nine months? No longer is my daily purpose work, gym, and socializing. Something greater has taken hold of me...and it rocks my very foundation.

Larger Than Normal

So far my pregnancy has gone off without a hitch or a glitch. There have been no abnormalities, no health or baby scares, and no major discomfort. It's partly because of this smooth ride that my 38 week appointment freaked me out so much. Here's what happened:

At this point in the pregnancy, I'm accustomed to the normal routine--weight taken (150lbs), blood pressure checked (117/70), and urine tested for protein. I really haven't deviated from the "norm."  At the 36 week appointment Barbora, the midwife, measured my tummy and said that it was "larger than normal," so we scheduled an appointment for a sonogram to gauge Megan's growth. The sonogram indicated that Megan was indeed growing more rapidly than other fetus's her age. For example, her head measured at 39.4 weeks, but we were only at week 37. (key note: Travis's mom also said that he had a large head at birth. Great!)
When we brought the news back to Barbora, she mentioned induction. I felt very uncomfortable, uneasy, and unsure about this path. After all, everything was going so well. I started asking myself all of these questions like would she really be that big to where I couldn't push her out? Are these measurements really that accurate? (I know they are not). Why am I already feeling the pressure to induce? Barbora's reasoning was that Megan was just going to keep growing, and if I wanted to have her vaginally, then induction was the way to ensure that end. However, I've heard that induction causes more painful contractions (but I guess that's all relative), and that inductions can increase your risk of a c-section because your body simply isn't ready. All of this uneasiness coupled with the fact that she actually took out her and the doctor's schedule to see what time frame would work best, made me wary that this delivery would be more of a matter of convenience as opposed to something natural.


After soothing talks with my sisters-in-law, friends, and co-workers, I felt strong in my decision to not allow them to induce me at 39 weeks. When the 39 week appointment rolled around, I found out that I was still only 1cm dilated--not enough to induce. The conversation was curbed, and I guess we will revisit it at the 40+ week appointment.

I still am not sure whether or not I will allow them to induce me at the next appointment. They will do a stress test on Tuesday...if she doesn't make her debut before then. I don't want any risk to come to Megan, but if she has a strong heartbeat and is still moving around and kicking, I don't see the medical need to induce. My biggest fear is that I will be talked into doing something that I am not comfortable with. I haven't had any regrets this whole pregnancy, and I don't want to start now. Stay tuned...

Advice

Since I've been pregnant I've solicited a lot of advice from friends and family, and they've been gracious enough to give it to me. By nature I am not a researcher.  I will not sit on the computer for hours looking up the best sling, stroller, or carseat to use, so I rely on those willing to share their knowledge with me. You all have offered me such comfort.  You've held my hand through this unchartered territory, and words do not express how grateful I am to all of you. Here are some of the things that I've learned along the way:
--Read The Happiest Baby on the Block and Dr. Spock's book (8th edition is the one I have).  Both of these books have put my mind at ease about how to care for Megan. I also enjoyed reading Baby Wise as it offers a great guide for feeding/sleeping schedules. I will soon see how helpful these book actually are.  
--Continue working out. I stopped when I found out I was pregnant because I was too tired and not feeling like myself.  I wish I hadn't.  Now, it's even harder to get myself back to the gym now that I'm 40lbs heavier than before.
--Don't buy any baby clothes unless something is so cute that your heart melts.  We've purchased a frog coat and an elf outfit.  They are adorable!
--Wear your baby.  I obviously haven't done this yet, but I love the idea of not relying on the use of a stroller. I also like the idea of getting a great workout.
--Breastfeed...if you can.  The more I read about it, the more confident I am that I can do it.
--Do things your own way. For example, I love white bedding for a baby. It's so pristine, and it reminds me of Brahms Lullaby. Even though some people think it's crazy, I now have beautiful, dainty white linens for Megan's crib...and I love it!