Thank you God for air conditioning

We had another restful sleep, although George might beg to differ. We have been fighting over the air conditioning in the room. I am hot and he is cold. Glad to see nothing has changed! Dr. Olson came to see me today and said that I am looking really good. I was able to get my IV out (cath taken out yesterday) and finally a shower and real food. A new thing is LOTS of swelling in my legs and feet. It hurts for me to stand with my feet being so swollen. I feel like I could take a needle and pop them. The dr. says I must walk so yesterday and today I have been walkng the halls like crazy.

I was told the heat index is 105 today and there has been some flooding in Pomeroy due to the tornado and the heavy rain that came with it.

Visitors today were: Tera Peterson, Brittany Bush, Hope Bickmeier and dad.

Busy day

Today we had all sorts of visitors and phone calls. Those who visited were:

Nikki Jones

Kim Jackson

Sandi Buhl

Stan, Penny and Jake Lenz

Also visiting us today were Alissa King, Stacy Johnson and my mom. We received phone calls from Linda Zehr, Tera Peterson and Chris & Amy Garber.

Today was quite the day to remember as when Stacy Johnson (co-worker and friend) came to visit the tornado sirens went off and we were loaded up on an elevator to the basement. I was pushing my IV cart with my catheter and George was pushing Melora in the baby bed. They put us in a doctor's office on the first floor. Stacy stayed and talked to us during this time. While we were down there the nurses came to serve supper. Unfortunately, I was still on a liquid diet. Of course the nurse had to rub it in as they had an extra plate of food and offered it to George. How dare you give him real food, he didn't just have a baby! haha While he was eating his chicken nuggets, I was drinking my chicken broth. Yuck!

Stacy left after the nurses gave us the all clear and soon Sandi Buhl arrived. She had been stuck downstairs in another area during the tornado warning. Once Sandi left Penny, Stan and Jake came to visit. While they were visiting I was re-swaddling Melora in her blankets. Jake came over and said, "What's on her wiener?" It was so funny because he was pointing and everything but it was the security clip on her umbilical cord stump. haha He is so funny!

August 9, 2010

We arrived at the hospital at 7am on Monday, August 9, 2010 to be induced...again! We went through the same routine as last time. I was still only dialated to a 2 and 50% efaced. The nurses put me on pitocin again and Dr. Olson attempted to break my water. She wasn't quite sure if she got it or not, only time would tell.

This time I brought a book to read, the lap top, and a tutu to work on. I wasn't going to get bored like last time. George brought a few things to work on too and also was going to leave for a bit.

We were up walking the halls again and George and I were both talking about how we wish my water would just break and things would start happening. The second we finished saying that...my water broke in the hallway! We were excited that things were finally going to start for us. The nurses continued to up my pitocin drip throughout the day. I was starting to get contractions and used the yoga ball and squats to help. George was so awesome as he would massage my back too.

Mom came to visit us during the day too. She stayed with me while George ran some errands.

By 5:45pm I was dialated to a 3 which was still not much progress but the pain of the contractions was bothering me. I received and epidural for the pain which helped me to dialate to a 4 and 70% efaced. Dr. Olson came to check on me again and said that the baby's head was beginning to mold. It was now time for a c-section. I told mom to call dad, Penny and Chris and let them all know what was happening.

I was nervous for a c-section, but I didn't care anymore. I was ready to meet our little girl. The doctors and nurses were coming in to talk to me as they preped me for surgery. I started to get the shakes but they said that was normal and soon I began to itch from the eipidural too.

They took me to the operating room and soon George would join me. He didn't want to get very close to me as he was afraid he would contaminate things so he sat 5 feet behind me! I had asked if I could have a mirror to watch and they said no but that I might be able to see the reflection in the lights. I did look and could see the reflection in the lights...until they put the curtain up. Darn it! I joked with the doctor and nurses about them getting a workout as they had to lift me to the surgery table and later asked if they had sliced me open yet. I'm pretty sure at this point they were wishing they had knocked me out as I talked the ENTIRE time! ha ha The last thing I asked the doctor was if she could take out some extra fat while she was already inside. You know, two for the price of one! But she declined all three times I asked.

As Dr. Olson was opening me up she kept saying what a big baby. Since she kept saying that I was certain that Melora would be at least 9 or 10lbs.

Melora Selase Osai was born at 9:34pm on August 9, 2010 (8/9/10) weighing 7lbs 12ozs 17 1/2 inches long.

She is perfect! I couldn't believe our little girl was finally here. We were both so excited. I was quite surprised at how white she was but George reassured me that she would get darker. The nurses took Melora to a different room to clean her up and George went with. In the meantime, my doctor was closing the incision and getting me ready to meet...my daughter.

When I finally got to the recovery room George, mom, and Penny were there taking pictures of our newest family member. It was so great to have their support on the biggest day of my life.

Meet our family

Nana meeting Melora for the first time.

Aunt Penny and Melora

Papa came to visit as fast as he could too!

It was such a long day but so rewarding. George was so proud to show off our daughter to everyone that came to see us and check in that night. We were so exhausted that we had Melora sleep in the nursery that evening and the nurses would bring her to me for feedings throughout the evenings.

Fully cooked

George had to work this weekend so mom came to spend the weekend with me. I feel like I am being babysat, but I know that she had good intensions. She wants to be here just in case my water would break and I go in to labor. No such luck.

Sunday evening the weather got really bad. I was kinda happy mom was here as I don't like to be home alone when storms happen. We were trying to relax and watch t.v. when we lost power at 9:30pm. I thought it would be back on shortly, but boy was I wrong. It got way too hot in our house at 80 degrees. This pregnant lady was fully cooked! I was sweating up a storm and at this point there was no way I was going to get any sleep.

I was so uncomfortable that I had mom drive me around Fort Dodge just so the air conditioning in the car could help cool me down. George worked a short shift at the hospital and came home to be with me the rest of the evening and mom returned to her house. I still couldn't sleep so I went for another drive around 2:50am. George called me panicking wanting me to get home. Of course he is from Ghana and the heat doesn't bother him one bit. I came back to the house and finally at 5:15am the electricity came back on just in time for me to start getting ready for the hospital.

Back to work

Today was an interesting day. Everyone at work was quite shocked to see me there today. I kindly told them that I didn't have anything better to do and that Melora didn't want to come out just yet. My dad said that she is still working on curling her hair before she comes out. :) I worked most of the day and then decided towards the end that I was ready to call it quits. I was ready to leave work for a few weeks and the next time I return, I WILL no longer be pregnant.

Stubborn...

I had a rough time sleeping last night. How could I when I would finally meet my little girl. I got up and showered early, put on my make-up and out the door we went. I was in such a hurry that I ate only a granola bar for breakfast. A very pregnant last picture before we enter into the hospital. We arrived early to the hospital and they buzzed us in to the OB floor. It is a newer portion of the hospital and sure is beautiful. Within the first hour of arriving I was changed into a hospital gown and given a pair of aweful mesh undies to wear, had my blood drawn, seen my doctor, and hooked up to several monitors and was started on a pitocin drip. I was told that I couldn't eat or drink anything all day. GREAT! Had I known that I would have made a stop at breakfast buffet before we came. I was so hungry and all I could do was eat popsicles.

The doctor wanted me up and walking to try to bring the baby down so every hour George and I were up walking the halls. I quickly got bored back in our room but luckily had our lap top computer with to keep me busy. I was on my normal websites checking my work email, my personal email and of course facebook. It was nice to "chat" with people throughout the day.

The doctor came to check on me again around noon and then later on at 5pm. The nurses had continued to up my pitocin throughout the day and I was getting some contractions, but nothing to make a difference. When the doctor came the last time she said that she would be sending me home only to come back on Monday to try again. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?

George and I were both crushed. We thought we would be leaving the hospital with our daughter. Of course she was coming with us, but we thought she would be in our arms rather than still in my belly. So we packed up our bags and left the hospital.

Of course on the way home I made George stop at the nearest restaurant so I could eat some real food! haha While there I sent a text message to my boss saying that I would be back to work the next day (Friday). He thought I was kidding. Oh how I wish I was!

Due date comes...and goes

So today, August 4, 2010 is our due date. I was so hoping that our baby would have arrived by now or at least today, but no such luck. I went to work as normal and continued to receive the comments that I have been getting for the last week, "you're still here?" and "you haven't popped yet?" No folks, sorry but I have nothing better to do.

On a positive note. Our doctor is going to induce me tomorrow. We are to be at the hospital at 7:30 am. I left work early today to make yet another "last" trip to Walmart. Bought more groceries and a few things for the baby. My bags are packed and we are ready to go, but how does one sleep knowing they will get to meet their baby tomorrow?

Preparing for the big day...

So we have been preparing for months for the birth of our daughter. It's hard to believe that she could be here so soon. We are so blessed to be at this stage in our lives. I have been trying to get things done around the house to be prepared. The house is cleaned, her bed ready, clothes washed, hospital bag packed along with a list of last minute things to grab, I even went as far as putting a plastic shower curtain under our sheet just in case my water breaks during the night. I also bough puppy pads (pads of dogs to pee on when you are training them) to sit on in the car and around the house again in case my water breaks. I am just so anxious for her to arrive. I can't help but wonder who will she look like. From the ultrasound at 20 weeks I could tell that she would have George's nose! haha but will she have my face, lips, his eyes, my hair. Praying that she gets her height from heaven above since we are both short. The anticipation is killing me! Hurry up baby!

Kendra's Baby Shower

One of my former co-workers and friends, Kendra Hough had her baby shower on July 24th in Graetinger. She is due to have her baby girl on August 6th...unless she comes before then. ;) I really wanted to go to the shower so at my last doctor appointment on Tuesday, I asked my doctor if I could go. She said I was clear to go as long as I knew where the nearest hospital was (Graetinger is an hour and half away from Fort Dodge)!

I found another friend, Jessica Lenz, who was planning to go to the shower as well. So we rode together. What a blessing! George was a little stressed letting me go that far away but was happy to know that I wouldn't be alone. Jessica decided that she would drive so I grabbed my stuff from my car. She gave me an odd look when I put a towel down on the seat. HELLO!!!! If by some odd chance my water would break I don't want to get it on your seats!! She laughed and laughed. Her boyfriend sent her with his GPS system just in case so we could find the nearest hospital. Needless to say we were prepared.

We had a wonderful time at Kendra's baby shower. They played some really fun games too. One game in particular was pretty funny. You drew a card and on your card was a saying...some included: night of conception, tiny toes, those that can't breast feed, contractions, etc. Then you went to a table and had to pick out the candy that matched your word such as: night of conception= skor, tiny toes= tootsie rolls, those that can't breast feed= milk duds, and contractions= whoopers. It was a fun little game!

Kendra was blessed by the presence of great family and friends. And she received some pretty awesome gifts for her little bundle too. Some of her family is quite crafty and made some awesome blankets and towels.

Kendra Hough and Jessica Lenz.

Me and Kendra (and our little girls in our bellies). I was 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I look and feel like I could "pop" at any moment.

Part of my gift to Kendra was a pink/purple tutu and a flower head band to match. I made the tutu. I also gave her some baby booties and wooden letter blocks. I told her that she could use the letter blocks to spell out the baby's name in some of the pictures that they take of her as well as write how old she is...one day, one week, two weeks, etc.

There was some pretty cute little babies at the shower too. We got one little girl to model the tutu and head band.

Isn't she just the cutest little thing ever!!!

Ahhhh....air :)

So since we have moved we haven't exactly had great air conditioning. Supposedly the land lord had the furnace checked out, but it sure doesn't cool down anything. I kept the thermostat at 69 and the coldest it ever got was 79!!! I sweat like crazy and my poor husband can't figure out why. I'm sure he thinks I'm being a baby about it, but we kept the old place at 70 degrees and I'm pregnan=extra hot!

So since we have moved in I have been using two oscillating fans. If I'm in the living room, so are they. If I go to bed, they are there too. Where ever I go, they go. It helps even if it is only blowing warm air.

My parents took pitty on us and brought over a big window air conditioner. George helped dad put it in a window in the living room. Mean time, mom helped me with a little more decorating. By the time my parents left...I thought I was going to need a sweatshirt!! Okay, maybe not quite a sweatshirt but the air was getting cooler and I didn't need the fans anymore. What a BLESSING!!!!!

With the burst of cool air come some energy. I organized an area in the living room where we will change diapers, swing the baby, place for her bassinet, and brought down some of her clothes to put in a drawer on the main floor.

Thank you so much to my parents!!! You're lifesavers!!!

Birthing class #2....or not

So tonight we were to go to our second round of the birthing class. Before we were to take off to class I wanted to throw a load of laundry in. George carries the clothes down to the basement and I put them in. Tonight we noticed that there was water in the basement! UGH. Good thing we don't keep anything down there.

We called the land lord and he said he would be over to check it out. Class started at 6pm and he showed up at 8pm...go figure! Said he would have a plumber come to take care of it in the morning. In the meantime use the bathroom sparingly as that water is coming up to. GROSS!!!!

How can a pregnant lady not go to the bathroom?

Well the next day the plumber came and the cause of the clog was hair...supposedly my hair! Man I must be losing a heck of a lot to clog that drain. Doubtful.

Another trip to see Dr. Olson

So today we had a follow-up appointment. Got some good news too...the baby is head down, starting to dilate and the strep B test came back negative.

We are getting so excited for her arrival! I even started to make some tutus for her to wear...now if only she will hurry up and get here!

Girls just wanna have fun!

I was needing to get a few things in Des Moines prior to baby Osai's grand enterance, so I called my friend Marcia Dahlstrom to go with. I picked her up in Ames and got to see her family for a bit. Marcia recently gave birth to her second child and this afternoon of a girls get-a-way would be her longest time away from her kids.

We had such a great time together. We started off by going to Me and Mommy-to-be in Ankeny. It's a neat little consignment shop that has some really cool flower head bands so I just had to get a few for our little one on the way.

Next we headed off to PF Chang's to eat lunch. I hadn't eaten there in years and that was back when we lived in Virginia. It was a nice change of pace and a good choice by Marcia.

I needed to run into Jordan Creek Town Center to pick something up real quick, but was afraid that I would be stuck parking far away as the lots were looking pretty full until I found one just screaming my name...

What a blessing as I was starting to get a little tired! Got the stuff I needed in that mall and next we were off to Valley West for pjs and eventually to Babies R Us.

Time just went way too fast for us. But it was great hanging out with a good friend again. Thanks again Marcia for such a great day!

Flirty at 30!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. Little did I know that she (along with some of my friends) had something up their sleeve. I was asked to go to lunch by one of my co-workers/friends, Sandi Buhl. Nothing too unusual about that. But I mentioned to Sandi that I might not be able to go as I was needing to pick up mom's birthday pie. Sandi had mom call George and got him to do it so I could go out to lunch.

We arrived at Sister Sadies for lunch and I recognized one co-workers car there. I just figured that she must be there eating with a friend too. We went into the place (using the wrong door) and then went to our seat. It was a table that was beautifully decorated and had birthday balloons. Soon to join us was my mom, Linda Zehr, and Brittany Bush. It was such a wonderful way to not only celebrate my birthday, but mom's too! I love my friends!!!

Later in the day I had yet another doctor appointment. Was hoping it would be a quickie as the ones in the past have been. Appointment was to be at 4:15pm and I needed to be in Manson at 6pm to celebrate mom's birthday. But like my normal appointments lately...the doctor was down in labor and delivery! The nerve! haha At least I saw a friend there to talk with in the meantime.

I finally got to see the doctor around 5:30pm. Had my strep B test and will get the results at my next visit. She said the baby and everything else was looking good. We discussed my bad experience with one of the doctors and said that she might end up inducing me just so I wouldn't have to have that doctor. Wish should could have done it that day!!!

Had a great time in Manson celebrating mom's birthday as well as mine. I always enjoy good family time. My family and friends must think that I have terrible pregnancy feet as I got three gift certificates for pedicures!!! haha I least I will be pampered.

The next day at work was quite interesting. I arrived to find my office looking like this....

two co-workers had foiled my desk! Everything on it was covered in foil...my lotion, hand sanitizer, water bottle, stapler, fan, pictures, computer, chair, calculator...you name it...it was covered! I thought it was pretty funny. Thank you Ginny and Tera!

Another co-worker, Stacy Johnson, made scotcharoos for me. She knows how much I enjoy them. After work, George had peanut butter soup and rice balls for me. Yummy! Can't get any better than this! Maybe 30 won't be so bad afterall.

Birthing Class

So tonight was the first night of our birthing class. Was quite a good size group of people there too. Nice to see a few familiar faces, but at the same time wondering why people were there if they have already given birth before. Maybe they forgot the pain and torture it was the last time?

We did learn a few things in class tonight. Child birth is definitely a miracle...so is staying awake for a class that doesn't end until 9pm! Our instructor was nice and a little odd too. She likes to fidget. And by that I mean she walked around either playing with her name badge or with a pelvic bone and a baby doll!

Bonus of the night...cookies and free magazines! Not sure if we will return next week for class. George says its up to me...we shall see...

The Lion's head...

Jake woke up this morning and was ready to play. He couldn't wait for his uncle George to get home from work. George was in the kitchen and Jake went to get him saying, "Uncle George you've got to come see this!!" He was so excited as he was watching a Dr. Seuss movie. It was funny. Unfortunately George couldn't play long as he was tired and time for him to go to bed. So Jake and I headed off to the park up the block.

It was the first time that either of us had been at the park and we had such a great time. Jake's favorite part was the lion head drinking fountain. He would take a drink...go play for a five minutes...then come back for another drink. He even said he wanted his daddy to make him a lion's head fountain! haha

It's great to see his imagination at work. He would pretend that we were on an airplane as a tunnel on the playground has windows like an airplane, then it would become a space ship. What a clever little guy.

Later on it was time for him to go home and time for Aunt Missy to take a much needed nap!

That evening I ate supper at my sister's house with her husband's brother and sister and their spouses and children. Was fun to see them. Then I was off to a 30th birthday party for some high school classmates: Brad Poppen, Kevin and Kyle Stuart, and Heath Holtapp. There were tons of people at the party and it was fun to talk to people that I haven't seen for quite some time, but I quickly got tired and headed for home.

Sad to say that I was home by 10 pm on a Saturday night! haha

A date with my nephew Jake and my mom

Tonight my mom and my nephew Jake came to spend some time with me. We grilled supper and sat outside to eat, played ladder ball (when Jake would get a ball on the ladder he would say, "I must have been a good boy cause I got it on!"), hide and seek, and went up town to watch the fireworks. Jake went down the bouncey thing a few times and loved it. Then it was time to find our perfect spot to watch the fireworks.

While we waiting for the beginning of the show we quickly downed our melting ice cream cones from the Dariette (awesome place to get flavored ice cream...definitely my favorite!). Then it was show time. It was great to see and hear Jake's reactions to the fireworks. We called his mommy and he tried to decribe it to her..everything was, "BOOM! BOOM!" and then he would laugh and get so excited. One of the downsides of watching the fireworks was that it was a late night for us and Jake fell asleep on his nana's lap. So precious!

It was time for all of us to go home to bed.
We had such a great evening together. Will definitely need to do it again soon.

35 weeks

I can't believe that the time has just flown by so fast. I'm already 35 weeks pregnant. That means that in plus or minus 5 weeks, our little one will finally be joining us. Are we excited? You bet! George said the other night that he wishes she would hurry and get here as he can't wait to meet her. I agreed.

Along with the excitement also comes some nervousness on my part. What if I can't decipher what her cries mean? What if I forget something? What if I can't get into the motherhood routine? George reassures me that everything will be fine and that we are in this together...but still.

We can already tell that she likes to play tricks on her daddy. George will come over and put his hands on my belly and talk to her...hoping that she will move while he is touching the belly. Each time she doesn't move, but as soon as he takes his hands off...you guessed it...she starts moving! haha

Today didn't go as planned...it was even better!!!

So I needed to use some personal hours today before the end of the month. I took the afternoon off and came home. We had a lady from Public Health come to look at the house for lead paint today. Unfortunately, she did find some. But for the most part we won't have to worry about it. Just need to repaint over some of the areas. Sometimes I think that moving into this house was more of a hassle than we ever bargained for! I asked the landlord if there was lead in the house. His response, " I think there used to be but it was stripped. I will ask my mom." That was a few days ago and I have yet to hear back from him. Go figure!!!

I took a wonderful nap this afternoon. Lately I find myself wanting to get more and more sleep. I can sleep all night and wake up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. I don't know if this is my body's way of trying to store the sleep for in the months to come when I will be lacking the rest because of the baby.

My sister stopped over later and brought me an AWESOME gift from my sister's family, my brother's family and my parents...they got us a travel system! A few nights before I had a bad dream that the baby came early and I didn't have a travel system yet and I was driving around illegally with the baby. WHAT a relief to know that my bad dream will never come true!!!

I couldn't wait to get the travel system put together and to show George when he gets home from work tomorrow.


Penny and Jake had come to town to participate in Relay for Life. She was walking in honor of her neighbor and friend, Jodi Lawman. So I decided to tag along and walk a few laps myself. It was a wonderful evening for the event. Such a nice breeze outside and a great turnout too. I walked a mile two for Jodi and two for another co-worker who had a cancerous lump removed from her breast today.

I ended my evening with a green apple ice cream cone from The Diariette. I LOVE that place!!!

What a waste of time!

Just needed to have a little doctor rant for a moment. I was supposed to have a doctor's visit, with my doctor on Tuesday. However, ten minutes before I was to leave my office to go, I got a call saying that the doctor had an emergency and she is out of the office for the rest of the day. I was quite disappointed as I had been looking forward to seeing my doctor. She had been out of the office for at least a month +

So I was rescheduled to come in this morning at 11:30 am. I get to the office and the doctor just left to go deliver a baby. Just my luck! Can't blame the patient, just wish the office would have called me. So back to work I went. Thank goodness that I work less than five minutes away.

They rescheduled for me to come back this afternoon at 2 pm. This time I had George in tow. When we arrived they informed that the doctor had just left again for labor and delivery. So what do we do...we sit and wait. Keep in mind that I haven't had any lunch yet so George being the caring guy that he is decided to go downstairs to the cafeteria to look for something for me. He came back with a cup of fruit. What a man!!!

And then we found out the next bad news....the doctor was now in surgery with a patient. Poor lady (meaning both the doctor and the patient). So we continue to sit and wait. Finally my nurse came out to see if I wouldn't mind seeing another doctor. Sure that's fine with me. I will see anyone at this point. So I was going to be seeing Dr. Turek. He is the only doctor that I hadn't seen from the practice yet at this point.

We finally got to see Dr. Turek at 3:30 pm and he was done with us by 3:33 pm!! And he wasn't able to answer any of my questions. So disappointed and it was all a waste of my time!! Now I won't get to see my doctor until July 8th. Hopefully she can at least answer my questions.

Work Baby Shower

It's hard to believe that I am 32 weeks pregnant!!! Time has just flown by so fast. Three co-workers decided to host a baby shower for us.

That is the awesome diaper cake that they made. So awesome! And of course you can't forget the Larita's cookies...these are to die for! These are the awesome co-workers who put on the baby shower. Tera Peterson, Darci Bangert, and Kim Jackson. Thank you ladies so much. I had so much fun talking with all of the guests, playing games, and opening presents. We were truely blessed by our friends and co-workers. Thank you all so much!
My mom and my sister both were able to come to the shower as my specials guests.

When George got home that evening I had everything sitting in the dining room. What was his reaction??? Where are we going to put all of this? haha He had forgotten that we do have a dresser in the baby's room.

What a fun day I had! Lots of great memories too.

A busy weekend

So Saturday George woke me up bright and early...6 am to start working around the house for the day. I was ready to head back to sleep as I had been up several times throughout the night checking on our patient (my mom). Our first project of the day was putting together the baby crib. Surprisingly it went really quick! I thought it would be much harder than what it was. I had started to put it together last Sunday, but stopped when I noticed that one of the pieces had a big crack down the side. The company is sending us a replacement piece ASAP.

I was in checking on mom and noticed that George was outside mowing the yard! I couldn't believe my eyes. Neither of us had used a push mower before (this was his 2nd time ever mowing a yard period). He had asked our neighbor, Dick, to show him how to use it. Of course I had to capture the moment. :)
Later in the day George painted the baby's room. What an act of love. Poor guy had been so busy and was just plan tuckered out.

I thought it was pretty cute to see the paint on his feet.

Here is our little girl's bed in her room. We are still waiting for the back replacement piece to come from the company.

This is a dresser that George had originally made for us while we lived in Virginia. It was a cream color before but together we repainted it white for the baby's room. The picture frames were a hand made gift from my friend Nikki Jones to match the room. We are so excited that things are coming together so well.

Trip to Des Moines

So today I took mom to Des Moines for well...lets say for a biopsy. She was such a trooper through everything. Perhaps it was because they gave her some really good drugs! haha

After her biopsy we made a quick trip to Babies R Us and I bought our diaper bag! I was really excited so now I can start filling it up with things for our little girl. On the way home mom got a little sick (thank goodness they sent us home with a barf bag!). I was getting really tired and exhausted and got pulled over right outside of Fort Dodge. The trooper said he clocked me at 65 mph. I think he was day dreaming as he was driving in front of me and there was a stop light and construction so there was NO way I was doing 65 mph but perhaps 59 mph. UGH. Anyways after much tears and a ticket we were on our way home. Mom would spend the night with us so that I could take care of her.

When I got home I was helping her out of the car and left her barf bag on the ground as I planned to take her in the house then come back for it. When I did...it was gone!!! WHAT?!? Yes, someone stole a bag of barf! Oh dear! Mom said she thought she saw a neighbor walking with it. GROSS! Oh well. It really made for an interesting day.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. I could feel it throughout my whole body...especially my swollen ankles! EEKS!!! Needless to say my evening was spent with my feet up.

BVU Graduation

Well today is the big day. I walk into BVU for the first and last time and will graduate. Seems funny to be going to Storm Lake for graduation when I took all of my classes at the Fort Dodge site.
I am pretty excited to be graduating today with several of my friends who I have met along the way. What a fun time it will be for us all. I will be graduating with my degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Granted, I already received my degree back in October so today will just be icing on the cake.

The graduation ceremony started at 2:30 p.m. I was hoping that it wouldn't take too long as I had to go the bathroom again (go figure!). As I looked around and saw how many people where graduating, I knew that there wasn't going to be anything short about this ceremony. Oh dear.

Walking into the gym that was full of people I began to wonder if I would be able to spot my mom and George. Sure enough with mom's bright green shirt I was able to spot them right away! They were there cheering me on as I walked across that stage. What a feeling to be finally done with my bachelors degree.

The ceremony didn't end until 4:30 p.m. and boy was it HOT in that gym! I found mom and George outside after the ceremony and there was George with a dozen red roses for me. What a sweetheart! We took a few photos and headed for home. We were all exhausted from the big day.

The big move... part 2

Last night was our last night sleeping in the apartment. Sure will be wierd to be sleeping in a new place tonight. Today I was to work all day and meet up with George afterwards. However, after the day we had yesterday, my boss allowed me to take a half day off so I could continue to help with the move. I must admit, I would rather spend the day moving than be at work as the air isn't working!!! It was 82 degrees when I left and I had a HUGE headache...heatstroke!

George and I picked up the uhaul and headed to the old place to start loading. We put as much as we could in the uhaul and took it to the new place and began to unload the truck. Mom arrived to continue helping us. She stayed at the old place with George as I went to the new place to meet up with Denise, Penny, and my nephew Jake.

Jake was so excited when he saw the new place. He was so funny as he wouldn't even step foot in the baby's room! He thought the new place was huge and wanted to hide and for me to seek him. I told him to hide and I would find him in 30 minutes. He was so cute and wanted to help us unpack too. What a trooper and he didn't complain at all!

George was busy back at the old place with my brother-in-law, Stan, and three Iowa Central college students packing up all of the heavy furniture. They arrived and were so quick to unload all that big stuff. I couldn't believe how quick things were going! How awesome! Us ladies were putting things away as the guys were bringing them in and taking them to their correct room and well Jake, he was hiding in the big boxes.

Later I had another friend stop to pick up our empty boxes as she will be moving soon. What a great way for us to clear that empty box mess. We soon called it a day. Denise headed off to church, Penny and Jake went home to prepare for their big trip to OR for my cousin's wedding, and the rest of us went out to Chen Garden for supper. Oh we all filled our bellies beyond full!

George, Stan, mom and I stopped at the old place to do a few last things before heading for home. My brother-in-law is so dang handy!!! That is one of the things I appreciate the most about him. He is so knowledgeable about a wide variety of things. He was able to help us with our blinds, taking down some curtains, and weeds. We soon left and called it a night.

For George and I we were off to our new house. How odd for us to be in such a big unfamiliar place but we are excited for the new adventure...of finding our clothes, prenatal vitamins, and other needed things before bedtime. :) We ended up sleeping our first night on the couches.

The big move...part 1

Well today we begin moving to a house. We have spend 3 1/2 years in this two bedroom apartment and we are now moving to a 4 bedroom house with LOTS of space. We are both very excited about this for several reasons:

1. We will no longer hear the train in our back yard at all hours of the day
2. We won't hear our jobless neighbor below us slamming the door all day long
3. We won't hear the neighbors arguing
4. We won't have to listen to their 7 grandkids that come for a visit every night
5. No more using quarters to pay for our laundry
6. We won't hear our neighbor snoring at night
7. Won't hear them yelling at their dog or hear the dog barking
8. Won't have to garden in a pot
9. We can park where we want to
10. ...more space for our growing family!!!

I made an early morning trip to Walmart to get a few things that I thought I would need for the day...little did I know that would be the first of many trips to Walmart that day. I went over to the new place to meet my mom and begin cleaning. We thought it would be just a quick wipe down of the place...littile did we know we would be still at it hours later. Ugh.

I gave her a quick tour of the place and while down in the basement I got sick to my stomach. Went to clean up my mess and realized we don't have water. The landlord forgot to mention that he turned the water off to the house as he had a water leak to fix. Would have been nice to know. So we were off to meet a new neighbor and borrow some water. We got right to work when we got back.

Soon George arrived with the car loaded up and we started unloading. I was really tired and decided to sit down for a little bit as I had been on the go all morning. Our doctor was having me do kick counts with the baby. She is to kick 10 times before 2pm. Well it was 10:30 am and she had only kicked twice, which was quite unusual. I had even tried bending over, pushing on my stomach, anything to agitate her to move...nothing. George and I were both a little scared so he wanted me to call our doctor right away. But she is out for a month after having surgery so we ended up with the on-call dr. He wanted me to come in right away for a non-stress test to make sure everything was okay. Off to the doctor mom and I went. Poor George was left to keep on moving. After basically having to do the test twice we found out that our little one was just fine and was probably sleeping. What an answer to our prayers!!!!

It was back to packing at the old place and then George sent mom and I on our way back to the new place to clean the baby's room. So we quickly cleaned the baby's room as George brought his new car (his second baby) filled with our daughter's things. It was so cute. He wouldn't move anything else in his vehicle except for her stuff. How funny!

My sister, Penny, and my mom's friend Denise would later join us in moving and unpacking. Dad even came for a little bit too. We were a busy crew with lots to do! The landlord was working too as he still had things on the porch and in the garage and was having to look at some things in the house that needed work too.

George had to head out for training in Ames as they will soon be getting a new computer system in the ER, but us ladies kept working. It was so nice to have so much help unpacking things. It was so nice to get to sleep too! haha.

On Monday, May 10, 2010 we had another doctor appointment. The baby's heart rate was good as usual. Today the doctor said I will begin taking kick counts. The baby is to kick ten times before 2pm each day. If she doesn't then I need to call the doctor by 2:01pm. EEKS!!!! I was a little aprehensive about this as she normally doesn't move much during the morning. But she must have heard the doctor as she has been moving every morning since. Our doctor also said that she (the dr.) will be having surgery so I will be seeing a different doctor at my next appointment.

Last night, May 14, 2010 was our graduation banquet at Buena Vista University. It was such a fun time to honor us graduates and to see each other again. I hadn't seen most of my friends and classmates since October. George had to work since it was a Friday evening, so I brought my dad as my date. Dad won't be able to make it to my graduation in Storm Lake next week as he is going to Oregon for my cousin Jennifer's wedding. :) It was a really nice event.

Following the banquet, I took dad past the house that George and I will be moving to on Tuesday. It will be so nice to move from our 2 bedroom apartment to a four bedroom house. Later on I met up with my fellow classmates at Olde Boston's for some fun.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is my nephew Jake's 4th birthday! Happy Birthday Jake! Yesterday my sister and Stan had a monster truck birthday party for him. He had so much fun with his friends that he didn't even notice we were there. Later that same evening Penny, Stan, Jake, dad, mom, and myself went out to eat for pizza in Pomeroy. Jake got an angry look on his face and turned to my mom and said, "Nana you weren't at my party!" Then he turned and said the same thing to me! haha. We had to remind him that we were indeed there, but he was too busy having fun to notice.

I woke up sick this morning. Not sure if it was the pizza I ate the night before or what, but I haven't felt this awful since I was having my bad case of morning sickness. George got home this morning from work and gave me a sweet Mother's Day card from him and the baby. He said that she told him in his dream that he was to buy a card for me and sign her name too. How cute!

Even though I wasn't feeling well, my mom went with me to Ames to search for some new pants. The weather has been rainy here and I only had one pair of full length maternity pants. So the hunt was on!

27 weeks pregnant

On April 26, 2010 I had another doctor appointment. This was the dreaded glucose testing. Typically our little baby doesn't move a whole lot, but as soon as I drank the given drink, she was moving like no other! I couldn't believe it. It would later be revealed that I do not have diabetes.

May 3, 2010- George's birthday! Happy Birthday George! Today George was able to enjoy a wonderful full body massage, a new shirt and dinner out with dad, Jake and me. It was a good day.

May 6, 2010- George is beginning to feel the baby move more and more.

25 weeks and two days pregnant

Today (April 24, 2010) I went to a baby shower in honor of Katie and A.J. Langenwalter's new baby girl, Abby. Such a tiny little baby and yet so CUTE!!! Seeing her makes me really excited to see what our little girl will look like.

Later in the day I went to Somers, IA for a surprise 60th birthday party for Sandi Buhl. It was so much fun.

In the last few weeks I have begun to feel the baby move. It's quite a unique experience.

And trying to get caught up in what has happened since the last blog....on Sunday, April 18, 2010 I participated in a 3 mile benefit walk, Strollin for Nolan. We had great weather and a great turnout in honor of Nolan Ramthun of Manson. It was fun. I had my gym partner/friend, Hope Bickmeier, walking with me as I pushed my nephew Jake in his stroller. His mommy was running the race! I am so proud of Penny. Towards the end of the race I was feeling quite hot and tired...afterall I am 6 mths pregnant. But I was determined to finish for Nolan. :) At one point in the race Jake said, "I want my mommy!" I turned to him and said, "so do I!" haha

18 weeks

So today I am 18 weeks and one day pregnant. Can't believe time is just flying bye! George and I went to the Dr. on Monday for my check up. We were able to hear our baby's heart beat again. It was fun because the Dr. was able to find it right away and it was beating so fast and strong. 160 beats a minute.

We were also able to set up our ultrasound appointment, Friday, March 19th at 8 a.m. I told George that after we find out...I'm heading shopping!!! haha.

16 weeks

This photo was taken on February 20th when I was 16 weeks pregnant. Not showing any baby bump yet. Fell on the ice that evening and took a trip to the ER to make sure the baby was still okay. Baby and I checked out just fine.