Back in Business

Now that I'm back on my feet it is time to get back to business when it comes to preparing for the baby. This past week was all about baby.

It started with my parents arriving on Sunday. They will be in town for 3 weeks to help out and be here on the big day. They have been a HUGE help already.

On Monday I invited some of my gal pals to a night on the town. I know once the baby comes it will be a long time before I have a chance to get out and even longer before I can get out by myself without a baby attached to me. First off one of my friends treated me to a pedicure which was quite relaxing and now I will have cute pink toenails when I go into labor. That night we went to a restaurant called Grand Lux. The evening included high heels, valet parking, luxurious decor, and desserts made from scratch.



It was everything girls night out should be.

The rest of the week was a huge success. Besides the in home prenatal appointment, I got lots of stuff done around the house, and almost everything checked off my to do list. Overall I feel like a million bucks.

Just for the record I did call my midwife a couple hours ago to give her a heads up just in case. It's hard to say what is going on right now because with Z my contractions were sporadic and mild up until about 3 hours before he was born. Right now I am having contractions about 10 minutes apart. Could be a false alarm, but if I do have my baby girl tomorrow my dad has my log in info and so the blogosphere will be notified. That's the plan anyway. Time to try and get some sleep...

Big Brother in Training

I've heard about pets having an intuition about pregnancy, and even labor, and now I am curious if toddlers are the same way. Here I am just 10 days away from my due date and out of now where Z digs into the very bottom of his toy box and pulls out his potty training doll. It's something he's never played with, which makes sense because he is your typical BOY, but now he has seemed to have an attachment to this baby. He is so sweet and tender with the doll. He puts it in blankets, sits and watches movies with it, and as you can see from the video he even requested a bottle for the baby. The cutest thing is when he says that the baby is screaming and then he will hold the doll and say "What's wrong? Baby are you okay?" It's just adorable. He is going to be such a good big brother.

Home Birth Visit

My midwife came today with one of the interns and did the prenatal home visit. It is the same as a standard check up, except that they come out to the home so that they do a practice run of getting to your house and also have the opportunity to look over the layout of the room.

Everything went great. I am so curious to see when I will go into labor. It could be any day now. My braxton hicks are becoming more regular and intense and my fundul height is 39 cm which is a little bit large for my due date. When my midwife went to feel the position of the baby we had to wait for the contraction to stop. Oh and this is exciting, she did the first internal exam and the baby is at a +1 station which means her head is "RIGHT THERE". My cervix is still posterior so I am probably not dilated yet. I am okay with going to my due date and I feel very happy and pregnant at this moment, but I would be shocked if we made it to March 9th. I still have little things that I would like to get done before she comes, but overall I am ready. I feel like my body is ready for this and I am actually looking forward to the birth.

The other Jeremy and Natalie also had a prenatal visit today and they found out that they are having a girl too! I am so thrilled about having a niece (on my side of the family) and to have a girl cousins that are only 4 months apart.

That's all the updates for now. I think that I have had all the exciting baby news I can take for one day.

38 weeks

I absolutely can not believe I am 38 weeks already! I still have a lot of things left to complete, but I try to remind myself that even if the baby were to come tomorrow it would work out fine. Z was born at 39 weeks, so in about a week we'll know if this pregnancy is shorter or longer than the last. Here is an updated photo taken today along with the side by side comparison from each trimester.



As far as my ups and downs for the week, I must say it was pretty uneventful since I was still sick most of the time. However, thanks to my mom and mother in law some stuff did get accomplished.

First Up- We have everything ready from the home birth supply list. It's a small thing, but I am relieved to have it done.

Second Up- J's parents gave us their old king size mattress and that got set up last week. You may remember me complaining about lack of room on our old bed and I never expected that we would actually get an upgrade before the baby came, so I am pretty excited! I love the extra space.

My downs for the week are pretty much the same as before. I felt miserable almost all week and even though I was getting better I had lots of drainage that would cause me to throw up, and you know, that's always fun. Also, I would have started maternity leave if I hadn't had to reschedule because of being sick and over all I've just felt extremely discouraged and limited.

However, now I am feeling much much better and thrilled to be back on my feet.

The Ultimate Baby Shower

My baby shower was 3 weeks ago, but I finally have a chance to look back on it all.

With my first pregnancy there were 3 separate showers. This time there was one big baby shower at the church thrown by the ladies ministry, and what a shower it was! The turn out of 48 women was overwhelming, but in a good way. To see the outpouring of love from ladies just wanting to celebrate this little baby on the way was more than I could have ever imagined!

I had some of my best friends from High school come out.

My midwife was there to be a part of it all.

So many women from the church that are just as close as family to me.

My mom was able to come down from Kentucky.

All of the women from J's family came down too.


Once again, I know I sound so sappy, but I was genuinely blessed by the whole event and I will never forget how special that day made me feel. Two women in particular (Michelle and Teressa) worked very hard to make it happen and they do an amazing job at pulling off a party like this. They coordinated the decorations with all of the colors from the bedding I chose. They were constantly making sure that I was comfortable, they whisked away each present and card as I opened them one by one, and by the time I was ready to leave they were all organized and packed away in my car without me ever even realizing it.


There was a little journal that they had written down the prayers that were spoken over me and the baby. Every little detail was covered!

Some other details that were special included all the professional photographs taken by one of my best friends, and the cake made from scratch by a lady in the church.

I LOVE home made gifts and some of my favorites were, a knitted hat, booties, and blanket, a CD with an original lullaby for the baby, and a wall hanging for her room.


Sorry to go on and on, but to everyone involved that is reading this thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thawing Out

It's been over a week that I've been pretty much confined to the bed, but it looks like things are starting to improve now. I got out of the house for the first time today for my prenatal check up and the baby's doing great. I am still struggling with a lot of sinus pressure, and the drainage makes me throw up so that's just one more thing to add to my lovely list of ailments. I did end up filling my prescription and it seems to be working. This has been one of the worst viruses I've ever battled.

As for the snow storm all that's left is some piles of Frosty sculptures slowly melting away along with tree branches and debris that were a result of the heavy 12 inches. I mentioned last week that one of our tree limbs dented our neighbors truck and he implied that our home owners insurance should cover it. Well, we contacted our insurance and the balls in his court on this one, so that's one less worry. J took pictures of everything and eventually I plan on posting them.

Lastly, here is a late update for my two ups and two down for week 37

Up #1- Before I got sick I was able to return all the baby shower gifts that were duplicates. It's not easy with the multiple stores and some items including encoded gifts receipts others a complete mystery, but I managed to get it all done and that felt good.

Up #2- J and his brother got some home improvement projects done on the house including trim and paint that has been left unfinished for years. Once again I hope to have photos eventually, it's very exciting to the house coming together as we prepare for the new addition.

Down #1- Getting sick!!!

Down #2- Lots of cancellations. Photo shoots, couples night out at church, my prenatal home visit, all cancelled. The one good thing was that it was because of the weather, so I didn't have to be too depressed about my sickness ruining everything, because they would have been cancelled anyway.

I'll be continuing to and recuperate the rest of the week, but after that there is more nesting that needs to happen and I am starting to get very anxious.

Sawing Logs

We've been sawing logs here all day. For me this is figurative as I have been sleeping pretty much all day. J has been sawing logs literally. The aftermath of our little Dallas snowstorm has been brutal and our yard and driveway ended up with quite a few tree limb casualties one of which landed on our neighbors truck and dented it. That's going to cost us. If I could scream I would, but I still don't have much of a voice.

Speaking of which, I was able to see a Doctor yesterday. J's mom came in the afternoon to pick up Z for a few days. Then I checked into a Care Now Clinic around 6:00 pm after my sister in law who is a nurse talked me into it. Thank God for such a supportive family to swoop in and take over at just the right time.

As it turns out I do have an upper respiratory infection, in other words just a cold. However, if this infection were a spider I picture most colds as the little tiny spiders that you can find in a neglected dusty corner of an old building and my infection as a big harry TARANTULA! Michelle (fellow blogger and natural birth mama) mentioned having a similar situation with baby #2 and ended up on antibiotics. I appreciate your comments Michelle, because sometimes it's hard when things don't go according to plan. I really wanted to make it through this entire pregnancy without a single drop of medication, and I did up until-

sore throat
swollen glands
bloody phlegm
stuffy/runny nose
stabbing sensation in ears
loss of voice
burning in eyes
mild fever
cold sweats
etc...

Let me just say I wanted drugs like never before, I just wanted to end my agony. The Doctor gave me some nasal spray and the okay to take NyQuil along with a prescription to use only if symptoms persist over the next few days and believe me if it comes to that I will. This week has been such a beating, but it could be worse. I already sent a memo to the baby in belly that I am off schedule and she needs come later now. We'll see if she gets it.

Not At My Best

It's been on the news about the record breaking snow that hit the DFW area on Thursday. I woke up early still feeling miserable and looked outside to see the beginnings of a winter wonderland. The snow lifted my spirits a little after feeling so sick and so weak. I opened all the blinds so that I could enjoy the enchanted scenery as I did my best to recuperate from whatever this illness is that I have. As the day went on the sky continued to pour out buckets of huge lovely flakes that sparkled all over the ground and everything was white, completed untainted white.

Around 5:00 pm it began to shift from enchanting to intimidating. There were multiple cracking sounds as large branches that could no longer hold the weight of the snow came crashing down. The giant old cedar tree beside our house has lost several large branches and probably will not make it through this storm. Then power lines began to spark and as soon as J got home he went outside to clear whatever "unsafe" debris he could. By this time we had 8 inches of snow and all of the trees in our yard were leaning over with their branches reaching all the way to the ground.

In the mean time, I have a low grade fever and since I am 3 days into this thing I am beginning to realize that I am dealing with more than the common cold. I won't bore you with a list of symptoms, but after trying everything that is allowed during pregnancy I still feel like I could just die. Although even with the heightened emotions of pregnancy, I am well aware that I am not actually going to die from a sinus infection, or whatever this is, on the other hand I am feeling very serious about getting to the bottom of this before anything damaging does happen to me or the baby. The problem is we are now snowed in and I am not going to be able to go to the Doctor tomorrow as planned.

It's currently 4:00 am and I can barely breath, let alone sleep. I know everyone is having a blast with school cancellations, sledding, snowmen, and everything that a snow day should be. I hate being the "debbie downer" of it all, but that is where things are at here, and any prayers are certainly appreciated.

What Pathetic Looks Like

I am currently lying in bed with a waste basic next to me overflowing with all my used tissues. I look terrible, I sound horrible, and I feel MISERABLE. I knew that Z had a cold, and I knew a couple days ago that I was starting to feel it coming on, but I didn't not expect this.

Last night I woke up several times with pain in my throat that was absolutely excruciating! Finally I woke J up to let him know what was going on. I asked if he could stay home or at least go in late, which is something I would never do unless I felt like it was an emergency. I just knew I wasn't going to be able to handle this one on my own, not with being 8 months pregnant, and not with a two year old needing to be cared for. I have been in bed all day. I hate the fact that after 8 months of being healthy it finally hits me and I have had to revert to drugs. Ugh. I feel pain and congestion all throughout my head and neck and I have almost lost my voice entirely. I know it won't last forever, but I just wish I could fast forward to the end when I feel like myself again.

Sorry for the pity party. I hope everyone else is doing better than I am.

Ice. Ice. Baby.

I had to make a second run to the grocery store today because yesterday I had forgotten to get bread, peanut butter, and tomatoes (blame it on pregnancy brain.) It was just a quick stop and as I went through the checkout line the cashier who was an older lady asked me if I liked peanut butter and tomato sandwiches! I laughed and told her no, it was just a coincidence. I assumed she just thought it was a crazy craving, but as it turns out people do eat PB & Tomato sandwiches, including her husband. YUCK!

I can't say that I have had too many cravings with this pregnancy, but I definitely have a weakness for ice and Kit Kat bars. Granted the ice is more of a condition than a craving. I was diagnosed anemic a few months ago and chewing ice is a symptom that goes along with having low iron and for me this has been the case with both pregnancies. The blood expands, the iron levels go down and I want nothing more than a cup full of ice water with small soft chunks of ice to crunch crunch crunch! I know it's not good for you teeth, but when it comes to addictions ice chewing has to be one of the cheapest ones out there.

This particular craving is considered to be a disorder labeled as "Pica" and it is common in pregnant women. It is when you crave non-nutritive substances. Now when I first read about this I took offense to be thrown into a category of people that eat clay, chalk, and things too gross to mention. Either way whatever you want to call it I am definitely into ice these days and as far as the Kit Kats I honestly wonder if it is also because of the crunching. I can't tell you how many Kit Kats I've gone through in the past month or so. Let's just say I purchase them in the mini 10 packs or king size in order to keep up with my appetite.

Any of you mom's out there experience unusual cravings during pregnancy? Pickles and ice cream, peanut butter and tomatoes? Or maybe some other ice chewers? We could start a anonymous support group or something.

2 Ups and 2 Downs

I have started listening to Pregtastic again, which is a podcast that I totally devoured last time I was pregnant. It has helped me get into the baby birthing mood and I am so glad I subscribed to it again. The panel of expectant mothers begin each show with sharing 2 ups and 2 downs for the week. I like this idea so much I decided to do my own ups and downs throughout the remaining weeks of this pregnancy.

Starting with week 36

1. The BIGGEST UP of all was definitely the baby shower I had on Sunday. It's not because of all the gifts either, because the gifts were fun, but the best part was having so many of the people I care about come out to show their love and support. It was just the boost I needed at this often grueling last stage of pregnancy. I will share more about the shower next week because there are so many details I don't want to forget!



2. My other up is that I feel like I am finally making headway in getting things ready for the arrival of our little one. This week I started working on my playlist for the birth, preparing the birth supplies, shopping with my mom for materials for the bedding, and organizing/decorating the room.

Now for the 36 week downs

1. The acid reflux is getting worse, mostly at night. It is something I never deal with outside of pregnancy, but I do NOT enjoy the fire in my throat sensation.

2. I had a photo shoot Thursday morning. It was POURING down rain, and I had to wake Z up extra early and get him to the sitter. I drove for 20 minutes in horrible conditions only to find out the subject wasn't there yet. I waited in the lounge for 20 minutes and the secretary told me that she called and needed to reschedule. Well as you can imagine I was ready to blow a fuse! Basically I had spent the whole morning like a hamster in a wheel, spinning and spinning, but getting nowhere. I do not get compensated for jobs that I do not photograph, so it was a big waste of my time and gas! We've rescheduled for Tuesday so we'll see how it goes. This has nothing to do with pregnancy other than the fact that being 8 months pregnant didn't help the situation.

Next week I have my first ever prenatal check up at home and on Tuesday I enter into the world of full term pregnancy. I am so ready!

LOST (most definitely)

As many of you know I am quite the Lost fanatic. I was at the coffee shop the other day and I told a stranger he looked liked Jacob from Lost and although he had never watched the show a couple sitting across the room overheard my comment and burst out with "We said the same thing! As soon as he walked in I was like that's Jacob!" This began an instant camaraderie between me and the other couple and we chatted for probably 20 minutes.

I have been in a little bit of a predicament though with this being the last season and also being ready to have a baby. There is a part of me that thought I would just skip it all together and watch them back to back on DVD like the good ol' days when I got hooked on the show in 2005. The problem is everyone else is going to be talking about it so unless I plan on living in a hole for the next 4 months I am sure I would get spoiled on the ending. Not just the end of a season, but the end of the whole show! We are talking about hours and hours of time invested in this program and they are supposedly going to bring it all to a final conclusion! Needless to say, I'm in. I might get behind a couple episodes, but I can catch up online. It is after all just a show right? Watch this clip to see what I mean...

I am not going anywhere just yet!

I wanted to elaborate on my previous post about taking a blogging break. I am flattered to see that anyone even cared, but in a way you will be getting even more of me. The thing is, before I was looking at this blog as more of an artistic outlet. I wanted to be creative and inspirational. I had little idiosyncrasies that kept my blog from being too informal. I would never use any acronyms like "lol" and no emoticons like ":)" and I wouldn't even post a link with the word "here". For example to find out more click here, because I liked to think of my blog like literature and if it were ever printed and someone read click here they would not be able to click. You can make fun of me if you want, I know it's kind of silly, but it's stuff like that and the weekly topics that are going on maternity leave. Everything else will be the same only more candid. Just look at it like Natalie in the raw. See, I just said my name, how raw is that? At this point instead of a blogging production it's just a journal or email to friends, and for the most part that email is going to be all about this baby on the way. Speaking of baby on way I have been having far more frequent Braxton Hicks (like right now) and in less than a week will be full term.

So, no goodbyes or good lucks just yet, but thanks for all the well wishes friends. ;)

Little Blog, Little Announcement

You may have seen it coming, but I am going to be taking a blogging break. Not necessarily an official break, but a little more of a looser format. For those of you that follow the messy mom you know that I tend to write on a single topic for a week with around 5 posts per topic, and I have been doing it that way for going on two years. Since I could have a baby in a month my brain is pretty much in my belly. That is how I feel. Like it's right there along with the baby, placenta and who knows what else. I just can not think about anything other than, pregnancy stuff, mommy stuff, baby stuff and food, so I am not even going to try.

Now this is not to say that I am quitting the blog. Not at all, In fact there may be times that I am popping in more frequently like for a brief venting session or something. Then other times I may be absent for a while, like when I have the baby for example. I thought about setting up the webcam and having live video feed of the labor and delivery for all my readers, but then I decided against it. Okay, that is definitely a joke, but I do plan on doing some video blogging, photo updates, and chronicling the next couple months as much as possible.

I have loved documenting this pregnancy on here. All of you have been a tremendous support. Your advice and encouragement via comments and emails is like the epidural I never had (ha ha). I can't wait to see what is around the corner, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.