I'm Finally a Mom!

On Monday, March 19, 2007 at 6:44am I became a mommy. My little baby growing inside me for what seems like forever finally made his way into the world. Words can't even describe how much I love this little guy. My heart swells more and more every time I look at him. I can't believe he's mine!

His name is Cedric Shea, and he couldn't wait to meet his mommy and daddy. My labor from start to finish was a little over four hours. That's very quick especially for a first baby. I was starting to worry when we were driving to the hospital that we might not make it. My contractions were coming every one to two minutes. I had no real break in between, and I was hurting. I'm so glad I went into labor at 2:25ish in the morning, because at around 3:30 when we left for the hospital there was no traffic to contend with. John was running the red lights when we were driving through Denver. No cops in sight!:p

Cedric was 7lbs 14.1oz, and he was 20.5 inches long. He is such a content baby, and he is so sweet and lovable. I could tell when I was pregnant that he was a very mellow, observant personality, and it seems to still be that way. He also had a lot of hiccups which he still gets a lot of. He is so cute, and he has mommy and daddy wrapped around his little finger. Cedric is the baby John and I have been dreaming about since we first started trying August of 2004. He's perfect and well worth the wait. :)

No Change Yet

I'm officially to my due date. The midwives had written down today as my due date, but the ultrasound always showed the 17th as my due date. I just kept going by the 17th, because it sounded cool that his birth date could be Saint Patrick's Day. So here we sit in a state of limbo waiting for Cedric to show up...I had cramps again last night, but they went away. It was around the 2 o'clock hour again...poor John! We didn't stay up as long as we did the night before. My contractions weren't as strong, and they were starting to fade. It's so frustrating waiting for the real contractions to start kicking in. Nothing has taken my breath away yet...still waiting for that.

The time is a ticking away...what day will become Cedric's birthday? At this point he is very close to the transition between a Pisces and an Aries. The change occurs from one to the other on March 21st...this is also the first day of Spring! Maybe he just wants to be a Spring baby...who knows? So all John and I can do is sit and wait. It's good to know that they most likely won't let me go past the 25th, since that would be 41 weeks and the last time I saw the midwife she said they don't like to let women go past 41 weeks. The placenta starts to breakdown, because it is only meant to sustain a baby for the length of a pregnancy. You start to get into a danger zone the longer you remain post-term. Hence the reason to induce after a week of being overdue. At this point, we just wait and try to be patient. :)

Feeling Blue!

Last night I was feeling miserable. I was having tightening that was coming ever 4-6 minutes and lasting about a minute. This went on for over an hour, and when I called the midwife, she said to wait until the contractions take my breath away. Well that hasn't happened yet...I'm so upset about it too. I really want to go into labor today. My back is achy, and I have a slight headache(probably due to lack of sleep). I just want my body to start the process. I need to do more walking today to see if that can help...I just want John and I's sweet baby in my arms, and I want to love on him.

So Tired!

I'm still pregnant, and I'm so tired. I think I get less and less sleep as I get closer to the due date. Only 2 more days to go. I went to the midwife yesterday, and she said I'm doing well and the baby and I look good. My cervix is closed and posterior, but it doesn't mean anything. Once I start having regular contractions than my cervix will start to dilate. She said they won't let me go past 41 weeks. If I do, then they will have to induce me. I would like to go into labor naturally, especially since I've heard that pitocin can make the contractions more painful than they already are. I'm still thinking Cedric just wants to be a Saint Patrick's Day baby...that's why I haven't had any major signs yet. John and I have to do a lot of walking during the rest of the week...let's get this ball rolling. :)

Still Waiting!

Becoming more and more pregnant...I can barely move anymore! John put a video of a baby sloth on my myspace, and it's definitely me. I move very slowly, and my muscles ache from head to toe. I need John to give me massages to help with the discomfort. Cedric must be all warm and cozy inside, because he is showing no indication of wanting to come out anytime soon. I'm happy to wait though...I'm still pushing for Saint Patrick's Day, but he can come out anytime he wants. Just please baby try not to come late. :)

Any Day Now

I can't believe I'm 39 weeks today! We are in the final week before Cedric's due date, and I could go into labor any day. John and I are going to be parents in a very short amount of time...it's so surreal to think about it. Of course, we're very excited...it's just so much to take in. Our house is going to have a new person in it, and that's crazy to think about. John and I our going to finally have our little family we've always wanted. We waited so long for Cedric, and now he is almost here. We can't wait to meet you Baby Boo...a.k.a. Cedric.

Harmony and Cimbi are going to have a little baby brother to play with, too. We hope all goes well with that...be nice kitties. Cute! :)

Cute Picture

Just a cute picture with a monkey riding a dog's back...they became friends after a flood in Mozambique. The monkey's name is Kiko, and the dog's name is Billy.

10 More Days to Go!!!!

Imagine combining these two pictures together and you'll get an idea of what Cedric will look like very soon. John is 4 months in his picture, and I'm a year in mine. Only 10 more days left for Cedric to go, and we can't wait to meet him. Of course, he can come at anytime, but I hope he doesn't decide to go later than his due date. March 17th...maybe. :)

Frustration Overload

I just feel the need to vent, so I don't drive myself crazy. I was a nanny for a family for a year and a half. I just received my W2's for the 2006 year yesterday. I had to contact the IRS just to get that, because they wouldn't return my calls when I called to ask about it. Why they are behaving this way...I couldn't tell ya. They have a lot of issues! Anyway, I received my W2's, but they aren't complete. They are missing the amount taken out for my State Income Tax. Aughhhhh!!!! I called them again and left a message but no response. I ended up calling the IRS again. They are going to send them another letter. Now, I have to wait for them to respond to this second letter...hopefully, they get it right this time. I wanted to have this taken care before Cedric, but what are ya goin' do. They suck!! :(

March is Here!!!!

We're finally in Cedric's birth month! All went well with my prenatal appointment yesterday. Cedric sounds great, and the midwife doesn't think I will go past my due date. She won't guess at when he will be born, because she just doesn't know or want to get my hopes up for a particular date. I hope she is right that I won't go past my due date...I'm ready for Cedric to come, but I'm still shooting for Saint Patrick's Day. Plus, John will be all better by then...he has a cold right now. :(

Cedric is just kicking away as I write this. He has his moments throughout the day when he is very active. I can also tell when he is sleeping...he is starting to show patterns of wakefulness and sleep. I'm very exciting that March is finally here...I can't believe how close John and I are to being parents. :)

Our days are numbered, and the countdown has almost entered the single digits. Very exciting! :)

17 More Days to Go

Harmony & Cimbi's lives are about to change very soon. It won't be too much longer until a new addition is added to our household. Cedric is definitely getting bigger and running out of room. I'm waiting for the labor to start...I've been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks lately, and I see the midwife today. I don't know what she can really tell me, but I enjoy hearing Cedric's heartbeat. I like to know that he is growing and everything is okay.

The month of March starts tomorrow...Cedric's birth month. We shall soon see if he is going to be born on Saint Patrick's Day or not. I think that would be cool, but I'm happy with what ever day he chooses. :)

Counting Down the Days

I don't know if this is a real picture of a cat this fat or someone altered it. Anyway, I'm using this picture to show how I'm feeling right now. I'm feeling so big that I can barely move. It's getting harder to roll out of bed at night. I can't believe how close I'm getting to the end of this pregnancy. Only 19 more days until March 17th is here. In three days it will be March 1st. Crazy! It's conflicting because the time seems to be going slow but fast. If that makes any sense...these days I'm not making a lot of sense due to lack of sleep. I know it's only going to get worse after Cedric is here, but I don't care. I can't wait to hold that little baby in my arms with my husband. John and Cedric mean the world to me...my sweet little family. :)

Walking & Sleeping Problems

I'm not the same fast walker that I use to be. I've slowed down a lot, since I've been getting bigger and bigger. I walked to King Soopers(grocery store) yesterday, because I needed some items and my car wouldn't start. It's maybe a half a mile from our house, and it took me forever to get there and back.

As far as my car is concerned, the engine was flooded from going a very short distance on Sunday. John and I got it to work again, so all is well.

Last night, I had a lot of trouble sleeping, because my right hip was aching. It didn't matter if I was laying on my left or right side. I think it probably got aggravated from walking the day before. Despite all the physical discomfort, string of bad luck with cars, and other unexpected financial woes, John and I are still hanging in there and excited to meet Cedric in less than a month. Everything eventually works itself out! :)

2007~The Year of the Pig

Today is the celebration of the Chinese New Year with the Pig making the appearance. This is Cedric's Chinese animal. According to Chinese astrology, people born in pig years are polite, honest, hardworking and loyal. They are also supposed to be lucky, which is why many Chinese like to have babies in a pig year.

In a couple more days his Zodiac sign will be here...if born between February 20th & March 20th, Cedric will be a Pisces. I'm still shooting for Saint Patrick's Day...I think that would be a cool birthday, and nobody will be excused if they forget his birthday if he is born on that day. I was 36 weeks yesterday, and I'm feeling the pains of being in the final month.

I'm having a hard time walking, especially on the right side of my pelvic bones. It's so sore that it's getting harder and harder to move around. I see the midwife on Tuesday, so I can ask her about it. But I'm thinking it either is his growing size just putting more weight on that area, or he has dropped. I can't tell, because I've really haven't had a lot of heartburn or a lot of trouble breathing(I'll get out of breath pretty quickly, but some women have it really bad) Usually, when those symptoms improve it means your baby has dropped. I just don't know. Stay tuned! :)

Despite all our bad luck this past week, we have something we're excited about that hopefully will be here tomorrow. Our new car is in Colorado, and he'll be inspected tomorrow at the dealership. All goes well, we should be getting a call from Honda telling us to come and get our cute Honda CR-V. :)

Valentine's Day 2007

Let's see where do I even begin...in the morning I took John to work, because we were going to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It didn't make sense for him to come all the way home only to turn around and go back near his work. Sounds like a good plan, right? Well it would have been if Chester (John's car) didn't decide to die in the turn lane to get on to C-470. I sat in the car trying to get it to start again. I had my hazard lights on, but people were being jerks and they would whip pass me in their cars and some people were honking. Whatever...the world is full of pricks nothing new!

Anyway, I called John on his business phone, but he didn't answer. I tried calling my parents, because they live near by, but they weren't answering. I then called John on his cell phone to see if he would answer...thankfully he did. At this point I was getting upset, because I didn't know what to do. Also, I didn't want to get out of the car, because I wasn't in a safe place to do so. Poor John, whenever I have car troubles I call him crying so hysterically that he can't understand a word I'm saying. I eventually calmed down, and he was able to understand.

By some miracle, I was able to get the car to start and drive it back to our house. I must have been sitting there for 15 minutes. I ended up taking my car instead. Phew, glad that was over with, but did I mention it was snowing during this whole endeavor. Yeah, it was coming down and the visibility on parts of the highway made it hard to see. Thankfully, I finally made it to John's work to pick him up, so we could at least savage the rest of our Valentine's with a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Dinner was great! John had his favorite nachos, and I had the teriyaki chicken with white rice. We took the Chocolate Tux cheesecake to go! :)

We ended up walking around the mall for a little bit to kind of wind down from the craziness and to digest our dinners. We eventually decided to tackle the snowy drive home. Everything was fine until we both heard a crack. I saw right away what that crack was...my pristine windshield, on the car we are using as our trade-in for our new car coming in a couple of days, just got the biggest crack I've ever seen across the length of the windshield. Augh!!!! Could this day just end already!!! The good thing...we got home safe! That was the most important thing!

John and I exchanged our Valentine's, but the flowers that John had ordered a week ago hadn't come. He wasn't very happy about that, but I love him and I know it wasn't his fault. I was just happy to be with him. However, John wrote them an e-mail, and my flowers came at 9ish in the evening. They were very beautiful, and I love the message he wrote on them.

Before the flowers came, we shared our delicious cheesecake and played some Wii games: Wario and Wii Sports. We finished the night snuggling in front of the tv watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Despite it all, I was with my Valentine's, and we enjoyed our sixth one together. Next year, I think we are going to stay home, order some pizza, eat some homemade chocolate chip cookies, invite some friends over to play games, and celebrate with our little cupid, baby Cedric. I'll be so lucky to have two Valentine's next year. Just me and my boys! :)

Busy Weekend & Week

John and I have the last of our baby classes this weekend. On Saturday, we have Babies, Baths, & Bundles...it goes for three hours in the morning. On Sunday, we attend a Totsaver class...we'll be learning Infant/Toddler CPR. After that class, we finish our final Childbirth Prep class. Mostly, it will be review and a tour of the hospital. John goes to a Bachelor party Saturday night...it will be more tame than it sounds...just a bunch of guys playing cards and eating food.

For the week, we start with a wedding of our friends, Aaron & Adriana. Their wedding is on Monday, the 12th at 4pm. It should be a lot of fun...the wedding is located downtown at a historical house.

On Wednesday, it will be John & I's sixth Valentine's Day together, and our last as a single couple. Next year, we'll have a little guy to think about. :)

On Friday, the 16th we'll be going to the restaurant Wazee's with some friends. I've never been, but John said it's good.

That wraps up our weekend and week ahead. Next weekend we have nothing planned, so we will just have lots of fun with each other before we have a new person to think about. I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow! I can't believe how fast everything is going. We only have a little over a month left to go before we become parents. Cedric Shea will be here very soon, and we can't wait. :)

Groundhog Day!

It's Groundhog Day today, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow. We are due for an early spring. I'll believe it when I see it! Right now the temp outside is in the teens...freezing cold! I'm so tired of the bitter cold and weekly snowfall. I'm ready for the spring....I hope it warms up for Cedric. That would be nice. :)

Only 43 more days to go or six more weeks, whichever you want to go with. Cedric is moving a lot now...I can feel him when he is stretching and such...so cool. I can't wait to meet the little guy. :)

Last Day of Work

Sophie & Nate posing for the camera...my last day was January 30, 2007.

I worked as a nanny with this family for a year and a half. I started August 2005, and Sophie was 10 months old at the time. She is now over two years old...her birthday is October 1, 2004. Her little brother, Nate was born August 17, 2006. He's five and a half months. I had fun for the most part, but the end was getting to be very difficult with me being pregnant and all. I won't get into my beefs, because the job is over and it just doesn't matter anymore. I wish them the best. :)

Guinness the yellow labrador. She's a sweet dog although she would get extremely needy at times. I guess I really couldn't blame her given her circumstances. It would get to be annoying, especially when I was feeling very overwhelmed, but I tried to be nice to her. I would give her treats and pettings. Before I was pregnant, I would sometimes take her for walks with Sophie and I. She enjoyed a couple of trips to the park on rare occasions. I never knew yellow labs shed as much as they do. Cute dogs, though.

Smiling Nate!

Spunky Sophie...it's true what they say about red heads. She gets the red hair from her grandfather. She's a very smart, little girl. I was always impressed by her ability to speak with such an extensive vocabulary at such a young age.

I'll miss them, but I'm ready to move on and start preparing for my little one to make his appearance into this world. I can't wait to me a mommy! I already love Cedric so much...that love will be ten fold when I finally meet him for the first time. :)

Baby Shower

John and I attended our baby shower for Cedric Shea on Saturday, January 27, 2007. I was 33 weeks on Saturday...only 7 more weeks to go.

We had my brothers with their significant others, except Kevin is single and Michael didn't show up. My parents hosted the shower at their house, and my friends Jackie and Amanda put the shower together. Amanda brought her five and a half month old baby, Isabel, over. We also had our friends Sean, a.k.a. Mobat, and his girlfriend, Athena (also our friend) were there as well.

We had lots of fun, and Cedric made out nicely with some great gifts. He will undoubtedly love all his presents when he is finally out to see them.

John and Isabel mugging for the camera. Look how natural it is for him, and he didn't even mind too much that she kept drooling. John is going to be a great daddy. :)

Me looking at some of Cedric's presents. My mom made Cedric a knitted version of Lumpy the Heffalump from Winnie the Pooh.

Angel(pictured) and Ariel kept loving on Isabel. I think the fascination was mutual. :)

Funny picture of my nephew, James with Isabel. James keeps asking his dad when is Cedric going to be done...hehehehehe, cute!


To see more on the baby shower go here: http://zablanc.blogspot.com/2007/01/baby-shower-pics.html

Is January Over Yet?

I wish John and I had our new Honda CR-V today. It's snowing...yes, again...and it would be nice to be able to get to Childbirth Prep class without having to deal with this white crap. The 4x4 would have come in handy. At least Chester has fairly new tires on him, so I'm not too concerned. I'm just so sick of snow! I've seen more snow this season than I've cared to, but that's what happens at times when you live in a state that has winter. Generally, we've been pretty lucky with avoiding a lot of snow in Colorado...usually the mountains take the brunt of the storms. All I have to say is....I can't wait until it's spring for lots of reasons. ;-)