This time next week, I'll be someone's mother

The title pretty much says it all! I am being induced at 5:30 am on Thursday, March 19th. In our last few appointments, the doctor has expressed concern about the baby's size, so he felt it was the best move to go ahead and induce once I got past 39 weeks. At 37 weeks, the baby was measuring at 39.5 weeks and was estimated to be over 7.5 pounds already.

I have been fairly opposed to the idea of induction all along, simply because I just wanted to let things happen on their own and let nature take its course, so to speak. However, I trust the doctor entirely and he feels that inducing a bit early is my best chance at having a normal delivery...apparently due to the Bun's estimated head size a C-section may be on the menu for me, which is a thought that terrifies me. I have come to accept that it's all out of my hands and things may happen that aren't exactly what I planned. All that matters is that our little Biscuit gets here safely, and it doesn't matter to me how that happens when all is said and done.

People have been asking if I'm nervous or anxious, and fortunately, at this point, the answer is no. I feel like I have waited my whole life for this, to finally have a child, and I could not be more ready. Our hospital bags are packed and in my Explorer along with the car seat, some pillows and blankets, the cameras and camcorder, the Boppy, and, oh yeah, the kitchen sink. We are READY!

Here's the belly at 36 weeks:

And here's 37 weeks:


We finished up the nursery (or at least what we're going to do while we're living here...we may be moving in the upcoming months). Here are a few pics of the construction and the finished product:





Thank goodness we have a big guest bedroom, because there is room for all of our new baby furniture PLUS a queen bed. This was important to me so we could host guests after the birth. It all fits perfectly and looks so cute. I didn't take a picture of the queen bed but picture a brass bed with a white down comforter and navy sheets.

I have experienced the joy of heartburn over the past week. Oh, and late-pregnancy swelling! Silly me, thinking I might not get any of that stuff! My wedding rings have relocated to my pinky, my ankles look like twin ham hocks, my feet are those of Frodo Baggins; it is truly unbelievable. Fear not, I won't be posting pictures of that loveliness. My complaining is really just in jest; I wouldn't change the way I feel at this moment - the good or the bad - for anything in the whole wide world.

I have a (growing) list of things I need to get done in the next week, like cleaning the fridge and organizing a bathroom cabinet and grocery shopping but honestly, all I feel like doing is putting my feet up. Yes, I think that's what I'll do instead. Wish us good luck and keep us in your prayers!

Big belly and big baby: an update on the Mini Maguire

With the big day rapidly drawing nearer, I thought I should post more pictures to show how stinking enormous my stomach is getting. Holy cow!



I have this fantasy that I have reached my very largest dimensions, and that I will not gain a single pound more, and that my circumference will not increase. Unfortunately, I'm sure that this is not to be. That's okay. Tying one's own shoes is overrated, anyhow.

Last week we had an ultrasound to follow up on what was thought to be a possible complication (turned out to be absolutely nothing) to make sure the little Bun was growing enough. As it turned out, growth was not a problem at all! We were told that the baby is looking pretty big at this point. The baby's large all over, but the head, in particular, looks quite big. The doctor said not to be surprised if our baby ends up being 8 or 9 pounds, but I'm not too concerned because I know that their estimates are just that....estimates. Everything looked good and the baby appears to be the picture of health! I'll post the latest ultrasound pics once I get a chance to scan them. As an added bonus, I get another ultrasound in 2 weeks that we weren't expecting just to make sure the Bun isn't getting TOO big!

Just for grins, I am also posting a picture taken the day we found out I was pregnant. This is me with a crappy dollar store pregnancy test (all we had left on that particular day...the kind that contains a cup and a dropper...why didn't we just spring for the name brand ones?!) that carried on it the faintest double pink line history has ever seen. What a happy day! And what a nice trim waistline! Yikes, someone get that girl some powder and eyeliner!


I started packing my hospital bag today. I read that this should probably be done by the end of week 36, which is Wednesday. Week 36!!! I can't believe that in a month I'm going to be someone's mother!

Long overdue update with possible overuse of the "add image" button

Over two months since the last time I posted. That's fantastic, and it really bodes well for how I'll be at updating once the Bun comes.

Anyway, Christmas came and went with little fanfare. We each adopted a child from a local elementary school to buy Christmas gifts for, which was great. We had such a good time walking through Toys R Us and picking out things that we though would make these children happy. Jerrod's boy Michael got a remote-control car and a light saber that lights up and makes noises as his main toys, and my girl Ashly got a jewelry making kit and a bunch of High School Musical stuff (per her request). We also bought toiletries and clothes, but the toy shopping was the fun part, to be sure!

I put up a two-foot-tall tree on our kitchen table top for no other reason than the fact that I felt like a Grinch for not wanting to do a tree at all. Jerrod and I exchanged a few small gifts because our main Christmas gift to ourselves was a trip to our favorite vacation destination, Walt Disney World.


We left for Disney on the evening of January 2nd and returned the evening of January 11th. It was a wonderful trip, and I'm so glad we decided to have one last vacation together before becoming a family of three.


Also, the timing was perfect: if we had waited even a week or two longer, I'm afraid I would not have had a very good time, what with the back pain and the sore legs and the enormous stomach and the hot flashes that have materialized since our return. But, Disney World was just as wonderful as it's always been, and I felt remarkably good for a six-months-plus pregnant woman. Besides the Disney parks, we played a lot of miniature golf, went swimming almost every night, and ate lots of good food.



Just look at that. Apple bread pudding. And it's even better than it looks. This was for the table to share but I could have put the whole skillet away on my own.

The weather was perfect, as always. For the first few days of our trip, the Christmas decorations were still up, which is always such a treat.



And this time, we went with a whole new perspective: what it will be like to bring the Bun with us next time. We can't wait.

While we were in Florida, our Oklahoma Sooners played Florida for the national title, and Jerrod and his dad had the opportunity to go to the game. The game, of course, did not turn out the way we hoped it would, but it was still very cool that they got to go.


Since the trip, things have been pretty quiet around here. Jerrod and I are in the midst of tackling the job of organizing the closet in our guest room. The main problem is, when we moved into this place, we never completely finished moving in; we just sort of quit once the major stuff was unpacked, and then stuck a bunch of boxes in the closet. And it's been driving me batty. So little by little, I'm going through all the boxes and weeding out what we no longer need, followed by repacking the boxes. Jerrod is doing the heavy lifting and moving the boxes to our storage closet in the garage. We have to get that closet ready for all of the gear that comes with a baby!

Choco is going through a phase. She is not usually allowed to sleep in our bed, and usually she is just fine with this arrangement, but lately she has been trying like crazy to get into our bed and if I don't let her she will just whine and huff and puff and scratch on the door just to make a ruckus. And this routine usually occurs between the hours of 2 and 5 in the morning. And then in the morning when we're getting ready, she'll ever-so-quietly sneak into our bed when nobody is looking.


We have recently adopted a zero-tolerance no-furniture policy to get ready for the baby because when Choco's on the couch, she's all over whoever is sitting on the couch and there's no avoiding it. She's not happy with the new rules at all. But, she was a no-furniture dog when we first got her and she's a quick learner, so I know she will adjust.

These days, baby is wiggling more and more, and sometimes the kicks are so big I can actually see my stomach bounce, which I must say is a very interesting thing to have happen. I have been sleeping less since it is not really possible to get comfortable anymore, but I am definitely not complaining. We are the luckiest people in the world.

The most beautiful face I've ever seen

It's kind of like one of those stupid 3-D image posters; easier to see if you stand back and relax your eyes. But the little Bun's profile is on the left side, pointed slightly downward. Fortunately, it does not yet appear that he or she has inherited my nose, but I guess time will tell on that one.

Belly!!

Ahh, here I am. In all my splendor. This was me about two weeks ago at around 20 weeks. I took this photo because I saw this great idea online for framed belly photos. It was a series of three from about the shoulders down. The first was similar to what you see here. The second had the same shirt and pants as the first, but was taken around 8 months. The third was the same as the first two, but in place of the belly was the new baby. Such a cute idea, I thought.

This was only two weeks ago but I already feel like my stomach is so much bigger than this! I'm already having a little difficulty getting out of bed and off the couch, so I can't even imagine what it will feel like three months from now.

We have arrived...

...at long last, into the world of blogging. I'm Robin and I've been married to Jerrod for five glorious years. We are expecting our first child in March, and I'm starting this as a means of keeping family and friends in the loop about the little one.

Curious about the name? Since we've been expecting, we have been lovingly referring to the new addition as "The Bun." And there you have it.