Hello all. It's Sunday night at 10:30 and I hope that everyone is sleeping soundly in their beds. I am sleepy, but staying up for a bit with Tancy to help her stay awake a little longer to prepare for nights Monday night.

Yesterday was a good day. We got up and took care of a few things around the house, the floor, the kitchen, the laundry... you know, the usual. We were going to to go a local event at the town square, but found that Scout was trying to dig her way out of the fence (obsessively) and decided we might be better off to stay home and work with her some. She was covered in mud! So we did... and even ended up giving both of the dogs a bath, well, Tancy did most of the work, I just helped a bit.

My belly had been sore all day. The kind of sore where bending over or getting my leg up high enough to tie my shoes was really uncomfortable. I had also been feeling pressure in my bottom all day and my lower back had been tight... so generally just un-freakin-comfortable all the way around. While Tancy was bathing Scout she shook off and got me all wet and I winced. Tancy thought it was because the water was cold. When I didn't recover quickly she laughed a bit and went back to Scout. I finally told her that I had just had a pretty intense feeling and wasn't sure what it was. It was low in my belly, not all over and although it wasn't a 10 or anything to indicate something was "happening" it certainly got my attention. We had some dialogue about what I was feeling and all and then went back to our tasks.

Soon we got baths and got ready for dinner with Ty and Val. Getting into and out of the tub was a chore. Drying off was a pain. But I managed to get it all done and bitch about it minimally. I communicated with Tancy alot, mostly because I know she wants to have a good understanding of what is going on and if I describe it while its happening that's the best I can do for her. I felt tired and worn out, wanting a nap and knowing that wasn't going to happen.

Off to dinner early so that we could make a few stops on our way. Petco first for some more gnaw-gnaw bones. Walking around in there wasn't too bad, but the top of my belly would get really tight. I would have moments of discomfort where I just wasn't sure what to do. We got out of there relatively quickly and were on to our next stop, a fish and aquarium shop near the restaurant we were meeting Ty and Val at. We looked around in there for quite a bit. At first I was fine, but before long I was increasingly uncomfortable and felt the need to sit down. My leg was starting to bother me again, my back was really hurting and again, I just wasn't sure what to do.

We headed over to the restaurant and got a table. I had to make two potty runs (waddles) before Ty and Val ever got there and they were about 10 minutes behind us. I got water, afraid that I was dehydrated and that was the reason for all the discomfort. While we were sitting there I'd feel a not so fun tightness, kinda crampy, along the bottom of my belly, kind of across my hips almost... but I could get through it without really letting on. Unfortunately, if my bladder called during one of these moments I could hardly stand and walk. This made it a little more difficult to conceal my discomfort (which I really wanted to do until I could figure out what was happening... and I just wanted to enjoy dinner with Ty and Val... I also didn't want anyone getting too excited about any of it). I sent my dear Aunt Jan a message and asked her what the beginnings of labor felt like for her. (Seems like everyone I know who has had a kid recently was induced or had a c-section.) We had some dialogue but that really didn't give me any answers.

Before long I was pushing miserable and it was pushing back. I was ready to get home, be in my own environment, get comfortable and try to figure out what was happening. I did the baby step thing walking to the car, I could barely get my legs to move... I was so freakin' uncomfortable... and baffled as to what to call this that I was feeling. On the way home I do my best to communicate to Tancy what I am feeling and we decide to start timing these "things" that were happening and see if there was a pattern or anything. I had about 4 in a row, 25 - 21 minutes apart. Then there was about an hour break with nothing and then there were 6 that averaged about 20 minutes apart. We decided that these were contractions of some sort, but nothing to get overly excited about. Immediately my thoughts went to Mom & Dad. How would I know when I should call them and let them know what was going on? I was pretty sure this wasn't that time, hell, I honestly couldn't say what was even happening. But I didn't want to wait too late to call them any more than I wanted to jump the gun. Aunt Jan and I continued to exchange messages. That was a great comfort to me. The last thing I wanted to do was to get everyone riled up, or even myself.

About 11:00 I decided I had to go to bed. I was absolutely exhausted. I went to the back, Tancy stayed up to get ready for the upcoming round of nights. I had two small (what I will now call) contractions once I laid down and then one or two more in the night that were a bit more intense. After that, nothing.

This morning I woke up, the soreness, the back pain, the contractions, all gone. I called Mom and Dad to tell them about last nights events, much better equipped to tell them whats going on without any sense of urgency or question. I know it wasn't real labor, I didn't exactly think it was last night, but I just wasn't sure. We have a good conversation, Mom puts my mind at ease and I feel even better about it all now. We decided to go to Mandy's and help her out with some of the things she wants to get done before Lauren's graduation. I figured I could cut the grass for her, not too labor intense but keeps me moving around. Being out in the sunshine is always good, especially when there's a breeze. I knew that there was no way I could sit still today. So we light out and get there about 10:00 I guess?? Not really sure to be honest, I don't think it was any later than 10:00.

I get on the mower and Tancy starts helping with other stuff. There were moments of soreness while I was cutting grass and even a few sharper pains, but nothing remarkable. I took small breaks, drank plenty of water and had a few snacks. Another change in the last two - three days, no big meals, smaller meals more frequently. We had lunch not long after I finished the yard and then I took a push broom to the carport. After that, I was done. I started feeling tightness in my belly and a little breathless. My hands were swelling and I just felt so tired. I asked Tancy if after she got Lauren's car running we could go home. I was tired and wanted a shower and to just lay down. She agreed. I paced around the carport, screen porch and even kitchen for the next 2 hours. They finally got the belt in place and it was fixed. A spin around the block for good measure and we were on our way home.

We came home, got baths and got in bed (at this point, a bath is ALOT of work, not just the getting in, but the getting out... I am more worn out when I get out than I was before). We watched a bit of TV and I had a pretty "good" contraction before we settled in to actually sleep some. I guess I slept an hour, 45 minutes maybe... I got up, let the dogs out, fed them their dinner and called Mom and Dad to check in. I'd been keeping up with them by text message most of the day. Nothing big going on with either of us so its a fairly short conversation.

Tancy got up about an hour after me. We decided to take a walk. Again, I am having trouble sitting still. We aren't 20 feet from the drive way and my hands swell up like no body's business. I mean it is so bad the skin feels like its gonna split like the skin on a hot dog on the grill. I try to hold my hands up above my heart but feel ridiculous walking this way. I keep clenching my fists to try to help also, this doesn't look any less silly. We walk to the front of our road and down to another side road and then down it a piece before turning around to come back. I just can't take the pressure in my hands. Coming up our drive way is a real peach!

We decided to go get something for dinner. I don't want to cook, Tancy doesn't either... and honestly we can't decide what we want anyway! Out we go. We finally arrive on Japanese, we have a decent place close by that serves Teriyaki chicken for $4.49 a plate and its more than you can eat at one sitting. That'll do! We get dinner and head home. We actually at dinner at the table. I have been trying to make this happen more lately, especially when Tancy gets in from work. It's yummy but I am full way too soon.

No sooner than I sit down on the couch I feel a contraction. We start keeping track. We get out some of the pregnancy books just to see what they have to say about labor and contractions. My best guess is that Lillie is testing us, getting our attention... she wants to get us good and wrapped around her little finger before she gets here. I figure that this process could go on for a week or even two more, so I am not overly excited to feel a contraction at this point. I don't think that means we'll be going to the hospital any time soon, nor do I think there's anything I can do to make it happen faster (or slow it if I were so inclined). It just is. I think I've had three now, make that four, none as intense as last nights. None that last more than 30 - 45 seconds. No real pattern either. So, again, nothing remarkable.

Right now I want to go to bed. I am going to try to stay awake a little bit longer. But I think I could sleep sitting upright at this moment. I am just trying to help Tancy cause I know she really wants to go to bed right now too. I have decided, at this point, during the day if I am tired I will lay down. I don't feel the need to scrub any more. I still find it necessary to take care of the daily stuff, but no more wiping down doors and windows. I'd rather be outside at this point.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Tancy will hopefully sleep in some. Our trainer for the dogs is scheduled to come out and give us an assessment of sorts. Then Tancy will surely head off to work at about 5:30. That's when the real fun begins... what to do with myself?! That is always the question when she's on nights!

Well kids, I think that's all I've got for now. It seems like it has been such a long day. I was up at 6:15 for some reason. I've got a feeling that today wont be the last long day before Lillie gets here. So I will be off to bed soon to try to get as much rest as my body will allow me to get. I hope you all sleep well. I am sure I will blog tomorrow at some point.

Love to all!

Good morning all. It's Saturday morning, still gloomy here, at 7:30. I've been up for about 15 minutes... slept later than I thought since I was wide awake at 4:30!! The dogs have been fed and I've got a cup of coffee. I don't know what all the day holds for me... I have a few things around the house I would really like to get done, but we shall see.

So yesterday after blogging I balanced the check book and paid some bills. We both got a bath/shower and got ready. We left a little early for the doctors appointment and got dog food first. Still tying up loose ends before the baby comes. Then we stopped and got Lauren's graduation gift since we were in town and it was a perfect opportunity. (Marlie's birthday - check, Zack's birthday - check, Father's Day - check, Lauren's graduation - check.... I think that covers everything for June that we have to get a card and/or gift for) From there we went to the doctor.

First things first, leave a urine specimen for them. Then we waited, much longer than usual, but in the lobby, which is where I'd prefer to wait. I hate sitting in an exam room waiting. Anyway, they came to get us and I was in the bathroom (that's how long we waited, I had to pee AGAIN!). So finally we go back. Check my weight, one pound gain, that's good cause I have been eating like a hog! LOL. Check my blood pressure, 108/74! The nurse was even impressed. Tancy seemed to be pretty impressed too. I don't know what those numbers mean, but I gather that's really good. From there it was back to the exam room. The nurse didn't tell me to get undressed, so we probably weren't going to get a "check up". Our doctor came in and sat down to talk to us like an old friend. She must have gotten the impression that we wanted to be induced because she led in with "We wont do anything until you are 39 weeks." So I told her that we didn't want to be induced, we just wanted her to deliver. She seemed a bit relieved to know that we weren't pushing for induction. She asked if I wanted her to check me and I said not really. The way I see it, if they don't have to be all up in my business right now I'm not volunteering for it!! Not to mention, what good would it do to know I was 1 centimeter or 4? If there's no pattern to my labor it's not time to go and that would just make me more anxious. So we decide that no check is the way to go... I'll get one next week like it or not. So she feels around on my belly and Lillie's head is much lower than it was last week, like just above my pelvic bone. She says as she gets even lower she'll press on my cervix and that will start to soften and thin out, allowing it to dilate. We are making good progress really. She listens to her heart, rate is in the 130's, right where it should be. So she isn't as high, she's moving into place and we are both doing well with all our numbers. Once she finishes checking on Lillie she sits back down and we talk about what the plan is. Basically they will NOT let you go past 41 weeks, its considered too risky for Mom and baby. So, I'll go in on my due date and if nothing has happened on its own (cause that would mean there wouldn't be a need, duh!), she will induce on the 18th. If little miss Lillie wants to do it on her terms, she'll have to do it sometime between now and the 18th, otherwise they are going to evict her! Haha!

In a way its a relief (of sorts) to have an end date (even though induction on the 18th doesn't mean she'll be born on the 18th). We left the doctor feeling good about the information she had given us and like an end was in sight. Thats the trouble with the end of the pregnancy, everything seems so uncertain. You are so excited, want the baby to get here so badly, anxious to meet your child and you sit and wait. Every twinge you wonder if that's the start of labor. Every pain you get just a little excited that this could be the beginning. I try not to think about it, but I've been dreaming each and every night about her arrival. We both just want to hold our little girl and lay our eyes on her. Oh, we also might end up with another ultrasound next week to check her size. Not sure when they will decide that.

We left the doctors office and got lunch. Then off to Hobby Lobby. I needed paper for the scrap book to write my letter to Lillie on. It's done, just gotta put it in the book. I also wanted to get two wicker baskets of some sort to put diaper change/lotion in and one for the breast pads, etc. in. Their wicker baskets were 50% off so we got a good deal. Their scrap book stuff was 50% off and so were their models (Tancy decided she wanted a model), so we did pretty good. We left from there and headed home. I was exhausted and wanted to take a nap.

When we got home we unloaded everything and pretty much went straight to bed. We dozed, but the puppies were too rambunctious and wouldn't settle down long enough for either of us to actually sleep. It was fairly frustrating. Tancy got up to take them out and let me sleep, but it was too late, I'd missed my window. I put a few of the items we had purchased where I wanted them and plugged in the receiver to the baby monitor that was in our room. We thought of two more things they had told us we would need at the hospital. Dermaplast and tucks. So we decided to go out to see Mandy and Lauren and stop on the way to get those items. We are getting closer to having those loose ends tied up I think.

CVS first to get those items for the hospital and then home. Then BiLo to get some groceries, Tancy was going to cook dinner at Mandy's for everyone. Hamburgers and fries. I guess it was about 6:00 - 6:30 when we got to Mandy's. Tancy started right away. Lauren helped. At about 7:15 we ate. Home made french fries and burgers on the grill... yummy! Lauren also made the brownies we had brought. She's a pretty good kid. Before long she & Mark left (it was a Friday night). We stayed and visited till about 9:30 and then we headed home. I was tired and swelling a bit, probably from the salt in the burgers and on the fries. I was just ready to be home. It was around 10:15 when we got home, let the puppies out and then headed to bed. We watched a little TV and then to sleep. I had trouble sleeping, but Tancy was out in no time. I don't know how many times I got up in the night last night, it seemed like even more than normal. I can tell you there's alot more pressure in my bottom and just peeing when I'm half asleep seems a little challenging.

Today I need to strip the bed and put clean sheets on it. I need to just put everything back in its proper place around the house. I need to check my list for our hospital bag, I packed our clothes yesterday evening, but I want to charge the camera and put it in there and I think there might be an item or two that I didn't throw in there. I need to take a few items out of Lillie's room and empty the trash in there. The kitchen needs to be cleaned, all the trash needs to be taken out and the floor needs to be done (it is kinda gross at this point... I can't stand it). Also, we need to take the trash to the dump. So by the time Tancy gets up I wont be able to sit still any longer and I'll get started with the general picking up while she's having coffee. She'll have to do the floors and the dump run, but I can manage the rest.

Even if we go to the 18th, this is our last weekend to get a few things done... next weekend is Lauren's graduation and Tancy's family will be in town again, so we will want to spend that time with them. Not at home cleaning. Once our short list is done maybe we will just enjoy some time together, might be our last time to just soak up some us time for quite a while. There's just no telling what the rest of the weekend might hold for us. Tancy's Dad still hasn't ruled out this weekend, it IS a full moon! LOL. I said "From your mouth to God's ears!"

Well kids, I want to check on a few things online, so I am going to wrap this up. Not sure what time Tancy will be up, but I'll be getting to it shortly after that. I hope you all have a great day and enjoy your weekend.

Love to all!

Good morning all. It's Friday morning about 20 minutes before 8:00. I have been up for about 20 minutes. Tancy is still sleeping. I thought I'd take a minute to catch you up from my last blog.

Wednesday I tried my very best to "take it easy" and just hang out here around the house. I blogged first. Then I did my price comparison on the items we still need for the baby. I wrote out three more Thank You cards, one that I completely forgot about and two that came in the mail. I didn't even make it to 11:00 before I couldn't sit still for another minute. So I decided that I would go by the bank and deposit the check we had been given for the baby and to take back the items we had gotten duplicates of. So I got dressed and out I went.

I went to the bank first and then systematically worked my way through the retailers I thought things belonged to. I say thought because I wasn't sure. That is one thing I will do differently when I give a gift from here on, a gift receipt. But anyway, I was incredibly fortunate because the women who helped me, with one exception, were incredibly nice and patient and sweet. I made sure to thank each and every one of them and tell them how helpful they had been. I guess I was home around 2:00 and exhausted! LOL. But I was glad to have that done. I couldn't have made returns and shopped in the same day... my energy level isn't that high and I just get too tired right now for all of that.

I got home and relaxed a bit. Then I needed to decide what to do for dinner. I decided to create my own something special. I wanted something light and I wanted shrimp. So I opened a can of diced tomatoes and dumped them into a pan. I opened a can of artichoke hearts, poured the liquid in the pan and then cut them up and added them to. From there it was a matter of seasoning it to my taste. Once I got it where I wanted it I added the shrimp and put the pasta on to boil. Once the pasta was done I tossed it all together and VOILA! Dinner was ready. I had a bowl waiting on the table when Tancy got home. It was pretty yummy. Not overly spectacular, but it was good. We got a call from the lady that was to come assess the dogs on Thursday, she wasn't going to be able to make it, reschedule for Monday. Great! But there's nothing we can do about that. We caught up on each others day and just vegged. To be honest, I think we were in bed about 9:00 even though I think I (not sure about Tancy) was up till about 10:00.

Yesterday morning we were both up earlier than we might have liked, but we'd slept all we could and it was still about 2.5 hours later than our most recent "norm" of 5:00. Tancy had gotten sick in the middle of the night, sore throat, dry nagging cough, we'd taken care of her in the night... but this morning she felt much worse and decided to go to the doctor to do our best to lessen my odds of getting sick. So as soon as the doctors office was open we were calling. 10:30 appointment. Terrific. So we got dressed and headed out to get a bite to eat and then on to the doctor. We were there right on time and went back quickly. He thinks she's got an upper respiratory infection. Told her to give it 24 hours before starting the "z" pack if she wasn't feeling terrible (again, we went to the doctor very early... she didn't feel like shit... yet). So we left there with that script and one for an epi-pen (because of her recent reaction to being stung).

Now for our baby shopping. We went to Mooresville first to the Super Target there to get what I had price compared and found to be the best deal there... not to mention the coupons I had. We did pretty good, actually spent less than I had budgeted for (in part because they didn't have one item and in part because some items were less than they were online). The baby dyke at the register didn't appreciate us at all and was quite rude, nice! But we made it out of there alive and Tancy was still holding up well, so we were on to our next destination. She sat in the back seat and put the mirror up and the window shades... She's getting more and more excited about Lillie coming. Unfortunately, in route she felt her throat getting worse, we looked and her tonsils were covered in white spots... nice!

Babies R Us was our next stop. We just had a few things there, namely the second base for the car seat. We made short order of that and were on our way. She was still holding up well and decided that she was good with making the last stop before heading home. Tancy put the second rear view mirror up for me so I don't have to adjust the real rear view mirror to see the baby in the back seat. (We got a deal on these items she's putting up!!) We got Chik-fil-a for lunch and made our way to Belmont. I don't even know how many times I've been in Wal-Mart lately and I don't want to think about how many more times I will be before its all said and done! I only had a few baby items that I needed there, Tancy needed to fill both prescriptions and we needed a few grocery items. We meandered through the store, got what we needed and (eventually) got the hell out of there. Tancy was feeling like shit and I had nothing left... so home we went. I was glad to be sitting on the drive home. As much as I feel like I need to move during the day that's only to a point and then I need to sit... I was well past needing to sit.

We got home and got everything unloaded. Tancy sat down, feeling really awful and I started going through everything, pulling out what needed to be washed, sorting through what would go where and putting things away. She played with the monitor we had gotten and put it up for us. I knew she wanted to help more, but just felt terrible. I felt so bad for her. She put the frog that Mary got us up in the bathroom for the bath toys. It is sooo cute! She also put the humidifier together and where it goes for me. I got the diaper bag full of the "travel" type stuff that (at this point) I feel like I need to have with us when we go places. I don't have diapers packed in it yet... waiting to see how chunky our monkey is. LOL. I don't have wipes in any of the wipe cases yet either... I don't know how quickly they might dry out and I don't need them loaded and ready to go yet. I doubt that's gonna take a whole lot of time to do when I need it done. We got her a clothes hamper and didn't have to put it together, so it is in place (sort of) in her room. I have some stuff I need to take out of her room because there's still the rocker to go in there when Pops gets it here for me. But all in all, its ready for Lillie, she just needs to go ahead and decide to come out already!

So we had this and that for dinner. Neither of us really felt like much, so we just snacked on what sounded good. I text Mom to check on Dad, he'd gone to the doctor Thursday too, upper respiratory infection, he got a shot and some medicine and was feeling much better already. He called the house to see what we were up to and we chatted for just a minute. Tancy and I watched some TV, I got her some Tylenol and her regular medicine... before long we were in bed. I was exhausted and needed to be in bed, even if I didn't sleep right away. I felt like the best thing for her was rest too. I found the chloraseptic for her since her throat was so sore, got her some water for the night and we settled in. Watched a bit more TV and were both asleep by 10:00.

I was up so many times in the night... I think 4 or 5. Crazy. And every time I got up my belly hurt so badly. She must be moving again or something... or maybe all that was just from the activities of the day. I am not sure. I slept well, but the moments awake in the night were fairly uncomfortable.

I got up around 7:15 I guess, took care of the puppies and made coffee. It's just after 8:00 now and Tancy just got up and got her a cup of coffee. My doctors appointment today is at 11:40. I would imagine that we should get a "check" today to see if things are progressing at all. With all the discomforts I have been having I would like to hear that we are... but you just never know. Tancy is beside herself when she thinks about Lillie coming, she can hardly stand the wait. I tell ya, 36 weeks (because we found out at 4 weeks) is a long wait... and honestly... I don't know what part of it is the longest. At this point, I would have to say the last 2 weeks, but I might have said the beginning in the beginning. I think being this close to her arrival and waiting for it has got to be the most intense feeling though. Excitement abounds... but you still don't know when she's coming or how much longer you have to wait... We have a little more than a week till my due date, but everyone knows that date is rarely THE date. So even counting down the days till then is futile.

Well kids, I need to balance the check book, get a shower (and all that good stuff) in order to get ready for the doctors appointment and then I imagine we will be heading out before long. We need dog food and I think we'll do that first so that after the appointment we can come home and Tancy can rest some more. She said it still hurts to swallow this morning and she's about middle of the road, no worse and a little better than she did last night. So we need to stay that course. I hope that everyone has a great day today. It's currently raining here, but hopefully will clear off by noon... a little sunshine would be fantastic!

Ok, I'll try to post an update from the doctor when we get back for everyone. Try being the operative word.

Love to all!

Good morning all. It's 5:38 and I am having my coffee. It's good, but I am debating on crawling back into bed at this moment... and lately coffee just isn't enough to keep me up if I am tired. It's Wednesday, hump day for most of you. Yay! The work week is at the half way mark. For us, the weekend starts at 6:00 PM today. Unfortunately, nights start Monday. But that's what we both signed up for, so I can't complain about it.

Yesterday started with the usual routine, coffee and puppies. I worked here around the house quite a bit. I didn't do anything that really could be considered work, just odds and ends. After blogging I started & finished all my Thank You cards, thankfully! They are a necessary thing and I wouldn't dream of not doing them, but outside of telling people we love how much we appreciate them, I don't enjoy the process one bit. I also put some things in the mail to Maw-Maw. I try hard to keep in better touch with her, by phone, by mail.... but I'll be honest, I suck at it. I think of her every day, miss her every day. I don't know why I don't call or even drop a letter to her... I wish I had a reason why I am so bad about that, but I don't. I'll just have to keep trying.

Once I got those things done I got dressed and worked in the kitchen cleaning it back up and getting my big iron pot cleaned as well. I got the pot cleaned, rubbed it down with oil and put it in the oven on a low heat to get a little bit of that cure back in it. This was around 10:00 I guess. I picked up things that were scattered here and there and put them where they belonged. I wiped down the counter tops and the table.

Then I decided to go outside. It looked so pretty and the grass was so high... sounded like the perfect thing to still be productive AND get me out of the house. So I brought the dogs inside, gave them a bone to chew on, made myself a bottle of water and headed out to get to work. I cut the back yard first, moved the truck and came around to the front. I got the front yard done pretty quickly, including most of our "hill". I am more careful now than I was before I was pregnant when mowing the hill. I am certain that my ample figure is going to cause the mower to roll down the hill (this isn't founded in reality, but it makes me take extra care which isn't a bad thing). So there were parts of the hill that didn't get done like I would have liked. But the yard was done in no time. It was warm out, but the sun felt so good on my skin I didn't notice too much.

After I got all the grass cut and the drive way "blown off" (accomplished by a couple of trips up and down the drive way with the mower on "blowing" the grass in the direction it would normally shoot out cut grass.... it gets the job done!) I pulled the mower up to the fence. I wanted to rinse it off but it had to cool first. I moved the truck back around to its spot, but first I loaded all the boxes from the shower that were on the landing into the back... A very easy task since I backed the truck right up to the railing. All I had to do was tip them over the railing and Voila! There they were, in the back of the truck! After I got that done and the truck moved I swept out the carport. Everything looked really nice. I headed back inside.

When I got inside I realized how hot I was. I was dusty and felt a bit itchy and really wanted a cool shower but decided that I should try to cool down a bit first. I talked to Mom on the phone for a bit while I was cooling down. I think we've both been missing each other alot since she left here on Sunday. I considered a nap, but by the time we got off the phone I didn't have time to do that and get dinner done. So I got a shower and got dressed and sat with my feet up for a while before it was time to cook.

I boiled eggs, gonna make egg salad and potatoe salad. Then I boiled my potatoes. I took some chicken out to thaw, gonna make Bar-B-Que chicken in the oven. I mashed up the eggs in my hand crank food processor... I normally do then by hand because I like them really fine, but a dozen was a bit much when my hand is always numb. I got the potatoe salad made and in the fridge, then the egg salad. I talked to Mom on the phone again while I was doing this. Before long it was time to put the chicken in the oven and by the time it was done it wasn't very long before Tancy called to say she was on her way home.

I literally had dinner on the table when she walked in the door. We ate, it was yummy! Just what I wanted too. After dinner we vegged ont he couch for a while and then headed to the back. She got a bath, I milled around a bit and we both got in bed. She sewed my gown for me, one of the seams that I had sewn to take it up had popped. I refilled our medicine for the week. Once we settled in it didn't take long for either of us to go to sleep. I think we were both sleeping by 9:00!

I must have had plenty of water yesterday because I was up quite a bit last night with a full bladder. In between potty runs I dreamt (all night really) about Lillie coming. Like moments up to leaving for the hospital. Being at the hospital.... pretty much everything except her actually being here. I am getting so excited about meeting her. I am ready for her to decide to come on. I'm not "over it" or "miserable", I just want to see my little girl and hold her in my arms. I want to know what she really looks like, if she has hair, if she'll smile at me and know my voice. As excited as I have ever been about anything in this world, nothing compares to the excitement I feel about meeting my Lillie.

This morning I've done nothing outside of the same routine I do any other day. I have been instructed to take it easy today. I have been so tired the last two days, by late afternoon or early evening I am ready for bed. I don't have anything on my "list" to get done today (gasp..... can that be possible?!) so I will just have to see how the day goes. I am sure I can find something to get into. Maybe I'll make my list of baby things we need to get this weekend. I could probably also make a grocery list. Great! That will thrill Tancy, lists!! Haha. As long as I don't make a "Honey Do" list for her she probably wont care how many lists I make... or one for me to bust my butt on either, just for clarification. I would say after my last big list she is over it, tired of knowing I am working myself silly while she's at work.

It's hard to sit still though, physically I feel better if I keep moving. Once I stop I tend to feel kinda sore and achy. I can't explain it... but for the most part, to park it on the couch isn't usually my best option, certainly not for long periods of time. So, once again, we'll just have to see how the day goes.

Well, my brain is already turning. Jeanette asked for some pictures yesterday and I'd better get started on that... I also have more pictures to put on xanga (if I am not over my capacity). No telling what all I'll find to do!!! I hope you all have a great day today. I think its suppose to be another pretty day here.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone doing well. It's not Monday!! That's a positive, right?

Yesterday was a fairly productive day. I am happy with the progress I made. And I didn't over do it! Can you believe that?! I blogged forever it seemed, just to get everyone caught up on all the goings on of the weekend... though I am sure I left out details, there was just soo much ground to cover. After that I got dressed and got to moving.

Wow! Lillie must be getting lower because when I am sitting down my belly might feel a bit sore low, but to stand up... my belly is so sore its hard to stand completely upright for a few seconds. It feels like suddenly I've got about a hundred pounds of pressure in those muscles (that weren't very toned to begin with) and they just might give out on me. Additionally, yesterday, my leg was still giving me some trouble from that charlie horse I had (Sunday morning early). So I would limp around for a while till the soreness eased in one spot and then the other. Sitting was not my friend yesterday, I can tell you that!

So I got dressed and began to gather dirty clothes first. I got the first load of clothes going and then headed to the back to put away the spare bedding we used for Jeanette and Luca on the air mattress. That didn't take too long, just a matter of getting the step stool back out and getting up in the top of the closet to put the blankets away. I bumped my head on the frame of the closet door. Ugh!

I talked to Gary on the phone for a quick minute. He was planting some ferns for a client. He's always into something! I wanted to make sure he didn't want the center piece blocks from the shower back. They are really nice and look like a fair amount of effort was put into their creation. We chatted for a minute, but we were both busy so we wrapped it up pretty quickly. I got back to work.

I was kind of scattered to be honest. You know how you get when you feel overwhelmed by a task or tasks and you go from room to room moving things but never really accomplishing anything? That was me. I sent Mandy a text message about the blocks, she'll know someone who is having a baby shower before its all over with... I hate to throw them away. Then I called Missy. We talked for 2 hours!! I milled around the house for part of it and sat down on the couch for part... I found myself getting out of breath while trying to talk and work. It was a great conversation, I really enjoy talking to Missy. We had alot of catching up to do, obviously. I don't think there's much ground we didn't cover! And honestly we probably could have talked for longer, but we both had things to do... she was going to see the kids for a bit (they come home from their Dad's tonight) and I needed to get back to work if I was ever going to get it all done. I had made wise use of my time while sitting and went ahead and had lunch. No excuses now, get to it!!

I grabbed some 2 gallon ziploc bags from the pantry and a permanent marker from the coffee table and headed to the back. I first went through the clothes that I had folded the night before that were in the pack 'n play. I put them in order by size and kept each size separate. Next I went into Lillie's room and did the same thing with the clothes that were already in there. I kept the newborn size clothes in a canvas tote and the 0 - 3 month clothes in a drawer. Everything else got pulled out size by size. I grabbed an extra bedding bag to put the clothes in once I got it all organized (by bedding bag I mean like a comforter comes in, plastic with the zip top). I ended up with 2 - 2 gallon ziploc bags of 3 - 6 month clothes, 1 - 2 gallon ziploc bag of 6 - 9 month, 1 - 2 gallon ziploc bag of 12M and a few pieces of 12 - 18 month and 2T. The kid has 6 pairs (I think) of shoes already. She's got a ball, bat and glove (from her Poppy of course). She's got numerous stuffed animals, toys, rattles and teethers. She's got a ton of socks! She's got quite a few blankets that are really nice. My two favorites at this point are the one that her Nana Sue made her and the one that her Aunt Casie found that says "It's good to be me". I finally got everything that doesn't belong in there out of there. I have given everything a home and everything is in its home at this point. After

While I was working on that I also kept the laundry going. So when I got finished in the room I had almost all of the laundry done. Just needed to be folded. I went to work on posting pics to xanga from the shower and the weekend. I had been working on it off and on through out the day. I typed my letter to Lillie to have a copy on the computer. I need to get my paper and put that in her book. I don't know what else I might have done yesterday. Seems like I am leaving something out, but I have no idea what.

Tancy got home and had left over pizza for dinner. I made macaroni and cheese with some left over linguini noodles in the fridge. It was pretty good but I didn't really want anything to eat. We sat in the living room for a bit and at 7:30 I talked her into heading to the back. I was really tired and ready for bed. I got my bath and then she helped me to stretch my leg so the soreness from the charlie horse would ease up. We watched some softball or should I say she watched it. I tried to find a comfortable position and closed my eyes... I was ready for sleep. She wasn't far behind me. I'd say it was between 8:30 - 8:45 and we were both asleep. I think I only got up once in the night, 11:30, for a potty run and a hand full of antacids... my heart burn was excruciating. The fact that I didn't get up again means I clearly didn't have enough water yesterday. But I did sleep pretty good. My hip woke me up once, my hand woke me up another time. When the clock went off and it was time to get up I really didn't want to... I wanted to lay in bed and sleep the day away.

I didn't lay there to sleep the day away. I got up and headed in the kitchen to make coffee (I forgot to set the damn pot last night). The usual routine. I am so tired though... it seems to be more taxing than it has to be. We visit for a minute and then its time for her to go to work. Which sucks. I miss her already this morning. I'll deal, I have things to keep me busy for certain.

So today I hope to get my kitchen cleaned back up. Dishes are the main thing at this point, I just need to load the dishwasher and take out the trash. Then I can wipe down the counters, the table and the sink and its done. From there the only two things left to be done are to write Thank You cards, which I am dreading because my hand has been so screwed up lately. It hurts me alot, so I am not sure how I will get through them all.... but I absolutely have to, everyone was so generous! The next thing is to take our "return" items and try to figure out where they came from. I am not sure if I will get to that one today. Tomorrow morning bright and early will probably be better all the way around. I think I'm going to have to go in without the items, check out the baby section, look for what I've got and then come back in with what I know they have there. That's all I know to do.

My leg is still a bit sore today but not as bad as it was yesterday thankfully. My belly was sore first thing this morning... but the true test is when I get up to go to the back and get dressed, that's usually when I feel like I am going to fall to my knees.

I kept all the cards and such from both showers, so when I have time, I want to add them to the baby book. Everyone, at both showers, was so wonderful and loving that I really want to hold on to those cards. Obviously if it's just a name in the card that might not go... but surprisingly, alot of people wrote a note in their cards. I also have Aunt Jan's original drawing of the "One horned butt fish" that I want to add to the book and a few other things... so I suppose I need to figure out what I need for paper, etc. to make that happen as well. That book will be full before she gets here!

Alright kids. I could go on and on about things I want to get done... but writing about it doesn't get it done that's for sure. I'm thankful for a 4 day weekend with Tancy, but then she's back to night shift... that's really going to suck. But that's days away, so I'll focus on what we have right in front of us!

Sending you all love and positive energy. I don't know anyone who would turn that down! I hope you all have a great day today and enjoy whatever it is you have on your agenda for the day. And once again, thank you all for all the love, support and gifts for Lillie. She's already a spoiled little girl and she's not even decided to show up yet!!

Love to all!

Now that you are all caught up I can post about what today holds for me. It's already nearly 8:30 and all I have done since Tancy left at 5:30 for work is blog!! I have some pictures to post next and then I have to get to a few things... I wont say work... cause I really don't want to do that to myself today. But I do have things I need to accomplish today. Mostly, I'd like to get Lillie's room back in order today.

It was an early morning, but I felt rested, which is good. Normal routine, coffee, pups, Tancy off to work. My leg is still so sore from that charlie horse, it's amazing. I limp around the house. Which means I'll be getting dressed and putting my shoes on soon to try to minimize that.

Tancy works days today through Wednesday. Thursday we will probably go get the items we still need for Lillie (baby monitor, second base for the car seat, bottles, clothes hamper, etc.) It's hard to believe we still need anything... we truly got so much stuff. I intend to start Thank You cards today and don't know exactly how to convey just how thankful we truly are to everyone. I have to say that everyone went above and far beyond what they should have done (normally you'd say expectations, but we didn't have any expectations other than a good day with friends to celebrate our little one coming soon). I'm also not sure how long it will take me with the way my hand has been going numb and/or hurting me. So I want to start on them as soon as I can.

I have a pile of laundry (ours... I got Lillie's done yesterday) to do and the kitchen to get back in order. I don't know how much of this I will get to today, but I am pretty sure my calendar is clear while Tancy is on days, so I've got three days to make progress with it all. If I get those things done while she's still at work I'll take back the duplicate items we got if I can figure out where most of it came from, I think I can. It's amusing how many people pick up the same rattle or teether. That's predominantly what has to go back... believe it or not, we even got some of the same clothes! Maybe we aren't as diverse as we think we are.......... nah! LOL.

Outside of what's to be done around here and baby stuff, I honestly can't think of anything else I need to do... which means I really don't have much to talk about. Haha! Good thing since I've been blogging for 3 hours huh?!

I have another check up on Friday. We will see the doctor we hope will deliver Lillie and hopefully see if we are making any progress. I've been cramping, having Braxton Hicks, feeling pressure... but with everything going on it is impossible to gauge if that's "progress" or just the level of activity I've had for the last few days. Since I have at least a couple days full of things I want to get done I doubt I'll get a good gauge on it any time soon. But we will know more on Friday either way.

My goal for today, if nothing else is this: lots of water and Lillie's room put together (clothes put away where they are going to go and all other items organized). Thursday there will be a few more items to put away, but nothing major and that should be fairly easy. I think, after today (hopefully) the hard part will be done with regard to Lillie's room.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I will worry about the laundry and the kitchen. Tancy will have to do the floor, so I am not even going to think about that one right now. Mom and Aunt Jan both made it back home safely. I hope to see both of them again very soon, though I doubt it will be at the same time... that's a rare occurrence. Though I have been very fortunate to have that three times in a little over a year (more than I've had in the last 12 years)! Casie's baby shower, Mom/Aunt Jan's birthday in October of last year and our baby shower. Good stuff!

Today my heart is still full of appreciation and just completely overwhelmed with love and support. I sent out a text yesterday just to say a quick thank you, love you... and how lucky we are to have such a village to help us with our baby. We are truly three of the luckiest girls in the world. There will not be a thank you good enough to express our true gratitude to those who put the shower together and those who attended, not to mention for all the goodies we were given! So, I am sending out all these feelings of warmth and appreciation out there to everyone,  that's a good start to giving back.

I guess I need to get moving, my tail bone is hurting which means I've been sitting for far too long. I hope you all have a wonderful day. It's Monday, so I am sure some of you are grumbling at that statement, but I truly wish it for you. If nothing else, may time to go home come quickly and you have a great evening with people you love.

Love to all!

Sunday morning came just as early as the rest. About 7:00 I guess. I probably, normally, would have slept later... but like I said before, I didn't want to miss a thing.

At 5:00 I woke with the worst charlie horse I have ever had. It was so bad that I had to wake Tancy to help me get it to stop. I couldn't move! After she got it to ease, it still took me 5 minutes to be able to get up and stand, then I had a limp, it was so sore. When I got up at 7:00 I could barely walk on it. I dressed and put on shoes before too long hoping that the support from my shoes would help some.

Jeanette and Luca were up, I could hear Luca talking... a big change from most kids that stay here... usually they wake us up screaming, laughing, running, etc. Funny stuff. She's a very well behaved little girl who looks, and acts, just like her Mom. Very adorable. Like Jeanette's very own mini-me!

I think Mom was up already too. My memory is a little foggy about yesterday morning, of all mornings, for some reason. Oh! She was up because the coffee was ready. We all made our way to the living room and/or kitchen. I told Luca she needed to wake Tancy up! So Jeanette carried her in there to rattle Tanc. She was up soon. She even made Luca scrambled eggs.

We all ended up moving a bit faster than any of us wanted. There was still a bit to cram in to the last moments together and I was already dreading taking Mom to the airport. Now, I always hate to see her go, but I don't usually feel so torn up about it. It's sad usually, but it was close to devastating for me at this point. We had coffee, we talked, we got dressed, we tried not to think or speak about her leaving. Jeanette and Luca got ready and Tancy took them to the playground. Luca had been inside with too much TV and not enough activity. Mom and I cried together before they were even out the drive way good. I wanted her to stay longer. I am sure if I had pressed the matter, she would have conceded, but I just couldn't do that to her. It's not fair to guilt someone and it isn't fair to use emotional black mail either. I understand why she needed to go home, why staying wasn't a good option and although I couldn't hide how I felt I refused to make her any more upset than she already was on her own. We decided to leave the house a bit early for fear that we would either sit and squall together or clean the house. LOL.

I took the back way, not sure if it's longer or shorter, but I like it better than taking 85. Aunt Jan was at the airport already and waiting for Mom so they could have a bit of time before going home.I was respectful of that and even tried to get her there a bit earlier so they could have some time. Mom asked if I wanted to see Aunt Jan and tell her bye. I was relieved to not really have to make that decision, I knew she would already be past security. But I knew in my heart that would be the final blow for me... to have to tell them both bye... my Mom and my second Mom... that would just devastate me for the rest of the day. No way I had that in me. Mom knew it wasn't even an option and also understood why I wouldn't have been able to if it were. We talked and cried and laughed along the way. Boy did I hate pulling up to the door at the airport though. We hugged, she told Lillie bye, we hugged again. I told her to stay out of trouble with Aunt Jan. She smiled. I watched her walk in to the airport and drove away sobbing. I don't remember the last time I cried so hard over leaving family or having family leave me.

I sent Tancy a text message telling her I had dropped Mom off and I was torn up. The even harder thought, at that moment, was that I couldn't just come home and fall apart in her arms. We still had family, still had good byes to say, still had to pull it together. That ended up being a great thing... but at the time the thought made it that much harder for me. I called Pops to tell him that I had dropped Mom at the airport. He was washing Mom's car. We talked for a bit and then I got off the phone to collect myself.

I ended up stopping at Burger King to get lunch for us (Tancy, Jeanette, Luca and myself). I made it home just minutes after they got in from the park. Tancy's Mom, Jessi, Missy & Zach were there waiting on them when they pulled up. We visited a bit. They were all tired. Missy didn't sleep well... probably at all to be honest. Jessi said she really didn't sleep much either. Mrs. Sue was tired from all the running and going and doing all weekend after working all week and then the drive down. I know as much as they hated to go, they were ready to be home. I can completely understand that! They left around 11:30 - 12:00ish.

We hung out with Jeanette and Luca. They painted on Lillie's wall. Jeanette was worried sick that Luca would paint on the wall. Luca did fine. We so enjoyed having them here and really wished we had more time... we only got a little more than 24 hours with them. Though we completely understand. Jeanette made a huge sacrifice by coming... she left her 4 month old son (whom she's breast feeding) at home with her husband just to come be here for us... So as much as would love more time, how could you possibly not be overwhelmed by the gift of that 24 hours?! They left our house at about 1:15 I guess?

Still no "call" from my cuz.... I think that hurt even more than the text saying she wasn't coming... no call, no word, all weekend... Nothing to be done about it, but that doesn't change the fact that it hurts. I don't know how sick she is, if she's ok... I don't know anything...

The house was instantly still. Too quiet. I didn't want to fall apart again. I didn't want to start tearing the house apart cleaning either. So we started with all the gifts, still piled up in the utility room. I started with the gift bags. Tancy started with the big items that needed put together, or played with. LOL. She put the stroller/car seat combo together first, we were most excited to get this put together and check it out. I used the coffee table as my staging area for everything... which proved to be much too small for everything when it was all said and done! Tancy got the combo put together and took the base out to put it in the car... she came right back in for keys and headed back out. She came right back in again, she'd been stung (and yes, she has an allergic reaction). I gave her some benadryl, doctored her and she was back out to kill it! She did so successfully without getting stung again and then put the base and car seat in the car. She moved on, itching, to the next item after rolling the stroller into Lillie's room (for now).

I worked diligently on going through everything. Setting duplicates to the side for return. Items to be washed in one spot, bath stuff in another, shoes over here, diaper/lotion/grooming over there, trash (wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbons) between my knees, cards to my left, ribbon on the arm of the couch, bags folded and put behind the cards (which were in a wicker basket). I had baby shit everywhere.... which you'll probably read again in the coming weeks... only then it will literally be baby shit! Haha! Tancy got the baby to toddler rocker put together, she liked it alot and it's now by the love seat waiting on Lillie. She got the high chair out and put together, minimal work there, and put it in the utility room. She got the pack 'n play out and put it up in our room, I know it seems early, but putting it up now is part of getting the dogs acclimated to it and all the new smells. She was really feeling terribly by this time. She'd gone through all the big stuff and would normally have been going through the "toys", but was getting really drugged feeling from the benadryl and trying desperately not to scratch all the itching. I started laundry going, one full (and big) load of bedding and bath. I had all the bath stuff, toys, wash, etc., together and Tancy took it into the bathroom for me. I started putting things away, at least in the area it belonged.

Tancy ordered pizza and I worked diligently to get everything picked up out of the living room. Another load of laundry, another good sized load, on full of clothes this time. Once everything was relatively put away we let the dogs in. They had ended up being outside most of the weekend. Just too much going on in the house for them to be under foot. The pizza came and we ate dinner and relaxed. Tancy fell asleep laying on my lap on the couch. I felt so bad for her and was really quite concerned. The sting site started out about the size of a nickel. It was already swollen well past the size of a silver dollar. I had draw a circle around it with a pen in the very beginning to keep track of the swelling. At 6:00 - 6:30 I told her to go to bed. I was folding the bedding and towels I had washed and would be back soon.

When I went to the back she was sacked out. I checked her arm again, it was swelling more. I drew another circle around it. I got a bath and got in bed... found that I wasn't sleepy at all and headed back in the utility room for the other load of clothes drying. I moved the third load (red stuff) into the dryer and headed to the back to fold everything. Tancy never checked up. Around 8:00 or so I checked her arm again and it had swollen to the size of the palm of my hand nearly. I was worried and wasn't sure what to do. She said she was fine, just sleepy from the benadryl, so I just kept checking her. Before it was all said and done I got all the laundry folded and in some order to be put away. She snored most of the time. LOL.

By 10:00 I checked her again, swollen a bit more, but it was progressing very slowly so I took that as a good sign. I had done all I could do without "working" and decided it would be best if I went to sleep. Tancy's family had made it home safely, so I was happy for that. It didn't take me long to go to sleep, surprisingly.

Another incredibly full day. Love, laughter, smiles and tears. A truly amazing 4 days!

Well, the day kicked off early like the others, just not as early. I think I was up at 7:00.

Aunt Jan and Britt were coming by before the shower so that Aunt Jan could finish her painting. We drank coffee and just chilled out and had an easy morning. Jeanette was suppose to land around quarter till 9:00 and we were anticipating her and Luca's arrival. Very excited about that!

Fairly early Mom started pulling the roast that she'd put in the oven last night apart. Oh my god did it smell good! I had a taste and it was better than it smelled even!! She wouldn't let me do anything, so around 8:00 I went to get my bath. I put on some comfy clothes, no sense in putting on my shower clothes and risking getting something on my shirt (it is bound to happen with me). Tancy followed shortly behind me, but did put on what she intended to wear to the shower. While Tancy and I were in the back getting ready I got emotional. Not sure why.... so much going on maybe, excitement, anticipation, hormones, who knows really... but I felt very emotional.

Mom got ready just before Jeanette and Luca pulled up in the drive way, she, like me, put on something other than what she intended to wear to the shower. Jeanette and Luca got here around 10:00 I guess. Luca had fallen asleep once they got in the car and Jeanette drove around a bit giving her a little longer nap time. We made our introductions and took a minute to catch up and before long Aunt Jan and Britt were here. Britt was in her shower clothes as well. Aunt Jan had on a t-shirt and brought the shirt she meant to wear.

Mom was steady working on the pastalaya. It was smelling sooo good... it was almost painful. Tancy and I had a pork sandwich. Mom made rice for Aunt Jan and Britt to have some of the gravy on. A house full of women... now that's a good day... each and every one of them I love dearly and are special to me in a very unique way. My heart was over flowing, again. So far I'd had two full days filled with love and happiness... now there was another one ahead of me. I just couldn't believe we were both so lucky to have all this love, support and happiness for us and our little one. Wow. If only everyone could be so fortunate. It really blows the mind and I can think "What have I (we) done to deserve all of this?!"

Before we knew it, it was time to leave for the shower. Everyone made their way out and for 6 grown women and a 2 year old we were on time!! No herding cats, no lagging behind... it was great! We made it to the shower and I was amazed at how many people were there and at all the decorations. It was truly amazing! Again, overwhelming that all this fuss was for us. The decorations were gorgeous. Fresh flowers, packets of seeds for flowers with a "note from Lillie" to everyone, a huge table of gifts, a punch fountain, food, food and more food. It was a gorgeous day, the lake looked so inviting, the grass was pretty and green, the temperature was great... we could not have asked for a better day.

We both tried to speak and visit with everyone... that is harder to do than you might think. You want to give everyone time and let them know how much you appreciate them. Catch up if you haven't seen them in a while. Introduce to Mom's and important people... but it really is hard to do. We did our best. It is really important that everyone knows how much the day meant to us, how much they all mean to us. We played games, we ate, we opened gifts. Wow, there was a ton of gifts. I knew there was a pile... but wouldn't fully appreciate the amount of "loot" we got until we started going through it all later.

Gary and Curtis had to leave first, prior obligations. Hated to see them leave, but completely understood and was just sooo thankful that they were a part of this day. From there more friends left for other obligations, again, sad to see them leave, but thankful they made it. Aunt Jan and Britt must have left around 5:00, not sure of the time. I wouldn't see either of them again the weekend. I was sad about this most of all. But I also understand the need they had to spend some time together. I want time with my Mom when she's here and I can be stingy... Britt had been very sharing with me and I will forever appreciate that.

It was 6:00 or later when we started tearing everything down to head home. We loaded gifts in our car, Jeanette's car and Heather & Sonia's truck. (Yes, there was that much.) Heather and Sonia, Jenn & Tab, Sandy and Tancy's Mom, sister's, cousin, niece and nephew all came back to the house with us (Tancy, Mom, Jeanette, Luca and me) for pastalaya and more time together. It was a great evening. Again, the house was filled with laughter and my heart just continued to overflow with love and appreciation. Our utility room overflowed with gifts!

I am not sure what time everyone bugged out to be honest. Luca was the first to pass out... but she's two so we will let that slip this time. Haha! I know that Ms. Sue and Mandy didn't get back till about 8:00 or so and stayed an hour or an hour and a half before they all left. Jenn and Tab were the first to leave, they had lots to get done on Sunday and it was getting late. Sonia and Heather were next, I think... they had their own stuff to take care of on Sunday. Next was Tancy's family, Zach was crashed out in our bed and they had all had a very full day of getting things ready and running. Sandy stayed a bit longer and then made her way home. Tancy and I helped Mom (as much as they would allow me) to clean the kitchen up before we all headed for bed. We sat up and visited for a while, the four of us. Jeanette led the way for us to go to bed... all tired. It ended up being another midnight turning in. We were all so worn out.

What can I say, I am such a lucky girl. Three days full of so many wonderful moments! I could not have asked for more!! I couldn't have asked for less, it was that much!!

Wow, Friday morning kicked off fairly early. I woke up at 5:00 and laid there till I heard Mom get up at 6:00. I think part of it was being excited that she was here and not wanting to miss any time with her... and part of it is my routine, I'm usually up right around 5:00 when Tancy's on days.

We made coffee, asked how each other slept and talked about what was on the agenda for the day. I woke up with both of my hands dead asleep, so Mom was kind enough to feed the dogs for me. That's incredibly frustrating! Before too long Tancy was up and joined us in our morning beverage of choice. We had to be at the doctors for 9:10 and then we were free agents. Aunt Jan and Britt were suppose to come by, we weren't sure what time yet and it was too early to call or text to find out. Tancy had a physical therapy appointment at 3:00. We were pretty much hanging out at the house all day. My kind of day!!

We started getting ready before too long and were out the door right on time. We got to the doctors office a bit early and they took us right back. I thought I was going to have to see the doctor that I don't care for, turns out we got to see the midwife. I had lost 4 pounds (I attribute that "loss" to the scale the week prior being off), my blood pressure was 120/70, my urine didn't show any protein or sugar. All looking good so far... and best news yet, no pelvic exam!! Yay. Mom was back with us, wanted her to be able to hear Lillie's heart beat. We saw our midwife, asked a few questions. No concerns so it was a short visit. Lillie's heart beat was 135, right on target. Mom was up above my head, so I don't know if she teared up or not... but she sure did squeeze my hand. That made me smile. Our midwife felt around on my belly, seems little Miss Lillie has moved down some since the last appointment, so that is good! Progress! With all that done, we were outta there!

All three of us were hungry, so we settled on IHOP and then just had to decide what we all wanted. We enjoyed our visit over coffee, orange juice and unsweetened tea while we waited on our breakfast to be cooked. We talked to Pops on the phone, was glad to hear everything went well. We heard from Aunt Jan, looked like it would be 2:00 before they made it to the house... we were hoping it would be earlier, but they had things to take care of. So we would just have to wait. Our doctor called Tancy, she needs to go in for some blood work, so we got that scheduled. She also called her physical therapist to see if she could come in earlier, she could but only by a half an hour. We headed home, had one stop to make, some sort of bow or something for Mom's shower gift. In/Out and we were minutes from home.

We sat down and hung out for a while once we got home, then it was time to start on dinner for that night. I cut onions and mushrooms, Mom went over the recipe and decided quantities. Before we knew it we had a mess of food going. Once I had cut up everything and gotten Mom the ingredients she needed I sat down... it wasn't my idea, but I tried to listen. LOL. We talked and laughed and cut up. It was a great day. Soon Aunt Jan and Britt were on their way and that just lightened things further. And boy, did they come in with a mess of stuff. Aunt Jan had made these tissue paper water lily's. They were absolutely gorgeous (I kept them, want to put them in Lillie's room, just have to figure that out). She'd also brought cala lily's, tiger lily's, any lily she could find. She placed them all over the living room and kitchen. She and Britt also had on t-shirts, that Aunt Jan no doubt came up with herself, that had lily's on them with "Celebrating Lillie - May 30, 2009" underneath the flowers. I was blown away and really couldn't find the words. I am sure I must have seemed less than grateful, but I was flabbergasted. When Tancy got home she gave us each a gift... blown glass pendants, each with a lily inside and a heart shaped "dog tag" that said Lily (the lady had done this unbeknownst to Aunt Jan, which is why the spelling is different). Tancy's was a green/blue and she put hers on immediately. Mine is pink/yellow and I went to put it back in the box and got fussed at... I can't explain doing this... I tend to do it with something I really, really like... I feel like I need to save it or something. Makes no sense to anyone I am sure, it doesn't really make sense to me... but it's what I do. (if memory serves, I did that the first Christmas that Tancy and I were together with diamond earrings... bet she thought I was crazy)

Aunt Jan set about making our t-shirts like theirs and we all just hung out and munched on the dips and goodies we had spread out all over the kitchen. As a big surprise, Tancy's family (Mom - Sue, sister - Jessi, cousin - Missy and nephew - Zach) showed up alot earlier than we expected. It was just before 4:00 I guess. It was great to see them so early and have them be able to come by the house and spend some time. We had both been worried that we wouldn't have enough time with them. (Speaking of cousin, still no call from mine.) Everyone chatted and munched, it was a great evening. Around 5:00, maybe 6:00 dinner was ready. Shrimp and crab fettucini... We ate shortly after Mom said we could eat. It wasn't that anyone was starving particularly, but it smelled so good you couldn't resist. Mandy was suppose to be on her way, but at 7:15 we finally called her and she was 45 minutes from being at the house... Mrs. Sue was soo tired, she'd worked a week of midnights and had very little sleep during the trip down. So I encouraged her to head to Mandy's and go to bed... Mandy could bring the girls and Zach home with her. She decided that was a good idea... I felt so bad for her, I knew she must have been miserable.

At 8:00 Mandy did finally arrive. Wondered why her Mom left. Had been "killing time" shopping before she got down to the knitty gritty because she didn't think they were in yet. She and Lauren ate and everyone visited for a while. I guess it was about 9:30 or so when they headed for Mandy's. I had hit my stimulation limit for the day. We'd had lots of laughs, wonderful, belly laughs. We'd talked and eaten and it was truly a delight... but my battery was running out fast and I was feeling myself withdraw.

Aunt Jan was working on her "one horned butt fish". I tried to visit with her in Lillie's room some.. but also was urged (by everyone) to sit down and put my feet up. I swear, it was like having two Moms here... wait, I pretty much did! Mom and Aunt Jan both watched my water consumption like hawks, constantly asking if I needed some, how much I'd had, etc. I love them both for that. They are too funny... like I'm 12 again! Haha. They wish, that would make them 18 years younger too!! (Bet that gets a rise out of one of them... if they are reading...) Mom and Aunt Jan cleaned the kitchen up and put things away after Aunt Jan had gotten to a stopping point on her drawing/painting. I guess it was 10:00 - 10:30 when Aunt Jan and Britt left. I so enjoyed visiting with Britt. I got to talk to her quite a bit, she stayed in the living room or kitchen quite a bit, which is where I was usually parked, so it was great to catch up and get to know her a little bit, as an adult. The last time Britt and I spent any real time, we were both kids.

After they went to bed Mom put the roast on for the pastalaya we were going to have for Sunday dinner. We stayed up to help with that as much as possible, visit with her, talk about the day and just relax a bit. The roast smelled so good! Wow! When everything that needed to be done was done we headed to bed. It was between 11:30 and 12:00 by the time we all got to bed. We were absolutely exhausted. I know I have been working hard in the last week or more cleaning, but this was just as tiring... so much stimulation, all great, don't get me wrong... but I didn't have to be rocked to sleep that's for sure!

Tancy and I got in bed, talked about how lucky we are to have such great family and were asleep before we knew it. Another terrific day.

Ok, so I am going to do this one day at a time... since it seems there is too much to blog about in one update.

Thursday morning I got up with Tancy as I usually do. Coffee, take care of the pups, the usual routine. I had a few last minute things to do, fold a load of towels, make the bed, etc. Then I got in the shower to get ready to go get my family from the airport. I talked to Mom, she was excited, they were shortly on their way to the airport. I got a text message from my cousin who was suppose to come, sick, can't make it but would call later. I was heart broken. No way around it... and a text, it was a hard pill to swallow, I had been looking forward to this visit for more than two month. I allowed myself a cry about it and then pulled it together. My Mom was coming in and I was going to soak up every bit of that no matter what. Mom called again, on their way. I told her about my cousin not making it and we discussed adjusting some of the days plans. We had planned a spa day for the three of us after I picked them both up from the airport (both coming from Louisiana), so I had to take care of that first and foremost. That made me emotional again... but what could I do. Mom and I talked several times through the process of me getting ready and her waiting at the airport.

Before long she had boarded the plane and I was trying to find things to occupy myself till time to leave. Trying not to be emotional about the abrupt cancelation and limited information. I managed to busy myself without tearing the house apart cleaning something or organizing anything. I left a bit early to go get a refill on Tancy's anti-inflammatory and then I was on my way to the airport. Do you know how hard it is for me not to be early for something? Especially if I am excited?! It's nearly impossible!! I got to the cell phone lot at the airport about 10 minutes before Mom was scheduled to land. I posted on Facebook and Myspace that I would probably not post till Monday, took care of some last minute messages and before I knew it she had landed. I then began to circle the pickup area (cause they wont let  you park even for a second if you passenger isn't outside already) and before long I had her in the car with me. I couldn't believe it! Finally!! We had been counting down the days, literally, for nearly a month and waiting for this day for two months! I had already called and rescheduled our spa time, I updated her on those changes and we were off. Both in awe that we were finally together, that the day had actually made it and we didn't have to wait any more.

Our first stop was a quick bite of lunch, on the go of course, we had places to be. We left from there and headed directly for the spa. We both had massages and I then had a manicure and pedicure. We got there just a few minutes early and before long I was on the massage table letting go of all the stress of the day and days prior... relaxing and resetting. The massage was over before I knew it and I was on to more pampering. Mom was on to get her massage, deep tissue and reflexology... not exactly relaxing, but what she wanted/needed. My mani/pedi was great and I do so enjoy the people at the spa. They are all fantastic and just wonderful in so many ways. When it was all over we said our goodbyes, they all asked that I bring the baby by when she arrives so they can meet her. How sweet!

On to our next destination, a little shopping. If we'd gone home we would have surely gone sound to sleep. Mom pulled some gift wrapping out of her bag... they (the ladies and gentleman at the spa) had given me a gift... a certificate for a mani/pedi. How sweet!! Mental note, send thank you card to spa. We went to Babies R Us in Concord. Mom was certain she needed a shower gift. We shopped around and just had a good time looking at all the baby stuff there is... it really is amazing what all people come up with! I am sure you can manage without most of it. LOL. We got what she intended to get. But not before getting the one person who was socially inept to help us, unknowing that she would continue to follow us around the entire store when it was all said and done. We finally broke free, perused a bit more and then headed out.

All day long we had been texting Aunt Jan, checking on where she was and when she got in. She had some trouble with getting off the plane. They grounded some flights due to bad weather, which limited "parking" spots for incoming flights. They sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half I guess... then they didn't have her luggage. At the time we thought they had lost it and we were upset for her. She was staying with her daughter and son-in-law and they were having dinner together that night. We woudn't see her till Friday, which we understood, but were still sad about.

We were going to stop at Target to get a gift bag and I needed gas, but the bottom fell out and we had a torrential down pour. I stopped for gas, noticed the time and called Tancy to tell her that we would meet her for dinner instead of see her at home and then leave... we could eat earlier if we just met her. By the time I got gas she was on her way and the restaurant was about mid way between us. We got there just before her, the rain had let up, thankfully and went in to get a table. She joined us shortly and it felt like the weekend had now officially begun. We ordered edamame and then sushi, some predetermined and some we designed (so to speak). It was fantastic... and I do love to watch Mom eat food she loves. If you haven't experienced it, there's no describing it to you... but you know that she's truly enjoying every moment of it. After dinner we headed for home, but not before stopping to get Tancy some tiramisu. Then it was "home James". We got home and tried to settle down for the evening. The tiramisu was more like a custard, it was good as long as you didn't compare it to a real tiramisu. Make sense? We watched a bit of TV but were all fairly tired. It had been a really long day and the weekend promised alot more activity.

It was a truly wonderful day.