leaving behind a good era...

...and this era i speak of...is the era of pregnancy! this is the last day that we will be a household of three. after much stubborn-ness by schweitzbaby two, i will be going in bright & early tomorrow morning to be induced. at my last visit with my doctor on friday, after a much painful week, i clearly am at a point where this baby has to come out. however, my situation was that he's sitting up high still due to a lot of water blocking the cervix. this is not a bad thing, it just meant that unless i experienced some major contractions to move that little guy down...his head was not going to break through the water & launch me into labor. so...this time, very much different than the first run around. oliver said "forget this" & was ready to move a week early & this little guy says "ummmm no i think i'm good right here...forever mama".  and believe me, everyone who gave me suggestion after suggestion, i tried everything to get contractions going...the spicy food, the bumpy car ride, the walking around, the other stuff...and to no avail. it just was not going to happen.

so with the lack of naturally happening contractions, i will be introduced to pitocin early monday morning. and hope that we proceed within a timely manner =) i'm nervous about it, but only b/c it's not happening the way that it happened the first time. i trust that my doctor will get me through every step just as my previous doctor & hope that we can safely get our new little guy here as soon as possible! we cannot wait to meet this guy...this little guy who i can't wait to squish in my arms & to kiss his cute stubborn little forehead. mama & daddy...& brother olly are ready!!! we love you already & hope for safe travels tomorrow. *sigh*

stay tuned...

i'm at a loss of ideas...& yes...still pregnant!

the last week or so has been very interesting. i never NEVER thought that we'd see this baby's due date come & go {february 19th for the record}. i was checked last friday & had started to dilate, at about a 1-2 cm. things were looking soft & good & if i could only start having more false contractions...it would help move this little monster down into position. the doctor felt the top of his head for crying out loud...so how much further could he possibly need to move?! well...i've only had 2 rise & fall contractions that made me second guess i was actually going into labor. but that's been it! i feel him moving around in there just loving belly life. i'm pretty sure i heard him muttering his daddy's famous last words "no one tells me what to do" =) this baby is milking every last second he can savor inside of my broken down body. and so i'm convinced that he's not going to come out until he needs help writing his resume.

well that leads me to my status. and broken down pretty much sums it up. i've had to take time off of work b/c i physically cannot handle sitting for 8 hours a day at a computer. i can't do anything for 8 hours a day, except not go into labor! if i sit or lay for too long, my hips go numb. if i stand, my back is locked up. if i recline in a chair, my breathing is oddly constricted & i'm gasping for air. i can't walk waddle around for long periods of time unless i want to head straight into back transplant surgery. my restrictions are getting more & more restricted each day. and i can't decide if i'm mentally ready to go through this either. i had my head in the game about 2 weeks ago when i "just felt" like this was going to happen & now...i feel like i've checked out. so i'm sure this whole experience is going to hit me like a freight train when i least expect it & i'm not going to have much time to react. 

oliver has overheard us talking so much lately about his little brother getting out of my belly that he now will talk about it too. i get frequent points to my belly with a "brother out" command. he even tried to convince little bro that we have cookies out here. as he showed my belly his treat & repeated the word "cookie"... very convincingly i thought, but nothing. and if oreos aren't going to coax this little rascal out of me...i don't know what is =)

other news. we had a nice valentine's day. roses. candy. tator tot casserole. ha...i'm not even joking about that. spending time with our most loved. and i'm not gonna lie, i had a 1/4 glass of wine. oooooooh & i wanted the rest of the bottle so badly =) 

this past week has brought about a lot of home renovation progress too! the floors are all complete. and after some adjustments to our original designs, and with the help of jolin carlson's delivery service, we are so grateful we could meet him to pick up a vanity top that fit. b/c we purchased the wrong size, because mike ordered our new vanity in a non-standard size...anyway...we are excited to say that by the end of today...TODAY...we can officially move back into our house! you hear that schweitzbaby...we will be back in our own house...so it's okay to come out...it's really okay =)

his days are numbered...

...in this belly of mine. aside from wanting to evict this little human from my body...he has been very loyal to his bumpa's words. mom & dad return back to the united states tomorrow night. which...i know that still leaves plenty of hours for him to decide to show up, but i'm pretty confident, he's going to wait.

we went & did some last minute baby & oliver supply stocking tonight. also, made a quick stop at lowe's for a vanity top & faucet. an odd purchase. i felt like i was on one of their lowe's commercials that talk about doing home renovations. a sense of accomplishment. i mean, i turn thirty in 3 months, so i'm completely fine with buying 'grown up' stuff like a boring old vanity top. our cabinet showed up today & mike is doing backflips w/ all of the fun stuff he gets to do this weekend. good thing uncle tate will be here too =)

i wish i could get up quick enough to take a photo of my belly right now. baby's body is balled up all the way on my right side making my midsection look like one of those floaty "blob" thingys that you jump on & launch another person flying through the air into the water.

just some random thoughts & updates as my mind races along...anticipating launching into labor. but i should get some sleep. i cannot wait to meet you little man! and neither can your big brother & daddy! we love you so much already!

let's have a baby already - - ---

here's a quick baby & mama readiness update for you all:

i have been deemed 'full term' as of yesterday by my doc...

i immediately came home packed my bag...for real this time!

schweitzbaby two is approx 6lbs 9oz - packing on 8 more oz than his big bro already...which makes sense, considering mama has packed on more lbs than with his big brother also!

i don't know the exact #s, i'll have to check that archived info in o's baby book...uh...which reminds me....

i don't have a baby book yet...& the second child syndrome takes a hit already!

so that reminds me that i need to hit up ruby love designs on etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubylovedesigns

it was such a cute book for oliver!

little man is in good position, as in head down, however, he is also sunny side up - not impressed with that...but could possibly turn down before he decides to move {at least i am hoping}.

mike finished the kitchen floor sunday - but we haven't cleaned the dustiness that was left behind & moved everything back into the cupboards...any takers?!

i have been having daily contractions still. mostly at night, but today, with all the new baby updates...i've had them all day! i have never felt like such an unpredictable mess ever in my life!!!

baby stays very active...very very active. co-workers get a kick out of sitting next to my belly during meetings - it's a constant focal point of distraction.

so that's the quick update...& as always, stay tuned...it's about to get messy!

a daycare dilemma.

so...many things have evolved for us in the past year. and one piece of the evolution that made the transition into 'once again' iowa living was the security of a dear friend watching oliver. the fears of leaving our baby with someone were absent. the fears & the questions & the anxiety that would have surely come with leaving our dear baby with someone else for the entire day were never present! and i {we} have been so grateful for that. until...we received some very sad news the other day. our friend, through much personal debate, has decided to pursue other options. thus, leaving the daycare scene. enter...heart sink & panic & an uncontrollable craving for vanilla pudding & oreos! that craving really happened...but this is definitely a very serious serious matter! and we love LoVe LOVE our "zee zee" as oliver refers to her as. and we are happy for her to embark on a new opportunity. it's hard to make decisions that change not only your life, but others. so we support her decision 99.99% =) because days with "zee zee" will definitely be missed!

not gonna lie...if you don't already know this, holstein is not exactly the land of much opportunity...for anything. don't get me wrong, you can thrive here. but you have to work at it & drive at least 45 minutes to experience cuisine other than french fries or a store that is open past 11 pM. and b/c of this...we are at a loss for options in daycare. and we now have one month to figure out where...oh where...will our babies spend their days?! the urgency. the anxiousness. the skepticism. the trust issues. the urgency! my mind is swirling for an answer. every suggestion or idea of someone who could possibly take over has been squashed thus far. so we continue to search & develop options...but we're running out. it will be interesting if we can pull this one off. i am allowed 6 weeks of maternity leave. and within this 6 weeks is when our "zee zee" will be discontinued. so we've got to find an answer!

an answer?

an answer?

any answer?

stay tuned to this dilemma! crap! but life is moving on despite...i experienced contractions a night ago that had me convinced that i WAS SERIOUSLY IN LABOR. i laid in bed, as michael snored away in dreamland...wincing & just anticipating my water breaking. i didn't time them, i didn't care...they hurt...& i couldn't move. and for an hour this proceeded. and then POOF...they were gone! skunked again!

i think mr. oliver said he had a book report due early monday morning...

aside from the dilemma...michael is so close to finishing the kitchen floor! and it looks good...can't wait to share! we've decided to continue with some additional changes in the kitchen now that we know what the floor is going to look like. but, once the kitchen floor is finished...we have tile, the bathroom & then moving back in! i know that i keep dwelling on this story...but it's kind of a big deal. we're still up at my parents house to avoid toxic fumes. and we have the house to ourselves for the next week. my parents had previous to our pregnancy news, scheduled a week-long mexico vacation. and after our announcement of new life...my mom has been nervous nervous nervous about me going into labor while they were gone. which would be okay, i mean, what are ya gonna do...but i know that it's such a special time, that they just don't want to miss it. so...we'll see if schweitzbaby listens to bumpa's request to "stay in there" until they arrive back in the u.s. 

a pregnancy nuisance...

...that is what i have deemed myself tonight. it's stories like the one i'm about to share with you, that just reiterate the fact that pregnancy is 50% humorous & 50% miserable. at least, this is how i'm choosing to define this pregnancy. and it's also the reason why i'm blogging...b/c my original plan to clear my racing anxious mind backfired on myself...& when you read on, literally...all over myself.

so, i've packed two 15-lb bowling balls in my abdomen that have found a home on my 'i swear i just peed everything out but i'll go again' bladder. these two bowling balls have also recently sprouted limbs that have lodged themselves up into my ribs. i do remember this happening the first time around. it must be a special place for our little baby arms & legs to go. so...to try & relieve some of the aches & pains, i've been ritualistically taking baths. numerous numerous baths. and usually these baths are relaxing, however, as of late, they are about as difficult as finding a dream job in holstein iowa - oh! did i blog that out loud?! anyway, tonight was no different & i ran a bath...i turned on the overhead heat...i added some relaxing-smelly bubble bath...i grabbed my book & only dreamt i had a supersized bottle, i mean glass, of vino next to me. as i wedged myself into a semi-comfortable/acceptable position, i opened my book & began reading. took a deep breath & could feel some of the tension release.

but about 9 minutes into it...i heard the door crack & little tiny toddler feet tapping across the floor. then the shower curtain exploded open...and there stood my little olly muffin. he told me that daddy was 'sleep'...which explained his explosion into the bathroom. he had found the exact moment to escape & came rushing in to see me. i then just laid there, helpless & unable to pull myself into a seated position for fear i'd drop my book into the water or a baby out of me. oliver threw every toy he could find on top of me...and then mike finally came rushing into to rescue me from hurricane oliver. aahhhhh silence & relaxation & pain relief again. but, like i had mentioned before, i am a pregnancy nuisance & decided to shift myself...only to end up dipping my just started book into the bath water! i laid there frustrated & then soon realized that i was peeing. my bladder had been doing so good...being surrounded by water all this time behaving itself...& then, it lost focus & i did it. i was trying to wrap my mind around what was happening as i peed in my own bath water! okay! bath time was officially over. and i'm just not sure that the baths are all that relaxing anymore =( until i gain some control back, i may be on bath time sabbatical.