Amnios are not fun

I had an amniocentesis today, and it was painful. I had to endure two separate needles going into my belly. The first one was numbing medicine, and it stung like fire. And the second was the long one that goes into my uterus. It was a really weird feeling having something that deep into me. It did not feel good.

But its over and her lungs are mature enough, so I'm going in tomorrow morning to deliver my baby. Yeah! So the pain was probably just a preview of what I will experience, but that's okay, because I'll have my little girl to hold :) Wish me luck. I think I'll need it!

Good Baby News

I had a few doctor's appointments today, and found out some surprising information:

I discovered that I am currently dilated to a 3 and am having contractions. My doctor came in and asked me, "Did you know you were having contractions?" I was like, uh, no. The other day my stomach got pretty tight so I had to stop what I was doing, but I just thought she was moving around. My doctor told me that there's a good chance I could deliver before May 5th. I was like, huh??? I have an amnio on Wednesday, and she said that if I wanted to, and everything from the amnio comes back normal, I could come in the next day to deliver. But either way, I'm excited because they don't have to put me on pitosin right away, they're just going to break my water and see how my body reacts. Hopefully I will just go into labor. My Mom got me all excited, cause she goes, "You're already 1/3 of the way done!" That is excellent news, because recently, I have been a little bit scared of contractions (although I do understand that the pain becomes exponentially worse).

We also had an ultrasound in which we found out her weight and everything. She is 6 pounds 11 ounces, which is a little bit smaller than what I thought she would be. She was moving like a crazy woman (and I can feel every little movement). She was exactly where I thought she was. Her head right on top of my bladder. She loves to roll her head around all the time. And she was sucking on her thumb. At one point it looked like she was sucking on four fingers. And her butt is up in my ribs. I think she tries to stretch and stick her butt out, because I can feel it all the time, blocking my ability to breathe. Every once in a while she'll kick me in the ribs, but its mostly her booty.

I had no idea my body was preparing for labor. I've just been walking around, doing things like normal. It's crazy!!! But I'm excited that things are progressing and that she's healthy (and that her head isn't too big!). I am very proud that my girl is early :)

Cute Cousins

This weekend, I went to Eugene to see my little cousin Crosby's very first play. She played an Old Woman in "The Emperor's New Clothes" and she did an excellent job. It was fun to hang out with the fam.

My cousin Tyus and aunt Krista. Tyus is 13 and such a teenager, it freaks me out! He always has his Ipod on, with one ear phone in at all times.

After the play, the boys all got autographs from the characters in the play. The play had all kids in it, except for a few teenagers. So ya know, those autographs are going to be worth millions one day.

It was so cute to see them waiting, all nervous, to ask for a character's autograph. Jaxon and Nash are in this picture. Nash is 6 and was a little freaked out by my stomach. He kept staring at it from the corner of his eye.

These are the Kuykendall siblings. I sat next to Sharyl and Sandy in the play, which was a big mistake. The main character in the play was a teenage boy, who was, let's say, a little flamboyant. It was so bad that Sharyl, Sandy, and I thought we were going to have to excuse ourselves cause we were laughing so hard.

Hudson is so innocent and cute. He offered to change diapers for me and seemed very excited to do so. Hey, I got one taker! Too bad he lives in Alaska.

Like I said, Tyus is cool.

Here is Crosby dressed up as an old woman. I can't believe how old she looks!!!

I love living near family and being a part of these fun little events.

Fabiola Esperanza Cottle

I finally decided that I will be delivering Baby Girl Cottle on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. I had a hard time deciding which day I should deliver. April 30 was tempting because it was sooner and since my hands and feet have become sausages, I thought it might be nice to get her out of me. Plus, April 30th is the day that Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler committed suicide, always a nice thing to remember!

But May 5th works better for Nick's schedule and I'm trying to be a good wife. And it is Cinco de Mayo. That, of course, means I will name her something Hispanic to celebrate the occassion. Just think, this is what our little girl could become.

Besides Cinco de Mayo, May 5th is a special day because its the day that :

Christopher Columbus claims Jamaica for Spain

Napolean dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena

The first train robbery took place in North Bend, Ohio

Cy Young, as a pitcher on the Boston Americans, threw the first perfect game in modern baseball

Karl Marx' birthday

So, ya know, it's a pretty special day.

What Day Should I Deliver?

I have the choice of being induced on April 30th or May 5th. I mean, there are other factors in play, but what day do you think I should deliver? Which one is a better birthday for my little one?

B-town and Something Funny

Youtube won't let me post this, so go to this link. It's a wonderful video that will fill you with joy. Every time I watch it, I pee my pants just a little bit. My little sister informed that its "Old News," so you may have seen it already, but it will still make you happy if you've seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBC7pilGoPc&feature=related

The Last Post . . .

was in reference to two things:

1) my love of Arrested Development, and Gob in particular (pronounced Job) and his status as a part time magician.

2) I've only got approximately 3 weeks to go until she's out of me!!!

It's the Final Countdown!!!

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Easter and some more

This weekend was great. As I was complaining about being pregnant last post, this post reveals the positives of being pregnant: baby showers! Okay, well, I actually don't really like showers. I think they're awkward, and I do not like the pressure that is put on me when I have to open presents in front of people. But my wonderful friends Julia and Megan put on an awesome shower, and it was seriously so much fun. All of the women that came are just so funny, and we had great conversations about motherhood, labor, boobs, you name it. My favorite were the little boob cupcakes, and the bottle drinking contest. We stayed up way too late talking about life (which I can never do too much of). And we were a little wiped out the next day. Thanks you guys and for everyone that came that made me feel so loved (P.S. Julia - I need some pics).

Following the baby shower was a great Easter Sunday. After church, I went up to the Cottle gathering in Portland where we had a potluck dinner and a little Easter Egg hunt for the kids. Nick is a crazy busy man these days, so I was the single representative of our family. I feel so lucky to have such a great extended family of in-laws. They have always made me feel like I am just one of them. The exception to that, is of course, Marc who the second he walked in started scratching all over his body. Really funny!!!! It's always fun to be around Ann and Brandon. Ann and I are two weeks apart, so we always have plenty of pregnancy stuff to talk about. Here are some pics from Sunday.

I am trying to start getting all the cousins on board for changing diapers. Nobody seems to be too excited about it yet!

My favorite moment of the night was when Marc self declared himself a metro sexual (he's in the third picture from the bottom, wearing the 80's track suit, the baggy tee shirt, and loafers). We told him that generally metro sexuals dress slightly different, and they aren't usually self declared :)

A wonderful Easter. Next year I'll have an almost one year old. Freaky!!!

I'm Big and Bored

This last week has not been my favorite. One of my cousin's wrote me an e-mail this last week and told me she thought that the last month of pregnancy was hell, and um, yeah, I agree.

Lucky for you, I'm going to tell you all of the fun incidents I have had this week that explain my pessimistic outlook at the moment.

Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day. It was about 77 degrees here in Salem, and for those of you who have been here, that is actually pretty hot. I had two doctor's appointments that day, in which I found out that I would be returning the next day for more monitoring (as well as Thursday and Friday). The baby wasn't moving very well, and my doctor brought up that it might be necessary to have an ultrasound. I kept my cool all day because I had to go back to work. And then I told myself I wouldn't get upset because I was going to go home and enjoy the lack of rain. I was planning on working in my yard, which very much needed it, all day. I weeded for about thirty minutes and my back was about to give out. I tried starting the lawn mower, but no luck. And I lost it! I had a break down and kept telling myself, "I can't do anything!"

Since then, every day I go home after school, try to find as much to do as possible: laundry, dishes, play the piano, watch a little t.v., read blogs, etc. I know what you're thinking, "She's complaining about not having anything to do?" But the thing is, there is so much that needs to get done to prepare for the baby and do around the house. But by the time I get home from work, I'm hot, sweaty, itchy, tired, and my feet hurt. If I try to push myself too much, I either a) have a melt down b) find that I can't really move the next day or c) get a guilt trip from Nick.

And a new dilemma I discovered today: I don't have any shoes I can wear. I now understand where the whole "barefoot and pregnant" thing came from. I want to be bear foot all the time, even at work on the nasty school floors. I have started wearing flip flops, so I can itch my feet whenever I want. But I can hardly walk my feet hurt so bad by the end of the day. So today I wore tennis shoes. Big mistake! I was sweating like a pig all day, and my feet felt like they were on fire. It's really a no win situation.

I apologize for the venting session, but that's just how bored I am. Luckily, only a few weeks to go!!!