Scattered

There are soooo many things I want to write about. Aside from how in love we are, the top three things are: breastfeeding, the dogs, and our uncommonly good newborn. Where to start?

How about the dogs, since the dog in question is currently looking over my shoulder as I type. Remember Dobby?

Yes, that's me, pregnant and clothed, sitting in the bathtub with Dobby. Don't ask... :)

Dobby is our 90+ lb, neurotic Weim. Back in February, we hired a well-known dog training company to a) help us get the dogs ready for a baby and b) help us with Dobby's craziness. While the guy has really helped us with a lot of things, Dobby's behavior managed to stump him.

Dobby gets obsessed with things. One day while the trainer was here, he was obsessed with the ceiling fan. I took a video of him running around like crazy, the trainer took it to his meeting the next day, his bosses sent it to to the big kahunas. Bottom line: in the 50,000 dogs the company has trained world wide, they've only seen one dog act like Dobbs. And that dog had to be put down. Brain tumor. We're kind of at a loss with him right now. He needs lots of medical attention we just can't afford at the moment, but we can't put it off much longer.

I bring all this up because, like I said, Dobby gets obsessed with things. He likes to stand and stare for hours, like he's doing right now with the computer screen. And one of his current favorite things to stare at is Cate. I'm sure you can imagine how I like that. Usually he just stares and then runs around the house in circles, then stares again. But he has been known to stick his nose in the fire (literally), and occasionally tries biting the washing machine. I don't want him to think Cate is like the washing machine.

The other two dogs are handling Cate pretty well. Winky pretty much ignores her, and Kreacher just wants to sniff her all the time. I'm pretty sure Kreacher thinks she's a squeaky toy. Her hiccups do make her sound like one. :)

I'll stop here for tonight. Other topics can wait. But before I'm done, would you please check out this gorgeous girl? I'm amazed by her.

It's a bit blurry, but she's totally flipping the camera off. HA!

Why, Hello There

I have so much to say...

But every time I sit down to write a post, my mind goes blank.

All I can think to say is that I have the most beautiful and perfect daughter in the world.

I'm afraid you're going to get a lot of that.

I would like to tell you about her birth. How she screamed for the first two hours of her life nonstop. How her left collarbone broke during delivery.

I'd like to tell you about her first week home. Her three visits to the pediatrician for jaundice. Her sleeping on her daddy's chest.

I'd like to tell you how I'm doing. How much harder and cooler breastfeeding is than I expected. How much I love being able to type right now with my leg on the compter desk. How much I currently hate how my belly looks.

I would like to tell you what my mental state is like. How there are times when I am completely overwhelmed with amazement. How there are times when I am completely overwhelmed with fear. How last night was the first night since we've been home that I didn't get out of bed every time I woke up to make sure she was still breathing.

There's lots I would like to tell you. For now, please accept these very small bits of info. Hopefully my mind will slow down enough for me to coherently write a post or two or three. For now, know that I am amazed and in love.

Oh Baby. Cate is Here!!!

Welcome the arrival of Catherin Vaughn Winkler. 8 lbs 11 oz. 21.25 inchs.

Today's To-Do List

• Sleep Late on our last day without a baby. Ha. We were both awake by 5:30, and as it's 6am now, I think this one didn't work. Too worked up, I guess.
• Eat a big breakfast, since the hospital expects me to not eat again for 8 hours. I'm going to have to call them on this one.
• Get a pedicure and an eyebrow wax. Maybe the rubbing will set off labor and we won't have to induce tonight.
• Clear off the clutter on the dining room table, even though we don't eat in there b/c the chairs still don't have seats.
• Put seats on chairs? (Ha. That one probably won't happen.)
• Clean up floor in closet, so I can actually put the clothes from the laundry room in the closet. (Pathetic, I know.)
• Try not to freak out.

It was so weird going to sleep last night, knowing that the next time Jeff and I sleep in that bed, Cate will be in her own, 2 feet away.

It's going to be a really, really long day.

Finally, something definite.

I went to the Stockyards with my 4th graders on Friday. Saturday and Sunday I walked. A lot. (At least it felt like a lot to me!) I went to work yesterday, but decided that mental health-wise, I was done! I took today off (even though I wound up spending an hour and a half there) and took the rest of the week off too.

I went to the doctor today and....I am dialated! Only a centimeter (and a wiggle, as Dr. P put it), but it's finally something! She also took some measurements of the kid, was surprised how much she wiggled the entire time, and was surprised how long her leg is. (She could only get one, with the movement.) She also thinks that Cate is about 8 1/2 pounds, and doesn't want her getting any bigger. So, if she doesn't come on her own tomorrow, we begin induction Thursday night!

It's such a relief to have something definite, a date and a time, even if it's just when I check into the hospital. However, it's awesome (and terrifying) to know that I will have a baby in my arms by Saturday. Mostly terrifying, now that I think about it....

39 Weeks

How far along? 39 Weeks

Total weight gain? 25 lbs

Symptoms? Oh, not much. Just a humongous belly that gets in the way of EVERYTHING I try to do. Oh, and lots of heartburn. As if I could forget that.

Stretch Marks? Lots and lots and lots...and lots.

Sleep? It's shot. I was sleeping pretty good until last week or so. Now I'm not sure why I bother.

Best Moment last week? I'll tell you that at the end of the post. :)

Movement? She has been extremely active. I keep telling her if she's just come out she'd have plenty of room.

Food Cravings? nope

What I miss? Just being able to sit and lay down comfortably. And not peeing when I sneeze.
And being able to sit for more than a minute without some appendage falling asleep.

What I am looking forward to? Her arrival. We're so close.

Milestones? I made it through the TAKS test and the Stockyards field trip.

How is Daddy? As ready as I am. Not sure if it's because he's excited to meet her or just tired of me complaining. :)

My best moment last week was in the car in our driveway with Mom and Jeff. Jeff checked the mail (we only remember to once in a blue moon) and in the huge pile of stuff was a red envelope with our names on it from California. Jeff was stumped, since we don't know anyone out west. It turned out to be the sweetest card and gift ever from Foxy. A card that left me (and the others, I think) crying, and an adorable bonnett made from an antique handkerchief for Cate.

Foxy, thank you so much. I don't really have the words to tell you what it means to me. I'm going to hope you just get it, like you so often do.

I am headed out to do lots of walking tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed.

UGH

So, I was fully prepared to go in to my appt today and hear something along the lines of "why yes, we will induce this weekend." Instead, I got a call saying that Dr. P had to do a surgery, and did I want to reschedule or see the other doctor. Since I'm headed to the Ft. Worth Stockyards tomorrow with the 4th grade, I elected to see the other doctor.

What a mistake.

She was incredibly rude. She didn't understand why Dr. P would have scheduled an ultrasound to measure the baby, since that would take a whole half an hour. We explained that she was concerned about fluid and size, and the other doc just blew it off. She did agree to check the fluid (it was fine), but that was it.

I am still not dialated at all, she didn't tell me if I was any more effaced. (She also didn't tell us the heartrate, which annoyed me.) I did manage to gain 2 centimeters of belly in a week. (That's up 4 1/2 in 2 weeks, when you're supposed to gain 1 a week.)

I really wish now that I had rescheduled and just done my best to be there. I really wanted to talk with Dr. P about how uncomfortable I am, how I can't even wipe myself on the toliet without doing crazy preggo contortionist acts, how tired and emotional I am...

Oh well. Tomorrow I'm 39 weeks, and I plan on doing a LOT of walking. Bring it on.