I guess I spoke too soon...

Hi everyone!

Well I don't have much time so I'll be brief. My Mom was suppoes to arrive around 11:30pm tuesday night. He plane was delayed and she thought she would be here around 1:30am. She arrived at 2:30am and I felt a little crampy. By 3:00am the cramps seems to get stronger and subside and I layed down and timed the time from start to start. After an hour they were averaged to about 5 minutes apart. I called triage at the hospital to ask a few questions. Since it was my first pregnancy they said it could still be a long time. I woke Chris up at 4:30 to time them for me. They were increasing in intensity and the spacing was correct for me to think about heading to the hospital. We ran around trying to get organized and packing stuff to take.

We arrived at the hospital right about 7am. They checked me and I was 2-3cm dialated and told me to walk te halls for an hour and they would check me again. We walked 40 minutes and I was really in to much pain to go on so the triage nurse checked me again. I was at 5cm. 20 minutes later I was at 8-9cm and it became clean that I would not be getting an epidural or any kind of pain medicine. They wheeled me down a floor to a birthing room and nearly right away I started to push. An hour later our daughter was born.

At 10:22am on Wednesday,July 20th 2005
Iris Evelyn Farrer Bukrey was born.
7 pounds 5oz.
19" long.

and did I mention... WITH no DRUGS! Chris was a life saver with helping me breath at the pointin my life when I was the most terrified. All the nurses said I was very lucky that my labour went so fast. I did not feel lucky at the time.

I'll write more when I have time... and I'm less of a zombie. This is such a Huge transition for me especially.

Look forward to talking again when I get adjusted.

-Sarah

Pregnant pause...

I'm pausing... waiting for an indication to move on. And waiting. And waiting.

I've had a recent increase of this particular symptom that I'm not at all fond of. What is it??? Well, the uncanny ability to choke on whatever I'm drinking or my own saliva when I am laying down. I'm not sure why the brain is getting messages to open up the lungs while I drink a glass of water but wow is it ever annoying.

I read the threads at the birth board I have been going to for nearly 6 months and these crazed pregnant women are all gung ho on taking castor oil and different herbs trying to induce labour and have their babies early. While I would not have minded having this baby a little early, it's now so close that I guess I just wait and see. Over reacting about every little symptom blah blah blah. Not all of them are like this mind you, but a lot are really losing their minds.

I really don't like leaving the house for public places now. People stare, I feel awkward and huge. God help anyone that dare say something like that to me though. I can't say whether they would incur my wrath or my tears. I'm all over the place. My Mother arrives late tonight. I hope that goes smoothly. I hope she doesn't say anything to upset me as I am a tad on edge.

I also have some pregnancy ADD going on. For example, I have a DVD on pause while I write this. A while before that I paused it while I talked to Chris on the phone for a bit. I need to vacuum and do some last minute tidying before my Mom arrives.. But I can't really get myself to do it yet. So I keep floating back and forth from laying on the sofa trying to watch this movie. I'm not into the movie... I am coming to the conclusion that it really isn't that good. Any one else have an opinion of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"?

To top everything off, all I got in the mail today was a phone bill. Not even junk mail for me to shred. My mom has to return her rental car to Rockford tomorrow. I really don't want to drive on the highway alone... Well at all if I want to be completely honest. I am going to see if Chris will miss part of his work day to do it. I'm just to pregnant, hormonal and distracted to take my first venture out on to the interstate.

Blah. Off to do something, for a little while at least. Then, maybe more of that movie.

Ugh, I just choked on my saliva again as it tried to swallow. ( Insert scream here)

Negative is positive.

Well, my 24 hour urine test came back fine. No hypertension, no pre-eclampsia. Again, I didn't figure I would.. but I did sort of did enjoy the tense waiting. I did not enjoy carrying a trough of pee down to the fridge 4 times in the middle of the night.

I think I might go weed a bit in my "wildflower" garden. ( where I shook out a bunch of packs of seeds.) I guess a stinging nettle went to seed last year or the year before and there are tonnes of them, and the dreaded burdock mixed in with the flower seeds. I'm also out of cereal, which may require a trip to the store. Plus.. I could stop by the thrift store and look at baby clothes. I'm a little paranoid that the baby will surprise us and not be a girl, especially since we went and bought pink gingham curtains and various girly stuff. It would be a bit of a pain, but I would be equally excited about a boy.

I don't think I have anythign else interesting to report. I have trouble getting to sleep, my hips hurt so I have to keep switching sides and... much to my chagrin. Chris tells me I snore. *gasp. I guess it's a new thing, he said I just started. I don't know if it's from the air conditioner or the fact that Ladybird cuddles with me every night now.

Well, I'm off to do somethign else for a while...

-later

Feet up, or else.

I'm cut off. I wasn't allowed to go to work today, I'm supposed to rest until the baby comes. My blood pressure is up, not like scary high, but a bit higher than I am usually. So, I'm supposed to elevate my feet and relax and drink water etc. I have to do a 24 hr urine test which involves me saving all my pee for 24 hours in a jug in the fridge. You know, next to the yogurt... Followed by another dr's appointment on Monday. Probably it's nothing, but they are making sure I don't have gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia. If I end up having pre-eclampsia then they'll induce me. Which I would not mind at all. Mostly I think that I have really bad swelling in my feet, ankles and legs and they will like the fact that I won't be on my feet for 4 or 5 hours at a time. I shouldn't be on the computer either. I should be on the sofa with a book.

I doubt I have either of the things they are testing for, but I will try and do what my mother-in-law says and enjoy the peace and quiet while I can. If only I didn't have to get up so often to pee...

The new car bad luck.

When I bought my first car, shortly after leaving my husband and moving in with my Mom, I was very excited. The first day of it being mine I went out to drive to work and discovered that my brake light was dangling out of its case in the rear window and that the top part of the shifter thing ( that's a technical term right?) was off of its stick. The light popped back into its case, and the shifter handle popped back onto the shifter. No harm done, and I don't recall either happening again.

That was in May 2001. Fast forward 4 years. Divorced, sold car, moved to the US, remarried, buy house, get pregnant and finally buy second ever car. Saturday, filled with new car high, so anxious to get plates etc and relearn how to drive. ( It has been 3 years!) Chris assures me that no one will tow my car away for not having plates. He will go get them some time during his time at work and put them on when he gets home.

I set off a little early, it is the day after a long weekend and the book drop at work overfloweth. I pull over a block and a half from the Library deciding if I want to just go park in the lot. (We aren't supposed to, except after 5pm.) I decide that since I'm pregnant and my car doesn't have plates that I should park in the lot. I pull away and go in the lot. I pick a spot in the far corner further away from the library and I leave a spot between me and andother car just incase I forgot how to park straight. I am nearly all the way in to the space when I hear an awful sound like something falling out of place. I turn the car off and step out to see what was going on. I herd the hissing immediately and knew from a previous flat tire that something had punctured the tire. So, there was this 4 ft long piece of aluminum rod with a "T" at one end wrapped around the wheel well. I am upset, thinking about the previous new-car-bad-luck. I call Chris and ask him to stop by on his way to work to look at it. He arrives and gives me hugs as I burst into hormonal tears because I have a flat tire. He gave me the number for roadside assistance and then heads off to work. I called road side assistance and spent ages on hold then ages answering questions only to be told that because I did not have plates on the car that they would not be able to come help me. This was followed by another call to Chris in tears about how they wouldn't come fix the car. Blah blah blah. Chris went early to get the plates for the truck and brought them just in time for me to be done work. Called teh roadside place back and they came ( 45 minutes later) We found out he couldn't put the spare on because I'm missing some key to unlock the tire from the truck ( it's underneath) so we get towed to a tire place just a few blocks down on Main st. Thankfully the puncture was in the tread and could be repaired. This meant that we spent $12.50 instead of like $200 for a new one. Chris didn't go back to work. We went for some lunch, in our separate cars. The I went and pumped my own gas for the first time in years! ( I love pay at the pump).

My car makes odd noises when I make hard right or left turns. I'm not worried yet.

Sorry it was SO long and probably boring, but wow was it ever traumatic for me. I was so distracted at work and ugh.. it was just an awful start to the day.

Invasion of the JULY people.

There are sure a lot of people I know with birthdays in July. Nikki on Sunday, Kev today and then the myriad of by marriage family, my own mother and my cousin Todd. Now, barring unacceptable tardiness on the baby's part, the new baby as well. We would really like it if the baby would come on the 15th. My mom's birthday is that day and she was born on her grandmothers birthday. (I'm sure I have mentioned that before.)

It's been raining all day. Thunder storms from very early and then on again off again humid tropical rain. I really hope it is finished for the day so we can watch fireworks later. I LOVE fireworks.

OK... so it is now the next day. I'll try and wrap this up.

They set off fire works down the road from us at Dunkirk Park. It's the only time of year people park on the street by my house. We go out in the canoe on the river to watch them. There are no obstructions, just fireworks exploding in the sky framed by the trees on either side and reflecting in the river. I have no idea why more people don't do this. Some of you may remember that I'm supposed to have a baby in just over 2 weeks, so getting in a canoe is a little challenging. We agreed that I would get in the canoe on shore and then Chris would push the canoe in. Well, the river is really low, and full over broken glass and other various trash from the last 100 years. Also, the bank is steep. Being pushed into the river ends up more like pushing the tip of the canoe into the river. No water actually came in the canoe, but I screamed and was trying to keep balance and pulled a muscle in my stomach trying to steady myself. After the fireworks, getting out was no better. he pulled the canoe half way out and it was so tippy and unstable I freaked out again and walked like a crab backwards over my canoe seat to get out. That wasn't easy and I am really not very flexible, but there was no freaking way I was going to let him try to pull me all the way out the way the canoe was tipping back and forth. I am terrified of that water. I hope it never comes in contact with my skin, who know's what might happen to me.

Stayed up too late, slept horribly. Just wait till the next post.

PS: I was balancing the checkbook yesterday and I could barely write anything in. My middle finger and ring finger are numb all the time. I assume it's from the baby cutting off circulation or something like that. It's awful and I want it to stop.

Vroooooooooooooom vroom!

I'm I wasn't so darn tired I would totally be doing a happy dance. Instead I just have a permanent smile. We bought me a car today! Well, technically Chris' parents bought me a car since they financed it. BUT! I have a car now! I just can't drive it all weekend because I need plates. So, the new car is not really a car.. but I can't stop calling it that. It is a 1993 Toyota 4-Runner SR5 V6 3.0 l 4x4! I had no idea I would ever own a 4x4. Chris keeps making these comments about how scary I'll be to people in my off roading truck. ( ha. ha.)

We went out for dinner last night to the Mexican place. I had a virgin strawberry Margarita ( read slush) and garlic shrimp. Wow, I think it was the best thing I have ever eaten there. I didn't even care that I dripped maraschino cherry juice on my shirt. I have never spilled so much as I do now that I am pregnant.

Today, besides buying me a new (old) car, we dropped some books etc off at St. Vinnies and then went in to shop. We bought a bunch of baby clothes and I got a pucci print maternity top. I sort of question the wisdom of wearing a pucci print while being so pregnant... but Chris liked it.. so it made me feel better about it.

I am pretty sure I had a contraction last night. Just one though... it made me stop walking and sort of double over. But I suppose I won't know for sure till I start having a bunch of them together.

Must go snack now...

Bye