baby big foot?

So today at my appointment the doctor said "Look at that active baby! She's definitely kicking you pretty hard! Wait a minute... let me measure that foot..."
Guess how big baby dunlop's foot was...
...
...
3 1/2 INCHES!

It's freaking Big Foot in my stomach! And with Josh's hair tendencies, it really COULD be Sasquatch! I said "So is that like when a great dane puppy is born and its feet are too big for its body?" and she just laughed. I'm taking that as a yes. She definitely takes after her mother and her size 10 feet...

It's okay, honey - all the good shoes are always gone in the 6-8 size range... you'll get the pick of the litter come Nordstrom's 1/2 yearly sale... :)

another update...

I wish I could start this blog with "Every 5 minutes for about 60 seconds I'm in so much pain I can't even focus... time for the hospital!"... but that, alas, I think that's a ways off.

Went to the doctor today and she said that I'm just about where I was 2 weeks ago. WTF?? Just 2 weeks ago she said "I give you two weeks!!" and here I am in the same place?? NOW. Maybe that's her way of tricking mothers into getting ready for the baby just in case... yeah, right. But my guess is, 2 weeks ago she had wishful thinking and thought I would progress a lot faster than I am. And every mom (including my own) said "Don't get your hopes up that it will happen in 2 weeks..." and I didn't... but secretly did. And THEN one of the girls we knew from church who was due 6 days before me delivered her baby last week -- so then I REALLY got my hopes up. But alas. Here I am. Uterus the size of a watermelon and cervix the size of a pea. Son of a gun.

BUT, I'm going to change my attitude. Right now. I'm going to enjoy being pregnant. I'm going to enjoy the long nights of sleep I'm getting right now. I'm going to enjoy the extra scoop of ice cream I easily justify. I'm going to enjoy being large and in charge and having those special little kicks and rolls and jabs from our little one all to myself. Yes - I would love to be able to get off the couch without using a tow truck and for my feet to fit into shoes other than flip flops. And yes - I cannot wait to meet the little lady, but being anxious is NOT helping the situation... she'll come when she's good and ready. So there you have it. Me letting go.

On a COMPLETELY different note, there were little kittens born in our front yard bushes at some point today. Josh didn't believe me at first... he kept saying, "Audrey - that's a BIRD... it's not a kitten..." But I knew. I grew up with lots of kittens. And then we found them... SO TINY. "Mission: rescue kittens" went into effect because we thought they were abandoned but then their mama came back to feed and protect her little ones from us... just what we need around this neighborhood... more stray cats.

thinking thinking thinking...

The nursery is NEARLY there... the bookshelf is in and things are somewhat in their place. I'm feeling better now that the clutter is moreso organized chaos. It shall be all put away soonish and pictures will be posted! We have the last of the baby gear in the wash now and my house is clean-ish. I'm feeling productive! I'm thinking of having a cleaning service come through this upcoming weekend and give everything a thorough clean. We got a coupon in the mail for a discounted cleaning from an "all-green" company and I'm thinking, why not??

Other than that, we're just awaiting our precious little one... name still in the air, but we're excited to meet her and see who she looks like so we can finalize the name and introduce you all to her!

This is how I feel today...

The similarities are striking. Seriously. I'm going to post a picture of my feet soon... they look like flesh colored cement blocks attached to tree trunks.

all grown up...

So along with, you know, having a child in the near future... Josh and I did a very grown up thing last Saturday. We upgraded from our circa 1999 huge tube to a flat screen LCD tv. It was delivered Wednesday. We are officially hip.

the peanut gallery

So the peanut gallery in the back of childbirthing class (i.e. the Dunlops) had some pretty fun moments Tuesday night... It was a class full of labor videos and some pretty graphic slides. I was the only one in the room who refused to look up at the screen when they showed the baby crowning or delivering... ignorance is bliss. A couple of my favorite quotes:

"That cervix looks like a wookie..."
(as the chart of cervix sizes was passed) "That's as big as one of those throw-the-softball-in-the-hole-for-a-prize games at the carnival!"
"Don't you kinda want to go back in time and bitch slap Eve?"

Childbirth classes were very informative. Sometimes TOO much information for my ignorance-is-bliss state of mind, but Josh and I had a blast doing it together. Bring it on, baby!!

2 weeks notice...

Sooo... went to the doctor yesterday (I'm going once a week now... I've gotten to the point where the staff makes comments like, "Audrey - you've been pregnant forever! When are you due again?"... I'm a regular around the office these days... I could order 'the usual' if there were such a thing at an OBGYN...).

I had an ultrasound where she told me the baby:

• was head down - which is a good thing
• weighed about 6lb 14oz give or take based on the size of the head, belly, and femur bone
• had the head size of a 38 1/2 week old (I'm only at 36 mind you... yeah. Wasn't exactly hoping for a big head, but we'll take it. Ouch.)
• was very healthy and had was moving around like a champ

All good things, right (aside from the bobblehead factor)? THEN, after a little exam, she told me the baby was pretty low in the pelvis and she'd give me 2 weeks. I said "Two weeks until what?" to which she laughed and said "Two weeks until you don't get to sleep anymore and you have a baby!" WHAT?? 2 weeks? Now. This all comes with her disclaimer which is "I'm not the Holy Spirit so I can't guarentee it" but she's been doing it for 30 years, so she's gotta have SOME idea of what's to come.

So - time to really get ready. Finish the nursery, pack a hospital bag, and most importantly, enjoy these last couple weeks of SLEEP...

Meet Fake Baby Dunlop...

We're getting ready for baby... and that includes an Infant Care Class at the hospital. We learned how to properly change diapers, give the newborn a bath, swaddle, and many other useful things. I will admit, changing fake baby Dunlop's diaper in class was my first diaper change. In life. Ever. And when the teacher asked if it was anyone's first time changing a diaper, I was too embarrassed to raise my hand because NO ONE else in the class did. I didn't want to seem like an unfit mother and have judgmental eyes looking at me saying "wow... that poor child..."!!! Josh looked at me when she asked the question, but I avoided his stare... to which he said under his breath "yyeaaaahhh.... liar!" But I don't care. First time or not first time, I think I understand what a diaper change entails, so I didn't feel obligated to raise my hand. So there.

PS. Post class we came home and instead of going to bed (which I should have), Josh and I opened a bag and then proceeded to FINISH the bag of kettle corn from TJs. Yes. All 7+ servings of it. In one sitting. While watching Top Chef Masters. High class all the way.

i heart aiden...

I like Sex and The City, but I heart Aiden. We never had HBO growing up, so watching the full episodes of SATC is a fairly new thing for me. In fact, when it started replaying edited versions on TBS and such a couple years ago, I thought "Man - why was this on HBO?? It's not risque at all!!"... and then I finally saw a real full length episode and realized that my highschool eyes, coming from a private elementary school and somewhat sheltered junior high in a small town would have been a little shocked. Oh, sheltered, highschool Audrey. But all in good time I've caught up.

I never thought Carrie was good enough for Aiden - and as much as I loved them together, I think I just loved them for Aiden. I adore Aiden. So seeing this trailer made me really excited for late May... just because I think Aiden is so cute and great... and I love looking at the clothes that I could NEVER pull off. Maybe this will be my first girls night out sans baby?? Martini please... then pump and dump. So excited!!

it can officially happen now...

Guess who has a car seat...??!!?? Our little lady can officially come now because we can legally take her home from the hospital... although I would prefer if she'd wait a couple more weeks so we can mentally and emotionally get prepared. That, and the nursery isn't quite finished yet (Pictures to come soon!). But nonetheless, we can't wait to put our little bundle of wrinkly chubbiness in her very own seat!

PS - note to self: try putting on real clothes when documenting the growing belly. Sheesh. I promise - no more sweats in future shots... maybe... :)

heat wave!

I'm like a menopausal woman these days... seriously. No periods, cry at the drop of a hat, and hot flashes galore! On Sunday we went to church and about 10 minutes in I could feel my heart rate rise, I started getting that "I'm about to start dripping sweat" tingly feeling, my sweater couldn't feel tighter at that point, and my face was on fire!

I first attempted to move my weight from one hip to the other, thinking I just needed a position change and possibly try to get this baby away from my lungs so I could breathe... no luck.

I started fanning myself with the church program... instant relief, but didn't solve the I-can't-breathe issue.

At this point I started to breathe loudly... more like doing my pilates breaths -- Josh gave me a look like "Are you going into labor?!?"

I had to get out of there - I told Josh I just had to stand up and not to worry - no baby on its way. I got up to go stand in the lobby and just let gravity do its thing. Worked like a charm.

After a few minutes of relief I went back in, and like the large and in charge woman I am, I tried to slip into my seat which was the seat to the inside of Josh. In my attempts to do so with grace and sophistication, I knocked the man who was sitting in front of Josh in the head with my belly. Classy, Audrey. Classy.

Anyway - no pictures documenting Easter Sunday because it was grey and rainy and well, I was a sweaty beast. But here's the latest and greatest of the bell...

Josh has to push it out to keep up with big mama...

My feet look SO SMALL beyond the belly... And that's me leaning over to see them.

Growing and growing and growing...

happy easter weekend!

Chocolate bunnies, baskets with awful fake green grass, cadburry eggs... walking into CVS was like having the commercial Easter holiday throw up on me! Even with pregnancy cravings, I can proudly say I avoided all the sugar and just got my prescription and left. However - Monday is a different story. Everything is on sale, sale, sale!

This weekend will be one of relaxation and some nursery work for Josh and I. A trip to Michael's today resulted in the crib mobile parts and Josh is creating a sewing kit/box using one of the two jewelry box attempts. Since we've been home he's already sewn on his Canada flag patch onto his life jacket. Tomorrow is mobile day. We're getting crafty, people!

It's fun to think next year we'll be shopping for tiny little Easter dresses... so precious.

Anyway - what you all really wanted to see - the Easter bell... as in belly. We'll post our family Easter pic tomorrow... in our Sunday best. I know - you're on the edge of your seats...

Happy Easter!!