Poor Griswald...

Today we found out that Griswald has to have surgery! He somehow tore the ligament behind his knee. This is equivalent to a human’s ACL. I took him to the vet last week because we were concerned that he was getting arthritis in his back right leg. The doctor thoroughly checked him and said it could be the start of arthritis but there was no definite way to know. The other possibility was that he pulled a muscle. We’ll it turns out the he had a slight tear in his ligament and he completely tore it yesterday when we let him outside in our back yard (darn squirrels!).

As if we don’t have enough going on in the next few weeks – now our poor little pup has to have surgery! He looks so pitiful walking on 3 legs. Honestly, I think it bothers us more to see him like that than it does for him to walk like that. He’s not in too much pain; in fact he still wants to chase squirrels!

Gris at the lake

The Big 3-0!

Well today is the day - I can no longer say I’m in my twenties. It’s official…I am 30! The good thing is that I haven’t had too much time to obsess over it since most of my time as been dedicated to planning for Camden’s arrival. And honestly, why should I obsess over it..right? Not all things may have gone exactly as I planned in my twenties but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I have a wonderful husband and we’re expecting a little miracle soon. I have great friends and a wonderful and supportive family. In the end, isn’t that what’s most important. Things change, people change, interests change - Everyone's life plan deviates off course at some point. What matters is that we make the most of the journey. With that said, I’m making a thirties resolution to myself. I’m going to take life as it comes, enjoy myself, and spend as much time as possible with my family and friends and try to enjoy every moment.

Here’s to turning 30!

36 week checkup - 2 cm!!!!!

I just had my 36 week checkup and I’m dilated to 2cm! Now I know in the grand scheme of things this doesn’t mean much. I can be dilated to 2cm for the next 3 weeks. But to me this means I am one step closer to meeting my little boy! It means that this pregnancy is coming to an end and a new exciting chapter is about to begin.

Over the past two weeks Brian and I have completed two classes: Labor and Delivery and Baby Basics. The Labor and Delivery class, although helpful and informative, scared me! Not that I was oblivious to the fact that I am going to be in great deal of pain when labor actually begins but to actually see the video of women giving birth freaked me out a little bit! The class however relaxed Brian a bit which is good. This will allow me to freak out when labor begins. This past Tuesday we attended the Baby Basics class. We had a quick lesson on bathing, swaddling, diaper changing, and CPR etc. Although changing a dolls diaper is nothing like changing a baby’s diaper, I think this class also helped Brian feel more comfortable. I can’t wait to see him change our little one’s diaper!

Our final class is the breastfeeding class. We’re planning to attend this on Monday. I’m a little nervous about breastfeeding. The idea of it makes me a little queasy to be perfectly honest. I hoping this class helps me to relax a little but we’ll see. It’s better for my baby so regardless; I’m going to give it a try.

That’s all for now. I can’t believe Camden’s due in less than a month!

Hospital Tour – done!

Last night Brian and I were able to mark another item off our “Before Camden Comes – To Do List”….. Hospital Tour – done!

We’ve decided to have Camden at Dublin Methodist Hospital - It the newest hospital in Columbus/Dublin, the hospital closest to the house, and the hospital my company helped build. Although the person giving the tour wasn’t very knowledgeable about the entire maternity floor the other nurses were very helpful when questions were being asked. At one point not many questions were being asked and the nurse did seem to understand why. I spoke up and mentioned that it was probably because most of us have no idea what to expect. From then on a couple of the veteran mom’s started asking questions…Questions I wouldn’t have even thought to ask.

I was a little disappointed with the size of the actually nursery. It looked like it could hold maybe 3 babies and there was no rocking chair. Most of the hospitals I’ve been to have a fairly large nursery and a rocking chair for the nurses to use when caring for the newborns. The nurse said it was because they encourage mothers to keep the babies in the rooms. Brian and I had already planning on keeping Cam in the room most of the time so I guess the nursery shouldn’t be an issue anyway. It just bothered me a bit.

As for the rooms – they are amazing. They are equipped with two TV’s – one for me (the larger one) and one for guests, a refrigerator and wireless internet. They have recently installed computers for the patients use but we’re not sure if they will be up and running before Cam is born. The room is also arranged so guests can stay in the room while the doctor is examining me. The entire hospital has so much sunlight and the décor is relaxing. They even have an outdoor garden on the maternity floor that we can use during our stay. I’ve attached some photo’s of the hospital where our little one will be born. Next step - Labor and Delivery Class!

I can’t believe he will be here in less than 2 months!!

Lobby

Collage of pics...

Shower Weekend

This past weekend was fun and definitely went by too fast. Friday, my mom flew in from Arizona. Brian picked her up from the airport and I met them at our house around 11am. I hadn't seen my mom since last September so this was very exciting and emotional. I started crying before I even opened the door! It was so nice to be able to spend time with her. Friday afternoon we went to Babies R Us and to pick up the gifts from my mom and Dennis. They got us the pack and play and the car seat for Camden. Friday night mom was exhausted from flying through the night so we stayed in and fell asleep early.

Saturday, the day of the shower, we all woke up around 6:30am. Brian started working on the yard and mom made breakfast. Now, I usually don't let guests cook but my mom makes this very tasty gravy that I absolutely love so she made that while I made the eggs....yum! We headed over to Keira’s for the shower around 2pm. I am so blessed to have friends and family that care so much for me, Brian and Camden. We had people drive in from Indy, Lorain, Xenia, Decatur, and Toledo. They all drove so far, I wish I could have spent more time with them. Keira, Cindy and Laurel did an amazing job planning the shower. The food was great, the decorations were beautiful and the games were fun. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The one thing I wish I would have done is take more pictures! I took my camera and tried to take pics of everyone there but missed a lot of people. I only have one picture with one group of friends and a picture with my mom. I wanted a pic with me, mom and Terri and one with me, Keira, Laurel and Cindy and with my friends from Indy and it totally didn’t happen. Come to think of it, I would have like a picture of the bunch bowl too. Anyway, I really wish I would have had more pics taken (Missed you Maya) but other than that, the shower was amazing. We received so many wonderful gifts. Thank you everyone!

Sunday was fun…at least for me. I got to organize Camden’s room! I woke up early and started going through the gifts. I showed Brian everything and started sorting through the clothes first (all 0-6 mths are cleaned and put away). While mom and I were “organizing”, Brian put the glider together. It looks great in the room. Brian actually almost fell asleep in it. There are still a few things we need and part of me wants to go out and buy them now, but we still have two more showers (work and neighborhood) so Brian said I have to wait!

Here are some pics from the weekend! Thanks again Keira, Laurel and Cindy for planning such a wonderful shower. And thank you to our friends and family for your love and generosity! We are very lucky to have all of you.

Mom and I

The Girls

The Glider

The boys helping out

32 week checkup...

Cam and I had our 32 week checkup today. Everything is still on schedule. I did voice my concern regarding my swollen feet and my numb right hand but my doctor said it's normal. Her only concern was my hemoglobin level. She has asked that I take iron supplements throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I guess I expected this. I've always been borderline anemic...I was just hoping the prenatal vitamins would be enough. I also asked about swimming at the Lake Cottage and traveling to the lake through July 13th. She wasn't concerned regarding the swimming or the traveling which made me happy. She did however say that she wouldn't recommend us traveling after that. My weight’s good and Cam’s heartbeat was around 150…higher than last time but still good. Now we start going to the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe how fast the past 7 months have gone by.

So this week I found myself doing something I thought I would not do…I bought a swim suite! I have to say, I feel more comfortable in my pregnancy suite than I did in my bikini last year and I think I look better too! I love it. I love my belly! You may not be hearing those words 8 weeks from now but for now…I LOVE MY BELLY!

I’m so excited for this weekend. My mom flies in from Arizona tomorrow morning. Brian’s picking her up, taking her to our house so she can rest before I get home from work. I’m taking a ½ day so I should be home around 11am. I’m so excited to see her. Although we talk every other day or so, I haven’t seen her since September! I think she’s going to be shocked when she sees my belly. I think there will probably be some tears too. She’s seen pics but it’s much different in person! It’s nice, I get to see her this weekend and then for a week after Cam’s born. Very exiting!! I’m also excited because my shower is the weekend. That means I get to see some friends and family that I haven’t seen in a while which is always nice!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Just an update on what’s been going on…..

First - My sister-in-law, Maya is coming to town this weekend to take our pregnancy photo’s. I’m so excited. She’s such a great photographer! Anyway, if anyone’s interested in having photos taken…Seniors, families, babies, etc., shoot her an email at mayacrev at yahoo.com and maybe you guys can get something scheduled. Here's her personal blog if you want to take a look....
http://www.laurentfiles.blogspot.com/

As for the update....
This weekend I had a chance to spend sometime with friends. Friday evening Brian and I headed over to Keira and Brandon’s for a cookout and then I headed over to Stephanie and Ben’s Saturday evening for Ben’s birthday party. Most of our day Saturday was spent organizing the garage and taking care of the lawn. We have so many small projects do get done before Cam’s arrival and not much time to finish them. Our 1st free weekend isn’t until July 18th and most of our weekdays are filled with other activities such as B’s volleyball games, pregnancy classes, and naps for me! Sunday, Brian and I picked up Hannah for the afternoon. We headed to the park for a picnic which was nice. I love being out in the sun even when it’s hot. After we ate (in the shade) I sat on a swing for a while as Hannah and Brian had fun playing on the slides and other things they had there. After the park we headed for ice cream not realizing that it would take us 45 minutes to find an ice cream shop! It was worth it though! All in all, it was nice and relaxing that went by too fast.

As for the start of my week…Monday afternoon I was rear ended while on my lunch break. A very minor accident I must add. I was stopped at a red light and a lady hit me from behind. She was only going maybe 5 miles per hour. Luckily there was a cop right beside me so things were take care of fairly quickly. Our jeep wasn’t damaged by the lady’s hood was smashed in a little. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I got out of the car and she saw my belly. She just kept asking if I was okay. Anyway, Cam and I are fine and so is the Jeep. As for today, I have a sore throat and my feet are extremely swollen. They were better the past couple of days but today…HUGE!!! I’m definitely retaining a ton of water! I am however, looking forward to going to B’s volleyball game and relaxing my feet in the sand!

Hope everyone is having a great week!