False alarm!

Well, we had a bit of a false alarm yesterday, something I'm sure every new mom-to-be experiences. In the morning, I felt some cramping in my lower abdomen. I ignored it and went about my day until I got into the office and felt my entire midsection tightening up (was it those pesky Braxton-Hicks contractions again?) I called Jon, who told me to immediately call the doctor. Apparently, he's much more well-read than I am and he was afraid that I was experiencing signs of early labor.

So I called the nurse who, of course, tells me I have to go in within the next hour or so. Jon picks me up and it's immediate panic mode (for me anyway). I hadn't even packed! So I threw a mish-mash of clothes in my bag (realizing on the way out that I had forgotten to pack underwear) and we went --or flew, rather -- to the doctor's office. You know that saying, the waiting is the hardest part? Nowhere does that ring true than the waiting room. We waited for damn near 40 minutes. The entire time, I was thinking, "Holy cow, we haven't cleaned the house. We haven't washed his baby clothes. Hell, we don't have anywhere for him to sleep!"

Finally, they called me in. They do all the routine stuff (I'll spare you the details) and then hook me up to a fetal monitor. Sure enough, I was having some contractions, but not the real kind. And his little heartbeat was really fast at some parts, but the nurse assured us everything was o.k.

So it appears we've officially experienced and survived our first fire drill. But the whole experience really drove it home for us. We went that night and bought a mattress for the crib, just in case. And we did start doing laundry. I'm happy to say we're all done washing his clothes and blankets for the first couple of months.

Oh, and we found a glider and ottoman on Craigslist for only $35. A remarkable deal, if you ask me, considering these ugly rockers usually go for $130 and up.

And you know, regardless of the chaos surrounding this whole drill, we were both really, really excited at the possibility of our little guy finally coming into the world. We feel if he were to come sometime soon, we're somewhat ready.

We're still looking for a bassinet, however. But I'm ok with that. At least he'll be clothed, warm, and most importantly, loved!

Sign of what's to come?

The other night, I was woken up by a strange feeling. Normally, I’m awaken in the middle of the night by Jordan’s kicking and flopping about, but this time was different. In fact, it hit me so hard, I literally gasped and sat up in bed.
It was a Braxton Hicks contraction, or rather "practice" contractions. And man, did it feel weird! Kind of scary, in fact. Not that it hurt, it was just unsettling.
For all of you non-mothers and guys out there, it sorta felt like how it feels when you’re about to puke, only across a wider area. So my entire midsection tensed up for a few seconds and then it went away.
I made the mistake of telling Jon that very moment and of course, he couldn’t sleep for like an hour afterward. Neither could I, to be honest. And we were both thinking the same thing – holy crap. What are we gonna do if I go into labor sooner rather than later? We still don’t have anywhere for our kid to sleep (the crib is in pieces in the guest bedroom closet), we haven’t washed any of the infant clothes that we have, and we still don’t have the basic-basics, like baby lotion and stuff. We don’t even have an infant carseat, which the hospital won’t let you take your baby without.
Now I know some of you will say, in the Pioneer days, they didn’t have any of that fancy stuff and they made do. Well, we’re in modern times, people. And I’m a control freak. So unless every t is crossed and every i dotted, I won’t rest easy.
But we did make some progress—we ordered the carseat yesterday, and I went ahead and ordered some hospital outfits! Baby steps….

Best baby shower ever!

Man, these past couple of weeks have flown by. We just had our baby shower last weekend and it already seems like an eternity has passed.
We had a great time and it was so good to see everyone! The weather was a bit hot. In fact, I'm sure it hit 100 degrees at one point! But with all the great friends and family there, it didn't even matter.
In the days leading up to the shower, the gifts started rolling in. First to come was the much-talked about (and anticipated) Uppa Baby stroller, courtesy of my parents. The minute it came, Jon immediately put it together and soon thereafter we went outside like total dorks and took pictures. I'm sure our neighbors were wondering what the hell we were doing. One elderly couple even stopped to see if they could take a picture of the "three of us," thinking there was an actual baby in the stroller.
But really, the best gift came on Friday. I had a week from hell at work and was so busy I barely had time to breathe. It was so bad, I had Jon run an errand for me Friday afternoon. He called me when he was downstairs to come pick up whatever it was I had him get me and my bestest friend in the whole world Krista greeted me! Turns out she flew in from Florida to surprise me! And man, was I surprised. I really had no idea she was planning on coming to Austin. And it turns out Jon, Dave AND Lisa and Darren were in on it! Given my intrepid reporter skills, I can't believe I didn't see this coming.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend. We really couldn't have asked for more!