Bump Watch (from December, obviously)

31 weeks!

The Waiting

Well, Miss Mia was anxious to meet the world, but this little Bun is taking his/her time getting here. If I were him/her, I would stay in a nice warm place instead of coming into sub-zero temperatures too. We got over a foot of snow here last night, the most snow we've ever seen down here. We've been taking it easy, just waiting for Bun's arrival.....and there is no sign of him/her yet. We'll keep you posted! Here's a Bump Watch for you from last week (38 weeks). Sorry it sucks, but at least it gives you an idea of the large-ness!

Bump Watch! 23 weeks

(Back in October!)

Bump Watch! 16 weeks

(Back in August!)

Meet Bun #2!

We are now in week 28 of our pregnancy with Baby Gordon II.........ah, yes......having a little one to run after makes it a little difficult to blog about your pregnancy. However, I'd like all of you to meet Bun in the Oven #2. These photos were actually taken 6 weeks ago, but they still give you a great visual of our little munchkin. The one on the left is Bun sucking his/her thumb; the one on the right is a "4-d" close up of Bun nice and cozy in the womb. Is it just me, or does Bun look a lot like his/her Big Sister?! (Click on the photos for a closer look).

Out with the Old....

.....In with the new! Since the Bump Watch is now officially over, it's time for a new blog. And because I'm going to want to share pictures and videos of the little Munchkin, I've decided to restrict viewers to the new blog so that not everyone in the universe can view Mia's life on the Internet. I will be sending out email invitations to view the new blog in the next week or so, once I get around to adding every ones address to my list. HOWEVER, I will undoubtedly, inadvertently and unintentionally miss some of you --- I may not even have some of your addresses --- so if you'd like to view the new blog and don't receive an email invite, shoot me an email or give me a call. See you on the flip side!

The F%*$! Breakfast Sandwich

Before I start, let me say that in an effort not to lose readership or have anyone hurl, I’m going to spare you the Knitty Gritty Details (KGD) of our labor story. Truth be told, it wasn’t so bad. I had had an incredibly busy day at work on Friday the 30th. After work I had a work function, then a haircut, then dinner with John and a couple of friends. I went to bed at 11 feeling fine. At 3 am, it became pretty obvious to me that I was going into labor. Remember those terms we learned at our childbirth class? Things like ruptured membranes and mucous plugs? Well, suffice to say all of that happened. About an hour and a half later, the contractions started. By 8 a.m. I decided it was time to get to the hospital, but John wanted to get something to eat first. As I was waiting in the car for him to come out with his breakfast sandwich, my contractions started coming about 3 minutes apart, and to say that I was in pain is a bit of an understatement. Next thing I know, John comes out – without his sandwich. When I asked him where it was, he said, “They’re making it.” At this point, Psycho Bitch reared her ugly head and told the Daddy To Be that he’d better tell the people making his sandwich to put a f#*&! rush order on it or I would be driving my own ass to the hospital. Alas, we made it and I got my drugs, although the epidural seemed to wear off after a couple of hours. I definitely felt the entire PROCESS, shall we say, but look what we got at the end! John watched the whole thing and even cut the umbilical cord, and when I asked him how bad it was to watch, he said, “It really wasn’t that bad. Cleaning out a duck is much worse.” I feel so much better. :)

Getting to Know You

All right, I have to admit that we are totally freaking ga-ga over this little nugget. She gets cuter by the day, I swear, and she's such a good baby. We have all been adjusting to life with Mia, and Mia is adjusting to life AS Mia. She is continuously exploring, stretching, opening her eyes, smiling, crying, sneezing, peeing, pooping, spitting up, etc. etc. It's ALL GOOD. She's even slept for three to four hours at a stretch the past two nights, which was fabulous. Miles is hanging in there; he has sniffed and kissed her a number of times but it still trying to figure this whole thing out.

Please forgive me if you haven't heard from me. Everyone has been so awesome about calling, texting, emailing, etc., and I just haven't had the opportunity (wonder why?) to get back to everyone, but know that we appreciate everything and feel very loved. Mia is a lucky girl.

More soon.....I have to fill you in on the whole labor story. :)

Bun Exits Oven

She's here! Mia Catherine Gordon surprised us all by coming 18 days early. Oven Mom had just gone to the doctor on Friday and was told that she was 1 cm dilated but still had at least a week or two to go. Wrong! At 3 a.m. Saturday morning my water broke, contractions started about an hour later, we left for the hospital around 8:15, was admitted and had my epidural by 9:30, started pushing at 12 and little Mia joined the world at 12:40 p.m. 7 lbs, 2 ozs, 20 inches.

More soon!

Our Little Swiss Chard

This week, Bun is approximately 6 lbs. and almost 19 inches long ---- like a stalk of Swiss Chard (this is according to BabyCenter.com). And this little Swiss Chard is kicking away all the time. SC is also constantly putting intense pressure on Oven Mom’s bladder (I average about 3-4 trips to the bathroom each night) and causing some serious sciatica pain. But it’s all worth it, we are convinced. At this point, we’re getting very excited and anxious to meet our little Swiss Chard, and finally find out whether we’re going to have a son or a daughter! (By the way, if you haven’t wagered a guess yet, check out our online poll below). Oven Mom is also looking quite large. I’ll save the largeness for next week’s 38 week Bump Watch photo, but to give you an idea of size, here are a couple of hilarious comments I received over the weekend: “You look like a pencil with the eraser in the wrong place!” and (from an older gay gentleman): “Oh, DEAR, you must stay away from those watermelon seeds….they’re dangerous.” Vitals from yesterday’s appointment: Weight gain: 20 lbs. Blood pressure: 114/70. Bun’s Heartbeat: 128 bpms. Belly Measurement: Exactly 37 weeks. THREE WEEKS TO GO!

Weigh In

All right, darling readers, it’s time to wager your guesses about All Things Bun. You’ve come along with us this far into our pregnancy journey, so you know a lot of details and have seen The Belly grow. Time to weigh in!

Do you think Bun is a boy or a girl? When do you think Bun will be born? How much will he/she weigh? How long will he/she be? We’ve set up an online “poll” and would love to see your guesses. The person who comes closest to reality will win a prize! I’m not quite sure what that prize will be yet, but it’ll be good- you’re just going to have to take my word for it. Enter your guess – check out http://www.expectnet.com/games/GordonBun

John Lost His Basketball

….Shhhhh……..I ate it! Yes, Oven Mom is larger and more in charge each day. And often feels like an oven. Apparently your core body temperature rises (due to the baking, obviously) during pregnancy, and although I’m usually cold, these days I am often so hot it’s all I can do not to go running out of a room to get fresh air or start stripping clothes off. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. And so is this back pain! My sciatica is really killing me. It’s insanely uncomfortable, but the doctor said with all of this weight up front, it’s natural. Greeaaaatttt. By the way, our appointment the other day was totally normal – Weight gain: 19.2 lbs. Blood Pressure: 110/70. Bun’s Heartbeat: 140 bpms. Belly measurement: Exactly 36 weeks. FOUR WEEKS TO GO!!!

Spoiled Rotten

Me, Bun and Big Daddy were spoiled once again! Our Delaware shower was on Saturday, and once again people came from near and far to celebrate the impending arrival of Bun with us. And - once again - we were showered with presents, smiles and love, and it was wonderful. I'm not sure if every Mom To Be has permagrin during their shower, but I know I did. Besides all of the lovely presents and the time and effort the "planners" put into it, I left feeling like Bun is very lucky to have such fabulous people in his/her life already. Thanks, all of you, who gave me permagrin on Saturday. I know Bun was smiling too.

ABUNdant Belly

The Belly continues to grow. Hence, so does Bun. What does this mean for Oven Mom? Well, it’s been a little bit of a rough week. Preggers saw a significant decrease in energy this past week, which is hard to take. I’m not experiencing anything as bad as the First Trimester zzzzz’s, but I just hope it doesn’t get any worse. I’ve also had some sciatica, which, frankly, makes me feel old. I mean, how often do you hear someone my age say, “Man, my sciatica is really killing me today.” Not very $@#$! often! In addition, the painful growing pains, particularly in the Belly region, were fierce this week. I know it’s everything stretching and pulling and moving around – intestines included (nice thought, huh?), but MAN, sometimes I’m really hurtin’. Although I’ve gained just 20 lbs. so far, those 20 lbs. are killer. By the time I get dressed for the gym, I feel like I’ve already had a work out. If you’re curious as to what I mean, tape a 20 lb. pillow to your abdomen and try getting socks and sneakers on. Motherhood is definitely not for sissies. Alas, this is all for a good cause, and the Bun has a limited amount of time left in Oven Mom! Tomorrow is not only another shower for us (we’re so spoiled), but a month – 31 days, to be precise – from our due date! Meep!

Inconceivable!

Seriously, were our feet EVER this small? I can’t imagine. I mean, I know babies are small humans, but the size of this sock is RIDICULOUS. They are so cute, I just want to eat one. In fact, most of the baby clothes I spent most of Saturday washing were SO small, I thought there had been a mistake and people had bought doll clothes by accident. I guess I have a lot to learn. However, I did learn that there is WAY too much packaging associated with baby clothes – hangers, price tags, size stickers, those annoying little plastic things that keep things together or pinned to cardboard……it’s almost as if baby clothes manufacturers are saying, “Congrats on becoming a parent! Here’s your first lesson in patience: try to get these clothes off the hanger and into the washer. Good luck!” Seriously, I spent about an hour just getting everything de-tagged.

In other news, my co-workers threw me a Baby Shower today. I was totally caught by surprise and it was so nice to take a break from the hectic-ness and open presents in the middle of a crazy day. And eat cake. Eating cake is always fun, especially these days. It’s like, Carbs? Yes please. Sweets? Bring ‘em on. Carbs and sweets combined into one? Pure. Heaven. On. Earth.

Bump Watch! 34 Weeks (by request)

Just six weeks to go, and the Hormones from Hell have kicked in. Preggers is slightly more emotional lately. I think I stared at my belly this morning for a solid five minutes, hardly blinking, trying to decide whether to laugh or cry. I have definitely experienced a growth spurt in the belly region, and have also had some growing pains and backaches to go along with it. And WOW, The Belly is getting big. This kid is going to be huge! I can see it already: a 12 pounder for sure. And here's the really scary part: I'm only going to get bigger. Yikes! How is that humanly possible?

Due Dates

Another Doctor's appointment today, and another confirmation that our due date of June 17th is right on. I am, apparently, measuring at EXACTLY 34 weeks, which means six weeks from today, Bun should be here. Operative word: SHOULD. Technically a due date is a guesstimate, with delivery two weeks before OR two weeks after considered normal. And as much as they tell you that it's a guesstimate, your due date becomes a date you permanently fixate on, even though you know that only a small percentage of babies are born on their due date. Well, I think Bun will be in that small percentage. For one thing, most babies are born on a Tuesday. I don't remember where I read that, but I'm going with it - June 17th is a Tuesday. Secondly, one of my best friends got married on June 17th. Obviously a sign. Thirdly, the Full Moon is the 18th, and apparently a lot of babies are born around a Full Moon. And lastly, well.......I will be crawling out of my skin come June 18th, so I just KNOW Bun will make Mommy happy and arrive when he/she should. ;) Oh, and for those who are curious, Bun's heartbeat was 123 bpms today.

Pregnancy Brain

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Pregnancy Brain, let me start by saying that it is a very real affliction. It effects many pregnant women, not just blond ones, and it’s directly related to those wonderful little hormones that can wreak havoc on your body and cause everything from acne to cankles. Fortunately I have not had to deal with acne or cankles (YET), but my Pregnancy Brain is getting increasingly worse. More and more I am finding spoons where the forks are supposed to be and I have even found the coffee pot (full of steaming hot coffee) in the refrigerator. The other day I was sending out about 20 pieces of mail and luckily realized (at the last minute) that I had put the stamp on the left side of all of the envelopes instead of the right side. And just today at work, I stopped in the bathroom and put the papers I was carrying underneath the Oust so they wouldn’t go anywhere, and didn’t realize until I got back to my office that not only had I grabbed my papers on the way out, but I had carried the Oust back to my desk as well. Now, I know what you’re thinking --- How many “DUH” moments can you blame on Pregnancy Brain? Well, here’s your answer, straight from the mouth of Psycho Bitch herself: As many as I please, #*&^$@! Wait until YOU’RE pregnant, and then we’ll talk.

Spa Treatments, Hormones and Hiccups

Me and one of my preggo girlfriends decided we needed some pampering, so Saturday we spent the day getting our nails and toes done and getting preggo massages. It was fabulous. I highly recommend such services to other preggers out there. Just do what we did --- spend money you don’t have and enjoy every second of it! In other news, Preggers is slightly more psycho and bitchy these days. I’ve noticed that when I come upon Country or Christian radio stations, the urge to rip the stereo out of the car is even more intense than usual, and my patience for slow, bad and/or inconsiderate drivers is non-existent instead of low. The New York in me has come out a number of times, and I must admit that it’s not pretty. I’ve had to apologize to Bun a few times and remind him/her that sometimes Mommy uses adult words, but words that aren’t to be repeated. I’m Preggers, dammit - I have the right to be bitchy. Case in point: last night as we were falling asleep Bun got hiccups again. They were so intense that John could feel them, and he said, “How are you going to fall asleep with all of that going on in there?” Good question, Hub. Welcome to pregnancy. :)

Bun Says "No"

Well, apparently the little Whipper Snapper was not in the mood to be photographed yesterday, and was ready to fight about it. This is, believe it or not, the best photo we got, and it's the back of Bun's head and his/her left arm. The right hand is also in there - Bun is in perfect boxing position, ready to kick some ass. Alas, despite the disappointment about the pictures, Bun is doing well and we even got to see some peach fuzz hair coming in - all spikey, it was so cute. Heartbeat measured at 127 bpms and Bun weighs approximately 4 lbs. In other news, I'm ready to unleash Psycho Bitch on Babies R Us because we STILL do not have a changing table/dresser for Bun. It's a story that's too long to bore you with, but if you have a kid anytime in the near future, take my advice: DON'T ORDER THROUGH BABIES R US. They should be called Bitches R Us, or Morons R Us, or Pains in the Asses R Us. Sorry, just had to vent.