Week 1

Wow.

Those three little letters sum up the slew of emotions that I've had over the last 8 days.  Really, these last 8 days have gone by so fast and I don't even know where time has gone.  Baby Elliott Mae Scheider was born last Friday, July 8th at 12:34pm, weighing in 1 week early at a whopping 8lbs, 20inches.  Needless to say, Maternal Instinct won out in the end.  Even to the minute of delivery, when my Doctor asked as she was pulling her out "Dad, what did you say?" and he replied eagerly "BOY!" and then she asked me and said "Mom, what did you say?" and I replied sternly, "GIRL."  She then said, "Well, Mom wins."  That's when Scott and I lost it.  I saw the tears well up in his eyes and I thought that the Doctor was lying to me.  I simply said "Really?" and Scott simply said,  "She's perfect."  And our lives changed forever.

I should have listened to my friend's advice regarding recovery from a C-section.  Take. It. Slow. (Thanks, Robyn), but alas, I did not and hindered my recovery a few days by working myself and my body into pure exhaustion.  But, oh well.  Needless to say, I am now off a clear liquid diet, keeping down my meals, eating a nice, balanced diet so I can provide for the little one (which could be a whole other blog entry in itself!).  I won't go into the details of the delivery, or the narcotics that were needed the first 4 days.  In the end, Scott and I were blessed with a perfect little bundle.

She sleeps about 4-5 hours at a time (I know, right?) and is growing like a weed.  I can't wait to work up the energy to take some pictures to share with you....but for now, I will leave you with this one.  It's my favorite so far.

Enjoy the new blog and the adventures of the first few weeks/months/years!

5 Hours

I can't believe the day is here (for the most part I don't think this little one has turned) and in 5 hours, I'll be in surgery to give birth to the true Wonder of this blog.  Whether it's a boy or a girl, I'll love it either way and I will keep the promise that I gave on day 1 that I will love it unconditionally for the rest of it's life, no matter what happens.  For those of you who continuously ask me if I'm excited, I think I can finally answer yes to this question.  I'm excited to see the little munchkin for the first time and hear it sigh as it rests on my chest after leaving my womb.  I'm excited to nuzzle it, I'm excited to see it's baby blue eyes and I'm excited to see Scott melt when he holds them for the first time.  I'm excited to put a face and a name to the cause for my pelvic pain, hourly trips to the bathroom, cheeseburger cravings, and rib pain.  I'm excited to be a Mom and to start a new chapter in our blog.  I hope you continue to read as our lives expand and I experience Motherhood for the first time.

I guess it wouldn't be fair if I didn't end this part of our blog journey, especially since Scott has determined that I've officially swayed the pool for it to be a girl.  But, he's wrong.  I'm just saving the last few for him so now, he can relish in the fact that the old hags think that I'm having a boy.  So - at the baby shower, we did quite a few OWTs, I just haven't posted them to throw off Scott.  All but one of them said we'r e having a boy.  I've already explained about the napkin and the key, so I'll list the other ones so there are no "discrepancies" in the blog.  So, here goes -

If you tie a string to Mom's wedding ring and place it over her belly and you see it go head to toe in a  line, you're having a GIRL and if you see it go hip to hip, you are having a BOY.   This one went to the GIRL.

If you place 2 pillows on chairs, one with a fork and one with a spoon underneath it and you have Mom sit on one of the pillows.  If Mom sits on the pillow with the Spoon, she is having a BOY and if she sits on the pillow with the Fork, she is having a GIRL.  My Mom always said the baby would have a silver spoon up it's you know what and she was right...his one went to the BOY.

If you shake salt in Mom's hair, according to Romanian folklore, you will see Mom start to itch.  If she itches her nose, it's a BOY and if she itches her lip, it's a GIRL.  I went straight for the nose.  BOY.

GIRL - 19
BOY - 19

I'll throw in a tie breaker.  Since we didn't open presents at the shower and we waited until we came home, only a few people saw this one happen.  I'm a pretty impatient person, so when it comes to opening gifts, I just can't wait - which is the tell tale sign that I'm having a BOY.  If the Mom takes her time, it's a GIRL.  So, no tie here...

GIRL - 19
BOY - 20

Popular vote - BOY

GIRL - 19
BOY - 21

Maternal instinct - GIRL

GIRL - 20
BOY - 21

Thanks to all who had a part in this blog and have enjoyed reading so far...I've enjoyed sharing this part of my life and this wonder with you all and I can't believe the day is finally here.  Lots of love and thank you for all of your prayers and support.  Scott and I appreciate it and we are so blessed that you will all be a part of little baby Scheider's life.

7 Days

I'm better now.  I'm officially off duty at the hospital since the MD and I don't want to go into premature labor and have early rupture of all the goodness that's going to explode out next friday...in one week.  We'd like to prevent any chance of an emergency C-section if at all possible.  However, I'm still teaching and some of my friends think I'm crazy, but...it keeps my mind off of how our lives are going to change in 7 days.  It's amazing, people keep asking me..."aren't you hot?"  "Aren't you ready?"  "Aren't you glad that you aren't going to be pregnant for the rest of the summer?"  I simply reply - "yes, I'm hot, aren't you, it's 117 degrees outside." "No, I'm prepared - I don't think you can ever be ready for something like this." and finally, "yes."  I can't say that I want my pregnancy to be over at this point, I think that despite how uncomfortable it is to have a 7lb baby swinging from your ribcage on a minutely basis, I'm going to miss it.  I'm going to miss the comfort of knowing that this little one is safe inside my belly and nothing can harm it, even if I'm overheating to a core temperature of 150degrees.  I'm going to miss the hiccups and the monumental movements that make me shutter and wake in the middle of the night.  I may even miss the hourly trips to the bathroom.  Probably not.  I don't think I'm ready for this, but what's even sweeter to know, is that I don't think that the world is ready for the next Scheider.  Watch out world, it's on the way and it's a mere 7 days away.

7 days from now, I will be packing a bag and going to the hospital.  7 days from now, I will be holding my husband's hand while the doctor tries to get that stubborn little baby out, butt first.  7 days from now, I will be holding my future.  It's a pretty radical thought if you ask me.  But ask me again in 6 days...and we'll see how excited I am...or nervous for this life changing event.

I can't wait to snuggle the little one though and melt when I look into their eyes.

38 Weeks

I'm exhausted.  I'm in pain.  This morning, Scott and I got up at 4am (yes, 4am) to go to the hospital.  Now, this visit was scheduled, not a surprise.  Since last week, the baby had not turned back around on its own so we went in to the hospital to have some ECV (External Cepahlic Versions) done ... aka... WWF.  Needless to say, at the quote of a very good friend of ours, the baby is going to be exiting into the world with a championship belt in its hands.  Now for those of you who don't know what this is or how it's done, feel free to Youtube it - now remember, there are different videos out there and per Scott's report, It looked like the Doctor was picking up my uterus and trying to turn it around in my abdomen, like she was Heismanning it like a football.  What I felt (thank goodness I was sedated to a point), was the doctor reaching into my bowels and picking out my different organs to sell on the black market - and she was just moving the baby out of the way to get to them, it wasn't painful, just very awkward and uncomfortable.  Since the baby is so high on my ribcage and my abdomen is so tiny, the baby moved maybe 3 hours on a clock, from 11 -> 2.  She wanted it to move from 11 -> 6 so it could go head down and I could try for a vaginal birth.  No such luck.  Upon 20 minutes (the longest our Doctor said she's ever done these movements), she gave up.  The baby was NOT going to move and it was plenty comfortable laying in my abdomen as if it were laying on the outside of my belly, prone.  Stubborn little child, I wonder where it gets that from...

Now, the doctor gave us the option of returning at 39 weeks to have the ECV movements done again and I politely declined.  If I'm supposed to have this baby vaginally, it will turn in the next 10 days and if not, it will be born into this world, kicking and screaming from my lower abdomen.  Something tells me that the Doctor will win this fight and Scott and I will be parents next Friday, July 8th, 2011.

I'm going to go back to sleep now so I can try and get some rest to go to work tomorrow.  I'm sorry that there is no OWT for you and you'll hear from me sometime next week pre-Ceasarian.  Thanks for all the well wishes and positive thoughts!  10 days!

37 Weeks

37 weeks, yes, 3 weeks left.  Or, maybe 2.  Today, Scott and I went to see Dr. Sodoma on our second weekly visit to see if the baby is ready to go...and it's not.  I'm not dilated, I'm not effaced, in fact, I'm breech.  I'm not breech, but the baby is sitting on my bladder and cervix with its rump.  Dr. Sodoma was none too pleased with the "violent" turn the baby took at some point in my uterus.  Apparently, it likes Hotel Scheider too much to want to come out, so it flipped and basically gave us a big protest.  Stubborn like their Mother.  So, where do we go from here?  Well, next week, we have to see if the baby turns itself around and I have to keep a close monitor on how much the baby moves.  Seeing as though the Dr. states that it takes a pretty significant amount of energy to move a full 180, she's anticipating that I'll have to be admitted sometime after the 4th (probably on the 5th) have some maneuvers done under sedation to get my muscles to relax and if she can't turn the baby or it goes into distress - out it comes at 39 weeks via Caesarian.  I guess we will wait until next week to see what happens.  My thought is that the baby just likes the sound of Mom's heartbeat.

So, I owe you an OWT - this one has to do with the shower as well.  Since I've had both my baby showers, the book states that if you get more Green clothing, it's a BOY and if you get more Yellow clothing, it's a GIRL.  I got far more green items (probably since there aren't a whole lot of yellow animals besides ducks - I will give this one to the BOY.

Girl - 18
Boy - 17

36 Weeks

I'm getting lazy.  Super lazy.  I'll just put it that way.  In fact, as I sit here writing to you, my husband asked me "did you do your blog this week?" I replied, "No, I'm lazy, and I'm doing it right now."  See, even he notices how lazy I've gotten.  Work has become a workout for me since I'm still lifting in the hospital and I really haven't gotten any restrictions (yes, I'm crazy and still working 9-10 hour hard days) and nice evening walks around the complex have become my routine when my husband can pull me off the couch.  Still, I'm only up 30 lbs and don't have the room in my stomach to try and gain more.  I don't have the room in my lungs to take a deep breath when I freak out about what's about to hit us.  I do however, get a lovely melody strummed along my xylophone of a ribcage when Baby Scheider feels the need to play a little tune to get itself to sleep (which BTW is the weirdest feeling I've ever felt).

I'm now on weekly OB visits and this week my OB advised me that she will not be around for the actual due date, so I'd better go early.  I was thinking - trust me lady - I'll do my best.  When I was in her office, her MA, who shall remain nameless due to my opinion of her gave me an old Mexican wives tale (OMWT).  She said to me, "Shari, you look pointy."  I said, "well thank you, what is that supposed to mean?"  She said "You're having a BOY."

I'll take the crazy MA's opinion and give the boys the point for the week.  Only a few weeks left until Baby Scheider arrives!

Girl - 18
Boy - 16

35 Weeks

I can count the number of weeks left on one hand or one very swollen foot.  It's gosh darn ridiculous.  I'll just put it out there that my hands and toes have completely turned into sausages and are none too attractive despite the pretty pedicure and manicure that I had done last week.  Thankfully, I visited an Orthotic clinic with some old colleagues and they hooked me up with some lovely compression stockings - watch out Bea Arthur.

So, this past weekend, I had the joy of hosting some of my very dear, dear friends here in Phoenix and they were so gracious to throw me a baby shower.  Now, I must confess - I've only been to one baby shower in my life, and it happened to be my own.  Just so you all know, I am in the process of sending thank you's (well, writing them out) and they should be in the mail shortly.  If I were seriously motivated and had full range of motion in my hands, I'd try and make them myself, but since I can't barely make a fist, pre-fab cards it is.  It makes me sad since I love card making, but it will have to do.  I had a truly wonderful time and I can't thank my friends and family enough for such a wonderful weekend.  I miss them already and can't believe that the next time they see me, my life will have completely changed.

At the baby shower, my wonderful co-host, Stephanie, came up with the brilliant idea to perform some of the OWTs to help me out with my blog.  For those of you that were there, you saw them in person, but I'll be recapping them, two at a time for the next three or four weeks and then thanks to Mindy (who recently had little baby Benjamin and is flourishing in motherhood) - I have a special blog treat for the last 10 or so days of the blog.

So, the first of the two tales, Stephanie had me pick up a flat tissue off of the table.  The OWT states that if the Mother grabs the edge of the tissue, she will have a GIRL and if she grabs one of the corners, she will have a BOY.  Well, I grabbed it right on the nearest corner, which means that I will be having a BOY.

The second of the two, Stephanie made me pick up a key, which I grabbed by the base as any normal person would do so (honestly, who grabs by the teeth?).  The OWT states that if the Mother grabs it by the teeth, she will have a GIRL and if she grabs it by the base, she will have a BOY.

They're gaining on us...

Girl - 18
Boy - 15

Thanks again for a wonderful time on Saturday, to all that came.  We can't wait for you all to see Baby Scheider!