Updated Pool Results...

Listed below! (We were missing a few)

Really, Cleo.... AGAIN?!!

Everytime I turn my back, she hops back in! I've kept the door shut to the nursery for some time now and, since I'm stenciling today, she wants to check everything out. Needless to say, she is making herself RIGHT at home. ARGH!

I can already tell this is going to be a problem. She looks waaaaay too comfortable.

STENCILING.

IS NOT EASY AND REQUIRES THE PATIENCE THAT A HORMONAL 10 MONTH PREGNANT WOMAN DOES NOT HAVE!!!!

And yes, I am 10 months pregnant today. 40 weeks. yay! I made it. Now get this baby out of me!!

Oh and another thing- why are crib sheets so hard to put on!?! And why, as soon as I get them on, I leave the nursery for 1 minute to come back to the cat lying in the crib!?!? Now, I need to wash them again and put them back on!!!!

Can you tell what kind of day I'm having!?

Baby H Pool Results!

Ryan and I put together a little pool, just to make things interesting (as if they aren't interesting enough!) and here are some of the results...

MOMMY (Cara)
SEX...GIRL
WEIGHT....8LBS 6OZ
LENGHT...19 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....1:05 PM
DATE OF BIRTH....11/2
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH (Ryan made me put this)

DADDY (Ryan)
SEX.....GIRL
WEIGHT...7LBS 7 OZ
LENGHT...22 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH...2:03 AM
DATE OF BIRTH....10/24
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

NANA STEWART
SEX...GIRL
WEIGHT...9LBS
LENGTH...21.5 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....1:05 PM
DATE OF BIRTH...11/3
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: BEATLES

GREAT AUNT STACY
SEX....GIRL
WEIGHT....6LB 8OZ
LENGTH....20 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....11:23 AM
DATE OF BIRTH....10/23
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

UNCLE CHARLIE
SEX.....BOY
WEIGHT...7LBS 4OZ
LENGTH...19 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....11:09 PM
DATE OF BIRTH....10/23
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

GREAT NANA & GREAT GRAMP DENISON
SEX.... GIRL
WEIGHT....8LBS 6OZ
LENGTH...21 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....1:00 PM
DATE OF BIRTH.....10/15
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH (I'm guessing that my grandparents didn't really put this... something tells me that these answers are fixed, Ryan!)

AUNTIE ERIN
SEX.....BOY
WEIGHT.....8LBS 2OZ
LENGTH...20 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....6:15 AM
DATE OF BIRTH....10/24
BABIE'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

POPPI HOHERD (or as the baby will call him, Mark or Coach)
SEX....Boy
WEIGHT....8lbs 3oz
LENGTH....20.5 inches
TIME OF BIRTH...1.27am
DATE OF BIRTH....11/1
BABIE'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

GAMMIE HOHERD
SEX.....GIRL
WEIGHT....8LBS 4OZ
LENGTH...21 INICHES
TIME OF BIRTH..9:57 PM
DATE OF BIRTH...11/1
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: BEATLES

GRANDPA STEWART
SEX...... BOY
WEIGHT..... 9LBS
LENGTH..... 21INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH..... 1:OO AM
DATE OF BIRTH..... 11-1-10
BABY H'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP? BEATLES

GREAT AUNT BOO (or GABY)
SEX...... MALE
WEIGHT..... 8LBS 3OZ
LENGTH..... 20 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH..... 1:13 PM
DATE OF BIRTH..... Oct. 30TH

GREAT AUNT CARRIE
SEX....GIRL
WEIGHT...8LBS 4OZ
LENGTH...20 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....10:30 PM
DATE OF BIRTH..10/31
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

MADDIE
SEX....Boy
WEIGHT...7LBS 14OZ
LENGTH...21.5 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH....9:26 AM
DATE OF BIRTH..Oct. 25
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: GRATEFUL DEAD

ANDREW
SEX.... GIRL
WEIGHT....8.5 LBS
LENGTH...20 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH...10:00 PM
DATE OF BIRTH....11/5
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: PHISH

GREAT GRAMPS HOHERD
SEX... GIRL
WEIGHT... 7 LBS 1 OZ
LENGTH... 20.75 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH...10:30 PM
DATE OF BIRTH... Oct 31

UNCLE PETER
SEX... BOY
WEIGHT... 8lb 8oz.
LENGTH... 22inches.
TIME OF BIRTH... 4:19pm
DATE OF BIRTH... October 28.
Favorite Music Group... KISS
First Word... Trey

UNCLE SETH
SEX... BOY
WEIGHT... 9 LBS
LENGTH...21.5 INCHES
TIME OF BIRTH...3:30AM
DATE OF BIRTH... OCT. 30TH (Uncle Seth's Birthday!)
BABY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP... THE CLASH

Uggggh..........

That about sums up how I'm feeling.

Reflecting

Since things are winding down now, I've had a lot of time to really reflect on this pregnancy. I have really had an easy pregnancy and, for that, I am so blessed. I did not have morning sickness, no problems with the baby at any time and things have just gone very smoothly. I'm a person who does quite well with "change", but we've had a lot of changes in the past year and I think that the Man up stairs was looking out for me by giving me an easy pregnancy so we could deal with all of the changes that were happening around us. It's made us better, stronger and we are READY for this baby now. I think that we needed to go through all of this change, in order to bring us to such a peaceful place.

That being said, I really have loved being pregnant... but there are some things that I will not miss!

Here are the things that I LOVED about being pregnant:

* I love feeling the baby move. EVERY single kick. I love. Some women get annoyed toward the end because, trust me, this baby kicks A LOT now (and they are sometimes painful!), but every single kick let me know that the baby was doing okay, so I loved them.

* I really loved that strangers are so nice to you when you are pregnant! I've never had so many people smile, hold doors and complete strangers tell me I'm beautiful. I walked out of Walmart 3 days ago, had no make up and greasy hair and this little old man stopped me dead in my tracks, threw his hand up in the air and tell me how beautiful I was (when I certainly did not feel it!). That feels good.

* I love the anticipation. I'm really proud that we didn't find out the sex. It was hard, but it's been really fun.

* I loved setting up the nursery. It's my most favorite room in the house. I love to go in there and just sit.

* I loved that I was pregnant with Kairee. We talked/texted almost every day throughout this pregnancy and I can't wait to now share mommy-hood with her! We've really made each other laugh constantly throughout this but it's also been nice to share our fears, and the scary/not-so-great things too. Only my girlfriends can understand how personal we can get with each other and Kairee and I have had each other in hysterics over the funny, sometimes gross, things that are happening with our bodies and also our husband's reactions.

* I've really enjoyed eating. Obviously.

* I love that this is the first grandchild for both sides of our family. This child is going to be spoiled and so loved by both sides and we are so excited to share this experience with our parents and family.

* I love how excited Ryan is about this baby. He is going to be the best dad in the world and I cannot wait for him to be a father. He is SO nervous right now- every little groan or movement I make, he wants to make sure I'm okay. I'm just so excited for him to hold this baby for the first time.

And now for the things that I'm totally over:

* The weight gain. Over it. Obviously, it comes with the territory but what I really dislike is the weight gain in the face, arms and legs.

* "Pregnancy face". I don't even recognize myself when I look in the mirror these days! My nose and lips are enormous. So strange.

* The "Mask of Pregnancy", as if having a huge nose and lips isn't bad enough, add a huge, blotchy birthmark all over my face. My upper lip is so dark it looks like I'm in serious need of a wax.

* Swollen feet and cankels. They are worse than I ever thought they would be. Exhibit A (aka Fred Flinstone Feet):

* Baby hiccups. I know I said that I love every little move, but the hiccups are pretty annoying. They started out so cute, but now this kid gets 'em all the time, they last for about 20 minutes and my whole belly shakes. I'm over the hiccups.

* Peeing. When they say that pregnant women have to pee a lot, I never imagined it would be like this! I will go pee and then, no joke, 3 minutes later need to do it again! I'm over it.

*I'm sick of being tired. I know this is only going to get worse in the upcoming months though, so I'll save that complaint for later.

*I'm sick and tired of the pregnancy "waddle". I look and feel like a duck. QUACK, QUACK!

* I miss my young-feeling body. I feel like I'm 90 years old. My body HURTS. My body is like a box of rice krispies right now- every move comes along with a snap, crackle and a pop. My feet hurt. My back hurts. I just pray my body goes back to normal!

* And lastly, all of the stuff that I mention on my weekly round up.... I miss my wedding ring. I miss hot yoga. I miss red wine. I miss soft cheeses. I miss oysters. - these are all things that I've missed, but I know it's all worth it :)

And then a post on how Babies R Us has redeemed themselves by redeeming my coupons

The 20% off coupons I've gone a bit cookoo over are only to be used once per day, per customer. I decided to test my luck yesterday and filled up my cart with all of the last baby items we need, figuring I'd just play stupid at the register (I'm really good at that). Plus- who is going to make a 9.5 month pregnant woman put all of that stuff back, right!?

I then found the nicest looking cashier and coerced her into letting me use all 8 coupons. Poor girl had to ring me up 8 separate times. I apologized for being a pain in the ass, but really I was SO excited that my master plan had worked..... mwhaa-ha-ha....mwhaa-ha-ha!

Arts and Crafts... Hoherd Halloween Edition!

The "before" shot!


Ryan takes his job very seriously.


What in the heck are you two doing!??!


Ryan gets an A+ in this art class!


Halfway there!


No patience for paint drying!


A Baby H Jack-O-Lantern!!!

And now for a post on how Babies R Us is evil and has turned me into a super-shady, deal-seeking, mommy-to-be shiester

I've done the math and 20% off is going to save us a lot of money.

I have some last items to get from Babies R Us- some of which are a bit expensive (i.e. breast pump, swing). Each time you go in and purchase an item at Babies R Us, they give you a 20% off coupon that cannot be used until the next half of the month (so I've gathered plenty that are good from 10/15- 10/31).

The coupons have now become an obsession. I have started hoarding them.

Since I've been off on maternity leave this week, I have gone into Babies R Us almost every day to buy just 1 small item with the remaining gift card $$$ we have and I get a coupon for 20% off one item starting Oct. 15th.

The staff has started to recognize me.

I've even gone as far as buying something that I knew I was going to return the next day, so I could use that gift card $$$ to get 2 20% off coupons! Babies R Us has turned me into a shady, deal-seeking, stop-at-nothing, mommy-to-be sheister!!!

The bad news is, the staff has caught on. They've seen my kind before.

The other day, I got a little too brave. I went in and bought 1 item, went out and put it in my car, then returned for another item and when I asked if she had put a 20% off coupon in my bag, she gave me a fake smile and said that they only allowed 1 coupon per customer per day and that I was going to need to "return tomorrow". They practically kicked me out of the store!

Like I said, they've seen my kind before. I'm now on their radar as a woman who is trying to "work the system".

There are 2 lessons in all of this:

1. Don't mess with a pregnant woman with a lot of time on her hands, looking to score a sweet-deal... she will win.

2. Babies R Us is evil and makes pregnant women crazy.

And don't think for one minute that I haven't already planned out precisely how we are going to be using these coupons! I've mapped out exactly how Ryan and I are going to pull off some tag team action this weekend at all of the local Babies R Us Superstores to use these coupons because just as the come, you can only use 1 coupon per day per customer for the discount.

37 Week Round Up!

Total Weight Gained/Loss? - 44 lbs. I don't feel so bad anymore though, I went out to lunch with a girlfriend this past week that told me she stopped counting at 70 lbs!
Sleep? - Sleep? What's that? between the 427 bathroom breaks I take a night and just trying to get comfortable, sleep is non-existent. This morning my back hurt so bad in bed I though I might be going into labor!
Best Moment of the Week? - Maternity Leave!!!!
Food aversions- CHICKEN, BEEF
Food cravings- PBJ, peppercinis, Honey Smacks, cheese, jalapeno/cheese bagel with jalapeno cream cheese, a tortilla with cream cheese and peppercinis, starbucks' old fashioned donuts, fruity pebbles, peaches and plums, street meat from the HB street fair, chocolate milk (with nesquik), In N Out, Cheetos. I've realized that I'm loving anything chocolate-related these days. This includes Tootsie Rolls, Coco Pebbles and Chocolate milk, cran-rasberry juice, pinapple juice, cheese burgers and sliders!
Gender- unknown to us! Although I caught myself referring to Baby H as a "she" and "her" several times this week.
Labor Signs- Nope!
Belly Button- It's officially POPPED! (does that mean I'm done, like a turkey?)
What I miss- Wine. Hot Yoga. Sleeping on my back. Oysters on the half shell, Dancing (kairee confirmed what I had previously thought- pregnant women should definitely NOT hit the dance floor), being able to wear my wedding ring, Soft cheeses, Big Belly Deli House Salads (thanks to the bleu cheese), SLEEP, having just 1 chin, skinny arms. Brie. Looking in the mirror and recognizing myself (have I mentioned how large my nose is?!?).
What I'm looking forward to- Holding our baby!!!!!
Weekly Wisdom- Never take any day of this amazing experience for granted.
Milestones- Full term!!!!!

37 Weeks.... FULL TERM!

Baby's now the size of a watermelon!
Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day (He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel) and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

In the past week...

I've caught myself on a number of occassions referring to Baby H as "she" or "her" in my head... wondering if that means anything.

To be honest, and I don't know why, I'll be shocked if this kid comes out with a penis.

My Surfer Dude

As many of you know, Ryan's favorite thing in the world (besides Me and Baby H, of course) is surfing. I've been meaning to post this pic all week, I took it last weekend. It's the first picture we've ever gotten of him surfing! This is a glassy 4 footer (small wave by ryan's standards), but still a nice shot! Hopefully next time I can get a bigger one!

All Baby Shower Photos

There are too many shower photos to post here, so I thought I'd just post the links... enjoy!

California Shower

California Shower

Colorado Shower

Maternity Leave! ((Thank you Democrats))

Monday was the start of my maternity leave and I could not be happier! I was shocked to find out that CA is the only state that offers expectant mothers 4 weeks off (paid) prior to the birth, that of which cannot be rolled over to after the birth (so take it or lose it), and then 12 weeks after the birth for a total of 16 weeks paid by the state. And you wonder why our state is on the verge of bankruptcy... It's run by a bunch of fools! :)

Really though, I have been pretty miserable lately (back/pelvis aches, feet hurt, hot, grumpy, etc), this pregnancy has been a bit of a roller coaster between moving, job changes for both of us, etc (so this is a much deserved/needed mental break too!) and I still have a LOT to do before Baby H arrives. Luckily, I had a great September at work and it would have taken me weeks to build my pipeline back up (by which time I would be needing to leave anyway), so Ryan and I did the math and I'll be more useful, and make more money by staying home. In the past couple of days, I have gotten a TON of stuff done (haven't even had time to blog!) and managed to have lunch with my friend Marisa.

It's also been RAINING. And I love it. I called Ryan at work the other day because it was raining, lightening, thundering and SMELLED like Colorado! I had all of the windows opened to listen to it. For those of your that don't know, the last time we saw rain was maybe 6 months ago and it NEVER lightening and thunders here! We went from 100+ degrees last week to 60s and rain- strange, but much needed. This rain's allowed me to get the stuff done that's been piling up, but I'm hoping for some beach weather next week!

36 Weeks!

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term.

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.