Blizzard

How much fun would it be to have your baby, if you weren't having it during a blizzard!?

Issued by The National Weather Service

Chicago, IL 

11:38 am CST, Mon., Jan. 31, 2011

... BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...

A BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* TIMING... SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 TUESDAY AFTERNOON... GRADUALLY SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY TUESDAY EVENING. SNOW... HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING... SHIFTING INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING TUESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE WATCH AREA FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALIZED TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 18 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE.

* HAZARDS... WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT AS VERY HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL RATES OF AT LEAST 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCUR.

* IMPACTS... CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WITH TRAVEL LIKELY BECOMING VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL SO HEAVILY AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT THAT PLOWS WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE SNOW... WITH MANY SIDE STREETS AND UNTREATED ROADS BECOMING IMPASSABLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES. THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING.

We might have to dig or plow our way to the hospital Wednesday morning, but we'll get there! :o)

Birth Announcements

I have designed a few birth announcements but I have yet to make a final decision what design I am actually going to use.

But here is what I have come up with.

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

I am super excited to have Amy of Amy Straka Photography take some photos of Colson the week after he is born. I'm sure I will have a hard time picking a photo(s) to use for the announcement.

I have also put a little poll in my sidebar so you can vote for your fav. :o)

Decorating Cookies

Decorating the cookies didn't go as smoothly as cutting out the cookies. I think more frosting and sprinkles made it into Hannah's mouth than onto the cookies. :oP But Hannah still had fun!

And all of these photos pretty much suck because I used my mom's camera. I have no idea what is wrong with it...
(Mom, go out and buy a new camera PRONTO! before Colson comes! :o) )

Making Cookies

We headed over to grandma's house today to make some Valentine's cookies.

Hannah had a blast!

 

 

Yeah, she went a little crazy with the cookie cutter. :oP

What's making cookies without eating a little bit of the cookie dough!?

And because grandma insisted on taking a picture of me with Hannah...in all of my round-ness...

Tomorrow we are going to tackle frosting the cookies. Picture to come!

Colson's Room

Colson's room is pretty much finished.

I think it came together quite nicely.

I still want to get some things for the walls (they're kind of bare right now) but I can work on that over time.

And in other news...

Hannah has gone pee-pee in the potty twice over the past two days! Doesn't seem like much, but its a start and I am so proud of her. I will ask her throughout the day if she needs to go and I will usually get a big NO. But on Wednesday she told her grandma that she needed to go potty and she went, and then yesterday while at the dinner table she said she had to go potty so took her to the bathroom and, to my surprise, she went.

So, we're getting there! I would so love to only have one child in diapers so it looks like that might be a possibility!

Morning Play

Just a few photos I took of Hannah playing this morning.

Have you noticed that she NEVER looks at the camera???  

I think she finally got tired of me asking her to look at the camera and smile because she ran up to me and gave me this face:

It's blurry, but it's totally Hannah.  :o)

Eviction Date—SET!

I had my doctor's appointment today.

I am already 3cm and 90% effaced, my cervix is super soft and his head is really low.

So Colson's eviction date is set! We are to head to the hospital at 7am on February 2nd. (AH!) Although, my doctor said that he wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it that far and he comes before that. (double AH!)

So there it is. T-Minus 7 days maybe even less than that.

I told my doctor that all I wanted was a labor that was less than 26 hours (which is how long I was in labor with Hannah) and he said that it would definitely be less than that. He said I might even interrupt his morning appointments on Wednesday. Ummm...OK! Sounds good to me! :o)

And because I actually had to get dressed today...here is my 37 week baby bump.

37 Weeks—Full Term!

How far along? 37 weeks

Due Date: Doctor is wanting to induce at 38 weeks. I'll find out for sure tomorrow at my doctors appointment. 

Total weight gain/loss: Can I skip over this question???  Blah! +37 lbs And yes, that means I gained 3 pounds in one week. WHAT!? Although if you where to look at my feet and legs you would see where that weight is...it's water weight. Oh fun!

Maternity clothes? Of yes, but I did get a few non-maternity sweater shirts the other day to wear over my maternity tops that are getting snug.

Stretch Marks? Nope!

Sleep: Pretty good, considering.

Best moment this week: I am officially typing to you from my basement office! :o) Plus, I managed to get a lot of other things crossed off of my to-do list!

Movement: Oh yes!

Food cravings: Nothing specific.

Food aversions: None.

  

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: Nothing serious yet.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: I would really really love to be able to lay on my stomach!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little guy!

  

Milestones: I am officially full term! :o) 
At about six and a half pounds (though weight and height vary from fetus to fetus), your baby is doing just fine. You can expect weight gain to be about half an ounce per day. (Boys, though, are likely to be heavier at birth than girls.) Your baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his or her thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side.

To-Do List UPDATE

—finish the internet hook-up in the offices—DONE!
—move computers out of the nursery and into the new offices—DONE!
—move changing table from Hannah's room to the nursery—DONE!
—buy baskets for the changing table to store diapers, blankets, etc.—DONE!
—get crib mattress and a mattress pad
—finish moving the last few things into my office
—bring cradle up from the basement and get it in the master bedroom
—get Hannah's room arranged so I can get her toys from the living room in there—DONE!
—put infant swing back together and get it set up in the living room—DONE!
—get shelves hung in the mud room closet
—bring up infant bath tub from the basement—DONE!
—clean out the car
—get car seat base installed in the backseat of the car
—put the bundle me back on the car seat so Colson doesn't freeze when we bring him home
—write out addresses on envelopes for Colson's birth announcements—DONE!
—make a trip to the store to buy the last few things we need—DONE!—finish packing hospital bag for me and Nick

And just to include some photos with this post...

Hannah decided to grab one of her books and sit in the rocking chair while I was getting Colson's room organized.

She's so cute!

Gotta love the headband...she made the request to wear it today. :o)

Big Sister Gifts

So with Colson's arrival getting ever closer, I figured it was time to start thinking about a few little gifts for the Big Sister! When Hannah comes to visit her new brother in the hospital, Nick and I are wanting to give her a few gifts.

I've been trying to think of some fun things to get but I'm really not sure where I should even begin.

What is an appropriate 'big sister' gift?

Books?
Puzzles?
Dress up clothes?

She has tons of dvds and dolls already...

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I'd greatly appreciate them! :o)

To-Do List

Or at least a 'I really want to get this done before Colson arrives' list. Some things obviously NEED to get done while other things aren't so important, but I figured if I made a list, it might help me complete most of these things. :o)

So in no particular order, here is my list:

—finish the internet hook-up in the offices
—move computers out of the nursery and into the new offices
—move changing table from Hannah's room to the nursery
—buy baskets for the changing table to store diapers, blankets, etc.
—get crib mattress and a mattress pad
—finish moving the last few things into my office
—bring cradle up from the basement and get it in the master bedroom
—get Hannah's room arranged so I can get her toys from the living room in there
—put infant swing back together and get it set up in the living room
—get shelves hung in the mud room closet
—bring up infant bath tub from the basement
—clean out the car
—get car seat base installed in the backseat of the car
—put the bundle me back on the car seat so Colson doesn't freeze when we bring him home
—write out addresses on envelopes for Colson's birth announcements
—make a trip to the store to buy the last few things we need
—finish packing hospital bag for me and Nick

Hummmm...that is all I can think of right now.

We have 11 days (most likely) to get most of these things completed. I actually think the list looks worse than it really is... it shouldn't be too bad. Like I said, some of these things can wait. I just don't want to wait until the last minute to do some things. I would like to be able to enjoy my last few days, cuddle with Hannah and not rack my brains about doing some of these tasks. I don't think that's too much to ask. :o)

36 Week Baby Bump

Here is my 36 week bump with a side of 'fat face'.

And don't be jealous of my awesome pajama pants! I will be rocking these in the hospital!

Now for a comparison photo...

I definitely think I am carrying higher with Colson, or at least I think this comparison makes it look that way. But in this comparison I am also more fat with Colson than I was with Hannah so I don't know if it's just the weight difference— I've got an extra 8 pounds on me right now. (EW!)

And on a more random note—this comparison makes me want to go back to my blonde highlight days...I miss my blonde hair. :o(


At my ultrasound today the technician said he was very low...we weren't able to get a picture of his face. And 'very low' is VERY good. Hopefully that means at my appointment next week there will be some progress and Feb 2nd will be Colson's eviction date! My doctor said he is hoping for a 38 week delivery and I've been having some stronger non-painful contractions/braxton hicks for about a week so I think we're looking good!

My blood pressure was a little high at my appointment but it was fine during the non-stress test. There was also a bit of protein in my urine. But my doctor isn't concerned though since we plan on delivering early anyways. He said it's better to have the baby in my arms and know he's doing well, than to wait. I couldn't agree more!

We are so ready to meet you, Colson!

I Can't Wait...

I can't wait to be able to fit into and buy 'normal' clothes because quite honestly, I don't feel pretty right now. I feel (and look) fat and I just want to cry everytime I look in the mirror..

I can't wait to be able to bend over to put on my socks and shoes without taking 5 breaks to catch my breath.

I can't wait until I can wear pretty underwear again that will actually stay up and not roll down!

I can't wait to be able to comfortably paint my toenails. I haven't painted my toenails in 6 months...but it's on my to-do list before I head to the hospital (it might just take me a while to do).

I can't wait for my face to not look 'puffy' anymore.

I can't wait for my boobs to not feel like that are up under my chin and choking me to death.

I can't wait to be able to get out of the couch without help or without taking 20 minutes to do so by myself.

I can't wait to be able to sit on the floor and play with my daughter for longer than 5 minutes.

I can't wait to be able to carry my daughter without my back killing me.

I can't wait to be able to sleep on my stomach and to be able to roll over in bed without every part of my body hurting.



But more importantly...

I can't wait to meet our son and hold him in my arms.

I can't wait to look into his eyes.

I can't wait to smell him and kiss him and love on him.

36 Weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks

Due Date: I will be induced on Feb 2nd or Feb 9th depending on how everything looks. 

Total weight gain/loss: +34 lbs 

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch Marks? Not yet. Will I be able to avoid them again???

Sleep: Minus the peeing and my sore hips, I'm actually sleeping a little better.

Best moment this week: Packing the hospital bag. We're almost there!

Movement: Yep!

Food cravings: Nothing specific.

Food aversions: None.

  

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: I've been having on and off cramping and the occasional decent contraction but nothing to serious yet.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: I would really really love to be able to lay on my stomach!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little guy!

  

Milestones: Your baby's skull isn't the only soft structure in his or her little body. Most of your baby's bones and cartilage are quite soft as well (they'll harden over the first few years of life) — allowing for an easier journey as your baby squeezes through the birth canal at delivery (and less prodding and poking for Mom along the way). At 36 weeks pregnant, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that the head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal.

We will, for sure, be holding our little boy in our arms in a little over 3 weeks (if not sooner). It can't come soon enough but yet at the same time, I want that time to creep by. Sounds weird, I know, but I don't know how to explain it.

I know I'm almost done, BUT....

I really wish I could go out and buy some tops that actually fit over my belly. 

I'm getting really tired of wearing the same 4 tops all the time. I get frustrated every time I get dressed because I am just not comfortable in anything.

Sigh.