Mommy high

I am so exhausted, but have all the energy of post-delivery. That's right. Chloe Lynne Watson was born June 21st at 7:03 pm via c-section. It was a long several days. I will give a short version right now-seeing as I REALLY need to get some rest. I started having contractions Saturday morning about 10 am. They got progressively strong and when longer than 1 minute and a little less than 5 minutes apart we came to the hospital at 12:15 am Sunday. Sadly, I found out I was only 1 cm. I labored for another couple hours progressing to 3 cm. I kept it up with help from the balance ball and hot tub for many more hours. I was checked again, I was 5 cm. By that time I had been laboring for 18 hours. I was tired and having back labor. B and I decided that it was time for the epidural. Got that, no problem. We were both able to rest for awhile. Things didn't progress quite as quickly and they gave me a bit of pitocin. Finally around 5:15 pm on Sunday I had finally gotten to complete. It was time to push. They turned my epidural way down, so I had most feeling back in my legs. I pushed and pushed and pushed. They determined after some time that her head was face up and stuck against my pubic bone. We tried all sorts of positions to try and move her. It was a lot of hard work. After over 2 hours and counsel from doctor that we could push for 6 more hours and would still probably have to have a c-section. So, after thinking long and hard we decided to move forward with the c-section. I have no doubt we did the right thing and I am so glad that we are both healthy! I will likely be in the hospital until Thursday and then we will head home. I will be needing loads of help and am not allowed to lift anything heavier than Chloe for many weeks. This will be hard for me. It will be great practice in asking for help (not my strength). Well, I need to tend to my little one. She is a great eater and it is feeding time.

40 weeks

I humbly give you my 40 week picture.

I am closing in on my due date...Saturday. It seems unlikely that Chloe will make an appearance before then. I am starting to feel some discomforts, mostly just this feeling of her overtaking me. I will have a sonogram on Monday to see how much she possibly weighs (though there is a margin of error, it will give them a ball park). They mostly want to make sure she if we wait another week or two that she won't be over 10lbs-let's hope not! We are trying to avoid induction-for many reasons-but mostly right now because I am not a good candidate for it (not dilated). So we wait. I have been at the pool a lot and that feels really nice. No swelling, which is amazing given the crazy hot temperatures of late. Tonight when B and I went to eat Chinese food for dinner, I could barely fit in the booth. We had to move to a table. This was the first time I have actually felt like a big pregnant lady. I guess that is okay since I am almost to term. I really never thought I would get this big. We are just praying that she will come on her own. We can't wait to welcome her into this world!!

Friday Happenings

Today I went to have a picnic with some ladies and their babies. It was fun to be outside on one of the few sunny days we have had this week. I brought my camera along and had fun taking some pictures of some of these sweet girls. I am looking forward to Chloe getting to play with them soon-though she seems pretty content inside of me for now. A week from Saturday is my due date and I think it is finally time to pack my bag this weekend, if nothing else, to give myself something to do.

C took 2 down this slide.You may have to look closely, but I saw this on my way home-a Shetland pony in a compact car...cracked me up!

I scream, Ice cream!

So I am going to shamelessly plug my nieces and nephew's new summer business venture. They are 12, 10 and 8 and incredibly creative with how they spend their time. This summer they have decided to start making homemade ice cream and selling it. They are trying new recipes and mixtures and are even willing to custom make a flavor of ones choice. They are motivated and have been out telling people about this business. It is really interesting! Check out their blog that tells more about this story and is just so darn cute. I scream, Ice cream!

A taste of China

When I lived in China I had a few favorite 'street foods'. There was one in particular that was made on the campus I lived on. There was a window in a building on campus that had a big line every day of students waiting for a breakfast snack. You would buy it based on weight, but would just tell the ladies how much you were wanting price wise. So 5 mao, 1 kuai, 2 kuai. I usually got 5 mao/1 kuai which is about .5-.12 cents. What a splurge:). I decided that I would try and track down and try a recipe for Lao bing (or green onion pancake). Sounds like a horrible thing to have in the morning, but I assure you it is good any time of day!

Here is the recipe I used:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used sea salt)
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced (white and light green parts)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
olive oil

1. Mix 3 cups of the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a kitchen aid mixer with dough hook. Make a well in the center and add the water, the sesame and vegetable oils and the green onions. Work the flour in toward the center with a wooden spoon and stir to incorporate both dry and wet ingredients.
2. Cover or Wrap in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Form into balls, then flatten them and roll out into disks. (You will need the additional flour to help you roll out the dough)
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush the disks with olive oil and place oil-side down until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Brush on oil on the other side and when the dough appears less gummy flip over and toast until golden. Serve immediately. I coated the skillet in oil and dropped the bread in while hot--giving it a more fried appearance.

These were really easy and very much like the tasty China treat I have missed for so many years.

3 weeks?!

I am 3 weeks out from our due date. I am getting really excited to hold our little girl! I must say though, I honestly haven't felt an urgency in her arrival. Sure I am tired, uncomfortable at times and feeling bigger by the day, but I feel really at peace about when she will come. The doctor said mid-week that he thought it would be a bit longer and thinks I have a 'really great attitude that will help me a ton'. I am feeling more and more tired, despite sleeping well at night. I am trying to embrace the opportunities I have to rest and nap now while I can. I am not feeling strong nesting tendencies, other than wanting to hire out someone to deep clean our home (I have no desire to do it myself!). I am really viewing this next 3 +/- weeks as a chance to rest, spend time with B, go to movies, to the pool, do things I want/need to do.

I guess I should take back what I said about nesting. I have been doing some of that. For me it manifests itself in creative endeavors. I have been making some hair clips for fun. Our 30 week ultrasound showed a head full of hair already, so I thought I should be prepared. I love fun hair accessories, so I made some fun, modern ones for our little one. I also finally completed a piece of art for Chloe's room. I really like it, I hope she will.

"Blooming" (the meaning of her name)

It is all very exciting and somewhat terrifying to know that in a few weeks we will have a tiny dependent little one in our care. B and I try not to get too freaked out about it, but there are times when it seems like a huge task. It is mostly my own selfishness that causes fear....I am afraid I will be sleep deprived, I am afraid I will lose my identity, I am afraid our marriage will become all about baby, etc...I know these fears are normal. My hope and prayer is that these things won't get in the way of enjoying the journey of becoming a parent. That I will be able to what I can, with God's help, and lean to Him in the transition.

35 Weeks

Today marks week 35, which means I have about 5 weeks remaining before Chloe comes into the world. I am actually enjoying these days, getting things ready for her arrival, sleeping well, and eating ice cream (the real stuff, people!). Some of you might know that for about the past 5 years I haven't been able to consume dairy products due to a bacteria I picked up in China that messed up my digestive system. I read some information that this can be reversed during pregnancy (either temporarily or permanently). I decided one evening to give it a try with a dairy queen cone. No problems ensued and I have been enjoying the occasional treat since. I have even had cheese on a sandwich with no issues. It is pretty fun to enjoy some of the 'off-limits' foods I have been living with out for 5 years. I am trying to not go too crazy as to not gain any more baby weight than I already have.

Last weekend some of my best friends hosted a baby shower for me. It was such a great time. I felt incredibly loved and spoiled by all the adorable things given to bring our sweet girl into the world. I love baby showers because there is always a unique array of people from different parts of life there. It was so great to see everyone that was able to come. Here are a few pictures from the day...I found it hard to take pictures at my own shower.

The lovely hostesses of the shower

Mom and sister

People have asked if I have my bags packed and if I am ready to have her. No bags yet and still enjoying her growing inside of me-although she is getting crowded. I will start going to the doc 1x a week from here on out and get to find out all the technical stuff that might be going on. So far all I know is her head is down, which is a great thing. Her room is close to completed and I will hopefully post some pictures in the next week or so.

I also had a wonderful mother's day. My hubby took me to lunch, gave me tulips and ice cream and bought me a pair of shoes that I really like. Here is a picture of my love in the baby room.