DELIVER ME...

So, Jason & I went to the doctor's yesterday. It was a good appointment, my BP was the best it has been in awhile. The doctor checked me, and we found out that I am 1 cm dilated & 70% effaced. That was exciting! Then he asked me how I was feeling, to which I replied, "Fine." He continued to say that he thought Jason & I should begin talking about dates next week. At first, I was a bit confused...but then realized he was talking about inducing me. He wanted Jason & I to pick a date next week for me to go into the hospital. Well, again Jason & I were a bit surprised. The doctor left the room, while I got dressed. As soon as I was done, we were supposed to let his nurse know what day we decided upon, and see if it was available per hospital policy (i.e. only "x" number of scheduled inductions per day). Well, she had beat us to the punch. We walked out of the exam room & she told us that I am scheduled to go in on Monday at 7 PM. WOW, WOW, WOW! We were informed that I am to call the hospital an hour before I am scheduled to go in, just to make sure there is a bed for me. Jason & I left the doctor's office, a bit dazed. It was a HAPPY state to be in.

Jason had to go back to work after the appointment, so I hung out with my mom for awhile. We made some phone calls to family & friends and shared the exciting news with them. Everyone was so excited! We have some odds & ends things to finish up before Monday, so that we are fully ready for when the baby comes. The next post could very well be a post announcing the birth of Baby Miller, along with plenty of pics! If all goes well, Baby Miller will be here sometime on Tuesday, May 5, 2009! We'll keep you posted!

Surprise Baby Shower & Nursery Pics

On Friday, March 20, 2009, my friends and family threw me a surprise shower. All along, I thought my mom was throwing it for me on Saturday. I was totally surprised. My shower happened to coincide with my aunt and her kids being in Naples for spring break. It was very FUN!

My mom, me, and my Aunt Nancy.
My sisters, (Meg, Margret, & Sarah), along with my cousins, and a family friend.

Auntie Margret, me, and Auntie Meagan (two of my sisters)

My cousins, along with my sisters, and a family friend.

Baby Miller's crib...I love the dark (chocolate) wood with the blue!

This is the hallway which leads into the baby's bedroom.

The room...my Aunt Gwen painted the stars, and the stripes on the walls. Thanks, Gwenie!

My mom helping out with the layout of the room. I found this cute wall art that went with the theme of the nursery. It was quite a coincidence! :o)

Insomnia (No I am NOT Napping), a Lovely Day & Contractions....

Here it is nearly 1:00 AM, and I am WIDE AWAKE, checking e-mails, catching up on friends' blogs, and attempting a new blog post, myself. My husband is sound asleep( I don't blame him...envy him, maybe, but no blame), and the dogs are all curled up right next to me. Anyway, as of late I have not been able to get to sleep at night. Earlier in my pregnancy, I used to be able to take about an hour nap, and I would still be able to get to sleep at a decent bedtime. I don't even nap anymore, and yet I can't sleep! On the nights when I am able to get to sleep at a decent time (i.e. before 11:00 PM), I wake up around 1:30-2:00 AM, toss and turn for 45 minutes or so ...then I fall back asleep. Sometimes I wake again around 4:00 or 4:30 and from that point, I just lye in bed until the sun light peeks through the blinds. This "routine" I have gotten myself into happens more than not. I guess it's par for the course...as insomnia is fairly common amongst pregnant women, especially in the 3rd trimester. I have resolved to not let the lack of "traditional sleep/sleeping pattern" get the best of me. If I can get a couple hours in mid-morning, afternoon, so-be-it. If I can tack on a few more hours in the evening I am fine with that. I have to be.

On another note, Jason & I spent a wonderful day together. He didn't go into work today, as his car had to be brought into the shop, and I had another dr. appt. Our day began by dropping off the car. From there we went out to breakfast. It was so nice to enjoy each other's company. I love spending time with him. He "gets" me...on top of that, some of the qualities that I LOVE about him is ; his conversational ability, his wit, and the fact that he is such a good listenter. He truly is my best friend. OK, back to "our day"...during breakfast, I began to feel some contractions. They were somewhat irregular, and slightly uncomfortable. I figured I would mention them to the doctor when we saw him. When we got to the doctor's office, my BP was higher than it was on Fri, but not as high as it was last Tues. I wasn't sure what he was going to recommend...Jason, my mom (she wanted to meet us there )& I were making "bets" as to what he'd say. To cut to the chase, I won the "bet". He didn't feel the need to do anything (i.e. induction)based on my BP. He did tell me to monitor my contractions closely, but more than likely he'd see me next week. After the appt, Jason & I had some time to kill before his car was ready. So, we drove around for awhile...then stopped at "our beach" for a short time. It was nice. My contractions had sort of subsided (much to the disappointment of my mom, whom I feel secretly wanted me to go into labor today, LOL!) From there Jason & I headed to get the car, and then decided to "splurge" and go out to dinner, too! We had a lovely dinner, despite the horrible server/service. We didn't let that get to us...we realized that we aren't going to get many of these days together for awhile once our 'lil peanut comes. A quiet evening at home after dinner, was spent together just the two of us...aahhhh! It was a perfect day.

Meanwhile, my contractions have started back up a bit, and they seem to be a bit more regular but not regular enough to pack the bags & head to the hopsital. We'll see...if they continue through the night, I might make a call to the doctor in the morning I will update my blog if that happens! Good night!

A Good Doctor's Appointment

Well, I went to the doctor today for a follow up appointment. I had been to see him on Tues, for my regular weekly appt. At that time, my blood pressure had sky rocketed. My doctor was extremely concerned. I have been on bed rest for the past 3.5 weeks for this reason. I was shocked to hear that my BP had gone up. And I was WORRIED....worried for my health and the health of Baby Miller. Basically, he explained that we were looking at three possible scenarios:

1) If my BP drops, then we carry on.. and do nothing
2) If my BP goes up, then he was going to induce me on Friday.
3) If my BP stayed the same, more than likely he would indce me on Sunday

Obviously, Jason & I, and the doc were HOPING for scenario #1...being the best possible scenario. So, after I left his office on Tues, I was SHOCKED, and scared. I think Jason was feeling the same way. Sure, I am 36 weeks...and plenty of women give birth to healthy babies @ 36 weeks, I wanted more time, and felt like Baby M needed more time to grow healthy & strong in his mommy's belly. After all, our lil peanut weighed (as of Tues) 5 lbs 10 oz.

Following my appt, I decided to put myself on STRICT bed rest. I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the next three days that followed. This was my routine; Wake up, Jason brought me breakfast, I watched hours upon hours of tv, got up only to go to the bathroom (I did a lot of that as I was drinking GALLONS of water), & make myself lunch. On Thursday, I think I set a personal record of watching tv for 12 hours straight! Oh dear...that is somewhat embarrassing to admit!
So today, (Friday), I went back to the doctor. I got up this morning, and packed "The Bags". I packed the diaper bag, and my bag for the hospital. Along with those items, I put the infant car seat, camera, and boppy pillow in the car. I had no idea what was going to unfold but I wanted to be prepared. Jason & my mom both met me @ the doc's office. While, we all tried to appear cool, calm, and collected I could feel the uncertainty & nerves of everyone. I did my best to engage in conversation, all the while my thoughts were on my BP. Finally, we got called into the office. The nurse had me pee in the cup, weighed me, and then she took my BP. That was nerve wracking to say the least....but I was happy to hear the nurse report what my BP was & that it had gone down significantly! A huge SMILE appeared on all of our faces. We met with the doc & he was very pleased with my BP. He said for me to keep doing whatever it was that I was doing....which of course was NOTHING! I was glad to hear him say let's keep going and see if we can go for another week or two! YAY! Music to everyone's ears!! :o) So, I go back to the doc on Tues. We'll see what he has to say then! In the meantime, I will be spending the weekend on BED REST! :o)

36 Weeks....Where Has the Time Gone?

I will be 36 weeks pregnant this week. I can't believe how fast my pregnancy is going! I have ABSOLUTELY LOVED being pregnant. I/we have had some "bumps in the road" with this pregnancy but despite that, I have felt incredible throughout. Sure, I was tired and had a 'bout of nausea in the beginning but I welcomed those symptoms. With each day that my 'lil doodlebug has been inside of me, my love for him has grown stronger and stronger. With every twist, kick, turn, somersault, punch, and hiccup my heart fills with joy. I never knew I would feel this way. I have never experienced a love like this. I can only imagine how I will be feeling when Baby Miller gets here. It's a weird feeling knowing that in a few weeks our baby will be here. While we are more than excited to meet our doodlebug, I have been a little sad. I love having him with me, every second, of every day. It may sound strange, but I almost want to "freeze" time. I guess, in essence what I am trying to say is that being pregnant is such a gift from God, and I feel so BLESSED to have experienced the gift. It is perhaps the greatest gift I have ever received.

With only a few weeks left, Jason & I have been busily finishing up his nursery. All the furniture is put together, we have been making a few trips to Babies R Us to pick up items that we hadn't yet got. I love looking into the nursery, it's amazing. I will post pics soon. I have lost my battery charger (for camera) & my USB cord, so no pics can be uploaded at this point. But I will get them up, I PROMISE!!

Today, I am going to enjoy a day with my family...it's Easter. We are going to brunch & then just hang out. There are 17 of us today. It will be so much fun just to be together. I heart my family so much!

A Long, Overdue Post...

I know this may seem like a step "backwards", but I never did post pics from our wedding. One of my friends "scolded" me for not including at least a few pics from our beautiful day. So, here I go, I will take you back to that MARVELOUS November day in Naples....Getting ready...I was so excited, I just wanted to get the "show on the road".

My mom and I moments before we left for the beach.
My mom and my sisters helping me get ready in the room.Here we GO!

We had a beach wedding. The beach parking was limited, so some of our guests took trolleys to the beach from the hotel. It was a fun way to get around town.This was the gorgeous program that my friend, Kelle's dad, (the pastor who also presided over our ceremony) made for our special day.

Our moms pouring a bit of the unity sand.

My sister, Sarah, (one of my bridesmaids), and my cousin, John.

My sister, Margret.

Meagan, the oldest of my three younger sisters.

My dad and I walking down the aisle. Thank goodness no one tripped, or slipped on that bridge. It was sandy, and thus slippery.

Rik (our pastor) did such an amazing job with the ceremony. Our family and friends couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was.

The day was beautiful...the sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, and the sound of the ocean waves crashing behind us was so serene.

Jason saying his vows. He was precious...

The unity sand...it turned out great. The jar sits on top of our bedroom dresser.

YAY!!! We're Mr. & Mrs. Jason Miller!

The Naples Hilton did such a outstanding job with the room decor. Our flowers were BEAUTIFUL beyond words. Thanks to Kim, the owner of Flower Children (a local florist shop in Naples, FL).Let the PARTY begin! WOO HOO!

Alright all you single ladies...

Rik letting loose...I LOVE it! He sure knows how to dance!

Our wedding day was so full of life, laughter, and most importantly LOVE. It was truly one of the most magical days of our lives!

Getting the Nursery Ready for Baby....

I know, baby Miller isn't expected until May 12th (he knows he needs to stay in mommy's tummy as long as possible), but I/we figured it's not to early to get started on decorating his new room.

We had the baby bedding and furniture (crib, changing table, and dresser) all picked out ordered and delivered. Well, the bedding came, and let's just say it wasn't exactly what it was supposed to be. So, I got to thinking that perhaps I should take another look at the furniture. I was really contemplating whether or not to stick with the light furniture or not. Thus, the search began anew.

We love this crib, and this is the bedding we are now going to go with it. I looked at a lot of changing tables, and I really like this one. I know we need storage space, thinking about this dresser. Now that we have the bedding all picked out, we can move onto the paint color(s). I am going to look with my mom today. We are also replacing the carpet in the bedroom, because it needs it. So, we have a lot to get done in a relatively short period of time. I love to decorate and have to stop myself from getting carried away. It's so easy to do....good thing I have Jason to "pull back the reins"...LOL!!

Looking at my "baby ticker" at the top of my blog, I can't believe how fast this pregancy has gone! It seems like just yesterday I was taking the home pregnancy test...and now I am almost 28 weeks pregnant. I have absolutely LOVED being pregnant! I love having my 'lil peanut with me every minute of every day, and feeling all the little kicks, punches, flips, and somersaults throughout the day & night. I talk to him, sing to him, and just dream as to what our life will be like with our 'lil guy! I am so excited to hold him, love him, kiss and squeeze him! For now, I want him to continue to grow healthy and strong. This is an exciting time in our lives, and Jason and I continue to count our blessings each and every day!