Extreme Makeover: Baby Edition

Well it is my third day of maternity leave and I have already done everything I can think of to do to prepare for baby, so I thought I would update the blog.  No, baby has not arrived yet.  At today's doctor appointment he said he has doubts that I will make it to my due date (woohoo!!!) which is next Wednesday.  So it could really be any time now.  And while I am a bit apprehensive about the actual birth part (random freak-outs, waking up in a cold sweat thinking about it, etc.) I am quite ready to be done being a preggo.  I am dying to have control of my body again!  And while I am aware it will not be quite the same as it was before (the doctor dropped a "well you have gained quite a bit of weight, yet all signs show the baby to be of average size" for no apparent reason today), it will be nice to wear shoes that are not flip flops and be able to paint my own toe nails again.

But in the mean time, I thought y'all would like to see what we have done with the baby's room!  I know, many of you have seen it in-person already, but some of you live far away and might be curious.  We put a lot of work into it so we have to show it off as much as possible.  

First, the before pics:

Obviously, it was a baby boy's room before.

Here's one of Daddy putting some things together:

Toast was being a good helper, as usual.

And finally, I give you the finished product:

As you can see, she's going to need more books to fill out her book shelf!  Hint, hint...

Girlfriend has more clothes than she knows what to do with...and don't get me started on the shoes!

Alright Baby Girl, ready when you are.  See you soon!

The Waiting Game

This morning I had a heart to heart with Baby Girl, letting her know I would really appreciate it if she made an effort to come on out today.  Her response: "Don't rush me, Mom!" and then she punched me square in the bladder.  Unfortunately, the doctor confirmed Baby's sentiments.  Apparently, I am not even a little bit dialated yet.  I guess her head is right there, locked and loaded, but other than that, it doesn't look like it will be this week.  "Maybe next week though!" says the doctor cheerily as she is bounding out the door.  Poo.

I know what you are thinking.  Yes, it is still early.  As of yesterday I am officially "full term" though, so that means she could come any time.  And I would like it to be this time.  I now know what all those mommies in the last weeks complain about.  This is literally the most uncomfortable I have ever been.  And there is no relief!  I could probably deal with it ok if it were just the difficulty sleeping, the achy hips, heartburn, and having to pee constantly.  But the swelling...it is just too much.  It is, by far, the worst symptom I have.  And for whatever reason I have it worse than the average prego.  I have it from my toes all the way up my thighs.  Oh, and let's not forget my other limbs.  I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring in a month, I have a hard time bending my wrists, and my upper arms are about the size of an average person's legs.  I've tried everything.  I even went swimming last night, which was formerly my "miracle cure."  Nothing.

So, since there is nothing to do about it and I am likely not going to get my wishes to meet the bambina today, I have decided to focus on the following GREAT things about being pregnant:

1. People always want to buy you food.  Not only that, they are willing to go out of their way to get whatever it is that you are currently craving.

2.  If you arrive to some kind of function late (as I often do...oops!) and there are no seats left someone is always willing to give up their chair for you.

3.  This may not apply to all pregos, but for me at least I have a "get out of grocery shopping free" card.  I had one particularly bad grocery shopping experience a couple months ago that left me physically and emotionally drained and ever since then Erik has taken on that chore!

4.  The Grandmas (my mom and my mother-in-law) are always fussing over me, making sure I am comfortable and not over-doing it.  I suspect this is more out of concern for their precious grandbaby, but I'll take it!

5.  You can indulge in things like pedicures without feeling guilty over the cost because really, what else are you going to do?  You can't reach your toes!

6.  You get fabulous hair and nails.

7. And perhaps the best perk:  When you announce you are going to take a nap, no one looks at you like you are some kind of lazy hobo.  In fact, they applaud you for making such a great decision for your baby.

Ok, now I feel a little better about my situation.  Although, I won't be sad if she changes her mind and decides she is ready to come tonight!

This Guy

This past weekend was all about celebrating Nurse Erik.  And celebrate we did!  After two years of hard work and dedication, he is the proud owner of a fancy new degree and we are both officially done with school!  Friday marked the arrival of Erik's family and the graduation.  Now it's time for me to brag a little.  Erik was chosen by the College of Nursing to lead in the procession of nursing grads and carry the nursing banner at the ceremony.  Following the graduation we had a fantastic BBQ with all our family and friends.  On Saturday, we went to his Convocation, which is a much more intimate ceremony steeped in tradition, so he could be "pinned."  Afterwards we had a Rammelsberg family dinner at Tagaris Winery.  The weather was perfect and it was an all-around lovely weekend.  However, it also made me tired!  So since I am still recovering you are about to get a little less conversation and a little more action.  Enjoy the photos!

Leading the nursing students into graduation!

On the stage with the Hogwarts crew...

Mama Ramm, the Graduate, Papa Ramm, and Seester Ramm

With his very proud (and very preggo) wife :).

My pride and joy of the BBQ...

Saturday: Convocation day

Me pinning Erik with his nursing pin.

Erik and his ladies...he was the only male nursing student in his program :)

The proud sister

And finally resting it up at Tagaris with the parents.  What a long, delightful weekend!

You're Gonna Miss This...

Last night I went swimming at the gym.  It is a miracle cure for the swelling and makes me feel light as air, a feeling that I relish these days.  Afterwards, I could not resist a nice, hot shower, especially since I am not allowed to use the hot tub.  I do some of my best thinking in the shower.  This weekend we are moving from our tiny, 1-bedroom apartment to a rental house in Kennewick, so I was thinking of things like finishing the packing, and what to unpack first, and how to arrange furniture at the new place and, suddenly, I just started sobbing right there in the Gold's Gym shower.  It dawned on me that life as we know it is about it get a lot different.  And while we are sooooo excited about the change, there is definitely a part of me that is going to miss this.  Oh, there I go again!  Only this time I am crying at work!  At least I am on my lunch break.  Don't be alarmed, in normal life I am not this weepy. 

We could barely afford our apartment in Richland when we moved in 2 years ago.  What am I saying?  We could not even afford it!  Erik's parents were paying our bills and my parents were keeping us in groceries.  It was a rough time between my graduating from law school and finding that first job!  It was the only place we could find that was available, under $1000/month, and allowed dogs.  It is so small we decided to forego having a kitchen table, instead using the "dining room" space (around 5' square) as an office and eating at our coffee table every night.  It was a tight fit for two grown adults and a little dog, but it worked for us.  Soon the sound of each other coming in and out of the bathroom while the other was showering, the jingle of Toast's collar as he followed us around, and the delicate (and yes, sometimes irritating) dance in the kitchen as one of us cooked and the other put last night's dishes away became the rhythm of our lives.  My favorite ritual is that every night we make dinner, bring it out to the coffee table, say grace, and then have a little kiss followed by the person who did not cook thanking the person who cooked.  It sounds so Hitler the way I just described it, but really, it flows quite naturally.  I am not even sure how it started.

My anxiety in leaving all that behind is this: I know things are going to change, but what if it is not all good change?  What if I lose my dinner-time ritual?  What if Erik works nights and I never get to see him?  What if we are so tired from taking care of Baby Girl we start to care less about little things like pre-dinner kisses?  I absolutely know that when she comes we will be filled with joy and she will enhance our family.  But for right now it is all unknown.  I think it is normal to have these feelings, right?  I just know I love my life, and I have the best husband and sometimes change is just hard.  It is a weird feeling, being so unbelieveably excited on one hand, and on the other being anxious about the future.  Believe me, the excitement definitely trumps the anxiety and I know we will adapt as necessary.  I think we are ready for our next great adventure!

Thus ends this chapter of the Rammelsberg Fammelsberg.  On to the next...Parenthood!

April Showers Bring May...Babies?

It won't be long now!  According to the "Countdown to My Birth" calendar we are at 33 weeks and 2 days, which means only 46 days until my due date, June 6.  However, my doctor has informed me that I am technically full term at 38 weeks, which means she could come as early as May 23!  I kind of wish he had not told me, because now I am sitting here expecting her to get here at the end of May.  He also told us she could go as far as 42 weeks and still be completely healthy :(.  I choose to ignore this because the thought of staying pregnant until June 20 makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry.  And then I remember I cannot curl up in a ball anymore.  I know, I know...I should just be enjoying the experience and all that.  I really am trying.  And, of course, I am not going to try to force her to come out until she is good and ready.  I am just getting SO big and uncomfortable.  But you guys don't want to hear about that, so moving on to the real reason for this post: my fabulous cousins threw me a baby shower last weekend and it was so lovely and fun it deserved a photo dump on el blogo (for my English speaking friends, that's the blog).

 Note the pretty puffy flowers hanging from the ceiling.  I am trying to incorporate the pink ones into the nursery decor.

 Of course, I was a huge fan of the food table.  The coconut brownies were a particular favorite.

Guest gifts: the envelopes had flower seeds in them.  Adorable.

Games were played:

 I had to choose the best rendition of a baby made out of play dough.  These were the two finalists.  I ended up going with the blue one because it showed extra creativity (sucking her thumb).  Props to the runner-up though.  It was very cute, although somewhat turtle-like.

Baby Girl was spoiled rotten!  Look at all these gifts!

Then of course, the obligatory family shots:

 The Yadaos... and

 The Rammelsbergs.  A slightly smaller group :).  Baby Ramm was lucky to have her Grandma and Aunt come all the way to the Tri-Cities for the shower.

It was all around a great time.  The Bambina is extremely spoiled.  I can't wait for her to come out and meet her amazing family.  Thanks so much to Michelle and Lesley (and the Aunties and Grandma) for putting on such a fun event.

You be my sugar baby, I'll be your sweet iced tea

If you've never heard this song (Honey Bee, Blake Shelton) then you are missing out!  Actually, it has been stuck in my head for about 3 days now and when I was trying to come up with a title for this post it just kept circling around so there you have it.  It might have something to do with sweet tea being my absolute favorite liquid right now.  Or maybe that I find Blake Shelton to be a little bit delicious.  But I think mostly it reminds me of my husband because it is all about things that go together.  Here, see for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZjosn2u1gA&ob=av2n

We may not be sugar baby and sweet iced tea, but we can definitely pull off Chandler Bing smile and crazy eyes.  I was asked by my cousin to send a picture of Erik and me together with the belly for my upcoming baby shower.  A simple enough request, right?  For most people that is true, but for me and my strong and steady it was mission impossible.  We are extremely awkward picture-takers.  Both of us are afflicted and I fear the baby has no chance.  We do ok if there is someone else directing the shot, but when left to our own devices...well, you'll see.  It doesn't help that I am, how should I put this, somewhat less photogenic than I was 8 months ago.  No one told me you slip out of the cute preggo phase when you enter the third trimester!  Anyway, we did the best we could, hilarity ensued, arguments were rampant, and here are the results:

Jessica: What?  You can't see your face!

Erik: You told me to kiss you!

Jessica:  Hmm...that's true.

Jessica:  Erik, why are you standing like that?

(Also note what a terrible background this is, lol)

Whoa double chin!

Admittedly, this is the best one of Erik.  Note how we "fixed" the problem from the last picture by taking everything off the door.  Only to be thwarted by Toast running in and opening it as the timer on the camera went off.

So we decided to move the shoot out to the living room.

I think we can all agree I am way too much of a whale from this angle.  I can't believe I am putting it online actually.

My personal favorite.  I call it "I want to steal your baby!"

Finally, we decided to go with this one.  It was really a lesser of all evils kind of situation.

Awkward Family Photos here we come!



Happy Birthday Mommy!

We had an overwhelming amount of support while we were waiting to hear back about baby's heart situation!  Thank you everyone, so much!  I hope you all saw the quick post on Facebook after the appointment that everything is ok.  I finally have time to write more in-depth about the whole ordeal.

So, we went to see the specialist last Wednesday.  The ultrasound lasted about an hour and a half and they were able to get a good look at all her little miniature organs.  It was pretty amazing actually how close they could look at everything.  Seriously, what did our parents do without these things?  She was still being a stinker and hiding from the ultrasound, but apparently she was no match for this equipment.  The great news is they were FINALLY able to confirm her great vessels were developing normally and it does not appear anything is wrong with her heart!  So the game plan, for now, is we will be able to have a normal, healthy birth when she is good and ready to come out.  There was one little problem they noticed while they were all up in her organs: she has a little fluid around her kidneys.  The doctor said it was abnormal but not unusual and he did not seem overly concerned but he wants to keep an eye on it.  Unfortunately, that means another ultrasound in a few weeks.  I can't believe some women only get one ultrasound per pregnancy!  They need to start a punch card for us I think.  We would be pretty close to a free one at this point.

The silver lining is we get to see lots of pictures of our silly little nugget.  She was being especially playful on Wednesday.  The above picture is her profile with her little feet up by her forehead.  They were having a difficult time counting her left toes because I guess she was holding her left foot in her hand way up by her forehead :).  I think she got Erik's long legs.  And we might have a gymnist on our hands!

Thanks again everyone for all your prayers and support!