I thought surely by Thanksgiving...

we would have a sweet little Lyla Belle to enjoy the holiday with. No such luck. I went to see my midwife last Wednesday (November 25th) and she said that Lyla hadn't dropped yet, which was unusual and that my due date was actually the 19th of November, based on her measurements at 20 weeks. I had thought is was the 21st all along, because that is what it was based on my cycle. It seems three days makes a HUGE difference at this point. We went for a fetal non-stress test on Thanksgiving morning and did get to see out sweet little girl at least on the monitor. Her heartbeat was strong and consistent and I was having contractions every six minutes throughout out the whole test. My amniotic fluid levels looked really good too. They sent me home and said everything looks great- come back on Sunday and we will do this again. That's all fine and good, except they also scheduled me for an induction on December 3rd, which is not so good. I don't want to be induced in the slightest. I want to have a natural childbirth free of any petocin or epidural or anything of that nature. As long as Lyla is healthy and safe and so am I, then I want no drugs or interventions. I am not close minded though. I do know that I really have no control over what happens and labor may begin naturally, but it may not. I have been trying everything under the sun to get labor going... walking ridiculous distances, stair stepping, rolling and bouncing on an exercise ball, acupressure and eating lots of cumin. I have contractions usually anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes apart most times during the day, but nothing sticks and they end abruptly at night when I lay down. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that things change in the next day or so and I go into labor naturally. I really haven't wanted anything more in a longtime.

Charlie and Alice's new yard

We are the proud parents of two VERY happy puppies. After two looooooong years of apartment living, Charlie and Alice have found their oasis in Portland. The house we have sits on a quarter acre and is fenced all the way around, so they literally have run of the whole place. Charlie is busy with finding ways to sneak in games of fetch and has a new glimmer in his eye. Alice can be found guarding the yard from squirrels and unearthing small tiny objects that no other creature could ever find that you have to fish out of her giant mouth. They seem to be so much more settled and happy, which makes me just about the happiest puppy mom you could find.



This picture reminds me of one of those grainy Bigfoot pictures you see where no one really knows what it is, but "we are certain it's something." Alas you can see that Alice has learned to play fetch with a basketball. Charlie gets the tennis ball like a normal dog. The basketball seems to be the only thing one can through and she will return with- the rest of the items we have ever tried she grabs and then wants you to chase her which makes her get super excited and then she gets crazy eyes and runs furiously around the yard in circles like a child that has had one to many packets of Fun Dip.
Charlie just runs around practically smiling and always watching Matt. As long as Matt is in the yard, Charlie's tail doesn't stop wagging. Even if Matt is busy with a project, it doesn't matter, he watches Matt's every move in hopes that Matt with throw something for him to fetch, which inevitably happens every time. A little time in the yard each day with us playing with them and we are guarenteed two very tired puppies on the couch each night. Life is finally right and how it should be for happy dogs in our home these days.

Our new house

Yes, that's right, we live in the house behind the super tall white picket fence that has a gate for entry. It's a bit of overkill for the neighborhood, but I have to tell you, it is the safest feeling house I have ever lived in. No one opens the gate. They all lean over the top and wave their arms until you notice from inside. The mailman even just throws packages in the yard. Makes me laugh really. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to see how people react to the gate. It loses it's allure after the fourth or fifth time opening and closing to come and go.

This is the front of our house. It was built in 1969/70 and is your stand long ranch. It does have nice big windows, though they are metal, but not for long. This house is oozing with potential and gets a little overwhelming when Matt and I start talking about it. We have so many things we want to do and have to pace ourselves and enjoy the home as we venture along.

You can't arrive to early to the party...

It is said to be that most women go into labor between the hours of 9:00pm and 5:00am. I missed my window of opportunity for her to be born on her due date. Last night I was slightly convinced that I was going into labor after having very strong contraction like feelings for awhile. They did subside after about two hours, though I know my body is getting ready. We are headed out tonight to the Kennedy School to soak in their pregnancy approved tubs and then to eat spicy food. We decided to celebrate this day that has meant so much to us with activities that will hopefully expediate her arrival.

Matt and I have moved into our new home and are slowly getting settled in. We decided to redo the kitchen ourselves and just have a few more cabinet doors to paint, which I will do today. Matt is continuing to work on the floors and making good progress. Lyla's room is all set up except for a few decorations. I am waiting for one item to arrive in the mail and then I can complete the vision that I have for her room. I will certainly post pictures when I am done.

Matt and I have are really ready for Lyla to come. We are totally aware that we are in the final days of it being just him and I for a long time. We are ready for our house to be grow and to have little people to share this world with and to play and teach and laugh with. We are ready to love unconditionally no matter what this little girl brings to the table. Between Matt and I, we have a lot of "You did what????" moments covered, so Lyla's moments are going to have to be pretty impressive to shock us. We are ready... as ready as we can be... and whatever we aren't ready for we will wing it and hope for the best.

38.5 weeks and moving

The pace of life right now should be slow and steady, waiting for the arrival of sweet Miss Lyla Belle, however it is anything but that. Much to our delight, we closed officially on our first house November 6th. This was an enormous and exciting accomplishment for Matt and I and one that we are very proud of. Pictures will come soon- we have been there most evenings and it's dark. It's a two bedroom, one bath house built in 1969/1970. There was one owner, who just recently passed away. This house is a true cosmetic fixer and we haven't been timid about diving in. We have removed all of the carpet, linoleum, molding and wallpaper and have painted all the walls and are laying wood floors as we speak. We have done all of this in a weeks time. The bathroom still needs redone, though I am strongly voting to not start until after I have Lyla as I just don't want to be without a toilet. I am pretty easygoing, but only for so long. The kitchen needs a breath of fresh air too, but that will come in late January to early February after I have a little time to be there and get a vision of what I want.

The house sits on a quarter acre and is fenced all the way around. This could not make me happier. I am so very excited that Charlie and Alice will have a fenced yard again. They deserve that and it will allow them to be the playful curious puppies I know they are. They have just pranced around together outside every time we have been there with tails wagging furiously. I can't think of a better sight. We are also excited for spring/summer to come to get outside and have a little garden to start this year and plan a yard. I am excited to have a tasteful fire pit in the yard for those summer evenings when a beer and a fire are just what the day has called for. We are going to pace ourselves outside as we know we will be busy with Lyla, but that also because that is truly our favorite place to work.

We move this Saturday. What a day that will be. Two dogs, a rabbit, an apartment full of stuff, one very pregnant lady and a husband who is pretty sure "we can just toss a lot of it in the car". Hmmmm. I have the utmost confidence in this move, but I can assure you that it will be one hectic day.

Speaking of pregnant ladies, I went to the doctor yesterday and things are moving right along. My hands have been pretty swollen lately so I had some blood work done to make sure I didn't have pregnancy related hypertension. Everything came back fine- I think that is just a wonderful side effect of being pregnant. I didn't have her check to see if I was dilated or not as that can sometimes trigger labor pains. I am just going to be surprised when it all begins. I go back next week.

More to come...

36.5 weeks and counting

I went to the doctor today for a regular appointment and all was well. Matt came with me for this one as things are getting exciting again. The middle appointments were just kind of quick and routine with a few questions here and there. Now we are hanging on every word of the midwife, hoping she has some magic capability to provide information about exactly when I will go into labor. I was also secretly hoping that she would have told me that I needed to stop working and just stay home and rest all day. Really though, I am happy that everything is going so well, but I am not going to lie, a couple half days of work would be nice. My last day of work for my maternity leave is November 17th with a due date of November 21st. We also happen to be closing on our house November 6th, and then just completeing a few remodeling projects. The month could play out a million different ways and I am certain in February of 2010 Matt and I will look at one another and wonder what the hell we were thinking. We are knee deep now though, so we may as well keep our spirits high and our sense of humor lively. There will certainly be more to come as the days progress....

Everyone knows best... including me.

It's about 5 weeks, give or take a little, until Miss Lyla Belle Ovenell makes her grand appearance into this world. Matt and I are so very excited and yes, a little nervous for that day. It's a huge responsibility. It's not like having a plant or a new puppy. Though, let me tell you, a new puppy is a great way for a couple to foster necessary communication skills. A persons patience levels and tolerance for all things, come out quickly. Thankfully for all furry creatures in our home, Matt and I successfully managed puppy raising twice. We didn't really have to work to hard to raise Hopsalot, she doesn't know any tricks or even her name for that matter. She just hops around and watches that world. She only hopped into green house paint once, but a little bath and a call to exotic pets hotline, and we were back on track. Oh goodness, I digress... yes, a new baby... that's a big deal. I can certainly respect all of the women that have had children, but the advise these days it through the roof. I always listen and some ideas I catalog away in my mental file and others I just let in one ear and out the other. I need to meet this little girl first. She is her own person with her own personality and mind and heart and thoughts. I know I will figure out what she needs and likes and wishes for. We will keep her safe because we love her and we aren't idiots. We know feet get cold, and nails need clipped, and certain foods are bad, and babies and dogs should not be left unattended, and flu season is here and blah, blah, blah. I am not cynical about the advice, I am happy people care and are interested in both my wellbeing and Lyla's, but I get it too. I know there are gonna be struggles, but isn't that how you learn? I learned how to manage money because one day I didn't have any and it sucked. I learned. I learned to wear a raincoat in the rain, because one day I got completely soaked and it sucked. I learned. I will learn how to raise a child as the lessons and situations present themselves to me. I will have questions and I will need help, but right now I just wanna enjoy the little kicks in my belly. Matt, Lyla and I will learn to be a family together, I haven't a doubt in my mind. We will because we are filled with love for this little person we haven't even met, and love goes a long way.