This is My Forties

hahaha... so I went for my appointment and I am 4cm already!  We talked about the induction and she agreed it does not need to be done since my BP was just fine today.  She did me the honor of stretching me out a bit and now I am cramping up and having a few contractions.  At 4cm already I am hoping I can keep them going and have Brennan today!  I called Josh to come home.  OK I need to pack and walk!

I failed to mention that at my last appointment my blood pressure was slightly elevated.  My doctor is extremely cautious so she made me give blood, urine, and do yet another 24hr urine sample.  Then I had to go back in on Monday (yesterday) and have my BP taken again.  Well it was slightly elevated at 133/88 (normal is under 130 and under 80).  About a minute later it was a normal 121/75... good, right?  Apparently not.  She scheduled me for an induction next Tuesday if I don't deliver by then.  What's the point of forcing a baby to come out of a perfectly healthy person a week early... there isn't one.  By that point I'm pretty sure one or two more days isn't going to hurt anyone.  I doubt I will last that long anyway.  She's been overly cautious this entire pregnancy and she's making me all stressed out!  I appreciate her being careful, but I feel fine and the baby is fine and I am determined to do this natural... just like I did with Tristan.  It bothers...

I had my 37+ week OB appointment today.  I am a good 3cm dilated already, which is surprising because I haven't been having too many contractions.  I guess a little goes a long way... certainly tons of pressure :P  So... there you go.  Any day now!  Ever since I got checked I've been having contractions, but I feel like they're not much.  Josh wants Brennan NOW haha!  Apparently he's getting eager to hold him... and get him a passport.  After he arrives Josh will have a whole lot of running around to do, but I think he'll be relieved it can finally be done.  We're going to be cutting it all really close for Spain, but we have faith that everything will happen however it's supposed to happen.  No need to stress yet. My Mom is here and will be here to help out basically until we move.  It's a HUGE relief having her here.  The boys love her, we trust her completely, and she's already been helping us so much.  After raising 7 kids and running a home dayc...

Yesterday was our big Easter baking day.  We made a lot of sugar cookies and Josh got most of his carrot cake finished (did the rest today).  We had a great time and the cookies turned out uber cute :)  Tristan didn't help decorate so Noah got us all to himself.  Now all we have left to do is dishes, dinner prep, a little house-cleaning, and put together the Easter baskets.  I am so excited about cooking tomorrow!!  I am making a roast leg of lamb and fried calamari (both of which I've never done before), asparagus with bacon, and some Greek potatoes.  OK I gotta get my lamb marinated and tidy some things up before bedtime. Also I should mention that I've been having a few random contractions for the past couple of days.  I think I still have a week left in me, but the time is most definitely near!

After months and months and months of discussing names we have finally picked a keeper.  We had previously picked out several names, but none of them really stuck with us for longer than a few days.  The other morning I woke up and immediately thought of a name... it was literally the first thought that came to my mind.  We've loved it for over a week now so I think it's official.  That being said I am always very nervous about sharing names with people before the baby is born because people NEED to give their opinions and poop on our parade.  SO if you don't like it just keep it to yourself.  It took us a long time to agree on a name.  Without further ado we give you...  Brennan Gabriel !  I am determined to call him Ben, but I might end up calling him Bren like everyone else haha.  Josh and I can't imagine the cuteness level, but we couldn't with Tristan either.  I mean seriously how much cuter can a baby get than Noah and Tristan?!  Look out, ladies!

I was playing some Animal Crossing with Michelle during Tristan's nap today.  Suddenly we heard a huge BOOM upstairs... Michelle even heard it through the mic.  Apparently Tristan has now figured out how to scale his crib rails.  He is perfectly fine... no idea how he landed or anything, but it was loud!  Luckily we can still raise the rails a bit.  I had them lower for my own comfort, but a change must be made.  This is actually a good thing because he's going to have to be in a big boy bed by 2yrs old anyway. I hope everyone enjoys the tickers I put up (again).  I mostly need them for myself because I don't know how pregnant I am most of the time lol.

I forgot to upload the pics of my new do... well I guess it's not really new since I've basically been getting my hair cut like this since High School haha. I still love it every time!  Also it's important for me to mention that Josh made delicious lamb chops with a red wine and balsamic reduction sauce, mashed baby reds, and peas for dinner.  I played catch with Noah in the backyard while he cooked.  I love the way we work together.  I love him... time for some more ROCK BAND!  We're touring like crazy, getting closer and closer to opening all the venues and gigs.  I'm happy to announce we're officially "medium" players now ::bow:: thank you, thank you hahaha.  

We took a day trip out to Charleston, SC yesterday.  It was only a 2 hour drive and I felt absolutely fine.  We visited Charles Towne , the first British settlement in South Carolina.  They had a really interesting display out there, complete with a full-scale cargo ship.  Charles Towne was the hub for the sugar and timber trade to and from Barbados.  They had used up all the timber in Barbados to process the cane into sugar so they began shipping timber from Charles Towne to Barbados, and the sugar from Barbados to Charles Towne (and then out to the world).  Noah didn't want to get out of the ship.  I couldn't believe how much cargo they managed to pack into the tiny vessel.  Must have been a really fun ride :P  We also saw a few of the archaeological sites from the Native Americans (Kiawa tribe)... they had a mere 3 months to start and finish the dig thanks to some stupid contract for land development.  They were racing the bulldozers to uncover history, basically.  The walk ...

I had my 34 week OB appointment early this morning before anyone was awake... well Noah probably was.  The baby's heartbeat is a solid, healthy 138.  He's growing right on schedule (we're entering the one pound a week phase).  I am no longer on sugar watch! In other news it's our anniversary :)  We're going to leave and do something fun! Hopefully Tristan will nap in the van.  Our kids are great travelers.  Later, dudes!