5 things...

no one tells you about being a mom that aren't baby related.

1) A small plastic squirt bottle with warm water will be your best friend. You will use it every time you pee, and every time you will thank the inventors of the small plastic squirt bottle and the home water heater.

2) If you've ever wanted to know what you would look like with fake breasts two sizes bigger than your current breasts, this is your chance. When the milk comes in those suckers get huge and FIRM...can we say hello Pamela Anderson. You will spend the next week admiring your rack but doing everything in your power to prevent any milk from coming out which leads me to...

3) This is the one time in your life you will welcome the idea of putting ice directly on your boobs. Normally it's a 10 minute process to submerge your upper body in a 70 degree pool on a hot summer day...three days after giving birth and you will have two sets of ice packs in your freezer so that you are never without the cool relief they provide. You will even take said ice packs into the shower with you and hold them against your chest so you can enjoy a hot shower without running the risk of leaking.

4) You will insult your stitched up vagina when you tell your friend that the worst pain you have from being a new mom is the pinched nerve in your shoulder from using muscles in ways you've never had to before.

5) You will forget what you talked to other adults about before you had the baby. You will actually enjoy a 20 minute conversation about mortgages that starts as a joke when you say how excited you are to finally have some adult conversation.

I love being a mommy, but I had no heads up for these things. I hope the rest of you to follow with babies will not be caught off guard.

Coming home pictures

Here are some shots of our trip home from the hospital.

Her Daddy's little princess coming home outfit...hopefully the only thing with the word princess on it she'll ever wear.

Tucked in to the carseat, ready for her ride home in style...we got a lot of compliments on the mustang when we were checking out.

Riding home...she slept the whole way like a champ...daddy only made it to fourth gear once.

Meeting Boomer for the first time...the cats seem to be doing okay so far. They spend a lot of time sniffing her stuff.

We're happy to be home, although the emotional roller coaster has been a little rough for me today. Harper is doing great, and Joe is living up to his wonderful husband reputation. Now here's hoping I'm able to get some sleep tonight.

Welcome Baby Harper

Yesterday at 12:52 my little surprise came into the world. We had the induction scheduled for 6:00 a.m. but Harper decided she had the final say in when she would be born and my water broke around 3:30 in the morning. I had been waking up with contractions throughout the night but after that they started coming every 6 minutes and started getting more intense. So I woke Joe up a little earlier than planned and we headed in to the hospital.

Having the appointment already scheduled was nice because they were expecting us even though we were a little early and we got put right in our room. I checked in at 6cm. dilated and

within the hour I had my epidural and Joe and I were resting up for her big moment. Around 11:45 I was 10 cm and could feel the urge to push. The nurses had me do some pushing to help get her down ready for birth before the doctor came, but then her heart rate started acting funny. It would drop real low and then get real high, so after a half hour of pushing, they made me stop and called the doctor. He showed up around 12:45 and and decided she either came out with forceps right then or I would have to have a c-section. After that decision it was a whirlwind and 12 minutes later Harper Lynn Kelley came squalling into the world. She was 8 pounds 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Quite a bit bigger than I was expecting. She checked out well and has been such a joy since. I'm doing well. I knew there would be pain and I did have to have a small episiotomy...so I'm taking the wonderful motrin the hospital provides.

Joe and I are so happy and in love with our little girl. We can't wait to get her home and really get to know her.

My last day

Today is the last day I will have without a kid. Here's how I spent my time...
-Got up at 6:30..don't know why but apparently my body thought, it's Monday have to get up at 6:30
-Sent emails to everyone letting them know the details about my induction tomorrow.
-Caught up on the past two weeks of the Vampire Diaries...I can't believe how much I love this show
-Did a couple loads of laundry so it wouldn't be a burden when we get home with the baby
-Turned in my license renewal paperwork to school...I don't want to be jobless next year because I forgot to fill out some paperwork
-took a nap...the early risin caught up to me
-went to Marcella's with Joe for an early dinner...our last as non-parents...it was delicious

Now I'm sitting here wondering what I will do with the next 5-6 hours before bed. Then its up early for a 6:00 induction. Stay tuned for baby introduction sometime at the end of the week!

All of the sudden I look up...

and my hubs is watching some show where I guy is running through a frozen tundra wearing nothing but shorts. Not even shoes. So I ask him what he's watching and he says "Super Human Powers...this guy is impervious to cold" Well from what I can tell his feet look like they will never work normally again.

If I could have any super human power it would be the ability to eat any dessert I want and not gain weight. What would your super human power be?

Finally!

It's finally my last day at work. I was going insane considering they can't seem to figure out how to get the AC working in our building. I literally thought I might be sweating so much the baby would just slide right out. I know, gross...

I was a really bad teacher this afternoon. I had some OAA (state test) questions to do with my students, but it was so hot, we had shortened classes, and it was my last day, so instead we watched cartoons. I figured I won't get to enjoy some of the last days of school with them, so I did it my own way today.

Now I get to spend the weekend with only one thought in mind...baby get out! I'm hoping not to need the induction scheduled for Tuesday, but either way it's nice to know that sometime in the next 4 days I will finally get to meet my little baby!

Have you had that baby yet

I wish I could have directed everyone at work to this website today.
http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Happy Birthday to

no one...at least no one in my house. Today is my due date and I have no baby.

My students drove me insane today freaking out that I was going to give birth in the classroom. I tried to assure them that I wouldn't give birth right there, but they all thought I should be in the hospital.

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday and I am a "big 3" cm dilated. Apparently it doesn't mean anything though, cause still no baby...I wonder how far you can dilate without being in actual labor. One of my coworkers asked it I could feel being dilated...I told her nope, there wasn't a draft or anything.

I"m currently bouncing on an exercise ball because it's supposed to encourage the baby to come out...I think my baby just loves to be bounced and thinks it's all the more reason to stay in.

I don't think I can go to work tomorrow...we'll see how it goes.

If my neighborhood were a reality show....

It would be called "Hippies and Hoodrats" Joe and I went for walk tonight in effort to get this baby to be an outside baby. As we walked off our front porch we saw two thuggish gents with a lady across the street in the section 8 housing talking about "who did Trina think she was" and "I'll show her a thing or two." Not 50 feet later we see two guys out for a stroll smoking what was probably hemp from their Birkenstocks, both with those dirty blond dreads and one wearing a bandanna.

I love living in such a....let's call it diverse....neighborhood.

And the countdown begins...I wish!

After yet another doctor's appointment today, where they didn't even bother to do a check because even if there were more dilation at this point, that doesn't tell us anything, I've decided that this is the worst part about pregnancy...the unknown. This goes completely against my type A personality. Not knowing when a major change in my life is going to occur is driving me crazy. And it's not just the exhaustion, fatness, and off and on contractions...I could endure all of that if I just knew exactly how long I had left. I don't do well in these conditions. To top it all off, it make me kind of anxious. I find myself just wandering around the house, annoying poor Joe because I can't just sit around and wait, but what the hell else am I supposed to do. I need help my dear bloggy friends, or I will go crazy just waiting. What should I do to fill my time?

Insomnia

I've been plagued with it recently. I thought it was getting better, but here it is, 1:30 in the morning and I've been awake for an hour and can't get back to sleep. Last week wasn't so bad because I was on spring break, so I could just nap during the day. Tomorrow, I have to start back to work, and I'm already dreading being there 10 days away from my due date, let alone getting minimal sleep. Here's hoping some late night judge shows will help me get some zzzz's.

Happy Birthday Hubs!

Today is Joe's birthday. Yes, that's right...he's an April Fools baby. It's fitting if you know him. So like a good wife, I got up early and baked him chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. (ok..the truth is I've been having trouble sleeping and figured...meh, I'm up, I'll bake him some muffins.) Tonight we're going to The Top Steakhouse tonight for dinner. I've never been but have heard great things. They have a live piano player who plays Rat Pack music, so that should be cool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!