"Lil Boop"
This nickname came about when we were getting ready to ultrasound for the first time. I had miscarried the month before and had never gotten a period, and after 3 HCG draws (each time the number going up and up!) they decided to ultrasound to see what I was growing in my uterus. AJ was concerned about getting off work to go to the appointment. They told me it was going to be quick, so I told him that there wouldn't be much to see, "Just a lil boop on the screen."
To which AJ responded, "But that's my Lil Boop."
And it stuck!
2. When did "Oh-my-gosh-we're-having-a-baby" really sink it?
At the 10 week ultrasound, when Wyatt actually looked like a baby in there! I just remember watching him with my mouth wide open. Before then, he had just been a little jellybean on the screen with a heartbeat. At the 10 week ultrasound, we saw his head, his ears, his baby-ness in full. That's when AJ and I were like, wow, we're really doing this!
3. When you think of yourself as a mom, what's the first thing to come to mind?
I see myself holding Wyatt for the first time, and my heart just exploding. I can see myself crying and laughing and my world just stopping when I see him for the first moment, when I see my son who I have never met before but have loved for 9 months. I'll be a momma!
4. Is your nursery complete? What's the theme and what do you have left to complete?
The nursery is complete! It's been a while since I posted some updated pics, but you can check a couple older pics out here. The theme I chose for the room was "Baby Cocoa" from Babies R Us. AJ and I painted the purple walls a green color we matched at Home Depot from the window valence. The bouncer is ready to go, there's a hamper, a book shelf, and a chair to rock Wyatt to sleep in.
We still need to organize the nursery and clean things out of the closet and move stuff from the baby shower in, but we are so close!
5. List 5 qualities you hope your baby will possess:
Wyatt, I want you to have:
- Honesty - live without feeling guilty, be the man who says what he means and mean what he says
- Passion - love something, love anything, and love it entirely and I will support you 100%
- Humor - laughter is the best medicine, have a sense of humor and don't take life too seriously
- Selflessness - the greatest men I know are my father and AJ, both are the most selfless men I know
- Positivity - be able to take every experience and turn it into a positive one, learn from every mistake, every hardship
6. What's your ideal labor experience?
I will go into Labor and Delivery with AJ and we will have a smooth check-in. Induction will begin and things will progress safely. I'll get an epidural when the pain is starting to become intolerable. The epidural will go in easy and work the way it should. AJ will be in the room with me rubbing my back and talking to me when things start to feel out of control. He is my rock and I want him by my side the whole way. Visitors can come in and visit until I start feeling uncomfortable or irritated, then they need to go wait in the waiting room or come back later to meet the baby. I'm sorry if that sounds mean, but I really want the moment to be for me and AJ and I don't want to be worried about who is in the room and who isn't, whose feelings are hurt and whose aren't, etc.
When the pushing begins, I just want AJ and I in the room with Dr. W and the nurses. I don't think I would mind having a nursing student in the room because when I was in school I was able to watch a delivery from the time the water broke until the baby boy was actually born, and it was one of the best experiences I have had.
This whole time I haven't been one of those moms that worries about what music is playing, what the lighting is like, what "birth equipment" is used, etc. I just honestly am not too concerned about it. I know I don't want any videos, but I would like a picture of me seeing Wyatt the first time after they make sure everything is okay with him.
I would love to have a safe delivery for both me and baby. Wyatt, I want you to come out just pissed off and scream-crying and clearing those lungs out. I want them to give you to me right away so I can put you on my chest.
I'm hoping I can deliver vaginally and would prefer not to have C-Section unless there is a medical reason.
That's all I've got! I'm not too picky. Just want my baby here and healthy!
7. List 5 things that have changed in your relationship with your spouse since you've been pregnant:
- We go out less - we used to go out on Friday or Saturday nights to a bar or to a movie, have "date nights", but since I've been pregnant I have been so tired I prefer to stay home most of the time. And I certainly don't want to go to a bar right now! LOL
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| Last New Years your daddy and I had a blast at the Saddle Saloon - This New Years I was in bed by 11 PM! |
- AJ dotes on me hardcore- He always has taken good care of me, but again, since I'm pregnant I'm easily exhausted and a lot of times AJ comes home from work just to turn around and cook dinner without complaining. He will put a pillow under my feet when they are swollen, he will bring me a soda if I mention I'm thirsty, etc. Before being pregnant I was pretty independent, but since I've been pregnant I am enjoying the pampering while it lasts!
- NO SMOKING! - AJ and I were smokers before I saw those 2 pink lines pop up. We would sit out on the deck and have a smoke and catch up with each other throughout the evening. Some nights we'd split a beer and sit out on the deck and talk into the wee hours of the night. I didn't realize how much we talked when we smoked versus when we didn't. It was something we had to work on doing. However, we've learned to talk without having to have a cigarette in our hands and we are healthier for it. My biggest concern is falling into the habit again after I deliver - it must not happen!
- Our Plans - Now include baby! We don't talk about just us anymore, every time we talk about the future it now includes you, Mr. Wyatt J. And sometimes it already feels like we are already a 3-person family even though you haven't made your appearance yet, just because we talk about the 3 of us so much - plans for future vacations, figuring out how you are getting to school, etc. We've even circled around your future elementary school! LOL
- Different things are important- What used to matter and who used to matter are not the same as they were 9 months ago. Our priorities are different now, our goals are not the same, there are people we want in our baby's life and people we don't. I feel like we have trimmed the fat and kept the good. We've grown up more, matured. Things are different now, better, less dramatic.
8. List 5 things you think will change once your baby arrives:
- SLEEP
- Where the bulk of our $ goes
- More people coming over to visit
- Less time for hobbies
- LOTS of pictures and videos!
9. Where do you think you'll be when you go into labor? Why?
Before I was placed on bedrest I predicted that my water would break while carting a patient from pre-op to the OR suite. I planned on working until I went into labor, even though everyone was telling me I would deliver early. Now that I am on bedrest, Dr. W told me that we will be inducing at 37 weeks due to my high pressures, so I will be going to labor in the hospital! (Not as dramatic as the water breaking in the hallway of the OR like a scene off Grey's, that's for sure!)
10. Have you been talking to your baby? Playing music?
I talk to Baby Wyatt all the time. I ask him what he's doing in there out of no where. I'm also pretty sure he is going to come out of the womb and recognize these songs:
- "Walk" by Foo Fighters
- "Back to Me" by 3 Doors Down
- "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
- "Fix Me" by 10 Years
- "Fly" by Nicki Minaj
- "Sail" by AWOLNATION
- "We Are Young" by Fun.
- And most recently, "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars
I get on song "jags" and listen to the same songs every morning before work until I find another set to obsess on. Since I'm on bedrest, I do this while I'm in the shower instead, starting my playlist on "Barton Hollow" every time!
11. In what ways do you hope your baby is like your spouse?
I hope Wyatt takes more after AJ than he does me, just because I think AJ is the better person! AJ is calmer, more level-headed, more selfless, trustworthy, loyal, has common sense, people skills, and can fix anything with his hands. He finds the positive in a situation, he helps others, he is my rock. I hope Wyatt is just like his daddy.
12. In what ways do you hope your baby is like you?
Wyatt, I hope you place an importance in education like I did. It is what I am most proud of myself for! I also hope you are able to read people the way I can and that you think before you speak like I try to do. I hope you like to read and write like I do.
13. How long will you wait for the next baby, or if this is your last one, why/why not?
I made the comment "One and Done!" several times throughout this pregnancy just because it felt like I was hit with obstacle after obstacle: 1st trimester nausea and fatigue, 2nd trimester sciatica pain, 3rd trimester hypertension and fluid overload. A lot of people laughed off what I said, but I would be perfectly content with having just one child.
I do think AJ and I could eventually have another baby, I wouldn't rule it out. But I think we will wait a couple years if we do.
14. What kind of grandparents do you think your baby will have?
Momma T and Grandma Betsy are going to dote on you like crazy. They have both been wanting grandchildren for a while now and you are the first in of our families, so you are going to be getting A LOT of attention! Your Grandpas are going to be very proud of you, but not all oooey-gooey lovey-dovey the way your grandmas are going to be. Your Grandpa McKinney will have you out on the farm on a 4-wheeler or tractor before you can walk!
15. Who will be with you during labor? Who will visit you in the hospital during your recovery?
At this moment, I want AJ to be the only person with me besides medical staff during active labor. Who knows what will happen though, I may be crying for my momma before it's over with! We'll see, but right now ideally I just want AJ.
During recovery, I expect to have lot of family and a lot of OR co-workers to come up and have a look-see at Wyatt!
16. How much will you tell your baby (child, teenager) about your past? Why/why not?
I'll be an open book for Wyatt, and honestly, if he wants to know anything he can just pick up one of my many (embarrassing!) journals I have kept over the years. Growing up is hard. I had a great childhood, but my teenage years were rough. There's no reason to hide anything, and if Wyatt can learn something from me and my mistakes then it's worth it is totally worth it to tell him.
17. Do you have any hopes for your child's activities? (Sports, academics, school preference, activities, etc)
I hope Wyatt likes to play sports because both his daddy and I played sports growing up. I think it teaches you a lot about your own ethic as well as teamwork. I won't push him to do anything he doesn't want to do and want to make sure he is having fun (when it is no longer fun I don't see the point!). I plan on giving him opportunities growing up to try different things so he can find out what he enjoys!
As for academics, I grew up with my dad telling in me how important they were, and because of that I pushed myself to do the best I could. I graduated from college entirely debt-free because of the scholarship money I got. I want to place an emphasis on academics with Wyatt, but honestly my obsession for perfectionism made me push myself really hard and sometimes I think I missed out on fun opportunities to stick my nose in a book. So basically, push yourself to do well, but not to the point you are making yourself miserable! You don't have to be perfect, Wyatt, but I want you to try!
18. When will you tell your baby about the birds and the bees?
When he asks I suppose!
19. In what ways do you hope you'll parent like your parents did? In what ways do you hope you aren't like them?
My parents always made me feel like I was in charge of my own decisions, but still tried to guide me without overstepping. I appreciated that. It allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them. If anything, I would like to be more open with my child. My dad worked a lot to support us and my mom was trying to juggle 2 kids and go back to school, so sometimes it felt like I had no one to talk to.
20. What childhood memories do you hope your child will have (similar to ones you fondly remember)?
Thanksgivings with tons of food and family. Christmases with mountains of presents and excitement. Summers and vacation at Big Surf or on some sort of body of water.
21. And finally, Be annoying! What "advice" do you want newly pregnant women to know?
Enjoy it. Even though I have been pregnant for 9 months it feels like the time has just flown by.
Don't bitch about all the negative aspects of pregnancy. Bitch to other pregnant women if you need to. It may be because I miscarried, but I see every pregnancy as a gift and it needs to be appreciated. I know I complain at times too and try not to, because when I miscarried I would have killed to trade places with a pregnant woman with a "horrible backache" or "extreme nausea". I also see the women come to the OR who have been trying to have children for years, and face month after month and year after year of disappointment. Even when I was about to puke my guts out, or could barely walk because of the sciatica, I was so thankful to be pregnant still. So be thankful. You are lucky.
Embrace the stretch marks. They are coming whether you like them or not, sorry. I thought I was exempt and then a month ago my stripes came in!
Write to your baby. I love looking back at the different posts and reading about my pregnancy. Even if Wyatt doesn't give a crap about all of these letters I wrote to him in utero, I love reading about those special moments (like the first ultrasound, or the first time AJ felt Wyatt move). Because honestly, you won't remember, so write it down! It can be private or public, just do it!
Love,
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