Lucky Me!

So try not to be jealous friends . . . last night I got a massage from one of the nurses who is a certified massage therapist. I didn't even know about this, but when you are in the hospital long-term for a pregnancy they try to offer one a couple of times a week. This particular nurse had been out on medical leave and just started back, so they let me know about it. This probably goes without saying, but it was amazing! I am so grateful for this service. She's going to come every Sunday and Wednesday night.

So again, try not to be jealous. I know you all want to live like ladies of leisure too, but only a few of us lucky girls get to do it. So sorry! :)

Day Umpteen in the Hospital

I've lost track of how many days I've spent here, but it seems to be a lot. :) The nurses tempted me with the thoughts of doing an ultrasound recently and I happily agreed. So today we got to see our little girl, who didn't look so little anymore on the screen. The great news is she seems to be developing nicely. We were able to see some of the umbilical cord and it looks okay. Of course I've been more sensitive to umbilical cord problems even though it's so unlikely we would lose another baby the same way.

What else happened today? A nurse brought in the movie "Up" from her own collection because I mentioned wanting to watch it for a family night tomorrow. The nurses are so funny; they offered to let us use another room just to have a change of pace, but they all look the same. It doesn't really seem like it's a different room at all! But in the room I'm in now the only audio comes from the bed, where in the first room I was in the audio came from the bed and the tv. It makes a big difference if you consider for all of us to hear (where I am now) we're going to have to cram five people on my bed. :) (Three who can be very wiggly!)

Finally some pictures!

We have baby bedding for the nursery! Thanks to my dear friend Traci who took pictures at two children's secondhand stores and let me pick what I liked best. It makes me so happy that our little one will have a room ready for her when it's time for us to finally leave the hospital. A couple of friends have volunteered to help paint; if you'd like to be involved just let me know. The more the merrier! :)

In Appreciation . . .

Wow. Labor and delivery nurses have to be some of the nicest ones around. I've been attempting to get some scrapbooking done and had mentioned to the nurse this morning that I forgot how hard it is to cut accurate circles without help. (I traced a circle on a picture using a disposable cup yesterday, but when I cut it the results were less than perfect!) She immediately said she'd see if I could borrow her daughter's circle cutter, even mentioning that her daughter could probably bring it by this afternoon! So thoughtful. A couple of other nurses have been kind enough to offer to bring movies or books, and one offered to take my laundry home to wash the other night. (I didn't take her up on it since Ethan came the next day.) We've always been pleased with the staff the other times we've delivered babies; now I'm just amazed. :)

Last night I watched hours of "Alias" uninterrupted. It was wonderful.

(Okay Sarah, that last sentence was just for you!)

Hmm . . .

I am the only patient on the floor right now. Even though I never see anyone else, it is a very lonely feeling.

Food, Birthdays, and Fun

You have a lot of time to waste in the hospital. Thanks to my friend Becky's blog, I learned today that my birthday is also National Chocolate Mint Day! I am exceptionally happy with this report and grateful that my birthday didn't fall on some other day like National Mincemeat Day or something. :) Want to check yours out? Here's the link:

p.s. What's your day? Inquiring minds want to know!

Baby Names

People keep asking if we have a name for this baby. We still don't, but I came across the neatest name meaning yesterday. The name is Samara, and the meaning is "God has protected". Isn't that awesome? After this pregnancy I definitely feel that God has protected both the baby and me. :)

Any good name suggestions? Something that goes well with Allison, Emily, and Ryan would be helpful. We have some picked out but are really up in the air on the final decision.