I do. ;) I'm sure you all wanted to know that too. But seriously, of all of the pregnancy and labor stuff that I prepared myself for, this was one thing I WAY underestimated.
I'm not into all that natural stuff and let me tell you, I just find this G-R-O-S-S-.
It seems to be easing up a little though as they get the message that the bottle has this job ALL taken care of. I think the most freaky part is that they keep offering their services though whenever Ben cries. That's just WEIRD.

We're doing better with our routine. I actually got a pretty decent amount of sleep last night and a little nap early this morning. Tom is faring pretty well too, but he keeps forgetting to sleep when the baby sleeps, which he keeps kicking himself for.

More pics coming soon. Hopefully we'll get out and about sometime soon and I can take some pictures with some new scenery other than the bassinet and the living room. ;) I'm so tired of my living room...

Well, we brought our little package o' baby home yesterday afternoon and life has been utter chaos since. Last night was pretty rough... we switched Ben's formula on him and apparently that was not a good idea. It caused him some digestive issues, which in turn, meant he was pretty much inconsolable until about 3:00 in the morning when I thought to stick him in the carseat. Apparently propping him up was what he needed because he fell right to sleep and didn't wake up again until about 5:30. Today, Tom and I have been tag teaming naps so that if tonight is anything like last night, we won't be in tears.

I've been thinking and I will probably be changing the name/address and look of my blog sometime in the near future. (When I actually HAVE some time). It seems silly to call it "I Have to Push What Out of Where?" when I got that question answered pretty darn clearly the other night. ;)

So we'll see... changes are store, it's just a matter of when.
For now, I hope you'll keep visiting even though some of the content is a little out of date.

Speaking of content, here is a link to some new pictures! Click here!

Here ya go! Click here

I am growing very bored with being in the hospital. Not that I have a choice at the moment, I still haven't gotten out of bed.

I was hoping to actually get to take a shower this morning, but there has been a water main break just up the street, so the whole hospital has no water. No water = no shower. :(

I should have the baby to occupy me at least, but they keep taking him away to the nursery because he can't seem to keep his body temperature above 97.4. They ran a bunch of lab tests to check for an infection, but everything came back all right, so they think it's just a matter of time before he can keep himself warm on his own.

I asked when I might get out of here and they seem to think late Saturday or early Sunday, depending on how the baby is doing. The nurse told me to be grateful they still sort of have a medical reason to keep me that long because the mother/baby unit is a packed house right now. It sounds like it too... my room must be very close to the nursery. (I wouldn't know, I haven't even seen the BATHROOM in my own room, much less ventured out into the hallway). I hear the little babies yelling their heads off on and off throughout the day and night. One in particular has been very unhappy since he/she got there... I'm pretty sure it's not Ben... ;) He's a good boy!

1) The epidural is the world's best invention -- Unless it falls out and no one notices until you are in tears and wanting to die.

2) Some people are simply NOT made to push babies out of small spaces. I am one of these people. I will remember this next time and take the c-section when it is offered.

3) Water and ice are the same thing. But for some reason, water makes you puke while ice does not. I put this to the test several times.

4) My idea of pain is now completely redefined -- although, I still think I'd rather be in labor than have a root canal.

... will post more as I think of them...

Hope this link works....

Click here

After 14 hours of labor, Benjamin finally arrived yesterday at 11p.m. We think he is the cutest thing ever. I will post a picture as soon as I get it off my camera. He weighs in at a whopping 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long -- just a little peanut.

More details later... those are the basics for now!

That's right... in 12 hours we are initiating actions to forceably evict Ben, as he seems to have already developed separation anxiety and refuses to leave willingly.

For those of you checking in to the blog regularly for news, I will be taking my laptop to the hospital tomorrow in hopes of being able to hook it up to the phone line in the room. We'll see how that goes. If it doesn't work, you can expect a post and some pictures by Friday evening or Saturday, I hope. :)

Interestingly enough, I've been having contractions a lot this evening. It would be very funny if I was already in labor when I got there tomorrow -- and would go a long way toward me feeling a little more relaxed about this whole induction thing, mostly because there is a curious part of me that just can't help wondering when he would have chosen to make his debut on his own.

Today's doctor visit was MOST interesting. Here's how it went:
1) Enter office.
2) Pee in cup.
3) Blood pressure and weight checked.
4) Wait in exam room forever while baby's heartbeat is monitored on really long strip of paper.
5) Doctor enters, writes a few things on my chart, chats a bit, and then out of nowhere, says...

"So I think it's time to get this baby out, when do you want to do it?"

*** Tom and Erin exchange shocked glances ***

Erin: "uhhh...."
Tom: "How about tomorrow?"
Erin: "Friday?"
Doctor: "How about Wednesday or Thursday?"
Erin: "uhhhhhhhhh.... Wednesday sounds good."

Nurse enters, yells something about Mrs. so-and-so being 9 centimeters and wanting to push. Doctor hurredly finishes my exam says the front desk staff will arrange everything and runs away, leaving Tom and Erin in the exam room still staring at each other in utter disbelief.

A few minutes later, we were standing out at the front desk while the physician's assistant scheduled the induction at the hospital and gave us all our instructions, which mostly consisted of showing up at 7 a.m. at labor and delivery.

So there we go. Our baby has a birthday. Unless of course, he decides to come on his own tomorrow, or really take his time with the induction process, he'll be born on the day after tomorrow, March 24.

Weird. Very WEIRD.

Yesterday, Tom and I decided to go on a date. We went to lunch and a movie ... so we were gone a good five hours or so. I was hoping Murphy's Law would kick in and halfway through the movie, we'd have to run out and head to the hospital. Right.

All I can say is that "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a great movie. (Obviously, I got to see all of it.)

Last night I decided to make the Eggplant Parmesan for dinner. I followed the recipe exactly. It was very good, especially according to Tom, who is an Eggplant Parm expert. However, it didn't do anything to move this baby onward and outward. In fact, I think all the cheese in it just sort of made me feel sick to my stomach -- not that that's any big surprise.

Since my contractions last Tuesday, I have had nary a twinge. Not even a slight cramp. I really think Ben has changed his mind about wanting to come out and I will be the first person in the world to stay pregnant forever. Seriously.

Oh, and if one more person (particularly someone who has never been pregnant) says to me, "You're not even at your DUE date yet! What are you so frustrated about?" I will beat them with one of Ben's squeaky toys until they cry like a baby.

Now that it's Saturday and my doctor is (hopefully) safely back in the Baltimore area, we can resume Operation Evict Ben Now. Today I'm going to do lots of walking and heavy lifting. ;) Sunday, I'm going to try the legendary Eggplant Parmesan.

If any of you watched Wonderfalls last night, I'm sorry it was a little disappointing. The first episode was much funnier. Try it again next week, maybe it will get better.

If any of you haven't caught the new show "Wonderfalls" on Fox, I highly recommend checking it out. It's REALLY funny. Check out the website. It's on tonight at 9p.m.! :)

For once I am happy that I am still pregnant. Just gotta get through today then my doctor comes home and I can resume my baby eviction efforts full force. I didn't have many contractions yesterday ... I tried to rest a lot and stay off my feet and that seemed to be effective. Today I'm going to work out of sheer boredom, but I'm still planning on moving as slowly as possible. Hopefully Ben doesn't think today would be a good day for a birthday. :)

I found this story and recipe on my pregnancy message board. I think I will be making Eggplant Parmesan in the very near future. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

-----------
Oct. 16— Nearly 300 baby pictures decorate Scalini's old-fashioned Italian restaurant in Cobb County, Ga. All of the babies pictured on the Italian restaurant wall were born after their mothers ate the Scalini's eggplant parmigiana. The $9.95 plate of breaded eggplant smothered in cheese and thick marinara sauce is "guaranteed" to induce labor, the restaurant claims.

The eggplant legend began not long after the restaurant opened 23 years ago.

"Two or three years after we began, a few people had just mentioned to us they came in when they were pregnant, and ate this eggplant and had a baby a short time after that," said John Bogino, who runs the restaurant with his son, Bobby Bogino. "One person told another, and it just grew by itself by leaps and bounds."

To date, more than 300 of the pregnant women customers who ordered the eggplant have given birth within 48 hours, and the restaurant dubs them the "eggplant babies." If it doesn't work in two days, the moms-to-be get a gift certificate for another meal.

Good Morning America certainly isn't making any promises, but the restaurant has graciously shared the recipe. Here it is:

Eggplant Parmigiana Alla Scalini's

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized eggplants
• 1 cup flour
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
• Olive oil for sautéing
• 8 cups of marinara sauce (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups of ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1⁄4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.
2. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.
3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.
4. Sauté in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
5. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Scalini's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
• Pinch of thyme
• Pinch of rosemary
• One teaspoon salt
• One teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Lightly sauté the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes.
2. Add garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low.
4. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Recipe courtesy of John Bogino, Scalini's Italian Restaurant, Smyrna, Ga. (scalinis.com)

And the verdict is... no induction. Much to my doctor's surprise and my disappointment, my bloodwork and ultrasound all came back fantastic and perfect. (this is actually a really good thing, I guess). So she can't do an induction. Now Ben is left to make up his own mind about when he wants to come out. Personally, I think he's a little young to be making such life-altering decisions on his own. ;)

My doctor is going out of town until Saturday, so now I'm hoping Ben decides to stay put at least that long. So for now I'm taking it easy... no long walks or jumping up and down.

On the bright side, I get to watch Survivor tonight. :)

Me me me! No birthday baby for me. :( St. Patrick's Day sounds good though. I was having cramping and contractions all day yesterday but they seem to have disappeared again. I have yet ANOTHER doctor's appointment today, so maybe that will start things up again. Or maybe she'll just have mercy on me and send me across the hall to labor and delivery. Wouldn't THAT be nice!

Congratulations to Amanda who was due on the same day as me and had her 7 pound, 2 ounce baby girl Hannah Beth by c-section yesterday morning. .. grrr... Not that I'm bitter or anything. ;) I told her to make sure the room next door was reserved for me because I'm making it in there by the end of the week, darn it!

I was up all night AGAIN last night with contractions ... the worst ones yet... these were mostly in my lower back and were enough to take my breath away for the 45 seconds or so that they lasted. They never got regular though, or particularly worse. So I was just up on and off all night breathing through them. Tom was timing them, but he lost interest after a couple hours and fell asleep. Will this ever end?

Today, my doctor decided to be non-commital again. :: sigh ::

She sent me for an ultrasound and a bloodtest. The ultrasound was to confirm the baby's size and age in case induction is necessary. He is currently 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 37 weeks and 4 days. This apparently doesn't mean he's really only 37 weeks, it just means he's a little guy. I don't really know what the bloodwork was for, but I gathered that it had something to do with seeing how bad the pre-eclampsia has gotten?

I have yet another doctor's appointment on Wednesday at 12:45. Then, she said, based on the results of the tests, she'll decide whether to induce that day or whether we need to induce at all (what?!), in which case, we'll be waiting this one out, it sounds like.

She added a little "twist" to my exam today that's supposed to hurry things along a bit. It hurt like heck and, so far, it's just caused me some mild discomfort. But I've been reading that it can take 24-48 hours to kick in after the procedure.

And the waiting continues ...

No need to panic and feel as if you've been left out of the loop. I am still pregnant.
My doctor's appointment is at 10:15 tomorrow and we'll be getting the final answer on when Ben is coming (supposedly). So stay tuned!

I would be less than thrilled at having to have a c-section... but check THIS out. People are insane.

Woman Who Refuses C-section Faces Murder Charges

Also, this is pretty darn funny...
The Weeblock

Yes, I am still pregnant. BUT... today the doctor said she would get me delivered early next week, probably Tuesday or Wedneday! :D Hooray! Although now I'm wondering if all my whining just annoyed her to the point of giving me a date. I have one last appointment on Monday, so I guess that's when we'll find out for sure what the story is ...

See Title.

Perfect strangers on the street are beginning to reassure me that "it won't be long now!" It's a little annoying. And again I have let myself get my hopes up that my doctor will have some kind of answer for me tomorrow -- a week, a day... anything!
Sadly, I know very well that this hope will be squashed like a bug when she takes my blood pressure and sends me on my way with little more than a "I'd like to see you back here Monday!" :: sigh ::

I feel like I can't make any plans that involve traveling more than 15 minutes from the hospital, and so I'm stranded in a 10-mile radius for fear that any moment ghastly things will start gushing out of me. I just wish I could predict how this all was going to go down. My water breaking would be nice, because that virtually assures baby will be out within 24 hours. Induction would be nice for the same reason. Trying to guess at real contractions vs. fake ones = not as easy. Ah well, no way to know right now! :(

Tom's co-workers are throwing him a baby shower today. How cute is that? He doesn't know about it and he never reads my blog anyway, so it will stay a surprise. Yay. I'm headed over there in about an hour when I get off of work.

I've been researching the symptoms I've been having lately (all the cramping and fun stuff). Apparently it has to do with a drop in progesterone and a rise in estrogen that occurs around week 36 to help prepare your body for labor. Long story short, it makes your body feel like your period is coming on. Oh, and here's the best part. It can continue for weeks before you actually go into labor. Isn't that wonderful? Yeah, I thought so too.

Well, my doctor's appointment today yielded no new information. In fact, I must be getting more and more whiny and annoying because my doctor is becoming increasingly evasive with her answers to my questions. Granted, my questions are things like "What is the exact date and time this baby is getting out of me?" so I guess I really can't blame her for not wanting to commit. She might have a psycho preg on her hands if she turns out to be wrong, even by a minute.

I think my blood pressure must have been up a little today because she wants to see me again on Thursday to check it again. Maybe then I'll get a date of her! Yeah right.

I came home from the doctor's appointment feeling like crap because she was a little too "invasive" during my exam today and left me horribly crampy and uncomfortable. Then I threw up my lunch. So all in all, it was not a pleasant day in pregnancy-land. I had really wanted to go with Mandy to visit Meg and see her baby this afternoon but I just couldn't muster the energy after all the ickiness of the day. :: sigh ::

I wouldn't be so frustrated with my seemingly endless pregnancy, except that I heard from Amanda today (Tom's ex girlfriend from high school who is due the same day as me). And her c-section (with the same doctor) is scheduled for March 16th -- my birthday, for those of you paying attention. I'm so jealous and am starting to feel like I am going to be the last pregnant person left on earth.

I have braxton-hicks contractions constantly but they don't seem to be doing much of anything except annoying me and getting my hopes up. My boss continues to tell me I don't look miserable enough to be close to having this baby yet. I'll have to make a mental note to stop smiling in the office.

I got an email from Meg's husband Tim this morning. (you may remember a past post from WAY back congratulating Tim and Meg on finding out they were having a boy). She was due a little over a week before me and she had her baby last night!

So ... big congrats are in order for Tim and Meg and new baby Conner Patrick! (8 pounds 14 oz!!!) How a baby THAT big came out of that girl I will NEVER know.

And for me, there is hope! Babies don't stay in forever!

Not it. You can see now why I am reluctant to go running off to the hospital, even when these contractions are 6 minutes apart. :\

It's 1:40a.m. and I am awake. I was woken up by painful contractions, which I am no stranger to, so I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I also haven't woken Tom up yet. I'm waiting until I figure out if there is any regularity to them. He just gets overly excited and starts to panic.

I had one that ended at 1:25 and another that just ended... so, so far, that's about 15 minutes apart. Hrm. I think I'll time them for a little while longer and then go back to bed and try to sleep. If this is the real thing, sleep will be something I'm not going to get for awhile. And if it's not the real thing (which it hasn't been twice in the past), I'm sitting here losing valuable sleep over nothing. Grr...

Still here, still big... no signs of labor that I'm aware of. :(
Today when Tom gets home, I think I'll make him take a long walk with me, maybe it will make something happen.

The baby's coming home outfit finally came yesterday! (that's what happens when you order something from Canada.. grrr..) It's very cute, but I realized I forgot the little blue hand mitt thingies so he doesn't scratch his face. So now I have to go track down some little blue hand mitt thingies. Argh.

For now though, I'm off to drag myself into work...

Tomorrow I am full-term. Hooray! That means Ben can come anytime... I say, bring it ON. My stomach has gotten bigger in the past three days. And by bigger, I mean heavier. When I lie down it feels like I have a 7-pound bowling ball resting on it. And then imagine "tossing and turning" (terms I am using in their very loosest sense) with a 7-pound bowling ball attached. In other words, sleeping is becoming PAINFUL. :( I never thought I would dread going to bed at night.

I am tired. I am big. And I am done.

I am so tired today. Yesterday was not a good day for keeping food down, and it continued through the night. My doctor gave me a note saying I can only work 4 hours a day, which I initially scoffed at, but today I'm thinking it sounds like a good idea. So I'll probably make a break for it around 1:00 or 1:30. No point in hanging around anyway, I can hardly hold my eyes open. I wish this baby would try and make a break for it!

Back from another fun and exciting Dr.'s appointment. No big changes. :( Still one centimeter dialated, although she did mutter something about the cervix being lower and softer (sorry for the gory details). So that's SOME progress.

She gave me a slip that says I can only work 4 hours a day. Not really sure how to approach THAT with the powers that be. Should be interesting.

I see her again next week. Same bat time, same bat place!