Well, tomorrow I log in at 33 weeks. That means 7 weeks, or less, until the little guy makes his debut. I have to admit that I am READY to him to get here. Frankly, I am tired of being pregnant. I know that sounds horrible, but my body is done. My carpal tunnel is my constant companion with my always numb fingers and shooting pains up both arms. I am still having pain in my hip and pelvis and I am beyond uncomfortable. This baby is BIG, measuring in the 90th percentile for my due date. My shrimpy, short torso is running out of room at light speed. I also am having major problems sleeping and near constant heartburn. All in all, I am falling apart. I know, I sound whiny and wimpy , but I am at the end of my rope. And people, if I hear one more “it only gets worse” or “you’re just getting ready for when the baby gets here” I am going to stab someone. I swear I will never use those words on a pregnant lady ever. It is the LAST thing you want to hear, I promise. . . . . . okay enough of the pity party for now. Moving on.

The baby’s room is slowly coming together. We have the crib put together (no mattress yet, but my sisters should be ordering that this week for us as my shower gift) and Shawn put together the storage/shelving unit. The glider and changing table/dresser have been ordered and hopefully will arrive in a couple of weeks and I had some ELFA shelving installed in the closet to help better organize things. So that’s going well.

Did I mention that we are renovating my kitchen right now? I know that you all think “You have to be crazy to tear up your house while your in your third trimester and you go into labor at any time.Yes, I am insane. But, I felt that I wanted to get this done BEFORE the baby was born. Imagine how much harder it would be to do this with an infant around. Better for him to be in the womb, right? RIGHT?

So here’s the low down: For the past few weeks we have been reliving our dorm days with a triage kitchen set up in the office. Mini fridge, microwave and paper plates! It hasn’t been too bad so far, but the big pain has started this week: refinishing the floors. We are having the front hallway redone as well as the kitchen, since they are the same hardwood. They are sanding them this week and then will start with the staining/polyurethane on Monday. Due to the fumes, Shawn and I will be staying at a hotel for the week and Walter will be boarded. I am trying to look at this as a mini vacation instead of being exiled from my house. I’ll report back to let you know how this goes.

Last Thursday, Baby Colley decided to finally show us the goods and solved “The Great Gender Mystery.”

Drumroll please . . . . . . . it’s a boy!!!

Shawn and I are very excited and happy about our little blue bundle of joy and decided to first share the news with our family and close friends over the weekend before going public. Everyone is over the moon about the little guy – my nephew ran around his house whooping like an indian- and can’t wait for his arrival in March. We are already having fun thinking about decorating the nursery and cute little boy clothes. Suffice it to say, the little guy will be wearing lots of twill, selvage denim, and tweed if Shawn has anything input (and lots of handmade knits from mama).

I should also let you know that in addition to gender, the doctor’s appointment went well and he is measuring spot on with his due date and looks healthy from all aspects. My cervix is also staying put and looking “terrific” according to my doctor. So everyone is happy and healthy so far. Yay!

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on how things are going. It seem that the morning (all-day) sickness is on the way out. Huzzah! Finally starting to feel a like a human again. Still getting hit by the brick wall of tiredness, but hanging in there. I’m also definitely looking like a really pregnant lady instead of one that had a serious beer gut. Maternity clothing are a full time deal. -Clothing industry, you suck when it comes to this. Pregnant ladies want to buy fashionable clothing! Wise up!- I’ve also been feeling little flutters/butterflies of movement for about a week not. Tiny little things, but definitely there. Looking forward to the stronger bumps and kicks so that Shawn can feel them as well. Thursday I’ll be going to see the doctor for and will be having an ultrasound, hoping that I’ll be able to report whether this little meatball is a boy or a girl. Hopefully, it won’t be too modest and will give us the full monty. Fingers crossed!

First off, thank you everyone of the congratulations and well wishes. Being able to share our joy has been amazing.

Wednesday, I was admitted to the hospital to have my cerclage put in. It was a fairly simple procedure, and I was released that evening. I had to have an epidural, so that kinda sucked, but otherwise it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I’m a little achy and sore and REALLY tired, but otherwise not too bad. I’ve been on bed rest at home the past couple days as a precaution, but I should be able to get back to normal by the end of the weekend. Shawn has been absolutely amazing through all of this. He took off of work to stay here with me and has been beyond attentive . . . thank you, my wonderful husband.

I have to say that I’m much relieved now that the cerclage is in place. It gives me a little extra reassurance that things will go better this time around. I know that we still have a long way to go until March, but I feel like we have a great plan in place to get us there. I am looking forward to sharing more of the journey with you all.

I wish that I could do a flashy announcement like Beyonce at the VMAs, but I am a TERRIBLE singer, and well, sequins aren’t my thing. Yes, Shawn and I are delighted to say that I’m pregnant again!

After the tragedy of losing the twins, we weren’t sure at first how soon we wanted to try again, but at the summer progressed, we felt like it was time. It took us quite a while before, so we thought that it might take a while. . . . uh, not this time. I’m currently at 12 weeks and due on March 15th. Yes, the Ides of March. . . no, I’m not going to name the baby Brutus, Caesar, etc.

My OB/GYN has recommended that I have a cerclage put in as a precautionary measure due to the issues I had before with an incompetent/funneled cervix. I will have the procedure on Wednesday. It is to be an out-patient procedure with me being on bed rest for the next few days at home. After that, I will be going to the doctor’s often -he jokes that we’ll become best friends- to keep tabs on things. Hopefully, it will be a normal pregnancy, however there is a chance that I’d have to go on home or hospital bed rest if the the situation changes. We are cautiously optimistic about things and are going to celebrate this pregnancy and not let fear or anxiety take away from our joy.

Well, this past Sunday was the March of Dimes’ March for Babies walk. As you might remember, Shawn and I decided to join the walk as a way to honor our twins, Mary and Christopher, that were born too soon. We felt like this would be a great way to celebrate their short lives and also help out a cause that has become quite dear to us. I am immensely proud to say that as of today, Team Colley raised $5090! This was possible because of the wonderful outpouring of support from our family and friends. Thank you so much to everyone that donated! For anyone that still wants to contribute, you can still do so here.

The day was cool and overcast and we lucky that the rain held off until well after the walk was over. I was impressed by the turn out and how joyful the event felt. There were other families there that were walking in memory of the children they lost, but it didn’t cast any sorrow or grief to the event. I think in a way it made it more hopeful. The staff and volunteers were extremely caring and I even had a few people come up to let me know that they heard about our story and were happy we were there. This really meant a lot to me, it made me feel like part of a community and no so alone in our situation.

Shawn worked so hard to have our awesome shirts made up for everyone. Aren’t they great? The back says “I’m walking in memory of Mary & Christopher. March 8, 2011” and the colors are tied in to the March For Babies logo.

I think that one of my favorite things from the day was that my dad had us all hold hands and cross the finish line together. That, and Luke doing push ups after the walk. He’ll do just about anything my dad says. . . . he’ll learn eventually.

(Please excuse the extreme puffiness of my face. I had a bit of a emotional breakdown the night before. Crying snotty mess and then bed equals an elephant man-like appearance in the morning.)

Ten days until the March of Dimes Walk. For those of you who did not know, Shawn and I decided to walk this year to celebrate the in memory of Mary and Christopher. We’ll be walking with our family and friends as “Team Colley” at the Columbus March of Dimes March for Babies on May 1st. We wanted to do something to honor them that would be joyful and and also help a great cause. I am hoping that this will become a tradition that we can continue.

I’d like to thank all of those who have already generously donated to our team’s fundraising goal and invite those of you that are interested to support our team either by walking with us or by making a donation on our team page. Thanks everyone for your love and support.