Christmas Past and Present.

Last year on Christmas Day we went to my sister's for a casual dinner having celebrated our big family Christmas a few days prior. During dinner I was really preoccupied because Piglet had not kicked me very much all day. I started drinking Coke and doing kick counts and still got only one nudge when he would normally kick me very forcefully, especially during the 6-9 p.m. hours. On our way back home, dh and I were talking about it and he convinced me to call the Nurse Help Desk and see what they had to say. Here's how the conversation went:

Her: Nurse help desk, may I have your name and other boring information? (Well, maybe that wasn't exactly what she said!) After that exchange this is really how it went:

Me: Yes, I'm a 38 weeks pregnant and the baby hasn't been kicking me or moving like usual.

Her: Has the baby kicked you fewer than five times in the last four hours?

Me: Yes.

Her: Has the baby kicked you fewer than five times in the last hour?

Me: Yes.

Her: You need to go straight to labor and delivery. I will let them know you are on your way.

Me: Gulp.

I had been doing everything I had heard, read or been told to try and get this child to come out but when I heard that, I was very shocked. And of course my first thought was - but my legs aren't shaved and my personalized gown just came out of the wash and it isn't ironed! Priorities, right?

So I MADE dh stop by our house so I could quickly run a razor over my legs and grab a few essentials (despite the planner that I am, this is the one thing I was dragging my feet about. I had many "piles" but just hadn't packed) just in case it was going to be our BIG MOMENT. When we arrived at the hospital, the woman at the front desk took one look at me and said - "I'll call the 9th floor. Do you need a wheelchair?" I declined and we made our way through the corridor to the elevator.

When we arrived they put us in a labor and delivery suite and a very nice nurse came in to take my vitals and get me hooked up to a fetal heart monitor. This is how I looked.

I know you're shocked by the size of my whopping belly. Heck, looking back, even I'm shocked by it! Would you believe I only gained 25lbs during my pregnancy and a month after I had Piglet I weighed less than I had before I got pregnant? It's true, I swear!

Anyway, of course the minute they hooked up the monitors the stubborn little thing starts going - BOING! BA-BOING! BA-BOING BOING BOING!!! It's just Murphy's Law. The nurse was sweet and said it happens all the time.

So that little journey was, yes, you guessed it - Christmas Past.

Christmas Present went something like this because we were/are still snowed in and there was no one there to take our picture!

Me: Babe, babe, he's crawling away. Stop petting the dog, grab him! (I was adjusting the tripod.)

Dh: I'm trying!!!

Me: Honey, you have to move to the left, ok, now back a little, ok STOP. Pull his sweater down!

Dh: Here? You mean here? Who's going to hold the baby?

Me: Is the light flashing? Babe - is it flashing? (flash goes off)

Dh: What? I was trying to grab the little Shrieker. (flash goes off again).

Here's how those turned out...