Not Here Yet

In case you were wondering, I haven’t gone into labor yet. I’ve just been neglecting my blog a bit.

I love you, blog. I hope you don’t have abandonment issues when you grow up.

There is a lot to catch up on so I’m just going to start and talk about as much as I can remember to write about (Which might not be a lot. Pregnant brain isn’t always firing on all cylinders). We finished our childbirth classes a while ago and… we didn’t win the sticker competition.

I know, I know, how could Team Geffken lose this competition? How is that possible?

Well, Andy started an evening job halfway through the classes so we lost all time to practice and there went our chances. Believe me, it was hard to sit back and watch couples accumulate sticker after sticker but we were crippled by the work hours and there was nothing we could do about it. So, I graciously applauded as our downstairs neighbor won the competition. The prize was a hand-made moby-like wrap so I justified losing by saying that someone else needed it more than I did since I already had one. But really I still wanted to win and then I just would have given the wrap to someone who didn’t have one. The past is past but I still look at the stickers on our folder and think of what could have been.

We also decided to hire our childbirth teacher as our doula for the birth. I didn’t really understand the difference between a doula and a midwife but I do now and it makes sense for us to have both. The midwife is there to make sure you and the baby are safe and healthy. As the hospital employee she can have other patients and may have to split time between you and any other laboring mothers. They are with you as much as they can be but they may have other obligations as well. The doula is there solely for you and the husband. She is there to make sure you are comfortable and to give you the advice and encouragement you need to get through labor. We both really liked the idea of having someone there to reassure both of us as we go through this process. It’s new and natural childbirth isn’t easy so we decided to get some extra support. I think it is going to work out well. We grew to really enjoy our childbirth teacher and we think she will make the labor a smooth process for all involved. I’ll definitely let you know how it all works out.

Rhett’s room is all set and ready for him. It definitely doesn’t look like a baby room completely but it is a little better than it was before. The wall stickers look like stencils that were painted on and the changing table is perfect for the room. We don’t have a crib but I think we are going to wait until he needs one to really evaluate if we should get one. We have a pack n’ play that may tide us over until we leave Regent in the Spring. I don’t want to have to move more furniture if he doesn’t need it yet… we’ll see. We are borrowing a gorgeous bassinet from some very generous friends of ours and it is already in our room. The bottom shelf of the bassinet is dedicated to the “hospital stuff”. This includes my stuff for the hospital and Rhett’s stuff. Daddy can fend for himself. Just kidding, he’ll get a pile too. I’ve got about 5 outfits picked out for the hospital for Rhett and we will only be there for 24 hours after the birth. Some may say that’s excessive. I say, I can do what I want.

In all the baby planning I completely forgot about toys. Baby Blueberry has blankets and stuffed animals, even a playmat, but I had forgotten about toys. They are going to invade the house and my life and it’s going to be so fun. My parents picked out some toys on a great sale day and mom brought some of them down this weekend to see. We picked out some for him early on and then the rest were going in the Christmas pile. I can’t believe I’m already planning with mom which gifts should go to his birthday and which can wait till Christmas. That’s such a mom thing to do… Anyway, the toys are just adorable.

I’ve definitely started Braxton Hicks contractions but they are very spread out and not very strong at all. Just enough to make you take a deep breath and then go on with whatever you were doing. Baby Blueberry moves a lot and everything is so clear. When I lay on my back, it looks like I have a baby curled up on my tummy and I took a blanket and draped it over the baby. It’s awesome. Andy can hear his heartbeat when he puts his ear to my tummy and that makes me happy. He normally gets a kick to the face, too.

As a child, my parents sometimes lovingly referred to me as the Staypuff marshmallow man from Ghostbusters. I feel as though I am returning to those days.



My hands and feet have started swelling but it is mainly due to my love of salt. When I cut back a little it seems to go down but other days it seems to be just because I am pregnant. It’s not fun but my ice packs keep me comfortable.
Lastly, I had a lot of fun with my sister two weekends ago taking some maternity shots. She really did a great job! I posted all of them on my facebook page but I will share some of my personal favorites here.




Not much longer friends. He’ll be here soon.