A Poem for Georgia Lou

The following poem was written by my supervisor, Marilyn Jones Stamps. She read to all of us at the surprise baby shower that was thrown today by my co-workers.

Celebrating the Birth of

Georgia Lou Nolen

Amy, we have gathered 'round the table

To celebrate the joy that has been given to you -

A gift of love - of flesh and blood –

A sweet baby girl named Georgia Lou.

Soon you will see the wonder of it all,

And marvel at the sight,

And we, too, share your happiness

And celebrate the blessings of life.

For such a celebration, this royal addition to your family tree

Is a bountiful blessing sent by God in all His majesty.

We are happy for you and Scott, and eagerly await your blessed pearl

As we wish you all the best in the birth of your baby girl.

May her growing years be filled with love

May your life be blessed anew —

These are the things we wish for you and Scott,

And your sweet and precious Georgia Lou.

Wishing You all the Blessings of Life

Your Friends and Co-Workers at the Alabama Tourism Department

November 12, 2009

Daddy is Going to be a Sucker!

I've always considered Scott to be a very sensitive person. He's very caring and goes out of his way to help people, sometimes to the point of being taken advantage of. Its something that really attracted me to him. Since the day we found out we were pregnant, he made it clear he was really hoping for a girl. I was surprised, being the huge football fan that he is, that he wouldn't be hoping for a little boy to play football with. But no, he wants a daddy's girl and he's getting his wish. 

Last night, we were watching America's Funniest Home Videos, by far one of the best shows ever. One of the clips was of a little girl with a butterfly on her head. You could hear the mother's voice asking her if they could put the butterfly on a flower and let it go. The little girl began to cry saying that she loved the butterfly and she wanted to keep it. You guys, he will probably kill me for telling everyone, but Scott teared up! I swear, Georgia Lou is going to be the most rotten Daddy's girl on Earth because all she is going to have to do is cry and Daddy will give her whatever she wants!!!

Sweetest Thing

Up until now I've only felt little thumps and kicks here and there to let me know Georgia Lou is there. Last night I laid down on my side in bed to watch a little tv before I went to sleep and what I felt was much different than before. If I pressed my hand to the side of my stomach, I felt like she was pressing right back. It was the strangest, yet sweetest thing I have ever felt. I just lay there pushing back and forth with her. I wanted Scott to feel it but I was afraid if I got up to go get him she wouldn't do it again when I lay back down. In a way, it made me feel like it was more real that there's a little baby girl with her own personality growing in there and not some alien creature. I feel like I'm getting mommy-baby bonding already and its a great feeling.

I dreamed about her a few nights ago. This was the first dream where I could actually see her and what she looked like. The nurses laid her on my chest and I just stared at her. She had fuzzy dark hair and big brown eyes. There were people standing around us who all said, "Oh, she looks just like you!" I guess we'll see just how correct mommy's dreams and intuitions are. When I picture her in my head, for some reason I see a redheaded baby with fair skin just like her Daddy. But that is certainly not what I saw in this dream. So, we'll see which is right in about 9 MORE WEEKS!

I had my first shower last Sunday given by my great friends, Kelly Knowles & Blair Bridges in Opelika for friends and family on that side of the state. Everything was wonderful and we got some really thoughtful gifts. This coming Sunday, my mother's friends will be hosting a shower in Prattville for my side of the family and friend in the Montgomery area. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone!! Thank you in advance to all of you who are planning on coming!

31 weeks down, 9 more to go... maybe?

30 down, 10 to go!

I'm officially nervous!! I just realized that today I am 30 weeks pregnant. Which also means, if I go my full 40 weeks I only have 10 weeks left to prepare for this baby!! I still have so much to do. Her room is not organized! None of her clothes or blankets are washed! We haven't had a single shower yet and we have no bottles and only 1 pack of diapers! I've been holding back buying anything because we're having a couple of showers and I wanted to wait until after those to see what we have left to buy. But suddenly I'm terrified that I'm not going to have everything she needs! Maybe from now on, every week when I go grocery shopping I should buy a pack of diapers in various sizes just to stock up? I worry that since we are having a girl,  all we will get at showers is cutesy clothes. Because who doesn't want to buy pretty clothes for a little girl? And really clothes is the last thing we need! We've gotten lots of hand me downs from friends and if you didn't already know, I have turned our little house into a clothing shop and have been sewing little girl dresses like mad for weeks! My first show is this coming Saturday, October 24th in Loachapoka, Alabama. I'm praying that it goes well and I at least break even on the booth rental. 

Adding to my stress is the fact that Scott had the official start of production at Kia on Friday. He has been working 12 hour days Monday through Friday and a full 8 hour day on Saturdays for a few weeks. But starting this week, he will also be working on Sundays. While we are both thankful for the overtime and extra money before Georgia Lou gets here, we also have so much to do at the house that isn't getting done because when he is finally home, he's so tired he doesn't want to do anything but eat,  shower and sleep. I just worry that this trend will continue once Georgia Lou is here and she will hardly get to see her daddy.

On the  bright side, Georgia Lou gained a cousin last week!! On Thursday, October 15th, Noah Patrick Shell arrived weighing 7 lbs, 5 ozs and was 20 inches long. He has lots of dark hair and long feet for such a little baby. But is anyone surprised when his Daddy wears size 15s? He is the prettiest baby boy I've ever seen but I'm sure I'm a little biased about it. But here, you can see for yourself:

More Excited Every Day

I feel like in the past week my belly has doubled in size! I'm sure it hasn't but it just feels that way. I had my glucose test on Monday and they said they'd only call if there was a problem. Since its now Thursday and I haven't heard anything, I think I can safely assume that I must not have gestational diabetes. That's great news!

My first trimester seemed to go by so quickly and suddenly it seems like time has stopped? The weeks are dragging by. But really, that's probably a good thing because we still need time to finish Georgia Lou's room and to have the showers our friends and family have so graciously offered to give us. I can't wait for my first shower. Last weekend I bought some of the big items we needed at a consignment sale. I got a carseat, stroller, swing, bouncy and bath seat all for less than the stroller I had registered for. So, really what we need is diapers, bottle, wipes, soaps, shampoos, diaper cream and all the stuff that gets used up. So far, we have one pack of diapers and one bottle! Something tells me that isn't going to cut it! Ha ha.

I keep wondering what she will look like? And when she will come? If you haven't done so already, submit a guess about when you think she will arrive! If you waited this late, you already have a leg up because you will definitely get the gender right!

Been Lucky

I've been so lucky to not have morning sickness or most of the common pregnancy horrors. Its been going so well that I've been spoiled. But over the last week or so I've been having some pains in my hips and pelvic bone that are pretty bad. It gets so bad at night sometimes that I can barely walk, which can be bad when you have to go to the bathroom NOW. I know its due to my hips spreading and I just hope that once they've spread as far as they need to go, the pain will stop. They can only spread so far, right?

Other than that, things are going very well. I continue to feel the little thump in my belly more and more frequently. And I think it must be a hand or foot up in my rib area that I feel pressing every now and then. Its nice to feel her just to remind me that she's there every now and then. Its amazing how protective you feel over something you've not been able to see yet. Earlier this week, a friend of my brother and his wife had their baby quite early. She was only 24 weeks and 4 days, which is what I am exactly today. The baby is in NICU at a hospital here. She was only a pound and a half and very tiny. Lord willing, she will be in the hsopital until December before they might be able to take her home. Seeing the pictures of that teeny tiny baby girl hooked to all those machines makes you realize how important it is to have patience. As much as I'm ready to meet Georgia Lou already, I'm more than happy to wait three more months to have a happy, healthy baby girl to take home with me. So everyone, say a prayer for Savannah Grace and her mommy and daddy.

25 weeks down, 15 to go!

Signs

The last few days I've been feeling Georgia Lou pressing up in my rib area. I think this is by far the strangest thing I've ever felt. I guess because you always hear people say you felt the baby "kick" that I only expected to feel little thumps and pokes here and there. But this feels almost like there is a bug or something crawling on my ribs... from the inside? Its so strange.

I also feel like my belly has grown a lot in the last week or so. Suddenly people around my office building are noticing that I'm pregnant. I think until now its been hard to tell if I'm pregnant or just putting on a little weight. I'm glad that they now know for sure.

Yesterday, I finished painting a sign with letters spelling "Georgia Lou" to hang on her wall. I added some flowers on either side of her name to match the bedding that we're using in her nursery. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. We will be hanging over the door to her room.

I'm having a "Girls Night" with a group of ladies in the Auburn area tonight. We're having dinner and then going to "Sips n Strokes." I've never been but apparently ladies get together and drink wine and paint. So, I'm going to bring myself some grape juice and a wine glass so I'll fit in. There's an instructor and everyone does a similar style painting but you choose your own color scheme. I'll be choosing colors that will match Georgia Lou's room so I can put it in her nursery. I'm excited! I'll post a picture of how it turns out.

24 weeks down, 16 more to go!

23 weeks down, 17 to go!

I am now over 23 weeks pregnant! More than half way there! I really haven't had much to complain about during my pregnancy so far. I was very lucky not to have morning sickness. I have some general back and hip pain, but I had some of that before I was pregnant so I'm used to it. I've had heartburn/reflux a lot more frequently but I just keep some antacids in m y purse and I'm good to go. I'm just now getting to the point where I have difficulty getting up from low seats or rolling over in bed. I can only imagine how much harder it will get over the next four months.

I've started to feel a tiny thump inside my tummy every now and then in the past few days. The doctor told me that I have an anterior placenta, which might cause me to take longer than most people to begin  feeling her kick. At 22 weeks, I was beginning to worry that I would never feel her move? I wasn't worried about well-being because I've had several ultrasounds over the last fews weeks and I could see her little heart beating and her hands and feet moving in there, so I knew she's ok. I was just anxious to be able to start feeling her. And I know that Scott is extremely anxious to be able to feel her as well. He puts his hands on m y tummy all the time just hoping. Sometimes he lays his head down on my tummy and talks to her. It must be daddy-baby secrets though because he whispers and I don't know what he's telling her. One night, he must have pressed an air bubble or something because it made a noise. He swears it was Georgia Lou talking to him.

The closer I get to my due date the more nervous I get. I guess I should be nervous about labor and pains and recovering, etc. But I'm really not. I'm nervous about bringing her home and taking care of her. I'm sure I will be fine but I'm anxious about it. But knowing how excited Scott is makes it a little easier because I know that he will be here to help and support us both.