Family

Torimili

Baby Diaries – 2 Months

Category: baby, Family, myspace blog
Date:August 7, 2009
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weight: 15.14 lbs (95th precentile)
height: 25″ long (98th percentile)

That’s right folks, 15 pounds already!! And it’s ALL breast milk baby! LOL, seriously, 15lbs?!! My God, his car seat only holds up to 20lbs!! 🙂 Hopefully this growth spurt will slow down in the upcoming months 🙂 If not, Chris and I are thinking of starting to breed an army, you never know when you’ll need one 🙂
For those of you who don’t know what the precentile thing means (I didn’t), if there were 100 kids, Link would weigh more than 95 of them and be taller than 98 of them! The girls were always in the 90’s too but I’d have to go back and check their journals to see exactly how big.

The doctor appointment went well as usual. The other doctor checked him out today, she’s more thorough so when it took her several minutes to listen to his chest, Chris and I kept looking at each other like “is something wrong?!” Finally it was the time I had been dreading, time for the needles. It was only 3 instead of the 4 I originally thought. The 4th was an oral vaccine and he drank that with no problem (obviously drinking is not an issue for him). Then they tag teamed him. Two nurses, one for each leg, while Chris held his hand for comfort. When my baby let out that scream of pain, my eyes filled up with tears instantly. The SECOND they were done I grabbed him up and started hugging and kissing him, telling him how sorry I was…I felt horrible!! He never cries and on the rare occasion he does, it’s not near the pitch we heard today! I would never NOT do vaccines but still, I get why some people don’t. It’s not easy to hear your baby cry like that.
So he cried for a few minutes and we stayed in the room so I could nurse for a bit, and then he was okay. He fell asleep on the car ride home but when we got home he woke up. I put him in his swing and he was just smiling and cooing, of course I have him all dopped up on Tylenol right now so he seems VERY happy 🙂 The doctor said because of his weight give him a dropper full and a half!! I have the big bottle of infant Tylenol so I showed it to her and said “THIS dropper full?!!” she said “yes, and a half” 🙂 (man, he’s big!).

Our next appointment is in two months on October 7th where he’ll get 3 more shots. Then he gets a break.

Besides all that he’s doing great! Trying to get more tummy time in and he’s starting to lift his head more and more. No rolling yet but still, he’s not on his stomach much, not to mention, it’s tough trying to flip 15lbs! 🙂 He sleeps awesome at night. His awake periods during the day are longer and longer and naps shorter and shorter so nothing is getting done around here unless my awesome helper Milla is doing it 🙂 I swear that girl is like Monica from Friends 🙂 God bless her 🙂 The swaddling thing lasted once and then he was over not being able to move his arms. He sleeps on his belly for a whole 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Nope, his favorite sleeping spot is on top of large breasts…he is a man 🙂

Okay, until the next update…

Torimili

Baby Diaries – 1 month appt

Category: baby, Family, myspace blog
Date:July 7, 2009
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weight: 10.13 lbs
height: 23″ long

Today was Lincoln’s one month appointment. He’s doing great! Obvioiusly getting big. That was pretty much it. Next appointment is in one month, that’s the one where he gets the shots. I’m not looking forward to that one 🙁

Our 4th of July went really well. At first we thought it was going to be a total loss after we found out at the last minute that the fireworks display we usually go to was canceled due to budget cuts. So two hours before they were supposed to start we had to load up the kids and the car and head down to Clearwaters Coachman Park to see their display. It was a lot nicer than the other ones. They had a whole festival going on whic, had we known ours would be canceled we’d have gone down earlier int he day to enjoy that. Still, it was nice, we got a good spot to sit and watch, the baby didn’t mind the sounds, the girls had a good time (except when Milla said “this isn’t even one bit fun. All we’re doing is wsitting, eating, and watching fireworks” and Riley replied, “that’s what we’re supposed to be doing” 🙂

Chris is in London this week. It’s weird being home with the kids without him. It’s been a long time since it was just me and them, and now with the baby. We miss him though and I know he’s killing him being away from the baby 🙂

Torimili

Baby Diaries – 2 week appt

Category: baby, Family, myspace blog
Date:June 23, 2009
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weight: 10.1 lbs
height: 22″ long (she admitted he was probably measured wrong at the last appt)

Today was Lincoln’s 2nd doctor appointment. Everything is fine, he’s gaining weight like he should be and looks perfectly healthy 🙂 I had a couple concerns, first I noticed he had what felt like lumps under both of his nipples. I freaked at first because I hadn’t felt it before and I don’t remember it with the girls but he said that’s common in breastfed babies and will go away. Also, his umbilical cord stub fell off last week but it doesn’t look healed all the way, again he said it was normal and would heal over time. That and the poor baby has the worst case of hiccups every time he eats. He doesn’t seem bothered by them but I know I hate hiccups. Apparently it’s only because he has an immature diaphram and like anything else, it’s normal and will develop over the next few months.

Besides that, he’s doing well. He’s more awake and alert now, spending more time with open eyes which are beautiful to look at. The only time he’s fussy is when he’s gassy which is my fault because of the things I’ve been eating. Last night we had spaghetti but since I know that will upset his stomach I just dose him with Mylicon before I nurse and he seems to be okay so far.

I’ve been okay. I’m back to getting headaches every day which sucks. Also I’ve been a little overwhelmed with a few crying spells the last couple days. We’ve had some outside drama going on that has affected our normal routine, which I was depending on while I get used to this transition. Hopefully it’ll be resolved soon but I’m not sure yet. Luckily Link sleeps well at night so I’m not sleep deprived on top of it. Mostly I’m just dying to get back into my old clothes which doesn’t look likely any time soon 🙁 I know, it took me 9 months to get this size, it’ll take a while to get back to where I want to be. It’d be no big deal if I wasn’t nursing, but I’m still hungry alot because of everything I’m putting out, and I’m limited (as in can’t take at all) to what I can take as far as dietary suppliments. I try not to obsess about it because I know it’ll just discourage me from wanting to nurse which I want to do. I just allowed myself to get frustrated when I was nursing Milla so I quit earlier than I did with Riley. I want to give Link this first year. So i wait…again.

Next appointment is scheduled for July 7th. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Torimili

Baby Diaries – 1 week appt

Category: baby, Family, myspace blog
Date:June 15, 2009
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weight: 9lbs 5oz
height: 20.5″ long (which is wrong since he was 21″ in the hospital. I guess she just didn’t stretch him enough)

Monday was Link’s very first doctor appt (outside of the hospital). We took him to the same pediatrician that the girls go to whom I just love. He looked him over and said he looked great. His circumcision was healing nicely which was a relief because I had been wanting confirmation that it was. His belly button is healing nicely too and that umbilical cord should be falling off soon I guess. I remember it took the girls two weeks for theirs to fall off but that was back when they told us to use rubbing alcohol to clean it, now they tell you not to use anything, that the bacteria inside of it helps to heal it faster and in turn it falls off faster. If this theory is correct it should be falling off this week.

He also said he’s gaining weight great and overall looks good 🙂

Next appointment is next Tuesday for his two week. Shots start at 2 months :'(

Besides that, he’s been such a GREAT baby! I am so in love! He just fits right in with us, it’s awesome. He loves being home in his own space, he doesn’t like being handled TOO much but tolerates his sisters wanting to hold him (for a minute anyway). He sleeps most of the day and a good portion of the night which is so nice! No sleep deprivation on our end. If I could just get a handle on diapering him! 🙂 I was so afraid of his circumcision that I would leave his penis pointing up, five outfit changes a day made me realize that wasn’t working ! Since I’ve started pointing it down we’re gooing through less clothes 🙂

Chris has been a great daddy (we knew he would be). He has to watch how he holds the baby though because Link’s already tried to latch on to him a couple of times 🙂 He’s a very protective and paranoid daddy and I love that about him.

Ok, sounds like he might be waking up here in a second so I’d better go. Tune in next week for new updates.

Torimili

Mommy Diaries – The Birth Story

Category: baby, Family, myspace blog, pregnancy
Date:June 10, 2009
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Okay, things have started to settle down now so I figured I’d fill in the final chapter of my pregnancy log here.

Saturday was our due date and it didn’t look like Link would be making his debut anytime soon so we decided to have a nice “chill” day. Chris’ mom (who had been staying with us since the 3rd) was visiting her sister (who also came down to visit and see the new addition to the family) and the girls were with their dad, so we decided to make a trip down to Tampa and hit the mall (it’s rare we go anymore since there isn’t one within 45 minutes of us). I had been wanting to get the girls a “Big Sister” gift from their new brother. I settled on engraved bracelets from Things Remembered which read their name on one side and “Love, Link” on the other (so cute). We got some food, then shopped for a bit and finished up our Kevin Smith collection with the last two movies we needed. We also met up with one of his friends for a minute (work related) and later headed back to Spring Hill to visit Chris’ cousin. It was cool, we didn’t stress about the baby coming, we weren’t in any hurry to get stuff done (a rare treat anymore) it was just a day like any other we used to have.

I had been having contractions on and off all day but nothing abnormal. When it seemed like they started to get more frequent we started timing them. After 30 minutes or so they started getting further apart so I just figured it was false labor. It did motivate me to finally pack my hospital bag, so I did a load of laundry and watched a movie. I was still having them when I went to bed but again, that was normal. I figured I would either wake up in labor or just suffer another sleepless night.

At 3:30am they were getting pretty bad. I tried to sit up instead of laying down thinking that may make them less painful but I was WRONG! Still not convinced I was in “labor” I went into the living room to watch TV and time contractions again, 4:04, 4:07, 4:11, 4:13…I decided to wake up Chris. I was also really nauseous and I remembered from Milla’s birth that when I started feeling like I was going to puke I was in transition (final stage of labor) and should probably go. I thought it was too early for that but still… He started loading up the car and we went. I told him not to call anyone yet because I was so afraid I’d just get sent home to progress there and didn’t want everyone waiting around for me. From past experience there was no hurry.

Because my last two deliveries had been so long (Riley 47 hrs, Milla 13 hrs) I had not expected this to go fast but contractions were coming pretty steady. When we got in the room they asked me if I wanted the epidural and I wasn’t sure. I had hoped to go natural but the pain was so bad and so intense I was considering it. I wanted to be checked first. They checked me and I was at 3cm and 100% effaced. Relief! I had been at 1cm and 50% effaced for the last couple weeks so it was good news to hear I’d already progressed this much. They’ll administer the epidrual at 5cm so I still had some time to make my final decision about whether or not to get it. It couldn’t have been another 15 or 20 minutes when contractions were so bad I was trying not to cry through them. Breathing through them was no longer an option although the nurses seemed to think they were. They were bad and one on top of the other. I could hear Link’s heart rate increase right before each one so when I would hear it I kept thinking “again…so soon?!!” They checked me again and I was at 8cm. Yes, from 3 to 8 in less than 20 minutes! I believe my water had also broken on it’s own.

I was ready to push 10 minutes before the doctor got there. It was happening so fast we weren’t sure she’d make it. The nurses kept telling me to breathe or pant through them (pretty sure they were just stalling so they didn’t have to deliver me) but at that point I was (near crying) telling them I didn’t think I could NOT push anymore. I think Chris was ready to start slappin’ people 🙂 Finally the midwife came in and told me to start pushing. After two really big pushes he was out. I won’t describe what it felt like when he came out but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling I’ll give you that much. She told me to reach down and grab my baby (I’m not sure if he was all the way out at that point or not) but I was excited I got to hold him that second. He came out arms flailing around, crying and all pink (scored 9’s on the Apgar). Then they took him over to the warmer to clean him up, do footprints and Chris got to cut the cord while I delivered the placenta which my doctor showed us (I think they love doing that :). She said “do you want to see the placenta?!” I was like “uh, okay…” LOL it was gross but kinda cool 🙂

There were no complications, I didn’t tear or need stitches so she said I could leave the next day. My doctor couldn’t have been there more than 30 minutes total (fastest money she’s made). The nurses cleared the room soon after and it was just us :). I wasn’t down long either. They told me the first time I got up to use the bathroom I would need to call them to help so I did that quickly to get it over with but after that I was up and around like it was nothing (an advantage to not having the epidural)

A few hours later they moved us to the Mother and Baby section of the hospital which was cool because as nice as the birthing room was, the TV had no a/v plugs so we couldn’t hook up the DVD player. The new room did, SCORE! 🙂 The next day we were released at 1:30 after the pediatrican looked him over. The poor baby was so sick of being man handled. We could hear him crying down the hall :'( It was allI could do not to burst into tears (although I did get teary eyed). While he was gone I packed us up and we were ready.

He did AWESOME on the ride home. He slept the whole way. The girls screamed the entire time we brought them home so this was a nice change 🙂

The next morning his circumcision was scheduled :'( I was a wreck. Overwhelmed with guilt but certain it was the right choice. We went to my doctor who would be performing it and as the nurse was explainging it to me my eyes were welling up. I asked her to just tell me that they do this all the time and he’d be fine. She was great though, she said he would be, they’ve done at least four of these a week for years, that the worst part for the baby was that they hated being strapped down. When she brought him back to me 10 minutes later he was fine. It didn’t look like he was upset or had been crying. He was perfectly calm. He did cry on the way home but I assume the bumps weren’t pleasant. It was the longest ride ever!

He’s a great sleeper! He sleeps a lot during the day but still does well at night. The first two nights he only woke up twice each night but my milk came in the other day and he’s having more and more wet diapers so it’s waking him up a bit more now.

Speaking of my milk coming in, DAMN! My boobs are HUGE!! And HEAVY!! If my belly was gone I’d be taking pictures of these mommas 🙂 Unfortunately he’s not eating as much as I’m producing so I’m engorged which hurts! I tried pumping but my BRAND NEW pump doesn’t seem to be working right. It’s not a complicated machine so I’m not sure if it’s just a POS or what (it’s a Medela so it shouldn’t be). I’m annoyed and in some pain nonetheless. I’ll figure it out though.

Everyone’s gone now. Chris’ mom left Tuesday and now the girls are with their dad for the weekend, a day early too because it’s his birthday. I admit it’s nice not to have anyone around. I need the break. Summer vacation is going to be long this year 🙂

I have to say, the timing on this couldn’t have been better. We had flown Chris’ mom is specifically for this and since I was only a few hours past my due date she didn’t miss anything. The girls were with their dad for his weekend anyway so it wasn’t like we had to drag them out of bed at 4:30 in the morning. Labor went quick so it didn’t even take up all of our Sunday which was also convenient because his aunt was leaving that day anyway a few short hours after he was born so she didn’t miss it either. We haven’t been overwhelmed with visitors which is also nice. I do wish my mom could come 🙁 She’s been really sick for the past few weeks and obviously doesn’t want to pass it around here, but it’s so strange for me not to have her around. She was always the first one at the hospital for my other kids so for it to be days after he’s been born and her not be here sucks. We’ll see her this weekend though (hopefully she’s better by then).

Thanks for all your support during my pregnancy. I made some pretty cool friends during it too! Special thanks to my husband who has made this whole thing a great experience. He was at every appointment with me, fulfilled every craving I had, never made me feel guilty when I was too tired to cook or clean or just get out of my chair. He never made fun of me about the 3lbs of baked potatoes I ate for breakfast every morning 😉 He has always been very supportive over everything and I’m just so glad to have him in my life. Our baby is absolutely amazing. We finally have our missing Link and now our family is complete :). I couldn’t be happier with my life.

Torimili

Mommy Diaries – 39 weeks pregnant

Category: Family, myspace blog, pregnancy
Date:June 5, 2009
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Not much to add this week. I noted on my status that I was still only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced at my doctor appt today. My cervix is still up in my tonsils (her actual words) and I also gained another freakin’ pound!! Ugh…

Other than that and just TOTALLY OVER BEING PREGNANT, I’m good 🙂 Now we’re just playing the waiting game. I have an appointment for induction on June 15th at 6:15am. My doctor doesn’t think I’ll make it to then and honestly I hope I don’t either. If I couldn’t be induced this weekend (when Chris’ family is in town) then I’d rather not be induced at all. I mean, the baby will come regardless and with induction you run a higher risk of c-section not to mention being induced brings on stronger more painful contractions much quicker than going on your own, and since I was hoping to go natural I’d rather them not be too bad too fast. Plus (and I know my dad doesn’t care to hear this) the end of Gemini is June 21st so if he could hold off until the 22nd mommy would be happy too 🙂 I realize I just said I’d be happy to be pregnant until 6/22 but that’s the ONLY reason. if this kid comes at 11:58 on June 21th I’ll be SERIOUSLY annoyed 🙂

Next appointment, 6/12. Pray I don’t make it please.

Torimili

Notice of Eviction

Category: Family, myspace blog, pregnancy
Date:May 30, 2009
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I got this from a girl on my pregnancy site. I am however altering this to a 7 day Notice of Eviction 🙂

NOTICE OF EVICTION:

I am issuing 30 day notice for EVICTION. Tenant will have 30 days in which he can either gather his belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, he will be physically removed from the property.

He’s being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made! Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

After 30 days from this day that he doesn’t comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion.

Love, Mommy

Torimili

Mommy Diaries – 38 weeks pregnant

Category: Family, myspace blog, pregnancy
Date:May 28, 2009
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I just got back from my 38 week appt. To start off, that pound I lost last week, it found it’s way home 🙁 I blame it on the rain! Stupid rain. But still, I’m at 43lbs total gained so far and as long as I keep eating better and avoiding soda (which I really want right now) I should do okay until he comes.

She also checked for dilation. I was still at only a fingertip so she stripped my membranes and got me to a lose 1cm! She also recommended drinking raspberry leaf tea to make the contractions I am having become more productive. I am ALL for making the contractions more productive so I’ll do whatever it takes.

The last thing is she seemed a little suprised that I hadn’t progressed more especially considering this is my third baby so if I’m still pregnant by my next appt (next Friday) then we’ll discuss induction. I’m not a big fan of induction, mostly because I don’t believe you should chose your child’s birthday becaue I think it screws up their true astrological sign which may be a corny reason but it’s why I don’t. Then again, I am sick of being pregnant so if by my next appt I haven’t progresed at all then maybe I’ll be a little more open minded.

In unrelated news, the kids are out of school for the summer on June 3rd. I’ll miss school… 😉

That’s all for this week. I’ll let you know if anything should come up (or out 🙂 Fingers crossed that I deliver soon, I may not have any ribs left intact if he’s in there much longer.

Torimili

Seaworld with my babies

Category: 2006, Family, Kids, Me, myspace blog
Date:October 18, 2006
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So my week in Spring Hill is over. It was fun though…

I got the girls Tuesday morning and it just worked out that I got to keep them the rest of the week. Riley had no school on Friday or Monday (tomorrow) so I get to keep them until then. I had agreed to bring them home in exchange for keeping them the extra day, but as it..turns out, he has an appt down this way anyway so he’s going to pick them up after all.

Today we went to Sea World, something I’d been wanting to do with them forever! The last time we went, Milla was still in utero. It’s better to go when they’re young and they still “ohhh” and “ahhh” over dolphins and stuff, but have you been lately? What the hell happened to that place? Has humanity gotten SO bad?!..When I went as a kid, we could touch and feed the sting rays and the dolphins, now there are fences around everything! Even..the Shamu show when I was younger, it seemed like it was an hour long, and they did all kinds of crazy jumps and flips, and when they say “the soak zone” they meant it! The girls didn’t even get a little wet!..AND the show was only 15 mintues. The best they did was swim with the trainer on their nose and even that seemed ill prepared. The original Shamu would flip over in his grave!!

Still, we had lots of fun. The girls got the most use out of the kid zone (the best idea any of the parks put in), and we have the best picture of..Riley’s face on..the kid’s Shamu Rollercoaster ride. It’s the perfect combination of fear and excitement all in one (Thanks Pawpaw). I have pictures but for some reason my computer program for uploading them isn’t coming up and I’m too tired to try to figure it out tonight…

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

(thanks for the pic mom 🙂

Torimili

My Dad

Category: 2005, Family, myspace blog
Date:September 29, 2005
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My dad has cancer…

God, listen to that…are those even real words? Is it even possible to use that in the same sentence? Not to me, none of this is sinking in and I feel like a horrible person because of it!

For those of you who don’t know the story, about a week ago my dad went to the doctor because of an irregular heartbeat, during the research of that problem, they discovered this lump on his side. After xrays and catskans, and numerous other tests, they discovered it is a tumor on his kidney. He checked himself into the hospital yesterday (Sunday 9/18) and tonight they told him it is cancer.

You just don’t understand…how do I describe this man? My whole life he has been there, all the times my mother abandoned me, he stayed with me, he took care of me and my sisters…he made us his life. All of my good childhood memories are of him. I can’t imagine my kids growing up without him…what do I do? Who do you turn to when your rock, your stability, is the one who needs you? Do I have the strength and courage he has always had for me?

My dad is no less than perfection…

God, V, u know what I mean…You were there when my mom left, you remember everything we went through, you knew me when he met y step mom…I am trying to think positive and be strong but there is no way this is happening to my family! Not him…

He has stuck by me through every stupid decision I have ever made. He always told me If I was happy, he was happy…God, and I hurt him so many times just by being stupid!!

And he’s still laughing, he’s still cracking jokes like he always does…

This just can’t be happening…it just can’t be, nothing can happen to him…

When we were kids, my family would camp out at Lake Okeechobee. I remember playing hide and seek in the tall reeds that grew there, I remember big fires we’d have every night and I remember the dads always making us kids sit around in a circle plucking the feathers off the ducks they’d shot that day. My dad was a God, there was no one else like him on Earth, Untouchable! The pillar of strength . I’ve seen him cry twice my entire life…and I know he wants too now, but he is so preoccupied thinking of us, his wife and his daughters, that he wouldn’t dare, and I honestly and selfishly, don’t think I could handle it if he did. How horrible is that? Here he is in NEED and I’m so damn selfish that I can’t face it if he cried in front of me…I hate that about me…I refuse to see him as anything less than perfect stength and now that he’s not, I’m afraid. What does that say about me?

When my dad comes home from work, my baby Milla just latches on to him. She follows him around the yard and helps him do chores…she adores him more than anyone! More than daddy, sometimes more than me…What if my girls grow up with no memories of him? The greatest man who ever lived, and they barely remember him?

My past relationship, my ex’s relationship with our kids, I constantly compared that to my dad and me and my sisters. I would always say, “if you were my dad…this wouldn’t be the way it is…” My dad is a no nonsense man, you did not embarasse him, you did not disrespect him, you DID NOT lie to him! To this day, I can not lie to my my father. I knew he meant what he said, he always meant business, and he would always be there for you. Everyone should have someone like him in their life.

I don’t know what you believe in, but please…pray he makes it out of this okay. Call me selfsh, but we need him here, I don’t want to imagne a life wthout him in it, or without him there to experience it with us. My great grandpa was in his eighties before he died a few years ago, my grandparents are all still alive. I want my dad to see my children’s children.

I love my dad. I thank God for him everyday. If, God forbid this turns out to be the worst case scenario, I am so fortunate to have had him in my life. I could never have asked for better, there just wasn’t. And if this turns out to be nothing serious, then thank God I learned how important he is in my life, and I pray I never take advantage of him again.

Call your parents if you haven’t. If nothing else, thank them for your life, because it’s so quick and so fragile, and before yoi know it, someone you always thought would be there, is gone…

Don't hesitate to contact me.

Okay, things have started to settle down now so I figured I’d fill in the final chapter of my pregnancy log here.