As we near Lily's wonderful due date, I wake up each morning wondering if today will be the day she decides she wants to come out and meet the world. Many times these feelings are preceded by a strong contraction that passes and in turn fills me with excitement. Unfortunately, neither my excitement nor the contractions last very long, leading me to conclude that today is not the day. I know that having these contractions are a good thing, as they are practice and help me prepare for the big day, but I am just so anxious to get her here that not knowing exactly when she is coming or what it will be like is somewhat discouraging. The pregnancy book is really of no help in trying to figure out if and when labor is going to start, either. My water may break or it may not. My contractions may be really strong and send me straight into labor, or I may have pre-labor contractions for days, weeks, or even a month before I deliver. Nothing is set in stone with pregnancy, and every woman's experience is so different. It makes it really hard to know if what I am feeling is pre-labor or false labor. I had one woman tell me that when she went into labor her contractions felt as if she just had gas. Other moms tell me that I will know when I am in labor because the contractions will be stronger than any I have had before. Well, I had a really strong contraction this morning and it hurt more than any of the others, but I didn't have anymore after that. Does that mean that they will continue to get stronger and more consistent or is what a felt today the strongest I will feel? The answer is... there is no way to know. Luckily, besides the contractions that come here and there and the constant questioning of whether I may be in labor, I am feeling pretty good! My back and hips hurt at night in bed and my ankles swell on days when I work all day and then have a game. Other than that, Jeff and I are just looking forward to the arrival of our little one. Tonight we are going to go walk at Shirk and see if we can give Lily a little push. We went on Monday night and walked about 3 miles and that obviously didn't get me anywhere, but it feels good to get out of the house and exercise. About a week and half left and we hopefully will have a little one here for everyone to meet!
In work-related news, my boss has approved my proposal to work from home two days a week! I will work from home on Mondays and Wednesdays and be in the office the other days. I will continue to work events at night as needed as well, which works out fine since Jeff can be at home with the baby during those times. Jeff's mom has kindly volunteered to watch Lily every Friday, and I think that my mom will be willing to help out at least one day a week as well. It is so nice to know that our little one will be looked after by people that really love her! It will definitely make going back to work a little easier.
Working at the Coliseum has been such a great experience. Having our company manage all three entities and the food and beverage service has given me a chance to learn about so many different aspects of this business. Most buildings, such as the Peoria Civic Center, have a different management team for the building, each sports team, and food and beverage, which would not afford the experience that I have had to this point. Not only have I learned a lot by working closey with the sports teams, I have been able to learn a lot about shows and concerts as well. It is really neat to learn about all the behind-the-scenes workings of shows and concerts. Many times I have been able to listen to sound checks and watch practices. I even have been backstage and helped work "meet and greets" with the artists. I was, of course, very quick to volunteer to work the John Mayer "meet and greet" in February. Not only does my job offer me fun and exciting work experiences, but it also means that Jeff and I always have something fun to look forward to, whether it be hockey games, football games, concerts, or shows. There is always something for us to do...and do for free. We certainly have a pretty sweet set-up here!
In related news, the PrairieThunder have really started to improve, and the starting line up that we have now is really fun to watch. Hockey seems to be catching on here as our attendance has continually increased from game to game. We even got my dad hooked. Working the hockey games is a lot better than working football games because I actually have time to sit and watch. As an employee, I have season tickets so Jeff comes to all the games and I go and sit with him when I have time. The nice thing is that he likes the game so much that he doesn't mind sitting by himself for awhile if I have to go take care of something. Soon we will have to make Lily a fan as well, so Dad will always have someone to sit with him.
Stay tuned....Lily could be making her appearance any day now!
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