Maternity Pics (35 weeks)

Thanks Nealy for doing my (and baby's) pictures! 

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One Month Until Baby 2's Due Date!

36 weeks and counting!  Is it just me or does everyone hope for an early baby for their second? 

So here's my list of Reasons Why I'd Like Baby to Arrive SOON!

1. I've had baby fever for like a year.  I need a newborn--NOW! :)
2.  I can't wash my maternity pants anymore lest they will be too tight... you know what I'm talking about!! 
3.  I pushed out a 8 lb 7 oz baby already... and the longer they're in there, I assume the bigger they get.  Enough said.  (Although have I heard that at a certain point they stop growing??  Hmmm.)
4.  I want to meet her!
5.  I can't wait to see how Avery reacts.  I'm sure she'll have her jealousy moments, but she just LOVES babies and in general I think she will be thrilled that there will be a baby living at her house!  It's so funny--when we read books with babies in them, she puts her hand out like she's holding it and says, "I want to have it!" 
6.  The bi-hourly bathroom trips around the clock.
7.  Not to complain too much, but it's just so darn hard to bend over.  Our dishes are just not getting very clean on the top rack. :)

This all to say, I'm trying to count my blessings and enjoy my last few weeks with just me and Avery Sue... I'll miss our one-on-one breakfasts talking about we are going to do that day, I'll miss jumping in the car to run to Barnes and Noble at 4:30 just to hang out for the last hour of the day... okay, so maybe I DON'T want this baby to be TOO early!! 

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Preggo Update--32 weeks

My lovely, 32-week self portrait:

The official countdown has begun, people--only 8 weeks left to go, give or take a couple!  We are getting VERY excited to meet this little girl.  When I was pregnant with Avery, I had so much anxiety about her birth and about caring for an infant that I think I lost a lot of the joy of anticipating a new arrival to our family.  But this time around, I feel so much more confident and at ease about the whole thing!  That's not to say I'm not dreading labor or anything, but I'm not losing sleep over it! (What I AM losing sleep over, however, is going to the bathroom every 45 minutes around the clock! :) 

I think I was saying in another post that second trimester is awesome, but it actually has not been an easy past couple of months.  It all began with Avery getting a terrible, terrible fever/cough/cold combo that lasted a couple of weeks and kept her and I both up at night.  So then of course I caught the same thing, and at the end of it ended up with an I-wouldn't-wish-it-on-my-worst-enemy sinus infection.  There were a couple of times in the middle of the night that I almost checked myself into the ER the pain was so bad!  THEN, after over two weeks of dealing with that it was Avery's turn again and she got some sort of painful mouth virus.  THEN, guess who got not only the same mouth ulcer/virus thing but an additional wisdom tooth infection to go along with it??  I had thought the sinus infection was bad--not compared to this!  For real.

It's been a little over a week now that I've been feeling better, and let me tell you, I do not take my health for granted anymore.  Not to belabor the point, but it was a really hard time.  I am so thankful now that our whole family is feeling well, sleeping well, eating well... I think, too, that this is part of the reason I'm so optimistic about the arrival of our second: if I somehow by the grace of God got through the past two months, I really feel like I can do anything!

I'll end with a cute Avery story from yesterday.  She decided she wanted to read the baby books, so she pulled up my shirt, opened her book, and put it face down on my belly for a second and held it there.  Then she turned the page and did it again.  It was adorable.

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25 Week Belly Shot

Only 15 weeks to go!  (or less... or more... but hopefully less!)  15 weeks seems like nothin', but 3 1/2 months kind of seems like forever.  I have a feeling though that time will fly as I try to keep up with Avery. 

We are still working on a name.  I liked the name Avery ever since college, and Matt agreed to it right away, so we never considered other girl names for her.  We have the list narrowed to 2-3 names, but none of them have clicked with us yet.

I really have no idea if Avery "gets it" that she is having a sister.  I think it helps that the baby now has a ROOM and a BED, and even some clothes and shoes to show her.  I've been getting lots of big sister books, and even one from the library that shows inside the mommy's belly (complete with a "Push! Push! Push!" page where the baby comes out... ugh, don't remind me! :).  Avery will sometimes put stickers on the baby, sing to her, and this morning she tried to put some little shoes on my tummy.  Avery is definitely on the "needy" end of the continuum I'd say--she still likes me to hold her a lot and enjoys being constantly entertained, so we will have our work cut out for us come mid-May.  HOWEVER, on the bright side, this little girl and her sister came over yesterday...

.. and I will say it was MUCH EASIER watching ALL THREE of them than it is just hanging out with Avery.  The day Avery and Baby #2 can play together will be a GOOD DAY!

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19 week belly shot

Here I am, in all my glory!  We find out on Friday if we are having a girl or boy... I'm SO excited to find out.  Been feeling great... second trimester is AWESOME.  I'm not super tired anymore, and I'm not feeling like a total whale quite yet, so all in all, all is well. :)  Stay tuned for the big announcement!!

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13 Week Belly Shot

There ya have it! :)

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Pregnancy #2 Details

We had our first appointment today (12 weeks along!) and heard Baby Waite #2's heart beat today for the first time!  It was so exciting, and quite the relief!  Our official due date is May 16.  (Although I'll be the first to say that those little stinkers show up whenever they please!)  My midwife is awesome--it was so great to see her again. 

Lots of people have asked how I've been feeling.  My symptoms have been almost identical to my first pregnancy--food aversions but hungry as a horse, sensitive to smells, nauseated for most of the day, super duper did-I-by-accident-swallow-two-sleeping-pills tired.  In fact, I was SO tired and SO hungry that at first I was convinced I was carrying twins.  (No worries though--there's just one.)  The good news is by 10 weeks I felt great--except still a little on the tired side.  I manage to get a solid 2-2.5 hour nap in 4-5 days/week (the days I don't work), so I can't complain too much I suppose!  I also helps that Avery has been sleeping in, and I mean sleeping in.  So nice.

People also ask if I think it's a girl or boy, and if we are going to find out.  In answer to the second questions, YES!  In answer to the first, I could go either way on which I'd prefer.  A girl would be nice, just to have two girls close in age, but it would be exciting to have the first Boy Waite and Boy Rebarcak grandbaby. 

A little funny back story.  I first suspected that I was pregnant two days before Labor Day.  We were at the cabin and I woke up, wide awake at 5am, starving and with a splitting headache.  I snuck into the kitchen and made two eggs, fruit, and yogurt, and went back to bed.  When I woke back up at 8:30, I was hungry again and ready for my second breakfast!
We found out for sure that I was pregnant on Labor Day.  We got home from the cabin and I raced upstairs to take a pregnancy test (unbeknownst to my husband).  He thought I could not find out until Wednesday of that week.  Enter Early Detection Pregnancy Tests!  I, you know, did what I was supposed to do and then brushed my teeth while I awaited the results, telling myself to not get my hopes up, that either way is fine, that it's probably negative anway.  Those two minutes were brutal, not to mention the two weeks previous.  I looked at the two little lines, did a little dance, and went downstairs inconspicuously. 
That night I made a cake for Matt--swirled the batter pink and blue and put a big plus sign on the top in blue frosting.  When I brought the cake out to the living room, he was like, "Oh, what's the cross for?" and as I started giggling he finally got it. 

I'll have to post a baby bump picture soon--because I for sure already have a bump!

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We're "Expanding" :)

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Avery's Birth Story

Here it goes!

I wanted to write down Avery's birth story before I forgot any details! If you are squeamish about birthing stuff, you might want to stop reading here. :)

PS This is going to be long!

Well, the funny thing is that on Sunday night (March 28) I got an email from the dean asking how I was doing. I wrote back saying I was feeling great and that my midwife said there was a good chance I would go late since I wasn't having any signs of labor (I hadn't had any contractions, hadn't lost my mucus plug, and the last she checked, I was only 3/4 cm dilated). Also on Sunday night, I was emailing back and forth with my department chair discussing schedules for the fall. The last email I read from her was around 11 pm. So, needless to say, I was ready for another week of work. My lunches for Monday and Tuesday were packed; my students' quizzes were graded and in my work bag ready to go. Monday morning, I was planning on going to my 39-week midwife appointment at 9:40 and then heading to work for my 12:05 class. On top of that, Matt and I both thought I would have a 2-week late baby. No, we didn't think we would have a late baby - we were convinced we would have a late baby. Even at small group on Saturday (3/27), we were discussing the next week's plans, and I told people, "I WILL be here next weekend - this baby is going to be late!" I think another reason I thought the baby would be late was because I was dreading labor. DREADING it. I was excited to meet our baby - I just did not want to go through the "I want to die" pain I had been hearing and reading about!

The one sign that I DID have of labor actually was all day long on Sunday - my lower back hurt. I even called my mom and said FINALLY - I'm having some sort of sign of labor. But I was thinking it would still be another 3 weeks before we met our baby!

- - -
2 in the morning
Around 2am Monday morning, March 29 (I'm not sure of the exact time... I just remember that the clock said 2 something) I woke up with some bad stomach cramps. I had been sick the night before with mild diarrhea (another early sign of labor) so I thought I was just sick again. I tried to go to the bathroom and then laid in bed in the fetal position enduring my stomach cramps. I had the sinking feeling that this might, might be labor, so I started to check my clock every time I had one of these cramps. There were 3 of them that were about 10 minutes apart, so I decided I should wake up Matt. I still didn't think this was labor - I just thought I was sick and that there was a small chance this was labor. I didn't want to cry wolf or anything, so I just quietly said, "Hey, honey?" He didn't hear me. I waited 10 minutes and said it again. "Hey, honey?" No response.

4:30 in the morning
I waited another few minutes, and said, "Matt! I'm not feeling good." Our conversation went something like this.
Matt: What's wrong?
Kiley: I'm having some stomach cramps.
Matt: What can I do? Can I help you?
Kiley: No.
Matt: Are you sure? Let me know if I can do anything.
Kiley: This might be labor, but I don't think so. I really don't think so, but it could be. But it's probably not. I really don't think this is labor.

I went and sat on the pot, and at this point, started shaking a lot. I had never heard of people shaking during labor, so this was another sign to me that I was NOT in labor. Nevertheless, I told Matt to start timing my stomach cramps to see how long they were - so he was just counting in his head for awhile and they were about 30-40 seconds long. Neither of us remember going to get the timer, but I remember thinking, "If this is labor, we (meaning Matt!) need to be more accurate on our timing of contractions!" So, Matt started timing, and they were 2 1/2 - 3 minutes apart and 45 seconds long. I tell Matt, "Look it up in the book! Could this be labor?"

So, Matt starts thumb through our Natural Childbirth the Bradley Method book while I start to thumb through What to Expect. Matt reads out loud something like, "Your contractions may be 3-5 minutes apart lasting 45-60 seconds long - and you should get to the hospital!" I literally opened to a page in my book that addressed exactly what I was going through, and it basically said, GET TO THE HOSPITAL.

5:18 in the morning
We decided it was time to call the midwife hotline.

5:40 in the morning
The midwife, Kathleen, called me. I told her my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds long, and she said it sounded like I still had some time to labor at home, but that if I hadn't felt the baby move in awhile and I'd feel more comfortable, it's fine if I come in to the hospital. At this point, I start to have a contraction, so I hand the phone to Matt. I guess the midwife told him that it sounded like I was in a lot of pain and that we could go to the hospital if we hadn't felt the baby move lately.

I told Matt two things: "Load the car!" and "Just so you know, when we get there, I'm getting drugs." :) He told me to stay upstairs and he'd let me know when we were ready to go.

Driving to the hospital was terrible. My contractions were coming really hard, I hated every one with a passion, and was hoping that it would all just go away. I remember thinking in the car, "I'm getting an epidural when we get there. My mom will be so disappointed, but I don't care! I don't care!" Meanwhile, Matt's making phone calls to our family letting them know we were on the way. My mom was planning on coming to the hospital for the labor, but she told Matt, "Why don't you call me when you get to the hospital and let me know how far along she really is."

6:20 in the morning
We get to the hospital. Some guy wheels me up while Matt is taking care of the car. They wanted me to fill out a form, but my hand is shaking so badly it was hard to write. I don't even remember getting wheeled to the room, but once we got there, the nurse checked me right away and she said the most wonderful words I have heard in my life: "Wow, your cervix is barely even there - you are a good 8 centimeters!"

At this point, my game plan was to WAIT. I knew that if I waited another 30 minutes, it would be too late for an epidural, and then I would have no choice but to just do it! Also at this point is when my back labor started. Matt was pushing on my back with each contraction (btw, he did much better than the nurses!)

The midwife, Lisa, arrived. She was the same midwife who delivered Callie, and my sister loved her, so I was relieved to see that she was the midwife on call. Lisa asked if I wanted to do a waterbirth. At this point, I wanted SOMETHING to help the pain - even if I just thought it was helping - so I said yes, I wanted to get in the tub. The warm water helped a little bit. I actually made a joke when I got in the tub! The nurse was going to put my hair up, and I said, "Could you braid it? Just kidding." We all laughed.

The nurse, Kathryne, recommended that I empty my bladder. As I got out of the tub, I lost my mucus plug. After about 20 minutes of sitting there, I was successful. The shaking continued. I found it very difficult to relax during contractions because I was shaking so badly. At this point, I started saying, "I can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore." Matt, Kathryne, and Lisa were all SO reassuring. They knew just what to say to keep me going.

7:45 in the morning
My water broke - I was still sitting on the toilet at this point. After my water broke, my contractions got even worse. I just wanted to lay down, so I laid on my side on the bed. My midwife checked and I was - finally - 10 centimeters!! She said that whenever I felt like I needed to, that I could start pushing.

8:20 in the morning
Honestly, I never really felt a strong urge to push - just a mild one, I guess, but I gave it a shot. I was still lying on my side on the bed. I tried a few more pushing positions and finally ended up lying on my back on the bed with my legs on this pushing bar thing. Did I mention that pushing was TERRIBLE?? I HATED the burning feeling if you know what I mean!! It did not "feel good" or "feel like a relief" like other people had said! Matt, my midwife, and nurse were awesome during this time. They knew just what to say, just how to describe how to push. When I gave a good push, they'd say, "Yeah, right there, keep pushing, don't stop, you're doing great, hold it, hold it!" etc etc etc. That encouragement really kept me going. They told me I should put my hand down and feel her head, but I said I didn't want to! I didn't want a mirror down there - I just wanted to pretend that I was pushing a tennis ball or ping pong ball out!!

My midwife said I had one more contraction and the baby would be out. She lied! :) It ended up being two more because her hand was in a fist up against her cheek. That hurt and ended up giving me a third degree if you know what I mean. Ouch!

9:20 in the morning
Little Avery Waite was born! They laid her little slimy body on my chest. I was SO RELIEVED IT WAS DONE. The first things I thought when I saw her were: She has her dad's nose and sideburns! and She's a big baby!!

I thank God so much for a smooth labor and for giving me the strength to get through it. I also couldn't have done it without the help of Matt, Lisa, and Kathryne.

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Maternity Pics

I figure I should probably post my maternity pictures BEFORE I show pics of the little stinker inside!! A BIG thanks to Nealy for taking these for me. Not only is my sister Nealy an awesome decorator, cook, blogger, and mom - but she's a photographer, too!






And my fav... you can say it! It looks like an egg! :)



I just have to say - it's really fun/cool/strange knowing now who that little character was inside my belly!

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37.5 weeks... holy belly!

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Ames Shower

Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family who came to my baby shower in Ames. It was so much fun - especially to see those of you I hadn't seen since my WEDDING or even BEFORE - such as Leah and Beth - who are both pregnant, too!


A special thanks to Jen and Mikaela, aka Professional Party Planners, for hosting the shower.


It was also great having ALL THREE of my nieces there! Here is a picture of Katie and Callie - Callie was very interested in the baby - and her pacifier!

\
Baby's first picture with Grandma:


Our baby was showered with great gifts - thanks so much everyone!!

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Mexico

Call me crazy, but I just got back from a family vacation to Puerto Vallarta with Matt's family. It was just a short trip for me due to lack of time off work, but it was a very relaxing trip. Basically we sat at the pool, walked on the beach, drank pina coladas, walked around the town, and ate! Although I couldn't "drink," I did have a fabulous non-alcoholic mango margarita that was to die for.



The family at the "Malacon"--the downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants.


LeAnn and her new baby Katie on the balcony of our condo. Katie's 5 months old already!!!


Mike and baby.




The girls on the bus... it was a very BuMpY ride, but fun to experience the local transportation.


Thanks Jim and Mary Ellen for hosting us on such a fun trip!

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32 weeks = 2 months to go!

The real countdown begins! Only 8 weeks left! It's fun to be at the point where there is NO question whether I'm pregnant or not (beer bellies just don't come this big!)

I'm feeling pretty good... getting used to sleeping on my side, not TOO tired during the day. Wanting to "nest," but not enough free weekends to get too much done. Matt says I "grunt" a lot!! (like when I'm getting up from the couch or out of bed or bend over!)

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Baby Shower in Cedar Rapids

Last weekend, I had my first baby shower. Mostly family attended (from both sides of Matt's family) and there were a few church friends there, too. I felt so blessed by everyone's gifts - and let me tell you - the cake was aMAZing!




One of my favorite gifts - a witty t-shirt from Mary Ellen that reads "Gaining a little Waite." Love it!

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29 weeks

Only eleven weeks until we meet our baby! My tummy is GROOOWing! Even though I feel huge now, I know that the baby is going to nearly quadruple her weight in the next two months!

I have been feeling a lot more tired lately, mainly because I'm not sleeping too well at night. It's very hard to get comfortable, and I haven't figured out a way to sleep on my side without my shoulder and arm falling asleep; so, needless to say, I am switching sides about every 30 min and waking up each time to do it!

I have also been having days when I cannot for the life of me get full. I told my co-worker the other day that I feel like eating has become my part time job! Today, for example, after 3 breakfasts (at 8, 8:30, and 9:30), a protein and fiber-packed lunch, and 2 afternoon snacks, I finally made pancakes (of all things!) and ate 3 of them!! (And put about 2 tablespoons of butter on them!) I was finally full at 4pm after my pancake party. I think I will look back and think how lucky I was to be able to pound food, but some days it's just annoying!

And, after much review-reading, we finally decided on and bought our stroller! I can't wait to take Baby on walks this summer.

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First and Second Trimester

I want to blog about my pregnancy before I forget! So, to recap...

First Trimester: When we found out we were pregnant, I was 5 weeks along. Literally the next day, I went to the grocery store and stocked up on healthy foods--berries, all kinds of veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese, flax seeds, eggs, ground flax. Let's just say the super healthy eating lasted about 3 weeks.

At about 8 weeks, I started to get nauseous. The absolute worst was brushing my teeth in the morning. I would gag and dry heave like no other. Thankfully, I never threw up. Also at about 8 weeks, I turned into a picky eater for the first time in my life. Here's what a typical day consisted of:

Breakfast: orange juice and a half piece of toast with butter (I loved butter!!)
Snack: orange juice
Lunch: Reeses Puffs with chocolate milk (and sometimes a scoop of peanut butter on the side of the bowl!!)
Snack: orange juice and more cereal, maybe a different kind if it was a good day
Dinner: anything BLAND, such as macaroni and cheese or pizza. Absolutely no Mexican, onions, garlic, or Asian!

I think I'm making it sound worse than it really was, but needless to say, for about 4 weeks (weeks 8-12), I was not exactly eating a Dr. Oz-approved meal plan. However, I was diligent about taking my vitamins and fish oil. :) Towards the end of my first trimester, I did start craving salad. In fact, one night I ate TWO WHOLE bowls of salad at the Olive Garden. Delish.

The other big change in my first trimester was that I started to take lots and lots of naps. Around 1 in the afternoon, I would start to feel like I just took a sleeping pill (this is the best way for me to describe it). So usually I could make it one more hour, but for sure by 3, I was out. Let's just say Matt wasn't at all surprised when he came home from work at 5:30 to find me in bed! I'd sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon and then wake up until 8, maybe 9 if it was a weekend. :)

Second Trimester: My second trimester flew by--partly due to the fact that I felt great! I didn't need to nap anymore (but still went to bed early). I had energy to exercise, to work, to shop, to clean, to cook. I could finally eat chicken quesadillas--with onions--and spicy curry! It was nice to have my appetite back and to be able to eat anything (and everything!) My new food addictions in my second trimester were 1) mini frosted chocolate mini wheat cereal. Yum! I ate this every single morning, and 2) blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries with vanilla yogurt and homemade granola. In fact, I would have the cereal for "breakfast" and the fruit/yogurt/granola for my "second breakfast." Like my first trimester, I wanted to eat a LOT of peanut butter. In fact, I started buying the HUGE containers of crunchy skippy. I think I went through one in less than a month! Oh, and how can I forget Papa Johns? I could have eaten Papa Johns every day. Lately, I cannot get enough clementines. Thank goodness Target has had them on sale lately!

The biggest highlight of second trimester was feeling Baby kick for the first time. I'll never forget it. I was lying in bed on baby's 17-week bday and I felt a little fluttering. I woke Matt up to tell him. It was so cool. Now, I can SEE her move--it's crazy just to sit and watch my belly bounce and move. I just wonder what she's doing in there, what she's thinking, how she's feeling, if she's having fun or is bored or even knows the difference!

Baby is 28 weeks today. (Current belly shot to come.) Only 10 (or so) more weeks until we meet her!! I'm actually kind of hoping she comes late because I'm starting my maternity leave on my due date, and it would be nice to have a week or two at home before she arrives. I will probably take that back though!

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Baby Girl Clothes

One of the things I've been looking forward to more than anything is shopping for baby girl clothes. I finally bought my first baby girl clothes this weekend (Old Navy) and it was SO much fun. Call me shallow, but I can't wait to play dress up with little Baby Waite. :) Here are two dresses I found:



Baby got some clothes for Christmas presents, too! The shirt on the right is from cousin Callie--it has matching pink pants to go with it, too.



And, baby got the smallest onesie I've ever seen from Grandma and Grandpa R! Pop can is for size. :)

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25 weeks!

Guess who is entering her third trimester!!?? I truly CAN'T BELIEVE I only have 15 weeks left of pregnancy. My second trimester flew by, and now, it is crunch time! We have the most important things taken care of: her first name (still deciding on a middle name) and her crib! But we have a lot of baby gear to buy and a nursery to paint pink. :) I am getting really excited to meet her! Baby, see you in 15 weeks!

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New Blog

First of all, a big thank you to Nealy for designing my new-and-improved blog!!

I decided to start a new blog, to start fresh. Similar to starting a new diet for the new year (for the record, I think diets are a bad idea, but you get the picture), I've decided to start a new blog for this new chapter of our life... parenthood! In case you don't know already, we are having a baby girl April 3!

So this blog will be dedicated to "our Minnesota family": me, my wonderful husband, our baby girl, and Lord willing, more kiddos in the future.

What would a first posting be without a belly shot??

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