My dream last night

I had the most vivid dream about going into labor last night. The odd thing is I don’t really remember contractions or anything else like that. This was all about being unprepared to give birth because I didn’t have a bag packed for the hospital, we didn’t have a car seat, nothing in the baby’s room was ready - which shouldn’t matter because the baby will be sleeping in our room in the beginning anyway, but wait! We don’t have our co-sleeper yet either. For some reason the thing that bothered me the most was not having my bag for the hospital. It also seemed like a scheduled thing – which may have explained why I wasn’t experiencing contractions or anything like that. Maybe it was a scheduled c-section…who knows. But we got to the hospital in the morning and Pete basically dropped me off and then went to have breakfast with my dad. I don’t know why only my dad was there and not my mom or my in-laws. I asked Pete to go home and get me some things. I wanted a toothbrush and my makeup and lotion and something comfy to wear. He said he would bring it but I waited and waited and when he got back he didn’t bring anything. I don’t know why nobody else was at the hospital with me. I was just lying on a bed and waiting with nothing to do – nothing to read, no tv, nothing. Every now and then a nurse or doctor would come in and look at my chart, mumble something and leave. It was a very uneventful – but extremely vivid dream. I remember being annoyed at poor Pete when I woke up. I have a list of what I want to bring to the hospital. I should just throw all the stuff together and have it done so I won’t worry about it! It’s silly the things that your mind decides to obsess over.

Late Bloomer?

There’s a message board on BabyCenter.com for women whose babies are due in April 2010. There are tons of helpful postings on there and it’s pretty entertaining/interesting to read. One of the posts was asking how many women were over 35 who were delivering and also asking if it was her first pregnancy as well. It was surprising how many women are in their early 20’s but even more surprising is how few women were over 35 and also how many (including me) used the phrase “late bloomer” when replying with their age. I admit I probably used it because I didn’t know what else to say. The majority of the responses were similar to “I’ll be 37 when I deliver my first. I guess I’m a late bloomer.” I don’t know why this bothered me because before I saw those comments I really didn’t think of myself as a late bloomer. Yes, I am older than the average woman giving birth for the first time but it’s not like I’m 60. And what defines a late bloomer anyway? I think I bloomed just fine. I didn’t postpone having children because I put my career first or because I wanted to have x amount of money saved before starting a family. Nor was it because I wasn’t emotionally ready. And even if I did delay starting a family for any of those reasons, what’s wrong with that?? I didn’t have children earlier because….life just worked out that way. Some days it shocks me how old I am. I will be 37 when I deliver. Wow. When I was a kid, I thought 30 was old. I don’t feel 37. People say “age is just a number” blah blah blah. I guess it is and you’re only as old as you feel blah blah. But sometimes I don’t feel old enough to have a kid of my own. In some ways I know I’ll know what to do. But other times I think I’m not ready. I’m sure these are normal pregnancy, first time mom worries whether I was giving birth at 27 or 47. Does that make me a late bloomer? And if so, does it even matter?

On a non-introspective note, I am feeling much better and want to send my physical therapist a box of chocolates.

Two great appointments

First I had my doctor’s appointment and I met another doctor I hadn’t met before. So that makes 5 doctors I’ve been able to meet and I love 3 of them and the other two I just like. Not bad. I don’t hate any of them so I’m feeling pretty good should any of them be the one on call who delivers my baby. It was a pretty uneventful visit. I gained 3 pounds which is good and right on target. But that means that I now weigh 173 pounds and I knew I would gain weight when I got pregnant but I didn’t expect to be so surprised by the number. I’ve gained 28 pounds so far. If I keep up with a 3 pound per month weight gain, by the time I deliver I will weigh less than 180 pounds and have gained 34 pounds total. Not too bad.

The baby must have flipped because he thinks he is feet down now and his heartbeat and size are right on target. No changes to the due date yet.

Then I went to physical therapy feeling optimistic but with a bit of doubt on how well it would go. I just hurt so badly after the last visit I was afraid it would be the same. Well, I’m glad I kept my optimism. I’m not pain-free by any means but I am feeling much better. She did an alignment and I am still a little off but not much and she gave me additional exercises to do at home to help with alignment and strengthening. I also discovered (partly from my yoga teacher and partly from the physical therapist) that the way I stand is contributing to my joint issues. Apparently I hyperextend my knees and put the weight on one leg more than the other – typically the right leg, which is the side giving me problems. I have been shown how to stand correctly (with a slight bend to the knee – not hyper extending – with equal weight on each leg) and although it feels weird to me I need to be more conscious of how I stand. Posture also plays a part in alignment (of course) and luckily I’ve been more conscious of that since I started my yoga class. I think the more conscious I am of my body and how I stand, sit, etc. the better chance I have of keeping my joints aligned and being relatively pain-free. This is the closest I’ve been to pain-free in about a month!

Rambling randomness

I haven’t posted anything in awhile but I’m trying to get better. I’ve been a little distracted by the joint pain and didn’t really want to write another whiny blog post about how I hurt. But, hey, unfortunately the pain is what’s consuming my thoughts lately, so here’s an update. I worked from home on Thursday and was super productive on a big project I’m working on. I was also busy with work on Friday and part of Saturday. When I worked from home it felt so good because I was at my desk all day (except for potty breaks) without having to walk steps, take the train, walk outside, etc. I experienced the least amount of pain I’ve felt in awhile. I took it easy after work on Friday but the pain was back from the minimal walking I did. On Saturday I did some puttering and cleaning around the house and worked on the closet with Pete watching him hang new shelves and I started putting my clothes in my fabulous new closet. I’ll post pictures when it’s done but it’s so freakin awesome so far. We went to our favorite local Mexican place for a late dinner but even though it was late, we still had to wait for a table. We stood by the bar and I don’t know if it was from leaning weird on the bar (about 15-20 minutes) or the earlier work I was doing in my closet but by the time we left the restaurant, I could barely stand or walk. Poor Pete had to help support me and walk me to the car. He offered to carry me but was worried he’s drop me. I preferred to hobble along. Each step was excruciating and when we got home Pete had to help me take off my shoes and get dressed. I laid on the couch with a heating pad propped up with pillows and after taking some Tylenol I finally started to feel a little relief. Usually when I’m sitting or lying down, the pain stops but this time it was still throbbing. I fell asleep on the couch and when I got up and hobbled to go to bed I then realized that I couldn’t sleep in bed. The pain came back when I tried sleeping on my side. I must have tried every possible position to get comfortable for over an hour. I don’t know when but I finally fell asleep. Sunday was a lot better. I was worried I would continue to be in that terrible pain but I guess the whole staying off my feet and resting really did do the trick to make the pain tolerable. On Sunday I went to see the play Mama Mia and there was some walking from the car to our seats but I took it slow and it wasn’t too bad. I was uncomfortable watching the play because Banjo kept repositioning and kicking around my ribs. It was a great play though and I’m so glad we went. I’m a little worried because I was uncomfortable sitting through the play when I was 30 weeks pregnant and I have opera tickets on March 5 when I’ll be 36 weeks pregnant. I wonder if it’s acceptable to wear sweatpants and bring a pillow to the opera.

It’s interesting how efficient you become when your motion is limited. On one trip to the kitchen for a glass of milk I will bring take the recycled mail, empty the trash can from the living room, bring my dirty plate, stop by the bathroom, wipe down the counter, refill the pets’ water dish… Normally I would make about 7 trips and get half those things done. I guess walking slowly lets me take in more things that need to be done on my way to wherever it is I’m going.

I’m at work today and I thought I was wearing such a cute outfit – some leggings with a short dress type thing and a cardigan and boots. Well, the top is almost like a t-shirt material and I noticed you can see my belly button poke against the material! Gross! I didn’t notice it at home. I guess I will wear a tank top underneath any other shirts of that same material. Or maybe put a big band-aid on my belly button.

I have an odd mix of the third trimester sleepies and nesting. When I am awake I feel like I’m constantly thinking of what else I need to do. I’m not panicking about it – just planning. And then in the middle of imagining what the nursery will look like while I’m half watching something on tv, poof – I’m out. Asleep on the couch with no warning. I admit to falling asleep on the couch before I got pregnant but that was usually around 11:30 or midnight. During the first trimester I’d conk out at about 8:30 or 9:30. During the second trimester I could actually stay up and watch the Daily Show and Colbert (until 11:00!) but now I’m lucky if I’m up until 10:00. Oh well, I may as well get my sleep while I can.

Through the sleepiness and the pain, things are still getting done. Partly because of better planning on my part and partly due to an amazing husband who has been doing laundry and taking out trash and walking the dog and going grocery shopping and doing new projects like organizing furniture in the baby’s room and picking out paint colors and putting together shelves for my dream closet. I can’t imagine being pregnant without his help and support. He has made me about 5 bajillion grilled cheese sandwiches and brings me milk/water/Tylenol/whatever I need from the kitchen while I’m propped on the couch.

I have my doctor’s appointment and also physical therapy on Tuesday. I hope both go well. As usual, I’m nervous/curious about how much weight I’ve gained and I hope this physical therapy appointment is less painful than last week.

Recipe for tears

Take one part stubborn dog who won’t poop, one part ruined breakfast because there’s too much milk in the oatmeal, add two bags of trash that are annoying you, an empty toilet paper roll and shake well. Add a hefty serving of pelvic pain that has been simmering for hours and enjoy a morning breakdown. Thankfully I was able to wipe my tears on Pete’s shoulder as I apologized for being crabby (I woke him up to take care of the dog because I couldn’t handle him). I took Tylenol for the pain which helps a little. I’m pretty much ok as long as I’m sitting or lying down. When I walk, it takes me about 10 times as long as normal and I make funny faces as I grimace.

I have been so busy at work and the day is flying by. I am tired if being stuck at my desk except when I get up to go to the bathroom. I did some of my physical therapy exercises at my desk to stretch a little bit.

In Banjo related news, I played some more music for him and put the headphones on my belly the other night. He listened to some Foo Fighters and Fleet Foxes (clearly I was stuck on the letter “F”) I’ve also been reading to him. My new favorite is another book from Georgia – “Ma! There’s nothing to do in here!” It’s so cute and the illustrations are adorable. I highly recommend it to every pregnant woman. I don’t get much of a reaction from him when I read to him but he almost always kicks when I play him music (especially Led Zeppelin).

We’re going to start playing around with paint colors for his room this weekend. Once we lay the furniture out a little bit we’re going to take a picture of the room and then use photoshop to see what colors work well. I still love the tree idea on the wall and then just some cute artwork and decorations. We’re also not doing the full bedding set because he won’t ever use the quilt that comes with the set and I have plenty of other blankets that can be used as decoration on the rocker or to use on the floor with him (which were the main recommendations of what to do with the baby bedding – other than hanging it on the wall). Now we just have to put in motion all of these great nursery decorating ideas!

Physical therapy

I don’t understand how I got so nervous and worked up over going to the dentist…the DENTIST which turned out to be absolutely fine. But when it’s time to go to my physical therapy appointment, I wasn’t worried at all beforehand – no apprehension, no nervousness, nothing. Big mistake. I was not anticipating the amount of pain I would experience. I was not really interested in going to begin with and I kind of tried to put it off but my nurse nagged me about going. I had heard feedback from some people that physical therapy doesn’t really have much of an effect so I went into it thinking it would be a bit of a waste of time. I got there early to fill out paperwork and looking around at the other people in the lobby, I thought “I’m not nearly as in need of physical therapy as the other people here” looking at the folks in wheelchairs and walkers and so on. I met Andrea, my physical therapist and she was very nice. We sat down in the room and she asked me general questions about the pain…standard stuff like when it started, what makes it worse, what makes it better, etc. Then she had me stand and she felt my hip joints and had me move in different positions as she was assessing what was aligned and what wasn’t. Annnnd that’s when the pain started. I guess I’ve been so used to favoring the right side and just not doing certain movements that when I was consciously trying to do simple things like bend and lift my right knee I had shooting, terrible pains. This all went on for awhile and then it was time for the alignment. I laid flat on the table and just lying flat the pain was incredible. I’m not used to lying flat on my back with my legs straight because I’ve been sleeping on my side for several weeks. She tried to align my back by using something under my back and the weight of my own body was supposed to assist in aligning my joints. I don’t know if it worked or not. I was able to ask her all of my questions about movements to avoid, what was ok, should I continue yoga, etc. The end result is that I received several exercises and stretches to help with alignment. I got a new belt to wear – more for the pelvic area than the lower back support. She wants me to limit my mobility (avoid stairs as much as possible), don’t carry anything heavy, and come back in a week. She said this is fairly common but my misalignment is different than the majority she sees because I have had minimal lower back pain and the majority of my pain is on the pelvic joint inside my legs. We hope to get it aligned and if not, worst case scenario will be to just keep doing what I’m doing and continue physical therapy once a week until the baby’s born. She did say she was impressed by the amount of research I’d done beforehand and the things I was doing which definitely have helped things from getting worse (such as how I get in and out of a car, chair, etc. warm baths, Tylenol, and some stretches). During the appointment I had tears in my eyes and they pretty much stayed there until I got home and I was able to let it all out when Pete got home. So I will try to be optimistic about the physical therapy but at least I will be realistic and prepared that it may hurt when I got next on Tuesday.

I was supposed to have my prenatal massage this past Saturday but I didn’t get it because I had baby brain and halfway to the appointment, I realized I left the letter at home. Unfortunately the salon is about 45 minutes away and when I called to see if they really needed the letter or if they could make an exception, they said they needed the letter. I tried to argue with them but they wouldn’t budge. There was no time to make an appointment later that day so I will reschedule later. I hope they don’t remember me as the cranky pregnant lady who was condescending about their policy and told them how my doctor laughed at their policy. Oh well. I know it was my fault I left the letter at home but it put a kink in my day because I was really looking forward to being pampered a little. I’ll get it eventually but I could have used it this past weekend. Of course, I could use it now too after my PT appointment. And I’m sure I can use it again in about a month.

The countdown is on…
I am almost in my 30th week.
I am 73 days away from my due date.
I have 41 days until my baby shower.
I have 53 days to work before my due date.

I am not stressed or worried though. I’m in too much pain to be stressed out.

No more chili

It's official. Banjo does not like chili or Chinese food. I already knew the Chinese food thing. But I thought I was safe eating chili for lunch and I was wrong. When I eat tomato based things at night it bothers me when I lie down and then it's heartburn city. I guess I get heartburn and acid reflux even if I'm just sitting - not lying down.

I'm going to go buy some milk because that usually helps.

Thankfully, Banjo doesn't mind when I eat chocolate. Or donuts.

Yay for the weekend

So many good things happening this weekend...today started with a boston cremem donut and that's always a good thing. I’m looking forward to another productive weekend. I’ve been too tired each night this week to do much and I’ve been trying to stay off my feet. But now that the closet is done by the contractors, it’s time to get it set up. I’m so excited. It looks like such a cute little room (rather than the unfinished disaster space it previously was). The previous owners left bamboo flooring in the attic so we had that installed and now there are doors into the attic storage and the furnace and a/c unit are behind doors as well. It’s painted with trim and I can’t wait to finish decorating and organizing it.

We have other furniture moving around to do that we started last weekend but never finished. Now that my old office/soon to be baby’s room is almost totally empty (need to move my desk into the spare bedroom but that’s about all that’s left), we can rearrange the furniture and Pete can put together the baby’s crib. I think it’ll be easier to visualize how to decorate the room once we see it a little differently. It was hard with my office stuff in there. We’ve narrowed down some paint colors and have a general idea of what we want.

There are some other things we’ll be doing around the house but most importantly what I’m looking forward to is my pregnancy massage on Saturday afternoon. I’m sure I’ll be worthless the rest of the night and I plan to revel in my relaxation and maybe take a bath that night and generally enjoy myself. I think I’ll dye my hair and give myself a manicure and maybe even a pedicure if I can reach my toes still. I don’t have to work on Monday but I still have to come downtown because of my physical therapy appointment in the afternoon. Oh well. Hopefully they’ll be able to give me some relief. I’m skipping my prenatal yoga class this Saturday because last week I was so unsure of what I could and couldn’t do and I think it was a waste of my time. After PT I’ll know what helps vs hinders.

As usual I have way too many things on my to do list which lately has become Pete’s to do list. Poor guy. He has been so great – especially this last week - in helping out and I still feel bad not doing as much but I’m learning to not push myself. It’s tough because today is a good day (after a horrific near tears day yesterday) and my usual pattern is when I have one good day I do too much and then pay for it the next day (hmm, sounds like my dad. I wonder where I get that from). So I am trying to be conscious of my movements and what may not hurt right now may have an effect later.

On a separate note, it now looks like I am smuggling a basketball under my shirt. I’ll have to post a new belly picture because it’s a more than a little bump now. So the old wive’s tale that you’re carrying a boy if it looks like a basketball must be true!

So silly

Rationally, I don’t know why I was so anxious and worked up over going to the dentist. I started imagining all of these terrible outcomes (mostly related to adverse affects on my baby) and once that ball got rolling, forget about it. Thankfully, none of my fears were actualized. They did not treat me like a big weenie because I was nervous. They took all of my concerns into account and since I told them I was pregnant when I made the appointment, they didn’t even ask to take an x-ray (so I didn’t have to play out the scenario in my head when I convince them I don’t want an x-ray because I’m afraid it will hurt he baby and they try to convince me how much they need it). I told them I can’t lie flat for a long period of time because the baby needs to get enough oxygen and they set the chair up inclined a little higher than normal and raised it a few times for me to take a break. The hygienist talked to me about nice boring things to distract me so I would calm down and she used a topical pain killer on my gums so they wouldn’t hurt as she did the cleaning. It turns out I have pregnancy gingivitis which they explained is very common for pregnant women but I caught it very early and everything would be fine. I feel silly for having put this visit off but I’m glad I did because otherwise I may have gone back to my old dentist (who is an hour away) and he would have hacked the heck out of my mouth. I was so stressed out before going to the dentist and during the beginning of the appointment I was clenching my hands and I had little moon nail marks all over my hand. Once I calmed down it was fine. I have another appointment at the end of February to make sure everything’s ok and then I will just do my regular check-ups with no stress because I love my new dentist.

Other less pleasant news includes the fact that I got barely any sleep last night between acid reflux and crazy belly kicks. I got up around 1 am for a glass of milk and tried sleeping sitting propped up which helped a little. But Banjo was trying to claw/kick/tunnel his way out of my lower right belly so I thought I needed to sleep on my side. Usually he calms down after I switch to my left side. No change. I had my usual pillow between my legs and I had read that a pillow supporting under the belly can help so I did that too and still no change. Ow, ow, ow. I tried switching to my right side. No change. After multiple position changes I went in and out of sleep a few times and looked at the clock way too many times and *poof* then it was time to wake up. Grrr.

I dragged my groggy butt around the house getting ready and on my way to my car I slipped on some ice by the garage door. Luckily, I didn’t fall but I did a fancy little move to keep from falling and all of my carefulness in the last few days of trying not to misalign my hips and pelvic joints went right out the window during my little So You Think You Can Dance performance. Too bad I didn’t think to include jazz hands. Something popped and Oh My Ouchness. So now I’ve got lower back pain on top of irritating the already sensitive joint pain. Two Tylenol and some water and am trying not to leave my desk because every step is excruciating. I’m just so thankful I didn’t actually fall because then I’d be panicking about Banjo getting hurt.

The Dentist

Does anyone really like going to the dentist? I never have. Maybe it was ok when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt to floss and going to the dentist meant getting out of school early and getting a fluoride treatment that tasted like bubblegum. But now? I_hate_going_to_the_dentist. Even when I found a dentist I loved, I still hated it. I’ve been putting it off way too long and I have an appointment today and I’m dreading it like you would not believe. I was good for awhile with my flossing and twice yearly checkups. And then I moved and my dentist is way too far away and I procrastinated on finding a new dentist. Those 1-800Dentist commercials on tv make me cringe because I know I need to go to the dentist. I have read that when you’re pregnant people are more likely to get nosebleeds and have bleeding gums. It was advised to get a dental cleaning before getting pregnant to prevent any gum disease which could result in preeclampsia (which is a bad thing). I really thought about going to the dentist but it never happened. Until I noticed in the last two weeks I can’t brush my teeth without lots of blood and I have a tooth that hurts and I haven’t been able to floss in the last few months. So I have made the dreaded dentist appointment. I am fearing the worst (as I always do).

Bruised, battered and bewildered

Banjo has somehow managed to bruise me from the inside out. My ribs hurt and when I touch the area that aches, it literally feels like I am bruised. It is so tender to the touch and it hurts to take deep breaths. It’s only on my right side which makes sense because that is where he consistently kicks me. And then there’s the little karate chops he’s doing near my…oh I don’t even know what organs hurt anymore. Just stop beating me up, baby! It helps to lean back a little but I’m used to kind of slumping a little when typing at work so it’s been pretty painful all day. Maybe Banjo just wants to force me to have better posture – at any cost! I will remember this when he is a slouching teenager.

I have been on a nesting kick this past weekend and we were super productive. I cleaned out my computer armoire so Pete could take it apart, I organized my desk and all the paperwork, I sorted through boxes of stuff in my office closet, emptied out my extra closet in the bedroom and I don’t even know what else. Luckily I was able to do this stuff sitting down. Pete helped dissemble and move shelves, furniture, etc. and he also transported all the laundry up and down the stairs (including the pink shirts I accidently created by washing a red robe with whites…oops. I know better than that. I can only blame baby brain).

Part of my nesting has been to review the baby registry and I have come to the conclusion that I don’t think we need to buy the baby bedding kit. They’re about $200 for the comforter, bumper pad, sheet, dust ruffle, etc. and you can buy each of those things separately. It didn’t really occur to me before but I realized (from reading one of the many books) that the comforter can’t be used on the baby for fear of suffocation until the baby’s about 1 ½ or 2 years old. And the bumper pads shouldn’t be used after the baby is old enough to move around in case he rolls into them and can’t breathe (at about 3-4 months). So what is the point of buying this stuff you can’t even use??!! I started researching online and the responses I read said things like, “Use the baby comforter as a wall hanging or lay it on the glider as a decoration.” I don’t understand what kind of scam the baby bedding manufacturers have going on but this seems a little ridiculous! There are other edits I’m going to make to the registry but I think I will wait a few days so I don’t start removing more things from my registry!

I think I’m taking the night off. No reading baby books and no organizing. Let’s see how successful I am. I’m not sure what to do for dinner because we made a huge batch of chili last night but I had a tomato based soup for lunch today and my heartburn and acid reflux is torture (not helping when I have my bruised ribs! Every time I burp, it’s agony!) I think grilled cheese sandwiches may be safer. At least my rib pain is distracting my from the pelvic joint pain! See, there’s always a bright side to things.

:)

It's back

I was getting used to feeling better and "normal" but the joint pain came back yesterday with a vengeance. I took Tylenol and am trying to do the same stuff that made it feel better last time. I then got a phone call from the nurse saying I have the beginning of a UTI and they want me on antibiotics right away because an untreated UTI can result in preeclampisa (which is bad). She also gave me information about physical therapy and when I told her I was going to wait a week before deciding on the physical therapy, she was adamant that I start it as soon as possible. She said she put the orders in and they would be contacting me on Monday. So I don't know what changed from my appointment on Wed when the doctor didn't seem terribly concerned about my pain and I got an email saying my urine test was fine. Actually, I do know about the urine test - they did a prelim urine test that found no issues and also a urine culture which is when they found the bacteria. But I still don't get the physical therapy. I have yoga today and I'm hoping to get some relief in the meantime.
I was so upset yesterday when the pain started. It's doing a number on my hormones and my stress levels. I came home and cried and Pete made me dinner and I just hung out on the couch and went to bed. I was really enjoying feeling good and then the pain comes back and slaps me upside the head, "so sorry. not done with you yet. bwa hahahahaha" (yes my pain has an evil maniacal laugh and also a thin twirly mustache that it curls between its painful little fingers.)
My mood is much improved this morning but the pain is still there.

Much better

If I knew that the day I made an appointment with the doctor I would start feeling better, I would have made an appointment a lot sooner! I've been following the advice I read on the internet (which was also the same advice the doctor gave me) for the last 4-5 days and I've noticed a huge improvement. Yesterday was the first day that I close to being pain-free - yay! The dr. took a urine sample to make sure I don't have an infection and I already got the results back which were fine (as expected). She suggested if the pain continues, I should schedule physical therapy to strengthen my joins and muscles. I have my yoga class this Saturday so I will talk to my instructor about any recommended stretches and exercises.
I am loving feeling more back to myself again and while I don't plan on over-doing it this weekend, I am looking forward to being more productive than I have been able to be lately.

Banjo is kicking tons. I'm supposed to start timing the kicks now. Make sure he kicks 10 times in 2 hours. Ha! That's not an issue. He is such an active little guy and I think we're close to the same sleep pattern since he isn't really keeping me up at night. For awhile he was kicking more at night than during the day. But of course, that may be a temporary thing as well.

We got tons of snow here and I am not going out unless I absolutely have to - which isn't until I have to go to work tomorrow morning and I will be bundled up with my super warm coat (which has a fixed zipper) and boots with a good tread. I don't want to fall with my lil bundle.

Here's to a weekend with nothing scheduled (other than yoga) and I plan to stay INDOORS!

It figures

The one day I am actually starting to feel a little better is the day I have my doctor’s appointment to discuss my pain. I guess I will just explain when everything started happening, what I’ve been doing to deal with the pain and discuss what I should be doing in the future when the pain gets really bad again. I can’t imagine I’ll be able to (or want to) spend every weeknight sitting on the couch with my feet propped up for the next 3 months. But the belly belt has helped along with some other things, so we’ll see what the doctor says. I hope my appointment today isn’t with the doctor I didn’t like very much.

I want to spend my time daydreaming about my little baby not scrunching my face in pain from walking.

Pete and I were trying to figure out what Banjo will look like and our best guess is he’ll have dark brown hair and brown eyes. His eyes will be a little more wide set and he’ll have Pete’s chin and nose. I’m guessing he’ll be average height and build and we both think he’ll be smarter and funnier than both of us. I will have no problem laughing at all of Banjo’s jokes – even if they’re not funny. But I have a feeling I will be in a state of awe over every little thing he does.

Good stuff

First off, the belly belt is AMAZING! I highly recommend it to every pregnant woman out there. It’s relieved a lot of the pressure and helped with some lower back pain. G is a goddess for lending me hers because I may have procrastinated longer and thought I didn’t need it. I feel a bit like I'm wearing a weird harness but it provides great support and is helping immensely!

Staying off my feet last night helped the pelvic joint pain but it’s not really getting better. Basically, it hurts when I walk and hurts a lot when I walk the stairs and this is getting worse – not better. After lying on the couch with my feet up after taking some Tylenol last night I didn’t have any pain. I sent an email to my doctor because the pain may be worse because I’m double jointed (hypermobility) so I’m waiting to see if there is something he recommends. I’ve been doing everything else they (the internet) recommend for this type of pain with no relief yet. I’m still snap crackle and popping when I walk.

On the plus side…no Braxton Hicks contractions, so Yay!

I am trying to reprioritize on things that I’d like to get done vs. what must get done and also place more realistic time frames on the things that must get done. As I have been reminded by a very wise friend, the nursery does not need to be done any time soon because even after the baby comes home, he’ll be sleeping in my room in a co-sleeper thing. And from what I’ve heard, babies aren’t very judgmental on the interior design of their rooms so I think I have several more weeks until he gains his sense of style.

One of my goals in the next day is to make a list and try to a) assign realistic dates of when those things could/should be done and b) assign things on that list to people who have volunteered to help out.

So, yay on trying to be positive about things and boo on still being in pain. But let’s end this post on a positive note…

I will be having a baby in about 12 weeks….less than 100 days!

Seriously?

Three more months of pain, pressure and misery? I’ve had two Braxton Hicks contractions this morning – probably because I ran for the train first thing this morning. I firmly resolve to not run for the train for the rest of the pregnancy. If I am a few minutes late to work because I get the next train nobody will care. I was so out of breath and I felt pain in my pelvic joints and my lower abdomen but didn’t get the contractions until I got to work. I put my feet up while working and have already had so much water that just the thought of water makes me feel sick. (doctor said water and put your feet up to try to prevent more BH contractions) I’m trying not to walk more than needed but every time I do I just feel TERRIBLE. I may ask if I can work from home one day this week until I’m feeling more normal (in 3 months – ha). I just don’t want to get into the habit of doing that now in case I REALLY need to do it later.

Banjo has decided to wage war on my internal organs. He’s been leaning, kicking, punching and thinking really bad things about my liver and bladder and whatever else is around him. I bet if I had an ultrasound right now you could see little puncture wounds from the knife that he somehow smuggled inside me.

Also I am confused on when the third trimester officially starts. Some books/articles say it begins at the beginning of week 27, some say at the beginning of week 28. I’m almost in the middle so I guess I can solidly say that by Friday I will most definitely be in the third trimester.

On the plus side, no swollen feet or hands which are normal symptoms for this time of the pregnancy.

Other good things are that I have not heard back from the doctor about my gestational diabetes test and I figure no news is good news. I took the test a week ago and I think I would have heard something by now.

I don’t mean to be a complainer. There are women having much more difficult pregnancies than I am. For some reason my hormones are really kicking into over drive and I was such a smidgen away from tears this morning when the zipper on my coat broke. My new super warm perfect pregnancy coat that I just bought about a month ago. Grrrr. And I don’t know how to fix it. At least there are snaps on it so I don’t have to leave my coat open.

It’s the first Monday after a nice break and I have another day off from work on January 18 so that’s good. And then no time off until the baby’s born.

Earlier this week Pete said we have to get the baby’s room done soon because what if the baby comes early. I told him if the baby comes this early, he’ll he in the hospital for several weeks/months and that will give us plenty of time to finish his room. But that thought got stuck in my head and now I think…”oh yes..we have to finish the room this week. Must finish room. Oh and pack a bag for the hospitaland...and...and....” Sheesh I need to relax. I have 3 more months to panic and obsess – no use starting now.

27 week belly

My New Year's Resolution

Have a baby