Excited

I'm looking forwrad to my family coming in to visit this weekend. I'm excited about my baby shower this Sunday. I decided a little pampering was in order so I got a manicure at lunch and threw in a 10 minute chair massage at the end (I don't fit in the normal chairs they use where you lean into the chair so they just did it where I sat for the manicure) It felt great! Too bad I'm not at home continuing with the relazing.

Not much else to write about so I thought I'd share some lyrics to Alien by Lamb:

This was a body
Now it`s a home
For you, my little alien

I feel you moving
It`s oh so strange
Do you like the music

I`m a happy home
What`s it like in there
I`m a happy home
I hope it`s cosy in there

If home`s where the heart is
That`s where you are
My heart is right there
So long I`ve waited to be quite so occupied
Mysterious being by you

And I`m a happy home
What`s it like in there
Yeah I`m a happy home
I hope it`s cosy in there

This was a body
Now it`s a home
For you, my little alien

I feel you moving
It`s oh so strange
Do you like the music

And I`m a happy home
What`s it like in there
Yeah I`m a happy home
I hope it`s cosy in there

Definitely not dropped

What was I thinking that maybe the baby dropped because I was going to the bathroom more? Ha! It is quite the opposite of dropped - if possible, I think he moved up and has decided that it may be easier to be born by passing by my lungs (and stepping on them some more) and through my throat so I can throw up a giant baby! I am nauseous and not hungry and quite uncomfortable. There isn't really any position I can sit in that doesn't hurt. Well, actually when I lie on my side it's tolerable. I wonder if I can swing that at my cubicle at work. "Yeah, I'm just going to lie on the ground with my laptop. I hope I'm not disturbing anyone" I heard from Rita that is a great place to be.

In other news, I can't wait for my family to get here for the weekend! It's going to be so much fun. I have had insomnia all week and I was able to get caught up last night so hopefully I won't be a cranky beeotch over the weekend.

The house is clean, dinner is being made and I am planning on relaxing tonight before the weekend craziness.

Doctor's appointment

I had my doctor's appointment today and everything looks good. My blood pressure was a little high but they took it again at the end of the appointment and it was normal for me - so no worries. Urine was fine. They did an internal exam and confirmed the baby is head down. I gained a little more weight than I wanted to (6 pounds since my last visit - my goal is 4 pounds a month) but I'm actually surprised I didn't gain more because in the last month I feel HUGE and like nothing fits me anymore. I forgot to ask the doctor if he thinks the baby dropped because there is definitely less pressure in my ribs and lungs so I can breathe better and I have more of an appetite (which may the cause of the extra poundage).

I made my next appointment which is in two weeks and then I have an appointment every week up to April 6 (just in case I guess). Pete thinks I will deliver early and I think I will be a little late/ We'll see. I was hoping the doctor could give me an estimate on the baby's size but he says they really can't predict it accurately and even with ultrasounds at this statge, they are still 15% inaccurate so he chooses to not even speculate. I am guessing Banjo will be about 7 pounds and 3 ounces. That is my completely unscientific guess.

I was kind of annoyed that it took them forever to get my next appointments setup. Usually at the end of an appointment they tell me when I check out which additional appointments to make and how far out. For example, make the next two appointments one month out each one with a doctor and one with a nurse practitioner. Well nobody told me anything the last few times and when the doctor told me today to make appointmnets for two weeks and then every other week the woman who works in patient services was frustrated (not at me but at the situation) because I should have made these apointments sooner and everything was booked. It literally took her about 15 minutes to get everything scheduled and I'm sure I'm double booked and will have to wait but I don't care - as long as I have my appointments scheduled.

I am super tired right now and I would seriously pay someone like $50 right now to let me take an hour nap. But I don't see that happening since I was already gone from work for one hour and fifteen minutes for my appointment and then I ate at my desk. So I can't quite disappear. My insomnia has come back and so far this week I've been getting between 4 1/2 to 5 hours of sleep a night. I'm getting up a lot to pee (which is expected) but then I can't fall back asleep because a) can't get comfortable b) Pete's snoring or c) my mind is racing about something. My family will be in town this weekend so I want to be well rested before they get here so I can enjoy their visit. Tonight I plan on taking a warm bath, drinking some milk and sleeping in another room (to avoid the snoring) so I can get a full uninterupted night's sleep. I will probably go to bed at like 9:00 if possible.

This is a long rambly post and I need to maybe have some chocolate with a little cafeine to get me through this afternoon slump.

Better safe than sorry

I feel a little silly that I made a special trip to the doctor’s office…especially since I already have a doctor’s visit scheduled for this Wednesday. But I was feeling pretty crappy and there were enough weird things that added up to me not feeling too sure about what was going on. I called the nurse to describe how I was feeling and wanted me to come in right away. I probably would have put it off but I felt downright cruddy on Sunday and today. I’ve been getting headaches over the last week (and I haven’t had any headaches during the pregnancy). I would take Tylenol and it would help but not go away 100%. I had seen spots or floaters a few times last week and also had my ears kind of throbbing, ringing. All these things, along with being kind of dizzy and out of it all happened at around the same time and are still continuing. The nurse was worried about high blood pressure and protein in my urine which could be symptoms of pre-e. When I called the nurse at like 9:15 this morning, she wanted me to come in right away and made an appointment for me at 10:00. The good news is that the blood pressure is normal (they took it 3 times) and my urine is normal. They are calling in a prescription for something a little stronger than the Tylenol for my headaches and told me to hydrate and rest. I am so tired of drinking water. But I am being a good girl and drinking tons of water (and sometimes juice to mix it up) plus lots of milk. Believe me, I am hydrated.

I had a good weekend – the Great Expectations class was on Saturday. It wasn’t nearly as boring as I thought it would be. Pete and I were the troublemakers giggling in the corner before class started. Yeah, I’ve read the books before and seen the pictures, but some of the stuff is just funny. I mean, it has to be funny – it’s so far out of the realm of normal to us that we have to laugh about it. She made us all say “perineum” and described how they can tell how many centimeters we’re dilated and how big is 10 cm. (it’s big)! We did some relaxation and Pete gave me a massage. We had a tour of the hospital and saw some videos. Luckily the videos are pretty recent and we weren’t stuck watching something from the 70’s. Oh and the teacher kept using the word “vag” and every time she did it, Pete would tap me which of course made me want to laugh. Couldn’t she say “vagina”? I was half expecting her to say “va-jay-jay.” She was a really good teacher and she used to be a labor and delivery nurse who helped deliver over 4,000 babies. To say she was knowledgeable is an understatement. We got out early and relaxed.

On Sunday I felt so out of it all day. I was very emotional and I can say without a doubt, my nesting has left the building. I was very unmotivated and overall blah. It could also be because I’m back to not sleeping again and that never helps one’s mood. I went to bed last night at around 9:30.

Snow and slush are making this a fabulous Monday and I don’t want to do anything tonight. I’ll probably go to bed early again and try to get out of this funk.

The bag is packed!

I still need to add Banjo’s clothes but otherwise, my hospital bag is packed. I have my toiletries, not really sure what the hospital will provide I wanted to have my own stuff just to be safe. I have shampoo, body wash, a washcloth, body lotion, lip balm, headband, elastic tie for hair, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant. I also packed a toiletry bag for Pete (his mom supplied the contents as part of his birthday present – cute idea!). I have a nightgown which is nursing friendly, underwear and a robe. I am fully prepared that these items may end up being gross and I may never use them again. I packed Poise pads and I have breast pads and ointment for nursing. I also packed an outfit to wear home. I have a few more things to add such as spare camera and charger, baby book, snacks, ipod, sweatpants and t-shirt, etc. But those things I can add a little later.

I can’t believe how many things are getting crossed off of my master to do list. I’m almost at the point when I come home and can relax without my mind swimming of other things I need to do. I still want to reorganize and clean my scrapbook/craft room and hopefully fit in another project before the baby gets here.

I am finding fewer and fewer options in my wardrobe as I get bigger. So many things that used to look cute on me now look less frumpy and are not comfortable at all. I had told myself I was done with buying any more maternity clothes but I may need one new pair of leggings and I haven’t figured out yet what I’m wearing to the shower next week. I’m tired of wearing boots all the time and I wish it were spring so I could wear cuter shoes (still flats, but at least I’d have more variety than black boots or brown boots…or when I’m really casual black slip on shoes.) I can’t wait to get home every day so I can put on a tank top and sweatpants. When I work from home, I don’t want to work in my pajamas because I don’t think I’ll be as productive so I get up at the same time as if I were going into the office and take a shower and get dressed. Yesterday for some silly reason I wore maternity pants – which halfway through the day I decided were too uncomfortable and I changed into my sweats.

The other advantage of working from home is being able to get some general cleaning up around the house done earlier than normal. I don’t get home from work exhausted and needing to sit down and regroup. Unfortunately I did too much up and down the stairs and bending over and by the time Pete got home I was couch bound with a heating pad again. But the house looks great and when I get home tonight I am making an easy dinner (tortellini) and doing NOTHING but some cross-stitch and maybe watching a movie. I need to be well rested for our baby class tomorrow!

34 weeks

Well, I'll officially be 34 weeks on Friday not today. 6 weeks left. Supposedly. I flip flop and sometimes I think I'll deliver early and other times I am positive he will be late. I'm feeling pretty ready for this little guy. My baby shower is next weekend and I'm sure I'll feel even more ready after that. I am looking forward to my mom, sister-in-law and two nieces coming out for the shower. They get in on Friday night and I probably won't be a very good host taking them anywhere exciting. My join paint has gotten a lot better but there is so much pressure from the baby pushing down that it hurts to walk a lot. I also get out of breath pretty easily. So I'm guessing we'll be hanging out at the house a lot. My mom's staying a few days after the shower to help out with stuff which will great.

I'm managing to work from home one day a week and it helps a lot. But my laptop bag is so heavy that the days I bring it home I am hurting by the time I get home. It doesn't bother me as much going in to work with it. I always feel considerably better in the mornings - probably from resting and being off my feet. I don't move around that much during the day but I feel so much better the days I work from home. Last night wasn't a good night - the pelvic pain was really bad. It felt like I was bruised and bending over hurt a lot. Of course when I was making dinner was the perfect time for a jar of olives to fall out of the fridge and break on the tile. I looked at it happening in slow motion and I almost cried. It was agony bending over to clean up the juice, glass and olives. They were kalamata olives too. :( I spent the rest of the night on the couch with a heating pad and only moved to go to the bathroom or go to bed. But this morning I felt fine. But back to work tomorrow.

We have our baby class at the hospital this Saturday. 8:30 - 4:00 - it's going to be a long day. I have a feeling Pete and I will be bored and making jokes but we will try and pay attention and learn everything we can. I have heard mixed reviews from these types of classes. Some people say it's a lot of common sense stuff and if you've read a book or a few websites, you'll already be ahead of the game. And others said it was definitely worth going to. I'll let you know what we think.

Paint in nursery

Here are the first few pictures of the painted, yet undecorated nursery. The green looks a little more yellow in this picture than it does in real life. It's actually a really bright green and looks so cute! The blue is really vibrant too.

Dear Baby

Dear Banjo,
I know you’re probably feeling kind of cramped right now. It’s not very exciting and there’s nothing to do. But when you decide to change positions, can you please do so a little less dramatically? Is it absolutely necessary to start practicing an Olympic quality gymnastic routine first thing in the morning? Gold medal for your ability to show me your foot and your butt at the same time poking through my stomach. Now that you’ve mooned me, please settle down. If you have to change positions, can you please do it slowly and less like you’re practicing the Elaine dance from Seinfeld?

Thank you,
Your Mom

So Hungry

I don’t know why today’s different than the last few weeks – I haven’t been super hungry lately and yet today I am STARVING. I am counting the minutes until lunch and I’m pretty disappointed that my main meal is leftover mac and cheese. I have additional food with me (cheese, yogos, an apple, dried apricots and some pudding) but I have a feeling that may not be enough. I already ate some candy and some cashews and crackers and they did nothing but make me hungrier. Of course the sad thing will probably be once I actually start eating, I’ll be full before I’m finished because my stomach gets so full so fast. But them I’ll have leftover food when I get hungry about 45 minutes later.

I am taking my physical therapist’s advice and placing a rolled scarf under my belly for some support for while I’m sitting at my desk. My belly feels so big and unsupported. I haven’t had to wear the belt for my joint pain but I am back to wearing the other belt that helps support under the belly and the lower back. Maybe I can add suspenders to the super snazzy Velcro belt too and make my own fashion statement. A little bedazzling will work wonders.

I need to reassess my clothing options and put aside some of the tops or pants that have become too uncomfortable. I feel downright frumpy and constricted today. I tried to spice up my color palette since I seem to only wear gray and black and I’m wearing a brown and peach top but it’s a little tight in the belly and as much as I love a fitted top to show off my Buddha belly, I feel fat and unattractive. I need to combat these feelings of not knowing how to handle my bigger body. I look in the mirror and sometimes I am so excited to see that belly and other times I look and just see some fat chick that I don’t recognize. I look at pictures of me in the last year and somehow it doesn’t look like how I see myself in my head. I guess it’s like when you hear your voice on a tape recorder and think “Oh noes…do I really sound like that?”

I’ve started to get overheated and this is a strange experience for a girl who normally has to wear multiple layers of clothes in the winter. I would normally always wear tights under my pants plus socks and a long sleeved shirt under a sweater as my normal winter garb. But I’m wearing a short sleeved shirt with a very light sweater and I’m still warm (but don’t want to take the sweater off and show more of my frump top). So this is a definite advantage of being pregnant. My hands are usually so cold, they would be numb. But instead I have warm puffy hands.

33 weeks tomorrow. I haven’t posted a “how big is the baby” comparison in awhile. (I’ve been very bad lately about posting any photos or images) so, here’s the latest…I am carrying a honeydew.

Updated Pictures

I've been very bad about posting new pictures so here's some pictures of the last three weeks.

It looks like I'm smuggling a volleyball under this dress. This was at 30 weeks.

















This was at Pete's birthday. The sweater hides the belly pretty well so I just look big overall. 31 weeks.


















And this is my most recent picture from my day o' relaxation. I was pretty casual and no makeup but I felt oh so good after a full meal and a pedicure and prenatal massage. Happy happy. 32 weeks.

Playlists

I have two playlists I put together. One is for before the baby arrives and the other is after he's here.I would love any additional suggestions on songs I may have missed.
:)

"Baby's Coming" Songs
Gigantic by The Pixies
Brick House by The Commodores
I Want to Break Free by Queen
Alien by Lamb
What You Waiting For by Gwen Stefani
I've Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra
There She Goes by The La's
I Feel It All by Feist
Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie
Pushin Forward Back by Temple of the Dog
Get Down On It by Kool & the Gang
Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash
Linger by The Cranberries
Push It by Salt-N-Pepa
Chica Chica Bum by Carmen Miranda
Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne
Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses

"Baby's Here" Songs
Takin' It Easy by Brad
You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
Them There Eyes by Billie Holiday
Forever Young by Bob Dylan
The One Who Knows by Dar Williams
Lullaby by the Dixie Chicks
Beautiful Boy by John Lennon
Stay Up Late by Talking Heads
Mama's Gonna Buy by Kristin Hersh
It's Raining by Peter Paul & Mary
This Old Man by Tori Amos
What'll We Do with the Baby-o by Kristin Hersh

Great Weekend

I had such a great weekend. Nothing monumental – but Saturday was super relaxing and Sunday was super productive. So even though I am super tired today because I couldn’t fall back asleep after I woke up at 2:00 am I still feel great because I love walking around the house getting ready and everything is clean and orderly. I am not a neat freak but I think maybe it’s a combination of nesting along with the fact that I love our house and I can’t see having a beautiful house and cluttering it up. I put the Roomba to work in the spare bedroom and the master bedroom to attack all of those dust bunnies under the bed. Why get on my hands and knees or moves furniture when my little robot can do it for me?

On Saturday I had my fabulous day of relaxation. I started the day by sleeping in, having a yummy breakfast and then going to yoga. Then went to meet Colleen for lunch before my prenatal massage and then a pedicure. Both were amazing – I think it was quite literally the best pedicure I’ve ever had in my entire life. Ahhhhh. The pregnancy massage was incredible. I had to be on my sides since I obviously can’t lie on my belly. There was also about 10 minutes at the end when I was on my back. So between those positions I think she managed to get everything. It’s interesting to compare this massage to other massages I’ve received. Usually I have tons of knots in my shoulders and neck that they need to get out. One of the benefits of this pregnancy is better posture (forced upon me from physical therapy and yoga) and I had some tightness in that area – but nothing like I used to have. My back hasn’t been particularly sore but the back massage was definitely my favorite part. After my massage I went to my in-laws early before everyone else showed up for my father-in-law’s birthday dinner. So to end the day with a great dinner I didn’t have to make and cupcakes and decaf coffee = OUTSTANDING!

On Sunday I started doing things around the house but I had to sop myself a few times and sit on the couch because what’s the use of putting all that relaxing from the day before to waste if I run around and get stressed out? So I did things in spurts and was still super-productive but did not over do it by any means.

Pete got three walls in the nursery painted the most perfect shade of blue. I can’t even describe it. It’s so cheerful and bright and looks great against the woodwork. It even makes the nursery furniture blend with the other woodwork better. He only did three walls because the fourth wall will be green and he wanted to make sure the blue was totally dry in the corners before painting the last wall. We had a bit of a scare because as the paint was drying, bubbles were appearing all along the middle of the walls. I did some research on the internet and we feared that maybe the previous owners used oil based paint and since we were using latex that may be the problem. The fix for that would be to wait several weeks and then patch the walls and apply a skim coat to the plaster and then repaint. What a pain. Fortunately, several hours later the bubbles disappeared so, problem solved!

I started a cross-stitch for the baby last night. Wow. I haven’t done a cross-stitch in years and it felt a little weird. It’s cute – it’s called Jungle Baby and it even has the same colors as the room. I hope I get it done in time. I started it last night and it was very relaxing. I can see why my mom says knitting is relaxing. Something to do with the repetitiveness of the act along with the immediate gratification of seeing it being created and seeing progress.

The numbers

At the beginning of the pregnancy I thought of things in large vague terms. I knew I would be pregnant for nine months – not considering how long nine months is. I also didn’t really take into account the additional weeks and months it would take for my body to get back to “normal.”

I knew I would gain weight and I even knew the amount of weight I should be expected to gain (somewhere around 30-35 pounds) but I never did the math and added that expected weight to my pre-pregnancy weight. My weight right now is a number I thought I’d never see on a scale I was standing on. I know, poor me, who’s always been thin and only started having to watch what I eat after I quit smoking about 5 years ago.

One of the numbers I’m really happy about is the 12 weeks I’ll be taking off of work to spend with the baby. This will be the longest I’ve been off of work and I am really looking forward to it. There was one time period a few years ago when I was so miserable at a job that I quit before having a new job lined up and I was not working longer than I would have liked but I didn’t enjoy that time at all. I was a little depressed over the whole thing and couldn’t even appreciate or take advantage of my free time. I plan on appreciating every second of this time off. Assuming I work up until I go into labor (or maybe work from home until then in the final week or so) and assuming I deliver on my due date (which isn’t very likely) I won’t have to go back to work until the end of June! Wow!

In non-number related news, the pregnancy is going well and I am long overdue in posting a belly picture. I have one from two weekends ago and one from Tuesday night but I just haven’t gotten around to posting them. I hope to do that very soon. I can’t believe how big my belly’s gotten. My fairy tattoo is getting stretched out – but not as much as I thought it would be. I’m not going to worry about that though because I still have about 8 more weeks of stretching.

I’m feeling great other than being a little tired. My heartburn has subsided and I ate some chicken fried rice and didn’t get sick. I was a little burpy but hey, lately almost everything makes me burp. The joint pain is minimal and manageable and I love the feeling of walking and not wanting to cry!

Banjo has been doing somersaults and I can tell when he’s feet down vs. head down. I almost always feel everything on the right side and I think I can tell the difference between his punches and his kicks. I can also tell when he’s kicking my ribs and lungs vs smooshing his head into my organs. He has several more weeks that he can do this before I want him to settle into his head down position.

Last night I snuggled on the couch with Pete and he could feel Banjo moving around in my belly. It was so nice to be relaxing on the couch with my hubby and the cat all cozy together. He joked that we needed to add a few more animal to the pile. Samson wouldn’t fit and I don’t think the birds would sit still. I am treasuring these moments and trying to enjoy the last weeks of my pregnancy and not stress out about things! I’m also looking forward to my prenatal massage and my day of relaxation on Saturday.

Making Lists

I make lists. I love lists. I can’t begin to count the number of lists I have made that are somehow related to this baby. I’ve made lists about possible due dates (when I first found out I was pregnant but before the doctor’s appointment), lists of possible baby names (boy and girl), lists of songs for my baby play list, list of books I want baby to have, lists of things to register for and lists of who to invite to the shower. I have also made about 5 trillion To Do lists. Some sites call this the Baby Bucket List – which is supposed to be one all-encompassing list of what you need to get done before the baby’s born. I don’t think I’m a big fan of the term baby Bucket List since it’s taken from the movie about getting things done before you kick it and I don’t like to equate giving birth with dying. There are also different flavors of the list – one is everything you want to do before you get pregnant, such as go sky diving (something I still haven’t done), get a tattoo (I have two but I want another) and so on. My to do lists are often lists inside a list. One item is write a Birth Plan. Another is write a list of things to bring to the hospital. Oy! I’m getting dizzy from my own lists.

But I have accomplished a few things off of my lists and I feel great! I found a pediatrician and I registered at the hospital. I thought I had more time to do these things but at my doctor’s appointment last week, I was reminded again that I needed to get this done asap. The first pediatrician that was recommended to me doesn’t take my insurance. So I found another reference and called them and they do take it. Then I went online and got all registered. Now if something were to happen and I went into labor early, I’d be all set. I also bought a few things to put in my overnight bag since this was really stressing me out for whatever reason. I found some maternity/nursing pajamas I liked that came with a matching onesie for the baby. Awwww. I also have some travel size toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, loofah, body wash, facial cleaners and lotion. I’m going to finish getting the other few things I want to bring and throw it all in a bag so it’s done.

We picked the paint colors for the baby’s room. I don’t know why I had to obsess so much about the colors but I am 100% happy with the colors and relieved to have finally made a decision. We’re also getting closer to figuring out what the baby’s room will look like.

I will continue to have more lists and hopefully I will keep feeling that huge feeling of relief as things get checked off.

One thing I don’t mind checking off are my physical therapy appointments. Two down and two to go and since they’re going so well I don’t think there will be a need for me to continue them after that. I have the exercises I need and the belt and I hope I can continue the rest of the pregnancy with a minimum of pain. Next appointment is on Tuesday.