26 weeks

I’m at the tail end of my 26th week. Starting the 27th week this Friday. According to my doctor’s visit, Banjo has already turned so he’s in the right position with his little head facing down. Here’s an idea of what he looks like about now. Definitely not a lot of room in there. I am almost constantly feeling his little feet and elbows poke and prod. Last night I was looking at pictures in one of my pregnancy books and we were trying to figure out his exact position at the moment given where I was feeling him move. It’s kind of weird to be able to visualize everything going on in there. He now has all five senses functioning (but I can’t imagine what he’s experiencing…not much to see in there) The only senses I can use to communicate with him are the sense of sound (by talking to him or playing music) and the sense of touch by poking my belly to show him what it feels like when somebody is invading your personal space.

He definitely does not like it when I lie on my back so I try to avoid it as much as possible. I love to read in bed so I have to prop myself up a lot in order for us both to be comfortable.

I’m very excited that I haven’t had any more BH contractions and the pressure/pain I’ve been feeling is just a dull ache (that I’m sure will remain for the remainder of the pregnancy).

Holidays and Braxton Hicks

I optimistically thought I would still find time to post while traveling for the holidays but I was very very wrong. Now that I’m back home, I can reflect on the last week. The biggest thing that happened would be the start of Braxton Hicks contractions which started on Christmas morning and scared the crap outta me. I had read that BH contractions were painless and these most certainly were NOT. It didn’t help that I normally have breakfast but on Christmas morning we decided to open presents first and though I usually eat breakfast by about 8:00 or 8:30, it was about 11:00 that I felt my blood sugar dropping. Previous experience has me prepared for how emotional and kooky I get until my sugar gets back to normal. Pete got me some juice and some banana bread both of which helped but by the time my sugar was regulated, my BH contractions were still there. The combination of the low blood sugar, wonky emotions, contraction pain and being scared had me just sitting there crying not knowing what the hell was going on. Thankfully, we consulted the internet and read that the BH contractions are normal. I had no other side effects indicating early labor and I wasn’t getting more than 4 an hour. So I went to noon mass with my mom and once I got the 4th contraction at church I told her we had to leave which timing-wise worked out well because she was able to take Communion before we had to go. Back at the house, I put my feet up and relaxed a lot. Later we went to my brother’s for dinner and I stayed off my feet as much as possible. I didn’t have any more the rest of the day. What I was feeling was definitely contraction-like. It was low beneath my belly and lasted between 20 – 45 seconds each. The next day we were flying back home and the flight was supposed to leave at 2:30 but it was delayed because of weather, air traffic control, stupid people, etc. We boarded at about 4:00 but didn’t actually take off until about 5:30. What a headache. I tried to stretch my legs as much as possible and walk around but it wasn’t fun. I was uncomfortable and cramping. I had a few more BH after we landed when we were walking to get the luggage. It felt so good to be home and I stayed off my feet the reminder of the day. I’m glad we flew back on Sunday so we didn’t have to go back to work right away. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying being home. I had the great idea of taking the dog for a walk so he could enjoy all of the new snow. I wanted to walk him to the park so we could let him run around in the tennis court. It would have been a great idea if the cramping didn’t start on the way there. It wasn’t quite the same as the BH but it was painful and uncomfortable and a little scary. Luckily I had a doctor’s appointment already scheduled for Monday so I tried to stay off my feet once we got home. It seemed to get worse when I was walking or laying down. So I lay on the couch – but propped up and with my feet up. It felt weird to be couch-bound and ask Pete to get me things. He was so sweet and he made me dinner and brought me water and whatever else I needed.

I had my doctor’s appointment today and after an internal exam, she assured me that everything is ok. It is definitely BH and not pre-term labor. Cervix is closed and baby’s head is down (which doesn’t guarantee he won’t move later on). I was told to stay off my feet as much as possible until the pains get better. Since they seem to be triggered by walking too much, she says to limit my walking. (Sorry, Samson, no long walks for you from me for awhile.) Basically, it’s common sense and if I’m doing something that triggers the BH, stop doing it. But she definitely wants me to call if I get more than 4 BH in an hour. Pretty basic. While at the doctor’s I also had the glucose screening test to check my sugar and the risk of gestational diabetes. I’m feeling pretty optimistic that everything’s fine and I tried to not over-indulge in Christmas cookies which would adversely affect my blood sugar. My mom gave me cookies to take home and they came in very handy at the airport on Saturday. I’ll have the glucose results in a few days. Blood pressure was fine and weight was great! I only gained 3 pounds since the last visit which is exceptional given all of the holiday eating I had done. Yay me! They recommend gaining a pound a week from now until I deliver, so I actually had a pound to spare. I’m eating Junior Mints right now to reward myself. So overall the appointment went well. I met another doctor in the practice and I was not crazy about her. I love the other doctors and nurses so far and this was the first one I was “meh” about. She wasn’t bad, she just seemed to be rushing me along and none of the others have been like that. She answered all of my questions and explained things to me but if I had to pick who would deliver my baby out of those I’d already met, she would not be my top choice.

So, overall my Christmas was great. I enjoyed seeing my family and even got to hang out with an old college friend for dinner one night. Pete and I took my nieces and nephews to lunch and a movie and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable trip. But I am glad to be home. It will probably be the last time we go to Virginia ON Christmas because I will want Banjo to wake up at home on Christmas mornings. We’ll still make the trip in the future, but probably the week after Christmas when possible. It’s very important for Banjo to know his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My parents will be able to visit us some but it won’t be as easy for him to see the rest of the family so we’ll have to work at it. I hope as he gets older, we can take advantage of the technology and use webcams to say hello every now and then.

Banjo got some of his first Christmas presents. He got an outfit from my brother, John and his family (I have a feeling John’s not the one who picked it out…more likely it was his wife, Eileen or my nieces), also a HUGE stuffed monkey from his cousin, Jenny. Grandma and Grandpa got him a little outfit as well. My 2nd cousin also gave us a present – a blue suede baby boy scrapbook. Banjo came in handy for being the gift giver as well. Pete and I had a limit on how much we’d spend on each other for Christmas and he was able to bypass that rule by making one of the presents from Banjo, not Pete (thus staying closer to the dollar limit). I could get mad at his trickery but he bought me the Roomba (for floor and carpet) and I wanted this so so badly that I can’t complain at all. Thanks, Banjo! Hope you didn’t have to dip into your college fund to get it! The other great present is that Pete actually ventured into a scrapbook store and bought some scrapbook stuff for Banjo’s scrapbook. I’m trying to get ahead of the game and organize my scrapbook stuff as much as possible – that includes completing the books that are on my to-do list so once Banjo’s born, I can concentrate on his book alone! I'm looking forward to another long weekend since I don't have to work on Thursday or Friday so assuming the BH have stopped, I want to clean out and organize my scrapbook room.

Happy Pregnant Girl

I want to be one of those women who LOVES being pregnant. I still have three more months to go and I will be getting bigger and more uncomfortable with every passing week. I love what being pregnant will bring…our wonderful highly anticipated baby boy! But I have to admit (thank to my husband’s observation) that I am not particularly loving the actual being pregnant part as much as I thought I might. And I’m not even having a bad pregnancy (compared to other women who have been on bed rest and throwing up, etc.) I love my baby and I love feeling his little kicks and pokes and prods….and that’s about the only part I love about being pregnant. Maybe I’m a little cranky because the leg cramps were back last night – back strong enough that they woke Pete up this time. I get out of breath walking up the stairs or going short distances. And I still have 3 months to go! It’s interesting to see how my body is changing and adapting to accommodate this lil guy. But it’s also scary and hard to relate to. My body isn’t my own anymore. Nearly everything I do is for Banjo – what I eat, how much water I drink, how much (or how little) I walk, how much I sleep I get, vitamins I take, etc. I guess I just get to hold this over his head for the rest of his life. "Do you know how I had to suffer for you? Oy!"

During lunch today we wrapped presents for the family we adopted at work. I was on my feet wrapping away for about an hour. It was crowded and hot and there wasn’t anywhere to sit but I made it through. Now I should be in the Christmas spirit after all that wrapping to go home and do more! My legs were bugging me afterwards so I propped them up while working on the office Christmas cards.

I'm beginning to resemble...

A duck.

I just noticed yesterday for the first time that my feet no longer point straight ahead, rather they are now angling out and when I'm tired, I have noticed that I waddle. I hesitated between using the term pigeon toed or duck walk but since my belly adds to my new walk, a waddle is definitely more like it. It doesn't happen all the time (yet) but I waddle up stairs and if I'm not paying attention to how I walk, the feet turn out and the belly goes out. I wonder if as I get bigger if my belly will start entering the room before the rest of me does.

I am trying to find an easy way to put on my socks. I'm not even that big yet but so far sitting on the toilet works best. I used to put socks on while standing up...lift one foot up, put on sock, switch legs, repeat. I'm not going to be able to handle that for quite a long time! It's been so cold and I want to wear tights to keep my legs warm. Putting on tights is an aerobic exercise for me. I'm all out of breath by the time I'm done.

Otherwise, I'm feeling good. My legs have been feeling much better with the extra water, milk and staying off them in general. I still get cramps at night but sleeping with the pillow under my leg helps.

The Christmas stress isn't too bad. I have some presents to wrap and a handful of presents to buy but otherwise, I'm in pretty good shape. It helps that the decorating and baking have been done and we already had our party. Now I sit back, relax and enjoy the holiday!

There goes Banjo's college fund

The sudden cost of a new boiler and a new liner has me gasping. Clearly I am in the wrong line of work and I could make a lot of money installing this stuff – especially to people who are stuck and don’t want to be without heat when it’s supposed to be in the single digits tonight. They installed the new boiler on Monday and were there at until about 9:00 at night before they realized it's still not venting correctly - but not because fo the new boiler - it's because the chimney liner is decomposing. Fabulous. I will just have to continue my refrain…oh well. There’s really not much we can do and I will continue to be thankful that this didn’t happen while we are supposed to be in Virginia and not know we have no heat and burst pipes.

I officially decided to take it easy last night since my legs were on fire from leg cramps the entire day. I hesitated doing it because I didn’t want to look like a weenie at work but I gave in and elevated my legs at work. I had to move my monitor and keyboard but I was still able to work and it did help. I was reading online looking for ways to help with the leg cramps. These are beyond normal leg cramps – they start in the upper thigh and shoot all the way down to my feet. When I got home from work, I told Pete I had to get off my feet because of the pain and once I actually sat down and relaxed, I started crying. Some causes of the pains are the obvious – on my feet too much, also crossing my legs while sitting. So I am trying to avoid those things and I also read that drinking more water, adding more calcium, elevating my legs and doing some stretching exercises should all help. Last night I plopped on the couch and propped up my feet and addressed Christmas cards. Pete was a sweetie and said he’d make me whatever I wanted for dinner and he made me two grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum! I also had two big glasses of milk and several glasses of water and I had a night of NO leg cramps (or if I did they were so mild that they didn’t wake me). And today I have aches in my legs – but nothing like yesterday.

Hopefully when I get home tonight there will be heat. Let’s see, Friday night – no heat. Saturday late afternoon we finally had heat. Sunday we had heat. On Monday there was no heat while they replaced the boiler and then we had heat Monday night – until it turned itself off because of bad venting…so no heat again this morning. Thank goodness we have separate heat upstairs.

I have more Christmas shopping to do but the idea of walking around the mall makes me want to cry. Fortunately, I don’t have tons to do but now that I’ve missed the shipping deadline I will have to brave some stores. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow night will be a better night for shopping.

Holiday stuff

*Warning – long rambling post* Less about Banjo and more about being a little stressed out. Feel free to skip the babble.
Banjo summary – he’s good – kicking away.

Yay for Banjo being able to roll with whatever’s going on. I had a very busy weekend. I love to plan things and I as much as I try to allow wiggle room in my plans, I somehow always seem to be a little behind. So here I am on December 14 breathing a little sigh of relief before I tackle the next items on my list. Going back to the end of November we had a great visit with my parents in town. I had somehow thought I’d accomplish more during their visit such as put up Christmas decorations and start moving things from my office – which will be the nursery. But I preferred hanging out and enjoying their company than actually doing work so I didn’t even consider doing it once they got here. And their visit went by so fast. I had planned on taking them to the Oak Park Conservatory and the Frank Lloyd Wright museum but none of that happened either. Oh well. That seems to be the refrain of my life lately – “oh well”

I was also working on a scrapbook for Grandma Babe’s 85th birthday present and that took a little longer than expected – plus I had a hard time narrowing down which pictures to use (because there were so many good ones) so it ended up being pretty big. Her party was December 6 – so I had to have the book finished by then. Luckily I had some help and it all got done.

Then I started planning our Holiday Open house party. This year it was on a Sunday during the day instead of a Saturday night like last year. That helped because I had an extra day to prepare. I also took Friday off of work so I could get things ready and not stress out. I had finished the majority of the Christmas decorating during the week after work so I still had some Christmas stuff to finish up on Friday and I spent the rest of the day catching up on about 10 loads of laundry, washing dishes, cleaning my office and general cleanup stuff. I had planned on going grocery shopping on Friday to avoid it on Saturday but I never got around to it. Dinner was later than I planned and wasn’t done until 8:00 so by the time we finished eating we were then late getting to my brother-in-law’s graduation celebration at a local bar. We stopped by for a few drinks (I had a Shirley Temple and then an orange juice – yum!) I was already behind schedule for the party on Sunday. I hadn’t baked a single cookie, wrapped a single gift or addressed a single non-existent Christmas card. We got back from the bar on Friday night to a chilly house. Pete figured out the boiler wasn’t working and after considerable worrying and research he tried to light the pilot light. The internet is the best thing ever. We used Service Magic and some other searches to find a repairman and one of them talked Pete through the process of lighting the pilot light. It would light but not stay lit. Which narrowed down the problem to a few different things (none of which I remember) and we tried to get one of the 24 hour places to come out that night but that didn’t work. I took a few naps on the couch while Pete was working on all of this and we finally went to bed at 3 am. Someone agreed to come in the morning. Luckily we have separate heat upstairs which is where our bedroom is so we moved the birdcage upstairs (so they wouldn’t freeze) and got a few hours of sleep. Back on the phone in the morning so forget my early morning grocery shopping plan. Oh well. I stayed with Pete as we anxiously waited to figure out what’s going on and I didn’t get out the door until around noon. I hate shopping to begin with so hitting the stores was an ordeal (plus I hadn’t eaten lunch so when I was feeling super homicidal, I stopped for some lunch). Finally home around 3:00 and the temporary fix is done to the boiler and I haven’t made a single cookie. We put away the groceries and I start baking. I had planned on going to a cousin’s surprise birthday party which started at 4:00 and we sadly realized that wasn’t going to happen. There was also another party that night a friend was having that we were also going to have to miss. The good news is we had heat! And I started baking. I had my original planned list of all of the desserts I was going to make. I looked at that list again and started crossing things off. No fudge, no stained glass jell-o, no trifle, no roskie cookies. Oh well. I started with oatmeal raisin cookies. Then while the oven was still hot, I threw in those Pillsbury reindeer shaped sugar cookies. Then I started the disaster of the press cookies. I was going to make 3 different kinds of press cookies. I ended up serving a total of about 3 cookies. The first batch with orange zest looked terrible before they even went in the oven. When they came out of the oven they were not cute little stars, they were flat blobs with sprinkles. Meh. Oh well. A lot broke but I didn’t care at that point. They sat on the cooling rack while I started the next batch. They were going to be little Christmas trees. I missed some step in the recipe (probably out of exhaustion) and I had a crumbly mess which did not resemble a cookie dough in any way whatsoever. So I was wasteful and threw the entire uncooked batch away. I looked at my recipe for peanut butter press cookies and I threw it away without even attempting it. I decided to do something easy and I made some brownies. As I was making room for a bowl, I took the container filled with the orange blob press cookies when my hand slipped and they went flying on the floor. I had already packed the extra 3 or 4 blob cookie sin another container so they were all I had left. I lost it. I screamed, I cursed, I cried and as I went to get the broom, luckily Pete took the broom from me and cleaned up my mess. Time for a break. There was one more batch of cookies I wanted to make – peanut butter kisses. I was being stubborn and not giving up for the night until these were made. Luckily there were no issues there. So slightly behind schedule and exhausted. Oh well.

Sunday morning I woke up at 7:00 and thought I had so much time! The party doesn’t start until 11:00 so I took my time and had that cup of coffee and got the crock pots going and started prepping some food and putting it back in the fridge. Somehow, I got showered and dressed but still wasn’t ready when people started showing up at 10:45. Oh well. It was a joint effort and when people offered to help, I thankfully gave them things to do. I think I was all caught up by about 11:30.

The party was great. I really enjoyed seeing everyone who could make it and I didn’t feel that I talked to everyone enough or got to relax enough or take any pictures. But somehow I had a great time! Later in the day I would sit down whenever I felt like it because my feet and back were killing me. I have been having terrible leg cramps the last few nights (which my doctor warned would be bad if I was on my feet too much and to try to keep them elevated.) I actually woke up crying in pain one night and they lasted for about a half hour and Pete slept right through it all of course. Once I was off my feet I was feeling better. I’ve tried propping my fete in bed and also using a pillow between my legs.

So where does this long rant of a blog post leave me? Still slightly tired, relieved the majority of things on my to-do list are done but frustrated that I still have a new list because I still have Christmas cards, Christmas shopping to do and packing for our trip to see my family on Sunday.

Through it all, Banjo’s been a little trooper – kicking away so I know he’s there but has given me a break with the acid reflux and heartburn. He’s been letting me sleep more and if he could make these leg cramps go away, I’d be super happy.

I don’t know how I will manage to get everything done after Banjo’s arrived.

belly pics

Here is my 23 week belly picture. My backside seems to be growing proportionally to the front.

And it's official. Here's the proof I can no longer wear my perfect winter coat. I am so sad. It had everything I could want in a winter coat - long, wool (and super warm) a hood, long sleeves. But I guess the whole being able to button it without feeling I'm going to pop out of it could be important too. Goodbye favorite coat - I'll see you in Winter 2010.