I had two baby showers last week. One was a surprise by the customer service team I lead. It was so sweet of them and I was really touched. They are such a great group of women and I'm so glad they think as much of me as I think of them. Friday night I had another shower thrown by the other Service Excellence leaders. It was at Loree's house and was so much fun! Loree is very creative and tells the most funny stories. I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. At one point I had to run to the bathroom because I almost peed my pants! They all pitched in and got us the car seat. Yeah!! We were so worried about that. It was the only "must have" thing we hadn't yet gotten.
On Saturday morning, Mike and I headed to Babies R Us to return our baby monitor and buy last-minute items. It turns out that a couple we know also has the video monitor and when they went to use it, they switched the channel and were able to see the baby next door! There is no way I want anyone to watch my baby like that, plus the thought occurred to me that they may inadvertantly catch me breastfeeding or something! So we returned it and will get just an audio monitor.
The return, plus the gift cards we've received, allowed us to get the baby bedding, changing pad and cover, a huge box of diapers, a baby medicine kit, a baby grooming kit and some decorative stickers for the baby's wall. It was a very productive trip! The last "big" thing on our registry is the high chair, but we won't need that soon. So I feel very comfortable that we're all ready for our Bean to arrive!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A little whine with my cheese
I have REALLY tried not to be a big fat whiner during my pregnancy. After all the ups and downs we had at the beginning, I am so grateful to even be pregnant, so I figure I can endure whatever aches and pains come along with it. But man, my body HURTS and I just have to bitch about it, just this once!
My back hurts almost non-stop now, but especially when I get up for my 5 or 6 trips to the bathroom each night (and remember, I don't always fall back to sleep after these trips, so sometimes I'm missing out on 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night). My back gets so tight I actually have to hold onto the bed as I make my way to the bathroom so I don't fall down. I also get sharp pains in my nether-regions because that's where the Bean's feet are positioned. As "he" moves his feet around, I'm literally getting my ass kicked, from the inside! In addition, all that pressure is causing some swelling in that area. Sometimes it hurts to just sit, and I don't even dare try to cross my legs most days!
When I walk, all the pressure of the Bean's butt sits on my bladder and it's becoming very painful. I feel every single step and now completely understand why women waddle. I'll do anything to try to ease that pain! Since the Bean is breech, he likes to stretch out sideways, stretching my skin very tight and making it quite difficult to breathe. Then there's the constipation, which is far more intense than it was the first trimester. The gas pains are sharp also, adding to the symphony of pain that has become my midsection.
Despite my allergy medications, I still battle congestion and sleep with two pillows each night. This position is unfamiliar to me, so it's also contributing to my back pain. I'm blowing my nose constantly and have even gotten bloody noses on several occasions. Mike says I now snore and occasionally talk in my sleep too.
Shaving my legs has become quite a chore. I only do it about once a week now, usually prior to my doctor's appointment. I can't see half of what I'm shaving, and to be honest, I really don't care at this point. A hit or miss job is fine with me. Last time I shaved, I swung my leg up to the shower wall and nearly fell out out of the tub in shock. Whose ham hock was that??! My ankles were swollen, my knees were puffy and my calves were just fat! That's probably another good reason why shaving doesn't seem so appealing to me at this point. Who wants to look at that? One area I do stay on top of though is my armpits. That's because I'm experiencing another joy of pregnancy that I'd never heard of before it happened to me: darkened armpit skin! They look hairy no matter what!! Yeah, it's so weird.
I won't go into the joyful things that I've experienced this week since the passing of my mucous plug, or the little surprises I've had in my bra now that there's colostrum there. But I have to say I feel better now that I've vented. I can hopefully suck it up and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. Thanks for listening!
My back hurts almost non-stop now, but especially when I get up for my 5 or 6 trips to the bathroom each night (and remember, I don't always fall back to sleep after these trips, so sometimes I'm missing out on 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night). My back gets so tight I actually have to hold onto the bed as I make my way to the bathroom so I don't fall down. I also get sharp pains in my nether-regions because that's where the Bean's feet are positioned. As "he" moves his feet around, I'm literally getting my ass kicked, from the inside! In addition, all that pressure is causing some swelling in that area. Sometimes it hurts to just sit, and I don't even dare try to cross my legs most days!
When I walk, all the pressure of the Bean's butt sits on my bladder and it's becoming very painful. I feel every single step and now completely understand why women waddle. I'll do anything to try to ease that pain! Since the Bean is breech, he likes to stretch out sideways, stretching my skin very tight and making it quite difficult to breathe. Then there's the constipation, which is far more intense than it was the first trimester. The gas pains are sharp also, adding to the symphony of pain that has become my midsection.
Despite my allergy medications, I still battle congestion and sleep with two pillows each night. This position is unfamiliar to me, so it's also contributing to my back pain. I'm blowing my nose constantly and have even gotten bloody noses on several occasions. Mike says I now snore and occasionally talk in my sleep too.
Shaving my legs has become quite a chore. I only do it about once a week now, usually prior to my doctor's appointment. I can't see half of what I'm shaving, and to be honest, I really don't care at this point. A hit or miss job is fine with me. Last time I shaved, I swung my leg up to the shower wall and nearly fell out out of the tub in shock. Whose ham hock was that??! My ankles were swollen, my knees were puffy and my calves were just fat! That's probably another good reason why shaving doesn't seem so appealing to me at this point. Who wants to look at that? One area I do stay on top of though is my armpits. That's because I'm experiencing another joy of pregnancy that I'd never heard of before it happened to me: darkened armpit skin! They look hairy no matter what!! Yeah, it's so weird.
I won't go into the joyful things that I've experienced this week since the passing of my mucous plug, or the little surprises I've had in my bra now that there's colostrum there. But I have to say I feel better now that I've vented. I can hopefully suck it up and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. Thanks for listening!
Big Fat Belly
I had lunch with Dad and Sue today and they wanted to take a picture of my belly. Here it is in all it's enormous glory!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Mucous Plug
I just lost my mucous plug. From what I've read, it was probably triggered by the exam today. Doesn't mean I'll be going into labor soon, but it sure has gotten me excited!
35 Weeks
Had my weekly OB appointment today. Since Mike is still in San Francisco, his mom, Carol, went to the ultrasound with me. The Bean was not as active for us today, and had to be prodded to move around for us. "He" is still breech, but now he's in the form of a C, his head is on my upper left side facing downward, his back going around my right side, and his butt on my lower left side. He’s sitting Indian style, with his feet perched on my bladder. His heart rate was 126. After the ultrasound I had my first pelvic exam in quite awhile. I’m ½ cm dilated, which doesn't mean much of anything, just that things are progressing. The doctor told me there is still time for the Bean to turn, and we'll just have to wait and see at this point. She also said that usually when women begin having contractions they advise them to wait until they are 5 minutes apart to call the office. Because the Bean is currently breech, if I have contractions this week I should call if they get between 8 and 10 minutes apart. No use going through all that pain just to have a c-section!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Frigid Weekend
For Mike's Christmas gift, I surprised him with plane tickets to visit Kenny and Robyn in San Francisco. He left on Friday, the day after my contraction incident, with a little trepidation. Turns out this was also the weekend Mom went out of town with her high school girlfriends, and Dad and Sue were on a Mexican cruise. Not a good weekend for the Bean to make an appearance! I was a good girl and did my best to minimize my chances of giving birth by laying on the couch Friday night.
Yesterday Amy and I had lunch and got pedicures, painting our toes UK blue in preparation for the Florida game. Somehow the team must not have gotten notice, because it didn't help them pull out a win. During the game I kept noticing how cold it was getting in the house. The temperature got down to 8 degrees last night and my heat didn't seem to be working. I cranked it up to 80 and let the dogs get in bed with me, hoping their doggy heat would keep us warm. Right before I went to bed I also noticed the smoke detectors chirping, indicating the batteries need changing. Of course the loudest one was the one right outside my bedroom door. I'm too short to reach them to change anything, so I pulled the covers over my head and did my best to go to sleep.
I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and the air in the house was frigid. Cold air was blowing from the vents. The temperature outside was -7 with the wind chill. I decided to just turn the "heat" off to keep it from getting colder. I sat around in a toboggan, several layers of clothes, and a couple of blankets until I thought Bruce would be up. He said he would call around to see if he could figure out what to do. I also called Mike's mom, Carol, who suggested I turn on the oven to at least get some heat going in the house. That was a great suggestion, and it kept me from getting too icy. Bruce finally called to say he and his brother Henry were on their way to fix my heat. By the time they left the house was a balmy 57 degrees and it only got better from there. I spent the rest of the day laying with the dogs and watching reality TV.
Yesterday Amy and I had lunch and got pedicures, painting our toes UK blue in preparation for the Florida game. Somehow the team must not have gotten notice, because it didn't help them pull out a win. During the game I kept noticing how cold it was getting in the house. The temperature got down to 8 degrees last night and my heat didn't seem to be working. I cranked it up to 80 and let the dogs get in bed with me, hoping their doggy heat would keep us warm. Right before I went to bed I also noticed the smoke detectors chirping, indicating the batteries need changing. Of course the loudest one was the one right outside my bedroom door. I'm too short to reach them to change anything, so I pulled the covers over my head and did my best to go to sleep.
I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and the air in the house was frigid. Cold air was blowing from the vents. The temperature outside was -7 with the wind chill. I decided to just turn the "heat" off to keep it from getting colder. I sat around in a toboggan, several layers of clothes, and a couple of blankets until I thought Bruce would be up. He said he would call around to see if he could figure out what to do. I also called Mike's mom, Carol, who suggested I turn on the oven to at least get some heat going in the house. That was a great suggestion, and it kept me from getting too icy. Bruce finally called to say he and his brother Henry were on their way to fix my heat. By the time they left the house was a balmy 57 degrees and it only got better from there. I spent the rest of the day laying with the dogs and watching reality TV.
Contractions
On Thursday I had some contractions. I've had Braxton Hicks contractions since about the middle of November, and luckily I've read enough that they don't really alarm me anymore. I've also read how they get stronger later in pregnancy, and I've read about false labor enough to know the warning signs. Our pre-natal class instructor told us that real contractions will be felt throughout the abdomen, particularly at the top, and to feel there to know if it's "real". On Thursday, it was "real".
I was also having back pain with the contractions, and I knew that was another sign to look out for. They occurred pretty frequently all morning, and they made me nauseated. I finally decided to call the doctor at about noon. I spoke to the OB nurse and she reassured me that I did the right thing by calling, and said to be on the lookout for menstrual-type cramping. If those were to accompany the contractions I'd need to come in. She also said that this will happen more frequently as my due date approaches. The best thing to get them to stop is to lay on the left side and drink plenty of water, so I went home and did just that. Of course Mike came home, Mom stopped by, and Mike's mom came over later that night. But they stopped and everything is just fine. I went back to work on Friday with no incident.
I was also having back pain with the contractions, and I knew that was another sign to look out for. They occurred pretty frequently all morning, and they made me nauseated. I finally decided to call the doctor at about noon. I spoke to the OB nurse and she reassured me that I did the right thing by calling, and said to be on the lookout for menstrual-type cramping. If those were to accompany the contractions I'd need to come in. She also said that this will happen more frequently as my due date approaches. The best thing to get them to stop is to lay on the left side and drink plenty of water, so I went home and did just that. Of course Mike came home, Mom stopped by, and Mike's mom came over later that night. But they stopped and everything is just fine. I went back to work on Friday with no incident.
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