Puke-a-licious

28 weeks, 3 days

Now, I hate to have to break this to you. But, the beautiful pregnant woman in my blog logo is a stranger. I only wish I could look so svelt. The reality is, I'm a 44 yr old tub. These were taken today. And, I've achieved the perfect pregnancy mask....the one that says "Look at me! I'm full of energy and am loads of fun to be around!" Okay. I admit it. I'm still fun. But, that only happens when I get my extra sleep and don't feel like fainting, puking, or am experiencing the worst pelvic pain of my life. Other than that, I'm just peachy! (grin)

My blood pressure has been great. So, I'm officially off bed rest and only have to see my OB once every two weeks. I've even lost a couple of pounds in the last 3 weeks. But, I hate to say, that is because I've been on the awesome "I feel like I'm going to puke every night" diet. Two nights ago, I did just that.....5 times! And, I gotta say, it wasn't pretty. There is nothing worse than... 1) feeling sick to your tummy and having your little baby move around and kick you. The sensation coupled with the nausea leaves much to be desired. 2) puking when your tummy is this big! I could barely bend over and therefore my aim into the toilet sucked. I'm praying to God, and praying hard, that this is just a short phase. I really don't want to have to go through this the rest of my pregnancy. I was just starting to feel good!



Well, we've finally ordered a crib! And the great news is, my mom offered to buy it for us as a gift! After I was put on bedrest, reality hit us. And, I realized I didn't have the energy or time to be scraping and painting the old set our friends were giving us. So, we backed down and decided to buy something new. More expensive, but much less stress. We should get it sometime next week. I can't wait! And, our bedding should arrive tomorrow via UPS. I pray to God we like it. We only saw it online, and so it may not be what we are hoping for. Guess we'll know soon enough. Things are finally starting to come together. Now, we are just waiting for SG's contracts to come so we can get paid!!!!! The world is such a better place when you've got money.

Next up, is finding a dresser to match the crib. Being that our little house has absolutely no closet space, we need to get all the extra storage we can. So, buying a baby dresser is just plain stupid. We're on the lookout for a nice adult sized dresser to help share the burden.

The coming week is going to be crazy, and filled with doctor appointments and a slew of baby classes. Look for an interesting set of updates over the next two weeks!

On The Rise

27 weeks, 1 day

Woo Hoo! The 3rd Trimester has arrived!

I'd been having loads of energy the last week, and so I'd been up and about doing lots of errands, shopping and trying to start getting ready for baby. But, it looks like I may have done a tad too much.

We went in for my ultrasound and OB appt. on Thursday and was shocked to hear that my resting blood pressure had got up to 168/101 after sitting in the waiting room for an hour. It very well could have been because I was annoyed with the long wait & had a stomach ache and bad gas pains. But, that didn't seem to matter to the doctor. He threatened to admit me in the hospital if it didn't get dramatically better. That freaked the living daylights out of me. And of course, I spent the rest of the night having nightmares about it. He increased my BP meds and told me that he wants me to stay off my feet and rest (which I've been doing diligently), and start coming in for weekly appointments. Aaargh!

I'm happy to report, my BP has been fantastic since. It has been averaging about 120/82 as long as I rest a lot and continue to take my meds. My heart rate continues to be higher (in the 90's and occasionally in the 100s), but he doesn't seem as concerned about that. So, hopefully, since I've been a good girl this week and things seem to have improved, he'll let me do a little more in the future.

Some days are still coma/sleepy days, while others are filled with lots of energy for me. She's also been having a few quiet days again. But, this morning kicked into high gear as soon as I woke up. I'm feeling quite athletic, being treated like a batting cage and soccer field! At her appointment, she (at 26w,3d) weighed approx. 2.5 lbs, was about 15 inches long and looked great. Now that she is bigger, we could see more of her inflamed ureter, so by the time we see the specialists in a couple of weeks there will be more to diagnose. Our little girl was moving about, wiggling her head and body, sticking her tongue out, swallowing and taking practice breaths. We could even see hair on her head and that she has her eyes open now. Soooo adorable. It always amazes us how big she is becoming. In the ultrasound, we could no longer see her entire body in the frame. Now it is curled up, with her rump high at the top of my uterus and her head down low. (Just like we like it!) And her legs are now folded inward so she can get some good kicks in my side. (Which she took advantage of this morning without shame!)

We also got some presents this week. My mom made some cute little white wash clothes. And we got our first piece of baby gear last night, when my friend, Kristen, came to visit. She brought an item off my Baby's R Us registery, which was a Boppy bouncer. And, my neighbors Marie and Donna are really getting into throwing my neighborhood baby shower. We recieved the invitation this weekend! Everything is starting to come together and time is ticking away so quickly!!

Show me the money!

26 weeks, 0 days

It is amazing to think that if our little girl was born today, she'd have a 85% chance of survival. All I can say about that is , "Wow".

This week, SG and I spent an hour at JC Penney in the baby dept., where they were having a sale on clothes. We had so much fun picking little summer dresses, sweaters, jumpsuits and booties (all so incredibly cute). I also made my first run to the fabric store and bought some flannel to start making homemade wipes. I've already prewashed the 2 yards, and will probably start cutting and sewing today. It was a rainy weekend, and so we were unable to pick up the crib and changing table our friends are giving us. This only increased my anxiety, as I'm chomping at the bit to get the darn things painted. We also purchased our crib bedding online, and hope we like it in person as much as we do from the pictures.

Our little girl had a couple of days of being very quiet this last week. It bothered me enough to get out the home doppler again, just to make sure I could find a heartbeat. All was fine. And, the very next day, she started dancing around in my belly again. This morning, SG and I laid in bed feeling her move around like crazy. It is funny how her activity levels can change so dramatically.

The weight gain is slowly increasing. As of today, I've gained a total of 14 lbs. And, I've been slowly noticing my blood pressure increasing over the last few weeks. The last few days I've topped 130/90, which is not good. I've got an appt. with my OB on Thurs. and I'm pretty confident he'll be increasing my BP meds.

I got a jury summons from LA County and am on-call this week. I'm praying to God they don't request me. I really don't want to have to go through the whole ordeal. If I get picked for a jury, I can't imagine it being a good thing. I can't sit too long because of my pubic symphysis dysfunction. It is just way too painful. And, I'd have to ask for a break about every 1/2 hour or so, because I've got to continually go pee. Would they really have a woman who is in her 7th month sit on a panel?

The reality contiues to kick in of how quickly she'll be here. I've got two girlfriends who have already started planning my baby showers. They are setting dates and buying invitations. And here I sit, with not so much as a piece of baby gear or a crib to look at. I've made my massively long list of things we need to get. But, that's all it is at this point....a long list, with maybe 2 things crossed off. Now that SG has his contract coming, we can start buying once the funds arrive. But until then, I have to continue to pretend I'm being patient. I'm a project planner, a doer and an achiever. So, to have to sit and wait is driving me batty.

Every Once In A While...

25 weeks, 2 days

... my mind wanders off and I start thinking about how I'm pregnant... and it freaks me out a little. I wonder if I'll be able to handle the pressure and the responsibility. I worry about what the future holds. For a moment, I think about how there is no getting out of this....how a little baby is growing inside me and I can't change my mind about it. There is nothing I can do to stop the future from arriving. And, I just want to start bawling.

But it only lasts for a couple of seconds. And then, I'm back to dreaming and smiling and planning and getting excited about having a baby in our lives. That little moment of fear is fleeting. And, in some ways, I think healthy. Raising a child is a huge responsibility. And, it is going to dramatically change our cozy and comfortable lives.

A little dose of reality never hurt anyone.

Stop the Clock, Please

25 weeks, 0 days

Time seems to be flying by. How did we get this far so quickly? I'm nowhere near ready. I haven't started my shopping! It has taken me weeks of investigating just to learn about all my different options. Who would have known that all of my research experience at USC could be boiled down to learning about cloth diapering and travel systems?

Our little girl is getting bigger by the day, and her movements continue to be more prominent. I've noticed lately that she's reacting more to sounds. When I'm quiet, she's pretty quiet. But, when I'm talking or laughing with SG, or have the music or TV on, she's awake and active. This morning, I got up to use the bathroom and then crawled back into bed. She was quiet as a mouse. But, as soon as I started to talk a little with SG, she started kicking me on my side and wiggling about. We both found that very amusing.

I'm starting to leak a tiny bit of colostrum from nipples. This is all very strange to me, being that I've had these boobs for about 32 years and they've never before done such magic tricks. But, I do find it all quite exciting just knowing that my body continues to prepare for the coming of our little girl. Looks like even though I'm 44, my body doesn't know any better and has kicked into full on baby mode. Awesome! I love defying time!

My belly is getting bigger and bigger. And, it is getting much more difficult to roll over at night. SG and I have been sleeping in a full sized bed since we married (That's how we got pregnant in the first place!), and it is definitely time to make a change. Boy, do we need a new mattress. Hopefully, we'll be making the plunge this next week or so. It isn't just the mattress that needs purchasing...its the sheets and the bedding. All of it definitely adds up, especially if you believe in the Oprah rule and buy the best bedding you can afford. You spend so much time in your bed, and shouldn't be ashamed to pamper yourself in that area. Granted, our bed is small. But, boy is it cozy!

I continue to have really bad days of exhaustion. Yesterday, I went to the mall for an hour and came home feeling like I ran a marathon. I zonked the moment my head hit the pillow. And no, it wasn't the luxurious down pillows that were at fault.