Thursday, July 28, 2011

Feeling down

I should be in a great mood. It's not swelteringly hot today. Bill is off of work. We got to go out to lunch and spend some time together. I got a manicure and a pedicure. I went to the doctor for my 37 week check-up and everything looks great (BP was down to 108/76 where it should be!!!). So why am I in such a crappy mood?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Officially at Full Term

Today I am officially 37 weeks pregnant and at full term! I can't believe I'm here, 3 weeks from my due date! I do know that most first time moms go late and I could still have another 5 weeks before our little guy is here but to know that if I went into labor now, he would be born and fully developed, kinda freaks me out! We now have pretty much everything that we need to bring him home. I'm sure there is plenty we don't have but I don't think we're missing anything crucial (I hope!). My dad is coming over today to help me with the blinds for the windows. I hope they work! Then I can get the curtains up and finish decorating. The glider still hasn't been delivered but should be soon. The extra car seat base arrived so we can get those installed as soon as Bill has a day off. EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!

In other news, I went to the breastfeeding on Monday. I definitely learned some information but it was not what I hoped it would be. Bill didn't go because the class went from 6:30-9:00 and he had to get up at 3:00am to go to work. I figured since he's been to all of the other classes, I'd let him sleep! Basically the class was a very basic, intro to breast feeding. Don't get me wrong, I did learn some things, but for the most part it was information that I either knew already or read in a book recently. I was really hoping for more information about pumping and making breastfeeding work when I return to my job. They did say that they offer another class (also free) specifically for this purpose but you don't take it until after you have the baby. While this does make sense, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to focus on the information in the class with a newborn!

They did tell us that the in-house pharmacy sells breast pumps as cost! They aren't the lowest prices I've seen (on sale and with coupons) that people on the Bump have posted but definitely cheaper than anything I've been able to find. I'll most likely just go through them. The other thing they told us is that they have lactation consultants available to answer questions and/or meet with us free of charge. I'm thinking about taking the course after I give birth but then also meeting with an LC if I don't feel like I got enough out of the class. I'll figure it out.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Weekly Check-In (36 weeks)

How far along? 36 weeks, 5 days
Weight gain/loss: +39 pounds...uhg
Maternity clothes? Yes, of course.
Sleep? Sleep is getting less comfortable but I'm still able to get enough, this wouldn't be the case if I was working though.
Best moment this past week? Getting tons accomplished on the baby front. Pack N Play is set up in our room, the rest of the stuff we need from our registries has been purchased, and more work in the room was accomplished. We did run into a snag with the new blinds. We cannot figure out how to hang them up so my dad is coming over in a couple of days to see if it's just us or if they don't work for our windows.
Sex: We're having a boy!
Belly button in or out? I can officially see it through shirts.
Movement: He has definitely slowed down. Still moving a lot but not the big kicks that I used to get.
What I miss? Drinks, turkey subs, and sleeping like a rock though I know that is gone for a long time...
What I'm looking forward to this week: Reaching full-term on Wednesday!!!
Milestones: From babygaga.com, "In fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world.In physical fitness news: your mini-champ's muscle tone is improving, and you’ll be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm)."
Labor Signs:
Some very strong Braxton Hicks.
Picture: (36 weeks 4 days)

Possible Reason for BH

I posted yesterday, that I dealt with some very strong BH contractions for two days. I think I figured out why. On Friday I cut up a fresh pineapple and ate about half of it and then finished it off yesterday (OMG it was so good!). I had heard that there was an OWT that eating fresh pineapple can make you go into labor but I didn't really believe it since I've been eating pineapple for months with no side effects. It never even crossed my mind until today when I was sitting at my cousin's baby shower eating some honeydew melon and my cousin's wife asked if I wanted any pineapple to try and go into labor. Then it hit me that I'd eaten a ton of it in the last couple of days and had strong BH contractions. Hmmmmm. Maybe I'll stay away from it for about a week until the baby is full-term and see if it happens again!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Braxton Hicks

Wow. These Braxton Hicks have suddenly gotten VERY uncomfortable. I've had little ones for weeks now where my belly tightens up and I think, hmm my belly is hard! Well, Thursday I had about 3 or 4 in an hour and a half span while I was out with some friends so I went home and went to bed and they were gone.

Then, last night I woke up at 2:30 to the most intense BH contraction I've had. My whole belly was hard and it HURT. My back didn't hurt but my whole belly did. I tried moving around and it didn't help. After about a minute it went away and I kind of dozed back off. 20 minutes later I had another one that lasted about a minute and this one hurt in my hips as well as my belly. I got up and walked after this one, went to the bathroom, and went back to bed. I repositioned myself so that I was on my side rather than sitting up (how I've been most comfortable lately, lots of pillows behind me and slightly reclined). I had one more good hard BH contraction about 10 minutes after the second one followed by a few small ones varying between 7 and 10 minutes apart before they finally stopped and I was able to go back to sleep.

Boy did they hurt though. I assumed that BH didn't really every hurt, not sure where that idea came from but since they went away I'm not too worried.

Today we had the bridal shower for my mother in law. It was 90 degrees out but I was able to sit in the shade and Bill was great about keeping my cup full of ice water. Around 6:30 I started to get a couple of small BH contractions and then they started to get stronger. I wasn't timing them but they were a good 10 minutes apart at least. I had one really strong one and we left and came home. Now I'm sitting with my feet up with the a/c pumping and a fan on me. I haven't had any contractions since getting home. THANK GOD!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Update: Swelling

I had my 36 week doctor's appointment today. The good news is that my blood pressure was 132/88 so high for me but not in the hypertension range and my doctor was not concerned about that, my weight gain, or my swelling. He said there was no protein in my urine (yay!) so my weight gain is probably due to the swelling, aka, water weight. The swelling is probably due to the heat and just being at this point of the pregnancy.

Other good news is that our little one is head down and he definitely dropped since he's right behind my cervix! I'm not dilated at all so I shouldn't go too early or anything but yay to a head down baby!

The only bad news is that they didn't even bother with the Group B Strep test because since I tested positive at my 16 week appointment, I'll need the antibiotic IV during labor regardless of the results of this test. Oh well. As long as everyone is healthy right?!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

36 week pictures

I didn't take a picture on Monday so here I am today, at 36 weeks :)
It's super crazy hot here (and I'm sure everywhere in the US right now) so I'm hiding out in the air conditioning as much as possible today. Our little window units are getting a work out! I ended up getting a bunch of work done in the baby room so here's a little sneak peak (sorry the picture is kind crappy).

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Swelling

Holy crap. My feet are HUGE! My legs and feet and fingers are all so puffy, I don't even recognize them as my own. It's so uncomfortable. So of course, I had to research online. Probably not the best idea because I'm not a doctor and if it was that easy to diagnose, there would be no need for doctors. However, I have 2, possibly 3, symptoms of preeclampsia. According to preeclampsia.org the symptoms are:
  • Hypertension
  • Proteinuria
  • Edema
  • Sudden Weight Gain
  • Nausea or Vomiting
  • Abdominal and/or Shoulder Pain
  • Lower Back Pain
  • Headache
  • Changes in Vision
  • Hyperreflexia
Again, I'm not trying to diagnose myself but the swelling is crazy and yes it's hot, but I've been in the a/c. I also gained 7 pounds this week, probably from the swelling, but that really concerned me when I got on the scale yesterday. Today, I was at my parents' house and they have blood pressure cuff so I decided to take my blood pressure. I'm almost always 112/72, today I was 133/91. While this doesn't fall into the hypertension range (140/90) completely but it's way high for me. I did have a headache all day today but it's gone now so I don't think it counts.

I'm not concerned enough to call the doctor but I will definitely mention it to him when I'm there on Thursday. I hope it's nothing abnormal.

Here's a picture of my nasty swollen foot (take my word for it, it's big):

Monday, July 18, 2011

Weekly Check-In (35 weeks)

How far along? 35 weeks, 5 days
Weight gain/loss: I stepped on the scale this morning and it said I'm up 37 pounds. Did I really gain 7 pounds this week?! I've been very hungry lately but 7 pounds?! I'm definitely puffy, I even had to take my rings off today because my fingers are so big so maybe some of it is water weight. I go to the doctor on Thursday so we'll see what he says about it then. Uhg.
Maternity clothes? Yes, of course.
Sleep? Still sleeping in the pillow fortress waking up a lot throughout the night.
Best moment this past week? My baby shower! Pictures to come (I didn't take any so I need to wait for others to send me theirs).
Sex: We're having a boy!
Belly button in or out? I can officially see it through shirts.
Movement: Lots until yesterday and today. I actually decided to do kick counts last night (I haven't been doing them because he's moving all the time). When I laid down and actually counted, I realized that he is moving but not hard kicks or anything. He must be running on of room!
What I miss? Moving around comfortably.
What I'm looking forward to this week: Lunch with some coworkers today, my MIL's bridal shower, my cousin's baby shower, and getting our shower gifts all organized and put away. We're hoping to have the baby room done by this weekend!
Milestones: From babygaga.com, "Congratulations! You’re now carrying over 5 pounds of baby-goodness - not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. Developmentally, your wee womb-tenant has the fat-factory running at full tilt while their digestive system puts the finishing touches on critical organs in preparation for their first meal."
Labor Signs:
Braxton Hicks come and go.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Sometimes I'm crafty

The other day I went to Micheal's and bought some wood letters that spell out our baby's name and some acrylic paint. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with them, whether I'm going to put them on ribbon and hang them on the wall or just stand them on one of the floating shelves we have but I LOVE how they came out and wanted to show them off! We still aren't telling anyone the name but obviously there is a Y and an M!


Weekend

Today is Bill's first Saturday off for which he did not have to use vacation time in over 7 years! He started his new job on Thursday and it seems to be going well. He has to get up super early (like 2:30 or 3:00 am) and works long days, 12-14 hours but he's only working 4 days a week and has weekends off! This makes both of us happy. So how are we spending our Saturday? We're going to the mall to buy him a suit...ugh. It will be like pulling teeth but he needs an all black suit to wear for his mom's wedding on July 30th.

The problem with buying Bill clothes is that he hates to try anything on. He prefers to buy things off the internet and rips the tags off before he puts it on to wear for the day. If it doesn't fit right he'll either wear it anyway or just donate it. It makes me CRAZY! Suits really need to be tried on and he's been made aware of this. He also hates bargain shopping. He'll find a suit that fits and he likes and will just buy it, not even looking to see if there are others that he likes that are cheaper. Basically, I go with him to keep him in line. Wish me luck with that!

Then this afternoon, he's working the Valley Field Days which is a small carnival in our neighborhood that the Valley Men's Club (of which Bill is a member) puts on every year. It's pretty cool, they have food and rides and carnival games. They bring in a couple of local bands and will have fireworks tonight. Bill and a few of his friends joined the club last year and my dad and uncles are also members. My grandfather (whom we lost last September) was a long time member and had such pride in the club.

Me? I'm going to hide my my parents' air conditioning and my mom is going to paint my toes for me since I get out of breath after just one toe!

Tomorrow is my family baby shower!!!!!!! So excited!!!!! I can't wait to see everyone, eat good food, and of course, open presents. I've been getting very anxious lately wondering what we will still need to purchase ourselves. I appreciate any gift that we are given but my nesting instincts are starting to kick in big time. I need to know what we have and what we need to buy so we can get this place baby ready. After tomorrow, I'll be a happy girl!

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

To-do

So yesterday on the Bump, there was a thread where a bunch of people posted what they had left to do before the baby gets here. It kind of freaked me out because I feel like we have so little ready. After our shower this Sunday though, it's game on. I had a couple of (what I think were) contractions today and it kind of reminded me that I need to get my butt in gear here. This is the list I came up with tonight:

* Buy whatever is left from registries
* Arrange Baby Room
* Get/Set up Pack & Play
* Install Car Seat
* Get cars cleaned inside
* Get animals Groomed
* Get blinds for baby room
* Wash baby clothes and bedding
* Pack my hospital bag
* Order more contacts
* Write 2 weeks worth of sub plans
* Decide, then tell custodians how to set up classroom
* Decide if I want to rent or buy a breast pump and do it (after BF class on 7/25)
* Buy another nursing tank or 2
* Decide which pediatrician will be our primary one (group is already chosen)

Eeeeeeek

Tomorrow's a big day

Bill starts his new job tomorrow! It's currently 10:00 and he's sleeping away next to me which is good because his alarm is going off at 3am! Yikes! It's a good thing he doesn't really require a ton of sleep! I'm probably more nervous about him starting than he is. I don't know how he manages to stay so calm and even keeled all the time, I'd be a little ball of nerves. I hope our baby is as laid back as he is!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Weekly Check-In (34 weeks)

How far along? 34 weeks, 5 days
Weight gain/loss: Still up 30lbs according to my scale. The doctor's scale last Tuesday said up 27lbs though.
Maternity clothes? Oh yeah, and some of them are getting too tight. I went out shopping this past weekend for some more clothes for some upcoming events. I spoke with my mom and she convinced me to just wear the bridesmaids dress that I wore back when I was 30 weeks for my friend Melissa's wedding to Bill's mom's wedding. I still think it's too formal for the type of wedding but it's better than stress myself out trying to find a dress and spending money that could be spent on other things. So that is one outfit down. I also decided to wear the same outfit to both Donna and Patti's showers. I found some cute white capris and a flowy blue sleeveless top that I really like and they were 50% off at Kohls :) I'd link them but they don't appear to be on their website.
Sleep? Still sleeping in the pillow fortress waking up a lot throughout the night.
Best moment this past week? Just spending time with Bill and realizing how close we are to having our little one here!
Sex: We're having a boy!
Belly button in or out? Well, the top sticks out all of the time and by the end of the night it's pretty squishy.
Movement: Lots and lots! He has been getting the hiccups a couple of times a day and he rolls around a lot. Sometimes he squirms up into my ribs and knocks the breath out of me!
What I miss? Being comfortable. That's how I feel all of the time lately, uncomfortable.
What I'm looking forward to this week: My family shower this weekend! I've been itching to get things organized and need to wait until after the shower to see what we get as gifts and what we still need to buy.
Milestones: From babygaga.com, "Until now, your wee womb-squatter's been living fairly high up in your poor stretched-out womb - blithely compressing your poor lungs and internal organs. This week your baby's going to pack their tiny bags and make the 'big' move to your pelvis - commonly referred to as the time when your baby 'drops'" Hmmmm, not so for for me!
Labor Signs:
Braxton Hicks like whoa.
Picture: taken at 35 weeks

Friday, July 8, 2011

Shopping at 34 weeeks

I've mentioned a couple of times about finding dresses for my shower and my mother-in-law's (Donna) wedding. The one I bought from JCPenney is perfect, it's comfortable and looks great. I'm very pleased. The one I ordered from Macy's looks like a nightgown on me. Not attractive at all. So I have to return that one. I was talking about this with my cousin Patti who happens to also be pregnant and due in September and she asked if I had something to wear to her shower yet. Crap. Nope. So I went through my calendar and figured out that I need something to wear to Donna's wedding, Patti's shower, and Donna's shower. I figure I can get away with wearing the same thing to both Patti and Donna's showers since none of the same people will be there. I just need to be careful to not get it dirty since Donna's shower is Saturday evening and Patti's is a brunch Sunday morning!

So I'm off today to Kohl's since they're having a sale and I've heard they have a good selection of maxi dresses. I'm hoping to get a dress for Donna's wedding and maybe some capri's with a long top or Bermuda shorts and a top for the showers. Wish me luck!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Weekly Check-In (33 weeks)

How far along? 33 weeks, 5 days
Weight gain/loss: Up 30lbs. How did I gain 3 pounds this week?! Crap.
Maternity clothes? Yup, not much of a choice at this point although I did end up loving this dress from JCPenney. Not to sound conceited but I think this dress looks better on my pregnant body than the model. Still waiting on the one from Macy's to arrive.
Sleep? Still sleeping in the pillow fortress and loving it!
Best moment this past week?
Spending tons of time with Bill yesterday :)
Sex: We're having a boy!
Belly button in or out? Well, the top sticks out all of the time and by the end of the night it's pretty squishy.
Movement: Lots and lots! He has been getting the hiccups a couple of times a day and he rolls around a lot. Sometimes he squirms up into my ribs and knocks the breath out of me!
What I miss? Being comfortable. That's how I feel all of the time lately, uncomfortable.
What I'm looking forward to this week: Doctor's appointment tomorrow and my mother-in-law and her fiance's pre-wedding golf outing next weekend.
Milestones: From babygaga.com, "In terms of appearance, your sweet lil' looker is getting cuter and pudgier every day as they pile on that adorable baby fat. And as you know all too well, your womb kick-boxer is getting stronger with every passing day. Heck, it’s even possible to observe a well-placed belly-wobbling kick just by watching your belly!"
Labor Signs:
Braxton Hicks like whoa.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Shopping Spree

I mentioned recently that part of my birthday present from Bill was a small shopping spree to buy some fun things for the baby. Well, we went today! Babies R Us was having a pretty decent sale on baby clothes and I had a couple of coupons that we could use. We went and looked through the clothes but they were pretty picked over. There really wasn't a lot left and I got overwhelmed trying to decide what size to get anything in so we just decided to get toys instead! The first thing we got, Bill picked out:It's the Ocean Wonders Musical Bubbles Activity Center. You can hang it on the side of the crib or it can be a floor toy. It's super cute and plays fun songs.

We also got the book, Peek-a-Who. It's so cute!Then Bill picked out a nice, big, squishy baseball since Bill's a huge baseball fan:
I got a fun rubber ducky that tells you if the bath water is too hot:
And I couldn't pass up a nice lightweight SwaddleMe SleepSac in sage:We also walked around and visited some of the things we registered for like the glider, Pack N Play, and the swing. We're so excited to really get ready for the baby and waiting for the shower to receive gifts (or not, so we know what to buy) is starting to kill me! We are fortunate to have extremely generous families and friends and know that if we wait until the shower, we'll receive the vast majority of what we need. There will be some things left for us to buy but it's smart to wait and see what we really need to spend our money on. I can't wait for the shower to be here but until then, we had a blast buying some things today and that should hold me over for a while!