33 Weeks and 1 Day!

December 28, 2005

Christmas was wonderful! I ate so much good food (lots of fun sweets and some of my favorite foods for dinner!). I'm trying to get back to eating better, but there are still a lot of leftover cookies and things that coworkers are bringing to the office :)

The Thursday before Christmas, my sister found out she's having a little girl! They're going to name her Hannah...which is a gorgeous name, and one that I wish we could have used, except that Mike's side of the family already has a "Hannah." Anyway, my sister was 19-1/2 weeks along over Christmas, and I was 32-1/2 weeks.

I cannot believe 2005 is almost over! Usually, I'm sad after Christmas (people will be taking down decorations soon, nobody plays Christmas music anymore and all) but this year I'm feeling wound up. We have so many things to do before the baby comes! My wonderful sister is throwing us a baby shower on January 7th, which is only a week and a half away! Plus, we're having it at our house, since we're located right smack dab between my family and Mike's family. Nothing like having company over to encourage you to finally get your house pulled together! We had been putting off getting decent dining chairs because our very sweet neighbors welcomed us by loaning us some dining furniture. The table is gorgeous and fits our breakfast nook perfectly, but the chairs are a bit uncomfortable (especially for me!)...so we're going to look for some dining chairs this week, along with a cocktail table and a chest of drawers.

The baby's room is a bit of a mess right now, too...we received some really nice things for the baby for Christmas, but his room is so unorganized that everything is just piled in his crib! Mike said that he would paint the room as soon as we picked out a color...but we still have a lot of work to do!

My hands and ankles are swollen on a regular basis, now. I showed my doctor and she sort of just said that's the way things go. They're not swollen excessively, but I'm definitely feeling some carpal tunnel (mostly in my right hand, but sometimes in my left hand in the mornings). It's hard to grasp a firm hold of things...squeezing the bottle of shampoo in the mornings hurts as well as writing for long periods of time. But honestly, I don't mind! I'm happy to go through them if that's what will bring our baby into the world happy and healthy :)

I AM looking forward to playing volleyball again, though! The schedule for the next season is out and I'm somewhat jealous because Mike will be playing again (we get a few weeks off between seasons and for the holidays). I'm looking forward to getting back in shape after the baby's born!

For Posterity

December 22, 2005 - 32 weeks and 2 days!

Only 3 days until Christmas! Hope everyone's done with their shopping...luckily, we are :)

Some more wonderful things about pregnancy that I don't want to forget :)

1. Swelling. This has probably been the most uncomfortable feeling for me. My hands and lower legs are only slightly swollen, but enough to be uncomfortable. I can still fit my wedding rings on my ring finger, but my hands constantly feel tight. It's more pronounced in the mornings with my hands, but with my legs it's more in the evenings (after walking around all afternoon). I've taken to wearing the low ankle socks, since they don't cut into my calves. My legs look so gross at the end of the day if I wear taller trouser socks...there's a definite indentation from them!

2. Along with the swelling in my hands, I've also started to feel a hint of carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands. It's mostly when I make a tight fist (especially with my right hand), or if I'm holding something for a longer period of time (like my hairdryer, toothbrush, or curling iron. This morning, I was curling my hair and my hand started to ache, then I got a hint of numbness in that arm holding the curling iron. Once I brought my hand down and shook it out a little, it was better.

3. Feeling the baby kick. That is still a wonderful feeling! I never get tired of feeling him move around...I think he had the hiccups yesterday, it was so funny to watch my belly! The other night, Mike and I were in bed and my belly was pressed against his side, and our baby kicked him! Mike was completely amazed at how strong the movement was :) And right now, I can feel him moving around...it's just an amazing experience!

4. Having the feeling that you need to go to the bathroom and when you get there, 3 drops come out. But you need to go every time, because sometimes it's a decent amount that comes out...you just never know.

Well, I had my 32 week check-up yesterday...and everything is totally fine. Nothing out of the ordinary...I talked to my doctor about all the swelling, carpal tunnel feelings, and numbness and she said that was all normal. It's good to hear that :)

Mike and I went to our final childbirth class last night, too. We learned more about cesareans, practiced breathing, and did a mock birth (no real pushing, though!). I don't feel like I will know exactly what to do in every situation during labor, but at least now I know what to expect during each stage and I'm not so afraid of labor anymore! I'm even considering going the natural childbirth route...but I'm just CONSIDERING it! :)

I'm leaking!

December 15, 2005

Okay, my body seems to be attuned to whatever baby email newsletter I get, because once something happens, I read about it in my newsletter! I just read about leaking breasts this morning...Last night, we went to our childbirth class again (very informative about medications, when they may be necessary, and more massages!), but when I got home I looked in the mirror and saw a spot on my shirt. There was no possible way that I could have spilled anything on that spot, and then I checked my bra...leakage! So, tonight I need to go and buy some nursing pads. Right now I'm wearing a bra with more padding and some Kleenex :) At least I know that my body's ready to feed my baby!

Baby weighs over 3 pounds and is around 18 inches long!

Sweet Forward and My Ramblings

My cousin (who just had her first baby in August) forwarded me this, and it brought tears to my eyes:

Before I was a Mom...
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom...
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Spit on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.I
never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to makesure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Sweet, huh? I have some of those feelings now...I just can't imagine how I'll feel when we finally meet our little son!

I LOVE Christmas! I love the whole time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, actually! I love everything about it, visiting family, listening to Christmas songs, snow and cold weather, bundling up to go outside, drinking hot chocolate, using our fireplace, baking sweets, enjoying the Christmas lights on people's houses, wearing sweaters...I could go on! But I also love that Hannukah is celebrated around this time, and that winter finally begins! So, it really irks me when people try so hard to be politically correct about the holidays that we lose sight of why we celebrate in the first place! Has anyone heard about how some people are offended by the term "Christmas Tree" and instead use the term "Holiday Tree"?? Is that ridiculous or what? Are these people TRULY offended? What is going on with our country (founded, by the way, by Christians!)? What if I'm offended by people calling my Christmas tree a "Holiday Tree"? Hmmm?? Grrr...

31 Weeks and overemotional

December 14, 2005 - 31 Weeks and 1 day

Mike doesn't like this picture, but I do! Since he doesn't want me to send them out in our Christmas cards, I'm putting it up here :)

So, this week hasn't been horrible, but it has been a little trying. My emotions seem to be riding a little roller coaster, lately! We were getting ready to go Christmas shopping over the weekend, and I couldn't find a comfortable way to bend over and tie my shoes. I asked Mike if he could help me, but while he was tying the first shoe I started crying and left the room! Why?? Who knows? I had a split second thought that I was too much of a burden on him or that he didn't like helping me (both very NOT true!) . Mike followed me and asked what was wrong, and of course reassured me that he didn't feel any of those things!

I've been feeling really big this week, too...sometimes fat, but not really. It's mostly that my belly feels huge! Eating a meal makes me feel overstuffed and full to the point it's really uncomfortable. I just try to graze on food throughout the day...AND drink my water! (Still working on that)

I had a horrible bout of gas last night, too! I think it may have been the KFC mashed potatoes I had for lunch...gotta remember that. They weren't that great anyway, I was craving REAL mashed potatoes and had to settle for those. A bad idea all around! I think that's what gave me such horrible gas pains. Mike was a little worried b/c in our Childbirth Class the instructor said that early labor can feel like gas. Since they went away that night, I reassured him that I wasn't going into labor :)

My clumsiness has also increased this week! It's actually funny, but I'm always bumping into something or bruising my arm or hand. We were in the check-out line at the grocery store and Mike wanted to push the shopping cart past me to the person who was bagging our groceries, and I SWEAR I thought the cart and I could fit in that aisleway! It's funny, but I know exactly what space my car can fit in and how much room I need to parallel park, squeeze by traffic, etc., but I can't figure out how much room I take up now!

As evidenced by the time I'm submitting this post, I just cannot concentrate on work lately! I keep thinking of things we still need to do to get ready for the baby, what to pack in my hospital bag, what I need to do for Christmas...it seems endless! Hopefully I'll get a decent amount of work done today :)

Happy Wednesday!

Less than 10 weeks to go!

December 9, 2005 - 30 Weeks and 3 days

Well, Mike and I went to a breastfeeding class on Tuesday night and a childbirth class (the first of a series of 3!) on Wednesday night. I never thought about childbirth so much for such a long time (the class was 3 1/2 hours long). I don't think I'm scared about it, maybe just worried? I also never thought about what my baby will be going through during childbirth...I guess it must be pretty traumatic for him, so it's a good thing he won't remember it! One minute you're all cozy and warm, swimming around all snuggled up, and the next minute you're freezing cold and bright lights and strange noises surround you! The whole idea of childbirth is so amazing to me, though. As a woman, you help this little tiny creature grow into a small human being. True, your life changes during pregnancy, but for what your body is doing, it's amazing that you can pretty much carry on regular daily activities. And then nature has figured out a way for your little baby to leave you and nobody ever seems to remember the pain. After all, many women have more than 1 child!

In the childbirth class, the support people had to give the moms massages, too! That rocked! I absolutely loved it, and I'm hoping that Mike will remember that even after I have the baby :) He did a great job with the massages, so maybe if he was a sucky masseur I might not have liked it so much...sorry babe! :)

My 30 week check-up was routine...everything is going well and the doctor was happy with my progress. The only thing I sort of got lectured on was not drinking enough water. I just can't seem to drink 8 - 10 glasses a day. Mike has started to get on me about it, and I'm trying, but I've never been a big water drinker. I'm trying different things like drinking flavored selter water, watered-down juices, and decaf tea.

Warning on Christmas Lights!

December 5, 2005 - 29 Weeks and 6 days

YAY!!! It's snowing!! I love snow! We got off of work early this afternoon...I love government work! Except driving on the highway in snow, that always sucks, because everyone thinks they're still invincible on the road. I'm not a prude super-cautious driver, but I AM more careful in the rain and snow. It ticks me off when other people think that because they're in an SUV or truck that they can drive the same way they would in dry conditions (speeding and tailgating, etc...). I'm pregnant here! Be careful already!

So, we put our lights up on the house this weekend..."we" meaning "Mike" because he wouldn't let me climb the ladder and get on the roof (not that I blame him, but I just wish I could have been more help). I think he did a really good job for our first time putting up lights on our first house!
Also, have you ever read the warning label on those lights? Mike read the one on our tree lights and the label said the lights have a coating that contains lead, which has been proven to cause birth defects! Anyway, you're just supposed to wash your hands after you handle them (don't go and prepare dinner or lick your fingers while you're putting up the lights). The lights we put up on the house had the same warning, but since we were outside and it was cold, I had gloves on the whole time AND washed my hands afterwards anyway.

So, I heard official word from my doctor's office...my gestational diabetes test came out normal! Awesome! One less thing to worry about :) Mike and I are taking a few pregnancy classes to prepare for our little baby. We took one called Newborn Nuances where we learned how to burp our baby, swaddle him, we talked about SIDS, learned about various baby supplies we would and wouldn't need, and tons of other stuff that I wrote down but have already forgotten off the top of my head! Anyway, so we're signed up to take a childbirthing class, and I totally forgot about it when I scheduled my doctor's appointment. My doctor's office is wonderful for many reasons, but one perk is that they're open very late on Wednesdays, which means I don't have to take any time off of work to go to my appointments. Unfortunately, I scheduled my next appointment during my first childbirthing class, so I rescheduled but will have to take time off work anyway! Grrr....

I had an unsettling dream the other night...Mike was asleep in a bed, and it looked like the bed was empty, but he reached across and felt around under the sheets and there was another woman there. He put his arm around her and pulled her in towards him and snuggled against her. I was watching it all and thought to myself, "He probably just thinks it's me." So I lay next to him and whispered in his ear, "Hey babe, that's not me," but he didn't do anything except snuggle in more with her! I said it again, and he still ignored me.

I don't know why, but lately I've been having dreams about Mike and I and our relationship. I don't have any reason to think that he wouldn't want to be with me...he's really been very wonderful about telling me that he thinks I'm cute or beautiful, and he's very caring and loving all the time. I guess I'm just worried about how our relationship will change once the baby's born. We've talked about that, though, and we both agreed to let each other know if we ever feel neglected or ignored.

I've noticed lately that I'm short of breath more, especially when I've been sitting for a while. A lot of times, I'm more comfortable either lying down or standing up. Little Tyler's crowding out my lungs :) He does make sure that I have good posture, though...I breathe much better and deeper when my back is straight and my shoulders are back.

Well, we have a fire in the fireplace and the Christmas tree is lit, so I'm going to make a cup of hot tea and make some Christmas cards!

Good night :)

29 Weeks and 2 days

December 1, 2005 - Over 29 weeks along

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, because I really think that I've had a very easy pregnancy, compared to people I've talked to and things I've read about. I just want to make sure I have some record of all the things that are happening to my body and what I'm experiencing.

So, here we go: Twice already this morning I've had to rush to the bathroom with the strongest urge to pee, only to get there and have almost nothing come out! It's as if the baby's pushing down on my bladder to make me think I have to use the bathroom, and once I get there he moves and I don't have to go anymore! The little guy's gonna be a troublemaker :)

I'm still having trouble getting to sleep at night. I don't have any trouble staying asleep (i.e. no middle-of-the-night runs to the bathroom or anything), but I haven't gotten to sleep before 1:00 AM in a long time. Lately, I've been so exhausted that I can't function here at work unless I have some tea or juice (or both!).

I haven't felt any more Braxton-Hicks contractions since the first time, unless they feel different every time...but those were pretty intense last week, and I haven't felt anything close to that since then.

I do find that I'm a lot clumsier with my big belly :) I've lost my balance doing simple things, like reaching over to get something or anything with bending over, really! I've caught myself every single time, although the worst time was when I fell off the couch trying to reach for something on the floor that was too far away! I'm also not entirely aware of how far my belly really sticks out. I've almost burned myself a few times while cooking and reaching over something on the stove. My belly will touch the edge of the stove and then I realize that I can't move any further! No burns yet :)

I do love to rub my belly, though! It's so round! I still can't believe there's a little baby in there (not so little, really...he's about 15 inches long!). I've noticed that he'll kick more when I'm talking (maybe because he recognizes my voice?) and singing. I'm singing a lot of Christmas songs now, so we might end up having to play him "Silent Night" as a regular lullaby! I like to think he's trying to talk to me when he's kicking and punching :)