9 monthssssss

Seriously? Didn't I just find out I was pregnant? I mean, where has the time gone? Of course, I hear once the child is actually here the time goes pretty fast too. I remember my parents used to tell me all the time, just yesterday you were a little girl. I think I know what they were talking about now.

So I am officially in the home stretch. 4 weeks or so to go. I keep thinking he is going to come early or its more of a feeling really, but the doctor told me yesterday, nope. He appears to be in there for the long haul :p Well Doctor, I don't like your opinion so there, ha! Also, I am still anemic. So now have to remember to take my iron pills twice a day! As if taking them once a day isn't hard enough to remember. Baby measured large yesterday so the doc ordered an ultrasound next week to see how big he is getting. I wonder if he was sitting funny or it could have been the big lunch I had, heehee! Because all my other visits he's measured right on track. But my appetite hasn't slowed down a bit and I'm craving pie all the time. Thank goodness we don't keep it in the house because I can seriously eat two or three slices in a sitting. And don't you dare try to take my slice, I'll cut you.

I'm right there with you Stanley.

We did finally clear out the guest room and some of the office. Went through a ton of things and had a yard sale last weekend. Sold most of the big ticket items and all the little things we didn't sell I took them to Goodwill. So nice to be rid of all that stuff. I was starting to feel like a hoarder. Couldn't even walk in our dining room. We set up the crib, glider and dresser in the nursery. I'm going to finish decorating it this weekend so hopefully next week I can show you pictures, ooohhhh. Only item we weren't able to buy was the futon for the office. But that's because IKEA has it on backorder so we have to wait, boo!

Umm, let's see, what else?  We finished our birth classes.  They were informative and lots of good reminders.  But we'll see how many of them I'll actually remember when I go into labor :p  Baby is definitely riding lower, so I have a good waddle going on when I walk. My right foot stays swollen and feels tight all the time.  I get out of breath getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen. But that just means I'm that much closer, right?  Baby is moving all the time now, I think he is frustrated because he is running out of room.  No lie the other day I thought he was doing the rumba and shaking some maracas at the same time.  I was like what the world?

 

We are definitely getting excited though.  Ready to meet our little guy and I'm ready to have my body back :)  Since I'm near the end I'll try to update the blog once a week.  See you then!

8 months or ...

8 weeks to go, which is technically two months but not really or 56 days to go.  Which the days part sounds really scary, because I'm like wow!  We need to get crackin' on stuff b/c this baby will be here in no time.  Thanks to the baby shower we had back in May and several bags of baby clothes from a sister in my mom's hall we now have a plethora of baby clothes.  I do mean a plethora.  I still need to get him some cute little fedora hats/newsboy caps, some winter jackets and some cool meeting shoes but otherwise I think we are good till 9 months at least. We have the big ticket items for the nursery, crib and glider.  Still need to purchase a dresser though and little decorations for the room.  Hopefully we can get everything cleared out of the guest room this weekend so we can start setting things up.  I know, I know, I've been saying that for 3 months now.

I have been having more braxton hicks contractions, not all the time, but when I do have them they stop me in my tracks.  I was in the break room the other day, doubled over the table waiting for them to pass, fun times.  So if you add those on top of my pelvic pain I'm just hobbling around everywhere.  I did get a maternity support belt which helps when I'm standing or walking for long periods of time.  This kid is hanging so low I think that's why I have so much pain.  Plus, he's getting bigger, now around 3.75 lbs and the size of jicama.  I like these random fruit/veggies they pick out :p

I picture him like this right now, lol!

We did our maternity ward tour at the hospital.  It was so crazy thinking we will be there soon.  They are supportive of natural birth, they have a birthing ball, jacuzzi to ease the pain and everything so that was good news.  We start our birth classes next week, yikes! We are going to be so busy the next month or so.  Hopefully in September everything will be done so I can just use that time to relax before baby arrives. 

Had an ob visit this morning.  Baby is measuring right on track since belly measures 32 centimeters and the doctor said it feels like he's head down.  That would explain why my uterus feels like its going to fall out sometimes :p  I haven't gained any weight since last visit, yay!  I could technically gain another 10 lbs before he's born but since I've already gained 25 lbs I think I'm good.  Saw a really nice doctor in the practice today, she recommended I go to a chiropractor for my pelvis pain, she said it may help.  Also, told her I've been craving ice like crazy, so they did a hemoglobin test and I'm anemic.  So get to take iron pills in addition to my prenatals, hooray (not really).  Otherwise everything looks great.  Oh and his heartbeat was nice and strong at 167.  

Mike has been a great help, especially during the last couple weeks.  He's always helped around the house with cleaning and cooking but he's really stepped it up a notch just telling me to rest.  I really appreciate the support. We talk about our hopes and dreams for the baby and our worries if we'll do a good job raising him.  Its a lot of responsibility.  So much easier having a dog, we just have to make sure she doesn't bite anyone, lol!  Its stressful thinking about the future and kinda sad knowing it won't be just the two of us anymore.  But I've heard people say when the baby comes you don't miss it, its just another chapter in your life with a whole new set of adventures.  So just going to take one day at a time and do the best we can.  So here's my lovely 8 month, 32 weeks, day 224 pregnancy shot.  Till next time!

Really hard to find an angle where I don't look ginormous (and its only going to get bigger!)

seven and a half

So I have been really slack and haven't updated the blog in a while.  I am now at 30 weeks!  Eek!  Only 10 to go, give or take a couple weeks.  I had all these things I wanted to talk about but I'm so tired right now I can't remember what they were :p  We had our assembly the other week and it was fantabulous :)  We split it up since I had to work one Friday.  So we went to Saturday and Sunday first.  I really enjoyed Saturday, Sunday I don't remember much because I was soooooooo uncomfortable.  The following week was Friday's session and that was by far my favorite, I loved all the experiences, demonstrations and the mini drama.  I thought it was better than Sunday's drama.

Baby is a growing away in mah tummy.  According to Baby Bump he's about 2.75 pounds and the size of a head of cabbage, umm ok. 

kinda looks like the Little Shop of Horrors plant

He bumps and rolls around in there, giving me belly massages.  Every  now and then I see or feel my belly rumble, its a funny feeling.  Some people say they can tell when their baby is on one side or the other, but not this kid.  He loves to chill right in the middle so my belly always looks the same.  A few weeks ago I think I had braxton hicks contractions but haven't had any since.  Back pain comes and goes, depends on how long and how I'm sitting at work.  The worst, though, is the pain I get in my pelvis.  Sometimes when I stand up, I just stand there bent over until the pain goes away enough so I can hobble/wobble to wherever I'm going. I get it anytime now, if I walk too much I get the pain plus a sharp shooting pain on my left side which pretty much slows me down to the speed of a snail.  So walking doesn't necessarily make it go away.   Its just something I have to deal with for a couple more months.  What else, mmmm, oh my emotions are OOC (out of control).  I cried, literally boo-hood because I got tomato sauce on my dress while I was making dinner the other night.  Or I can turn around and bite your head off for no other reason than asking me to repeat myself again and look out if you give me a reason.  So pretty much anything sets me off these days.  I miss being even-keeled.  Things never used to get to me, but now, well.  My road irritation in the morning and afternoon with traffic has gone up ten notches.  Mike was driving one day and this lady cut him off, I totally leaned over and blew the horn at her, I mean I laid on it, lol!  I sure am making this pregnancy gig sound fun, aren't I? But according to my Baby Bump app it says "As your due date approaches, it's a common and very normal time to feel more emotional than usual." So its good to know I'm following the guidelines ;)  People tell me the further I get along in the pregnancy the less hungry I'll be, hmph.  I'm still hungry all the time.  Maybe once he gets so big and there's no room in there but for now I'm all

But that's about it, only 10 weeks to go.  I'll give another update in a couple/few weeks, maybe by then we will have actually done something to the nursery.  I'm a procrastinator to the bone so I do everything last minute.  I didn't take my usual belly shot this month because I keep forgetting.  However I have this shot from July 6th before we went to the assembly and its in the bathroom, so this will have to do.  Till next time :)

quick update

So I wasn't going to post the pictures of the 3D/4D ultrasound but Mike wants me to put them up.  I think these are the best two.  Little guy was being stubborn and had his hands in front of his face most of the time.  At one point he was using both hands to hold his foot and suck his big toe.  Needless to say we didn't get too many good shots.  So what do you think?  I think he is definitely a good combination of me and Mike.  Can't wait to meet the little guy in 13 weeks!

just call me a liar

So a day after I post that I don't really feel the baby move he decides to start thumping around in my belly.  What really got him moving last night was when I was lying in bed and had the laptop on my lap.  Why this would bother him I don't know, maybe the clacking noise of typing on it?  Whatever the case he was bumping along in there.  But when my cat Naya decided to walk across my belly and lay down he was perfectly still.  Must be an animal lover that kid.  Then this morning same thing, little thumps and bumps and now he's painfully lodged in the upper part of my belly.  I pushed a little to get him to move and he responded by kicking me and staying in the exact same position.  Someone has a stubborn streak just like me, we like getting things our way ;)
Also, some friends of ours had recommended for us to watch The Business of Being Born.  So now of course after watching that I'm thinking maybe birth centers with midwives are better. All kinds of confused over here.  So long story short I'm not going to say anymore I'm definitely doing this or not doing that cause who knows until that time comes.  In the meantime we are going to tour both a hospital and birth center and ask my ob some questions.  Hopefully I can make a decision before d-day.  And I'm not excluding Mike from the decision (in case you were wondering why I didn't say we make a decision) but he says its entirely up to me and whatever I decide feels right he will support it.  He just hopes he doesn't pass out when the whole thing goes down :)
With that I leave you with these two cute items I found today while perusing the net. 

Labor and Delivery Gown

Much cuter than that gross hospital gown, blech!  Sold by Pretty Pushers.

And this adorable giraffe pacifier in one.  I need one of these (and he'll probably hate it).

six months...

I literally almost typed seven months.  Don't know what I'm thinking :p  So officially over half way there.  Can't believe I'm already at six months and showing big time.  Not that there would be any doubt of that since I've been told since a young age (mid teens) I have birthing hips.  Seriously, who tells a teenager that?  Umm let's see what's going on this month?  Swollen feet, check!  Weight gain, check! Baby kicking up a storm, no check.  I know, every one is different and some people just feel the baby moving and kicking and rolling a lot sooner than others, but I thought by now I would be feeling substantial movement.  When people ask, I just say yes I do feel SOME movement, mainly in my  lower abdomen still, and he honestly feels like a worm.  That's how I could best describe it, no punches or kicks just a worm moving across my belly.  More like the guys in the black, because he's slow and deliberate about it, not all jerky crazy like the guy in the front.

Sometimes a polite tap on the upper right quadrant like he's asking permission to change position.  Now last week he did jab me in my rib cage, but he must have been having a night terror or something, haha!  Anyways, nothing really new to report.  No we haven't started on the nursery yet.  I do have an idea on how I want it decorated, its just a matter of moving stuff out of the guest room, selling some furniture and painting.  I still have time right, 3 months give or take a few weeks.  I have a feeling he's going to be born and sleeping with Leela at night because the nursery still won't be finished, j/k.  The main question I get asked from people (besides is the baby moving) do you have a name picked out.  Ok, here's the low down, we do have a favorite name and a couple other top contenders but we are not deciding on one name until he's born.  That's our personal decision so please stop asking, have you picked a name yet because even if we do decide on one before birth we aren't giving it up. You'll meet the little guy in a few months anyways.  We just call him baby boy for now.  Please don't be offended. 

On another topic I pre-registered at the hospital where we will be having the baby.  It was pretty cool, all online and everything.  We have a tour scheduled for the end of July.  I still haven't registered for birth class yet, but I know it will be sometime in August.  I have been reading various mommy blogs and a few mentioned the benefits of a birthing center.  So I looked more into them and what that involved.  There is one rather close to us in South Carolina.  But after reading the birth stories (which are supposed to be encouraging) and testimonials I've decided hospital is the way for me.  Just a personal decision.  Don't get me wrong, I plan on going as natural as possible without any drugs but if at some point I need the big needle or other complications arise I just feel better being at the hospital.  So that's all for now, next month I'll have some more updates.  I have my glucose test in two weeks, here's to hoping its negative, we have our 3D ultrasound scheduled for the end of this month and a good friend of ours will be taking our maternity photos in the end of June.  All in all it will be a busy next few weeks. 

I leave you with this lovely parting shot.  I had a cute one where I was smiling but I just like this one better :)

five months

Sorry for the delay.  I'm actually 21 weeks now :)  We had our last doctor visit on April 29th.  Found out we are having a boy.  I really wanted a girl so it was hard for me to be enthusiastic when the u/s technician told us.  I believe my exact words were "Oh. Ok." Terrible I know.  Even though I knew in my heart it was a boy the whole time, I just had a feeling but I was holding out hope till the end that it would be a girl. heehee!  That's ok though I'm warming up to the idea.  And all the moms tell me that I'm going to love having a boy.  They are so much easier and little boys love their moms.  So now I'm on the hunt for super cool boy outfits and hats!  He will be sporting all kinds of cool fedoras and newsboy caps ;)  Still not feeling a whole lot of movement but I am quite the pudge so probably can't feel it through my blubber.  People say "oh it feels like gas or bubbles".  I'm thinking that's not very helpful because I have gas all the time.  Poor Mike, I was already kinda gasey before but now its like times a hundred. Saw this on a blog yesterday and it just cracked me up because I'm pretty sure this is how he feels.

Anyhoo, we had a baby shower this past Sunday in Durham hosted by the proud grandma to be, my mom :)  I know its kinda early but this summer is just going to be so hectic this was really the best time.  So nice seeing our friends and they are so happy and supportive.  We really appreciate it.  There was also some dancing and after doing a very intense merengue with my bestie I had this crazy cramp in my stomach.  So I'm telling mom #2 (Sharon) about it and she says "its prob the baby, is it moving a bit?" I'm like "I dunno, you feel".  So she puts her hand on my stomach and she says "Yes that's the baby, its waving, you can't feel that?" But I can't feel it moving I'm just like dang this cramp hurts. lol!  When he starts doing some actual karate chops in my stomach and kicking me hardcore I'll feel it then.  I'm just slow on the whole feel the baby thing.

I'm still not having cravings for any food in particular.  I am avoiding big, juicy hamburgers and guacamole like the plague because they totally gross me out.  Also peanut butter makes me sick.  Like upset stomach sick.  Speaking more of my stomach, I don't have the most common pregnancy problem, constipation.  Which I guess I should be grateful for but I have the exact opposite.  Never gone the bathroom so much in my life.  I'm like really, again? I just went, arghhh!  What other gross problems am I having that I can share, body odor would be one.  I had to change deodorant and also I have smelly feet.  Never had smelly feet before in my life, always so proud of that fact.  Well no more.  Let's see, any other changes.  Ummm, dryness on my face is getting better, but still have the splotchy skin so wearing foundation every day for coverage.  Oh this may be TMI and if you don't want to read just skip to the next paragraph of the blog but along with a bigger chest comes the problem of having high beams on all the time.  I was in the bathroom the other day at work and looked in the mirror and was like OMG this is so embarrassing!  So now wearing double shirts, keeping my hair down, crossing my arms. ugh! What a pain.

Also having some back pain off and on but nothing I can't handle.  Still sleeping pretty well at night, occasionally I do wake up to go the bathroom and can't go back to sleep.  Its not because I'm uncomfortable but my brain just won't shut down.  I think that's about it.  People ask how you feel?  I feel fine besides a few annoyances I'm not having any major issues.  So I am grateful for a relatively smooth pregnancy so far.  Now that I've put that in writing I'm sure these last 4 months are going to be heinous.  Here's my latest glamour shot. 

Starting to show just a bit, whatcha think :p haha!  Till next month!