35 Weeks

Do Y'all love all the baby gear in the background? Rob was up till midnight last night with a friend assembling all the nursery furniture and this week I inventory it all and set up the room. I have a lot of work ahead of me! Nothing like waiting till the last minute! Now to our regularly scheduled programming....



How Far Along: 35 Weeks. (Picture taken at 35w3d)

Size of baby: Large cantaloupe (still.)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 14 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Pretttty much. i mean, I'm over 8 months pregnant so how awful must I look squeezed into too-tight clothes?

Gender: A beloved son!

Movement: Yesssss!

Sleep: Getting up like clockwork to pee. I have to make sure I don't limit my water intake out of fear of exhaustion. This comes with the territory so I just need to accept it!

What I miss: When rolling over in bed didn't threaten to toss my husband off the mattress! ;) In all seriousness, my range of motion is severely compromised. Sometimes going from a sitting to standing position requires help, LOL

Cravings: Frozen custard.

Symptoms: Soreness and nausea.

Best Moment this week: We read a few months ago that once baby can hear in utero, they will recognize voices, etc. It also said that if you listen to certain music, they will recognize it outside of the womb. My husband plays "In the Jungle" allllll the time and I am convinced the baby recognizes it. When we hold the speaker to my belly he gets very excited and today he even kicked the speaker off. There's one other song my husband plays that I don't recall the name of but the reason I am convinced those two songs are recognized is because he doesn't react to just any music, regardless of proximity of the speaker.

People Change

Before getting pregnant, I used to fantasize about how I would dress my kids, the cool baby gear I would buy, etc. I was very focused on the material aspect of having a baby. I won't lie-baby gear is cute and I wanted it all!

Obviously circumstances have changed my ability to make most purchases.

And I am so thankful.

I am thankful for the lessons I have learned from having less money. Even though ideally we would have more money, I think it has been invaluable to my personal growth to have these experiences. I am a much more appreciative, realistic person. I am more grateful and I am quicker to acknowledge my blessings.

I am currently 34w6d pregnant and I have made only one purchase, a mattress. Well, two if you count paying shipping for a free sling and nursing cover. While I still need to do an inventory (and inevitably make some purchases) I can say that we have been gifted with most everything we need. One of Rob's co-workers gave him two giant trash bags filled with clothes, many new. The clothes were from the co-worker's sister, a woman we have never even met! A friend from church also loaned us a bunch of equipment such as swings and slings. All in all, we have received a lot.

Words can't express our gratitude. The hardest part for us will be finding a way to adequately pay it forward.

Sam Is A Bad Boy

The last time I had to refill the syringes for my injections, Rob picked them up for me from Sam's Club. I used a few of them and then opened one that had what seemed like a very long needle. I wrote it off as a figment of my imagination until I noted there were quite a few of these long needles. I confirmed the different sizes on the packaging.

I told Rob I was worried they might be too long to be safe for the baby, given that I inject directly into my belly, but he convinced me it would be fine.

By chance I was doing my injection in front of one of my doctor's nurses and she was appalled at the length of the needle. Come to find out, not only did they give me the wrong size needle, but mixing different lengths in a prescription is never supposed to happen. So, now I have to go dramatize with them. I'm more pissed I will have to drive all the way down there in the heat, and that I paid for a bunch of needles I can't use. Good grief.

Update: I let the pharmacy know I was not too thrilled with the prospect of doing a home amniocentesis. They replaced all of the bad needles and apologized. There have been quite a few mishaps with this pharmacy, including them giving me medicine with someone else's information on it a few months ago. Now, I know I am my own best advocate so I am definitely monitoring what I put into my body given to me by them (or anyone) but at some point you need to be able to trust your pharmacy. I see a switch in my near future.

Breech

I should start by saying that I am not one of those women who purports to know exactly where her baby is positioned. In fact, I am not reliable to tell you anything related to where baby is and every week when I have my ultrasound I ask them to tell me.

For the past three weeks, baby has been head down. A few days ago, I could've sworn I felt him move. I didn't think much of it since I am not adept at guessing.

At today's ultrasound the tech says, "Is this baby ever going to move?"

I asked her to clarify and she said, "Well, he's breech!"

Now, obviously there is plenty of time for him to move to the "proper" position. And even more obvious, it doesn't matter what position he is in since I am not delivering vaginally. I was just so proud of myself for recognizing that he had moved on my own!

34 Weeks

I know these photos aren't the most flattering but I thought it was super cute how intrigues Miss Paris was with my having my photo taken. She is too cute for words!








How Far Along: 34 Weeks.

Size of baby: Large cantaloupe (not to be confused with a small cantaloupe, LOL!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to my bi-weekly appointment I have lost 2 pounds. So, 13 pounds give or take. I'm still eating like every meal is the last supper so expect this amount to change by the time I post my 35 week update. And, in case anyone is wondering why there is such inconsistency on these updates, I do take the picture on the actual turnover day but I'm lazy about writing updates.

Maternity Clothes: My entire outfit today is non-maternity so that has me feeling good. That said, I had saved a lot of the clothes I wore when I was heavier, which I have been wearing in lieu of maternity clothes. At a birthing class last night someone complimented me on my jean skirt and while I was entirely flattered, by the time I got home after wearing it for several hours I looked at Rob and said, 'Time to retire this skirt. It had a good run.' Can we say TIIIIIGHT?

Gender: A beloved son!

Movement: He's running out of room, obviously, but some days he's still pretty active. I felt him change positions a few days ago!

Sleep: Despite a ton of energy in the first trimester, when most women are exhausted, I have hit a wall. I require a daily nap which is totally out of character!

What I miss: Not having to worry about glamorous things such as hemorrhoids. Ugh.

Cravings: Ice cream, which I attribute to it being hotter than hell on a Sunday. The heat is relentless; we're talking nearly 100 degrees at 10 p.m.

Symptoms: I can't stand for more than five minutes without feeling like I need to stab someone. Oh, and I am entirely cranky. Like, unreasonably so. I don't think pregnancy is an excuse to mistreat people so I have been having to sequester myself.

Best Moment this week: Yesterday's doctor appointment was good because I got to ask some questions related to my surgery. That was a relief. It is also nice to hear the baby's heartbeat. The weekly ultrasound and NST I had this morning were both awful appointments and I thought I was going to yell in the doctor's office. This is rare for me because typically I never mind waiting in a doctor's office because I know emergencies arise and I also know I'd want the same attention and to not feel rushed. In this case, three people who came after me were serviced first and I was livid. Rob said my true "angry" isn't really angry but I sure felt mad! Ha!

Recommendations Needed

If you're a mom, please recommend your nursing bra!

That is all.

I'm Having A Baby in 5 Weeks!

I can't even believe i just typed that title. This entire pregnancy has gone by nice and slow and it has always felt like we have "plenty of time." I do not consider 5 weeks plenty of time, ha! Rob and I just looked at each other the other day and let out a cumulative, "Holy crap!"

Next weekend we are shampooing the carpet, and after that we will evaluate whether we want or need to paint. I still have to order a crib mattress and some bedding. At our infant CPR class they told us the baby is safest sleeping in our room for 6 (!) months so it is not like there is some sort of rush but the nesting instinct is kicking in.

I'm not ready! I know by this point most women are getting antsy about meeting their baby, and I am excited to meet him, but I'm also perfectly fine with him baking for as long as if safe. Even though I have a lot more peace about his arrival since I won't have the fear of a vaginal delivery, I am still scared out of mind. I figure that is normal. In the meantime, I guess I'd better get to washing some baby clothes and getting things ready! In my mind I have all I need but the truth is I haven't taken an inventory, really, so for all I know I might not even have any newborn or 0-3 month clothes! LOL! Not to mention, I suppose it would be prudent to purchase a pack of diapers....

Please send help! :)

Miscellany

I had an ultrasound this morning and another non-stress test. The ultrasound stunk. It was a new tech and the most stressful of my ultrasounds to date. The baby is OK, but he was sleeping and the entire time, the only photos she gave me were terrible and it was just "blech." My NST was done an hour late but I wasn't mad because it meant the woman before me was having difficulty. If you've never had a NST, you have to click a button when you feel your baby move and it registers it on the machine in relation to the baby's heartbeat. The nurse told me the woman was having a hard time determining when she felt movement. I can understand her frustration, as the machine is extremely loud and my baby doesn't like to cooperate when he is on "display."

In other news, my linea negra is now obvious to me. Rob says he has been able to see it for weeks but it is my opinion that my line is blessedly light-colored.

If you've been following our insurance saga, it is mostly resolved. The insurance company switched everything from Rob's name to mine and credited me for my deductible. LOL, it only took took a few thousand dollars to meet a $1,200 deductible. Sigh. The system is broken but we know that. From here on out I should be paying 20% for stuff. Hallelujah!

As I type this I got an email from Chili's advertising their new sangria. I really, really love sangria. I don't drink it often but it is delicious. Sigh. I intend to nurse so it is not like I will be drinking any time soon post-birth, anyway. But it will be more than worth it!

Quotable

From my baby brother as he was examining my most recent ultrasound picture:

I don't mean for this to sound mean or hateful but I can't even tell what I'm looking at. This could be your pancreas for all I know!

33 Weeks!

How Far Along: 33 Weeks.

Size of baby: Honeydew.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 15 pounds. So much for a modest gain, right? Yikes! Time to lay off the sweets!

Maternity Clothes: This answer hasn't changed much from last week. Bottoms, yes, tops, both. I'd much rather lat around in my underwear; it's too hot!

Gender: A beloved son!

Movement: I love when he moves because my paranoia requires the reassurance he is OK. But my stomach and pelvis hurt, every day. The Braxton Hicks contractions were literally not happening at all and then yesterday they started with a freaking vengeance! This reaffirms for me I would've sucked at a vaginal delivery. Ugh!

Sleep: My bathroom breaks are up to a minimum of two so there isn't much uninterrupted sleep.

What I miss: Being able to sand up without a pain shooting through my pelvis.

Cravings: Cupcakes. Gee, I guess we all know where the weight gain is coming from!

Symptoms: My entire "trunk" hurts.

Best Moment this week: There were two things: 1. A healthy check up during my NST and ultrasound. Tomorrow I need to remember to ask the tech's best guess at baby's weight. I know it is not always accurate but I'm always curious. I don't bother to ask which percentile his measurements are in. 2. Rob and I were at the gym swimming laps. I half-jokingly told Rob he should try running the shallow end of the lane with my on his back to weight him down, and to my surprise he said to "jump on!" I did and we must've been the funniest sight.