Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I Have Always Wondered....

...what the inside of my belly button looks like. Fortunately for me, I will be able to fufill this wonder in a few days. The belly button is definately getting more shallow each day and is going to pop very soon.

Today would be Baby Day um....#10 I think, marking our 34 week appointment. I have been testing my blood sugar for 4 days now, so I have a better understanding of what kind of foods set it off and such. I am sure the Dr. will want to discuss that. I also want to know what position the baby is in at this point. And...originally, everyone planned on me working up to my due date. However, given my growing uncomfortablility and "diabetes," I am almost hoping that he moves the "last day of work" up to the end of January and puts me on disability a few weeks early. Califo.rnia law gives me a 4 week leeway for maternity disability, I believe....meaning that if I go out 2 weeks before my due date, I will have 2 weeks after my due date to continue disability until the baby arrives and I go on actual maternity leave. That would be an extra 2 weeks of disability that I haven't really budgeted for, but at this point I am just thinking that it may be too much. We will see I guess. I am probably just being a sissy.

Last night I continued to go through the baby clothes and try to determine what else is really needed. We got a heap of clothes from the shower, and are most likely getting some hand-me-downs from some friends. I think what Peanut really needs are 0-3 month onesies and socks. I am just so clueless on what this little boy is actually going to need. :(

My list of things that need to get done:
~buy and install extra car seat base (Saturday trip to baby consignment store)
~finish thank you cards from shower 1
~start washing baby clothes, towels, sheets....
~get batteries because every thing baby apparently requires 20 batteries
~update baby book and calendar
~pack hospital bags
~re-submit hospital paperwork with new address
~get pictures edited and uploaded (involves installing photoshop onto laptop)
~find rug for nursery

My latest pregnancy craving....CAKE. Damn diabetes.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas for us was very different this year. We didn't have a tree, I didn't send out cards or do my Christmas cookie weekend, there were no presents to be opened (besides that for my BIL). There was so much going on this year around the holidays that it was harder to fit everything in. It will just make next Christmas more special.

We did have a nice day. My BIL stayed over on Christmas Eve and we all put together baby stuff and the last dresser. Yesterday we had a lazy morning and then finished putting together the crib and changing table. The three of us went to see "Val.kyrie." It was not an amazing movie, but it was OK. I made a pot roast and we got to see Ben's family over the webcam we got them for Christmas. It was a very laid back day, and it was nice in its own way, even though it was not what we were used to having for the holidays.

It is surreal to see the baby things assembled and in the nursery. There is still alot to be done in the next 7 weeks (eeek!), but all the big stuff is in there. It is really just a matter of cleaning and organizing. We aren't going to buy anything else until after the next shower.

I stood in that room alot yesterday, staring at the crib and turning the mobile with my hand. It still just doesn't seem to be possible that our baby boy will be in there so soon, and that we will be parents in just a few short weeks. After 33 weeks, it still hasn't really sunk in. All the clothes and blankets in the closet, all the toys and bottles and binkies...it just really seem possible that it is for MY son, and that this time next year, there will be a 10 month old boy sharing Christmas with us.

I will try to get some pictures up of the nursery and the furniture. I need to put Photoshop on this computer.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Is it really almost Christmas?

It just doesn't really seem possible to me that Christmas is on Thursday. I guess it doesn't really feel like that time of year because it has been so crazy leading up to this week. I didn't bake cookies, I didn't send out cards, we didn't decorate because we moved, I was just in Ohio.....it makes me kinda sad, but I know I couldn't have done everything that I normally would have in other years.

We did finish our shopping this weekend. When I say that, I mean we took our first and only trip into a retail store to buy presents. Most of the shopping was done online this year. Ben kept making fun of me because I can't waddle very fast these days. I truly feel like a human weeble wobble.

I know I have said that I think Peanut is going to come early, but seriously. I really feel that way. Everything is getting so much tighter in there. I just don't think I will last until the 13th of Feb. Seriously. I want to, I just don't think I will without bed rest for a couple weeks before. Maybe my last work day will be on Feb. 1? I just started feeling this way this weekend. It has just gotten so hard for me to do things. There is so much that needs to get done in the house, and it is frustrating because I can't get it done as fast as I would like. Plus I was just so short, and I have a short torso. There isn't a whole lot of room for the baby, so he had to grow out. Hence, my weeble wobble shape.

We got the changing table and pad on Friday. As well as the diaper genie and some bottles that I had coupons for. The pack and play and swing are on the way, and should be here by Wednesday. The crib will hopefully follow soon afterward.

Ugh, I am just so tired all the time!

Friday, December 19, 2008

TGIF!

I am soooooo glad it is Friday! I finally get a weekend that involves relaxing and getting my house set up. I just want to sleep tomorrow morning. :)

So I did not pass my glucola test! I just barely failed it! like when my sugar was supposed to be 95 it was 97. I just barely missed all the limits. My doctor says this qualifies me as a gestational diabetic and I have been referred for diabetic counseling. I guess this involves setting up a diet for the next 8 weeks and times to have my blood sugar monitored. I am waiting for the office I was referred to to call me back.

Otherwise, the baby is good! my blood pressure went back down. I still didn't gain the desired amount of weight, but the baby is growing well. I can feel him getting bigger! His movements are not the little flutters and kicks they once were, but big rolls and pushes now. I can feel his little knees and elbows, and his head. I have had to go to the bathroom way more lately.

The walk through at the old apartment went ok. We will leave it at that. Let's just say I will never rent from an apartment business again. EVER.

I think I am going to venture to BRU tonight to spend the last of our shower dinero and coupons. We ordered our pack and play the other night, and can I just say that the next day it went on sale?! I called customer service and they were really nice. The price was originally $119.99 and we ended up paying $84.99 with free shipping, paid for with gift card! :) We also ordered our swing and the bassinet sheets. I am trying to prioritize what we need and how soon we will need it, so I think tonight I will get the changing table, table pad, and diaper genie. I have a handful of coupons to use, so hopefully I can combine some of them. I also have a bottle coupon that is going to expire this month that has to be used. After that, I think we will be ok should the baby come early. Early as in before the next shower. :)

Ben helped me unpack all the shower stuff we got last night, and organize it into the closet. We got alot of clothes and blankets and toys. We went over our registries again. Peanut needs socks and booties. :) Can I have a bootie themed shower? :)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Baby Day #9

Peanut and I are safely back in California after a cold, but really good trip to Ohio. Today is my 32 week doctor visit, which I believe marks the beginning of the 2 week appointments. Hopefully, I will find out about the damn glucola test. You would assume that if I had failed it, they would have called me with the results to start their treatmennt or whatever asap. I guess we will see.

The baby shower went well! I loved seeing everyone and we got alot of great stuff. Peanut will not need any clothes for the first year of his life. He is stocked up. The Christmas theme worked out to be really pretty, and I think everyone liked their little trains. I will post pictures as soon as I can. Overally, the trip was great. I got a couple of warmer maternity-type shirts, and I made Peanut a build-a-bear koala. :) The flights....not so much.

I had a layover in Houston both ways. The flight from CA to Houston was fine. We boarded the plane on time in Houston and I fell asleep almost right away. I woke up and I looked around and we were on the ground. I thought it felt a little early to be in Detroit. I noticed we were still at the gate, so I figured I had only been asleep for 15 minutes or so. Then I heard someone behind me say "I can't believe we have just been sitting here for 2 hours..." Then a flight attendant walks by with water. Seriously, we had been at the gate for 2 hours. It had been snowing in Houston. And they had to de-ice all the planes. However, they only had one de-icer for each terminal. There were seriously about 200 Contine.ntal planes that were in need of this service. They said they were going to allow people off the plane as long as they had their boarding pass. An agent could rebook people if they wanted to fly the next day instead, however; since the flight was not cancelled, no hotel would be provided. You would have to sleep on a cot in the airport. Um...no thanks. I had the whole row to myself, so I just got off to get some food and more water. About 45 minutes later, we backed away from the gate and got in line to be de-iced. That line lasted for about 5 hours. I watched "Jin.gle All The W.ay" and "Fre.d Cla.us." I slept on and off. And then finally got into Detroit at 6 am the next day. 8 hours later.

The flight from Houston back to California was not as bad, but I was so, so, SO uncomfortable. The flight was packed. We took off an hour late (for no real reason, just a busy airport). It was a 4 hour flight. I had an aisle seat like my doctor suggested, but it didn't help except to frequently get up to go to the restroom, which was too small. Because of the duration and capacity of the flight, there were three times they served drinks and one meal, so there was constant traffic up and down the aisle. I was sooooo hot and just couldn't sit comfortably. Peanut had decided to sit high in my belly so that was not the best either. And my feet were so swollen, I could hardly tie my shoes when we landed.

We finished moving everything into the new house! When I was gone, my husband set up the living room and garage. Last night, we bought our new dressers (Christmas gifts from my parents and grandma). Almost everything is transferred to the new address, and the washer and dryer and the freezer arrived safely before I left. I still have to locate some rugs for the floors, and I have our walk-through at our old place today. It will be nice to just be done with the old apartment and just be able to focus on the new house and getting everything ready.

I sitll have not decided on the 3D ultrasound. Or a name.

I will get the pictures up, I swear.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Glucola...Round 2

I had my 3 hour Glucola test this morning. It was not fun. I was already really tired. :( We packed up a bunch of stuff to move last night and I didn't get to bed until almost 11:30. My normal bedtime is 9:30, 10 at the latest. I can't help it, growing a person is tiring.

I woke up early to help Ben and BIL load up his car of stuff to take to the new place. I was at the hospital by 7:15.

They made me really nervous because they took my initial blood sample and then said "we will test your sugar now. If it's too high, we won't give you the drink and we will just send you home. That is bad." Fortunately, my sugar level was good. They gave me the drink, this time it was the infamous orange drink, not the lemon-lime that I had last time. And this time they watched me down it. And so began the 3 hours of waiting and blood taking.

3 more arm pricks and about 80% of the first Twilight series book later, I was free to go. And ravenous. I had kept my tummy at bay by drinking lots of water. Peanut responded to that water by doing somersaults on my bladder, forcing me into the bathroom about every 30 minutes or so. Then I would get some more water. It was a vicious cycle, really. And I hate needles :( Two pokes in each arm was brutal to me.

Fingers crossed for good results. I would assume that if I don't pass this one, they would call me and not make me wait until my appointment on the 18th? Fingers crossed for that too.

There were alot of babies in the waiting/lobby area. And it made me realize how much I can't wait to have my baby and to be a mom. I teared up several times at the little baby noises and grunts.

I should add that while watching the Mac.y's T-Day par.ade, I bawled when I saw Santa at the end. Seriously.

And the crib hunting drama continues. Damn those BRU people. :(

Thursday, December 4, 2008

I just wanna sleeeeeeeepppppp.....

It has been a crazy busy week.

Starting with the Thanksgiving prep last week on Wednesday...I made two pies, meatballs, and my husband's deviled eggs (Note: I usually do way more than this for snacking food during the day. I scaled back and we each picked one food we wanted). Ben actually woke up early on Thanksgiving Day and cleaned up the kitchen for me. The turkey went into the oven, and the day was pretty easy compared to other years. The rolls didn't rise correctly, so I may have goofed the yeast somehow. We had a good day and the clean up went really fast. I ate alot. In fact, I was the only one whoe ate everything on their plate and I had a second helping that night.

I slept in the next day. I decided to go into work later because Ben and I wanted to get our washer and dryer after he got off work. The day was pretty slow, but I got a lot done at work. By the time we actually got to Bes.t Bu.y, the Black Friday craziness had died down. We got our washer and dryer set for a great price, and we also got a freezer for the basement for when I start to pump and go back to work. We browsed a little bit and looked at some different electronics. Of course, Ben wanted the 62 inch plasma that cost as much as a car. We did find a printer we liked, but it was not on sale. After we left, we had to run next door to Off.ice De.pot because Ben had to get printer ink for work. We browsed a little there, and noticed that the printer we had wanted was $30 off there! But...they were out. The good news: Be.st Bu.y did a price match, so we ended up taking it home. :) It will print really nice photos, so we were happy.

Saturday was filled with errands and train painting. I have 34 done. We packed Saturday night. Let me tell you, I am a horrible packer. I start going through things and organizing, and I usually end up with several big messy piles. We were only planning to move our guest room on Sunday. This is the room where I dump everything that does not have a place somewhere else, so it ends up being one big clusterf#$k of stuff. It took quite a bit of time, and I am pretty sure it traumatized the cats. Sunday, we picked up the moving truck and then Cousin A. We loaded up everything we could, and were on our way to the new place. We got everything unloaded and the landlord met us to sign the lease and collect my bank account for the security deposit and 1st month's rent. :( Then we helped pick up our replacement fridge which was pretty far and pretty strenuous...on Ben at least. I didn't have to really lift anything all day :). Yay for Peanut. We didn't get home until almost 8 and it was a long day.

Work week started good. My temp has been hired, which is kinda wierd, but oh well. It has just proven to be a busy busy week with lots going on in the office. We have been moving stuff everyday, which has made me very very tired. We took last night off and watched the VS Fashion Show (old habits die hard ;) ) The kitties are going nutso in a bare apartment. I have to look for soem rugs tonight, because we have all hardwood floors in the new place. We are hemorraging money right now with the two residences and bills. I just havent' found anything I really like. I am very picky. :)

Tomorrow morning I have to take my 3 hour glucola test. :( Fingers crossed. Then starts a busy weekend to finish moving.

I have been fighting with our current apartment managers because they have all these insane security deposit deductions for cleaning and such. I am sorry, but 3 years in an apartment constitutes different wear and tear than does 1 year. And I don't believe for one second that my apartment was thoroughly cleaned by professional cleaners before I moved in. I believe the maintenance man cleaned it, sure. But is he a professional cleaner? Most likely not. The whole situation just irritates me. I am not a happy renter.

In terms of Peanut: the belly continues to grow. I am not even going to lie. I spaced on taking the 28 week and 29 week belly pictures. Today marks 30 weeks! Only 10 weeks to go! Yikes and Yippee! He still moves alot and Ben felt him kick for the first time on Saturday night. :) The cats feel him quite frequently. I am getting alot more winded when I do alot of walking. If I am doing anything but sitting down when I am talking on the phone, I sound like I am running a marathon. I am excited to go back to Ohio for the baby shower.

Ugh, I am sooooo tired.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Baby Steps

Well, small steps anyway.

I have been so horrible at updating people and keeping in contact with family and friends over this past month. I feel like time has just been flying by, and the countdown to Peanut's arrival is dwindling. While I am so incredibly anxious to meet my precious son, I feel like there is just not enough time until then! Did I mention that I feel like he is going to come early?

Anyway, Ben and I have been so busy over the past month, but we were discussing everything we have accomplished the other night and it made us pretty happy:

-Ben has gotten settled into his new job, and is doing well. We got all the insurance stuff squared away and we are paid up until the end of February. We have all the forms ready to switch me and the baby over to his plan in March.

-WE FOUND A NEW PLACE TO LIVE! We found out that we got the rental house we applied for. It's a beautiful house, with 3 bedrooms and a huge huge garage/basement. Even better, there is a big yard that we don't have to maintain because the rent includes a weekly gardner! We are starting to move in this weekend and will continue over the next week finishing next weekend. The house in the town where we both work, so our commutes have been cut into 5 minutes a piece.

-The baby showers are underway and invitations for both have gone out or are going out within the next week or so. I am really exciting for them.

-I filled out all my hospital paperwork for my admittance for delivery. I also have all the paperwork for deferring my student loan payments and credit card payments during my maternity leave. All we have to do is mail it in.

-We bought a washer and dryer. This was the first major appliance that we have bought together and it makes us feel like real adults. (The ever active baby boy in my belly also brings this feeling.)

Even though I know there is still alot to take care of, and many many steps along the path to getting us back east and closer to family, we have taken quite a few of those steps.

And speaking of baby steps, Peanut will now respond to me if I push on my belly by his little feet. He kicks back. :) The other day, he was none to pleased and kicked me about 5 times in rapid succession. He got his point across.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Pictures, Finally :)

The long awaited belly shot chronicles:

So I have been pretty bad with the belly shots. I kinda slacked on vacation. So I kinda had to be creative and poach some....

21 weeks preggers (actually 21w2d): Please ignore the uniboob.

The 22 week (actually 22w2d) belly shot, as a pregnant bridesmaid:

The 23 week picture is actually 22w5d. I am not even going to lie. The next few weeks were hectic and I am pretty sure I forgot week 24 and 25. I thought I took them but maybe not. I have to search.

Ok, I know this is week 26:

And week 27 (note the stroller and box in the background! :) ):


Baby Day #8

Yesterday I had my routine monthly OB appointment. This one took a bit longer and was a bit more complicated for a couple reasons:

1. I failed the glucose test. My glucose was too high. This doesn't necessarily mean I have gestational diabetes, but it warrants another round of testing. The doctor explained that although diet can play some component in this screening, it is mostly determined by the placental hormones and genetics. No one in my family has diabetes, but my grandpa does have a higher blood sugar. So I made an appointment to next Friday morning (not about the Black Friday shopping after 5 years of retail), and hopefully everything will go OK.

2. My blood pressure was a little high. Not crazily high, but high for what it has normally been for me. This led to a conversation about sleeping and stress. You can guess how that went.

3. My weight gain is still a bit low. We had to talk about the importance of consistent weight gain in these last months.

4. I am having good ol' Braxton Hicks contractions. At first I thought it was Peanut kicking really hard. They have been happening on and off over the past few days, and usually catch me off guard and cause me to wince slightly. However, while the doctor was listening for Baby Boy's heartbeat, I felt one and told the doctor. He felt my stomach and said no, that is a BH contraction. He explained the tightening and so on.

5. We talked about what kind of birth I want. My friend J got induced this week and was in labor yesterday morning. And I had seen those wonderful intervention sequences in the recently watched "The Business of Being Born." I told him we wanted to go as natural as possible, but not completely rule out drugs. He said we would try for as natural as I wanted.

6. We talked about when I should stop working (my boss is interviewing for my temp). My EDD is February 13. The doctor said as long as I am feeling fine and not showing any signs of labor or complications, I should be able to work up until around then. If the EDD rolls around and there is nothing happening yet, he said that I can't work past that. Well, he said it isn't encouraged. I will be going in for check ups every few days. He won't let me go past 42 weeks before he would induce labor. However, if I make it to 42 weeks, I most likely won't need induction anyway. Anyway, I signed my insurance forms and discussed my paperwork with the receptionists.

It wasn't a bad visit, just not the best one I have had.

And we haven't heard anything back about the rental we applied for on Wednesday. How long does it normally take to hear? I am so anxious to get this next step of relocation completed.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What Is It About Men....

...that they can't seem to put anything were it really belongs?

My husband is a very organized man, and when he cleans, he REALLY cleans. However, he has this wonderful trait about him that things just manage to get left around the apartment. This didn't use to bother me so much, but now it makes me want to spit nails.

For instance, Ben goes through work pants very quickly. They rip out or get faded or stained. I just bought him two new pairs. Somehow, the tags from the pants ended up on the bathroom counter. The trash is seriously less than a foot away under the sink!

Second example: when he gets in the shower, he leaves his underwear and Tshirts on the bathroom floor behind the door. And lets them pile up until the pile prevents the door from opening all the way. The hamper is across from the bathroom. And we have two hampers.

There are also soda cans that make it to the kitchen, just not the sink. Piles of change that dont' wuite make it to the bank bottle. Shoes that never quite reach the mat by the coat rack.

Seriously, it would take an extra 2 seconds.

I am sure that I do many things that annoy Ben, especially now that I am more moody and hormonal. My mood swings are quite rapid. I am just saying that these little things that didn't annoy me before, annoy me now. And given my hormonal state, I don't address them very well.

Anyhoo, tonight is our last Lamaze class. It is the breastfeeding and infant care class. We also have another appointment to look at a townhouse today. Yesterday's viewing went really well, so we will see what happens. Oh! I got my shower invitation yesterday...all Christmas-y and festive. :)

Also, my appetite has dropped this week. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, so I have to remember to tell him that I guess.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Is It Monday Already? :(

I really can't believe the weekend is gone already.

It was such a busy one though. On Friday, I took a half day at work and then went to help friend D with her babies. They are sooooo cute. I got to feed them and change them and cuddle them. And we went to the doctor to get their shots. It just about broke my heart to hear them cry.

I skipped the lecture on Friday night. The babies wore me out. No science geek for me.

I didn't wake up on time on Saturday. Orginally I planned to get up at 7 so I could get stuff done then take a nap in the afternoon. I didn't wake up until almost 10. I thought my husband had just turned off my alarm (I had alot of trouble sleeping that night. I woke up at 3 and didn't fall back asleep until about 5ish). He informed me that neither of us had turned the alarms on. Oops.

I went to the hospital to take my Glucola test and they gave me a really hard time. I got there at 10:30 and they close at 12. I realize it takes an hour. But they had an hour. After much pleading, they let me take it. I did not get the infamous orange drink, rather a lemon-lime drink. It tasted like Sprite left out for about a day, all flat and warm. After I left the hospital, I had to go to the ATM to transfer money to pay my health insurance through February. That way it is done and I don't have to worry about it. I just paid through January in case Peanut arrives early. Then I picked up Christmas mailings to stuff for the animal shelter. And then I went to the grocery, which was not the wisest move since all I had consumed that morning was the lovely drink for the blood test. I went way over the budget I set.

I tried to take a nap after I ate my lunch, but I couldn't fall asleep. I painted 10 of my train ornaments instead and did laundry, and made stew for dinner. Let me say, those little ornaments take quite a bit of time. It took a while to paint them and then to glue them together. Ben helped with the mailing, thank god.

On Sunday I met friend K in the City to start planning the baby shower. We had yummy lunch at Ele.phant B.ar and then went on a crusade for my travel system. The local (for that area) BRU did not have any in stock and the stock/sales man was a nasty pants. He informed us that the Sausalito store had 5 listed in their inventory, but it was really "hit or miss" and no he was not going to call for me. The girl who was orginally helping me, however, was an angel in disguise and called. They had them and were going to hold one for me! So K and I browsed the BRU universe and I showed her some of the stuff we had registered for. Then we went to Jo.Ann's to try to find some embellishment for my little trains. No such luck.

When I got home, Ben and I put the stroller together. No joke, I got all choked up thinking about how we would be putting together toys on Christmas Eve night to leave from Santa. And all the other things that we will put together for our son. I showed Ben how to fasten our Big O bear into the car seat, how the car seat fastened into the base, and how it fastened into the stroller. And then I pushed it around the apartment. I showed him where our diaper will go. We also played with the Baby Bjorn that we got from one of my coworkers, and fyi.....it is not optimal to try one of those things on with a preggo belly. It just is wrong on so many levels.

Anyway, it bodes to be a busy week this week. Lots to do. I have many appointments to look at new places to live, so fingers crossed! I have a jillion pictures to post. And another 28 trains to paint and assemble. Eeshk.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hospital Tour

Lamaze class went well last night, but it was soooo long. It lasted about an extra hour and we didn't have time to get dinner beforehand because we looked at a condo. Therefore, I had to sacrifice my mac and cheese for a mexican pizza. No worries, the mac and cheese is here for lunch today. :)

Anyway, class started out kind of rough. One of the other girls in my class had her water break on Sunday morning. She is 29 weeks. Now she is down at UCSF until they will deliver her baby early on December 15. I think that puts it at 34 weeks. Scary. I can't imagine having to do that and having to stay in the hospital that long. :( I think we are going to send her some flowers or something.

We went over interventions in class. It was horrible. The C-section video was horrible. Epidurals make me want to barf. The idea of a vacuum on my son's head made my skin crawl. I didn't do well. We did an exercise in which we had 15 cards with opposite birth elements on each side, like one side said vaginal birth, the other said C-section. We had to lay out all the cards as to how we saw our birth playing out. We talked about the support we would need from our partners for this birth. Then we had to take 5 away. Like flip them over to the stuff we didn't want and talk about the support we would need again. Then we had to do the same again, so we were only left with 5 of the original 15 elements we had chosen. It was difficult, because it got down to 7 things I really didn't want to budge on. But it was a very good exercise because it really helped us evaluate what was most important to us in the birth.

We ran late because we took our hospital tour early, so we could end class a week early and not go into December. I was so pleased with the maternity ward at the hospital. It is so private and small. All the birthing rooms have showers and are very spacious and open. The afterbirth rooms are the same. The only room I didn't like was the OR for C-sections. It looked scary. :( They will deliver a baby at that hospital from 36weeks +, otherwise they will transfer to SRMH or UCSF. Knock on wood.

So that makes next week our last Lamaze class. I am pretty happy with the way the class has gone. I am OK with it ending early. There is so much to get done.

Tomorrow I am taking a half day to go help friend D take her twin baby boys to the doctor for their shots. Then I have a lecture on new discoveries in blue whales (yes, I am a science geek). On Saturday morning, I originally planned to go to the DMV (long story), but I am so tired I am skipping that and making an appointment for next week. I do have to do my glucose test thought. Then I am stopping by the animal shelter to help with the Christmas mailing. On Sunday I am meeting friend K to start planning the CA shower and go on a stroller hunt. Hopefully, the train kits come this weekend so I can get started on those as well. I have the paint, ribbon, and glues but I think I may need some beads of some sort or some other type of embellishment.

So much to do, so little time!

Oh, my hips do feel much better. And today is officially 27 weeks! According to BabyCenter.com I am now in the thrid trimester! :)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

ReVamp

I need new TV shows to watch. I decided this last night as I was channel surfing and couldn't find anything to watch. I watch several shows regularly:

Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order SVU, Private Practice, ANTM, and The Hills. I will also watch syndication of these shows along with Friends, Will and Grace, Seinfeld, and SATC. If none of these shows are on, I claim that there is nothing to watch. I do also occasionally watch Property Ladder, Flip This House, Iron Chef, Food Network Challenge, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, and Jeopardy. But not very often.

I need variety. I need to be interested in more things. And I as am more and more prone to laying down early or spending more time on the couch (seriously once I lay down, it is getting way harder to get up...there is alot of rolling and huffing involved), I need this new variety. Any suggestions?

My Baby's Head Fits Perfectly Into My Pelvis

Or so reads one of the affirmations give to me by my lamaze instructor.

And hopefully, the baby boy's head does. At least it better, because the past few days I have been able to feel my pelvis widening and opening. And it freakin hurts! It isn't so bad when I am sitting down, but walking and laying down kill me. Between that and the leg cramps at night, it has been so hard to get comfortable and sleep.

This widening started on Friday night when I was working at the concession stand with my husband's company. It hit all of a sudden and it kills. We had to leave early because I couldn't walk anymore. Seriously.

I had to use Saturday to recover. Yesterday was also really bad, but today feels a little better. Monday night's yoga was rough on it too.

Anyway, here's the baby and other happenings:

-I got in a fight with my pharmacist on Sunday. I had recently called my insurance company to find out if they cover any prenatal vitamins. They gave me a list. Being the genius that I am, I forgot to take this list to the doctor with me when I went. He said it was ok and he only wanted me to make sure they had high folic acid and DHA. He wrote me a prescription for "prenatal vitamins" and said just to tell the pharmacist which one I wanted. So I took my prescription in. Well, the tech didn't know anyting. Literally. Every question I asked her, her response was "I don't know." Did she check on anything? Nope. When I asked her if they carried any of the 3 vitamins on my list? "I don't know." SHE DIDN"T EVEN LOOK! Finally, she passed me off to the pharmacist because I asked her the difference between the vitamins I was on and the one vitamin she managed to find (which was not on my list). Now, I don't expect the pharmacist to know every thing about every drug. I dont' expect him to have answers to all my questions, but I do expect he would know how to find the answer or could recommend something. Maybe that is unreasonable. I should add that I was being overly polite and calm at this point even though I wanted to strangle the tech girl. Well, the pharmacist had never heard of any of the vitamins on my list. Which was fine. However, he asked "why I even was asking about them as my prescription didn't order those." I explained the situation. He then said to me that all the ones on my list would have to be special ordered. I said that was fine. This apparently was not what the pharmacist wanted to hear. He then said to me "You need to pick one that is already here. You are making this into more work for us." Yep, I was angry to say the least. I did not respond kindly. I made Ben go back to pick up the vitamins (I just got the ones they had). I called my doctor on Monday and he faxed a new prescription to the other pharmacy in town.

-Babies R Us sent me an email yesterday informing "Melissa" that some of the items on my registry had been discontinued or had limited availability. There were about 8 things on the list, and some of them weren't such a big deal, like pacifiers and the nasal aspirator. What stressed me out was the travel system and the crib. Seriously, it me and Ben about 2 hours to pick out the stroller system. And about as long to pick the crib and nursery furniture. I freaked. No kidding. After a frantic call to my mother, she agreed to buy the travel system. Ben is calling his parents today about the furniture. I had to add some stuff to the Target registry to have some product overlap, but it should be ok. The Target one is only for the CA shower anyway and that is only because I don't want to go back to Babies R Us to add stuff. That store stresses me out. It's too overwhelming.

-There are new condos being built between my work and Ben's work. We could both walk to work. The sign says they will be ready by January 09 which would be perfect since our lease is up the end of December. However, when I called the new ones will not be available until March. There are some that are being renovated that will be ready sooner. Those condos do not have W/D and I forgot to ask about hookups. The agent said we could lease one of the renovated ones and then have the first new one that became available. I talked to Ben about this, and we really dont' want to move twice. He also asked me a bunch of things that I forgot to ask the agent, which is highly unlike me. Preggo Brain strikes again.

-Baby Boy moves all the time. ALL THE TIME. Ben saw my stomach move the other day, but he hasn't felt it yet. The baby really likes OSU football games. :) Or he just likes how excited we get during the games.

-We have decided we want a natural childbirth. Or as natural as possible. We are realistic people, and understand that birth plans change. However, I do not appreciate people telling me that I am crazy or that I will never be able to do it. That is not supportive and extremely unwelcomed. Like, if one more person tells me that, I might hit them.

-Totally unrelated, we just finished "The Business of Being Born." It was very eye-opening. I really enjoyed it and it gave me alot of information. It isn't the reason we decided on the birth we wanted, but the information sure helped us make the decision. The main thing that I am trying to remember is that my body was designed to give birth. It knows what to do and how to prepare. And that the pain of birth is a beautiful and natural pain.

Tonight is C-section and Intervention night at Lamaze class. I am interested to see how it goes. Back to the house hunt for me! :)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

A quick note

Just a quick update from yesterday's appointment.

I hate drinking all that water. I was in pain again. Why they needed more pictures of the placenta and my cervix again was beyond me. They were fine the last time.

Anyway, the baby boy was all curled up and asleep, making it somewhat difficult to get the pictures needed but it went ok. He kept kicking his feet out as if to say "leave me alone! I'm sleeping! Go away!" I did get some cute pictures of his little kicking feet.

His heart rate was good at 148 bpm. And he is definately growing on track.

Lamaze class went well too. We worked on breathing exercises and labor positions. Ben was really into it last night and actually asked alot of questions as well. I asked my normal 200 questions. :) I get my money's worth.

I will post the feet pictures soon. I had a meeting this morning that was supposed to take until early afternoon, but let out way early. That brought me back to the office instead of the short afternoon I was supposed to have. I figured it is better to work. :)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Let the Hormones Rage On

I forgot to mention the strongest and most noticeable pregnancy symptom that I have these days: My raging hormones.

In addition to the crying, I have rapid irrational mood swings. I can go from elated to severely pissed off in about 2 seconds. It doesn't take much. The longer I am left to stew about something, the angrier I get. This includes things that I have been angry about and have had resolved. I also manage to come up with illogical rationalizations for my anger and can direct it upon anyone.

Last night I was angry at Ben for something that happened about a week ago. I wasn't mad about it at the time, but yesterday I decided I was mad about it. When I told him about it, I started to cry. I wasn't mad anymore, now my feelings were hurt. And then I yelled at the cat about what an a$$hole he was being that day. This all took place in about 10 minutes. And then I was fine. Ben and the cat are also recovering.

Baby Day #7

Today is a busy day. Things have settle down a bit at work, and I finally feel caught up with work stuff. Now I just have to work on the home stuff.

I have my follow-up ultrasound today. My sheet ordering the ultrasound clarifies that it is to visualize the heart, kdineys, and diaphragm. I am just excited to see my little boy again and see how much he has grown in the past 6 weeks. I feel him move all the time now and it is stronger every day. I am getting pretty excited.

As the days fly by, it seems it is more and more about the baby with every one. The amount of baby stuff we are receiving in the mail increases every day. The countdown is now under 100 days. Wow.

The baby registeries are done. I think I said that before, but now I really mean it. I have edited and added and all that stuff. They only thing we are still out on is the bumbo. I can't decide if my baby needs one. It seems to me if we have a high chair, it is unnecesary. However, I am open to suggestion on this matter. My mother is doing the shower invites for Ohio this weekend. I have ordered the train kits and bought the necessary craft supplies. I may need to get some more stuff depending on what the actual pieces look like and such.

As for how I am feeling....I am hungry all the time. All the time. The cravings are in full swing. I have not made my husband venture out for anything at this point, but he knows that those days are numbered. My belly shots will be coming, I promise. I have like 6 to post. I may need to poach some, as I was not so diligent in taking them while on vacation. The acne is clearing up on my face, for which I am thankful. I discovered that if I don't spray perfume on my neck/chest region, the acne stays at a minimum. My eyes are hella dry. I wake up with crusties every morning and have to put in drops several times a day. I have no real signs of strech marks (knock on wood). My hands and feet are quite swollen and I am thrilled if I can get my wedding band off in the morning. I have been sleeping much better and usually only wake up once or twice a night, usually to pee. However, I have been so tired lately, I opt to hold it and go back to sleep, which makes me wake up a bit earlier but has been working out ok.

Oh! and I am getting leg cramps. Man, oh man, do those suckers KILL. Just in one leg, I think my right. If my bladder doesn't wake me up, that will. I have been strecthing out my legs before I go to sleep like my yoga instructor suggested. She said it would make them less intense. If this is less intense, then I don't want to see what the full on one is. Lord, how am I going to handle contractions?

Speaking of which, we have our third Lamaze class this evening as well. We are starting to work on our birth plan. I have been reading up on different drugs and stuff. And I started watching "The Business of Being Born." This is what we have so far:

1. My husband is to be present with me at all times.
2. We want minimal/no staff in the room unless necessary to have more. We will call for the nurse in between if we need something.
3. I do not want to be offered drugs. I want to ask for them.
4. I want to avoid an epidural. If I ask for drugs I want a light narcotic (I have names but don't want to see like a druggie) to take the edge off only.
5. I do not want to be induced unless absolutely necessary.
6. Any exam done on the baby must be done in the presence of me or my husband.
7. I want every procedure suggested to be thoroughly explained to me. All windows of opportunity must be explained as well.
8. No bottles or pacifiers are to be given to the baby. Breastfed only.

It is going to be a busy few weeks. So much to get done. :)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

From Babycenter.com

What changes when you have a baby? A better question may be: What doesn't change? Here, writer and mom Rebecca Woolf lists her most notable post-baby observations. Then scroll down to read our favorite comments from readers about how their babies changed their lives.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
4. You respect your body ... finally.
5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
11. Every day is a surprise.
12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
14. You become a morning person.
15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

And from our readers...
1. "You discover how much there is to say about one tooth." — Ashley's mom
2. "You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth." — Anonymous
3. "You now know where the sun comes from." — Charlotte
4. "You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have." — Sophie's mom
5. "You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers." — Roxanne
6. "You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night." — Kellye
7. "Silence? What's that?" — Anonymous
8. "You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having." — Brenda
9. "You discover an inner strength you never thought you had." — Ronin and Brookie's mom
10. "You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule." — Thomas' mom
11. "You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one." — Jaidyn's mom
12. "Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog." — Kara
13. "You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late." — Tracey
14. "You learn that taking a shower is a luxury." — Jayden's mom
15. "You realize that you can love a complete stranger." — Dezarae's mom
16. You find yourself wanting to make this world a better place. — Arizona
17. If you didn’t believe in love at first sight before, now you do! — Ciara

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Wanna Be A Bawler?

No, not a shot caller with 20 inch blades on the impala.

I mean a big fat cryer. If so, then get pregnant.

Seriously, I was an um...emotional person before the pregnancy who cried at wierd things, but now it has become a bit ridiculous. And I can't stop myself!

Yesterday, I cried at the wedding on MTV's True Life (and the girl was a B**CH!) and again at a song on the radio, "Apologize"....which I have heard 900 million times. I cried again in Lamaze class this past Wednesday when the baby in the birthing video was born. On average, I think I cry about 20-25 times a week.

And I don't know if she noticed or not (my husband sure did), but I seriously cried about 17 times at Z's wedding. That just includes the wedding day. Everything that day made me cry, and not just wedding stuff. I cried when I realized I forgot my shoes. I was not crying for the shoes themselves, but that I was scatterbrained enough to forget them. The shoes were irrelavent. I was crying at my stupidity. This lasted about 20 minutes, and I seriously couldn't stop myself. I think my husband thought I was nutso. He probably still does.

So, yes, I understand that this is due to my um...hormone imbalances, but still. I have to carry a bottle of contact solution around with me, so after a crying bout, I can clean off my lenses. This is hard to do if I am driving. And I do cry then. Like the other day when I heard "Wind Beneath My Wings" and I lost it because I was thinking about my grandpa.

Anyway, I am at work today. I figured that since I had to skip out on Thursday, I should catch up today. It has finally started raining. FINALLY. It has been so dry and disgusting. My favorite thing to do when it rains is curl up on the couch with hot chocolate and popcorn to watch old movies. However, I haven't really been able to do that, although I semi-did with Grey's on Thursday night. I have been trying to catch up on everything. Yesterday I did some errands, paid some more bills, cleaned up the apartment a bit. I have also discovered the wonder of Ebay. I found our OSU diaper bag there and got it for way cheaper than what it retails for.



I am not sure why we would need the water bottle holder, but it was included. I have had a hard time choosing a diaper bag, because the ones I like don't look like diaper bags and are therefore more $$$. I don't want a really baby-ish one. I found one that I kinda liked at Target that is turquoise, so I did register for that one. But I do really like this one, and I don't have a problem carrying a sports themed bag. Even though he is being born in California, he is still a Buckeye Baby! :)

I have not become one of those people that gets up in the middle of the night to check their Ebay auction bids. A Travel Swing I was bidding on ended at about 5 this morning, and I was not going to drag my butt out of bed for it. I suppose if it was something I really wanted, I might do it. But I doubt it. The most valuable thing to me these days is sleep. True Story.


Friday, October 31, 2008

Finally

Yesterday I finally picked up my car! And we finally got Ben's paychecks and reimbursement. We settled for a little less money that the true amount he was owed, but we decided we were fine with it and are letting it go. I felt an enormous weight lifted off my shoulders and finally feel like I can get back into the true swing of things after vacation. I have been so stressed about it and not doing anything because of it.

I had to take the whole day off work yesterday which I was not so happy about, but I came in early today. And I may come in on Sunday. We will see how I feel. Tomorrow is a major catch-up day. I really need to get started on the ornaments for the shower, among other things.

I have decided that I am only doing Thanksgiving dinner for my husband and I this year. This is not a popular decision with my BIL and cousin-in-law. I tried to explain to them that it is a thankless role. I work on dinner for 2 days straight and no one offers to help clean up or peel potatoes or most importantly, contribute to the cost of the dinner. I just don't think I can handle it this year with the pregnancy and moving and all. There is too much else going on.

Ugh, I need some caffeine in a major way this morning. An ice-cold Coke may be in my near future.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Test Run

A while ago, actually about 4 months ago, my friend D had premature fraternal twin boys. She also has a two year old son. She is off work until December and has been since May. Her husband just went back to work this week and she is overwhelmed to say the least.

I have to pick up my car this afternoon. Correction: I finally get to pick up my car this afternoon. Then I am going to stop by her house to let her pick up her 2 year old, take him to swim class, and take a shower. It will only be for a few hours, but I am kinda nervous. I haven't been around an infant for quite some time. She will be there for some of the time, but still. NERVOUS. :/

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Headache

When my husband switched to a corporate job, we gained the option of a corporate health insurance plan. Now, we currently have an individual HMO plan (we shall call it plan A) that was paid through the store we had partnership in. Since the partnership has been disbanded, we would now have to pay the premium ourselves. I have spent the better part of the day trying to decipher which plan is better for us in terms of the next 4 months. We shall call the corporate option Plan B.

Premium: for Plan A, if we were to continue coverage for me and Ben, the premium stays at 759.11 a month, for a total of 3036.44 for 4 months. I know, ouch. If we were to switch to Plan B, the premium is 164.00 a month (656.00 for 4 months). If we were to drop Ben from our current plan A, the premium for just me would be 379.55 a month, and insure Ben on the plan B it would be 82.00 a month (total for 4 =1846.20).

HRA: Plan B offers a Health Reimbursement Account, in which they essentially give you money toward you deductible. For a family it is $600 each each, which is $50 a month. Any amount you don't use carries over to the next year. Plan A has no such offereing

Deductible: Plan A has no deductible. Plan B has a $2,500 per family deductible, which translates into $1,900 after the HRA is used up.

Out of Pocket Maximum and Co-insurance: Plan A has an OPM of $2,500 and Co-insurance of 20%. Plan B has an OPM of $8,500 including the deductible, so $6,000 and Co-insurance of 20%.

So here is my dilemma. My current OB is covered under both plans as in-network, as is my hospital (sigh of relief...I really didn't want to switch at this point). Plan A will cover 100% of my labor and delivery, and I will only be billed for 20% of the hospital stay (which is currently planned at 2 days) and lab fees up to $2,500. So with my current plan, to just insure me, it seems the most I would pay to have this baby would be $4,018.20, assuming that it cost $12,500 for a normal 2 day hospital stay. It would also cost $328 for Ben's insurance. That is a grand total of 4,346.20 for 4 months.

With Plan B, it seems it would cost the $656.00 to insure us both, the $1,900 for the deductible, and then we would start in on the OPM. I do not know if labor and delivery is covered 100%, but from the looks of the website, it is not. There is something called in-patient services that cost $350 but that doesn't seem like it is it. I used a website to estimate the cost of total maternity care for a normal pregnancy and it gives me a generious $13,000.00 price tag (I don't think this is the contracted rate, just a generous estimate). With my co-insurance, it would cost me $2,600.00, making the total cost $5,156.00 for 4 months.

Now, here's a couple catches. I don't know how quickly a $1,900 deductible would be met in the 2 months leading up to the delivery. Probably not very quickly. Assuming I have one doctors appointment a week for the last 4 weeks, that could be about $500 right there. That leaves a $1,400 carryover for the delivery. I would also not meet the deductible for this year, so I would be paying for the labwork in November and two monthly appointments. I am going to grossly estimate this at $1,000.

Another catch: I don't know when we would be able to enroll me and the baby in Plan B if we don't do it immediately. I am pretty sure the child can be added whenever, but I don't know about me. If I would have to wait until June, that would be another $1,500 to keep my current insurance. That assumes that they don't raise it again, which is very doubtful as they raised it twice last year. I could always decrease my coverage I guess.

I would be able to make a better decision if the people from Insurance Plan B would call me back or answer their phones. I need some more specifics on their plan.

Why does health insurance have to be such a headache? I have been dealing with this all day, and just have a bunch of numbers floating before my eyes. :( All I want is a healthy, safely delivered baby boy!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Grrrrr......

Just a quick update:

Still no car and no checks. Still only have about $25 in the checking account and had to close my eyes as I charged $40 worh of groceries tonight.

New developments include: One pending police report to be filed, a newly empited bra drawer (meaning I lightened my load by um....about 30-40), and a underwear drawer that now closes.

It was a long Saturday for not having a car or being overly productive. I did laundry and filed 3 months of bills.

Ben found out he has to work tomorrow, so I am without a car (unless I decide to break the law and drive one without insurance). But no car means I won't go anywhere where I can spend money. It also means nothing will get done in the way of getting money.

I hate not having control. Why are boys so dumb? I am going to have to get started on my son at an early age.

Oh good news though. My little brother (who is not so little anymore) is going to state cross country next weekend! Both for team and individuals. He is an individual league, regional, and district champion. We call him @$$-haulin Colin. True story.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Bargain Baby

There is no questioning that a new baby costs moolah, and a lot of it at that. Since I really grabbed the reigns of our financial situation in the past few months, I have been all about looking for ways to save some dollars in anticipation of Peanut's arrival and for once Peanut gets here. I gave my husband a run-down, and he was quite impressed with what I have done.

1. I transferred our cell phone bills to automatic bill pay on our AmEx. This gave us 2 $25 statement credits. Our AmEx is paid off every month, and they give us triple points for automatic bill pay through our wireless carrier. It just made sense to do this. On Saturday, I will be transferring our separate plans into one family plan, and this will save us $75 a month. Since my husband is no longer using his phone number for work related calls, he can reduce his minutes way down. And I rarely use all mine. Plus with this new plan, there is a roll over option.

2. I transferred our credit card balances to other cards. I played the shuffle game, and we now only have about 1500 on a card that is above 10%. I am going to call that card this weekend, since I haven't had a balance transfer offer from them in quite some time. We will see what they can do. I have heard this is sometimes very effective, especially since this is the card that we use every month and have had for 10 years now. And when I say it is the only one that is above 10%, it is actually at 13%, and all the others are now less than 6%.

3. I have massive baby coupons. I created an email account just to filter online offers. I get about 5 coupons in the mail per day and get online offers. We have already talked about what kind of diapers and stuff we want to use so I have been prioritizing those coupons. Last night I totalled my coupon savings that can be used until next June and it is almost $100! We have also gotten free diapers (the brand I want), free samples of ointments and creams, free bottles, and free spoons.

4. We started shopping with our online points through AmEx. We have been saving our points up for almost 4 years now, so we have tons. Originally we planned to use these points for airline tickets to Europe this fall. Once we learned about Peanut, we decided to postpone. Next summer is out, and it would only be feasible to go the following summer for our 5 year anniversary. We still may do this. However, last night we redeemed Ben's proshop points for our bouncer, an electric screwdriver (which we decided may be helpful in putting together furniture and hanging stuff, plus Ben has always wanted one), and a family size electric griddle (that I have always wanted)....so we each got something. I have been scouring the online AmEx catalogue and to my delight, the majority of our "big-ticket" items on our registery are available with our points. In theory, if no one bought them as gifts, we could get our crib, changing table, breast pump system, swing, and gym for free. I am still looking for other items. I have found alot of similar ones, so I have added those to our maybe list. I am also going to check for other stuff we need, like a new dresser for us and a surround sound system. :) Those things are very important for a baby, you know.

5. I finally got a hold of my dentist and discussed my "overpaid" root canal and office credit. It turns out that I overpaid by over $500! Since then I had one "emergency" visit when I broke my tooth and needed it filed (and we all know those visit are more $$$), one comprehensive exam including 4 x-rays, and one bacteria scan and purchase of a mouthwash treatment that tastes like sewage. My credit is down to $21.90, but they are issuing me a refund. I did tell the billing woman that I would have appreciated knowing about the credit in um, February when I had had the work done and was stressed about how to afford this massive root canal. She said nothing.

6. Yesterday at my doctor's appointment, the insurance billing woman told me that my current insurance plan would cover my labor and delivery costs 100% other than my co-pay of $20 per day for the o/p and hospital. It pained me not to be able to sign it since we may switch carriers. She also told me that the two potential carriers we are looking at would most likely cover the same amount, so I have a call into the new potential company to verfiy coverage and costs. If it doesn't meet the coverage we have now, my husband thinks we should swing the premium ourselves for 4 months, which is about $750 a month. Ouchie. I am learning lots about the healthcare system in this process though...I will spare you my soapbox for now. :)

7. We are getting massive hand me downs. We have already gotten a Baby Bjorn that was never used! The people that gave it to us got too many as gifts, so they passed it on. No objections from me! Those things are pretty pricey! I also told them that we don't mind hand me down clothes or anything. Ben's best friend had a baby boy about a year ago, and they have said they will be sending us tons of stuff too. :) Seriously, the baby will never know the difference. I have also scouted a few baby consignment stores to look for stuff we are going to be washing the heck out of anyway, like play yard sheets and bumper covers,etc. No need to buy everything full price. We have some stuff on our registery that we would like, but we really aren't expecting this baby to have all brand new stuff. Nor do we want him too.

I think that is pretty much it. We have also decided to make our own baby food. For our wedding we received an ultimate chopper and a magic bullet (the blender thing ;) ) and both make wicked purees. We are pretty stoked at the idea of being able to control what goes into our baby food. One of my friends did this and it worked really well. We just need to get a bunch of those itty bitty tupperware containers.

My doctor's appointment yesterday went well. He ok'd my change in prenatals. I have gained 4 pounds, which is about what they wanted. My next target is 2-3 for the next month. He says I am doing well with weight gain thus far. Peanut's heartrate is strong. And the doctor measured my belly! This is the first time he has done this. He said everything looks right on track and gave me the order for my follow up ultrasound, which I scheduled for next Friday. I also have to do my 28 week bloodwork, which includes the infamous glucola test....yum.

Thank goodness it is Friday! I am going to pick up my car tonight and drop off my husband's reimbursement requests and hopefully get a check for them. I am soooo looking forward to sleep tomorrow.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Baby Day #6

First off, Happy 24 weeks to me! :) 24 weeks marks another important infant viability milestone. Not that you want a baby to be born at 24 weeks, but if it is, it has a greater chance at survival.

Today is also my monthly doctor's appointment. I have much to talk to him about and we have to go over my ultrasound results. Here's my topic list:

- Insurance: since my husband switched employers, we may be switching insurance plans. We agree that we like our doctor and want to stay with him, so we have to find out if he is covered in either of the new plans.
- I want to switch my prenatal vitamins. I pay a butt load for the ones I take now, and while organizing my coupons, I found an offer that covers almost the full cost of a different one. I checked online and they are basically the same. Now, given that my blood work has all come back normal and I am not anemic or anything, this should be feasible.
- I want to schedule my 3 and 4D ultrasound and I know his office gives a referral discount with a company in Santa Rosa.
- I want to make sure that my due date is not going to be adjust back at all, because my mother and Ben's mother are buying plane tickets soon.
- I want to start my maternity and disability leave paperwork so I can plan when my baby dedication and such will be.

I think that is all. :)

I also have to get another referral for another ultrasound because they couldn't get the picture of all four heart chambers together last time. Baby kept moving and such. :) Yay! I will get to see him again!

Ok, so last night was our first Lamaze class. I think it went really well, alot different than I expected. It was kinda long, and we were really tired from long work days. I was definately a talker...I asked any and every question that came to mind, which the instructor told us to do. I wanted my money's worth! :) There were just two other couples there, and they knew each other, but they were really nice. I was telling my husband that I felt more comfortable around these people because they are more like us. In my yoga class, there is only one other girl that I really mesh with. The others are all stay at home Sonoma type moms who took yoga all the time during the week and take the other prenatal yoga class during the day together and some pregnancy water aerobics class. They always come in all made-up and with perfect hair and yoga clothes. And they are all like perfect body types and the only place they are pregnant is their bump. They are really nice people, don't get me wrong. I just always come in ragged from a work day in my lounge pants and t-shirt.

Anyhoo, class went well. We talked alot about body changes through the different trimesters and preterm labor. We talked about signs of labor and watched a birth video. Let me tell you, I cried. Not out of fear or anything, but when the baby was born...I cried. And...I was the only one. Thank goodness it was dark. I was very interested in the shower that helps during labor. I had never heard about this before, a laboring woman getting a shower. The instructor said that alot of women who do the shower then feel they don't need an epidural. Interesting. We also learned some stretches and exercises to help during birth. Most of them were yoga positions, so I felt ahead of the game :) I was interesting to see Ben attempt a child's pose though. :)

Sidenotes: My car still is not done. It should be done tomorrow. Correction: It BETTER be done tomorrow.

And I had my first bizzarro craving last night. Grape jelly and Ruffles. No joke. I made a bagel with grape jelly and Ruffles. :)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

And so it begins....

Lamaze class, that is.

Our first Lamaze class is tonight at the hospital where we thus far plan on having the baby. Correction: where we plan on me having the baby. I know it is incredibly early to be starting class, but this is the referral my insurance company gave to me and she only does the class by demand. Apparently not enough people have due dates in early 2009 to warrant a later session. Oh well.

I am pretty nervous about this. Not the actual classes, but learning about the birth and such. When the instructor called me to confirm and register, she asked if I had thought about what kind of birth I wanted to have. I of course replied "a short, easy, and pain-free one." Yes, I really said that. And I really meant it. I AM A WIMP. DRUG ME UP. She started telling me about different options and asking me about my exercise and diet and all that fun stuff.

My yoga instructor has also been asking those questions. She was talking to me about coping mechanisms and how they make birth easier. She said one of the things she suggested as a doula was to hold an ice cube in your hand for one minute and try to focus on something other than the discomfort and pain. And to practice breathing through it. When you can do that, you are supposed to submerge your whole hand in ice cubes for one minute. Now, this is my first baby, but I am pretty sure that ice in the hand for one minute does not equal the pain of an 8 lb baby ripping from your loins. Ben suggested that I put my hand in the doorway and he would slam the door on it a few times so I could "breathe through that pain." I am pretty sure that may break some bones, but it seems more realistic in terms of pain.

I have to say that over the past few weeks, the pregnancy and arrival of Baby Boy Lahman have gotten far more real. For starters, there is absolutely no denying that I am pregnant when you look at me. I can't really even be confused for a fatty, unless you are remarkably stupid. I know this because all my friends I saw told me so. And also commented on the increasing frequency of my um...waddle. :) Not bad things in any way, it just makes things more real when others notice them as well.

Peanut moves ALOT. I feel him wake up in the morning and move about until I eat or drink breakfast. Then I feel him move around sporadically throughout the day, with high peaks of activity in the early afternoon and late evening. Today, I felt him push what felt like a knee across the horizontal length of my belly. He also likes to play a game in which he lays on my bladder so I have to pee very badly. When I finally make it to the bathroom, he seems to jump off the bladder, making my trip futile. :) He thinks it's really fun and does it once a day.

I felt a few kicks from the outside over the past few weeks. The first occurred in Ohio and friend J was excited about it and wanted to feel. However, the kick was close to my crotch and that didn't seem that suitable. :)

The baby registeries are complete. More on those later. My mother is in full on baby shower planning mode. We have discussed many details. I think I mentioned before that we are doing a Christmas theme, as I am not so into the cutesy pastel baby themes. We are using poinsettas as centerpieces and prizes for the games and lots of Christmas-y decorations like lights and wreaths. There will be a Christmas funfetti cake. The favors will be little train ornaments that I am making. Or am going to attempt to make. I am not so crafty. I found a cute little kit, and have to check into ordering them. The Ohio shower is the huge one, so I may have to recruit help from a certain husband. He would like to use the hot glue gun, I am sure. I may order one and see how it goes together and then go from there. I am working on the guest list and addresses. My aunt is working on the invitations and I am really excited about them. Hopefully I will have one to post soon.

I also organized all the baby stuff we have so far. It is ALOT. I separated the clothes into 0-3 months, 3-6 months, and 6+ months in order to see what I still needed to add to my registery. Peanut gained quite a bit from my vacation (again, more on that to come) and is definately ready for football season with daddy next fall. I organized the billions of coupons I have by category and expiration date. The bassinet still needs to be put together to ensure function and such. Maybe we can do that this weekend. I also realized that we can use our AmEx points to buy discounted baby gear, so I have been looking for some of the bigger things we registered for. Ben also has some ProShop points and our bouncer and play yard are available for those points.

And lastly, with my increasing size, my wearable wardrobe is dwindling. Before I left for vacation, I seemed to be able to fit alot more than fits now. I bought one sweater in Ohio that is now a daily staple as few to none of my zip up hoodies fit any more. And god bless my pashminas. Looks like another maternity clothes outting is in my near future. I do still have quite a few shirts that fit, as before the pregnancy I really like babydoll style and flowy tops. However, a pregnant woman soon realizes that the beauty of maternity shirts is that they are made longer in the front so when your belly fills them out, they are closer in length in the front and back. Yeah, my regular shirts don't do that.

Ok, so I think that is all for the pregnancy updates. I swear vacation antedotes and pictures, along with belly pictures are coming.