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.

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.

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!

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? :)

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.

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. :(

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.