Well, we're moved. For the most part. The packing that my mom and Shirley did got us 90% of the way there and I was able to complete the last 8% or so before Saturday when the dudes came. There are a few odds and ends left, Jeremy still has some stuff there, and there's a load that needs to go to Goodwill, but otherwise, all is in Atlanta and unloaded from the truck, safe and sound. On sound advice from Nana Deb, I left and went over to the Dossett's new house to play with Allison and Emerson for a bit while the guys were actually loading the truck. I was disappointed when I came home and saw how sweaty and exhausted Matt and Andrew looked (did I mention that we hired a company to load the truck for us?). I thought I had done such a good job preparing for the move, but I guess there was quite a bit left for them to do to help the guys out. It's just a little disappointing when you spend all that money to have someone do it for you and then you still end up having your helpers do so much. Both Matt and Andrew were wonderfully gracious and said over and over that I was really well prepared and that things were in great shape, that they didn't have to really do too much at all, but when they went back over the story of the move, it sure sounded like they did an awful lot. <sigh> Oh well.
I spoke to the boys a few times on their trip down to GA and it sounded like all went smoothly. Pa Rehbein, Uncle Dave, and Uncle Andrew's dear friend Rusak were at the house ready to help unload when the boys got there, so everything was done as of last night. Which is so nice for Matthew. He can just wash his hands of that piece now. The truck we rented was probably bigger than we needed, but it's better to be safe than sorry. And Matt did say that the money was very well spent on the movers, so it sounds like overall, it was a good decision.
Now, it's back in my court. I need to get the last few things out of the house and over to goodwill or to their owners and get cracking on making the house presentable so my security deposit will be refunded in full. It's little things like filling holes and washing marks off of walls and spackling and painting and cleaning, but Jeremy is going to come over to help and, if I do a little bit every night, it shouldn't be that bad. I think tonight, I'm going to disassemble any furniture or pieces that aren't going to goodwill and get them into the garbage. Maybe tomorrow I can remove nails and cover holes, Wednesday clean the oven and start washing walls and just see how far I get. I don't want to bother with floors until we're done with the spackling and sanding, not to mention having all of the rest of the stuff out. Matt is coming back into town next weekend to drive the Toyota down to Atlanta, so I need to get things vacuumed and the basement rug steam cleaned before that, but otherwise, things can happen in their own timeframes. <sigh> I'm just so so ready for this part to be done. Then on to being a mama!
I still can't believe how far along we are. It just kind of snuck up on me. I don't think it will be too too much longer now. I used to think I was going to go two weeks late, but I have not been feeling well lately. My back has been hurting constantly and I have pretty regular tummy aches (and the issues that come along with tummy aches, if you know what I mean). It's much harder to bend over and it's really uncomfortable to sit in one position for too long. I get Toni Braxton contractions A LOT these days and I think all of those things together are signs that the time is coming closer. So, I do still think I'll pass my due date, but I'm thinking now that it will be more like by a few days than by a couple of weeks. We'll see soon!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
38 weeks, 1 day - Infant Care Skills
Well, Shirley and I took Infant Care Skills last night. Overall, it was a pretty good class. We had a presentation from a pediatrician to explain what we should expect in the first couple of weeks. We learned how to give a bath to a baby with an umbilical cord still attached, how to swaddle, the difference between different diapers and diapering techniques, how to regulate Baby's temperature, how to take Baby's temperature and things like that. And a bunch of safety tips. As much as I loved having Sheri there with me, it would have been a really good one to have Matt there for. Oh well. I can teach him all I've learned and gleaned and think. :) Mua-ha-ha-ha... he'll have no idea which things the nurse actually told us vs. what I think so he'll just have to believe whatever I tell him. Sucker!
A few take aways from the class:
A few take aways from the class:
- The ridiculously over-priced monitor we got is a waste of money. The SIDS detector on it has never been shown to work effectively and generally causes more anxiety and stress than it does to relieve it. If the baby actually has an apnea issue, the hospital will provide a hospital grade apnea detector.
- Dressing a baby is less intuitive than I would have thought. I'm sure you can do it any way you want, but as Matt discovered when changing Carter, there are some ways that they prefer over others. The instructor said that babies get freaked out by having things pulled over their heads so she showed us how to scoop shirts over their head in a way that shouldn't freak them out as much. Of course, when what's waiting on the other side is Matt's Pinocchio nose, who WOULDN'T get freaked out? (Yes, yes, I know, honey; it's distinguished. Just like the little wooden boy's was.)
- Swaddling is like baby origami. It's not nearly as complicated as it looks and once you know what you're doing, it's a piece of cake.
- My house in Alexandria is WAY too hot for Baby to live in. It doesn't really make sense to me because what did people do before air conditioning? Certainly babies have not evolved in the past 30 years to require air conditioning in the summer, so why the heck is it so ever loving important to keep the temperature around 70 degrees?
- When you put a diaper on a boy baby, his penis should be pointing down. It's common sense now that I think about it, but until she mentioned it last night, I never thought about it. I bet that's why Carter's diaper leaked the first night we were watching him. I for sure didn't pay attention to that.
- It is normal for a breast fed baby to go up to 10 days without pooping, but they could poop 10 times in one day. It's different for every baby, but not something to be worried about. How weird is that? Let's keep our fingers crossed for a non-pooper!
Moving day is tomorrow. I'm trying not to be nervous, but I am. On recommendation from Nana Deb, I am going to let Matt orchestrate it and handle the movers while I go pick up the new car and play with my former neighbors, Allison and Emerson. Being here during the truck packing would likely cause me nothing but anxiety, not to mention make me feel like a jerk because I can't actually do anything other than watch and judge. Good recommend, Nana Deb.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
38 weeks, 0 days - Dr. Appointment & Belly Pic!
No news is good news, right? There's really not much to report. Blood pressure is good. Weight is ok (not losing, but not gaining). Baby's heart rate is just fine. I'm not dilated at all and Dr. Lashgari predicted that Baby will come mid-August. I told her that I picked 8/21 in our baby pool at work and she said that's about the very last day she'd let me go before she induced me. So that's kind of a good date to know, too. She did say, though, that she could feel Baby's head while she was checking my cervix. That is funny to me. She said that she could feel the bones. So weird. And cool. Can't wait to meet you, Baby! Just hold out until 8/7, please! Any time after that would be just fine. :)
I know this dress isn't exactly the best thing to wear for a belly pic, but I posted this one for my mom. I thought she'd get a kick out of it because we bought this dress together in Dallas when I was 18. I didn't like it at the time, but she assured me it would be a "classic" piece that I'd get a lot of wear out of. 15 years later, I have to agree with her. Not only is it a staple of my wardrobe, I can still wear it when I'm 9 months pregnant; it just fits a little differently. I like it because it accentuates my belly more than any of my maternity clothes do without making me feel like I'm wearing a circus tent.
Sheri and I are going to Infant Care Skills class tonight. We'll learn how to give a bath to a baby with an umbilical cord still attached and... well, and some other stuff. I'm not sure what else. I'm actually less anxious about the umbilical cord baths as I am about the other ones. Umbilical cord baths are mostly sponge baths, right? No problem. It's when I get into the whole submersion and fully soaping a squirmy little nugget that I get nervous. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully, they cover it in class.
38 weeks. I just can't believe it! Baby is coming so so soon!!
Sheri and I are going to Infant Care Skills class tonight. We'll learn how to give a bath to a baby with an umbilical cord still attached and... well, and some other stuff. I'm not sure what else. I'm actually less anxious about the umbilical cord baths as I am about the other ones. Umbilical cord baths are mostly sponge baths, right? No problem. It's when I get into the whole submersion and fully soaping a squirmy little nugget that I get nervous. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully, they cover it in class.
38 weeks. I just can't believe it! Baby is coming so so soon!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
37 weeks, 6 days - So very tired
They say that pregnant women are generally tired in the first and third trimesters. I'm sure I was tired in the first, but I don't remember it being any worse than usual. That is not the case for me in the third. I don't know if it's normal or if it's stress or if it's because of my busted foot, but I am one tired lady these days. Not really sure how women with children at home are able to do it. I'm just so, so tired. Sometimes I feel sick because I'm so tired. I'm sure worrying about the move and packing doesn't help, but man, it's just amazing how exhausted a person can get.
Other than that, still feeling pretty great, all things considered! Looking forward to getting Saturday's move behind us so we can move on. We're also going to pick up the car on Saturday, so that will be pretty exciting.
Other than that, still feeling pretty great, all things considered! Looking forward to getting Saturday's move behind us so we can move on. We're also going to pick up the car on Saturday, so that will be pretty exciting.
Monday, July 23, 2012
37 weeks, 4 days - Fate and the Babymobile
noun
- something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot: It is always his fate to be left behind.
- the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time: Fate decreed that they would never meet again.
- that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny: Death is our ineluctable fate.
- a prophetic declaration of what must be: The oracle pronounced their fate.
- death, destruction, or ruin.
So, as the title suggests, Matt and I bought our new family vehicle on Sunday. I was pretty excited about it because we ended up going with the one I originally wanted rather than his preference, and it was HIS decision to do so. Originally, he wanted to go with the Prius V but after test driving it, decided it wasn't the car for us. I wanted to go with the Jetta Sportwagon TDI and, after test driving it, he decided he couldn't live without it. I really wasn't involved other than to make suggestions, as it was his car that was being traded in. Yes, I kicked in 1/2 the money for the new car, but ultimately, we were getting rid of his Jeep so it really needed to be something that he liked since he was the one who would ultimately be carless.
Now, we got the car I wanted. Why, you ask, did I start this post with the definition of fate? Because, friends, I'm beginning to think that, while I wanted this particular car, the universe may have other plans for us. First off, the car we wanted is pretty much impossible to lay hands on. Why? I don't know. But I'm not saying that we couldn't get the color or the features we wanted. I'm saying that we couldn't even find someone who could get us that car. True, we wanted the TDI (which is the diesel engine) and we wanted it with a manual transmission, but we are buying new so why should this be such an issue? I still don't know. Pa Rehbein had convinced us to go with the premium package because we'd have the car for so long that it would help keep it fun for us, but that turned out to be absolutely impossible to find. Anywere. Not in GA. Not in FL. Not in NC. Not in VA or DC or MD or PA. Nowhere. That, in and of itself, is very bizarre to me, but I have heard of people flying to TX to get a car that they want so I didn't think the universe had aligned against us at that point. After about two weeks of looking, Matt found a dealer in VA who was able to get us a more basic model, which was more than anyone anywhere else was able to do so we decided to go see it on Sunday.
Sunday rolled around, we looked at the car, and Matt decided that we might as well just buy it because he was sure it was the one he wanted and there don't seem to be any others available. We were at the dealer, having agreed upon numbers and completed signing paperwork, waiting to meeting the the Financial Manager to discuss some last minute details when the power went out. On the entire street. That was annoying, but it happens from time to time so it wasn't a huge deal. We waited for a bit while the salesman rushed about around us; we figured he was trying to figure out a way for us to complete everything without a computer. Oh, how wrong we were. About an hour after the power went out, the salesman came back in and said there was a "small" problem with the car. Huh? We JUST saw it. Not one like it but THE car itself. What could have happened between then and now? As it turns out, they had brought the car over from the lot where they had it stored to get it cleaned up and ready for us to drive away. They were pulling it into the clean up area when the lights went out... and they backed it into a wall. <sigh> The only one available on the entire East coast was just backed into a wall practically before our eyes. Needless to say, we could not drive the car away that day.
"What does this have to do with fate?" you might ask. As more and more things happened to keep us from getting the car we wanted, I started to think that maybe the universe was aligned against us to get that stupid car. I told Matt about my thoughts on the Peace Corps and how many hurdles and hoops I had to jump through to get in, let alone to find a place to live, only to end up getting unceremoniously ejected 1/2 way through my service. I told him that I felt like maybe I was never meant to go in the first place. He reminded me that, if I hadn't ever gone, I wouldn't have ever met him, wouldn't be having this baby, wouldn't be starting this new family. So I guess, in the end, even though it seemed like fate was aligned against me with that, it was a good place for me to be. I hope it's the same with this car. :)
Now, we got the car I wanted. Why, you ask, did I start this post with the definition of fate? Because, friends, I'm beginning to think that, while I wanted this particular car, the universe may have other plans for us. First off, the car we wanted is pretty much impossible to lay hands on. Why? I don't know. But I'm not saying that we couldn't get the color or the features we wanted. I'm saying that we couldn't even find someone who could get us that car. True, we wanted the TDI (which is the diesel engine) and we wanted it with a manual transmission, but we are buying new so why should this be such an issue? I still don't know. Pa Rehbein had convinced us to go with the premium package because we'd have the car for so long that it would help keep it fun for us, but that turned out to be absolutely impossible to find. Anywere. Not in GA. Not in FL. Not in NC. Not in VA or DC or MD or PA. Nowhere. That, in and of itself, is very bizarre to me, but I have heard of people flying to TX to get a car that they want so I didn't think the universe had aligned against us at that point. After about two weeks of looking, Matt found a dealer in VA who was able to get us a more basic model, which was more than anyone anywhere else was able to do so we decided to go see it on Sunday.
Sunday rolled around, we looked at the car, and Matt decided that we might as well just buy it because he was sure it was the one he wanted and there don't seem to be any others available. We were at the dealer, having agreed upon numbers and completed signing paperwork, waiting to meeting the the Financial Manager to discuss some last minute details when the power went out. On the entire street. That was annoying, but it happens from time to time so it wasn't a huge deal. We waited for a bit while the salesman rushed about around us; we figured he was trying to figure out a way for us to complete everything without a computer. Oh, how wrong we were. About an hour after the power went out, the salesman came back in and said there was a "small" problem with the car. Huh? We JUST saw it. Not one like it but THE car itself. What could have happened between then and now? As it turns out, they had brought the car over from the lot where they had it stored to get it cleaned up and ready for us to drive away. They were pulling it into the clean up area when the lights went out... and they backed it into a wall. <sigh> The only one available on the entire East coast was just backed into a wall practically before our eyes. Needless to say, we could not drive the car away that day.
"What does this have to do with fate?" you might ask. As more and more things happened to keep us from getting the car we wanted, I started to think that maybe the universe was aligned against us to get that stupid car. I told Matt about my thoughts on the Peace Corps and how many hurdles and hoops I had to jump through to get in, let alone to find a place to live, only to end up getting unceremoniously ejected 1/2 way through my service. I told him that I felt like maybe I was never meant to go in the first place. He reminded me that, if I hadn't ever gone, I wouldn't have ever met him, wouldn't be having this baby, wouldn't be starting this new family. So I guess, in the end, even though it seemed like fate was aligned against me with that, it was a good place for me to be. I hope it's the same with this car. :)
Do you like how I decided that the universe cares about what car we buy? Ha! A bit megalomaniacal, yes, but hey, that's me. :)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
37 weeks, 0 days - FULL TERM!!!!! & Dr. Appointment
Hooray!! We're officially full term as of today!! If Baby decided to make an appearance today, she would no longer be considered a premie but a full-term baby!! :D
So, I had my first of the super exciting doctor appointments today. It did not turn out to be particularly exciting, but I think it's exciting that they're checking to see if I'm dilated in order to estimate how soon Baby is coming. Turns out I'm not at all, so Baby is probably a ways off yet. But still, it was pretty exciting. All in all, it was a quick appointment, but a really nice one. I tested positive for Group B strep, which means that I'll have to have some antibiotics during labor because, while it's not dangerous for me, it could be dangerous for Baby if left untreated. I guess it can cause Baby to get meningitis or pneumonia or something like that. Anyway, not a big deal so long as we know about it. The only other thing it changes is that I need to come immediately to the hospital if my water breaks. Prior to this test, I wasn't supposed to come to the if my water broke unless the fluid was brown or green (which means there's meconium -- fetus poop -- in there, suggesting that Baby is in distress). Other than that, my blood pressure was good, baby's heart rate is good, and my weight is down a bit but she's not worried about it since women this late in pregnancy frequently stop gaining or lose since their stomach is so much smaller what with baby pressing up against it.
As I've mentioned a million times before, I just love these doctors. It was Dr. Lashgari today (who is the original doctor I fell madly in love with) and as usual, she was just fabulous. She looked at me when I came in and said, "well, it looks like it was broken," referring to my foot. Remember that she was the one who suggested I go over to the orthopedic doctor to have it looked at. She seemed pleased that she recommended I get it looked at; it's probably gratifying when you make those kind of high-level recommendations and they turn out to be a good idea. Anyway, I asked her if she had any friends or colleagues in Atlanta that she could recommend as an OB because I didn't know anyone down there who loved their doctor as much as I love mine. She gave me the name of a really good friend of hers and said that I'd just love her. And said that her friend would be able to connect me with a pediatrician and an internist and whomever else I need down there. Which is fabulous. Amy gave us the name of her pediatrician that she loves, but it would be nice to get a PCP that we like, too. Anyway, long story short, I think we've got a good shot at loving our doctors in Atlanta, too. Hooray!
Next appointment: Thursday, 7/26 at 7:45 am.
Oh! Also, completely unrelated to how much I love my doctors, I saw my aunts Lisa and Connie this weekend and when we were talking about how small my belly is, they mentioned that nobody knew Gramma Marcia (my dad's mom) was even pregnant until she gave birth to Lisa. Apparently, she carried quite small also. That coupled with my mom only gaining 11 lbs with me really is a pretty good explanation of why I haven't gotten big. It was interesting to hear because I'd only heard stories from people on my mom's side. I mean, really, other than Aunt Connie, from whom would I have heard it on my dad's side? Even if he hadn't passed away, he was number four of six kids so it's not like he would really remember how she carried. Aunt Connie, however, is number one of six, so she was old enough to be pretty aware by the time baby Lisa came around. Interesting, huh? I wonder if it will be like this for Stevie or for me with baby #2 (do you like how I'm talking about the next baby before I even have the first one? ha!)...
So, I had my first of the super exciting doctor appointments today. It did not turn out to be particularly exciting, but I think it's exciting that they're checking to see if I'm dilated in order to estimate how soon Baby is coming. Turns out I'm not at all, so Baby is probably a ways off yet. But still, it was pretty exciting. All in all, it was a quick appointment, but a really nice one. I tested positive for Group B strep, which means that I'll have to have some antibiotics during labor because, while it's not dangerous for me, it could be dangerous for Baby if left untreated. I guess it can cause Baby to get meningitis or pneumonia or something like that. Anyway, not a big deal so long as we know about it. The only other thing it changes is that I need to come immediately to the hospital if my water breaks. Prior to this test, I wasn't supposed to come to the if my water broke unless the fluid was brown or green (which means there's meconium -- fetus poop -- in there, suggesting that Baby is in distress). Other than that, my blood pressure was good, baby's heart rate is good, and my weight is down a bit but she's not worried about it since women this late in pregnancy frequently stop gaining or lose since their stomach is so much smaller what with baby pressing up against it.
As I've mentioned a million times before, I just love these doctors. It was Dr. Lashgari today (who is the original doctor I fell madly in love with) and as usual, she was just fabulous. She looked at me when I came in and said, "well, it looks like it was broken," referring to my foot. Remember that she was the one who suggested I go over to the orthopedic doctor to have it looked at. She seemed pleased that she recommended I get it looked at; it's probably gratifying when you make those kind of high-level recommendations and they turn out to be a good idea. Anyway, I asked her if she had any friends or colleagues in Atlanta that she could recommend as an OB because I didn't know anyone down there who loved their doctor as much as I love mine. She gave me the name of a really good friend of hers and said that I'd just love her. And said that her friend would be able to connect me with a pediatrician and an internist and whomever else I need down there. Which is fabulous. Amy gave us the name of her pediatrician that she loves, but it would be nice to get a PCP that we like, too. Anyway, long story short, I think we've got a good shot at loving our doctors in Atlanta, too. Hooray!
Next appointment: Thursday, 7/26 at 7:45 am.
Oh! Also, completely unrelated to how much I love my doctors, I saw my aunts Lisa and Connie this weekend and when we were talking about how small my belly is, they mentioned that nobody knew Gramma Marcia (my dad's mom) was even pregnant until she gave birth to Lisa. Apparently, she carried quite small also. That coupled with my mom only gaining 11 lbs with me really is a pretty good explanation of why I haven't gotten big. It was interesting to hear because I'd only heard stories from people on my mom's side. I mean, really, other than Aunt Connie, from whom would I have heard it on my dad's side? Even if he hadn't passed away, he was number four of six kids so it's not like he would really remember how she carried. Aunt Connie, however, is number one of six, so she was old enough to be pretty aware by the time baby Lisa came around. Interesting, huh? I wonder if it will be like this for Stevie or for me with baby #2 (do you like how I'm talking about the next baby before I even have the first one? ha!)...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
36 weeks, 5 days - Packing it up
Moving day is just around the corner. True, it's a long corner from here, but it seems like it's coming so so fast. Nana Deb was down this weekend helping me pack and she was so so amazing. Not only was she an amazing work horse, but she kept me from hurting myself by reminding me over and over that I shouldn't be doing stairs. So she'd plop me in one place and bring me tape and markers and boxes and garbage bags and water and whatever else I needed. Sheri came over and did the entire kitchen single-handedly, which was a major chore so between the three of us, we pretty much finished up the whole house! There are some loose ends to tie up, but I think we're in pretty awesome shape to be ready to move on the 28th. Aside from the boxes my mom brought from the liquor store in Erie, my friend Ron brought some and the Dossetts brought some over after they unpacked them from their weekend move. Super helpful. What fabulous people I have in my life. :)
On Sunday, my aunts Connie and Lisa popped in for a quick visit. We went to lunch and stopped a few places to shop and overall had a lovely time. It was really, really great to see them. As my mom reminded me, yesterday was six months from the day my dad died, so seeing his sisters this weekend was a pretty special treat. The visit was short, but really, really nice. They oohed and aahed over my belly and told me how great I look and, as we all know, that's a lovely thing to hear. Just really, really nice to see them.
Then yesterday, I lost a wrestling match with my stupid garbage bin. I tipped it over as I was taking it to the curb and couldn't get it back up. Oh, I was so so mad. Irrationally so. I fought with the stupid thing for about 10 minutes before I hurt my broken foot and had to give up for a bit. After I calmed down a little, I went back out into the street, took out all of the stupid garbage, tipped the bin back up and refilled it. Which is what I should have done in the first place, but I was just too mad to think clearly. I have never tipped over one of those bins before and the one time I do it happens to be the one time I'm 9 months pregnant with a broken foot and no neighbors home to help me tip the stupid thing back up. Oh, I was just so darn mad about it. :) Ha! Irrational pregnancy anger; glad Baby wasn't here yet to see it. :)
On Sunday, my aunts Connie and Lisa popped in for a quick visit. We went to lunch and stopped a few places to shop and overall had a lovely time. It was really, really great to see them. As my mom reminded me, yesterday was six months from the day my dad died, so seeing his sisters this weekend was a pretty special treat. The visit was short, but really, really nice. They oohed and aahed over my belly and told me how great I look and, as we all know, that's a lovely thing to hear. Just really, really nice to see them.
Then yesterday, I lost a wrestling match with my stupid garbage bin. I tipped it over as I was taking it to the curb and couldn't get it back up. Oh, I was so so mad. Irrationally so. I fought with the stupid thing for about 10 minutes before I hurt my broken foot and had to give up for a bit. After I calmed down a little, I went back out into the street, took out all of the stupid garbage, tipped the bin back up and refilled it. Which is what I should have done in the first place, but I was just too mad to think clearly. I have never tipped over one of those bins before and the one time I do it happens to be the one time I'm 9 months pregnant with a broken foot and no neighbors home to help me tip the stupid thing back up. Oh, I was just so darn mad about it. :) Ha! Irrational pregnancy anger; glad Baby wasn't here yet to see it. :)
Friday, July 13, 2012
36 weeks, 1 day - Belly pic!
I told my boss that I'm moving to Atlanta after the baby comes. He was very supportive and kind, but told me that our project has no place for me and suggested that IBM would likely lay me off. I had expected that, but had convinced myself over the past few months that it wouldn't really happen. I was very sad and had quite the pity party for myself between my foot and the job disappointment (especially in the face of getting a promotion less than a week ago), but a lot of people have helped me see the truth of things (how much worse things really could be or could have been ) and I'm not feeling quite so sorry for myself anymore. So that's good.
Nana Deb is coming over tonight to help me pack. I'm hoping that we can get about 90% of the packing done this weekend so that the rest is just going through some quick motions. I've found the whole process so far so overwhelming that I haven't done much on my own. I feel pretty guilty about it, but my mom has been lovely and assured me that she's not going to judge me for how little I've accomplished without her. She said that it really just makes her feel more needed. Thank goodness. I was feeling really terrible for being so lazy. It's just that it's always an over whelming thing to do, let alone when you have to do it by yourself... when you're 9 months pregnant... and have a broken foot. It just seems like an awful lot. I try to break it into tasks but my mind keeps jumping to the big picture and then I shut down and go to sleep. Super glad to have mom here. Lots of people have offered to help but I don't even know what to have them do, so hopefully, not only will we get packing done but we'll be able to have a game plan together so that I can direct people who want to help me. I've felt really lucky and loved lately with the huge influx of support and offers to help and overly generous gifts and that's a really nice place to be. :)
Monday, July 9, 2012
35 weeks, 4 days - Shower, Sonogram, and Stupidity
Shirley and Germy threw Matt and me a fantastic friends bbq/baby shower this weekend. Aside from being 103 degrees with a heat index of 110, the day could not have gone better. I'll post pics when I have them, but here's a little sample of the awesomeness that Ms. Sheri put together:
I had probably six or seven different people come up to me to tell me how much fun they had and for a party of 30ish people, that's a pretty awesome response. We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to get along great together. I had two different sets of people who came and didn't know anyone else who reported back that I have really fantastic friends. What a nice thing to say, right? And I have to say that I agree. Sheri and Jeremy worked fabulously together and each played very well to their strengths and just put together a truly wonderful party. We had so so much fun and it sure seemed like everyone else did, too.
In other super fun news, we had a doctor's appointment today and got a sonogram! Hooray! That was super duper fun. We found out that the baby is about 5 lbs 7 oz which is right where she's supposed to be at 35 weeks. So much for high birth weight baby due to my elevated sugar levels, right? Hooray! The sonogram tech spent a lot of time showing us Baby's face because we didn't get to see it at all last time. Her little nose was smooshed flat so we aren't really sure if it's wide like mine or if it was just super duper smooshed. We had to wait awhile to see the face well because Baby was sucking on her arm, but here's what we were rewarded with for our wait:
Pretty sweet little face, don't you think?
But, as the title of this post promised, with good news comes some bad. I got up early on Saturday to get the house ready for the party and was outside -- doing no more than walking, mind you -- when my right ankle spontaneously twisted. It chose some awfully bad timing, though, because my left foot --which had a lot of my weight on it already -- was on a small step up. Not a step. More like a stone slab. Less than an inch above normal ground. My toes snapped back, I went down and it knocked the wind out of me for a good 10 minutes or so. Oh my lord, did it hurt. It immediately swelled up and turned black, which was pretty awesome considering I needed to get my house ready for a party that afternoon. So, I called my mom to see if there's a point in going to the doctor for a broken toe... which I was pretty confident I had. She told me that they really just tape them together, so I didn't go to the Emergency Room. I buddy taped it myself and went about my day, cleaning and preparing and partying and generally gimping around. I complained about it to most people, but was pretty ok for the most part. Until I looked at it afterward.
After standing on it for about 14 hours, my foot had swollen almost twice its normal size and the bruising had spread from the outside of my foot all the way to my big toe and from my toes all the way to my ankle. Eek. Matt got me some ice and we elevated it in bed. The next morning, it was stiff and hurt more than it had the day before. Matt tried to convince me to go to the ER, but I was being stubborn and told him that there really was no reason. We compromised by saying that I'd ask the OB at my appointment today to just look at it and tell me if I needed to see a doctor about it. Which we did. And she did.
She walked me over to the orthopedic doctor's office across the hall and got me an appointment. Where the orthopedic doctor told me that he did not think I had broken my toe afterall. In fact, he thought I broke MY FOOT. <sigh> So, while I do have my toe professionally buddy taped to the one next to it, I am also in a big, stupid, bionic boot that makes me walk like Robocop (see similar boot to the left). I get to keep it on for 6-8 weeks... which means right through delivery. Not really part of the "birth plan," if you know what I mean. Oh well. At least it wasn't my ankle or my hip or my face or my baby. But I'm very sad about it all the same.
This is a long post so I'll cut it short, but we also had birthing class on Sunday and got our hospital tour. Which was neat. Class was a little more intense than I'd hoped, but Matt said that he learned a lot and we got to see a live birth. And it gave us some good questions to talk to our doctor about. So all in all, it was a pretty awesome three days, with a little stupid sprinkled in.
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| Please note that the roses are actually onesies. :) |
I had probably six or seven different people come up to me to tell me how much fun they had and for a party of 30ish people, that's a pretty awesome response. We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to get along great together. I had two different sets of people who came and didn't know anyone else who reported back that I have really fantastic friends. What a nice thing to say, right? And I have to say that I agree. Sheri and Jeremy worked fabulously together and each played very well to their strengths and just put together a truly wonderful party. We had so so much fun and it sure seemed like everyone else did, too.
In other super fun news, we had a doctor's appointment today and got a sonogram! Hooray! That was super duper fun. We found out that the baby is about 5 lbs 7 oz which is right where she's supposed to be at 35 weeks. So much for high birth weight baby due to my elevated sugar levels, right? Hooray! The sonogram tech spent a lot of time showing us Baby's face because we didn't get to see it at all last time. Her little nose was smooshed flat so we aren't really sure if it's wide like mine or if it was just super duper smooshed. We had to wait awhile to see the face well because Baby was sucking on her arm, but here's what we were rewarded with for our wait:
But, as the title of this post promised, with good news comes some bad. I got up early on Saturday to get the house ready for the party and was outside -- doing no more than walking, mind you -- when my right ankle spontaneously twisted. It chose some awfully bad timing, though, because my left foot --which had a lot of my weight on it already -- was on a small step up. Not a step. More like a stone slab. Less than an inch above normal ground. My toes snapped back, I went down and it knocked the wind out of me for a good 10 minutes or so. Oh my lord, did it hurt. It immediately swelled up and turned black, which was pretty awesome considering I needed to get my house ready for a party that afternoon. So, I called my mom to see if there's a point in going to the doctor for a broken toe... which I was pretty confident I had. She told me that they really just tape them together, so I didn't go to the Emergency Room. I buddy taped it myself and went about my day, cleaning and preparing and partying and generally gimping around. I complained about it to most people, but was pretty ok for the most part. Until I looked at it afterward.
After standing on it for about 14 hours, my foot had swollen almost twice its normal size and the bruising had spread from the outside of my foot all the way to my big toe and from my toes all the way to my ankle. Eek. Matt got me some ice and we elevated it in bed. The next morning, it was stiff and hurt more than it had the day before. Matt tried to convince me to go to the ER, but I was being stubborn and told him that there really was no reason. We compromised by saying that I'd ask the OB at my appointment today to just look at it and tell me if I needed to see a doctor about it. Which we did. And she did.
She walked me over to the orthopedic doctor's office across the hall and got me an appointment. Where the orthopedic doctor told me that he did not think I had broken my toe afterall. In fact, he thought I broke MY FOOT. <sigh> So, while I do have my toe professionally buddy taped to the one next to it, I am also in a big, stupid, bionic boot that makes me walk like Robocop (see similar boot to the left). I get to keep it on for 6-8 weeks... which means right through delivery. Not really part of the "birth plan," if you know what I mean. Oh well. At least it wasn't my ankle or my hip or my face or my baby. But I'm very sad about it all the same.
This is a long post so I'll cut it short, but we also had birthing class on Sunday and got our hospital tour. Which was neat. Class was a little more intense than I'd hoped, but Matt said that he learned a lot and we got to see a live birth. And it gave us some good questions to talk to our doctor about. So all in all, it was a pretty awesome three days, with a little stupid sprinkled in.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
35 weeks, 0 days - Dr. Appt & Baby gets hungry?
35 weeks today. Wow. In no more than seven weeks, we'll have a baby. That's weird to think about. I went to a very standard dr. appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Elliot. I was weighed and, while I'm not gaining the lb/week that they recommend, I am gaining again so it looks like I've gotten my diet on track and figured out how to handle these stupid diabetes restrictions. Again, Dr. Elliot was cute. I asked him if he expected me to get much bigger and he said, "Oh my, yes. Right now, your abs are keeping that baby in there good and tight, but there's going to come a point where they won't be able to anymore." I was surprised to hear it, as I'd kind of assumed I was winding down on the growth and weight gain scene. If the websites are correct and baby is already 5.5 lbs, then it probably won't gain much more than 2-3 lbs, so I'm just really surprised to hear that he's expecting me to get a lot bigger. But Aunt Amy suggested kind of the same thing. I told her that I didn't think my bellybutton was going to pop but she said that, with as close as it is now, she thinks it will. And, while she didn't come right out and say that she thinks I'll get a lot bigger, she gave me the impression that she thought it. Very interesting. We'll see. At least there is no more flying in my future, so I won't have to worry about getting stuff from under the seat with an even BIGGER belly. It was hard enough with this one. Anyway, the exciting news from the dr. appt is that I have a sonogram scheduled for Monday at 10:45! Hooray!! We'll find out at that point how big the baby is. I'm super excited about it, especially since they put me on this diet because they thought I was at risk for a high birth weight baby. This will help us see if there's good reason for that worry or not.
Also, I've noticed in the past that Baby tends to get very very active when I have an upset stomach. It made me feel very sad once I realized it because that made me think it was upsetting him, too. Last night, though, baby was SO active that I couldn't sleep. And my tummy didn't hurt at all. At about 3am I got so fed up with it that I nearly started crying and told that baby he better calm down or else! Believe it or not, it did not work. But he was literally flipping back and forth, as if he couldn't get comfortable. For HOURS. It was so frustrating. I can handle kicks and punches, but those HUGE movements are really fun when I'm awake but terrible when I'm trying to sleep. Anyway, around 6 am, I did start to get a tummy ache so I got up and took some Tums (which are now gluten free, I'm pleased to report). Baby stopped moving in about 15 minutes. Which got me thinking: maybe baby just wanted some sugar. I ate a really big lunch yesterday around 3 pm, so I didn't eat dinner or a late snack or anything. Megan told me that her baby used to get very active when she was postponing meal time, so maybe my baby was jumping up and down asking to be fed. Interesting concept. I'm going to test this theory out next time Baby gets very active in the middle of the night by getting a little snack if he won't calm down. It'll be awesome if that fixes things, though a little annoying that it took me so long to figure it out... especially since ALL pregnancy diets say how important it is to eat all day long. So if I've been dealing with this stupid sleeplessness when I had the answer right at my fingertips the entire time, I will noo be pleased, I can tell you. :) Either way, I won't have to think about it too much longer. I can't believe we'll for sure have a baby in less than seven weeks (and maybe a heck of a lot sooner)!!
Also, I've noticed in the past that Baby tends to get very very active when I have an upset stomach. It made me feel very sad once I realized it because that made me think it was upsetting him, too. Last night, though, baby was SO active that I couldn't sleep. And my tummy didn't hurt at all. At about 3am I got so fed up with it that I nearly started crying and told that baby he better calm down or else! Believe it or not, it did not work. But he was literally flipping back and forth, as if he couldn't get comfortable. For HOURS. It was so frustrating. I can handle kicks and punches, but those HUGE movements are really fun when I'm awake but terrible when I'm trying to sleep. Anyway, around 6 am, I did start to get a tummy ache so I got up and took some Tums (which are now gluten free, I'm pleased to report). Baby stopped moving in about 15 minutes. Which got me thinking: maybe baby just wanted some sugar. I ate a really big lunch yesterday around 3 pm, so I didn't eat dinner or a late snack or anything. Megan told me that her baby used to get very active when she was postponing meal time, so maybe my baby was jumping up and down asking to be fed. Interesting concept. I'm going to test this theory out next time Baby gets very active in the middle of the night by getting a little snack if he won't calm down. It'll be awesome if that fixes things, though a little annoying that it took me so long to figure it out... especially since ALL pregnancy diets say how important it is to eat all day long. So if I've been dealing with this stupid sleeplessness when I had the answer right at my fingertips the entire time, I will noo be pleased, I can tell you. :) Either way, I won't have to think about it too much longer. I can't believe we'll for sure have a baby in less than seven weeks (and maybe a heck of a lot sooner)!!
Monday, July 2, 2012
34 weeks, 4 days - Babysitting
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm in Atlanta with Matt, watching little Cousin Carter while Aunt Amy, Uncle Dave, Cousin Brooklyn, and Grandma & Grandpa Rehbein are up in Pittsburgh for a wedding. I go home today and it's going to be a very sad good bye. I don't know how anyone in the whole world could do this if they weren't expecting a baby in a few weeks. Little Carter is so good and sweet and snuggly. He goes to sleep easily and loves to eat. He loves to play and wears himself out well, but he also loves to cuddle and be held. I do not want to give him back. At all. I'm sure it's hormonal and extra emotions and what not, but I feel like I would cry when I gave him back if I wasn't expecting my own so soon. I only hope that I like our baby as much as I am enamored with him. He's just so good and sweet and beautiful. I'm glad we didn't take any pictures of Matt or me taking care of him, because I'm pretty sure it would make me cry. Matt is really going to be a great, great dad. He's really fabulous with that baby. I am a little concerned that he's going to be a crazy worry wart, since in the three days we were watching Carter, Matt decided that he gave Carter a cold from the bath not being full enough or warm enough, Carter must be either too hot or too cold while he's sleeping/napping, Carter has a rash or a bug bite or bumped his head when we weren't paying close enough attention because there was a red spot above his eye, he must have gotten soap in Carter's eyes while he was giving him a bath because his eyes are red and now he's fussy (mind you, it's almost 8:00 pm and he usually goes to bed between 7 and 7:30), maybe Carter is getting carsick or something is terribly wrong because he's making a cooing sound and now he's fussing after being in the car for nearly two hours... and on and on and on. I just had to keep reminding myself that I don't have a lot of room to poke fun because I come from a family of worriers and I'll probably be just as bad. I just hope he doesn't make me crazy with his worry for our baby when he/she gets her. But really, he's pretty great with that little boy. I just can't believe we're going to have a baby in less than two months! We'll be induced if it goes past 42 weeks, so really, we're down to less than eight weeks for sure. And Just over five weeks until our due date. And just over two weeks until we're officially considered "full term." So so so crazy.
Oh, also, I suspect that Baby has "dropped" because I haven't felt a foot in my ribs in several days, I'm feeling more movement much much lower, and my tummy actually looks smaller to me rather than larger. I don't really know how you know other than if your doctor tells you, but again, I'm not in that constant state of uncomfortableness from Baby's foot so either he/she took the message about getting out of my rib, or he/she has officially dropped. In case you don't know what that means, here's what Babycenter says:
Oh, also, I suspect that Baby has "dropped" because I haven't felt a foot in my ribs in several days, I'm feeling more movement much much lower, and my tummy actually looks smaller to me rather than larger. I don't really know how you know other than if your doctor tells you, but again, I'm not in that constant state of uncomfortableness from Baby's foot so either he/she took the message about getting out of my rib, or he/she has officially dropped. In case you don't know what that means, here's what Babycenter says:
It's impossible to say precisely when your baby will "drop" or descend into your pelvis, because every pregnancy is unique. If this is your first baby, this process, which is also called lightening, is likely to occur several weeks before labor begins, though it may happen later. For subsequent pregnancies, lightening often doesn't occur before labor starts.
You may find that you feel a little different after your baby has dropped. Some pregnancy complaints may get worse, while others may improve. On the one hand, your baby will be taking up more room in your pelvis, so you'll probably find that you have to urinate even more often than before. You may get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure deep in your pelvis, feel increasing discomfort when you walk, and even begin to waddle a bit.
On the other hand, with less pressure on your stomach, you'll be able to eat a little more without feeling uncomfortably full, and if you've been suffering from heartburn, you may get some relief. You'll probably find that breathing feels easier, too.
While lightening isn't a predictor of when labor will start, it is a sign that your body's getting ready. It's normal to feel lightening up to four weeks before your due date. If you feel an increase in pelvic pressure or the sensation that your baby is "pushing down" before then, call your healthcare provider so she can evaluate you for preterm labor.
You may find that you feel a little different after your baby has dropped. Some pregnancy complaints may get worse, while others may improve. On the one hand, your baby will be taking up more room in your pelvis, so you'll probably find that you have to urinate even more often than before. You may get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure deep in your pelvis, feel increasing discomfort when you walk, and even begin to waddle a bit.
On the other hand, with less pressure on your stomach, you'll be able to eat a little more without feeling uncomfortably full, and if you've been suffering from heartburn, you may get some relief. You'll probably find that breathing feels easier, too.
While lightening isn't a predictor of when labor will start, it is a sign that your body's getting ready. It's normal to feel lightening up to four weeks before your due date. If you feel an increase in pelvic pressure or the sensation that your baby is "pushing down" before then, call your healthcare provider so she can evaluate you for preterm labor.
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