Yep...only 19 days until we reach our due date, seriously, not kidding.
We reached the 37 week mark this week making us officially "full term" now-whew! So basically what the statistics show is that if this little green bean were to come "now" their lungs would likely be mature enough and would adjust easily to "life on the outside."
So far no real signs of baby making an early appearance...so for now we wait, and wonder, and dream of the day this little one arrives.
In the mean time we've been really busy getting ready for this baby!
Last weekend we had tons going on!
Friday we took the day off to interview day care providers-what a totally emotional roller coaster. Friday was almost a complete disaster. We met with 5 different people and the day started with the first interview being with a day care provider that I didn't' realize I "knew." She answered the door and it was then when I saw her, I realized she was involved with one of my cases at work. I can't go too far into it of course but let's just say that she wasn't the most cooperative witnesses and definitely not the friendliest! I can't believed this happened-I was totally shocked and frankly freaked out. Needless to say-NOT AN OPTION.
We met with a few others that were also NOT AN OPTION before meeting with Erica-we both loved her, and of course she's the most expensive option. Really though, she's totally convenient, wiling to work with our hours, is really structured, her license is spotless with not a single complaint ever filed and we both left her home feeling like there was actually some hope...so while she's the most expensive, from what we saw just on that day, you get what you pay for!
No final decision yet but we are following up with her references and scheduling another meeting/interview so that we can meet with her full time assistant-keep your fingers crossed for us!!
We also installed, and then had inspected the car seat-so now I drive around with a car seat in my car and currently no baby to put in it. It feels a little odd, not going to lie, but at least we're ready!!
We also bought a new camera-a Nikon D3000! We're ready with a new camera and a video camera for tons of Kodak moments!
The nursery is all but finished now-just waiting on some wall art from Etsy to complete things. I gotta say, we did a pretty darn good job in there! I love going in there-it's so cheery and yet soothing all at the same time! We still need to find a small side table to put next to the rocker but other than that I think we're good to go-all we need now is our baby!
We continue to be amazed at the generosity of everyone-today a coworker brought in her practically new/hardly used bassinet for us!! We spent quite a bit of time this weekend working on Thank You notes, just writing them all out reminded us again of how lucky we are to have such great friends and family.
Speaking of family-we spent Easter without family this year, deciding to stay home and have a quiet weekend just the two of us. Matt's family is just up North in Longmont/Loveland, mine of course is back in Kansas. We called and talked to everyone and sent Easter wishes but our weekend with just the two of us was just what I needed. That will most likely be our last 3 day weekend before baby arrives-we needed this time for just us.
Wow...have I rambled on long enough?!?!?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Dr. Update & Pregnancy and Produce- 36 weeks
Well, we had an apt yesterday without Dr, not a HUGE update but here you go …
~Baby's heart rate still looks good in the low 150's
~My blood pressure was REALLY high at first-but after having me lay back on my side and rest for 15 minutes they determined that the baby must have been laying on my vena cava and that was what was causing my blood pressure to be so high
~Baby is now head down and definitely dropping "into position"
~I'm dilated only 1/2 cm right now
~They found a "trace" of protein in my urine and did some baseline blood work to start watching out for preclampsia XXXX. Dr says they aren't worried at all about the amt of protein as it was very small and will just keep an eye on things to make sure that we aren't starting to see an increase.
**And now for the TMI-you've been warned, if you don’t want more info than you ever needed about me and my cervix, stop reading now.
~I have a deep or a high cervix. I've known this based on years of Dirty Doctor Exams aka Pap Smears…but yesterday with the internal exam I got to feel the "impact"-wow! Could you dig any deeper there Dr?? I asked how, if at all this could impact things with delivery and she basically said it's too soon to tell. That there is potential for me to have a problem dilating and that if I were to be induced (remember this isn't up for discussion, at least not yet) it tends to be a slow process, potentially leading to c-section. BUT-not to be worried yet as everyone is different and it's too soon to see how I'll progress.
So there you have it.
I definitely could tell that things are changing - as in the baby's position. Sunday Matt and I went for a walk and I swear each and every step felt as though a jackhammer was being taken to my bladder. Matt kept saying I was going to break his wrist from squeezing so tight! (He has no idea what's coming if he thought THAT was bad!)
Luckily by Monday I was feeling much better-I walked on the treadmill at lunch and had no problems so guess the kiddo moved off my bladder for a while-how nice of he or she!
Here's our weekly update:
"Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly."
~Baby's heart rate still looks good in the low 150's
~My blood pressure was REALLY high at first-but after having me lay back on my side and rest for 15 minutes they determined that the baby must have been laying on my vena cava and that was what was causing my blood pressure to be so high
~Baby is now head down and definitely dropping "into position"
~I'm dilated only 1/2 cm right now
~They found a "trace" of protein in my urine and did some baseline blood work to start watching out for preclampsia XXXX. Dr says they aren't worried at all about the amt of protein as it was very small and will just keep an eye on things to make sure that we aren't starting to see an increase.
**And now for the TMI-you've been warned, if you don’t want more info than you ever needed about me and my cervix, stop reading now.
~I have a deep or a high cervix. I've known this based on years of Dirty Doctor Exams aka Pap Smears…but yesterday with the internal exam I got to feel the "impact"-wow! Could you dig any deeper there Dr?? I asked how, if at all this could impact things with delivery and she basically said it's too soon to tell. That there is potential for me to have a problem dilating and that if I were to be induced (remember this isn't up for discussion, at least not yet) it tends to be a slow process, potentially leading to c-section. BUT-not to be worried yet as everyone is different and it's too soon to see how I'll progress.
So there you have it.
I definitely could tell that things are changing - as in the baby's position. Sunday Matt and I went for a walk and I swear each and every step felt as though a jackhammer was being taken to my bladder. Matt kept saying I was going to break his wrist from squeezing so tight! (He has no idea what's coming if he thought THAT was bad!)
Luckily by Monday I was feeling much better-I walked on the treadmill at lunch and had no problems so guess the kiddo moved off my bladder for a while-how nice of he or she!
Here's our weekly update:
"Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly."
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
35 Weeks Pregnant - Pregnancy & Produce
I'm 35 weeks 4 days pregnant today...and only have 31 days left before my due date!! WOW!!
Last week was busy with my sister and Keeton here - this week is all about catch up, catch up on sleep & catch up at work.
Today we woke up to a huge snow dump - at least 12" in our yard and yet...no snow day-BOO! I was really doing the snow day dance hoping that Matt and I could stay home and enjoy a day together. No.such.luck.
Boo
I got a delayed start so I'll leave here at 8am and start what will surely be a 2 hour drive...fun times ahead.
Here's the update for this week-thought I'd better get this on here before we hit the 36 week mark!
"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."
Last week was busy with my sister and Keeton here - this week is all about catch up, catch up on sleep & catch up at work.
Today we woke up to a huge snow dump - at least 12" in our yard and yet...no snow day-BOO! I was really doing the snow day dance hoping that Matt and I could stay home and enjoy a day together. No.such.luck.
Boo
I got a delayed start so I'll leave here at 8am and start what will surely be a 2 hour drive...fun times ahead.
Here's the update for this week-thought I'd better get this on here before we hit the 36 week mark!
"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."
Sunday, March 21, 2010
"I miss you already..."
That's what Keeton, my 8 y/o nephew said to me this morning as he and my sister were packing up to leave.
Their time here was short, too short for me...but then would it ever be enough?
WOW.
*She put together the dresser-soooo glad to have that done and finally be able to start putting away all the wonderful things we've been given!
Their time here was short, too short for me...but then would it ever be enough?
Maegan and Keeton arrived on Tuesday and left this morning/Sunday - not near enough time. I could easily go back to the whole topic of wanting to move home to Kansas, be closer to my family, etc...but I won't. There's no point, at least not for now. So I'll just cherish every minute we had these past few days and look forward to next time.
Next time ...
Next time I'll have a baby. Next time there will be a lot of changes in our house. Next time Keeton will have a cousin. Next time Maegan will be an Aunt. Next time I'll be a mom on the outside.
WOW.
While they were here we had plenty of fun and plenty of projects that without my sister's help would NEVER have gotten done-or at least probably not before the baby made their first appearance-sorry Matt, it's true.
*She put together the dresser-soooo glad to have that done and finally be able to start putting away all the wonderful things we've been given!
*She put in a closet organizer for me in the nursery-soooo much better now and while it's simple and nothing fancy, it really will help us maximize the space now.
*She helped us finish the tree mural in the nursery-the leaves had been cut out by my friend Amy's husband Justin and Maegan covered them with fabric and found a nifty way to attach them without messing up the drywall!
*She, along with my good friend Amy, hosted a lovely luncheon for me with some good friends/coworkers-it was so nice and I loved getting everyone together!
*She helped Matt and I go through everything we had and helped us decide what we still needed, what we had too much of and what we didn't have enough of! I seriously feel a little clueless on some of this stuff so it was nice to have an expert's opinion on how many towels, blankets, sheets, etc we needed!
*AND ... she presented us with a handmade quilt and crib skirt. Not just any ol' handmade quilt...a custom designed, by HER, made by HER quilt that couldn't be more perfect. It incorporates the very tree we painted on the wall, birds and owls-we love it.
My sister is amazing. I, of course, have always known that, but I think I haven't really fully understood it.
She may very well be my younger sister, but she is much more wise and much more amazing than I can ever hope to be. She is a wonderful mother to my one and only nephew Keeton. She is selfless-busier than me as a stay at home mom with all of her volunteer projects and community service commitments.
Maegan...you're the best. I can't tell you what these past few days meant to me and how I'll cherish all your time, efforts, advice and for just being here with me. The next time I get to see you I'll be introducing you to your niece or nephew-I can't wait!!
I miss you already.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
34 weeks - Pregnancy & Produce
As of today, my ticker says "34 weeks and 1 day pregnant-Only 41 days to go!"
41 days to go? What?!?!?
Here's what http://www.babycenter.com/ says about what I may be experiencing:
"By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy."
Ummm...yep! Fatigue-check! Restless nights, frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning-check, check check!
And here's the baby's development this week has been like:
"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."
41 days to go? What?!?!?
Here's what http://www.babycenter.com/ says about what I may be experiencing:
"By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy."
Ummm...yep! Fatigue-check! Restless nights, frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning-check, check check!
And here's the baby's development this week has been like:
"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."
We've been busy this weekend-prepping diapers, putting up a clothes line to dry the diapers, finishing the nursery painting and putting together the crib.
I'm hoping that at least SOME of these projects will actually be finished before the day ends...
Um yeah, wish us luck.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Dr's Apt Update:
We had another apt today with Dr. Scariano, our OBGYN-all went well.
I gained 1 lb over the past two weeks-much better than the 7 lb gain from the previous appointment!!
My blood pressure was "great"-it's been "great" every time so far.
I'm measuring 35cm-which is 1cm "ahead" or "big" but all is well-the Dr says there is no need to worry unless I am measuring over 2cm "ahead" of where I'm "supposed to be." Apparently I should be measuring 1cm for every week pregnant I am. SO...according to that, I should be at 34cm as I'm 34 weeks pregnant.
Whatever-as long as she's not worried I'm not worried!
Baby's heartbeat was at 150 today-always hoovers right around there, so consistent is good.
We now have all of our appointments set between now and our due date-which is only 6 weeks away!! We'll go back in on the 29th of March and then from there on out we'll be having weekly appointments-including an ultrasound at 38 weeks.
Dr. Scariano and I talked today about the earlier discussions of inducement-that's off the table again, although frankly, it really never was on the table as far as I was concerned. SO-in our discussion today, she'll be "letting" me go a week over my due date before addressing induction again. I'm feeling better about this...but again, it will definitely be a discussion, if we get to that point. ; )
OK...time for another round of FAQ's:
~Any cravings?
Certainly not cravings like you see on tv or in the movies-no pickles and ice cream for me thank you. Recently what I've really wanted is a BIG, glass of Ice Tea!! Random. But seriously...that's what I've wanted. SO...today, I went to Sonic and ordered an Ice Tea. Yep, that's right-judge me now. At one day shy of 34 weeks pregnant, I drank an ice tea, complete with caffeine. So there! ; )
~How's the nursery coming along?
Ah...well, tomorrow we're getting the carpets cleaned. We're not quite finished with the painting and still need to paint and hang the new closet doors. Our, or I should say, my plan is after the carpets dry, finish painting the walls and then start on the closet doors. Sunday we'll put together and set up the crib, dresser and such. Ask me on Monday how things went with my plan. ; )
~What is the nursery theme?
No real theme-but think nature, think outdoors, think fresh and a bit retro. Stay tuned-hopefully I'll post some pictures this weekend after we make some more progress!
~How are you feeling?
It's odd how many times in a day I get asked this-by people who NEVER talked to me before at the office, now all of a sudden everyone wants to know how I am. Interesting. Honestly, I'm exhausted. I don't sleep well at night-waking up constantly and then when the alarm goes off, I can't wake up. I'm not feeling like a "beautiful pregnant woman"-I just feel huge. Some days I don't feel like I even look pregnant-just huge. For the most part though, I honestly feel pretty good.
Alright...that's more than enough for now. Stay tuned for the 34 week update from www.babycenter.com sometime this weekend!!
I gained 1 lb over the past two weeks-much better than the 7 lb gain from the previous appointment!!
My blood pressure was "great"-it's been "great" every time so far.
I'm measuring 35cm-which is 1cm "ahead" or "big" but all is well-the Dr says there is no need to worry unless I am measuring over 2cm "ahead" of where I'm "supposed to be." Apparently I should be measuring 1cm for every week pregnant I am. SO...according to that, I should be at 34cm as I'm 34 weeks pregnant.
Whatever-as long as she's not worried I'm not worried!
Baby's heartbeat was at 150 today-always hoovers right around there, so consistent is good.
We now have all of our appointments set between now and our due date-which is only 6 weeks away!! We'll go back in on the 29th of March and then from there on out we'll be having weekly appointments-including an ultrasound at 38 weeks.
Dr. Scariano and I talked today about the earlier discussions of inducement-that's off the table again, although frankly, it really never was on the table as far as I was concerned. SO-in our discussion today, she'll be "letting" me go a week over my due date before addressing induction again. I'm feeling better about this...but again, it will definitely be a discussion, if we get to that point. ; )
OK...time for another round of FAQ's:
~Any cravings?
Certainly not cravings like you see on tv or in the movies-no pickles and ice cream for me thank you. Recently what I've really wanted is a BIG, glass of Ice Tea!! Random. But seriously...that's what I've wanted. SO...today, I went to Sonic and ordered an Ice Tea. Yep, that's right-judge me now. At one day shy of 34 weeks pregnant, I drank an ice tea, complete with caffeine. So there! ; )
~How's the nursery coming along?
Ah...well, tomorrow we're getting the carpets cleaned. We're not quite finished with the painting and still need to paint and hang the new closet doors. Our, or I should say, my plan is after the carpets dry, finish painting the walls and then start on the closet doors. Sunday we'll put together and set up the crib, dresser and such. Ask me on Monday how things went with my plan. ; )
~What is the nursery theme?
No real theme-but think nature, think outdoors, think fresh and a bit retro. Stay tuned-hopefully I'll post some pictures this weekend after we make some more progress!
~How are you feeling?
It's odd how many times in a day I get asked this-by people who NEVER talked to me before at the office, now all of a sudden everyone wants to know how I am. Interesting. Honestly, I'm exhausted. I don't sleep well at night-waking up constantly and then when the alarm goes off, I can't wake up. I'm not feeling like a "beautiful pregnant woman"-I just feel huge. Some days I don't feel like I even look pregnant-just huge. For the most part though, I honestly feel pretty good.
Alright...that's more than enough for now. Stay tuned for the 34 week update from www.babycenter.com sometime this weekend!!
Monday, March 8, 2010
33 weeks Pregnant - I'm exhausted
I'm not complaining, not one bit, but my days of feeling great seem to have left the building. I don't sleep well anymore-not able to get comfortable and I tend to wake up a lot...which means I'm tired, I mean exhausted...daily.
I say I'm not complaining, and I'm honestly not. It's just a sign that we're even closer to meeting our little one, and I'm certainly not complaining about that.
Without any further delay...our weekly update:
"This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood."
I say I'm not complaining, and I'm honestly not. It's just a sign that we're even closer to meeting our little one, and I'm certainly not complaining about that.
Without any further delay...our weekly update:
"This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood."
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