The Kid- Week 39 and 40

So... I know these updates are really late, but it was tough catching up on everything. And once the kid actually made his appearance, it became even tougher... So I am doing what I can because I really don't want to forget!

Week 39- I was still getting ready to leave work at this time. Trying to get all my projects done and at least some stuff ready for handoff. Stuff kept moving around and I did not make as much progress as I would like. Especially because I was not sure when my large project would be launching. It kept getting moved and at this time was scheduled to launch right around my due date.

I was still dilated to a 2 but was starting to thin out a bit so my midwife was pleased. I continued to have pretty strong and regular contractions but wasn't making anymore progress. I was told the kid was posterior and so I was given exercises to try to get him to flip from "sunny side up" to "butt side up". I was still spilling trace amounts of sugar but was told it was no longer a huge concern. I had massive cravings for sweets and especially ice cream. These were like "get outta my way, I'm going to run you over in my car because you are in my way" kind of cravings. It was sort of scary to be honest. My feet also swelled up overnight this week. I was wearing my shoes fine one day and couldn't get them on the next. I could barely get my flip flops on because the straps were too tight. And I got sausage toes- Bad.

I also gained 6 pounds this week. My midwife said it was probably a lot of water retention, but she was also expecting me to have a big weight gain sometime because I had not gained a lot of weight so far. I was also told that I needed to have an Antipartum test scheduled in case I did not deliver by my due date. I became convinced that the Kid was NEVER coming out and that I would be pregnant for-ev-er. My midwife and loving husband tried to convince me this wasn't true, but I stopped listening to them. Ha.

The day before my due date we went to Ikea and finished buying stuff for the kid. It was fun to waddle around the store and I realized that I probably would not be back without a kid ever again. It was a weird realization to think that your life is about to irrevocably change. It was an especially weird revelation to have in the middle of Ikea...

Week 40- My adjusted due date was April 17. A day which came and went without a peep from the Kid. My original due date was April 22. A day which did come with peeps from the Kid and which fell during week 41.

This week was a bit easier because I was just finishing up stuff at work and I was less stressed about having everything ready for the Kid's arrival. My mommy ran her first 5k on the weekend and I was totally proud of her. I have plans to join her next year for the half marathon or the bike tour. It will be cool.

I didn't have as many contractions this week as I had in weeks past. I was still dilated to a 2 and was still thinning, but not making a whole lot of progress. The Kid was still posterior and I continued to try to flip him over. I did have some bleeding this week, but nothing terribly concerning. I also missed work one day because I was soooo tired. I got a more stuff washed for the kidlet and packed my bag for the hospital. I was totally excited and nervous, but was really just impatient for him to show up...

Next time: Week 41 and the Delivery. Plus everything I never knew about the postpartum phase...

The Kid- Week 35-38

So this post is going to cover the last few weeks. It's only a tiny bit late since I delivered a month ago... wow.


Week 35- As always, there was a lot of work going on this week too. I have a couple of large projects at work so I have been trying to get everything wrapped up, or at least packaged together, before I leave to have the kid. I was hoping that one of my projects would be completed, but the time line kept getting moved by other people. When a time line was finally established, it came right in the middle of my 40th week. This started stressing me out, and my contractions were really strong this week. I finally calmed down a bit, but I was STILL stressed out about it. Ah well.

We also went to our friend's neighborhood birthday party. There are several peeps in their neighborhood that have birthdays in March, so they all generally celebrate together. Scott and Joi, our friends, have been married for 20 years and have three kids. They are the sweetest people and often invite us to their neighborhood shindigs. Scott was my hubby's Big Brother through Big Brother Big Sisters and has kept in touch all these years. When the hubs and I started dating he introduced them to me and Joi and I hit it off right away. She has many of the same granola tendencies that I do, so she is my natural living guru and has been a huge help with information about natural birth and breastfeeding.

We also FINALLY got the kid's room mostly cleaned out and I finally got all the clothes and stuff put away. Now we just have to finish running everything through the wash to get it ready.

Week 36- This week had a lot more work stuff going on, but was also a lot more frustrating. I can't really jot it down, but I was feeling pretty frustrated with a couple of my co-workers. The contractions were stronger this week and it seriously felt like the kid was separating my ribs. He was head down, but posterior. He really liked to put his knees or feet under my top ribs and push them apart. It really hurt, but there isn't a whole lot I could do about it. It's really funny to me that he will stop kicking whenever the hubby puts his hand on my tummy. He calms right down if D tries to feel him kick. I told the hubs I just need him to follow me around and keep his hand on my tummy all day!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution started this week. It is one of my favorite things. I am pretty passionate about food, and would love it if the hubby cared more about what we consume. He hates most of my food, so we eat out. A LOT. Like, every day... This show got us thinking about eating at home more.

My midwife also questioned what I was eating this week because I was spilling sugar in my urine. (eeew, right?). I don't actually eat a lot of sweets because many of them contain wheat. But I do consume a lot of fruit, so my midwife told me to lay off it a bit. I was also eating marshmallow cream, and so she told me to knock that off as well. I know, I know, but it was reaaaaaaaaallly really good. :)

Week 37- This was one of those weeks where I spent more time in meetings, than I did actually working on my projects. But that's the way it goes when you have to prepare other people to take over all of your stuff when you are gone. Silly, but true.

I had another midwife appointment and was finally starting to dilate. I was dilated to a one, and was still having crazy strong contractions. I was also still spilling sugar and I got lectured on my diet again. At least my midwife understands that I eat some things deliberately (like Trix cereal) because I can't eat other things (like doughnuts). My mom was convinced that I was going to have the kid this week because of the change in barometric pressure. I just told her she was crazy, just like the HUGE spring storm we got.

I finally stripped all the cloth diapers we got from the baby shower and washed a lot of the little baby clothes. Felt like I was getting closer and closer to having the kidlet, but still no appearances.

Week 38- I woke up one night during this week with crazy pain in my side. I knew it was not contractions, but it felt like something was terribly wrong with my guts. I was doubled over and crying in the bathroom and the hubs and I decided to go to the Emergency Room. Now, here is a tip for you if you are pregnant and visit the emergency room. They will think you are in labor. No matter what else you say, the hospital staff will think you are having contractions and will think you are in labor. I walked into the ER and told them my side hurt. They asked how far along I was and then took me up to Labor and Delivery. When I got there I told them my side hurt. They asked how far apart my contractions were. I told them I was not having contractions, but my side hurt. They hooked me up to the Electronic Fetal Monitor and the nurse came in and said "we don't show you are having really strong contractions, so we don't think you are ready to have this baby." I said "I know I am not having contractions. MY SIDE HURTS!!!". They finally got it that I knew I was not in labor, I was in PAIN. They called my midwife who guessed that it was gallstones. She sent me on my merry way with some Percocet. About three hours later I called my boss and left a 'drunken' message on her answering machine to tell her I would not be into work. She got a kick out of that, and I don't really remember much of the rest of that day.

On other notes, I was dilated to a 2 this week and continued to have contractions (except for the night of the ER visit). I cut out a lot of the sweet stuff I was consuming and only spilled a trace amount of sugar. My midwife told me that we wouldn't worry about it anyway because I was so close to my due date that they wouldn't do anything but watch my food intake. I was very excited that I was getting closer, but totally wanted to deliver early because I was so uncomfortable.

Next time: Week 39, 40, WEEK 41, and Delivery!!!

The Kid- Week 31-34

So this update is a little bit late, but not nearly as late as my last updates were. Considering that I am currently in week 39 right now, I feel I am making awesome progress. I might even get my updates done by the time the kid arrives (HA!). I really do want to have some record of what's going on with me, but it seems like I am on the computer all day at work, and so I don't want to be on the computer all night too. I hope to be better about it, and actually get things posted, but I guess I will have to wait and see. 

So Week 31 was a really, really busy work week. I know I say that a lot, but I really did have to pour a lot of my energy into this work week. My mom also threw a baby shower for my cousin. She is about a month ahead of me and was also due with a boy. It's her third baby, but my mom wanted to throw her a small "social" shower. It was pretty fun. I was recruited to help with food, decorations, and all that. I also crocheted her a blanket that I mentioned here. It was really cute and I learned a new stitch. YAY ME!

I also had a three hour glucose tolerance test because my sugar levels were a tiny bit concerning to my midwife. You would think that the medical profession would be kind enough to figure out another way to test a pregnant woman's blood sugar than by starving her for four hours. My wonderful MIL sat with me through the test and kept me company. I was in normal range for the first two blood draws, high for the third, and normal for the fourth. I was told to watch my sugar, but I should be fine. I must say that blood draws are horrible for me. I have only one good vein and a VERY specific way to get to it, but most of the lab techs don't listen to me. So when they were at 4 tries for the first draw, I was ready to go home. I finally got someone to listen to me for the last draws though. 

Week 32 was all about more work. I started having contractions this week too. They were not that strong or long lasting, but I wasn't quite sure how to handle them. I ended up working on my breathing a lot but I was a bit freaked out. My midwife said that they were braxton-hicks contractions and totally normal. She was thinking I would deliver early for a bit, but then decided that I would probably go all the way to my due date. I needed to start putting the kids room together, but I was still really tired. I was hoping to get the room done before the baby shower, so that I would have space to put everything, but that did not end up happening. Alas. 

Week 33 was still all about the contractions. They weren't regular and they were not terribly painful, but they were annoying. I figured out that they were much stronger if I was exhausted or had tried to do too much in a day. This week was also my nephew's birthday. I will have to explain about my nephew and his circumstance one day, but I will just say that he is my little brother's kid and was born when my brother was 15. 'Nuff said, right? Anyway, my mom doesn't get to see her grandbaby as much as she would like, but she was pretty excited about the birthday party. My mom gets the place for the party, the decorations, the cake, the party favors, pretty much everything but the food. The hubs and I helped my mom get ready for the party but Jessica (my nephew's mom) didn't show up until 20 minutes before the party was supposed to start. The entire party was just a mess. The hubs and I were both furious, but held our tongues. We are both in agreement that at least we won't be raising our kid the way that she is raising hers... Sad, but true. 

I still had grand plans to finish the kid's room this week, but scrapped them because I had no energy. The hubs kept telling me to take it easy and rest, but of course I don't listen and end up kicking myself later. Waaaaa. 

Week 34 was a really busy week, too. Work wasn't terribly busy or taxing, but I was working on preparing for the baby shower. I had pretty wicked contractions this week, so I ended up resting a lot. I finally started gaining weight, but I was tired. My mom organized my shower, and my aunt was nice enough to host, so I was really looking forward to hanging out with some friends. My mom let me pick the menu for the shower so I had safe, gluten free, healthy food. Chicken salad lettuce wraps (and sammies for the gluten eaters), veggies, fruit, and punch. We also only played ONE baby shower game. It was a memory game and was a huge hit. Everyone said they liked it much better than the "poo in a diaper" game or the "baby food" game. I opened presents and and I actually loved everything I received. I got a whole lot of the gerber prefold cloth diapers and no disposables. I know they aren't the best cloth diaper, but I am confident they will work until I can build up a good cloth diaper stash. I was surprised that so many people showed up and that I got so much stuff. I felt loved and realized that the kid will probably be quite spoiled!

In upcoming editions: Weeks 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and beyond??? My thoughts on Jamie Oliver, more work, more contractions, my separated ribs (JK), my hospital visit where NO ONE LISTENED and more midwife visits and sugar drama...

The Kid-Week 25-30

So... I would hate to forget all the great stuff that happened in the weeks leading up to the birth. Although my pregnant brain isn't quite what it used to be, I wanted to try to remember some of the details about the pregnancy. 

Week 25 was the first week in January, and I was totally busy at work. Honestly, that's about all I can remember about that week. 

Week 26 was still busy at work. I was also sick that week and ended up at home in bed one day. It wasn't terrible, but I was totally ill. 

Week 27 was the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We get that day off from work, so I had a nice lazy day and didn't do anything. The rest of that week, however, was spent doing major work stuff including our team's year planning session. We have goals that we have to set and so that can be totally time consuming and mentally exhausting. Because we had team members in from all parts of the world, we also did a lot of extra team building activities. I bailed on a few of them because I was so tired, but I did make it to a few of them. We did a party at color me mine one night and I totally made a kick butt alien for the kid's room :)

Week 28 was another huge week at work. This was the week of a huge training summit. Because I write curriculum for my company, we had a meeting with many of the users of the curriculum to determine how we could update the material. We had people in from all over the world and we spent a lot of time entertaining them after the meetings to try and build some rapport. It was fun, but totally exhausting. I had some pain that week and was kinda freaking out, but then I realized that it was probably just because I was trying to do WAY too much. 

Week 29 was the first week of February and the week of my (actual) birthday. I spent a lot of time relaxing that week because I was so exhausted from the two weeks before. I ended up taking my birthday off and my grandma took me to IKEA to get a changing table. I wasn't going to put one in the kid's room, but she insisted. I really like the clean lines and the fact that it matches the crib. She also got me an AWESOME pea coat that I can wear next winter. My mommy sent me balloons and some other stuff and I got my favorite zooanthids for the fish tank from the hubby. 

I do have to say that I normally celebrate my birthday for most of the month of February. But this year, I was really tired.  I slept a lot of the month away because I was sleepy. HA. 

Week 30 continued my birthday month. I ended up going to dinner with my mom for my birthday, and I did not watch the superbowl. I did, however, watch quite a bit of the olympics online. It was nice because I didn't have to watch too many commercials and I could watch highlights of the events rather than the whole thing. I spent more time sleeping in week 30, too. 

Next up will be the recordings and thoughts from week 31 to week 35. Hopefully, I can remember to write all this stuff down. I want to look back someday and remember this time, because I have a feeling I will forget it all in the post newborn days of exhaustion...

I have been trying...

Over the past two months I have been trying to refashion or make a lot more for my Wardrobe Refashion pledge. Unfortunately, I haven't really been getting anywhere :( Work, home, and the whole pregnancy thing has been draining my energy reserves. Who knew that baby baking was such hard work? 

On the plus side, I haven't purchased anything new, so I do feel somewhat accomplished. I did manage to finish a baby blanket for my cousin's baby shower, but I forgot to take a picture. It was a basic shell stitch in Banana Berry Yarn from Red Heart. It self striped into a lovely rainbow of green, blue, and yellow. You should just take my word for it, but it was super cute!

On the baby front, I have been super exhausted. I had a couple of HUGE things I was involved in at work, and they contributed to my huge loss of time at the end of January. February was my birthday month, but I was too tired to celebrate the whole month like I normally do. I am not really sleeping well right now, because I can't get comfortable. I try to take little cat naps whenever I can, but it's not really enough. Everyone just keeps telling me that my body is preparing for the lack of sleep over the next eighteen years... Yeah.... Because THAT makes me feel better :) I have been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions, and boy are they a pain- literally. I know it's preparation, but I wish it would hold off for a bit!

I also recently discovered that I can't drive anymore. Because I am so short, I generally have to sit fairly close to the steering wheel. If you add a ginormous belly into the mix, then I am right up against the steering wheel. I can't adjust the steering wheel because then I can't see over it, and I can't move back because then I can't reach the clutch or the brakes- both bad. So the lovely, wonderful, super-fantastic hubby has been driving me everywhere I need to go. This has included multiple stores, a baby shower, a birthday party, IKEA, work, and all my midwife appointments. He is great. 

The baby's room has been painted. My stepdad stripped all the wallpaper, textured the walls, and painted them. It's great to have a painter in the family. Now we just need to finish the room and, you know, make it habitable for the kid. The baby shower is this weekend, so I am hoping we can get it all set up by next weekend. That one totally depends on the hubby. 

I really need to recap the last couple of weeks  in more detail, but my pregnancy brain isn't really going to work with that. Ha. I guess I will try to get back to this later....

2010... What a year it will be!

Inspired by all the recent postings about New Year's Resolutions, I decided to document some goals myself. I don't particularly like New Year's resolutions, they rarely stick. On the other hand, I can see why people always make New Years Resolutions, it's a fresh start.

I want my goals to be obtainable. I also want my goals to enrich the quality of my life. Losing 50 pounds might help me feel better, but will it really help me make my life better? I decided to take a look at a few topics to see what I wanted to do this year:

• Health
• Finances
• Community/ Activity
• Relationships/ Home
  

We are going to have a new baby in the house this year, so I didn't want to get completely crazy with my goals. I can, however, think about the things I know I want to do.

Health
I have a baby due in April and I want to be able to keep up with him! I want to begin preparation for a marathon, I want to run a 5 k, I want to do a sprint triathlon. I set my goal here as mileage because I think this will help me keep better track. This year I will:

1. Run 75 miles
   
2. Bike 150 miles
3. Swim 75 miles

Finances
The hubby and I don't currently own the house we rent, but we would like to. So this year I will:

1. Work with the hubby to save for a down payment on the house

Community/ Activities
I want to be more involved in my community this year. I want to invest my time in things I want to do. This year I will:

1. Head the fourth quarter charity event at work for Children's Miracle Network
2. Start a (casual) yoga practice
   

Relationships/ Home
This is probably one of the most important areas for me. I really would like to have more people to interact with. I want to be a better wife. I definitely want to be a good mother. This year I will:

1. Be a better wifey to my hubby
2. Be a good mom and not scar the kid for life
   
3. Take better care of the chores in my home
   
4. Be more than a Face book friend
   

I don't want to stop looking at my goals for the year. I also don't want to be sad or annoyed if I find myself slipping away from these goals. I want to be happy that I have goals and that I have the opportunity to improve my life. Not everyone gets the chance to set goals or work towards them.

I also must remember that I have to make the choice each day to follow my goals. I need to decide if I want to walk towards the life I want, or if I want to stay where I am. Today, I choose to take my first step towards that life.

Wardrobe Refashion: A few things finished

I had a few WIPs that I finished up this week. I was so excited to have something to post, even if all of the items were totally easy!

I crocheted this baby blanket out of stash yarn my MIL had. I didn't know that we were having a baby boy when I started, but I love the stripes for either sex anyway. The green yarn is a 'shimmer' type of yarn that has the tiniest bit of sparkle, and the white is really more of an off white color. I still have enough yarn left over to knit a baby cap on my handy knitting loom and enough to try my hand at some baby booties.

I made the blanket by doing a simple double crochet. 72 stitches wide and 5 rows per stripe. So simple, I heart double crochet. Simple to do, but looks totally hard.

I also finished two pouch-style baby slings from some fabulous fabric I got at Jo Anns. The fabric is a sweatshirt type material and is fleece lined. I used this page to get some general direction. More specifically, I used the video on that page as a guideline. Easy Peasy.


Because I couldn't decide on a single sling type that I really liked, I decided to make a few different styles, so there will be a few more slings posted in the future :)

I also made something NOT for the baby :)

This scarf was made for my brother's girlfriend. Again, a double crochet and super easy. It's made from some leftover Homestyle yarn from Lion Brand. The yarn was in my grandma's stash and she didn't know what to do with it, so she gave it to me. It was kind of hard to work with, but it turned out cute.

And a close up detail of the stitches...

That's all I have for now. I hope to get a few more things done this week so I have another post. Viva Refashion!!!