Pregnancy update

The end of this pregnancy is fast approaching and we have had some eventful past couple days.  Let's start with Sunday.  Sunday I had to pick Madison up from a weekend at her dad's.  We met half way (an hour and a half....one way).  On the way home I noticed that my wedding ring was really tight on my finger.  When I looked at them, they looked like fat little sausage links.  This was a first.  I didn't think much of it past that.  Once I got home, I needed a nap.  Something that has become a normal routine since I only get a couple of hours of good sleep a night.  I woke up to my finger throbbing in pain.  Fantastic!!  The first thought was ice.  I iced it with a couple ice cubes....nothing.  So I tried some soap....nothing.  So I went to the trusty 'ole Google.  There a site recommended soaking my hand in ice water for 20 minutes, keeping my hand above my heart for 15 minutes and then icing it again for 10 minutes.  Tried that....nothing.  Then I saw an interesting one; Windex.  Tried it....nothing.  But it was the closest.  My finger was so swollen and red at this point I figured I should let it rest because all of the tugging was only making it worse.  To keep my mind off of my finger Casey and I played a game of Scrabble; which I won.  :)  When we were done I had to use the bathroom.....imagine that.  That's when I noticed that my feet had doubled, if not tripled in size and were completely numb.  Now I was freaking out.  Preclampsia immediately went through my mind and another Google search began.  The only way to know for sure was to check my blood pressure.  Casey was about to run to the store to buy a cheap cuff but then recommended that I call his Aunt Kim first.  And so I did.  After a conversation with her we called my doctor.  At this point I was so worried and stressed that I think the message I left for the doctor on call was more of a sobbing, shaking voice mess than anything else.  He called back a few short minutes later and ensured me that the swelling was due to all the driving I did that day (mark that off the list of things I do again) but if I felt more comfortable going to the hospital to get my blood pressure checked then I should go ahead and do that.  I felt much better after talking with him, but not 100%, so I decided that I would run to WalMart and use their blood pressure machine to check myself out.  Of course knowing I was so upset, everyone else went with me.  So at 9:30 at night we all made a nightly trip to Wally World.  My blood pressure was fine, but my nerves were still on edge.  At least now I had some peace of mind and I could possible get some sleep.....yeah right!

I woke up the next morning exhausted from the lack of sleep that night and still swollen.  Luckily I had a doctor's appointment that morning.  I had also convinced myself that I was going to convince my doctor to induce me that day.  I had had enough between the lack of sleep, the increase of pain and the swelling scare.  I was close enough....surely!  At the doctor's I was still swollen, but my blood pressure was good. (I had secretly hoped it would be high so I could convince her to induce me.)  While talking to my doctor she said that I wasn't dilated AT ALL!  NOTHING!!!!  NOT EVEN CLOSE!!  She said that based on my first appointment my due date was June 30, but the ultra sound showed a due date of July 4.  She said paperwork wise, they go off of the June 30 date...so I was 3 days away from my due date and not dilated at all.  She said at this point if I did want to be induced I would have to go to the hospital 12 hours before so they could give me some medication that would thin out my cervix and then after that they would give me some medication to start the labor.  That sounded worse that just getting induced.  I quickly changed my mind on wanting to get induced.  So at this point I have appointments twice a week to keep an eye on everything and to see how I progress.  I had a BPP that day as well, which is an ultra sound, but they only check to see if the baby is head down, her vitals are good and there's enough fluid still in there for her.  Everything checked out perfectly fine!  Now we just have to cross our fingers and see how things go from here.

The Nesting Has Begun

Yesterday the nesting stage of my pregnancy went into full gear!  I was genuinely surprised at the amount of energy I suddenly had and how everything needed to get done, and it needed to get done now!  Now that I look back at it, the day before I started showing symptoms.  I had a doctor's appointment and afterwards I picked up curtains for the baby's room, a diaper bag and some essentials for it, and the crib skirt and sheet that goes with the bedding.  I originally wasn't going to purchase them, but that particular day got the best of me.

Yesterday started like a normal one for me.  I woke up, got Madison ready for school and on the bus, checked my email, misc. blogs I follow and facebook.  Then I started in with work.  In between all of the work, I decided to throw a load of laundry in.  This simple task has been haunting me for weeks.  I had completely pushed the task to the side and, unfortunately, Madison and I were beginning to suffer from it.  From that one load of laundry, it was all over!  Here's a summary of how the day went:

• Fix the dishwasher.  For MONTHS now, our dishwasher has been progressively been getting louder and louder.  It's getting to the point that it interferes with the TV and if it interferes with that, then it will probably wake a sleeping baby.  So I went to the handy dandy internet and did some research.  Most of what I read said to take the spinner and drain out of the bottom and look for any objects that may have gotten lodge in there.  If that wasn't the problem, then it was probably one of the motors (who knew a dishwasher had 2 motors)???  So, I took the spinner and drain out and Holy-Lime-Build-Up-Nastiness!!  YUCK!!!!  I honestly had NO idea that you were suppose to check that type of thing and clean it out.  It's a dishwasher....soap and water....you would think it would clean it's self.  Obviously NOT!  After I cleaned all the parts, I looked to see if there was any foreign objects that had lodged their selves in there.  And yep...2 pieces.  One was a small clear plastic bit that had broken off something, still not sure what it was from.  And the other was a Frigidaire plastic decorative piece that had once been fastened to the top rack.  After everything was assembled back together I ran a load of dishes, and not much of a difference.  Well, the first cycle there wasn't much change, the cycles after that were noticeable quieter.  I'm hoping that it was a fluke that the first cycle was still loud.  I'll do another load today and see what the verdict comes out to be.  If it's still loud, guess I'll be calling someone out here to check on it.
• Strip all the bedding and wash them.  (This is something I do at the beginning of every month.)
• Go through all the baby shower items from this past weekend.  I had already washed the items that needed to be washed, but I still had items that needed to be put away; baby wash, baby lotion, bottle brush, boppy, etc.
• Pack the diaper bag.  I went through the items I had purchased the day before and took them out of their packages and into the diaper bag.  Added some diapers, lotion, hand sanitizer, tissues, an outfit, blanket, etc.  Then I thought, I need a backup for the van too.  So, I took out a changing pad/ kit that my cousin had given me and filled it with wipes and diapers to put in the van for an emergency.  Then I though, I need a small first aid kit in there too.  (I'm still working on it.)  See....I'm going through the total nesting-phase.
• Work.  Yes, I got work done yesterday too.  All-in-all, I actually finished up 2 BIG projects.
• Clean the washing machine.  Again, I had NO idea you were suppose to wash a washing machine.  My friends and I joke all the time that they need to have a class on these types of things.  One of our friends went 2 years without changing an air filter.  I don't understand why no one tells you these things as a new home owner.  Back to the washing machine.  So I was wiping down the outside and wiping out the spinner where our fabric softner goes when I noticed something black on the spinner.  I started wiping it and then my finger went in....it was a small hole with dirt in it.  So I got a nail to try and scrap out the dirt, which was really soft....then fabric softner started poring out.  What the...???  Then I noticed that you could take the top piece of the spinner off and WHOA!!!  I don't think the owners before us knew you were suppose to clean a washing machine either!!  The inside was caked with build up fabric softner....that had turned black!  Yes, black!!  UBER gross!!!  After I cleaned it out I filled it with hot water and a gallon of white vinegar and let the machine do a cycle.  Apparently white vinegar is the new "green" way to clean items.  (In case you were wondering).  That and you don't have to worry about clothes getting bleached after you wash the machine.
• Run to the store for more cleaning supplies and items for Casey's Honey-Do List.  We have a local hardware store not too far from our house.  It's really convenient to have, especially since Lowe's is on the other side of town.  There I got some culk for our bath tub (this has needed done for at least 3 years and someone, who shall remain nameless, still hasn't done it), ant poison for the little black ants that have decided to come visit (Casey keeps buying the wrong kind), and a replacement plate for our deadbolt on the front door (needed done for 2 years now).  The deadbolt works fine, but it's something that needed to be fixed.  Then I ran to our new Marketplace Kroger....greatest place ever...to get the cleaning supplies I needed, then back home again.
• More laundry.  I believe by the day's end I had done a total of 6 loads of laundry (and there's still more).  Told you I was slacking on this chore.
• Hung the new curtain rod and curtains.  This actually was a little bigger pain in the butt than what I thought it was going to be.  But they are hung and look lovely if I might add.
• Made the baby's bed.  The skirt is on, the sheet is on, the bumper is tied to the crib, Hop (a little stuffed bunny that is too cute fore words) is sitting in the corner waiting for Layla and the quilt is draped neatly over the crib.  All we need now is a baby.

Soon after that Madison came home and I helped her with a MAJOR cleaning of her bedroom.  Soon time caught up with us and it was time to get her ready for her softball game.  We grabbed some sandwiches on the way to the game and watched another unbearable loss.  On a positive note, Madison's been playing 2nd base the past couple games, is 2nd in the batting line up and she was the only one to score last night.

But today, it's back to the nesting grind.  It's not as sever as yesterday, but Madison and Casey now have a growing list of to-do items for this weekend while I run errands.  Might as well let the whole family in on my nesting fun!   Hahahaha!!

35 week photo session

Today was my 35 week check up and they did an ultrasound to see about how big she was and to make sure everything was hunky dory.  Which it is and we're happy to report that she is about 6 lbs. and 2 oz.  They are guessing that she's going to be a little of 8 lbs. when she's born.  The count down is officially on!!

32 weeks

How many weeks?:   32 weeks (8 more to go!)                        

The third trimester....what have you been experiencing?: Well since it's been 6 weeks since I've done one of these...you could say a lot!  Most recently I've been experiencing some acid reflux...let me tell you, it's not much fun!  At first I thought it was something I ate, but after multiple days of it and a little research I've discovered that it's my uterus pushing my stomach up and not giving much room for anything....and thus the acid goes up.  Also I had a night of excruciating gas pains!  I laid down for awhile, that didn't help, then I got up and walked around and that made it worse.  I seriously thought I was going into labor, but the pain was so strong and came out of nowhere that I thought surely I wasn't in labor...labor is gradual.  The pain finally subsided, but with the some unfortunate gas releases that my husband had to sit though.  TMI?!?  Maybe....but this is one of those "ugly" moments of pregnancy. I've also been noticing some Braxton Hicks lately and my energy has plummeted!

What preparations have you made for the arrival of Miss Layla?: Right now I'm trying to get everything washed, but we are quickly running out of room.  The closet is packed with clothes and the changing table (which has 2 drawers in it) is also packed.  AND I still have 3 tubs of clothes in the garage that need to be washed and about 3 gift bags full of items from my baby shower that need to be washed. One thing is for sure...this little girl is going to have more outfits than she can wear!  Every time I wash another load, Casey just shakes his head.  Hahaha!  He has no idea!

26 weeks

How many weeks?:   26 weeks                                                   

What's going to happen at your doctor's appointment tomorrow?: Tomorrow will be the dreaded Glucose screening.  Seriously, not looking forward to it!  I have to go without eating two hours before my appointment and then I have to drink a super nasty sugar water.  Then a few hours later I have to get my blood drawn.  Uggh!  I hate needles more than anything else!  I will have my fingers crossed the whole time that I don't have gestational diabetes!  I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to stick myself on a daily basis!

What is going on with your eating habits?: Well, I've recently been on a fresh food, healthy, semi-anti-meat phase.  Don't get me wrong, I still like meat and I'm still very much a carnivore, but I don't eat it nearly as much as I use to.  I would normally eat it at every meal.  Now, I can go a few days without eating any.  I don't know if it's the warmer weather, the pregnancy or all of the recent food research I've been doing for one of the companies I work for.  I think it maybe a combo of all of them, but a little more of the last.  I think the most influential piece to me (so far) has been this documentary, Food Matters. I don't necessarily agree with everything in it, but they do make some extremely good points and raise some major questions in the movie!

25 weeks

How many weeks?:   25 weeks 

                                               

Is there anything that you want to do but can't right now?: Yes!  Whiten my teeth!  How crazy is that...I can't even whiten my teeth while I'm pregos.  Wear heels.  All of my heels have been put into retirement for awhile now.  I feel too off-balanced in them right now. Eat Sushi!  Oh how I miss my raw fish rolls!!!

 

Go ahead, vent about all your bodily pains?: Okay, while my husband was visiting a friend in Indy last weekend (I oked it). I painted the entire nursery room and closet, cleaned out all of the front flower beds out side and rearranged the living room furniture to accommodate my "office space"........ALL BY MYSELF.  (Well, Madison helped me move the furniture).  Needless to say, I over did it; completely my fault, and now I'm suffering from it!  My legs are so sore and my back is in all kinds of knots!  Thank goodness my hubby is so generous with the back rubs each night!!

24 weeks

How many weeks?:   24 weeks 

                                               

What are some pregnancy pains that you've experienced?: Charley Horses!!  OMG!!  I've never really had Charley Horses before, but oh, they have been killing me lately!  The only time I get them is in the middle of the night.  I will wake up and have the urge to stretch my legs, but as soon as I do....cramps!!!  They are so painful that I have to fully wake myself out and rub them.  The thing I don't understand is that I've been on a huge banana kick lately...shouldn't the potassium prevent this?  Time to call the ole' doctor and ask her!

 

What are some pregnancy joys that you've experienced?: Casey finally felt the baby move the other night.  It was exciting for me to see him excited!  It was just another boring night at the household, but the baby was all sorts of wiggly.  So I grabbed his hand and placed it where she was laying and then she kicked his hand...hard!  I think it scared him a little 'cause he jumped.  LOL  But ever since then, it's been nothing but hands on the belly at night (that's when she's the most active).

22 weeks

How many weeks?:   22 weeks 

                                               

Have you noticed any changes lately?: Other than my belly getting bigger, my hair has grown a lot.  I'm in desperate need of a hair cut but I'm at the point where I don't know what I want to do with it.  Just a trim?  Chop it off?  Some highlights?  (I go to an Aveda salon, and their hair dye is up to 99% natural...how awesome is that?!?) Oh, decision, decision!

 

Have you decided on a name yet?: Well, we did have a name picked out; Lilly Rae.  BUT...I keep hearing that name more and more and I have vetoed it out!  The hubster and I have been throwing some names around.  We have a list and I think we've narrowed it down, but I'm not telling until we've officially decided. 

21 weeks

How many weeks?:   21 weeks 

                                               

How have the emotions been?:  This week they have been all over the place!  It's actually quite comical. This past weekend Casey and I were packing more stuff up in totes and moving them into the garage.  I don't even remember the conversation, but for some reason I got really upset with him.  It was like an out-of-body experience.  I could feel myself get upset for this reason that was not a big deal at all and I was telling myself, "this is stupid to get so upset over"....I just had to walk out of the room and cool off.  I told Casey I was sorry and we chuckled about it later.


On the flip side, if I find something funny.  It's out of control funny.  I get going and I can't stop.  I'll have tears rolling down my face, my sides will hurt so bad from all the laughing and I won't be able to breathe.  I actually peed my pants I got to laughing so hard last week....I can't believe I just admitted that! 

 

Any food cravings?: Anyone who knows me knows that I don't really have a sweet tooth. I'm definitely a savory kind of gal but man, my sweet tooth has come alive!  I was making a valentine's dinner last weekend and was looking at a random food blog and there was tons of sweet stuff.  My mouth was watering like nobody's business.  Thankfully my dear hubby went to the store and got me some strawberries and I rolled them in some chocolate....sweet tooth crises solved!

20 weeks

How many weeks?:   20 weeks....holy cow, I'm half way there! 

                                               

How are your clothes fitting now-a-days?:  Tightly!  I've already had to up the bra size and I'm not very happy about it; my husband on the other hand is.  I've had to pack up 3/4 of my wardrobe and still the clothes I do have are becoming less and less wearable. The belly bands that I got for Christmas are coming in handy, but I'm afraid that I may have to retire them soon.  Look our maternity pants...I'm coming your way!

 

How is your energy?: So much better!  I can actually stay up till 9pm now.  Not a huge accomplishment, but it's still an accomplishment.  I like to try to get as much sleep as humanly possibly cause as soon as the little one gets here, it's all over!

Have you started on the nursery?: Yes and no.  We successfully added some clothing racks to my closet and we've moved the majority of Casey's clothes into it.  The nursery closet is now 1/2 empty...we're working in baby steps.  I went looking at baby items the other day and WOW, everything is so expensive!  I forgot just HOW much everything was!  But I am going to a giant consignment sale here in a couple weeks and I'm hoping to score some items there...fingers crossed!

The verdict is...

Friday was the big day for us!  And after waiting at the doctor's office for an hour, we finally made it into the ultrasound room.  The ultrasound technician is Ahhhh-mazing! She's an older lady that makes you feel very comfortable and cracks jokes the whole time and really knows what she's doing.  After awhile of moving around and making sure the baby was healthy, she gave us the verdict.  It's a........

18 weeks

How many weeks?:   18 weeks 

                                               

What types of emotions are you feeling right now?:  Excited, Impatient, Antsy (ultra sound is tomorrow) *happy dance. 

 

Have you felt the baby move yet?: Yep.  It's becoming more of a regular thing.  But the movements aren't strong enough for my husband to feel yet.

Have you thought about names?:  Yes.  If it's a boy, it'll be Robert Samuel after my husband's two grandpas.  But we'll call him Sam.  If it's a girl, it was going to be Lily Rae, but I'm really not loving the name anymore.  I've been throwing out ideas, but my husband hasn't agreed on any.

17 weeks

How many weeks?:   17 weeks 

                                               

When is your next ultrasound?:  Next Friday! 

 

Are you excited?: Ahh...YEAH!  We get to find out what the sex of the little one is!

Worst thing about being pregnant:  My lack of concentration, as of late.  My mind is always wondering off to some other task or thought.

Best thing about being pregnant:  Eating all day long.  :)

Has anything grossed you out?: YES!  I was cleaning out the refrigerator, in preparation of our new one, and I tossed my cookies....twice!  There wasn't anything particularly gross, just wiping everything down and getting rid of leftovers.

Has anything funny happened?: Madison makes me chuckle.  She's always in a corner talking to Peyton (our dog) about how "they" want a sister and not a brother.

16 weeks

How many weeks?:   16 weeks

                                               

How much weight gained:  I really have no idea.

Is this your first pregnancy?:  Nope, proud momma of an 8 year old girl.

Latest food craving:  I've been wanting Biscuits and gravy for awhile now.

Worst thing about being pregnant:  I miss my big glass of red wine, a hot bubble bath and Norah Jones.  Without the wine, the rest isn't the same!

Best thing about being pregnant:  Watching my belly grow

Happy or mostly moody: I don't feel like I'm moody, though my husband may disagree.  I just don't have a filter anymore, if something bothers me, I express it.

Last time you cried over something ridiculous was:  Last Tuesday.  I watched the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.  It was a complete sob fest for one.

You pee an estimated __ times a day?:  I have no idea.  Average I would say.  But I am waking up in the middle of the night at least once...not too happy about that.

Weirdest dream you've had since pregnant?:  Oh my goodness.  Every night it's a weird one.  They're all a tie!

Oh my Gosh!!!!

Okay, quick little post here......but a HUGE milestone!  As you can read in the post before we ate some Mexican last night.  It really hit the spot for me.  Well, that night when Casey and I went to bed, we were laying there chating a bit when I stopped mid sentence.  He asked, What?"  I responded with, "I just felt the baby move for the first time."  Oh.....it was so thrilling.  I forgot how truly magical it is to feel the baby move inside.  I'm 15 weeks now, the baby is only about 4 inches long and about the weight of an apple.  So the movement wasn't much, but it was AWESOME!

Here's my final conclusion: I'm guessing that the little one likes Mexican food.  Good thing, cause it's our family favorite!  Welcome to the family kiddo!

Boy or Girl?

The end of this month is when we find out the gender of our little one. As of right now, I'm saying it's a boy for a couple reasons. One, this pregnancy is a lot different than my first and two I've been miserable for the past couple weeks and only a boy can cause this much misery. I thought it would be fun to try some old wives tales and see if they are true.

Short time to conceive = girl
According to the Chinese gender chart = boy
I sleep on my right side = girl
My face is not round and rosy = boy
I carry my weight in front (I did with my daughter too) = boy
My feet are colder now = boy
Dad-to-be hasn't gained weight = girl
I feel nausea = girl
I'm not craving citrus = boy
I am not gaining weight = boy
I'm not feeling clumsy = boy
I'm craving salty stuff (I always do though) = boy
I'm not (very) moody = boy
When holding my wedding ring on a string over my belly it went in circles = boy 

Girl = 4
Boy =10

I guess what they say is true, "Mamma knows best"!