How Bizarre

We have baby stuff. 

In OUR house. 

And not just tucked away in one room, it’s like, spread out all over. The nursery is being painted, so everything was pulled out. The crib is in the office, along with the haul of gifts we received at my family shower this past weekend. Stuffed animals are on our dresser, because Parker thinks they are his, and would love nothing more than to massacre them in 6.4 seconds flat. Items to be returned to BRU are in the living room. Handmade gifts that will be returned so that a name can be embroidered on them are sitting on the kitchen table. Larger items like the car seat and bouncy chair and swing, are in the garage. So everywhere I look there is something for this baby growing inside of me. And it’s bizarre. 

The shower went remarkably well, I’d say. As much as I imagined that day to basically be my worst nightmare, my MIL’s friends did a very good job of orchestrating every detail so that the guests weren’t held hostage all day.


 Appetizers, Chatting, Lunch, Gifts, Cake, DONE. 


While it felt like several hours due to how much attention I was receiving, in actuality it ran about three. Pretty good for 37 women in one room.  We got a lot of wonderful gifts, and I am overwhelmed by everyone’s thoughtfulness and generosity. We had quite the car load to take home. And now we actually have enough clothing to do a full load of laundry! Up until Sunday I’d only had four onesies put aside. 

CAKE!

Me.

Our first Christmas outfit!

A super snuggly little one piece suit, perfect for winter.

A super soft blanket to remind me that we are having a baby. 




I hit the 32 week mark last weekend, and emotionally it gave me a little breathing room. I do realize that if our little one came today they would probably be in the NICU for several weeks, but just the knowledge that the survival rate is SO much higher at this point, brings me a bit of peace. And it's really truly finally starting to set in with me that we are actually going to have a baby. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY.


Pregnancy wise, things continue to go well. The bladder infection seems to have cleared up, and while I'm still up at least twice a night to pee, it's better than four times a night. Although the other downside to the antibiotics is that they gave me a yeast infection. I guess part of what they did is killed some of the other necessary bacteria in there, resulting in a YI. Boo. 


My belly is definitely getting A LOT bigger. I've started to bump into more things with it, as well as spilling on it. The baby is getting more and more active and stronger each day. Last night Brian and I were laying in bed watching TV when all of a sudden the baby started going ape. And because I was laying on my side, my belly was really soft so the kicks looked and felt even stonger. The look on Brian's face made me fall in love with him and the baby even more. It was just priceless. Then we watched my belly moving for a little while. It's indescribable each time I re-comprehend (I make up words) that there is a little person in there. 


I definitely feel like I'm slowing down. Which at 8 months, I suppose, should be the case... While I miss being able to kick ass, I am still loving every second of what makes me so tired and lazy. And I'm just so very grateful. 

What Day Is It???

Holy Schinikies it’s almost November. Sorry for the lack of updating, it’s been an eventful few weeks for me. Swamped at work, various social obligations, a bladder infection, my anniversary, my very first shower will be this weekend AND I have NOTHING to wear for it!

Work is a little banana’s just because well, it happens. But also because I am trying to wrap up all of my loose ends on top of preparing various folks in the office to take over my duties while I’m out. My last day of work will be December 2^nd. WOOT. 

I had another check up this week. I’m on the every two weeks schedule now. This time I saw a different Midwife in the practice. She seems to be a little more technically skilled than the other one I've seen, but personality wise she’s a big dull dud. Whattaya gonna do? Based on my tales of bathroom trips, something caught her attention and she had me checked for a bladder infection. Turns out there was a small infection brewing. BOO. I’m not thrilled about being on Antibiotics, but the alternative is spending the rest of this pregnancy running to the loo (even MORE), and risking preterm labor. No thanks. 

Brian and I celebrated our EIGHTH wedding anniversary on Tuesday! I scheduled the midwife appointment for later in the afternoon, so that I could skip out of work early and we could just head off to dinner afterwards. Dinner was delayed a bit by my inability to produce a urine sample to have tested for the infection. One giant red Solo cup full of water, and 25 minutes later I claimed victory. In the mean time we gave lots of love to the office dog- Newie, and chatted with the midwives about restaurant recommendations. We were there after the office had closed, so the staff had time to chat. Afterward we went to a lovely Italian place. I had Farfalle Pasta with chicken and prosciutto in a cream sauce, and we shared chocolate cake. SO GOOD. Happy Anniversary dear, I love you!

My MIL and her best friends are throwing me a shower this weekend. I’m excited and moderately terrified at the same time. There will be almost 40 women there. Aye Carramba. Brian has a large extended family, and his mother in particular is quite social. I think I only have about seven people coming from my side to this blessed event. It’s a little larger than I had hoped for, but I realize this is a very good problem to have. I tend to fall on the less is more, intimate gatherings are best, pleasegodplease don’t let me be the center of attention, philosophies. That’s totally out of the question here. But at least I was able to talk them out of doing games! I hate shower games. Sorry. 

We’re finally making some progress with the nursery. The walls are being painted with primer as I type this. Then we just need to throw up a few of the sample colors we got and go from there! The furniture is almost ready. And I’ll just have to wait and see what we get from the shower to find out what else we need! I am actually having one more shower after this one. My bff Teresa is throwing it, and 98% of the guests are girlfriends seeings how the giant one this weekend will consist mostly of family. That one is in two weeks.

Pregnancy wise everything is pretty great. It's definitely getting a little tougher physically. My hips, and back hurt at night. It's hard to turn over and or get out of bed. I get winded doing some simple activities just because my chest feels like there is less room for my lungs to expand. But all of that is part of what I signed up for and I'm incredibly grateful for it. 

For Those Who Have Lost...

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

When You Get Here

30 Weeks this week. I can’t believe you’ll be here in less than three months! Well, not to jinx it  - I should say there are less than 70 days left until you’re due date. Which just seems bananas. But I know you’ll come out whenever it is you’re ready. (hopefully not too soon!)

Your dad and I are enjoying getting ready for you. We’re taking a birth class wherein your father has been dubbed my “Coach”. But I’m pretty sure in Dad-speak he believes that equals being the boss of me. And he’s loving every minute of it.  We’ve slowly begun to acquire what our friends deem to be necessary items, most of them second hand. Which is just fine with us. We’ve spent close to what would have been your freshman year at Stanford’s tuition just to get you here, so I’m not going to freak out about a previously swung in swing. We’re just grateful for the lengthy list of super awesome people who've helped us with said items. Don't worry, you'll meet them soon enough. 

I’ve started my list for the bag(s) I’ll bring to the hospital when you’re born. You should be forewarned - I am a profoundly daft over-packer. I’ve pulled various suggestions from online forums and books that seem like they will apply to us. But even in keeping with valid recommendations, I’m pretty sure your dad will have to tow another vehicle to haul all the crap I’ll bring.

Most of the preparations feel exciting and appropriate. But a big part of me doesn’t care about the rest of the pomp and circumstance of showers and decorating. Because all I can think about is finally meeting you. And more than that I am just looking so forward to the moment I realize that I don’t remember what our life was like without you. See you in December.

Love,

momma

Is It Too Late To Start These?

I’ve been so super swamped lately, but I dread the idea of letting too many details go about this pregnancy. So I figured this would be a good temporary solution, since I have three half written posts lingering as drafts. The one on Child Birth classes being the most important to me thus far. I will try to dedicate more time to getting them done, I SWEAR. 

here goes:

How far along? 29 Weeks, 2 days

How big is the baby? About 2 ½ pounds. At the Biophysical Profile u/s I had two weeks ago during our little scare, the tech said baby g was measuring in the 50^th percentile. Which she also said was a good thing.

Weight gain? Yes, have some.

Maternity Clothes? Clothes are fine. I’ve started to notice some things that used to be big fit just right now, and others that were just right are running a little snug over my belly.

Sleep? Sleep is getting quite inconsistent. I wake up with hip pain a lot, and have had overall a tough time keeping my mind quiet. Not to mention it’s getting a lot harder to roll over. I still pee two –three times a night. I really enjoy when I can squeeze in a four hour stretch of not having to pee. Oh, and I’ve been getting a pretty significant case of Restless Leg Syndrome. Sometimes I can walk it off, but if not I usually end up taking a hot shower. That usually cures it.

Gender? Duuno. But Brian is pretty convinced it’s a boy. Whatev’s.

Movement? Plenty. Most of it feels like the baby is stretching an arm or a leg out. I think I can also feel the hiney, it feels too big to be a limb and not round enough to be the head. Also, the baby switches sides a lot. Always head down, and moving to my left or right side. Though I always wonder how they got there without me noticing…

Food? My appetite is MUCH better. I’m starting to enjoy most of the old stuff I normally love. Just a little more of it though. =D

What I miss? Not a damn thing.

What I’m looking forward too? Getting the nursery together. I suddenly feel a very strong urge to have all of that done. Plus I can’t wait to have baby clothes to wash and fold and put away!

Milestones? Every single day feels like a milestone. I marvel at movements, my reflection, and just the simple knowledge of it all on a daily basis.

Symptoms? Swelling. Starting to get a little of the hand and foot swelling I was desperately hoping to avoid. I also noticed my rings are starting to feel tight. 

Okay, more to come!


Oh, P.S. I added two pictures from my brothers wedding to the post from September 21st, so's that you can all see my not terribly flattering bridesmaid dress.