Sunday, September 27, 2009

Full Term & Full of Questions

I am now 37 weeks along which is considered "full term" according to doctor speak.  What this means is that if I go into labor at any point, they will not try to stop it.  Although my doctors, both of them, have said that 40 weeks is where they would like me to be so that baby sug gets as much growing and developing done as she can.  I've got one week of work left and then it's vacation time until I go on maternity leave.  Crazy!
With all this racing up on me, I've got so many things going through my head.

-Am I strong enough to do this "labor thing" without an epidural? My momma did it, but she's one tough woman.  I mean really, she split her leg open all the way to the bone with a knife once and put 2 band-aids on it and kept working.
-Am I strong enough to do this "labor thing" at all, even with an epidural?
-Will I feel like I've failed if I take an epidural?
-How hard is breastfeeding really going to be?
-Daycare!  Oh my goodness, daycare!  How stinkin' expensive I'm finding it to be.  Should one of us just stay home with her?  Can we afford that? Can we afford day care?  How do I feel about some stranger being responsible for my baby?
-Who's she gonna look like?  What kind of personality will she have? 
-What are we going to name her?  Seriously.  What are we going to name her?

Those are just a few of the things swimming around in my head. 
At last weeks doctor's appointment, during the ultrasound, we got to see more hair on baby sug.  According the lab tech, she has lots of it and she said its pretty long.  Guess I need to get out and buy some bows huh?
As anxious as I'm getting about meeting this little girl, there is a part of me that kind of wishes she could just stay in there forever, safe from the world.  I've been brought to tears twice this week by feeling her moving around, almost playing with her. I'll put my hand on my stomach and feel her leg or foot and then she'll move it away and bring it back.  Jarrod and I already love her so much, I just can't imagine what it's going to be like when she finally gets here.

...thanks for reading...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Vacation Week

Well, I'm on vacation this week and so far it's been pretty good. I've been busy enough to not drive myself crazy but not too busy. Just kind of taking things as they come. Yesterday I washed all the baby clothes and have put them away. Today's task is to clean out Jarrod and I's closet and finishing packing the hospital bags. I just don't know what baby outfit I want to bring to bring her home in. I had a doctors appointment this morning. Baby sug is perfect as a peach. She always gives the doctors a bit of trouble, as far as not wanting to move at the times that they want her to, but she always comes around when she feels like it =)
Doctor gave us a 10 out of 10 again. Everything seems to be going just like he wants it. She now weighs 5 pounds and 2 ounces which is still in the 40%. Doc says this is exactly where he wants her.
Her movements are still rolls with a few kicks here and there, but the coolest thing now is when I can feel her move on my hand and know what body part is moving. Last night I was cooking supper and felt her move on my right side and so I put my hand on my stomach to feel her and felt this long skinny bulge. My guess is it was an arm or a leg. Once I touched it, I felt her move it away. It just makes it so real. There is a little person in me!
Something I've noticed about myself since becoming pregnant is how relaxed I've become. I've always been a VERY type A personality with a whole lot of impatient mixed in. But since I've been pregnant, especially towards the end, I've calmed down quite a bit. Now, I'm not saying that I've done a complete 180 or anything. I still completely flip out when the trash gets full or the living room gets too much clutter in it. But, I've just noticed a bit more mellowness coming out of me. I think a lot of this has to do with being forced to slow down. You just can't rush through the grocery store in 10 minutes when your 8 months pregnant. You only move as fast as your body can waddle, so I've learned that if it takes 45 minutes to pick up a gallon of milk and a package of string cheese then so be it. I've also been trying to just enjoy the slowness of each day (especially this week) because I know that it's about to get busy and hectic.
I've recorded a couple of videos of baby sug moving in my tummy but am having difficulty loading them. I'll keep working on it and get it posted as soon as I can.
...thanks for reading...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009

7th Inning Stretch

Man, this week it has hit me. I'm going to have another little person that I'm responsible for around in less than 2 months. I'm not sure what finally did it. The fact that my doctor keeps telling me that the goal is that I go to at least 37 weeks (that's 2 weeks away!!!) or that when my best friend came to visit me this weekend and then left, that was the last time that I would see her without having a baby. It's just getting so close, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out just a bit. I have a week of vacation next week and I'm planning on washing all her clothes and getting them ready. Jarrod and I are going to get the hospital bags packed this weekend and make the trip to Saint Charles to get her diapers. We are planning on using clothe diapers and you can't find them everywhere. I'm not talking about the old school clothe diapers that are basically burp clothes. These are high-tech diapers that have a liner in them that comes out. I'm sure you all think I'm crazy for using them, but we are hoping that in the long run they will save us some money.
Those things were really the last big things on the "to do list" that we wanted to get done and once those are done it's just kind of a waiting game. As far as the little things that we still need, we've got the basics that she'll need for the first few months. So, it's all coming together. I go into her nursery and even though it's all put together, it seems so empty. In another 5 weeks, there is going to be so much life in there, it just seems strange. It makes me want to smile, laugh, and cry all at the same time. I'm trying to take the advice that I've been reading, just enjoying this time with Jarrod as a couple. I know that once our little baby sug gets here, it will be so different. Not bad, but different, so I'm just trying to treasure everything I can now.

...thanks for reading...

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Update

How far along?: 34 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss
: At least weeks appointment they told me I had lost 5 pounds so that brings total weight gain to 17pounds. Doctor's not worried as long as I'm eating healthy and baby sug is growning.

Stretch marks?: None yet, but month 8 has brought many other ailments. I'll spare you the details, but believe me when I say I'm paying my dues =)

Sleep: Yes, I'm getting it, but still not fully through the night (but I hear that I should just get use to that.) Everyone tells me to get as much sleep as I can now and to nap when I can, but I'm just not a napper. Can't do it.

Best moment this week:Finding a sugar-free, low-carb pumpkin spice cake recipe. You might not think it sounds good but eating it made me feel like a real live human being, able to eat sweets.

Movement: The moves have moved more to rolls now than kicks. She starts her big-time moving at about 8:00 at night. Every time I get up to pee in the middle of the night, she thinks she has to get up too.

Food cravings: I'm finding some sweet things I can eat now, so the cravings aren't quite so bad, but I'm still waiting for the first slice of pizza. Just can't make that low-carb.

Labor Signs: None really

Belly button in or out?: Still in, but slowly getting more shallow.

What I miss: Buying non-maternity clothes. All the fall clothes are coming out and I can't shop for any of them.

What I am looking forward to: The smell of new baby skin.

What I am NOT looking forward to: Labor

Weekly Wisdom: Do what you can do, when you can do it. If you put yourself on a time frame, you'll drive yourself crazy.

Milestones: Starting to get the hospital bags together. Nothings packed, just kind of getting somethings together.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

33 weeks, 4 days

Not a whole lot new to report. I had an appointment with my doctor on Monday (not the diabetes one, the other one) and I had lost 5 pounds. He didn't seem to mind. From what both doctors have told me, as long as baby sug is growing and healthy and I'm eating healthy, the weight part doesn't really matter. I tried to tell him that I would gladly give the 5 pounds back if I could just have some real dessert but he didn't buy it. Speaking of dessert, I've tried some low-carb ice cream, not bad but definitely not an Oreo concrete from Andy's. And my "bowl" that I eat it out of is one of those tiny saucer things that you mix oil in for bread dipping. But hey, I'll take what I can get. I also have been trying to experiment with other things. My friend Diane mentioned chocolate chip pumpkin bread the other day and I swear my mouth started drooling (see you all want it now too right?) So I searched and searched. I found a sugar-free, low-carb pumpkin spice cake. Sounds oh so appetizing huh? =) Anyway, I gave it a try and it actually wasn't too bad. Fall is the best time of the year for me and I LOVE anything pumpkin so I might actually make this recipe again.
As for baby sug. She's doing great. Last doctors appointment that they weighed her at (which was last week I think) she weighed 3pd 14oz. He said that was in the 40th percentile with was perfect. Diabetes can cause huge babies so under 50% was fine. Jarrod has been having his talks with her at night. It seriously is one of the cutest things ever. She'll be sleeping or not moving much and he'll stick is mouth on my stomach and start talking or singing to her and she just goes crazy. She actually elbowed(i think it was an elbow) him in the mouth the other day =)
It just doesn't seem real. We finished our last Lamaze class this week, which is just another sign we're getting closer. We've started on the hospital bags, not going crazy or anything but we have a corner where we are starting to slowly collect things. 34 weeks this coming Saturday. In less than 2 months she's gonna be here!
Baby shower was a few weeks okay. Thanks for all of you that were able to come! Here's a picture we took of Jarrod and I.
...thanks for reading...